HOWTH SUTTON COMMUNITYBULLETIN NO 14/02

JULY 24, 2014----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

IRELAND’S 1916 ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS BEGIN IN HOWTH

The restored Asgard on display in Collins Barracks, Dublin

The landing of arms for the Irish Volunteers from the yacht ASGARD proved a seminal moment for the foundation of the Irish State, leading as it did to the 1916 Easter Rising.

The Asgard sailed into Howth on July 26, 2014 and the official commemoration of the centenary of the landing and the subsequent loss of life at Bachelor's Walk will take place on this coming Sunday July 27th.

After a wreath laying ceremony at 9am at Glasnevin Cemetery at the graves of the four civilians shot by British forces at Bachelors Walk, as the Irish Volunteers with their Howth arms reached the city centre, and a 10am Mass at the Pro-Cathedral, the action moves out to Howth.

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At 11.30am, the Howth Official Commemoraton ceremony will commence on the East Pier, with music provided by the No 1 Army Band and a hhistorical context to the events of 26th July 1914 will be provided by members of the ASGARD 100 group led by Pat Murphy.

At 12.15pm, the President, Michael D Higgins will arrive and will inspect a guard-of-honour provided by the Army and Naval Services. Also participating will be Ms Heather Humphreys TD, Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and the Defence Forces. At 12.40pm the President will give a short speech and will then proceed with wreath-laying and ceremonial activities at the Commemorative Plaque.

At 12.30pm, an Asgard replica ( “Asgard 3”) and a flotilla of boats will assemble out of sight, north of Irelands Eye and all local and visiting boats are welcome to join in. At 12.40 the flotilla will commence the 1.3 nautical miles journey to the Harbour with the “Asgard3” in the lead. Despite strenuous efforts by the organising committee, it proved impossible to obtain an exact replica of the original boat in exact white colours. The “Asgard 3” has been provided by John Delap.

At 1.00pm, the “Asgard 3” will berth at the East Pier, just opposite the sheds and a re-enactment of the landing of the arms, arranged by the ASGARD 100 Community Group, will commence observed by the President. Local volunteers from the Beann Eadair GAA Club and marching volunteers from Dublin will unload the “arms” and leave the Pier with the “consignment”. Unlike the 1914 volunteers, we don’t expect they will go further than Deer Park.

Following their departure, at 1.30pm President Higgins will inspect the Asgard replica dinghy, constructed with the assistance of the ASGARD 100 Group, presented just last week to the National Museum of Ireland. (See Article Page 4)

A huge screen will be erected at the end of the East Pier and there will be a live feed on the screeen of the flotilla and the entire ceremony, along with a contextual historical presentation.

The community and public element of the commemoration will continue after 2.00pm with a cultural programme featuring Brian Begley, Ceoltóirí Chluain Tarbh and St, Brigid’s Pipe Band from Howth.

The whole event is free and open to the public and all are encouraged to attend in period costume. Prizes will be presented to the best period dressed individual male or female, family and boat crew. The programme will conclude at 4pm.

We understand upwards of 200 invitations have been issued and prominent attendees will include sixteen members of the Childers family, relations of Mary Spring Rice and of Gola Island’s Pat McGinley, of Bulmer Hobson and of The O’Rahilly who provided a car on the occasion. Also in attendance will be the Army Chief-of-Staff Conor O’Boyle and the Navy’s Rear Admiral Mark Mellett. An interesting aside to the event is the participation of the newly appointed Minister for Defence, Heather Humphreys, who herself comes from a

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Monaghan unionist background and would be more familiar with Twelfth of July celebrations than gunrunning for Republicans.

So, if you want to go along! All the activities will take place on the East Pier beyond the Elbow. The top level of the pier will be closed off to the public from that point, so members of the public attending can only do so on the lower level. Our advice is to go early, say before 11am. A very large attendance is expected and for safety reasons, the barriers will be closed when it is considered necessary. We estimate approximately the first 1,000 to arrive will be admitted.

ERSKINE CHILDERS AND THE HOWTH GUNRUNNING

After one hundred years we can say there are very few in Howth who remember Erskine Childers and the Asgard.

To give you a background to the story, we are attaching to this Bulletin an article written back in 2001 by Des Gilroy as part of the Howth Sutton Community Council’s campaign to have the Asgard returned for permanent exhibition in Howth.

It was hoped by the Community Council that the Asgard could be the centrepiece of a new Maratime Museum to be built on Howth’s West Pier.

This ambition never came to fruition.

Childers towards the end of his life.

THE SAGA OF THE ASGARD

Since August, 2012 the restored Asgard is on permanent display in Collns Barracks,, Dublin . Work on the project began in 2007. The focus of the restoration was on preserving as much as possible of the original wooden hull and its metal supports, before replacing pieces with new material. In a project led by master shipwright John Kearon, over 70% of the original deck and hull were preserved. The yacht and related artifacts are now on permanent display in an exhibition titled ' Asgard: The 1914 Howth Gun Running Vessel Conserved'.

Nessa Childers MEP and her brother Prof. Rory Childers were the guests of honour at the official opening by Arts Minister Jimmy Deenihan in August 2012.

However, before being restored, the Asgard was the subject of a highly controversial and at times turbulent dispute between those who favoured restoring the vessel to sea-going

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condition and those who believed the proper approach would be to conserve the original vessel.

Among those who worked strenuously over the years to ensure the Asgard was not abandoned to the scrapyard were a number of local Peninsula personnel. These included the late Leslie O’Laoi from Howth, Paddy O’Hara from Sutton and Wilkie Dixon and Captain Eric Healy who wrote the book “Asgard – The Story of Irish Sea Training”.

The Howth Sutton Community Council supported Leslie O’Laoi in his campaign to have the Asgard returned to Howth as part of a maritime museum piece and as part of that campaign an article was written and published in the Sunday Independent on February 10, 2002 by Des Gilroy. A copy of that piece is attached for those interested in the story of the boat from its design and construction until its final resting place in the Collins Barracks Museum.

PRESENTATION OF REPLICA ASGARD DINGHY

The ASGARD was built in Norway in 1905 by Colin Archer the renowned Norwegian naval architect and shipbuilder. The yacht was a wedding present for Erskine and Molly Childers from her parents in Boston. Under the direction of John Kearon, traditional boat conservator,

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the ASGARD has been meticulously conserved and restored to its original splendour, and is on public view at the National Museum of Ireland – Decorative Arts & History, Collins Barracks.

After the official opening of the exhibit in August 2012, a local committee from the Howth area came together and undertook a number of projects to commemorate and perpetuate the heroic endeavour. As a prelude, over the winter of 2011/12 six local volunteers built, assembled and partly funded the rigging and spars for the conserved ASGARD . They have now followed up, in this the centennial year, by undertaking the construction of an exact replica of the ASGARD’s dinghy.

John Kearon, while researching in Norway, discovered the plans of both ASGARD and her dinghy. John and his colleague Ollie Ward began building the dinghy but unfortunately due to financial constraints with the National Museum the project was halted shortly afterwards. The six local volunteers again rose to the challenge and undertook the mammoth task of recreating in identical detail the original dinghy. The committee, consisting of - Wally McGuirk, Pat Murphy, Mike Alexander, Neville Maguire, Rory McGuirk and Paddy Barry set about raising the necessary funds.

Recovering the skeleton frame from John Kearon, the group engaged Fingal master boat builder Larry Archer to complete the woodwork. The dinghy was then transferred to Pat Murphy’s workshop where Pat and George Elliott undertook the task of filing down and cleaning 1,500 rivets by hand before then applying the finishing touches by applying eight coats of varnish. Thus, over the course of a year, this splendid and iconic dinghy has been transformed from paper plans to the example of superb design and craftsmanship that is evidenced today. Urged on by Pat Murphy, the community, individuals, clubs, organisations and businesses of Howth and the surrounding areas contributed to raising the necessary funds. Indeed, so generous was the response to the fundraising that the committee were in a position to contribute a surplus €500 to the Howth Lifeboat.

The final part of the plan was to present the dinghy to the National Museum and at a reception in Howth Yacht Club on Wednesday last, July 16th, the very happy Asgard Volunteer Group passed the beautifully presented boat to Raghnall O Floinn of the Museum.

The Museum will position the dinghy in its rightful place adjacent to the ASGARD in a lasting tribute to a remarkable feat. The recreated dinghy will be available for the public to see from the 29th July 2014 at the National Museum of Ireland – Decorative Arts & History, Collins Barracks.

The Director of the National Museum of Ireland, Raghnall ó Floinn, in paying tribute to the commitment of all those involved in the dinghy recreation project, stated ‘the National Museum of Ireland is delighted to accept the donation of the replica of ASGARD’s dinghy and wishes to thank all those in Howth and the surrounding areas for their work in seeing the project through to completion, and in particular the Asgard Volunteer Group. This is truly a community effort combining solid research, local fund-raising, traditional boat-building

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skills and the enthusiasm of a dedicated team of volunteers. It will be a significant addition to the Museum’s exhibition.’

Also in attendance for the press launch was new appointed Minister, Heather Humphries, who said. : "I am very grateful to the volunteers of Howth for their generosity in giving their time and expertise to assist us to commemorate this important event in our history. There is no doubt that the landing of arms in Howth was a significant milestone along the road to Easter 1916 and I am delighted to support arrangements to mark this centenary in an appropriate way

SINN FEIN COMMEMORATION

Sinn Fein will hold its own commemoration on Saturday, 26th, commencing at the Harbour Road end of the East Pier and then following a lone piper to the Commemorative Plaque where they will have a wreath laying ceremony and a speech by Sinn Fein, Clondalkin councillor Eoin O’Broin.

Additionally, the Irish Volunteer Commemorative Society will hold an exhibition of memorabilia in the Howth Sea Angling Centre on Saturday, 26th and Sunday 27th, running from 11am – 4pm.

SPECIAL HOWTH TRAM DISPLAY ON SUNDAY

As you may know, the Dublin Metropolitan Police, on hearing about the landing of the Asgard with the guns, set off on the Howth tram from the city to intercept the gunrunners. When they saw a force of 1000 men with arms marching towards them, they ordered the drivers to drive back to the city to get reinforcements to the sound of booing from the onlookers. This was referred to the "great tram chase". For this reason the National Transport Museum have been asked to bring a tram down to the harbour with an exhibition on the Howth gun running on board the tram.

 Feargal Craven, who helped to restore the tram in question, is the grandson of one of the gun runners, Jeremiah Hennessey, who was disowned by his shocked father who "wore the clothes of a British coast guard officer"  The whole story will be on the tram and will be part of the display to commemorate the occasion. It is the local museum's contribution to this historic event.

Our thanks to Jim Kilroy, Director of tram restoration, at the National Transport Museum,Howth Castle Demesne for this information .

TRIPS TO LAMBAYWe only recently discovered that Skerries Sea Tours are operating trips to Lambay Island from the North County Dublin town.

The company runs two passenger trips daily; one to the Rockabill Lighthouse ( 1 hr 15mins €35) ; the second to Lambay Island (2 hrs @ €50 per person). The trips are run by local RNLI crewman Eoin Grimes aboard an 8.4 metre Redbay Rib with a single 300 HP engine. The boat can carry seven passengers and one crew member. Bookings with Eoin at 086 3043847.

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We picked up this testimonial from a Washington tourist on TripAdvisor.

“ We took a 2 hour tour of nearby Lambay island, which has some interesting local history and is home to thousands of cormorants, gannets, puffins, gulls, and terns. We saw the smaller Skerries islands as well. Eoin, the tour operator, was courteous and made sure we were well taken care of out on the boat. He was also very knowledgeable about the scenery, wildlife, and local history of the islands. This is a great, valuable trip if you're staying in the town of Skerries, as we were. But it's also worth travelling to Skerries for. Come for the sea tour, stay for the ice cream shop on the pier and the delicious local restaurants.”

BEANN EADAIR SUMMER CAMP

Of all the Summer Camps available to our youngsters, we have always regarded the GAA Cul Camps, sponsored currently by Kelloggs, as being one of the best organised and offering the very best value. In Howth, due to the enormous work put in for over a decade by Peadar MacCanna and his team of volunteers there, the Beann Eadair Club has become a mecca for both young boys and girls and is the preferred destination for over one hundred children plus parents every Saturday morning.

Now we note that the Clubs Cul Football Camp in July was totally sold out which is an incredible achievement and a recognition of the great work they do there. A second camp will be held August 18 – 22nd for football, hurling and camogie and places are still available. The cost for the week is €55 for

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the first child in the family and €45 for any subsequent child. The co-ordinator is Cathal Fitzpatrick at 087 4199882.

Booking is on the club website www.beanneadair.net .

SUTTON CROSS DEVELOPMENTSThanks to the great work carried out around Sutton Cross by local volunteers, particularly the Tidy Towns Committee, and Fingal Co Council, the appearance of the Cross area has vastly improved over the past number of years. The floral beds have been generally well maintained and contribute great colour to the overall scene.

Now we note two developments, one adding to the overall ambience and the other having a negative effect.

Sutton Cross Goes Continental

With the opening of Insomnia and Il Valentino at Higgins Butchers and the placement of outdoor tables, the Cross has taken on a continental look. We now have a new scene whereby coffee drinkers can sit in the sun, watch the buses go by and observe the goings and comings into the adjoining Bank of Ireland. We note that the bakery and cafe business in Higgin’s

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Butchers is being operated by the Il Valentino Continental Bakery Ltd which opened its original branch in Gallery Quay at Grand Canal Harbour.

The company is owned and managed by Owen and Valentina Doorly and at their southside cafe they have built up a significant reputation for authentic Italian patisserie, desserts and coffee. Indeed, food critic Marie-Claire Digby got quite excited by them last October when she wrote in the Irish Times Magazine – “throughout the winter, the bakers at il Valentino will be selecting ingredients to create special recipes around a bumper apple harvest. You’ll find strudls, crumbles, pithiviers and tarts on sale, but the show stopper they are planning is a croquembouche choux pastry towre decorated with pommes d’amour, or toffee apples”. If they do that in Sutton, we just can’t wait for the winter.

A small setback – the company applied in May for planning permission , the development being “the placing of table and chairs outside and inside and the sale of hot drinks for consumption off the premises” However, Fingal planners declared the application invalid because of the omission of copies of the newspaper notice and site notice. Additionally they failed to supply six copies of all plans and drawings. As we go to print, we are told a fresh application will be made in the next few days.

However, on the negative side, we have noted that SuperValu has engaged in a campaign to erect large advertising placards on lampposts around the Cross. These are grossly unsightly and when taken with the other signs now erected by the various shops on the pillars supporting the old Superquinn offices, they have introduced a very negative element into the areas which will not help Sutton in the Tidy Towns.

Could someone have a quiet word with SuperValu management, tell them it is not only unsightly but probably illegal and ask them to stop this practice.

DUBLIN BAY CRUISES.

Dublin Bay Cruises are now operating a service between Howth and Dun Laoghaire via the City Centre seven days each week.

The MV St Bridget, capacity 120 passengers, sails from Dun Laoghaire at 9am, enters the Liffey and docks at Sir John Rogersons Quay. At 11am it leaves the dockside and makes its way to Howth. At 1pm it departs Howth for the city centre; it leave the quays at 3pm and arrives in Dun Laoghaire around 4pm. Unfortunately for Howth residents, there is no return journey, so its a short walk to the DART Station.

Advertised fares are as follows; Adults €22. Senior €19.. Special family rates. Kids go free! (3 years and under).  More information at www.dublincruises.com or 019011757

Dublin Bay Cruises is a family run business owned by Eugene and Clare Garrihy and their three children Aoibhín, Ailbhe and Doireann.

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HOWTH TOURIST OFFICE OPENS – AT LAST

Tourist Office on Harbour Road, Howth

In our last issue on May 20, 2014, we reported that the new timber structured Tourist Office had been put in place. We added that it had been due to open the previous weekend but had hit a snag. It turned out that the “snag” encountered was lack of electricity and that the Council was waiting for the ESB to connect power to the unit. This caused immense surprise, particularly since the foundations for the office had been laid in mid-2013 and then a lenghty period had elapsed while a lease was being negotiated between FCC and the Department of the Marine. Had no one applied to the ESB for a connection until the last minute or was the ESB so inefficient as to take months to offer a connection.

Eventually the connection was made and the office opened at the beginning of July. When it opened, it was totally unsigned and we wondered why. The word was that the Council wished to erect two flagpoles signaling the location of the service but once again had encountered objections and obstructions from the harbour authorities. This week we note that mobile flagpoles have been installed which can be taken in each night.

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Why is progress so slow and painful on everything that happens in the vicinity of the harbour?

HOWTH’S BUILDING EYESORES

The old Baily Court Hotel - Eyesore

Derelict sites and buildings have been a blight on the beauty of Howth over the past five years and while some improvements have been made, there is still a lot of work to be done. On the Harbour Road area, the replacement of the old filling station site beside Findlaters with the new fascade of the Howth Market is a huge improvement. Additionally, the opening of the garden centre on the old Teelings Filling Station site has covered up another derelict site. Was planning permission required for this change of use? If so, we did not notice it going through.

However, Howth Village is currently blighted by two sites which urgently need attention. The most important of these is in the Village centre, the old Baily Court Hotel. Planning permission has been received for the demolition of this building and its replacement with a mix of retail and residential. At present it is a terrible eyesore and is likely to remain so until demolition and rebuilding takes place, probably not before early to mid-2015.

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The other derelict building which is also likely to be with us for a long time is the old Lighthouse pub replacement. Readers will recall that, while in construction, the replacement building strayed seriously from the permission granted and the less-than-pleased planners in Fingal Co Council called a halt to the development. We note from our Peninsula Planning News of February 1, 2007, that the developers applied for retention of the non-approved elements of the development. This was refused and demolition ordered. At this stage, seven years later, we understand that the developers are awaiting their day in court as they are sueing the deceased architect for negligence. Effectively this case is against the architects insurance company and with the lengthy delays currently being experienced in the civil courts this saga may have many years to run. In the meanwhile, we believe Fingal Co Council has reached an agreement with the developers to replace and make safe the existing fencing alongside Church Street and to box off some of the most unsightly elements of this wretched building.

ANOTHER BLOW TO TOURIST INTERESTS AS THE DEPARTMENT SPOILS THE FUNAs we reported in our last issue, the Howth Express Train is a very welcome and colourful addition to the touristic attractions in Howth. Now, as has happened to many tourist and community initiatives in Howth, the harbour authorities have stepped in to spoil the fun.

Originally, travellers on the fun train enjoyed a trip which ran from the Old Courthouse – East Pier – Harbour Road – Transport Museum – West Pier at Lifeboat Station – Old Courthouse.

Now the harbour authorities have banned it from the harbour, citing potential to cause obstruction and traffic disruption.

The fare on this trip is €3,50 for adults; €3.50 for children. Further info at 086.18060920 or www.howthexpress.com

TRIPADVISOR GETS HOWTH RESTAURANTS WRONGIn our opinion, Tripadvisor can be a good guide provided one reads the reviews carefully and between the lines.

However, our faith in its rating system has been shaken when we looked at its ratings of restaurants in Howth.

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In all, twenty-one restaurants and cafes are reviewed and listed in order of rating. The ratings are as follows;

1. O’Connell’s2. Octopussy Seafood Tapas Bar3. The House4. Aqua5. Abbey Tavern 6. Oar House7. Deep8. The Dog House9. Brass Monkey10. Ella’s11. Il Panorama Cafe12. Beshoffs13. East14. Bloody Stream15. Casa Pasta16. Marie Louise Tea Room17. Crabby Joes18. Country Market19. King Sitric20. Findlaters21. Caffe Caira

We will be more careful in future when checking Tripadvisor ratings for restaurants in cities, towns and villages we may visit. We have so many great restaurants in Howth that in our view it is impossible to separate the top eight. If asked to compile a listing of the top ten, in no particular order, we would include eight of the 1-10 above and promote both the King Sitric and Crabby Joes into our listing. We will leave it to readers to make their own choice and to guess what two we would relegate out of the top ten. The brilliant news, though, is that there is not a poor restaurant among the whole twenty-one and we are really well served for good dining in Howth.

FINGAL COUNCIL CUTS PROPERTY TAXIn the legislation introducing the Property Tax, provision was made giving county council the latitude to increase or reduce property tax for that area by a maximum of 15%. As it was generally held that Dublin property owners were unfairly taxed because of higher property prices in the area, Fingal councillors voted at their July meeting to cut the tax for 2015 by this maximum percentage. This decision is subject to a consultation process and formal ratification in September.

Commenting on the reduction, Councillor Cian O’Callaghan, who proposed the motion, commented; “ 

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“Given the relative healthy finances of the Dublin Councils which derive a substantial income from commercial rates rather than from the Central Government Grant, this decision is one that should be possible without any threats to a reduction in core services”

CONTINENTAL DINING ON THE WEST PIER

Colourful Scene at Deep and The Brass Monkey on West Pier, Howth

With temperatures in the mid-20’s this week, Howth has had a huge influx of visitors and we can truly say we have never seen so many people around the harbour in mid-week as on the Thursday of this week.

It was delightful to see diners outdoor at tables enjoying both the beautiful weather and the fabulous cousine of our West Pier restaurants in continental style.

And would you believe. As a further gesture to tourism and the restaurants which pay a very high rent, we are told the harbour authorites demand an additional €1,000 per table per annum.

ST VINCENT DE PAUL CLOTHING APPEAL IN HOWTH

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This week that marvellous charity, St Vincent de Paul, is seeking your help in its Annual Clothing Appeal in Howth. The organisation is looking for clean, good-quality clothes, bed-clothes, curtains and shoes. New or as new.

Bags will be distributed on Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th and will be available in the church porches in the Church of the Assumption Howth. The collection of bags will take place on Sunday August 3rd during the morning masses only. That means get them there before 12 noon.

HOWTH GOLF CLUB – CAPTAINS’ CHARITY DAY

A Scenic Wonder View from Howth Golf Club

The annual Captains’ Charity Day will take place in Howth Golf Club on Friday, August 22. This is a 4-person Team event, playing 18 holes stableford. This years charity is the Laura Lynn Childrens Hospice. The Captains, Muiris Heron and Lady Captain Breda Swan, invite all golfers with an ILGU or IGU handicap to consider participating. Additionally, companies and individuals can sponsor a hole or a tee for €100. The team cost is €400 which includes a wonderful meal. Items may also be donated for the charity auction which will be held at the dinner. Contact the Club at 8323055 (Extension 20) or email gm@howthgolfclub.ie

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PUBLIC REALM STRATEGY FOR HOWTH

A “Public Realm Consultation Process” is proposed for Howth Village.  This Process will provide guidance to the Planning Authority and key Stakeholders regarding the direction and actions necessary to improve the amenity and maximise economic and recreational opportunities in Howth Village over the next five to ten years.  The public realm covers any public spaces such as roads, footpaths, parks, and open spaces, and includes building exteriors, street furniture, and public planted areas, and it considers the area in terms of ‘movement’ ‘streetscape’ and ‘destination’.

Rather than just seeking to improve the area on an incremental basis, a public realm strategy would set short, medium and long term goals so that Howth can reach its potential.

A workshop for key stakeholders will be held at the end of September/ beginning of October to gauge interest and get ideas. The Howth Sutton Community Council will discuss its approch to this process at its next meeting on Thursday, July 31st. If you or your organisation would like to be invited to this workshop, please write to the Community Council at the Old Courthouse and the Council will be asked to add you to their list.

Malahide Village has already been through this process and a copy of the recently published public realm strategy for Malahide is available at http://www.fingal.ie/media/Malahide_Public_Realm.pdf

 UPDATE ON PROPOSED PAID PARKING AT HOWTH HARBOURThe Comptroller and Auditor General recently published a damning report on the management, or more accurately the mismanagement of the Department of the Marine and its operation of the six fishing harbours under its control. For anyone interested in how taxpayers monies are misspent and wasted, the report makes grim reading.

To quote just one example from the Report

“In the period 2007 – 2011, , €4 million in rental income was received by centres. Over €2 million in rent was billed retrospectively, of which €360,000 remains to be collected. In one of these cases, rent had not been billed for eight years, resulting in a build up of arrears of €264,000. In another case, the sale of a property agreed in 1993 had still not been completed. While a deposit of 50% of the sales price was received, there was no rent billed on the property since then.”

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The part of the Report relevant to Howth parking to which we would like to draw attention reads as follow;

“ The Department has experienced difficulties in generating a return from the use of car parking facilities at some harbours.

Based on the charges in place under the legislation, Howth could have generated car parking fee income of between €250,000 and €400,000 annually before taking account of operating costs.

Development of a car park at Rossaveel in 2011 cost €340,000. It was expected to generate €580,000 annually before VAT and operators' costs, but it only realised a net income of €11,000 in its first 12 months of operation due to a number of unforeseen circumstances. A business case for the investment to develop the parking facilities was not available for review, setting out an assessment of the projected costs and benefits.”

Two aspects of the above comments are very interesting to those who oppose paid parking on Howth harbour.

In the first place, the Comptroller General draws attention to the fact that, although the Department of the Marine has been contemplating imposing charges in Howth for upwards of ten years now, they have not yet developed a business plan or carried out an assessment of projected costs and benefits.

Secondly, the projected income from such a scheme of €250k - €400k is pure guesswork and has no business basis.

Thirdly, in Rosaveel, where parking fees were imposed, while the projected income was €580k, the actual net income generated was only €11,000. The report adds. “However, the income stream was significantly compromised from the outset, due to technical problems with the car park equipment and unexpected competition from other private car parks in the area. Poor weather in 2012 also had a significant impact, with occupancy rates between 17% and 55% of expected norms during the peak season. Around €11,000 in net income has been generated for the centre between June 2012 and July 2013. “

We would contend that, if fee parking was imposed in Howth harbour, the Rosaveel experience would be repeated, little income would be generated and a huge blow would be dealt to tourism in Howth.

In another paragraph, the report states.

“The Department stated that the introduction of car parking at Howth was originally examined in detail in 2007, in conjunction with Fingal County Council, in the context of a proposed Howth Traffic and Parking Management Plan. The project did not proceed, due to the withdrawal of the Council after a year of preparation and public consultation. There was strong local objection to the plan – a range of recreational users of the harbour are accustomed to availing of the car park free of charge. The Department stated that a new

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plan for the introduction of paid car parking has been prepared and is under consideration.”

Arising from this comment, Tommy Broughan TD, posed the following question to Minister Coveney.

“ To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the position regarding his proposal to introduce paid parking charges in Howth Harbour; his position in relation to certain sections of the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General entitled Financial Management and Reporting for Fishery Harbour Centres dated April 2014 which refer to parking charges in Howth..”

In a written reply, issued on July 16, 2014, the Minister replied.

“The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, owns and directly manages six Fishery Harbour Centres located at Howth, Dunmore East, Castletownbere, Ros an Mhíl, Killybegs and An Daingean.   The introduction of paid car parking on Howth Harbour as part of an overall review of traffic management arrangements has been under consideration for some time.   The Comptroller and Auditor General published a Special Report on the Financial Management and Reporting for Fishery Harbour Centres on 8th July 2014. The report focuses on ways to enhance the financial arrangements in the Fishery Harbour Centres, and brings particular attention to the possibility of introducing paid car parking in Howth.   The question of paid car parking in Howth Fishery Harbour Centre remains under active review and the views of the Comptroller and Auditor General will be considered in making any final decision.   There is a broad range of other factors to be taken into account before a final decision will be made on the matter; first and foremost Howth Fishery Harbour Centre is a working fishery harbour, one of the six Fishery Harbour Centres in the State. The safe operation of the Harbour is of paramount concern, in this context, traffic management and parking is recognised as an issue, particularly, though not exclusively, during the busy holiday periods.

A recent report of the Comptroller and Auditor General into fishery harbour centres implies that parking charges could be introduced in Howth harbour.  You will find a copy of the report at the following link: “

http://www.audgen.gov.ie/viewdoc.asp?DocID=1867

In a comment to the Editor, just before we went to print, Tommy Broughan told us.

“Yesterday, I met Principal Officer Kevin Moriarty who is responsible for Howth Fishing Harbour in the Department of the Marine.

We discussed a range of issues affecting Howth Harbour including the Department's plans to introduce parking charges and I strongly conveyed the opposition of the people and businesses of Howth.”

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LOCAL ELECTION RESULTS

Three of the five newly elected Howth/Sutton councillors, pictured at the Asgard Dingy presentation in Howth Yacht Club on July 16th. (l to r) Clr Jimmy Gueran, Clr Daire Ni Laoi, Pat Murphy, Asgard 100 Committee, Mayor of Fingal, Clr Mags Murray, Clr David Healy and Fingal Co Manager, Paul Reid. Clr Cian O’Callaghan was present but missed this pic.

The Local Elections are now over and the people of Howth, Sutton, Baldoyle, Portmarnock and Malahide have elected eight councillors to represent the area for the next five years. The electorate was 42,532 but only 18,027 votes were cast, which meant that 58% of those eligable to vote did not bother to do so for whatever reason. The quota was 1,977.

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The electors rewarded the former Labour councillor, now Independent, Cian O’Callaghan, for his full-time commitment and hard work, by placing him at the top of the poll with 2,868 votes. The following table shows the result of the election .

1. Cian O’Callaghan Independent 2,868 1st Count2. Eoghan O’Brien Fianna Fail 2,537 1st Count3. Daire Ni Laoi Sinn Fein 2,151 1st Count4. Jimmy Gueran Independent 1,779 3rd Count5. Anthony Lavin Fine Gael 1,674 7th Count6. David Healy Green Party 1,206 9th Count7. Brian McDonagh Labour 1,168 9th/Final 8. Keith Redmond Fine Gael 1,148 9th/Final

ALSO RANS9. Judy Dunne Labour 92210. Marie O’Toole Fine Gael 86811. Aileen Woods Fianna Fail 76112. David O’Connor Independent 60413. Lech Szezecinski Independent 10414. Spoiled Votes No Party 237

After nine counts, six of the eight seats had been filled by candidates who had reached the quota. This left three candidates with less votes than the quota, David Healy with 1,892, Keith Redmond with 1,768 and Aileen Woods with 1,401. Woods was therefore eliminated and the last two seats went to Healy and Redmond without reaching the quota.

Our thanks to all the people who contacted us and thanked us for listing the candidates and giving background information wherever it was available. Apart from this, one Fine Gael activist took exception to our coverage and asked to be taken off the mailing list. We have, of course, obliged.

HOWTH CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL - NO DOUBT ABOUT ITS FUTURE!

Congratulations to the Howth Chamber Music Committee on the success of their 3rd Festival held in late May.

Once again, they provided music lovers with the opportunity to experience in local surroundings top international classical musicians. This years quintet consisted RTE Concert Orchestra leader, Mia Cooper, together with Amy Norrington, Philippe Graffin, Alasdair Beatson and Lilli Maijala.

Under the leadership of Florence Mueller, the committee of Susan Early, Hannah Levy, Celine Daly, Maria McGregor, Finola Young and Gabriella & Bogdan Senchea, have done a fantastic job.

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This Festival is not just a weekend affair. All proceeds go towards the school community programme which provides both instruments and instruction to primary school children on the Peninsula. Arising from the first year of this project, 120 violins were provided to Scoil Mhuire in Howth which allows the whole school to learn violin on a weekly basis. Subsequently, St Fintan’s NS and the Burrow NS have also been recipients of violins under this scheme.

Florence Mueller has been the driving force behind this festival and has generously financed the costs of the performing musicians. With this weeks announcement that her husband, Christoph is stepping down in May 2015 as CEO of Aer Lingus, many in Howth were concerned about the future of the event. As a high flying and much sought after international businessman, there was a reasonable expectation that the Muellers would be departing for a new home elsewhere.

However, we can confirm that the Muellers have made a decision that Howth is there home and the family will be remaining here as part of the community into which they have fitted so comfortably.

And the other good news is that plans are afoot for concerts this Autumn and Winter.

In the Autumn, the Chamber Music mmittee is organising four concerts for children, one for each of the four schools in the violin programme.

Gwendolin Masin

These sessions for the schools will feature the renowned Dutch musician, Gwendolin Masin, who herself took up the violin aged 3 years.

Gwendolin has an international record in the sphere of children’e education in music. Her award-winning book on violin teaching, Michaela’s Music House, the Magic of the Violin was published in 2009 and at the time of publication, she was the youngest female accredited with her own violin method

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Then on November 15th, it is planned to have two Chamber Music Concerts on the Peninsula. One will be in St Mary’s Church of Ireland. The second venue is yet to be finalised. Full details when available. .

BRITISH NAVAL SHIP IN HOWTHIt is not often we see a Royal Navy ship in Howth, but on Thursday of this week, we had a visit from the Navy training vessel, Biter. And nice to see the Irish Tricolour flying high on this ship beside the Union flag.

HMS Biter isn an Archer-class P2000-type patrol and training vessel of the British Royal Biter was commissioned in 1986 into the Royal Navy and she was attached to Mersey Division, a Royal Naval Reserve Unit. In 1990, she was transferred to Manchester and Salford University Royal Naval Unit. Biter's time at sea includes weekends visiting local ports and deployments during the Easter and Summer holidays when she visits ports around the UK and northern Europe. Her main role is to provide Naval training to URNU students on weekends and in Easter and Summer deployments.

The Manchester and Salford University Royal Naval Unit ("M&S URNU") is one of 14 URNUs attached to universities across England, Wales and Scotland. The organisation's mission is to "'To broaden naval understanding and develop undergraduates who show potential to become the leaders of tomorrow, through maritime experience and exposure to the values and ethos of the Royal Navy

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The students undergo shore-based training held in the unit headquarters in Manchester University where they undergo a programme of classroom-based instruction at weekly "drill nights". Students also have opportunities to spend time on larger Royal Navy warships and naval bases, to participate in adventurous training and to gain RYA qualifications.

As part of her sea training programme, she often makes visits to local ports for ceremonial visits or occasions. We suspect it has been sent here this weekend as a gesture of goodwill towards the Asgard celebrations rather than to attempt to stop the ceremonial unloading of the hurley sticks by the Beann Eadair GAA members on Sunday.

ANOTHER McALEESE SPORTING ACHIEVEMENT

Jane Receives the Lady Captain’s Prize from Lady Captain Breda Swan

The McAleese family in Howth is renowned for their sporting achievements over many years in rugby, cricket and golfing. That tradition was continued on June 14th when Jane McAleese was the very popular winner of the prestigious Lady Captain’s Prize in Howth Golf Club. Playing off a handicap of 18, Jane stayed quietly under the radar on Day One with 34 points

but on Day Two, when the chips were down, she scored a fabulous 40 points to win the most coveted prize in the ladies calendar in the club.

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Accepting Lady Captain Breda Swan’s prize, a specially commissioned White Gold Diamond pendant, Jane dedicated the win to her late father, Donal, who had only died two months earlier in April.Jane is a practising solicitor and has represented Howth Golf Club on a number of teams.

PLANS GO AHEAD FOR NEW SUTTON PASTORAL CENTRE

St Fintan’s Parish, Sutton, is to proceed with plans to partially demolish the existing Parish Centre and replace it with a substantially larger building. This is seen as being necessary as the Sutton site is to be the Hub in a future configured amalgamation with Howth, Baldoyle and Bayside parishes.

Sutton parishioners were recently invited to a “ consultation meeting” to discuss the project but many parishioners were annoyed to find that a decision to proceed had already been made and that approval had already been received from the Archdiocese. The meeting was told that in future all scarce resources – personnel, finance, etc – in the five existing parishes would be targetted to Sutton. Sutton, it was stated, was the choice location because of centrality, building expansion space and plentiful parking. It was planned to lodge an application for planning permission with Fingal Co Counci yesterday, July 23rd. The meeting was told that the projected cost of the new building was €1.1m but many present expressed the view that this was seriously underestimated. No consultation has taken place to date on these plans with parishioners, or pastoral councils, in Howth, Baldoyle or Bayside, and we would forecast that they will not be well received there.

HOWTH SUMMER PROJECT – GREAT SUCCESS

One of the great community projects in Howth during the year is the annual Summer Project. Lua Clarke, with the help of numerous volunteers, has been running this project for children between the ages of 4 – 15 for close on thirty years now and even in this very sophisticated, electronic, tv dominated age, its popularity has never dimmed. One of the highlights this year for the older children was an outing on the Viking Splash Tour.

Every community needs a hero and certainly in Howth we have one in Lua Clarke.

HOWTH PLANNINGMost activity in the planning area in Howth is tending to be concentrated in the Thormanby Road area. We note that Cosgrove Brothers carried out some negligable site work, in

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preparation for what will be the biggest development in Howth in many years. This was carried out prior to March 1, which will give them relief from some new stringent regulations under the new Planning Act.Also on Thormanby Road at Bodeen, Nicola Gorman has lodged two applications for two new dwellings.At Heatherfield, John McNerney has applied to demolish the existing house and replace with two new ones.

Down on 18b Claremont Road, A O’Callaghan, E McGrath and J Thompson have applied to demolish the existing dwelling and build three new dwellings on the site.

At No 1 Grace O’Malley Road, Kevin Rickard has lost his appeal to Bord Pleanala against the permission granted to next door neighbour Linda Latham for the building of a new dwelling to the side of her existing house.

At Carraigbreac House, on Old Carrickbrack Road, Lucinda Taylor continues to seek further alterations to existing permissions. Walkers along this road have been witness to major site works including the construction of an impressive cut-stone wall on the main road.

Details of all these, including new applications, approvals and appeals are included in the attached Planning News.

SUTTON PLANNINGThe major story here is that all is now clear for Statdev Property Ltd to proceed with a major housing development on the site at Sutton Cross, bordered on one side by Station Road and on the other by Dublin Road. The development will see the demolition of No 131 Dublin Road (St Joseph’s) and the construction of nine new detached houses (Ref. F13A/0254). Permission had been granted by Fingal Co Council but was appealed to An Bord Pleanala on April 8th by Patrick and Carmel Wall. However, this appeal was withdrawn on June 12th and the Fingal CC permission now stands. Also at Station Road, Greg Gallagher had applied for retention of two single storey extensions built to the rear and side of No 17, in addition for permission to demolish existing mews, a garage and boiler house. We note that the very large site to the back of this house has been cleared of trees and expect a planning application to be sought shortly for a major housing development. At Three Coins, 6 Carrickbrack Road, Raymond Maguire has appealed the permission and refusal granted him by Fingal CC to An Bord Pleanala. This proposed project includes the construction of a 2-bed detached dormer house on the site. (Ref F14A/0128). Howth Celtic applied for permission to develop an All-Weather training surface, floodlighting and a 26 space car park at their grounds on Carrickbrack Road. On May 27th Fingal planners sought some additional information (Ref F14/a/0136).

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Details of all these, including new applications, approvals and appeals are included in the attached Planning News.

HAVE YOU SOME NEWS FOR US

We welcome input on local news or events from our readers. If you have an event you

wish to publicise or a news item you believe would be of interest to your neighbours in the Peninsula, then please mail them to us and we will give them serious consideration for inclusion. If you were willing to become a regular news contributor, we would like to hear from you. We particularly need contributors from Sutton.

HAVE YOU FOUND THIS BULLETIN INTERESTING?

If so, then you can pass the word to your friends and neighbours and invite them to join our mailing list which is open to all residents of the Peninsula. You can also suggest to your local club or organisations that they keep us informed of activities or public events.

To apply for inclusion on the mailing list, they just e-mail name, address and telephone number to howthplanning07@yahoo.co.uk. You are also welcome to mail this bulletin to your friends, should you wish.

Copies of the Community Bulletin and Planning News are available in hard copy in Howth

Library. Please pass this information on to friends who may not have access to e-mail. The

Editor reserves the right to edit or refuse any contribution or letter received, or to mail any

address

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