Random Waffle Thread

Depends on the job sure

As it was a live planning issue at the time no more could be said about it but it was raised previous day at the monthly meeting; her reasons for objection will be interesting; the plan was going to fail given the CDP limitations on amount of houses permitted in the area.

Joke of a council it is.

Folly of Cllr. Wallace wanting her tummy tickled, belly rubbed in her motion to keep on the Christmas ("Decorative" lights can be seen (pardon pun) by Liberty Tree & Tullow St. being light up from about 4pm & it bright now til 5:15-5:30pm.........

Update re bus park as per Ind. Cllr. John Cassin "The Carlow Town Bus Park will reopen at 8.00am on Tuesday 7th February.

The temporary bus stops will remain in place until 8.00am on Tuesday 7th February.

All bus service providers have been notified of the reopening time & date of the bus park"

@Nokia6230i chemists in town won't be too happy about that.

Have to say, I am liking the mini Dolmen's about the town. One in the bus park and one across the road from Shamrock Plaza on Green Lane.

Hopefully they are cemented together and cemented into the ground.

Agreed; in fairness to the planners, they're making positive changes to the public realm when doing upgrades; the Eire Og roundabout being another positive example & the visual installation on the ground @ Braun for example; problem is upkeep once the impression has initially worn off and, of course, mindless vandalism by the usual scrotes but sure lookit, for now we'll take such positives for sure.

Am a fan of Hanvoer Pk too since it's redesign; much easier to walk through day & night; still some funding to be secured to include a bike park & some accessible parking spaces and one or two other additions but for now it's certainly an upgrade on its previous incarnation.

Went through bus park today & am impressed by the upgrade too incl. aforementioned Dolmen.

Too much negativity in certain quarters about anything the council do; clicks are more important than facts it appears.

St. Patricks Day Parade route for Carlow town is broadly same as up to/pre 2019 with a Family Fun Day on Potato Market from 2pm-5 O'Clock and one side of this area will also be dedicated to a sensory friendly environment for those with such needs.

Parade leads off at 3pm.

Viewing stand will be in Dinn Ri car park @ Liberty Tree approx. like in 2019.

The parade will start at the old Perry's Cash and Carry as in previous years travelling up towards Dinn Ri Car Park. The viewing stand will be at the Liberty Tree. Parade continues up Kennedy Avenue turning left onto Barrack Street and then left again onto Tullow Street. At the end of Tullow Street, cross over onto Castle Hill and left back to starting point.

Burrin St. as before for vehicular floats; vintage vehicles to line up down Pembroke.

Sunnivas Cafe which took over Coolanowle Foodhall on Dublin St. in recent months (Summer I think?) has ceased trading in recent weeks.

Georges Coffee House on Tullow St. has also shut its doors in past fortnight or so too.

So there's gonna be both a Hard Left AND a Far Right gathering at Liberty Tree Fountain, Plás Na Saoirse, Potato Mkt. on Wednesday the 15th of March @ 2:30pm & 3 O'Clock respectively.

Cllr. Wallace is, of course, behind the Hard Left one; announced it upon hearing of the Far Right one & has deliberately timed it to start before it & end just as other one begins..........off the wall bat s**t crazy but her & her cronies from, among other organisations, CCDP, Carlow College etc. will be there along with those the organisations always drag along to such events like Rohingya Action Ireland members & Carlow Volunteer Centre crew; such a crossover & overlap of these insiduous beings.

Far Right is being led by some anonymous chap "Eire New" on Facebook; I've seen the posters & they can't even get the Carlow flag colours right; they've gone all Ghanian (albeit left to right & not top to bottom) I think......

Do Centra sell popcorn I wonder.....?

For a belief system that's against immigration they've no problem importing a serious agitator from Co. Mayo whose ex-partner had to get DV charges against him after he beat her with a vacuum cleaner tube.............

Fully expect to see all the same old local heads on both sides in the footage; the Far Right are to march to Willow Pk. on Tullow Rd. (via a taxi and/or fleet of cars is my best bet) to protest against (Ukrainian) refugees being housed there; before any definite sign-off by IPAS, IRC etc. is done yet and before a sod has been turned.

One wonders why haven't they protested outside certain well - known Ukrainian specific accommodation centres already/instead; can think of at least 6 in the town & 1 in the county off top of my head.

Meanwhile on the next day our local anti TUSLA wagon is organising a "Free B*****t" who was jailed recently for 18 months & had another sentence suspended in its entirety for, in both cases, threatening to kill TWO social workers cos 1 wasn't enough for her; the theme of the A****a R*y protest is that it was a miscarriage of justice despite the defendant/criminal pleading guilty; I've heard 6 minutes of audio of threats & they were quite serious & chilling........but it's a miscarriage of justice.............?

Morrisseys on Dublin St. is up for rent (again?) https://www.daft.ie/commercial-property-for-rent/ej-morrisseys-56-dublin-street-carlow-town-co-carlow/4509715

T-Street Wine Bar & Music Venue is also up for lease; had had a working title of "The Rusty String" & new owners had big plans (which were granted) https://www.daft.ie/commercial-property-for-rent/53-tullow-street-carlow-town-carlow-town-co-carlow/3993255

They're going to be making modular homes.

Scenario; were the Local Elections to be brought forward by a year, would all 6 current Town Cllrs. as they're still referred to, be returned?

Who's in danger?

Wallace? I think Phelan & Dalton + Murnane are set; same with O'Neill & Cassin probably too.

But is it a case of least worst option means Wallace gets back in?

Last time out, if FG'd a better candidate than their candidate, an ex Co. Cllr., they'd've overtaken her; I think it was 5th or 6th count; it wasn't actually a dog-fight or nail-biter as such; just a poor FG selection, yesterdays man & a slow, interminable but inevitable count.

Is there anybody else, from the various political parties or someone independent, putting their hands up this far out?

Cos right now the outlook is depressing reading some of the monthly council reports from the various MDs.

PBP do have a lad in Tullow but he'll struggle; not sure Tullow LEA's ready for them; not sure Carlow LEA really was either.

Do Sinn Fein have someone they might run in Carlow again; can't think of guys name but Cassin resigned couple months out last time & still came home as an Independent.

Have 1 person, who I'll name by PM only for obvious reasons, who should go for it but could end up being like the Elder Lemon himself back in the late 80s/early 90s.

Ran in Kildare & despite his popularity as a CKR presenter, got trounced in the General Election I think it was; "everybody" had been telling him he'd romp home.

Is there any news of the factory opening or recruitment for it?

New beauty salon & nail bar opening in Carlow in May, probably more so beginning than middle or end; had a gawk inside of it today & fit out progressing smoothly enough with pedicure chairs, nail bar itself already in place.

Med Bar reopening "soon".

Thanks so much!! Yes, I've been attending events daily & am looking forward to final full day Saturday with street-busking on Tullow St. & Potato Mkt. 1pm-3 O'Clock.

Irishmans on Wednesday night was brilliant; Irish, Welsh, Scottish storytelling & music + singing with much of it impromptu, on the spot, sing & scéal from your seat, standpoint etc.

The programme is packed; the parade today was fantastic; delighted see'ing Carmarthan Wind Symphony Band leading off & Killeshin Pipe Band taking up the rear too with briilliant music from both & Adeline Dargan School of Dancing dancing way through it too; they were savage on stage on Tuesday night too.

Seek out if you can Carmarthen Wind Symphony Bands performances of Riverdance, Tom Jones/Robbie Williams/Abba Medleys & Land of our Fathers clips from St. Clares Church on Thursday night in aid of St. Clares Hospitality Centre; the Tom Jones Medley is on their YouTube albeit not from Thursday night; I was impressed by the sound quality in St. Clares Church too.

Browneshill Dolmen exhibition in HQ (old Elaine Curtis premises) on Potato Mkt. is worth a visit tonight; love the different photos in particular in terms of weather & seasons.

Like any festival, PC, EP, Oxygen, Wittness, All Together Now etc. some gigs will inevitably clash or overlap & It's a matter of just sticking a pin in or tossing a coin in some cases; luck of the draw but that's a good thing.

Tuesday nights launch was so good, aforementioned Adeline Dargan School of Dancing knocked it out of the park; Scottish Highland Dancers were sensational; they took home overall prize in Celtic Dance Competition in Seven Oaks this evening; Uileann piper & Bag piper, Irish & Scottish were super too & the Irish dancer lad was astounding too along with the 2 ladies who accompanied him musically.

Parade today went down Tullow St.; I did overhear a member of traffic corps tell BdR to hurry them up as people were complaining because of Tullow St./Potato Mkt./Dublin St./Kennedy Ave. being stopped to traffic for duration; this was only on a rolling scale as the parade proceeded; all in it took about 15-20 minutes & no roads were actually closed for that length as such & is more proof of how much of a car-centric town it is; this festival, in its 5th iteration here, is huge for the town, county & indeed beyond as, for example, Carmarthen Wind Symphony Band're staying in Kilkenny for duration.

I did hear a remark that the parade should've happened on Saturday when more people'd've been around; this ignores the fact the parade's always been on Fridays & it's because most of the regions & their participants're still knocking about; Saturday tends to be leaving day; those competing & participating're not professionals in the main.

Given the general apathy locally I don't think a Saturday parade'd've made much difference to the perennially disinterested but constant moaners.

How do the Pan Celtic organising committee locally counter this apathy & disinterest..........well should they even bother?

Isn't it better to concentrate on promoting it to those who might be on the fence somewhat rather than those who refuse to climb the stile even with a leg up of 99% of events being free?

And to continue promoting it & improving the line-up for those of us who're enthused by the Pan Celtic themes, songs, music, dance & general creativity also.

Like, as Emma Ui Bhroinn (sp?) said on the wireless, 99% of events're FREE; that's phenomenal & makes the events accessible to people thus offering them less of a reason, disinterest & apathy apart, from not attending; again vast majority of events, if not all, were family friendly & indeed there was 3 days of family storytelling in Carlow Library every morning from 11am.

Herself & Brid De Roiste can take an absolute bow yet again this week; Carlow Ambassadors for sure & if Brid's not selected by Carlow Chamber of Commerce for Ambassador of the Year Award this year and/or Lifetime Achievement then it's all a cod; her MC'ing on Tuesday night was epic as always.

(Considering the "Ireland for the Irish" protests locally recently, they should've been front & centre in competing participating & attending events to show off their Republicanism/Patriotism/Nationalism I would've thought...........)

Last day tomorrow & the top picks from me are the Choral Comps in CBS, Street Busking from 1pm-3 O'Clock, Pipe & Drumming Comps. in Carlow College from 11.

Carlow was chosen to be this year as it was 2020 but obviously it was canceled & so we're playing catch-up; am assuming it's going to Killarney for 2024 & 25 respectively as it was due in 2021 to celebrate Pan Celtic 50 & 2022; by Jove & you can guarantee it'll be much better supported there than it has been, was here this week.

And the reason Carlow was chosen for this 2020 & 2023 as Pan Celtic made its comeback was the town is so compact for events & competitions & so easy to get to for the competing regions; hence why it's 5th year in past decade; quite why the lack of local interest exists is baffling with all I've said.

But lookit, maybe there's not enough interest in all things Celtic which is a shame because the effort that goes into competiing by all the nations & regions in the various competitions is epic; the level of detail that went into the performances on the launch nights I've attended each year here, the Adeline Dargan School of Dancing was epic today again also, aforementioned CWSB & Killeshin Pipe Band again today too; these acts, the dances, the performances take time to perfect & by Jove they were.

Looking forward to April 2024 when those who couldn't be bothered attending, wouldn't attend any of the events if they were on in the good room will complain about never anything being on in Carlow.............

Have TRIED keep my opinions, feedback on this as positive as possible & balanced; it's NOT a reflection on the organisers; specifically BdR & EUiB; they do Trojan work.

Anyway, to those who've helped in any way from giving directions to confused on the street visitors, handed out the brochure to potential interested parties to stir up interest, who've accommodated competitors, particpants, visitors, who've been to events, competitions, the parade, impromptu performances & with more to come, well done, thanks & I hope you enjoyed them; for the Pan Celtic to thrive, people have to follow the Pan Celtic!

I went to exchange something in Halfords today and it was closed, said due to a systems error!

hope its not a sign of something else coming for them.