Councillor Orla Leyden - Working with the community

Roscommon Train Station

1/29/2019

ROSCOMMON TRAIN STATION 160 years open next year...Great initiative by Roscommon Heritage Group working with Basil and Cathal, Iarnrod Eireann to enhance Roscommon Train Station.
Dave Dibble has taken huge pride in his voluntary work tidying and planting at the station. Out again today despite the bitter cold day. Well done to Dave and to all Roscommon Heritage Group chaired by David Molloy.

I would like to see Roscommon Train Station further enhanced with artworking depicting Heritage attractions including Roscommon Castle and Domenican Abbey and our beautiful market town. I would also like to see Roscommon Tourism promoted inside the station like it has been at Ireland West Airport linking with Roscommon Tourist Office

Roscommon walks

1/24/2019

We are thrilled to have our booklets Roscommon Walks, printed and ready for distribution.

FREE copies will be available in our local papers on 5th and 7th February.

Roscommon County Council supporting festivals and events

1/23/2019

Roscommon County Council supporting festivals and events scheduled to be held in the months of January to December 2019 (inclusive) should be submitted by Friday 8th February 2019.
This programme is aimed at supporting festivals and events which drive domestic tourism and help to increase economical activity within the community. In recognition of these benefits and the extent of the voluntary effort involved in the organising of festivals and events, the Council has put a grant fund in place for 2019. The emphasis of the scheme is on providing funding for a diverse range of projects, thus ensuring that the limited financial resources available are used to the maximum benefit of the community at large.
2. Who is the Programme Aimed At?
The Festival and Events Programme is aimed at festivals and events that fit into one of the following categories:
• General festivals (i.e. literary, historic, fairs, traditional culture or family focused).
• Arts, Music & Theatre.
• Family Sports & Outdoors
http://www.roscommoncoco.ie/…/Roscommon-County-Council-Fest…
Completed Applications may be submitted by email to: edowd@roscommoncoco.ie
or by post to:
Festival and Event Grant Scheme 2019
Local Enterprise Section,
Roscommon County Council,
Aras an Chontae,
Roscommon,
F42 VR98.

Cllr Leyden is going Poster Free

1/16/2019

I am going Poster Free for the Local Election Campaign 2019 ...while the motion I tabled at Roscommon Municipal District meeting this morning was not supported by all members my resolve remains I will not use Posters regardless of what other candidates decide to do.
This is the motion:
"That Roscommon Municipal District supports a Poster Free Local Election 2019 Campaign in the Roscommon Local Electoral Area in the interest of the environment, local amenity and in the interest of promoting a plastic free Roscommon"
Reply from Executive:
The members of the Roscommon Municipal Distrct can agree by resolution to support a Poster Free Local Election Campaign in 2019, however there is no legal foundation for the proposal and therefore it cannot be enforced if other candidates choose to erect posters.
I proposed the motion. It was seconded by Cllr. Kathleen Shanagher (who ran a poster free campaign in 2014). Unfortunately the motion was not passed.
Cllr Paschal Fitzmaurice (who was supportive) and Cllr. Michael Creaton both said that they supported the sentiment of the motion but that if other candidates had posters then they would have to consider that.
Cllr Nigel Dineen was vehemently opposed to the motion and made it clear that he would be using Posters in Campaign but would respect Tidy Towns committees where requests were made for no Posters
I will be running a No Poster Local Election Campaign 2019.
If we could all take action in our lives to Rethink our use of plastic then collectively we can make a difference!
Posters are made of a single use plastic and the cable ties are plastic. By saying no to posters hopefully I will be one less cause of unsightly unnecessary plastic waste. I can't change others but I can change myself.
In 2014 I used very few posters - no posters in villages and towns...this time I take the final step and will eliminate posters from my campaign entirely.
The focus on plastic reduction since programmes such as the BBC Blue Planet 2 is making an impact. I have taken up the challenge not just in my personal life ...in my political life too

Leyden proposes PROPERTY MARKING CRIME PREVENTION SCHEME

1/10/2019

PROPERTY MARKING CRIME PREVENTION SCHEME: Photo clipping of Coverage in this weeks Roscommon People:
I am working to have a Property Marking Crime Prevention scheme introduced in County Roscommon.
At a recent meeting of Roscommon County Council I put down a motion calling on the Council to purchase a Property Marker Machine in association with Roscommon Joint Policing Committee. This Telesis dot peen machine works by stamping the individuals EIRCODE into the item to be marked thus making it more difficult to sell on if it’s stolen. It can be used on everything from steel to plastic items.
The Property Marking Machine could be loaned to Community Alert Groups and other groups free of charge who wish to organise property marking events for items such as lawnmowers, strimmers, trailers, TV’s, smart phones, – this could be of interest to Sports Clubs too –on equipment such as carbon fibre bikes, riding tackle or fishing rods and engines; Schools could avail of marking equipment belonging to the school; and businesses might have power tools, generators and other portable equipment usually transported in the back of a van and Farmers could have machinery and equipment that would benefit from being marked.
The matter is now going before the next meeting of Roscommon Joint Policing Committee. I am confident that the Property Marking Crime Prevention scheme will be introduced in Roscommon following the positive response I received at both Roscommon County Council where the motion was agreed and at the Public meeting of Roscommon Joint Policing Committee in December where the proposal was supported by all present including An An Garda Síochána .
Cllr. Leyden concluded the Property Marking machine will be an invaluable resource. It will assist the Gardai trace and recover stolen property. And most importantly it will act as a determinant to t
hieves in the first place where signs and stickers saying Beware Property Marking in Operation can be erected in the community.
End.
At a recent meeting of Roscommon County Council I put down the following motion
12:18 Purchase of a Property Marker Machine - Notice of Motion from Councillor Leyden
That Roscommon County Council in association with Roscommon Joint Policing Committee purchase a property marker machine that could be loaned to Community Alert Groups throughout the County to roll out property marking at a local level to act as a determinant to criminal activity.
The Meetings Administrator read the following reply: This matter will be brought before the next meeting of Roscommon Joint Policing Committee for discussion.
Cllr. Leyden welcomed the response and requested that when the matter is discussed at the JPC that Roscommon County Council funds it. Other Local Authorities are considering such a move. If an item is marked, it cannot be sold on if stolen and this would be of particular use for items of machinery.
On the PROPOSAL of Cllr. Leyden
SECONDED by Cllr. Doherty
It was AGREED that Roscommon County Council in association with Roscommon Joint Policing Committee purchase a property marker machine that will be loaned to Community Alert Groups throughout the County.
It varies the strength of the stamp to suit the material it is marking, and can mark carbon fibre, metal, wood, plastic – anything except glass which may shatter. Both rounded and flat surfaces can be marked.

Have your say - What Community Sports and Recreational Facilities are needed in Roscommon Town?

1/10/2019

What new Community Sports and Recreational Facilities are needed in Roscommon Town?
It would be great to hear what you think is needed and where you think these facilities should be located...
What about a 400 metre Athletics Track? A skateboard park? Basketball courts?
A Boxing Club Facility?
Have your Say! And be in with a chance to win a €250 voucher for sports equipment.
S3 solutions are carrying out a survey to inform a feasibility study for the establishment of community sports and recreational facilities in Roscommon Town
The Survey can be completed by clicking on the following link and completing it by the 1st February:
https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/RoscommonFeasibilityStud

Eco Eye - Roscommon

1/9/2019

https://www.rte.ie/player/ie/show/eco-eye-1112/10985567/
Eco Eye - Roscommon #EcoEye – Plight of the Bumble Bees on RTE 1 last night featured County Roscommon and a Bumble Bee Monitoring Scheme workshop hosted by Castlecoote Tidy Towns and the National Biodiversity Data Centre last June. I was delighted to organise this workshop and thank Dr. Tomás Murray of the National Biodiversity Data Centre for coming to Roscommon to deliver it and thank Eco Eye for featuring it.
Tidy Towns, community groups and individuals from around the County attended the workshop last June. Flash back to a fabulous warm Summer! Filmed in Castlecoote Village and other parts of Castlecoote Loop of the Suck Valley Way.
The workshop was really informative and we learned more about the Bumble bee monitoring scheme which is a Citizen Scientist Driven Scheme to monitor how our bumble bee population are changing across the year and across years (now in operation 6 years). The scheme engages a network of volunteers to undertake bee surveys which are feed back to the National Biodiversity Data Centre.
To find out more about the scheme and to get involved:
http://www.biodiversityireland.ie/record-biodivers…/surveys/
With one third of Bee Species threatened with extinction in Ireland and sadly with two species already lost - we must choose to take action to save our wild bees. Without Bees one third of our food supply could disappear.
Here’s 5 things you can do in your garden to be Pollinator friendly from #EcoEye Facebook page:
1. Make sure you have at least one flowering food source from spring right through to winter
2. Leave small areas of your lawn uncut to allow clovers to flower
3. Don’t view dandelions as a weed but as a vital spring food source for hungry bees
4. Avoid using pesticides
5. Try to avoid disturbing nesting or hibernating bees in area like long grass, bare soil, dead wood or walls.
Here’s a link to the full All Ireland Pollinator Plan with lots more details- a must read for any Tidy Towns group!
http://www.biodiversityireland.ie/…/All-Ireland%20Pollinato…
BIODIVERSITYIRELAND.IE

Leyden welcomes major investment in Loughnaneane Park, Roscommon

1/8/2019

Fantastic news today with major investment of €200,000 in Loughnaneane Park for the enhancement of the paths/existing trails through the Outdoor Recreation scheme. This funding will greatly enhance the facility for locals and visitors alike. It will also facilitate greater usage of the Park for walkers and runners who live in the area or who are visiting Roscommon Town in Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands.
This funding combined with the Town & Village Renewal funding allocated toRoscommon Town Team to light up Roscommon Castle and provide a Coach turning facility will give a great boost to our fabulous Loughnaneane Park. I am delighted to work as a member of Roscommon Town Team chaired by Mr. Larry Brennan and an elected member of Roscommon County Council to support the development of Roscommon recreational and tourism amenities.
Thanks to Roscommon Town Team for excellent work and thanks to hard working team Roscommon County Council Nollaig, Pat, Majella and Alan and John and all the team for support and work on application.
The funding announced by Minister Michael Ring TD, Minister for Rural and Community Development and Ms Orla Carroll, Director of Strategic Development with Fáilte Ireland under Measure 2 of the 2018 Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme is a timely boost for the County Town.
I also greatly welcomed funding of €92,131 allocated to the Suck Valley Way which is a significant national way marked trail in our area and a huge tourism resource. Well done Eilish, Rural Recreation Officer Roscommon Leader Partnership on application.

Book launch - Through the Eyes of Margaret Cousins – Irish & Indian Suffragette”

1/3/2019

I was delighted to be asked recently to launch, “Through the Eyes of Margaret Cousins – Irish & Indian Suffragette” by Dr. Munro in King House, Boyle.
Margaret Cousins established the Irish Women’s Franchise League with Hannah Sheehy Skeffington. She campaigned for women’s suffrage attending rallies in Ireland and England and was imprisoned in Holloway prison and in Tullamore Prison for a month on both occasions. The descriptions in the book of conditions are extremely interesting. Later she moved to India and continued her equality work there. She established the first All India Women’s Conference, a democratically elected body composed of Indian women delegates from throughout the subcontinent.
She launched the All-Asian Women’s Conference in India which now has 200,000 members and 500 AWCI Centres. She was also involved in the establishment of a ‘Child Welfare and Maternity Centre in India. She was the first non-indian woman magistrate in Indian history and she had an observer seat at the League of Nations.
As Cathaoirleach of Roscommon County Council (2017-2018) , I initiated the Vótáil 100Roscommon Commemorative Lecture Programme which was held in the magnificent King House, Boyle in April 2018. This event celebrated the centenary of women’s suffrage and reflected on Margaret Cousin’s legacy and the pioneering work of the irish Women’s Franchise League. It was at the Votail 100 event that I met Dr Keith Munro’s and heard about the publication he was then working on “Through the Eyes of Margaret Cousins – Irish & Indian Suffragette”.
Thank you Dr. Munro for bringing Margaret’s legacy back to Boyle, for reminding Boyle and County Roscommon of this great pioneering women’s contribution so she can be heralded in her own place. A plaque was unveiled at her birthplace in the Crescent, Boyle in 1994 - this book I believe can act as a catalyst to further recognition of Margaret Cousins in Boyle, in Roscommon and in Ireland.
It seems most appropriate and touching that Dr Helen Pankhurst great granddaughter of Emmeline Pankhurst and granddaughter of Sylvia Pankhurst has commended the book:
“Dr Munro’s great-aunt, Margaret Cousins, jointly founded the irish Women’s Franchise League in 1908 and collaborated with my great grandmother, Emmeline Pankhurst and her daughters on the quest for
suffrage, suffering a period in Holloway Prison as a result. Mrs Cousinsemigrated to india in 1915 and played an important role in indian women’s fight for the vote, subsequently devoting her life to the education of indian
women and striving for their equality with men in all things. She was also a vegetarian and a Theosophist who lived a long and purposeful life, dying in india in 1954. My thanks to Dr Munro for bringing Margaret Cousins’ life and work out of the shadows, sharing her story primarily through her diary records and those of her husband James. So many women fought to make a difference to the lives of others and yet their contributions are being, or have been, forgotten. Hopefully this book will ensure a better fate for Margaret ‘gretta’ Cousins.”
Photo credit: Dermot Leyden
Press cuttings: Most recent edition of Roscommon Herald