Child safety ignored in Ardee
BY ROISIN DE ROSA
On 9 November 1998, a little boy fell to his death in the River Dee in Ardee, County Louth. His school books were beside the river. His body was found three weeks later. His name was Paul McKenny. He was seven years old.
He died becaiuse there was no safety fence along the little green beside the river, where children play. There still isn't one.
``I promised the people when I was canvassing that I wouldn't rest until we got a safety fence put up along the river here,'' says Sinn Féin's Jim Gavin, who was elected this summer to Ardee's town commission. ``But none of my fellow commissioners have given me any support in getting this fence.''
``It's a lovely spot, where people come with their children,'' says Gavin. ``Beautiful trees overhanging the fast flowing river, but with very steep banks. If you fell in you would never get out. Children come here on their way to and from school. It is only a matter of time before another child falls. Yet the County Louth Manager, John Quinlivan, says he doesn't think it is urgent to make the area safe.
``I sent plans, drawings, estimates for a suitable fence, maintenance free, environmentally friendly, to the manager. It would cost around £5,000. The contractor said he'd just do the job for the price of materials.''
Things came to a head last week at the commission's meeting on the estimates. There was money set aside for the chairperson, Finán McCoy, to represent the town in America at next year's St. Patrick's Day parade. Jim Gavin objected and suggested the money could help pay for a fence. He voted against the estimates.
The fence was the next item of business and Fianna Fáil Commissioner Fintan Malone proposed that because the discussion might ``get heated'', they should go into closed session. Jim Gavin was outraged. ``On the doorsteps I had told people that meetings should be open and transparent. I wouldn't agree to discuss this subject in secret, where the people can't hear what is said. I left. Once the secret meeting was over I returned to the hall. I asked Mr. Quinlivan what they had decided to do about the fence and when. He told me that it could be this year, it could be next, it could be when they have the funds.
Two Fianna Fáil commissioners, Finán McCoy and Padraig McKenny, went on local LMFM radio to express their fury that Jim Gavin had gone to the media about the issue. It was bringing bad publicity for the town, they said.
``They could spend £35,000 on the bronze statue by the road to mark the spot, down river, where, some years ago, Cúchulainn and Ferdia fought each other to death over Queen Maeve's bull, yet the commission was unable to spend £5,000 to spare the life of a child today,'' Jim Gavin says. ``The commissioners seem to think it's more important for the chairperson to visit America.''
``Its nearly a year since the tragic death of Paul McKenny, and the commissioners have done nothing whatever. We need a fence here. And we will have it.''
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