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Dundalk Leader 1st July 2026
Dundalk Leader Local Democracy Reports By LAUREN ROSS l lauren@dundalkleader.com
Residents’ groups feel Council to compile “locked out” of Louth in Bloom awards says Councillor inventory of Louth’s SOME residents’ associations are “so annoyed” by changes to the Louth in Bloom categories that they feel “completely locked out” of the awards, Cllr Marianne Butler (GP) has told Louth County Council. Raising the issue at the June meeting, Cllr Butler said changes to the competition, which celebrates local efforts to support sustainable living, green spaces and biodiversity friendly gardening, had reduced the chances of recognition for some residents’ groups who spend time keeping estates looking well. The concern centres on the housing estate categories. Up to 2024, Cllr Butler said, estates were divided into three groups: fewer than 50 houses, 51 to 125 houses, and more than 125 houses. Since 2025, she said, that has changed to two housing estate categories, less than 50 or greater than 50 houses. “What it effectively means is it’s nine less prizes, three per municipal district,” Cllr Butler told the meeting. “Some resident associations are just so annoyed about it, to be quite honest, that they feel that they’re completely locked out of the awards now, by virtue of the fact there’s nine less prizes, there’s less chances of winning now” she said, arguing that the previous structure better reflected the different challenges faced by estates of different sizes. “In terms of size, some of them
Cllr. Marianne Butler. are finding it so difficult to reach that standard. “It’s a very different thing trying to maintain an estate with less than 50 houses, where you probably have a very small community, versus the larger estates or the middle-sized estates,” she said. The councillor went on to highlight the importance of the awards for providing recognition for the work of volunteers, saying, “So many people out there are volunteering in residents’ associations. “It’s a thankless task, they get a lot of grief sometimes, and that night out, that award, it just keeps them going and gives them that motivation.” Calling for the previous system to be restored “for the good of the county”, Cllr Butler “earnestly” appealed to the council to reinstate the nine awards, three per MD, and return to old way of three housing estate categories. In a response issued after the
meeting, Louth County Council said it had compared the 2024 and 2025 competitions following the query. Having examined countywide participation, the council said about 60% of housing estate applications were from estates with fewer than 50 houses, a pattern which had remained consistent. It added that while overall participation in the 2024 competition was positive, some categories were not evenly represented across the municipal districts and in some cases, there were not enough entries to support a balanced and competitive assessment at county level. As a result, following consultation with competition judges, changes were introduced for 2025 to provide stronger representation across all municipal districts, increase competition within categories and simplify the application process. With regard to housing estates, the move from three categories to two was intended to better reflect the distribution of entries and maintain competitive balance. The review also identified merit in expanding other areas of the competition such as the introduction of an additional category for individual gardens, split into Best Town Garden and Best Rural Garden. The 2026 Louth in Bloom competition remains open for entries until 10th July. A further review will take place after this year’s competition, the council has said.
1916 memorial gardens
LOUTH County Council is to compile an inventory of all 1916 gardens and memorials created across the county in 2016 to mark the centenary of the Easter Rising. The commitment was given in response to a motion from Cllr Kevin Callan (Ind), who tabled a motion at the latest Louth County Council meeting asking the council to record all such sites and ensure tricolour flags are available on a continuous basis for groups involved in maintaining them. The motion, he said, is in the interests of maintaining the flag as the local authority responsible for the county and to continue cooperation with the groups. Cllr Callan told the meeting the motion was being raised 10 years on from the 2016 centenary commemorations, when the council worked with community groups, villages and towns across Louth on “these absolutely stunning memorial gardens.” “A lot of groups and the council are maintaining these centres of civic importance and it’s to see that we have a structure on it 10 years on in terms of flying the national flag,” he said. Recognising that, he added it was important the flag is flown as per protocols and procedures which “many people in general are not aware of at all” adding that people think it can be placed “anywhere and everywhere.” Responding on behalf of the coun-
Cllr Kevin Callan. cil, Joanna Kelly, Director of Services, HR, Corporate and Community Delivery confirmed an inventory will be compiled of all such sites, adding the council recognised the significance of the 1916 gardens and memorials across the county and acknowledged the role of local community groups in their upkeep. Furthermore, Ms Kelly stated the flying of the National Flag is governed by the national Flag Protocol issued by the Department of the Taoiseach. “As custodian of public spaces, the council must ensure that any display of the National Flag is carried out in
full compliance with these protocols, including requirements relating to dignity, condition, timing and manner of display,” she said. “In this context, the council will engage constructively with local groups and communities to support the respectful maintenance of these important commemorative sites, while ensuring adherence to the national standards governing the use of the National Flag.” Commenting on the motion, Cathaoirleach of Louth County Council Cllr Dolores Minogue (FG) and Cllr Antóin Watters (SF) both described it “as a very good proposal.”
Cllr John Reilly’s concern Council housing swap forum not on the cards for now over Roche Castle works THE Office of Public Works (OPW) is being pressed for an update on Dundalk’s 13th century Roche Castle, amid concerns that conservation works at the historic site appear to have stalled. At the latest Louth County Council meeting, Cllr John Reilly (FG) raised concern over the lack of work on site and the condition of the timbers on the scaffolding, which he said had been exposed to the “Irish climate and all the rain” for an estimated 3.5 years. With no visible activity on site,
he had contacted the OPW himself and since no reply was given to date, he again asked that the council contact the OPW for clarity on when works are expected to resume. The local authority confirmed it had written to the OPW on a number of occasions and remained in ongoing engagement, but had not yet received a detailed response on timelines or progress. The Dundalk Leader has contacted the OPW for comment.
Cllr. John Reilly.
LOUTH County Council has no immediate plans to introduce a local forum for tenants seeking mutual housing transfers, after looking at similar systems used elsewhere. Cllr Sionnnán McCann (SF) raised the issue at the June meeting of Louth County Council, saying many people on the transfer list try to find mutual swaps because they see it as the quickest way to secure a transfer. “This is something that most people try to do once they get accepted in the transfer list because they know it’s the quickest
way to get a transfer but it can be difficult to find someone who you can swap with,” she told the meeting. “A lot of them can end up turning to national forums where there could be people from other local authorities looking for a swap and I just wonder if there is any way we as a council could localise that?” Responding, a council official said the local authority had examined ways of making the process easier and had spoken to other councils, including Cork, where a system allowing people to look for transfers had been
Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme
put in place. However, the meeting heard the system had been found to be “particularly successful”, with relatively poor uptake and outcomes. “It didn’t give them the return they would’ve liked to get. The uptake was relatively poor but I ‘m not saying it’s something we won’t do in the future, we will keep an eye out and see what is working well,” explained the council official. “If something does work well, we are absolutely open to looking at it.”