Peter Hughes
“The truth needs to be told out there and Ministers need to say they are or they are not going to give us funding for the restoration of the Ulster Canal – it is time to cut the crap out,” stated Sinn Féin councillor Brian Mckenna at the October meeting of Monaghan Co Council. Councillor McKenna was expressing frustration at the ongoing lack of clarity about the availability of the funding necessary to realise in full the major tourism project which has long been mooted as possessing considerable economic benefits for Co Monaghan.
During a debate on the issue, SF’s Pat Treanor, noting that Waterways Ireland had been granted €360,000 to prepare for the next stage of the project, asked if the Co Council’s planning section or other departments had any concerns about its progress. Councillor Treanor said they needed to progress the development of the marina in Clones and asked when it was planned to start work on it. He pointed out that Clones Development Society were dependent on the marina moving ahead so they could…
