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By Dan Walsh at the Council Chamber, Wexford.

Cllr Vicky Barron is the new Mayor of Wexford and was congratulated by fellow councillors, officials, Labour Party members and her family at the annual meeting of Wexford Borough District held in the Council Chamber, Carricklawn, on Tuesday evening.

Cllr Barron was nominated by “her long-time friend and fellow Labour Party member”, Cllr Catherine ‘Biddy’ Walsh and seconded by Cllr Raymond Shannon, outgoing Deputy Mayor.

Cllr Robbie Staples was proposed by Cllr Leonard Kelly, seconded by Cllr Tom Forde, however he declined to allow his name to go forward, and Cllr Barron was duly elected. However, Cllr Staples accepted the Deputy Mayor position when proposed by Cllr Raymond Shannon and seconded by outgoing Mayor Cllr Garry Laffan. “I am looking forward to working with Mayor Barron,” said Cllr Staples. 

Mayor Barron is originally from Taghmon, but now a teacher living and working in Wexford town. A member of The Labour Party, she received 412 first preference votes at the 2023 Local Elections and she was still standing at the 11^th and final count when her vote had more than doubled and stood at 986 votes.

Mayor Barron replaced George Lawlor TD on Wexford Borough Council and Wexford County Council in December, 2024.

“This is one of the greatest honours of my life,” said Mayor Barron who promised to be a Mayor that will listen and a Mayor that will work for Wexford culture, heritage and community.

Mayor Barron was proud to share the occasion in the company of her family, parents Mary and Tony Clancy, her husband Michael and their children, Jack, Luke and Micheál.

All members in the chamber congratulated Mayor Barron, wished her well in her civic duties, and promised their full support. Those sentiments were also echoed by Chief Executive of Wexford County Council, Eddie Taaffe.

Outgoing Mayor, Cllr Garry Laffan reflected that “being Mayor was a great privilege to be part of” and he regarded being Mayor in the year of Fleadh Cheoil na h-Eireann was “a special experience.”

Cllr Laffan thanked his fellow Deputy, Cllr Raymond Shannon, Council staff and officials and his family – wife Catherine and children Marie and Aidan – for their understanding and pledged support for Mayor Barron and the Wexford Borough District for the coming year.

By Dan Walsh

Uisce Éireann, along with Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, James Browne TD, marked a significant occasion for Enniscorthy with the completion of a €19 million upgrade to the Enniscorthy Regional Water Supply Scheme.

Speaking at the Water Treatment Plant at Vinegar Hill, overlooking the town, Minister Browne noted the critical importance of the investment for the local community and the towns prosperous future:  “The completion of this project is very positive news for the people of Enniscorthy, who will benefit from a more reliable and resilient water supply. A safe and dependable water supply is fundamental to family and community life.  
“Investment in our infrastructure is also investment in housing as future homes are dependent on key water services. This project’s completion will future proof  Enniscorthy for continued growth and supports a thriving local economy which delivers lasting benefits for the wider region. 

“The next investment in the town’s water infrastructure begins in early July with the expansion of the pipe that brings treated water from the upgraded water treatment plant into town. It’s great to see ongoing progress and investment dedicated to enhancing Enniscorthy’s water supply.”

Uisce Éireann Portfolio Manager Diane Carroll added: “This project represents a powerful commitment to Enniscorthy’s future. As this region continues to expand, our water infrastructure must rise to meet that momentum. This major upgrade marks a fantastic milestone in securing a safe and reliable water supply for Enniscorthy, while also boosting capacity for future growth. 

“We’re delighted to have delivered this important project to modernise and improve the water infrastructure for the community in Enniscorthy. The town now has a more resilient and dependable water supply, positioning the area for continued development into the future,” concluded Ms. Carroll.

The local benefit was echoed by Cathaoirleach of Wexford County Council, Cllr Joe Sullivan stated; “The Enniscorthy Regional Water Supply Scheme now stands as a critical piece of infrastructure that will serve the town for generations and make Enniscorthy a better place to live — ensuring a supply of clean and safe water while respecting the River Slaney, strengthening supply resilience in extreme weather, and enabling Enniscorthy to continue to grow and thrive in a sustainable way.”

The project involved major engineering works including the construction of a new intake and pumping station at Clonhaston, which was designed with climate resilience in mind to future proof the supply, and the building of 2km of new interconnecting raw water mains enabling improved transfer of water from the River Slaney to the upgraded Vinegar Hill Water Treatment Plant.  With the new raw water intake, pumping station and high-quality treatment now in place, the scheme can now support the needs of the growing community. 
 
 

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said “momentum is building” in Europe for a ban on children’s social media use. The European Parliament president, Roberta Metsola, praised Ireland for its “leadership” on social media protection but said there is a “huge need for something to be done for our kids online”. Metsola spoke alongside the Taoiseach at Dublin Castle following a bilateral meeting between the pair ahead of Ireland’s hosting of the EU Presidency from July 1st to December 31st. A ban on the use of social media by under-16s is due to be in place in the UK by next spring, and similar measures were introduced in Australia in December last year. Communications Minister Patrick O’Donovan has previously said it would be “very embarrassing for the European institutions” if Ireland brought forward social media restrictions for children because of a lack of progress at a European level. Asked by reporters if he would commit to bringing forward a scheme to restrict social media for children if agreement is not reached on an EU level in the next six months, Martin said the European Commission is planning to bring forward proposals for protecting children online. “Some two months ago, I attended a meeting hosted by President Macron in respect of a ban on under-16s, on children on social media, and so a lot of momentum is building up in relation to this,” he said. “But as you know, President Von Der Leyen established a group to report back to her in respect of this issue, so we are anticipating further economies and proposals and ideas. “I think there is an opportunity for a European-wide position in respect to protecting children online, which I think would be quite powerful and quite impactful, if we could achieve that across the EU 27. “We already have laws in place to protect children, and we will always consider additional domestic laws also, but we believe the preference will be to achieve the European consensus on a pan-European approach to protecting children.” Metsola reiterated that the EU is working on “concrete measures” to shield children from online harm, saying “as a mother, these things keep me up at night”. “I also would like to wait for the Commission’s proposal, because our wish is for us to have a coherent European approach, which gives a little bit of predictability for us as a continent as to how rules that would gain consensus would then be rolled out,” she said. “But then I also follow on what the Taoiseach said about Irish domestic laws, and I would like to thank Ireland for its leadership in this area.” Metsola referred to Jackie Fox, a campaigner who advocated for the introduction of “Coco’s Law” in Ireland, which makes it an offence to share or threaten to share intimate images on digital devices without consent and criminalises severe online bullying. “We had Jackie Fox in Parliament a few months ago, and her experience and pushing through Coco’s law on cyber bullying, rolls over to a unified parliament position to have that on European level and that is something that comes from Ireland, and would be able to be done because there is huge need for something to be done for our kids online in this regard,” she said. In his opening comments, the Taoiseach said his meeting with Metsola “centred around the priorities of Ireland’s presidency under the three core themes of competitiveness and values and security”. Asked if Ireland was “out of step” with the EU on a number of issues, such as Ireland’s rejection of the Mercosur trade deal and suspending trade with Israel, Martin said “across the European Union there’s always a wide spectrum” of opinion. Earlier on Tuesday, Metsola paid a courtesy call to President Catherine Connolly at Áras an Uachtaráin. She also held meetings with Tánaiste Simon Harris and Foreign Minister Helen McEntee, as well as with Ceann Comhairle Verona Murphy. Metsola also visited Croke Park, where she viewed a demonstration of Gaelic games.