A look back at what happened in November in Louth

5th November

The seaside town of Blackrock is officially Ireland's Tidiest Small Town, having been declared the winner at this year's SuperValu TidyTowns award ceremony in Croke Park.

Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD, declared Blackrock the overall winner in the Tidiest Small Town category of this year's competition, in front of over 600 TidyTowns volunteers, with many more watching the event online in a live stream.

Blackrock picked up a total of 385 marks out of a maximum 550 marks, up from 374 marks last year. In the Adjudication Report for Blackrock, the adjudicators said that: “The overall appearance of Blackrock is impressive with a nicely presented built environment and a well-managed natural environment catering for a wide range of activities whilst protecting and promoting the natural environment and its biodiversity.”

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In November the Democrat reported that there were fears for the future of around 12 jobs in Dundalk, with reports that the Pearse Lyons Brewery at the Brewery Business Park is to close.

The Democrat reported that Alltech, the parent company of the Pearse Lyons Brewery, is planning to discontinue its Irish brewing operations and close its Dundalk plant, which would result in the loss of around 12 jobs.

The brewery, which brews the Foxes Rock range of Irish Craft Beers among others, was was originally set up by the late Dr Pearse Lyons in 1992.

Originally from Dundalk, Dr Lyons emigrated to the US, where he set up animal nutrition company Alltech in the 1980s. He also started a brewery and distillery in Kentucky in 1999.

12th November

Pieta, the suicide and self-harm prevention charity, launched a new support service at the Redeemer Family Resource Centre in Dundalk.

This service will provide free, professional counselling to individuals who are self-harming, experiencing suicidal thoughts, or grieving the loss of someone to suicide.

This expansion of services by Pieta in Louth is a critical step in their mission to provide accessible, in-person support to those in crisis in Dundalk and the surrounding area.

19th November

There was a spate of manhole cover thefts across north Louth, leading to fears for public safety, and prompted calls for safety measures to be taken, and public awareness of the issue to be raised.

The problem was raised at the Dundalk Municipal District November meeting by Dundalk-Carlingford's Cllr Antóin Watters, who told the meeting that a number of people in the area had contacted him about manhole covers going missing.

Cllr Watters said that he understands that 25 to 30 manhole covers have gone missing from the Shelagh and Hackballscross areas, and the whole way out to Ravensdale, due to theft.

Cllr Waters added that it was an issue that had happened previously, and that on this occasion a man nearly fell into a manhole in Ravensdale as a result. The Sinn Féin councillor went on to say that those stealing the manhole covers are obviously going to a scrap merchants or something similar and getting money for them.

Louth County Council announced the appointment of David Conway as its new Chief Executive. A council spokesperson said: “David brings a wealth of experience and a proven track record of success in both public and private sectors, making him an excellent choice to lead the council in its mission to enhance the quality of life for the residents of Louth.

“David Conway has over 20 years’ experience in leadership roles, including his most recent position as CEO of Limerick Twenty Thirty DAC (a special purpose vehicle of Limerick City & County Council), where he successfully led the development of key strategic sites in Limerick with a capitalised value of €1 billion for urban renewal and economic development.

26th November

Concerns that Uisce Éireann, formerly known as Irish Water, has the capacity for just 1,200 more connections in Louth, was one of the main topics for discussion at the Louth County Council November meeting, held at the County Hall in Dundalk. The matter was first raised by Cllr Maeve Yore, who asked if there was a plan in place for infrastructure, “with all the new planning permissions” being granted in the county.