Search
06 Sept 2025
Search
06 Sept 2025
Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content.
Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist.
If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter .
Support our mission and join our community now.
To continue reading this article, you can subscribe for as little as €0.50 per week which will also give you access to all of our premium content and archived articles!
Alternatively, you can pay €0.50 per article, capped at €1 per day.
Thank you for supporting Ireland's best local journalism!
Pictured at the meeting were (l. to r.) Cllr Hughie Egan, Cllr Eleanor Clendennen, Cllr Liam Quinn, An Tánaiste Simon Harris, Deputy John Clendennen, Cllr Neil Feighrey, Cllr Noel Cribbin.
FINE Gael TD for Offaly, John Clendennen, has welcomed comments by An Tánaiste, Simon Harris, during a meeting at Government Buildings with Fine Gael Offaly County Councillors Liam Quinn, Neil Feighery, Eleanor Clendennen, Hughie Egan and Noel Cribben, which he said signal the Government’s recognition of the need for stronger support schemes and improved processes under the Renewable Energy Support Scheme and Just Transition framework.
Speaking after the meeting, Clendennen said: “I welcome An Tánaiste’s focus on ensuring that the people of Offaly and the wider Midlands receive the maximum benefit from Just Transition and Renewable Energy funding. The Midlands led Ireland’s shift towards renewable energy, and that leadership must now be rewarded with real investment and improved infrastructure.”
The meeting focused on how national policy can better support communities affected by the transition from peat, through strategic use of Just Transition and Renewable Energy funds. Topics included reforming the Community Benefit Fund to make it more accessible, establishing a renewable zoning system that recognises Offaly’s contributions, and accelerating job creation and strategic infrastructure projects.
READ NEXT: Offaly Council seeks HSE's 'legal authority' for hospice plan in Tullamore
Councillors emphasised the importance of joined up thinking to maximize benefit. Clendennen also highlighted his recent Dáil remarks, noting that Offaly, despite comprising just 2% of Ireland’s population and land mass, contributes up to 7% of national wind energy output, a testament to the county’s leading role in our energy future. “We’ve delivered on renewables, but promised support has lagged. We cannot allow bureaucratic delays or watered-down schemes to hamper our communities’ ambition.”
He concluded by reaffirming his commitment to working with the Government and local stakeholders to ensure Offaly secures its fair share of opportunity in Ireland’s energy transition and economic growth.
Subscribe or register today to discover more from DonegalLive.ie
Buy the e-paper of the Donegal Democrat, Donegal People's Press, Donegal Post and Inish Times here for instant access to Donegal's premier news titles.
Keep up with the latest news from Donegal with our daily newsletter featuring the most important stories of the day delivered to your inbox every evening at 5pm.
This publication supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice of the Press Council. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at www.presscouncil.ie, Lo-call 1800 208 080 or email: info@presscouncil.ie.
