Archive - Fight for houses forcing young Kilkenny people to have children (1974)

The vicious fight for houses which forces young married couples to have children against the advice of their doctors was mentioned at a Flat Dwellers meeting in Kilkenny.

Rev Jackie Robinson told the inaugural meeting of the Kilkenny Flat Dwellers Association that city doctors had advised married couples living in flats not to have a family for health reasons until they got a house.

However, he explained, these couples were being forced into having a family because, they believed, if they didn’t they wouldn’t get a house.

There was a good attendance at the meeting which heard the results of a comprehensive survey carried out in city flats.

The survey revealed:

* Eight out of every 10 landlords in Kilkenny are blatantly breaking the bye-laws governing the letting of flats.

* As soon as a flat is vacated by one couple some landlords immediately up the rent on the next tenants.

* Bronchitis, colds and rheumatic pains were common among children living in substandard flat accommodation.

* Rats and mice run freely in hallways and yards leading to some flats.

* Some flats had 10 to 12 people sharing one toilet.

* Many tenants had to stuff windows with paper to keep out draughts, with others suffering with dampness.

Fr Robinson hit out at the Corporation and Co Council who, he says, are responsible for the whole situation.

“The Corporation and Co Council passed bye-laws with a Government stamp,” he said. “They are still willing to sit idly by and watch landlords completely ignore them.”

Neck and Neck in Elections

A member of each of the three main political parties was elected on the first count at the Kilkenny Corporation elections.

Kieran Crotty TD (FG) headed the poll with 892 votes. Mayor Michael McGuinness (FF) was next with 611 votes with Labour TD Seamus Pattison next with 435 votes.

The same trio, with Mr PJ Henderson, were elected on the first count in the last Corporation elections in 1967.

In 1967 71% of the electorate went to the polls. This time 70.09% of the 6,894 electorate cast their votes. There were 135 spoiled votes. The quota is 372.

Two Holes in One!

Holes in one are rare events at any golf course, but Kilkenny had two members scoring aces in the Captain’s Day outing.

Tom Hickey sank his five iron shot at the 177 yards 17th hole while former Kilkenny hurler Tommy O’Connell sent his four wood drive to the cup at the 210 yards 10th hole.