More regional news in brief.
Protesters take on Cork wind farm
Up to 100 west Cork residents protested outside County Hall in Cork yesterday as part of their campaign against an €85 million proposal to build a bioenergy plant and wind farm in their area.
The proposed wind farm is being developed by Organic Power Ltd, a new renewable energy company based in Skibbereen, Co Cork. The company is proposing 80MW of wind capacity (at Enniskeane and Mount Kid) in early planning for which they intend to provide 20MW of shadow power backup from a biomass plant.
The aim is to locate the bioenergy plant in Enniskeane, west Cork, adjacent to one of the proposed wind farms.
New Waterford parking meters
Seventy parking meters using advanced mobile technology installed on Waterford's inner-city streets over recent weeks became operational yesterday.
The new pay-and-display system of parking has increased from €1.40 per hour to €1.50 within a "specified city centre zone". However, it is claimed that the system, installed by Waterford City Council at a cost of €600,000, could save short-stay motorists money.
Previously, parking was offered in blocks of just one hour at a rate of €1.40 per hour, whereas a charge of 20 cent now applies for eight minutes parking. A maximum charge of €3 will be applied for two hours' parking.
First female mayor of Kilkenny dies
Margaret Tynan, the first female mayor of Kilkenny city, has died.
She was first elected as an Independent councillor in 1967, became mayor in 1969, joined Fine Gael and was re-elected mayor on seven subsequent occasions.
During four decades in public life, she also became the first woman to chair Kilkenny County Council.
Ms Tynan served as a councillor for more than 30 years and was one of the country's best-known figures in local government until her retirement in 1999.
Carlow-Kilkenny Fine Gael TD Phil Hogan yesterday described her as "Kilkenny's first lady in so many different facets of civic life and a witty and intelligent character who was known throughout the land".
Her funeral will take place tomorrow.
Man convicted of raping daughter
A married Mayo man has been remanded for sentence by the Central Criminal Court for the oral rape and sexual assault of his daughter over a number of years.
The 39-year-old man, who cannot be named at this time for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to two charges of orally raping the girl and four charges of indecently and sexually assaulting her on dates from January 1992 to February 2000 in a Mayo town.
The victim was aged eight to 16 years.
Mr Justice Paul Carney directed that he be registered as a sex offender and that a victim impact statement be prepared for the sentence hearing early in 2008.