There has been a new development in the campaign for a new road from West Connemara to Galway city. Connemara County Councillors voted unanimously Iast Monday to ask Minister Éamon Ó Cuív to provide money to the County Council for a study of a new road from Screebe to Galway. This decision was taken while a deputation from Fóram lorras Aithneach - the Community Forum in Carna - was meeting the Connemara councillors.

ROAD MEETING The President of the Celtic Heritage Foundation of Louisiana, Danny O'Flaherty accompanied the Carna/Cill Chiaráin deputation that met councillors and officiais of the County Council un Galway last Monday. Mr O'Flaherty was at home in Ireland with a group of visitors fmom the Southern states of America. He said that his experiences in bringing tours to Ireland and bringing tour buses to Connemara was enough evidence for him that the roads were still "terrible". Mr O'Flaherty, who is a native of Ardmore, fully supported the efforts by the Community Forum in bis home area. However, he was disappointed with the meeting. "The group from Carna/Cul Chiaráin seemed to have to be doing all the pushing and coming up with the initiatives", Mr O Raherty said. "As I fly back to America I am coming around to the opinion that nothing much has cbanged about how Connemara is viewed in Gaiway County Council since I left the place over 30 years ago."

The proposal was made by Councillor Thomas Welby and seconded by Councillor Seán Kyne. It is understood that the Connemara Councillors wiII now be formally writing to Minister Ó Cuív to ask for the funding.

The Carna/Cull Chiaráin group put forward a revised proposai about the road to Screebe suggesting that it be Iinked up from somewhere close to the Rosaveal crossroads - crosbhóthar na nDoireadha - and brought across through the mountain to a point a few miles north of Derrynea crossroads. At that point ut would Iink into the present Casla -Screebe road and that road would be widened and strengthened to the standard of a new road as far as Screebe. The Carna Communuty Forum want this to be part of the new Connemara Road Project and they say it should go ahead in tandem with the road that is being planned to Rosaveal.

It is understood that councullors Josie Conneely, Thomas Welby, Séamus Walsh, Seán Kyne and Seosamh Ó Cuaig expressed ummeduate support for the proposai. Councullors Connie Ní Fhatharta and Seán Ó Tuairisg said they would like to have a study carried out first.

Bartley Breathnach, spokesperson for the Carna Community Forum said they were very hopeful that Munister Ó Cuív would provide the funding for the study of the road from Screebe to Galway.

Minister Ó Cuiv controversially announced earlier this year that he had decided that a new Connemara road should he bulit as far as Rosaveal only. This announcement - made in Ros Muc in February - caused widespread surprise in west Connemara and the campaign to bring the road to Screebe has continued.

An Cúradh Chonnachtach 22/9/2006

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