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Slogans promoting a far-right, anti-Semitic, white genocide, conspiracy theory have begun appearing across south Wexford as the county grapples with the issue of immigration.
Despite repeated reminders of the swathe of derelict houses across the county, Wexford County Council (WCC) returned just one vacant property back into its housing stock in 2023. Speaking at a special housing meeting at County Hall, Councillor Jim Codd said Wexford was lagging way behind its neighbours when it came to its work on the Repair and Lease Scheme.
It’s rare that a man’s achievements are so significant that two eulogies are required; one to recount his impact on the professional world, and another to sum up his decency and generosity. But the late Professor John Raphael (Ray Bates) of Kilmore Quay was one such man. He passed away on Saturday, January 6 at the age of 83 and at his funeral Mass in St. Peter's Church, Kilmore Quay, Ray’s brother, Dick, paid tribute.
A Wexford councillor who teaches in a local secondary school has said young people have told him they “no longer feel as safe as they once did here” due to the recent arson attacks and protests at accommodation centres across the country. Councillor Jim Codd, who works as a secondary school teacher in Bridgetown College, said pupils attending his school having arrived here from Ukraine and other war-torn nations have been deeply impacted by protests and “horrific online commentary”.
Patients awaiting appointments for procedures at Wexford General Hospital (WGH) have seen their waiting times reduced by up to 70 per cent over the past year despite the impact of a fire which gutted its emergency department. Overall, the hospital saw a 21 per cent reduction in patients throughout 2023, and those awaiting gastrointestinal scopes were seen, on average, 70 per cent quicker than the previous year.