Senator Daly reports…

Peninsula lands for public park. The ongoing work to secure the lands for a public park for the benefit of all the people at the peninsula is continuing. There is a lot of effort being put in by people locally and by the officials in the county and in Dublin to ensure the campaign is successful. I would like to thank Mickey Ned O’Sullivan as chair of the KEMG subcommittee on the Peninsula for his great energy to ensure a positive out come.

Dromneavane Estate to receive €7,000 of new equipment for the maintenance. Working with residence and with the assistance of Kenmare Community Employment Scheme, I have succeeded in securing €7,000 of funding for new equipment including a new ride on lawn mower. This is important to keep the the grounds and the public spaces in good order and properly maintained. The new equipment is due to be delivered in the coming weeks

General Election candidate selection convention. I announced I would be supporting my parliamentary party colleague Deputy John Brassil at this months Fianna Fáil convention following the decision by party headquarters that just one candidates for the next general election will be selected by the members at the convention on Sunday the 28th of January. I am grateful for the support of members who nominated me to contest the convention but the decision to support Deputy Brassil follows the announcement by Fianna Fáil of the convention selection strategy where only one will be allowed to be selected by members and the other added by an interview process. I am meeting with party headquarters to discuss the candidate strategy for the next general election.

First ever permanent exhibition on the Irish Flag to be dedicated this year the 170th Anniversary of its flying by Thomas F Meagher. The Thomas F Meagher Foundation was established in 2013 by Reverend Michael Cavanagh and Senator Mark Daly to promote pride in and respect for the Irish Flag and its meaning for peace and to encourage active citizenship in school children. The Foundation working group also includes other locals such as Dermot Healy, Mickey Ned O’Sullivan, Tomas O’Conor, Elaine Treyvaud, Eoin Brosnan & Eamonn O’Sullivan. National and International Board members include Congresman Joe Kennedy, Kevin Vickers the Canadian Ambassador to Ireland and The French Minister for the Diasporia. National members include Henry Sheflin, John Hayes 104 caps for Irish Rugby and Olympian John Tracey The Foundation is delighted to be working with GPO Witness History Museum to celebrate the 170th anniversary of the first flying of the flag by Thomas F Meagher by placing the first ever permanent exhibition on the Irish Flag into GPO Witness History. This exhibition includes information on the extraordinary life of Thomas F Meagher and the history of the flag. It also has a interactive unit with details on the work of the Thomas F Meagher Foundation, lessons plans that can be used by teachers, details on the Irish Flag Protocol which was revised in 2016 and information on the Foundations Flag Day on the 16th of March and Awards and Scholarship Programme. A stunning feature of the exhibition is the monument with the opening lines of the Proclamation with the immortal lines ‘summons the children to her flag to strike for her freedom’ and Meagher own quote on the true meaning of the flag. “The White in the centre signifies a lasting truce between the Orange and the Green, and I trust that beneath its folds the hands of the Irish Protestant and the Irish Catholic may be clasped, in generous and heroic brotherhood.” Thomas F Meagher When you are next in Dublin please let me know and I would be delighted to organise a tour of the new exhibit. Mark

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