Call to tackle speeding in the ‘darkest little village’ in Laois

Shanahoe is the “darkest little village you’d find” in Laois, with cars speeding past a school, community centre, church and graveyard, according to councillors.

Cllr Conor Bergin has asked Laois County Council to prioritise the speeding problem on the road between Shanahoe National School and the church and graveyard.

“The principal emailed me. If you could do something about the speeding, it would be great,” he said.

He acknowledged that Cllr Ollie Clooney did “great work with footpaths” in Shanahoe, while tabling his motion to the October meeting of the Mountmellick Borris-in-Ossory Municipal District.

Cllr Clooney seconded it, and wants lights as well as ramps for Shanahoe.

“This is six years on my agenda, what’s needed is, there’s no point doing surveys. It’s a very straight part of the road, I travel it daily. People tend to go to too fast.

“It’s the darkest little village you’d find Cars are at the community centre once a month for a meeting and it’s pitch dark, you would not see your watch. Rural areas are forgotten about,” he declared.

In reply to the motion, engineer James Dowling said the council road design staff will do a speed survey in Shanahoe to see how bad speeding is.