National agency has veto on signs to help people locate weddings and funerals in Laois village

A national agency has a veto on whether a campaign to improve safety for people attending weddings and funerals just off the busy Portlaoise to Tullamore road bears fruit.

Directional signage for Clonaghadoo, in particular its church, has been raised yet again with Laois County Council officials by Cllr Seamus McDonald of Fianna Fáil at meeting in County Hall.

Cllr McDonald tabled a motion calling on the Council to erect signs for Clonaghadoo Church at the N80 and Roskeen.

He tabled the same motion in May 2022 in response to residents. The reply at the time said maintenance crews would upgrade the signage at the junction in the coming weeks.

However, it appears that it wasn’t possible to carry out the work because a national agency must give the green light first before anything can be done for the village which is located near Mountmellick.

Mr. Farhan Nasiem,  Acting Senior Executive Engineer, replied to Cllr McDonald’s latest appeal at the September meeting of the Borris-in-Ossory Mountmellick Municipal District meeting.

“Installation and maintenance of signs on national secondary routes is managed by Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII). The Road Design Section will meet with Cllr Seamus McDonald to confirm the exact location of the issue and assess proposals and submit to TII for approval,” said the reply.

Cllr McDonald called for more urgency.

“I want to get this moving as quickly as possible. It is in a rural isolated area. There is confusion at nearly every funeral from people attending who cannot find the church. It’s the same with weddings,” he said.

Cllr Paddy Bracken, also Fianna Fáil, backed the call adding that there must be signs for the church.

Laois residents urged to join the 'rooftop revolution'

A €480,000 road safety scheme designed by Laois County Council on the Laois Offaly N80 near Clonaghadoo in road has been rejected by councillors in 2018.

The redesign would have closed off entry to the road from the N80, with drivers to enter at another junction further out the Tullamore road.  It was opposed by residents along the road.