*Ossian Smyth.
JUNIOR Minister, Ossian Smyth (GP) managed to make an important meeting of the National Broadband Ireland board on time in Newmarket-on-Fergus despite the battery on his electric car going dead.
Dun Laoghaire TD, Smyth who is Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications with responsibility for Communications and Circular Economy was left stranded in Limerick for a period on Friday last while travelling to Co Clare.
He had travelled from Dublin but by the time he reached the Treaty County, the battery in his electric car had run dead prompting some worry among NBI representatives that the Junior Minister would miss the engagement at the newly renovated Tradaree social enterprise building in Newmarket-on-Fergus.
A spokesperson for the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications confirmed to The Clare Echo that the Junior Minister attended a part of the Board meeting but was not present for other Board business. “This was the first opportunity for an in-person board meeting in almost two years, due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Given the scope and scale of the NBP (National Broadband Plan) project, the Minister deemed it necessary to attend this board meeting in-person. The agenda for the Minister was to have an in-person introduction to the Board and to also be given an update on the network rollout”.
Despite the setback en route, the first-time TD arrived early for the engagement and visited local NBP sites including the broadband connection point in Newmarket-on-Fergus having managed to find a charging point in Limerick.
As of 12 November, NBI had surveyed over 277,000 premises across all counties. In County Clare, surveys are complete or underway in in Cratloe, Ballycannan, Ballyglas, Cloghrea, Kilkishen, Sixmilebridge, Kilmurry, Broadford and Clontra. Main works have started in the areas around Cratloe, Ballycannon and areas close to the county boundary with Limerick. Pre-build works have started in Kilkishen. Over 1,000 premises are available for order or pre-order in Ballyglass, Cloghera, Kiltenanlea and Clonlara.
In Clare, broadband connection points have been installed at Loop Head Lighthouse, Caherconnell Stone Fort, Obair Family Centre, Loughraney Kids Playschool, Michael Cusack Visitor Centre and Cree Community Centre.
Kilmurry McMahon National School, Shragh National School, Ennistymon National School and Stonehall National School have been installed by NBI for educational access. An acceleration of this aspect of the National Broadband Plan was announced in December which will see some 679 primary schools connected to high-speed broadband by 2022, well ahead of the original target delivery timeframe of 2026,” a spokesperson for NBI told The Clare Echo.
