Environmental Group Meet in Omeath after Summer Break

September Meeting of Cooley Environmental and Health Group.

This small radical group sees satisfactory progress developing over the Autumn and Winter where its various plans are concerned.

The September meeting of Cooley Environmental and Health Group (CEHG) took place on Sunday morning last (28 September 2003) in The Strand, Omeath. In the absence of the Chairperson, Arthur Morgan TD, the Treasurer of the Group, Sean Crudden acted as facilitator for the short meeting.

The meeting heard that Dr Pringle, Senior Lecturer, Department of Geography,NUI Maynooth, had been able to carry out some work during the Summer on the question of cancer incidence in the Cooley area. Hopes were high in the meeting that what will have been Dr Pringle's third report to the Group will be presented before the end of the year.

The Group hopes to interest Dr Fenton Howell, Acting Director of Public
Health, NEHB, in the question of setting up a scheme of comparative case studies of all human cancer incident in the Cooley area and has already invited him to one of the Group's scheduled meetings in Omeath.

It was decided to invite Ollan Herr to the next meeting of the Group to talk about alternative methods of sewage disposal.

The meeting heard that two speakers had already been sourced for the Group's fourth Winter Workshop to be held on Saturday 31 January 2004. The names of three or four other speaker/participants for the Workshop were pencilled in. The theme for the Workshop this Winter (as has already been announced) is "Fabrication, Machinery, Dundalk, and The Environment." It is intended to be a trip down memory lane about Dundalk Engineering Works and Hynes Furniture Manufacturers to see if any lessons can be learnt that might inspire a local large-scale future attempt to manufacture "green machines" for use in Ireland (and abroad) to harness renewable energy from the environment.

A decision, in principle, was taken that the Secretary, Archbishop Michael Desmond Hynes OMA PhD, and the Treasurer would together attend the following conferences to represent CEHG in a relevant way.

1. "Process of Public Consultation with Institute Stakeholders" in DKIT on
17 October 2003.

2. "Together we Can" a conference on the rights of the disabled organised by NEHB to be held in The Fairways, Dundalk, on 18 and 19 November 2003.

Mr Crudden's recent submission to The Department of Finance on the proposed "Carbon" Tax is to be entered into the Group's minute book together with The Department's reply.

Sean Crudden complimented the local St Patrick's GFC team on their emphatic victory the previous evening in the Final of the Co Louth Senior Football Championship in Dowdallshill. "The two matches it took to decide the final gave excellent entertainment to the fans and both games will provide many talking points for years to come," Mr Crudden commented and he predicted further successes for the team if they maintain their present level of fitness, organisation and heart.

Further meetings of Cooley Environmental and Health Group will take place in The Strand, Omeath, on 26 October and 23 November. Both meetings will commence at 11.30 a.m. sharp. All are welcome to attend.