I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Leas-Chathaoirleach agus leis an Aire Stáit as ucht teacht isteach maidin inniu le héisteacht liom an todhchaí Ghaelscoil an Chaisleáin i mBaile an Chollaigh a phlé. Tús maith leath na hoibre a dheireann phobal na Gaeilge i gcónaí, agus is fíor é sin i gcás Gaelscoil an Chaisleáin ar an taobh iarthar de Bhaile an Chollaigh i gCorcaigh. Tá tús maith faighte ag an scoil. Le breis is ocht mbliana anuas bhí ceannaireacht aislingeach ón bpríomhoide iontach Máire Bean Uí Shé agus ón bhfoireann ar fad.

Bunaíodh an scoil i bhfoirgneamh sealadach i gCumann Rugbaí Bhaile an Chollaigh in 2017. Chríochnaigh an chéad rang de pháistí a tháinig isteach leis an mbunscolaíocht níos luaithe i mbliana, tar éis ocht mbliana áthasacha a chaitheamh sa scoil shealadach. Táim an-bhródúil as bheith i mo bhall de bhord bainistíochta na scoile, agus ag cruinniú boird a bhí againn aréir, bhíomar go léir an-bhuartha mar gheall ar an gcéad chaibidil eile i scéal na scoile. Táimid ag crosbhóthar anois ó thaobh céard atá le déanamh ag an Roinn Oideachais agus tá dhá rogha aige.

Is féidir scoil nua a thógáil le hocht seomra ranga nó scoil ghlan nua a thógáil le sé sheomra ranga déag. Tá an scoil ag fás le breis is ocht mbliana anuas in ainneoin go bhfuil teorann ann faoi láthair d’aon sraith amháin. Go dtí seo, bhíodh sé mar aidhm ag an scoil timpeall ochtar nó naonúr is 20 a bheith i ngach rang, cé go bhfuil éileamh ann do i bhfad níos mó ná sin. Má thógann muid an bhliain seo chugainn mar shampla, beidh triúr is fiche de dheirfiúracha agus deartháireacha de dhaltaí atá fós sa scoil ag teacht isteach. Ciallaíonn sé sin nach mbeidh ach cúig nó sé d’áiteanna fágtha do gach páiste eile atá ag iarraidh teacht isteach. Chomh maith leis sin, tá daonra Bhaile an Chollaigh, an baile is slachtmhara in Éirinn agus daonra an pharóiste inar fhás mé féin aníos, ag dul i méid go tapa bliain i ndiaidh bliana.

Ó thaobh an Ghaeilge de, tá an-dul chun cinn déanta i mBaile an Chollaigh le breis is 40 bliain anuas ó bhunaíodh Gaelscoil Uí Ríordáin i 1983 faoi stiúradh Gabriel Ó Cathasaigh, agus níos déanaí nuair a bhunaigh Pat Kinsella agus a chomhghleacaithe Coláiste Choilm sa bhaile i 1991. Bhí na Gaelscoileanna ar fad bunaithe de bharr éileamh sa bhaile d'oideachas trí mheán na Gaeilge. Éagóir cheart a bheadh ann cinneadh a dhéanamh anois scoil ocht seomra ranga a thógáil nuair atá an t-éileamh fós ann do scoil i bhfad níos mó agus a bheadh i bhfad níos oiriúnaí do phobal Bhaile an Chollaigh.

As well as the need to have a 16-classroom school, there is also the issue that Gaelscoil an Chaisleáin is a multidenominational school. We need to give parents the opportunity to send their children to a school of their choice. The demand is there. The population of the town is growing significantly and it would be a retrograde step at this point as we make a crucial decision on the school’s future to take a decision to build an eight-classroom school rather than a 16-classroom one. A 16-classroom school is what is needed, the demand is there, the school is already full and the community is growing. I would very much like further engagement with the Department on the importance of delivering a 16-classroom school for Gaelscoil an Chaisleáin in Ballincollig.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Seanadóir for advocating for the people and students of Ballincollig and those who wish to send their children to a multidenominational school to be educated as Gaeilge.

I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister, Deputy McEntee, who could not attend. I will try to outline where the process lies and where there might be opportunities to engage and make the points the Senator has already made. As he said, Gaelscoil an Chaisleáin is a multidenominational school under the patronage of An Fóras Pátrúnachta. Gaelscoil an Chaisleáin is currently located in interim modular accommodation on the Ballincollig Rugby Football Club's grounds. I am informed that the school has sufficient accommodation at this location, pending the delivery of permanent accommodation. Considering the demand the Senator outlined, that information might be disputed.

The project will be delivered under the Department of Education and Youth’s ADAPT 4 programme, entitled "Programme Innovate". This programme will be led by integrated project teams consisting of highly skilled and experienced design professionals, architects, engineers, project managers, quantity surveyors and various other consultants to deliver the projects. The Department has appointed a programme manager to oversee the programme, including the procurement and appointment of the integrated project teams. The IPT procurement process for phase 1, Programme Innovate, which includes the major project for Gaelscoil an Chaisleáin, is almost fully concluded. Upon appointment, the integrated project team began the initial stage of architectural planning. Stage 1 is when a site and current building assessment is carried out and initial design sketch schemes are created. Currently, the programme manager and the IPT anticipate that the stage 1 submission will be available to the Department for review at the end of quarter 4 of 2025.

At that stage, a stakeholders meeting will be scheduled for early quarter 1 2026. I hope that will be an opportunity where stakeholders, including parents, teachers and principals, can underline the need for more classrooms and teachers as the Senator outlined.

The brief for the project for Gaelscoil an Chaisleáin is the delivery of a new eight-classroom primary school. The school will be part of a shared educational campus in Ballincollig, County Cork. This campus will also include a new 1,000-pupil post-primary school. The overall master planning of the campus site will include a potential phase 2 for Gaelscoil an Chaisleáin to expand to an overall 16-classroom plus four SEN classes primary school. Upon receipt of all statutory approvals, including planning permission, the Department will review and advise the patron and school authorities as to whether phase 2 will be included as part of the current project. As this campus project is at the initial stage of architectural planning, it is not possible to provide a timeframe for construction currently. School stakeholders will be updated by the programme manager and the Department during the stages of architectural planning.

That outlines the process, plan and pathway for getting from design to delivery. There is an opportunity in the meeting with stakeholders. The Senator made a concrete point - the demand is there. We all know Ballincollig has a growing population. Why wait until a second stage to progress to the 16 classrooms? It makes more sense to deliver a project in full in the first effort.

I thank the Minister of State for his understanding of the issue. His points were spot on - why wait when the demand is already there? I appreciate the Minister of State coming in and that he was given notes by the Department but I dispute that there is adequate accommodation in the school at the moment. We as a school community need to address that to ensure the correct decision is arrived at. Otherwise, it would be a waste of money. This is not something new. In 1987, a second secondary school was built in Ballincollig, Coláiste Choilm. The Minister for Education at the time said a school built for 400 pupils would be absolutely adequate. Today, there are over 1,400 in that secondary school. We do not want the same mistake to be made again. We want to get this right at the outset. Now is the time to get it right and give the school board of management and school community the chance to develop and grow in the new school building. It is vital that the new school is correct and that it is, at a minimum, a 16-classroom school.

If there is a chink of light for the Senator and people in Ballincollig in the response, it would be that upon receipt of all statutory approvals including planning permission, the Department will review and advise the patron and school authorities as to whether phase 2 will be included as part of the current project. It is not ruling out that they will progress together. I agree with the Senator. We have to learn from errors in the past. Another example is in Clonakilty. A fantastic new extension to the community college was built but the case was always made that more should be built because the population was growing so much. Within a couple of years, it was again at capacity and a further extension was required. The obvious thing would have been to go bigger the first time. All of these points will be relayed to the Minister. I advise the Senator to use the stakeholder opportunity to emphasise his point.

My Commencement matter is about the electricity storage policy framework ten-point action plan, in particular section 4, which promises to establish a stakeholder forum for electricity storage projects. Electricity storage is vital if we are to meet our renewable energy and climate targets. How it is delivered matters just as much as the technology. I will highlight a case of proposed battery energy storage in Newmarket in my area in County Cork. Residents there have never been consulted. Decisions have been made over their heads, leaving them feeling excluded and ignored. Naturally, they are feeling dismissed and unheard. Communities like this are not against renewable energy. Far from it, in fact, but rural Ireland has already carried a huge share of wind farms, pylons and energy infrastructure. Rural communities are not dumping grounds. Projects cannot simply be dropped into towns and villages without engagement, transparency or accountability. Action No. 4 must be more than just a line in a policy. The stakeholder forum must give local people a seat at the table with early consultation, accessible information and real influence on outcomes. Otherwise, projects like Newmarket will only deepen mistrust and resistance.

How will the stakeholder forum be structured to guarantee communities and not just industry are represented? What measures will the Department take to ensure lessons from Newmarket are applied nationally? How will the Department ensure rural Ireland is treated as a partner in climate action and not just a convenient location for infrastructure nobody else wants? The success of our transition depends on partnerships with communities. Rural Ireland is ready to play our part but it must be done with respect, not imposition.

I will read out a detailed and lengthy reply. If the Senator wants to collaborate more, please request that at the end.

In line with the climate action plan actions, the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment published the electricity storage policy framework for Ireland in July 2024. The policy framework, through ten Government actions, supports the incorporation of electricity storage systems into the grid network. The policy framework recognises that electricity storage systems of different types, strengths, durations, emission limits and technological make-up are required to be incorporated into the grid system. In line with this, as per action No. 1, the framework and all associated actions are technology neutral.

The most relevant action to the topic at hand is No. 4, which is to convene an electricity storage stakeholder forum. This action recognises the importance of a co-ordinated approach by all relevant stakeholders in ensuring that electricity storage systems play their role in the energy transition. The forum was successfully held in quarter 4 2024 and brought together participants with various perspectives on the topic of electricity storage. This included relevant statutory bodies, leading industry representatives, academic or interest groups, and representatives of the public. Community engagement and messaging were two topics discussed at the forum. A full report of the forum that outlines its participants, context, content and outcomes can be found on the Department’s website.

The policy framework contains other important actions. Action No. 2 of the policy framework actions the creation of a sandbox project to advance both system operators’ technological knowledge of emerging electricity storage systems. The Department has engaged on the sandbox with both of the system operators through the joint system operator programme, JSOP. Further work towards the sandbox can be expected in quarter 1 of 2026. Action No. 3 of the policy framework convenes an electricity storage and system services working group under the accelerating renewable electricity task force. The work is comprised of the four main statutory institutions responsible for the incorporation of electricity storage into the grid network - CRU, ESB Networks, EirGrid and the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment. The aim of the project group is to ensure the necessary programmes and elements of electricity storage from across the four stakeholders’ remits are delivered in a timely manner. This working group meets bimonthly and has had nine meetings to date.

The response refers to actions Nos. 5, 6, 7 and so on but I think action No. 4 is the relevant action in this case, which is adequate community stakeholder engagement. The report is available on the Department's website in terms of the processes and outcomes of the stakeholder meetings. I think the Senator is highlighting that smaller communities in rural Ireland feel they are overlooked or bypassed when it comes to these discussions. I hope we all agree there is an urgent need for delivery of renewables, which the Senator outlined. This will mean urban and rural parts of Ireland will play their part in delivering wind, solar, etc. In order to reach our emissions reduction and renewable energy targets, we need to bring rural communities with us. Bypassing them in the initial stages will have an impact on that. I would like to hear more about the experience in the Senator's communities and how they feel impacted by that.

I thank the Minister of State for the time and effort he has put into this matter - I know it is not his brief per se - but the response did not deal with the core issue. It had nothing to with the price of milk, so to speak. I am talking about action No. 4 specifically.

The issue is the people in Newmarket felt they just were not heard. They were just completely bypassed. It is a trend for rural areas. We would not put these kinds of projects in urban areas - people just would not accept it - but in rural Ireland we are supposed to just accept it, take it lying down and not have any issue with it. Nobody is opposed to energy or having renewable energy and climate action. Rural communities are more than welcoming of this. The problem is they are not consulted. It is done over their heads where people just give planning permission to these organisations and companies to make profit. Some of this electricity will not be seen in the community but it is the communities that have to carry the brunt of it and all the associated risks, especially a battery storage plant.

According to action No. 4, in terms of participation and those who are supposed to be consulted it says that included in this are relevant statutory, bodies, leading industry representations and academic or interest groups and representatives of the public. I suppose the interpretation of that needs to be delved into further. What covers representatives of the public? Surely, one would imagine, that would include a broader or more inclusive discussion with the public. That is certainly feedback I will bring back to the Minister.

We have a fine balance to reach here. We do need renewable energy. I still believe that onshore wind, as controversial as that may be, plays a part in that as does solar and, of course, electricity storage. However, as I said, we need to bring the community with us. I think that is the point the Senator is making and it can only be done by meaningful engagement.

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire. I thank the Minister for coming in. The Taoiseach has been quoted as saying child poverty will be prioritised in the forthcoming budget. This is so welcome. We are all looking forward to hearing the budget. It has been widely reported that the latest ESRI report said that in 2025 Irish children are suffering the highest income poverty rates of all age groups. I do not need to tell the Minister that child poverty and homelessness affects all aspects of life - health, well-being, education and future careers. Children who experience poverty or homelessness are more likely to be poor or homeless as adults. There are three particular aspects which I want to address today. The first is childhood hunger or food poverty, the second is fuel poverty and the third is homelessness.

We all know there are children all over the country who are hungry, cold and living with a real fear of eviction. There are large numbers of families who feel real despair about their futures. The Labour Party raised a motion on this in the Dáil last week. I want to hear what the Minister and his Department are prioritising to challenge and eradicate the three aspects of child poverty. According to the ESRI, one in five children now lives below the poverty line once housing costs are factored in, which is a shocking statistic for a country as rich as ours. A survey carried out at the end of 2024 found that almost half of teachers believed that more children than ever before were coming to school hungry and that the direct cause of this hunger is the cost-of-living crisis. According to the CSO, general inflation is under control but food inflation continues to grow at a rate of almost 5%, with the price of staples essential for a child’s development and growth, such as milk, eggs and beef, increasing rapidly. Nobody doing their weekly shop can have avoided noticing their increasing bills. Two years ago, Barnardos reported that 24% of parents borrowed money just to feed a child, 12% use a food bank and 41% - nearly half – of parents skipped or reduced their own meals to feed a child.

Going to school hungry and going to bed hungry are realities which seem to have become normal, even acceptable, to some. They are not normal, they will never be normal and they will never be acceptable. Around 300,000 electricity customers are now in arrears, many of them families with children. Children living in damp and cold homes cannot thrive and suffer increased levels of ill health which will be with them for the rest of their lives. Electricity bills have risen by 69% and gas bills by 102% since January 2021. These are staggering increases but inflation figures, whether in food or energy, do not tell the true story of families living in poverty. The choice between heating your home and eating is stark. No child should be homeless yet 5,000 children are homeless currently.

In the forthcoming budget, what real steps will be included to eradicate child poverty? Will there be a policy or strategy to eradicate child poverty? We, as a party, are calling for an outright ban on evictions where children are involved. That is not something that cannot be asked. There should be no way for children to be evicted into homelessness. I ask for clarification on the commitments to protect children that go beyond the provision of school meals. I raised this on the Order of Business last week. School meals are really welcome but they are not enough. If a child is living in poverty now, what will that mean for his or her future? I want to know the exact steps that are coming in the budget.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Seanadóir as ucht an t-ábhar seo a chur liom. As she will know, the Taoiseach has made it clear that tackling child poverty and homelessness are key priorities for this Government. It is a focus for budget 2026. Our negotiations are ongoing and all will be made available next Tuesday at 1 p.m.

Our programme for Government commitments in relation to child poverty reflect this overall determination and we recently published a new child poverty target to guide this work. The target of 3% or less child consistent poverty, to be achieved by 2030, is ambitious. It reflects a reduction of 5.5% from the current rate of 8.5% and will require targeted investment across many areas of government, including income supports, housing, employment, childcare, health and education.

While ensuring every child has the best start in life will be a core focus of budget 2026 and this Government, it is also important to recognise that tackling this issue requires sustained and continued action. These cross-government actions will be outlined in the successor to the national poverty strategy, the Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2026- 2030. The follow-up document is currently being developed by my Department. This will be launched in the first half of 2026 and will have a very specific focus on child poverty.

Our commitment to reducing child poverty is also reflected in our investment in concrete supports. The last two budgets each contained the largest social welfare packages in the history of the State and included increases in core rates, including child benefit, as well as, in the context of this discussion, the targeted payments of child support payment and the working family payment.

The Government has also invested heavily in services for families and children, including, for example, the expansion of hot school meals and free school books. The hot school meals programme is an investment of €300 million every year and makes the difference for many children as to whether they get a hot meal on that day or not. These measures have yet to be reflected in the latest poverty statistics. It takes time for progress to be reflected in the official data. However, we are determined to continue to try and reduce child poverty, and we know that much remains to be done.

In relation to budget 2026 we are very aware of, and are making clear, the importance of directing support to families with children where it is most needed. We know from research that effective means of achieving this are through targeted measures, in particular the child support and working family payments. In line with our programme for Government commitments, we are continuing to explore a targeted second-tier child benefit payment. This work is under way. It will not be part of budget 2026. However, the investment in child support and the working family payment is still quite significant.

The Senator’s concerns about homelessness are shared by the Government. We fully recognise that supporting families on low incomes with housing costs, but, more importantly, preventing and reducing family homelessness, is a key issue and a cornerstone of tackling child poverty. That is why measures to accelerate the delivery of social, affordable and cost rental homes as well as targeted measures to support families in long-term homelessness are key considerations for budget 2026.

It is welcome to hear there will be targeted measures. It is unfortunate there will not be a second tier of child benefit in this budget. It comes back to the real issue about homelessness. We know it from all around the country.

A ban on evicting could be introduced quickly and easily which would stop the eviction of a family who has received a notice to quit until social housing is built. I acknowledge the commitment to build more social housing but, in the meantime, children are being evicted into homelessness and we know the impact of that will live with them for the rest of their lives. I am disappointed to hear that this issue cannot be addressed in this budget but I appreciate the Minister coming in. We still have a week to go before the budget is announced so I hope that will be something that can be looked at again to bring in a ban on evicting children into homelessness.

Ultimately, it is a matter for the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. It is also important to reflect on the fact that the Government, since we came to office, established the child poverty and well-being programme office in the Department of the Taoiseach and is at the heart of the Government, with cross-departmental responsibilities. The office is currently working on a dashboard which will enable us all to measure progress. Rather than the siloed way of doing things, the dashboard will be able to show us where we are making progress but, most importantly, where we are not achieving things, and then we will definitely be able to get a focus.

I have spoken about the new child poverty target. We are now looking at targeted increases in supports, such as the child support payment and the working family payment, to go directly to families on low incomes, thus supporting children. We continue to expand the hot school meals programme. By the end of this year every primary school in the country will have access to the programme. There is expansion of the national childcare scheme and the free schoolbooks scheme. It is absolutely not enough. The Taoiseach keeps all of our feet to the fire in respect of child poverty. We want to reach the target of 3% by the end of our term of office but, more importantly, 3% or less.

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit.

People on the ground are very frustrated. They have been hearing whispers of a new Garda station in Bailieborough since 2007. Since then there has been delay after delay. This saga stretches back almost two decades. In 2015, a new Garda station was announced, as a priority. Does the Government call a ten-year wait a priority? In 2016, we were told that the OPW was in legal negotiations. In 2017, it was still in legal negotiations. In 2018, a site was sourced. At the end of 2018, we were told that planning would be soon lodged. In 2019, tenders were being prepared. In 2020, we were told contracts were expected shortly and, in 2021, the same again. In 2022, we finally saw work begin and we were promised completion in 20 months. That would still have meant a completion date in late 2023, which eight years from 2015 is still very disappointing. We now know that the opening is not expected until 2026 at the earliest. To be honest, I and the residents of Bailieborough have no faith that this will materialise either. Meanwhile, gardaí still operate out of dilapidated buildings on Barrack Street in the town. The O'Higgins report described the conditions there as deplorable. That was years ago, but despite a new divisional headquarters being a priority, nothing has changed.

Bailieborough is no small outpost as it is a Garda district headquarters under the new policing model. A cybercrime unit is also promised for the new station, yet gardaí are left to work in facilities that are not fit for purpose. The building was originally an RIC barracks and was condemned in a subsequent report.

A load of parliamentary questions have been submitted by local representatives spanning as far back as 2015, and time and again the Department has responded with vague answers. I had to read back through these and read over and over how a completion date could not be provided as it was a complex process. This speaks to a certain incapability within the Government. How can it be the case that there is no set timeline for planning and no repercussions for many years of delays? The situation is completely inadequate and draws into question the competence of the Government in dealing with larger projects when it cannot progress one headquarters in one town in one country. The people of Bailieborough are tired of excuses and the gardaí are tired of waiting. We need a clear, credible timeline for completion that the public can actually trust. When will the station be completed and in use?

A new site for a district headquarters Garda station was purchased in Bailieborough in 2018. A Part 9 planning application was granted in December 2018. After the adjoining site was purchased in 2021, proposals were developed to extend the project to encompass the footprint of the adjacent site.

The project for a new Garda station at Bailieborough, County Cavan, includes conservation of the existing former National Irish Bank building and the construction of a new three storey over basement building to the rear of the site located on the town’s main street. A significant portion of these works are now complete. The OPW placed a contract with the main contractor on 12 November 2021 and the main works commenced in January 2022.

During the initial construction phases of the development, the adjacent site to the east was purchased with the intent to improve the health and safety aspects of the new Garda station, to enhance the operational working of the station and to increase the energy performance of the building. There was an expectation by An Garda Síochána that these improvements would be realised at some time in the future. It made sense logistically, technically and financially to undertake these changes while the contractor was on site rather than sometime in the future, especially given the level of construction inflation being experienced at that time.

The purchase was approved by the Garda estate management and the associated planning permission for the works was granted in September 2023. These works can be described as additional works to the original contract. They allowed for the provision of extra secure operational opportunities for An Garda Síochána. The changes also improved safety aspects of the project such as enhanced fire strategy and additional space for turning vehicles in the secure courtyard, which was very tight, and improved the energy performance of the building.

These extra works are progressing as part of the overall project but have added to the time needed to complete the works on the new Garda station. Additionally, the invasion of the Ukraine in February 2022 led to supply chain delays for all construction projects and the Bailieborough Garda station project was impacted. The contractor and the design team continue to work to address these issues and progress the works on the site as quickly as possible.

It is expected that all works will be completed by early 2026. Thereafter, An Garda Síochána will commence occupation of the building. The date for the opening of the station is an operational matter for An Garda Síochána.

I thank the Minister of State for his reply but it is just not good enough. I hate to repeat myself but this station was announced ten years ago. Work started almost three years ago and yet the people of Bailieborough were again told to wait. In 2023, they were told to wait and again in 2025. Now it will be 2026 but the Minister of State is still being vague. It will be early 2026, not even quarter 1 or quarter 2. It would laughable if it were not so serious, particularly for the gardaí who are working out of that station in substandard conditions. We have been told it is complex, which the Minister of State said again, that it is conservation work and supply chain issues.

People are fed up hearing why it cannot be done and just want to see it finished. The current station is falling apart. Morale among the gardaí has been hit hard and the community feels ignored. It is deeply unfair to expect front-line gardaí to work out of these conditions while announcements keep coming from Dublin with no follow-up. The least the Government and the Department can do is be honest with us. Do not tell us that it will be quarter 1, 2 or 3 only to push it out further next year. That is unfair and erodes public trust. Is the Minister of State committing to having works completed in quarter 1 of 2026?

As the Senator said at the outset, guards have used the barracks since the 1800s. I travelled the length and breadth of Ireland over the summer period and met politicians and gardaí crying out for new Garda stations.

The gardaí in the existing station, which has been in place since the 1800s, are going to go into a new, state-of-the-art building. I was the one who purchased the site in 2018. I have come back into this job and I am as frustrated as the Senator, but delays happen. It is a massive project; it is Garda headquarters. I assure the Senator that it will be opened in early 2026. To give the exact date would be unfair on my part because it is a matter for the Garda, but I assure the Senator that the works will be completed.

Working together to deliver on this is far better than political point-scoring, which does not achieve anything. What we have to do is deliver for the people of Bailieborough. I know that is what the Senator set out to do, and that is what I want to do. I spoke to my officials about this only a couple of weeks ago and I have spoken to the Minister for Justice, and I am very confident that the Minister and I will be up in Bailieborough early in the new year.