Councillors in the Carrickmacross-Castleblayney Municipal District will reconvene on Tuesday 20 October for a one-item meeting: whether to declare a private lane in the townland of Gorteens, Donaghmoyne, a public road, the Anglo-Celt reports.
Monaghan County Council's Chief Executive Robert Burns has recommended they do not. In a letter to the October MD meeting, he warned that if the road were taken in charge the Council would become legally responsible for its maintenance, with upgrade works estimated at more than €200,000. He also raised concern about setting a precedent and said a clear county-wide policy on adopting private roads is needed.
"I told him we wouldn't"
Cathaoirleach Cllr Noel Keelan said the issue had been public since September 2024, legal checks and a public consultation had been completed with no submissions, and it was on the September agenda for final ratification. "Making a private lane a public road is a reserved function of the elected members," he said. He said Mr Burns had asked whether councillors would pause the process. "I told him we wouldn't."
Tommy Moylan of the Association of Irish Local Government advised that councillors still have the power to declare the lane public despite the Chief Executive's recommendation, but must show they have considered his concerns, according to correspondence seen by the Anglo-Celt. He suggested referring the dispute to the Council's Corporate Policy Group, and stressed this was "not legal advice".
What other councillors said
- Sinn Féin's Colm Carthy: "This is one of the very few reserved functions we have left."
- Fine Gael's Peter Conlon: "Reserved functions need to be protected. This has come last minute."
- Fianna Fáil's P.J. O'Hanlon called for "calm".
Director of Services Cathal Flynn agreed the matter could go to the Corporate Policy Group if members are divided. The townland of Gorteens lies in Donaghmoyne parish in the barony of Farney, according to townlands.ie.
