Ring to tell NRA immediate Mulranny works required

Ring to tell NRA immediate Mulranny road works required


Trevor Quinn

The ‘dangerous’ and ‘serious’ traffic situation in Mulranny is an issue which Minister Michael Ring, TD, has said he will be discussing as a matter of priority with the National Roads Authority this week.
Deputy Ring intends to discuss in detail the issue of pedestrian safety in Mulranny, particularly at the location of the most recent accident in the village where two young Dublin children were injured on April 23.
“I am meeting the NRA this week and I will stress to them the importance of increasing pedestrian safety in the village. I will be asking the NRA what further proposals they have for the village of Mulranny.”
Just over five weeks ago two sisters, a six-year old and a ten-year old who were holidaying in the area were knocked down on the N59 while walking through the village  at 11.10am on April 23 last. The N59, which goes through Mulranny, is the only road into Achill Island. It is particularly busy during the summer and over bank holiday weekends.
Both injured girls were taken to Mayo General Hospital where the six year olds condition was described as critical. The ten year old’s injuries were less serious, but subsequently both girls were kept in the hospital for a number of days for treatment and observation.
Thankfully after a few days of treatment and monitoring both were released and they are now said to be making a good recovery. Speaking to The Mayo News Deputy Ring said that the accident involving the children was very unfortunate and he said it illustrated just how dangerous the stretch of road is.
The area of the village where the accident occurred has no footpaths and very little room to walk in a safe manner. Local councillor Michael Holmes said he met representatives from the NRA in the weeks leading up to the accident and he told them a serious incident was inevitable unless a footpath through the village was provided.
Deputy Ring said he is committed to remedying the issue but he also admitted it was not an easy situation to resolve. “I went down after the accident and the width of the road is an issue and the ground is also very high. I had previously been in touch with the NRA and they stated that the section of the N59 in question through Mulranny village is heavily constrained, with no scope to add footpaths without additional land being bought.  The construction of footpaths will require both rock excavation and retaining walls. Ground investigations have been completed. The NRA provided an allocation of €100,000 to Mayo County Council to cover design and CPO in the current year.”
“There are thousands of visitors to the Mulranny, Achill and Erris areas. Its a beautiful location. With the Greenway now and the abundance of breathtaking scenery, top quality hotels and walkways in the area it’s very important both for locals and tourists that we can do something about it as a matter of urgency.”