Councillor Frankie Keena has suggested that the bypass bridge over the Shannon be renamed in honour of Cumann na mBan.
In a motion to Athlone Municipal District last week Cllr Keena said that in the year of the 100th anniversary of the founding of Cumann Na mBan and in recognition of those women who served and played a vital role in securing the independence of the State, that the bridge pver the Shannon on the bypass road be named Cumann na mBan in recognition of this.
Councillor Paul Hogan agreed that this would be a fitting way to commemorate the anniversary. “Two of the founding women of Cumann na mBan were from Ballykearan, Eilis and Emily Elliott. Naming the bridge Cumann na mBan would be very appropriate,” he said.
The executive replied that any decision to rename the bridge would have to be agreed upon by both Westmeath County Council and Roscommon County Council and should involve a public consultation process.
Director of services Barry Kehoe said he would bring the suggestion to the corpoate policy group at their next meeting.
