Moves to restore water pump in Laois village

A LONG lost water pump that was once a popular meeting place in a local village may be replaced, following a proposal from a councillor.

Cllr Ollie Clooney has asked Laois County Council to replace the traditional old water pump in Grantstown, Ballacolla.

The Independent councillor said his proposal was prompted by nostalgia, as he remembered a time when the pump was a wonderful meeting place in the village.

“People used to meet at the pump and it would be nice to put it back. Even if there was no water in it, it would be a reminder of our past,” Cllr Clooney told the April meeting of Borris-in-Ossory/Mountmellick Municipal District.

The proposal was seconded by Cllr John King, who recalled that traditional signposts and other items were regularly stolen across the county and country in the recent past.

Cllr King said: “When I was in New York on a council trip some years ago, there was a sign in a pub that said ‘Ballylinan 2 miles’. There was a spate of thefts a few years ago. That pump could be anywhere.” 

The Rathdowney councillor agreed that the Grantstown pump was “a great meeting place in years gone by” and it would be nice to see it replaced.

In response to the proposal, the council’s water services department said the district engineer would liaise with Cllr Clooney regarding the issue.