Month: September 2005

WEST Clare cyclist Vincent Glesson fin- ished ninth in this years All-Ireland Time Trial Championships.

The Kilrush man finished eight in the same race last year and had been hoping to improve on that result. Gleeson cov- ered the 25 mile course 1n 55.33 minutes, almost two minutes better than his pre-

vious personal best for the distance. The race took place in Carlow on the main Carlow to Kilkenny road.

The time trial was won by David Mc- Cann from Belfast, riding for the Giant Asia team. He clocked a time of 50.13 minutes.

McCann will go on to represent Ireland in the World Championships in Madrid on September 22.

SO near and yet so far for the lady golfers of Ennis as competition specialists Royal Portrush denied them glory in the final of the All-Ireland Ladies Senior Cup on Saturday.

It was a heartbreaking defeat for Ennis —a final hurdle defeat in front of a home crowd on a Woodstock course that took its place among the elite championship courses in the country.

And, it was an outrageous save from Naoimh Quigg on the 17th that won the day for Portrush. She stroked in a treach- erous 30 feet putt from off the back of the 16th green to win the hole, before closing out her match with Munster golfer Pamela Murphy on the 17th.

Earlier Irish champion and the Europe- an number nine, Tricia Mangan, got En- nis off to the best possible start by beating Helen Jones on the 14th green.

Gemma Hegarty got Portrush’s first point with a 4/3 win over former Munster player Maura McNicholas. Then came Naoimh Quigg’s heroics that gave Por- trush a 2-1 lead.

Hopes of an Ennis comeback rested with veteran Valerie Hassett and rookie Sarah Cunningham. Hassett, who will represent Ireland in the European Senior Team Championship this week, put up a brave showing against Maura Diamond before succumbing on the 16th.

It was the crucial rubber for Portrush and secured them a third successive All- Ireland Senior Cup crown. It meant the final match on the course between 15- year-old Sarah Cunningham and Steph- anie Meadow was called in. They were all square after 14.

Munster champions Ennis had reached the final in fine style, beating the Cur- ragh in the morning semi-final thanks to sterling displays from Tricia Mangan, Sarah Cunningham and Valerie Hassett. However, the final was just one match too far for a team that has done Clare golf so

proud in 2005.

AN INTERNATIONAL drug baron, described as _ having played a crucial role in the big- gest-ever seizure of cannabis resin in Clare nine years ago, has been jailed for 25 years for another drugs offence in the UK.

William Colin Lees was one of the main bosses of a narcot- ics gang, broken up after gardai seized a record £16 million haul from a luxury motor cruiser in OTe

Their drugs boat, the Plongeur Whisky, was forced to sail to the West Clare harbour after devel- oping engine trouble, in Novem-

ber 1996.

A massive 1.7 million tonnes of high-quality North African cannabis was found stashed in the hold, by a team led by armed ele rerel aa oe

The drugs were to have been landed at Malin Head in Don- egal by the boat’s three-man crew.

Lees was arrested in 1997, after a joint probe involving Garda and RUC drugs officers. He claimed he had been unwit- tingly used by others to help smuggle the drugs into Ireland. But, when sentenced at Belfast Crown Court, Mr Justice Gillen described him as having played a “pivotal role” in the incident.

Lees, now aged 53, of Ard- moneen Court, Maherafelt, Der- ry, was only released from jail in 2003. He had been sentenced to 12 years, but was released early.

Last Wednesday, Lees was convicted at Liverpool Crown Court, of plotting to supply ec- stacy and amphetamines with a street value of more than £33 million, in August 2004.

He was found guilty of two drugs conspiracy charges, fol- lowing 20-hour deliberations by CLUE

The court heard the drugs were hidden in seven pallets of denim jeans shipped from Holland to a business unit in Lancashire.

Toler: Ie (Our MmOyoLoecIN COTM slNMENals

PSNI, officers from Merseyside police were watching the busi- ness premises, which was trad- ing as “Shaun’s Orient” and pur- ported to be a legitimate courier and haulage company. Lees was not present at the time of the raid, but was arrested some time Flow

Jailing Lees, Judge John Rob- erts said while he accepted there may well have been somebody higher up the hierarchy, Lees was very near the top. He said he had no doubt Lees organised the delivery of the drugs to the vuebA

The court heard that Lees, a father-of-two, was an experi- enced drug dealer.

THE Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has expressed extreme concern over efforts by Clare County Council to min- imize the risk of odour nuisance at its €8 million landfill site near Inagh.

Last May, the Council was served with its eighth notice of non-compliance in relation to its management of the landfill, following an unannounced inspection that found fresh waste odour both on and off the site.

Now, the EPA has written to the Council stating that it “is extremely concerned” at the reductions in volume of landfill gas to the landfill gas flare over the Summer months.

The landfill gas flare acts as a means of minimising the risk

of potential for odour nuisance.

In its letter, the Agency states that the Council should in- crease the volumes of gas directed to the gas flare. The EPA States, “Failure to take fast and effective action in relation to this may result in the Agency having to take further enforce- ment action in this regard.”

In response, the Council has written to the EPA to state that the issue, amongst others, has been raised in correspondence between the Council and a firm of consultants

The Council states, “On receipt of the reply, it will be re- viewed with a view to improving the flow rate to the flare.”

The Council’s Director of Service for the Environment, Ger Dollard said this week: “I think there is no doubt that the Bally- duff Beg landfill is being operated to the highest standards.”

On plans to install a composting facility at the site, Mr Dol- lard said: “Many of the elements of the composting facility are already in place. We need to provide an additional tipping building for which a funding application is with the Depart- ment and are also awaiting a licence from the Department of Agriculture in relation to the process. All in all it will be 2006 before the full facility is up and running.”

Meanwhile, groups in the Inagh-Kilnamona area are set to start reaping a €1 million council fund, arising from the pres- ence of the landfill at Ballyduff Beg 2km from Inagh.

The community receives €1.27 for every ton of waste dis- posed of at the landfill.

To date, 140,517 tonnes of waste has been disposed at the landfill since 1t opened in September 2002.

““T think now ae maybe the time has

come for a fresh voice to come in and take charge, someone that might take Clare football on to a new level. After winning the Tommy Murphy Cup last season, this past year was a big disap- pointment.

“We lost two games by a point in the League and drew three others. Then the championship game against Cork was very disappointing as was the Sligo game after our great display against Westmeath,” he added.

And, the outgoing boss also hit out some ill-discipline that dogged Clare football in the past year. “There was a lack of discipline among a few players and that was disappointing because everyone else gave 100 per cent. “

With a county team you need every- one on the same wavelength and pull- ing in the same direction. Maybe with lessons learned some played can start afresh under a new management,” concluded Kennedy.

Meanwhile, county board chairman Michael McDonagh paid tribute to John Kennedy’s contribution to Clare football. ““We thank him for all his ef- forts, he’s decent man and a good foot- ball man, he’ll be hard to replace,’ he said.

“We have set-up a seven-man com- mittee, there’s a short list of four or five names, and we hope to resolve the issue 1n the near future,” added Mr McDonagh.

CLARE County Council has refused planning permission to only ten holiday homes, from applications for over 300 tax-driven holiday homes since the start of the year.

The council confirmed in figures released this week, that it had granted planning per- mission for over 220 holiday homes in towns and villages across Clare this year, while de- velopers withdrew applications for 70 holiday homes.

Prior to the end of last year, Government tax-reliefs for tourist-related developments resulted in the council receiving planning applications in the space of a few weeks that would normally take a quarter of a century to be lodged.

The Council’s then Head of Planning, Ger Dollard said that the applications seeking to take advantage of Government tax-reliefs be- fore the Council “represent 25 years of devel-

opment”

In a number of the cases where planning applications were withdrawn, the developers would have withdrawn the plans knowing that NAB EGO ERENT IB

In many cases, holiday homes were granted planning permission on lands zoned for hous- ing, reducing the Council’s options of turning down permission.

The Council also granted planning permis- sion for 77 apartments. The permissions are now expected to provide a windfall for the lo- cal construction industry, as all units have to be complete by July of next year to qualify for iW STom EDC Duets ee

Green Party Councillor, Brian Meaney said this week: “These developments are tax- driven and unnecessary and have the potential to irrevocably change the Clare landscape as many of the applications are in sensitive coast- line areas.

Hospitality consultant of Horwath Bastow Charleton, Tim Whyte said that the deadline for completion of the units should be extend- ed and avoid there being an oversupply of rooms.

“We believe that the capital allowance scheme should be phased out over a number of years to allow time for the supply of ho- tels in the market to match demand for rooms UN RSa nae

“If all hotel builds and extensions are com- pleted by the July 2006 deadline then it is likely there will be an oversupply of avail- able rooms in the market and more hotels will come under growing financial pressure.

‘Holiday homes could be sold off after their tax life as summer/weekend houses and hotels in urban areas would be converted into apart- ments assuming that this was the most profit- able route to take. Options are available but as with most businesses, it’s largely down to management in the first instance.”

AN ENNIS drug dealer who was found in possession of cannabis resin with intent to sell or supply, has been handed a four-month jail sentence and fined €1,250.

But the jail term imposed on Don- agh Malone (38), of Clare Road, Ennis, was substituted for 240 hours community service.

Sergeant John Brennan told Ennis District Court yesterday that can- nabis resin with a street value of

€324 – enough to make 454 hand rolled cigarettes – was found at the accused man’s home on September 30 last year. An electronic weighing scales and €140 in cash were also recovered.

The following month, on October 28, cannabis resin with a street value of €47 – enough to make 66 hand- rolled cigarettes – was recovered at the home of the accused man’s partner. Cash totalling €3,980 was recovered in a jam jar hidden in a ditch and €7,000 was recovered in

a hot-press.

Malone had been supplied the drug by a friend and when he moved away, he started to supply it himself, initially to a small circle of friends, before that circle grew.

He “put his hands up” and admit- ted to gardai that he had been sell- ing cannabis resin, the court heard.

“He is older than your average person consuming cannabis resin around here,” said Sgt Brennan.

Defending solicitor Tara Godfrey

said her client, a father-of-two, was collecting money from work he was doing as a landscape gardener and chef, and was putting it towards renovating the house. She said the €7,000 was “nothing to do with the proceeds of cannabis resin,” and was earmarked for renovating his jteyesten

Sgt Brennan admitted that some of the money might not have been part of the proceeds of selling can- nabis resin. “What we recovered wasn’t substantial, but we are sat-

isfied he was dealing in cannabis,’ said Sgt Brennan.

Malone pleaded guilty to posses- sion of cannabis resin and posses- sion for sale or supply.

Judge Joseph Mangan imposed a four month jail sentence for the of- fence at Clare Road in September, substituting it with community serv- ice. He imposed a fine of €1,250 for the offence in October. He ad- journed the case for four months, to allow for a community service report to be carried out.

THE possibility of suffering identity theft 1s something that is increasingly worrying some people in Clare, and throughout the country. For busi- nesses, there is also the other side of the coin — how do they know that a customer is actually who he or she claims to be?

Some commentators says that the answer is new technology, such as systems that control access by fin- gerprints or pattern on the retina, or the now familiar chip and pin credit

cards.

Criminologist Emily Finch does not agree. She has carried out re- search at the University of East An- glia in the UK, and she says that it challenges the assumption that tech- nology-based security systems pro- vide the solution.

Moreover, Dr Finch claims that our increasing reliance on technology 1s in fact leading to a breakdown in the vigilance that people used to exer- cise.

“There is a worrying assumption that advances in technology will

provide the solution to identity theft, whereas it is possible that they may actually aggravate the problem,” said Dr Finch.

“Our research has shown that fraud- sters are tenacious, merely adapting their strategies to circumvent new security measures rather than desist- ing from fraudulent behaviour,’ she added.

“Studying the way that individuals disclose sensitive information would be far more valuable in preventing identity fraud than the evolution of technologically advanced but ulti-

mately fallible measures to prevent the misuse of personal information after it has been obtained.”

She points out that social interac- tion in a virtual environment such as an Internet chat room facilitates identity theft because normal visual cues that enables us to establish truth or deception are missing.

Her advice is that individuals should think carefully about the situ- ations in which personal information is divulged, and find effective ways of protecting themselves.

As well as being a Reader in Law

at the University of East Anglia, Dr Finch is a Director of 1871 Ltd, a specialist consultancy providing in- formation privacy and security ad- vice to individuals and industry.

Tomorrow, September 7, she will outline her new research on identity theft, and on the increasingly sensi- tive issue of introduction of identity cards in the UK.

This is something being watched carefully in Ireland, as we might have to follow suit given that we have a Common Travel Area with the UK.

AN exhibition of paintings entitled “From the Outside, From the Inside’ by artist Musa Christo Engelbrecht opened at the Russell Gallery over the weekend.

The exhibition, which will run until September 23, is a collection of recent work by the versatile artist.

Born in South Africa, and a long-time resident in County Clare, Musa is_ well-known

amongst the artistic community of Clare and Galway.

The two-fold exhibition con- tains work from both Greece and the Burren. The Greek oil paintings are passionately col- ourful that have broken away from natural description and taken a life of its own. Amongst these works are oil paintings and pastel drawings investigat- ing the local landscape and the profound effect of the unique light of the Burren on his sub- ject matter.

ON August 28, the Northabout en- tered the Kara Sea when it received a call to join up with a convoy of ice- breakers. The convoy is being led by the nuclear powered ‘Soviet Soyusk’. Using her high-powered air-jets, it breaks a channel through the ice pack that surrounds Cape Chelyskin.

After successfully navigating a path through the treacherous ice, it is time for a deserved break. The crew stop

off at White Island, a low-lying piece of land that lies off the Yamal Penin- sula. A wildlife haven, the island is home to reindeer, muskox and geese.

From there, it was onto Dickson. A desolate, fogbound village on the Yenesi River. The crew use the stop to fill up on diesel and water. Despite Dicksons’ inhospitable appearance, the cafe bar welcomes the lads with a bit of a session.

The following day, the crew set of fagain. Progress down the Yenesi

river was made difficult by thick fog. There was also the danger of meet- ing one of the many freight vessels that use to route to travel to and from the mines in Norlisk. Thankfully, the journey passed without incident.

The weather is calm as the Northa- bout prepares to pass Novaya Zemlya on September |. The next stop is Mu- ramask which is 800 miles away. But its time to batten down the hatches, with the boat expected to encounter fierce gales in the coming week.