Month: March 2007

IT IS just a matter of time before a major outbreak occurs in the Gort area as a result of poor water quality according to Gort Regional Alliance for Community and the Environment (GRACE).

The warning has come after more than 90,000 people in households to the north of Gort were issued with boil notices last week, following an outbreak of stomach illness thought be cause by cryptosporidium and spread through the drinking water.

More than 40 people were admitted to hospital late last week with similar symptoms including diarrhoea and SiKoyeek-(e) sere: bash eke

“The water in Gort is a disgrace. They are putting two and three times the recommended amount of chlo- rine into the water. Chlorine is car- cinogenic and I would have extreme concerns about the water if they have to put that much into it,” said Niamh Clune of GRACE.

“We are very worried that this could create a serious problem, both in the

short and long-term. The water is al- ways discoloured and Gort is often without water altogether, especially during the summer months.”

A campaign to improve the water supply has been ongoing in Gort for nearly four decades and locals are hopeful that a breakthrough can be made sooner rather than later.

“We are campaigning to get the Re- gional Water Scheme into Gort, but this has been ongoing for 37 years now. It has become a generational quest that gets handed down to sons

and daughters,” continued Dr Clune.

“We have been campaigning for this to be speeded up, but it looks like it will be delayed for another five years Or SO.

“In the meantime we need new pipes to be laid on the Ennis Road and on Crowe Street. Gort 1s con- stantly running out of water and al- though we have received new pumps the pipes themselves are degrading and are prone to breaking and dis- solving away.”

The population of Gort has expand- ed rapidly in recent years putting further pressure on the town’s water supply. Indeed, according to the most recent census figures, the population has ballooned by some 40 per cent in the last eight years. This population increase is believed to have placed even more strain on an already pres- surised water system. With a number of developments nearing completion, the population is predicted to contin- ue to rise over the coming years.

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DESPITE intense local speculation to the contrary, Dr Eamon Casey did not return to say Mass in the small south Galway village of Shanaglish over the weekend.

Dr Casey had been expected to take to the alter in Shanaglish for 10am Mass last Sunday, just over a year since he returned from his self imposed exile in the UK in February of 2006,

Dr Casey has been given the official go ahead by the Vatican to return to

saying Mass in public following the completion of an official church in- vestigation into 13 allegations made by Limerick born woman in 2005. Following an investigation, the D1- rector of Public Prosecutions decided in August of last year that Dr Casey had no case to answer in relation to the incidents, which were alleged to have taken place some 30 years ago. Despite been cleared by the DPP, Dr Casey had to wait for the conclusion of the internal church investigation before he returned to active duty. Despite Dr Casey’s no-show, a

large crowd gathered for 10am Mass in Shanaglish on Sunday morning.

Interestingly, the main reading de- livered by local parish priest, Fr Pad- dy Callanan, was that of the Prodigal York

This was followed by a sermon on the topic of forgiveness in which Fr Callanan spoke at length about God’s willingness to forgive.

It is expected that Dr Casey will re- turn to the day-to-day duties of say- ing Mass in the coming weeks, but he is likely to wait for a time in order to avoid excess media attention.

Dr Casey was appointed Bishop of Galway and Kilmacduagh and apos- tolic administrator of Kilfenora in alee

Aes OU MRE IHN eres maUllout can woman, Annie Murphy, became public in 1992, Dr Casey resigned as Bishop of Galway and left Ireland to become a missionary in Ecuador be- fore eventually returning to the UK.

TWO Polish brothers stole 67 bottles of perfume and aftershave after they saw someone else stealing one bot- tle in the duty free shop at Shannon Airport.

Thomaz (25) and Bartosz (24) Legan both pleaded guilty to stealing €3,953.61 worth of cosmetics at the duty free shop on Thursday, March 8 last. The duo initially appeared in court that day and spent a week in custody.

Inspector Kevin Moynihan told Shannon District Court last Thurs- day that the two men were seen tak- ing aftershave and cosmetics and placing them in their suitcases in the duty free shop.

There were 67 bottles of perfume and aftershave in total.

‘When the defendants were arrest-

ed, they readily admitted what they did was wrong and they stated it was a stupid act,’ he said.

Thomaz Legan has two previous convictions in his native Poland.

Defending solicitor Caitriona Car- mody said her clients travelled to Ire- land with perfume they had bought in Poland.

They had intended to sell the per- fume to a contact in Ireland. Howev- er, after arriving here, the two failed to meet that contact.

They were waiting for a flight home when they noticed another person stealing a bottle of perfume from the duty free shop.

“It was an utterly stupid thing to do. They were caught red-handed. They admitted to what they had done,” said Ms Carmody.

Judge Joseph Mangan fined Thomaz €800 and Bartosz €200.

A MAN in his 30s, with an address in North Clare, was set upon and attacked in Limerick prison, just a week after his personal property was damaged by fire.

The attack on the man last week, took place in the B2 wing of the prison.

He was set upon by five other pris- oners, who attacked him with a large piece of wood with a nail attached.

However, the convict, who is serv- ing time for public order and drug offences, swiftly turned the tables on his attackers. He grabbed the weap- on from his attackers and struck two of them – who are both from Limer-

ick city – on their heads. Both were taken to the Mid Western Regional Hospital for treatment. The man with an address in North Clare – he is not originally from the county – did not require hospital treatment for his in- juries sustained in the attack.

Sources suggest he was beaten af- ter he failed to co-operate with the group of Limerick men in prison.

Separately, gardai in North Clare are investigating an incident in which the same prisoner’s property was damaged by fire.

The incident happened almost two weeks ago. The man is due to complete his sentence within weeks and is expected to be released next month.

THE anticipated start date for con- struction of the €80 million Car- nelly House nursing home has been thrown into jeopardy by the decision of two local residents to appeal its planning permission.

Last month, the council gave Stam- er Ltd the go-ahead to proceed with Ireland’s first full-scale retirement village at Carnelly.

The company was hoping to be on site by the end of the year, with the facility opened by the end of 2008.

However, two sisters living locally, Maura and Helen O’Donoghue, have appealed against its development.

An Taisce opposed the planning application when the plan was before the council. However, a spokesman confirmed that the organisation had not lodged an appeal.

In their original objection against the development, the O’Donoghues stated, “The proposed development of 150 houses would be located in rural countryside away from village and services.

‘Therefore, it would be inappropri- ate. It would severely impact on the beautiful character of the area which is comprised of woodland and a vari- ety of wildlife undisturbed for many years.”

The O’Donoghues state that the

wildlife includes the red squirrel, deer, birds and woodcock. These would be disturbed for ever and eventually driven out of the area.

Financial director with the Stamer Group, Tim Kelliher said there was already “a high level of interest be- ing shown by potential residents in the development plans”.

He said, “As part of this €80 mil- lion development, in excess of €3 million is to be expended on restor- ing Carnelly House, its currently derelict courtyard, the grounds and woods, as well as comprehensive conservation measures including the accommodation of a small maternity roost for the Lesser Horseshoe Bat specie.”

Mr Kelliher said, “Once the devel- Opment is complete, Carnelly will be home to up to 300 residents and will create over 100 jobs in the local economy. The retirement village will include 95 houses, 40 apartments and a 64-bed continuing care facility.

“Village facilities include a spa with a 12-metre pool and a specially- equipped gym, a shop, restaurant and bar. The 50 acres of open parkland and woods situated to the front and side of Carnelly House will be com- pletely restored and preserved.

“This parkland and woodland set- ting will offer residents a tranquil setting for a relaxed lifestyle.”

A BREAKTHROUGH is hoped for this afternoon in the talks between management and unions at Shannon Airport on the Airport Authority’s restructuring plan. A SIPTU ballot last month rejected the deal from the authority, which offered average payments to staff taking voluntary redundancy of €100,000.

Staff choosing to stay on would also receive a loyalty bonus, but the plan would require a major overhaul of work practices with the outsourc- ing of many Services and turning shops and restaurant facilities over to Jee-NNON oy

Since then, there have been what are being described as “exploratory meetings” under the auspices of the

Labour Relations Commission on a number of occasions.

The last meeting, on Thursday of last week, went on until 4am and it 1s hoped that the intensive discussions will produce results when the sides meet again today.

While nothing is certain about the Outcome of what are very detailed talks, covering wide-ranging issues including work practices and pen- sions, it is understood that there was a positive atmosphere at the end of Thursday’s marathon session. Attend- ing the talks were union representa- tives, members of the airport authority and members of SIGNAL, the airport workers’ representative group.

The sides sit down again together today at 10.30am, but it will be mid- afternoon before any breakthrough

which might be achieved is expected to be announced. Meanwhile, talks at the Labour Court between SIPTU and Aer Lingus management on the airline’s Programme for Continuous Improvement are also ongoing.

Discussions centre on a Labour Court recommendation on the plan and are covering issues such as cut- backs in leave and overtime pay and reductions in payments for bank holi- day work.

The union is expected to make a strong case for compensation for workers affected although manage- ment argue that the changes are a ne- cessity for the future of the airline.

There was good news for Shannon Airport this week, with passenger fig- ures since the start of the year up 11 per cent on the same period last year.

THE dark hours and difficulties of putting a squad together given senior commitments and college football finally paid off on Saturday. Reward for Joe Garry and his team.

He stands outside the Clare dress- ing room door, inside the door just 40 minutes earlier he was planning the next phase of attack. Just one point up with the greedy share of posses- sion, he wasn’t panicking.

“We just said to the boys we were pleased with the way things were go- ing, because we were well on top in all sectors of the field,’ Garry says. “What wasn’t going too well for us was our scoring. We were on top, we should have been more ahead going in at the break. We knew that. We felt we probably deserved to be seven points up at half time but in fairness we felt if we kept at it, kept playing the way that we were playing that we’d win the game.”

Fourten chances and a return of four scores doesn’t make for positive reading but still, Garry says his play- ers were on top of things.

“I’m always in favour of lads tak- ing the ball on. To have a cut at it. It’s very easy to pass the ball off. You won’t get every shot you take but on other days you might get 17 or 18 scores. I think we only had what I’d class as two bad wides in the whole game. Everybody else was entitled to have a shot at it. I’d be very annoyed NiO OCoM BD OOCom UNO eleaarenlet lam

We’re delighted but in fairness to the lads they’ve been doing that all year long.”

Challenge games and training ses- sions gave them the foundation, but nobody was sure how they would come out when the traps lifted. Whether a layer of rust or doubt would linger. Garry didn’t have any doubts though.

‘These boys are unbelievably unit- ed. There’s a great unity in the team.

Everybody works hard for each other, from one to 25 on the panel. They deserved this win and they’ve two weeks to get ready for the next one. It’s a great win. A massive win. But there’s a good bounce in Clare football at the minute. From the mi- nors down to the under-14’s, there’s a feel good factor there. You can sense that in the crowd that came out to see Clare playing today. There’s good days ahead for Clare football and it’s a matter of keeping at it.”

Off he goes with back slaps still raining down upon him. Job done.

SUNDAY has to count. To get any- thing from this league Clare knew at the start of the year that two home wins were vital. In reality, Wexford should have been a banker. It wasn’t. Clare looked stale and had no appe- tite for the two points in a game that was surely earmarked as a chance to return to on-field matters. Because of all that’s gone on, this is vital to Clare but already the fizz is going out.

As a buffer to the sideshow of Feb- ruary, the party line was thrown out that training was tough but go- ing well. It didn’t look that way last Sunday week and now the task of beating both Waterford and Cork in Cusack Park is on Clare’s shoulders. It weighs heavy.

The scribes who openly stated that Tony Considine wouldn’t see out his two-year term as manager of Clare had the first domino fall their way. While a home defeat to Wexford – considering the injuries Clare had and their previous tepid challenge of Down – isn’t a league breaker, it will become that should Waterford arrive in Ennis and take the points.

And that’s the likely result. All the momentum is with the visitors. They travelled to Wexford for their league

Opener and destroyed them by Il points. On Saturday they played Cork in the re-fixture and looked comfort- able throughout with four points to Spare at the end, Ken McGrath and Eoin Kelly backboning things.

Clare had a run out themselves at the weekend. Travelled to Na Piar- saigh on the Ennis Road in Limerick and had five points to spare over a Limerick side that had a number of new faces.

Clare, on the other hand, had some familiar names and gave starts to Fer- gal Lynch, Gerry O’Grady and Frank Lohan after injury problems. And at least the presence of the latter two on Sunday, should they start, will be a

calming influence in the full back line. It was a sector Tony Considine was quick to take the carving knife to against Wexford, hauling in Colm Forde after just 15 minutes.

The form of Tony Carmody should be on the up as well. He’s had three games for Clare since he was talked back into the set-up by a group of sen- ior players, scoring well throughout. At times against Wexford he showed flashes of what he’s capable of but a flicker of sharpness was missing. He bagged four points against Limerick at the weekend and the extra game should propel him further again.

Diarmuid McMahon and Barry Nu- gent were both missing against Lim- erick with injuries, but the problems seem to be abating generally.

It’s not yet crunch time for Clare, but it’s approaching. Two back to back losses in Cusack Park would be a tough one to swallow and Water- ford come with the scent of blood on i eCod Dam BT ON

The bottom line is simple: just like the last time, Clare need a win and a performance against Waterford. If not, their backs are to the wall.

A CALL was made yesterday to re-appraise spending on security at Shannon Airport after it emerged that it cost the State over €3 million to protect the airport last year.

Minister for Justice, Michael Mc- Dowell confirmed that the cost of ongoing Garda policing arrange- ments at Shannon Airport in 2006, including normal salaries, was ap- proximately €3.85 mullion.

Minister McDowell said that the Garda authorities allocated resourc- es in accordance with the assessed threat, so it was the Garda which ultimately determined the associated costs.

He was speaking in response to a Dail question from Green Party lead- er, Trevor Sergent.

He said, “I am informed by the Garda authorities that local Garda

management is satisfied that the con- tinuance of the ongoing policing ar- rangements at Shannon Airport is es- sential for the integrity of the airport itself and of both its employees and clients.

“Accordingly, I remain satisfied that Garda policing arrangements at Shannon Airport continue to be both necessary and appropriate.”

Last year, the Shannon Airport Authority (SAA) made an estimated profit of €9 million from the 280,000 US troops that passed through Shan- non, keeping the airport in profit.

However, Green Party election can- didate, Brian Meaney said yesterday, “It is time to re-appraise the security operation at Shannon.

“A significant amount of Garda resources is being spent on the op- eration at Shannon and this must be having an effect on policing levels elsewhere in Clare.”

FOR the third consecutive year, cus- toms officials at Shannon Airport did not confiscate any goods from pas- sengers arriving in Ireland from the US during the traditional Christmas shopping period.

This is despite an _ estimated 100,000 Irish people travelling to the US, many from Shannon Airport, and spending millions of Euro on Christmas shopping trips in the pe- riod between the start of November and the end of December.

While customs officers carry out random checks at airports as part of their daily duties, passengers stopped at Shannon during November and December did not have any items in excess of their allowance.

Information obtained from the Revenue Commissioners confirmed that the number and value of goods

seized from passengers and pas- sengers’ baggage between Novem- ber | and December 31 at Shannon was “nil”. The number and value of goods released on compromise pen- alties was also “nil”.

The figures revealed that the amount of duty and taxes taken from passen- gers declaring goods on importation was €1,262.66 – made up of €117.15 in duty and €1,145.51 in VAT.

At Dublin Airport, passengers returning from the US during the same period, with “goods lawfully declared”, paid €749 in duty and €3,430 in VAT.

While some items were seized, they were released to their owners follow- ing payment of duties and penalties valued at €1,031.

Passengers are allowed to bring home items worth no more than €175 before they must make a dec- laration.