Month: August 2007

A DELEGATION of local tourism development agencies left Shannon yesterday (Monday) on a five-day promotional drive in the United States aimed at showcasing Shannon Airport as a key gateway to Ireland.

Representatives of Clare County Council, Shannon Development, Clare Tourist Council, Clare ‘Tour- ism Forum and Shannon Heritage will meet with members of the Irish- American business community in Chicago before attending the world’s largest Irish culture festival in Wis- Loyetssnte

Last year, more than 3,000 peo- ple from the American Midwest and Northeast are believed to have booked flights directly into Shan- non Airport as a result of the Clare tourism delegation’s presence at the Milwaukee Irish Fest.

“Aer Lingus’s axing of services from Shannon to Heathrow has led to fears that the airline could be ca- pable of curtailing or even ceasing its direct services from the County Clare airport to the US.

‘That is why this week’s promo- tional drive takes on added impor- tance for the tourism agencies in the mid-west,’ said Mayor of Clare, Cllr

Patricia McCarthy.

“The introduction of Open Skies has raised concerns over whether the level of transatlantic business at the airport can be sustained.

’Clare County Council, along with other leading tourism bodies in Ire- land’s mid-west region, has adopted a more proactive approach in a bid to maintain and build on this business by marketing the airport as a key gateway to the west of Ireland. Over the coming days, we will seek to raise awareness of the many airlines operating flight services between Shannon and New York, Boston and Chicago,” she said.

The Milwaukee Irish Fest, estab- lished in 1981 by members of the city’s Irish community, is renowned as the world’s largest Irish culture SATE

Covering 74 acres of Lake Michi- gan’s shoreline, the event showcases Irish music, history, dance, sports and culture.

County Clare has been named as the central theme of this year’s Fest. The Clare tourism delegation will be located in the “Cultural Village” where thousands of promotional bro- chures on Shannon Airport and the region’s attractions will be distrib- uted to over 140,000 festivalgoers.

FEARS over worsening anti-social behaviour in the north Clare resort of Lahinch have sparked opposition against a proposed housing develop- ment in the town.

In an objection against the appli- cation by Patricia Stackpoole for 10 homes on Station Road in Lahinch, John and Ita Coughlan state that **be- fore the massive housing develop- ment in the area, we had peace and quietness, now we dread weekends in wintertime and have to put up with

the excess noise and vandalism dur- ing the summer months, when our sleep is disrupted nightly from lam to 6am as there is an endless flow of people — who are mostly intoxicated — on their way back from pubs or house parties.”

They add, “This development of 10 houses will constitute over-density in the area. Serious problems of anti- social behaviour are already evident here and we feel that this will add to the problem.

“Our property, including our car, has been vandalised on a number of

occasions.

“This development will certainly depreciate the value of our homes, the fact that it is so close to our boundary wall. We will also have to experience excess of noise and traffic.”

In her objection, Marie O’ Donoghue states, ““Lahinch is a seaside village and haphazard back land develop- ment of this nature and size consti- tutes over-density and urbanisation and is not in keeping with the char- acter of the village and detrimental to the life of the elderly residents ad- jacent to it.

“There are practically no perma- nent residents living on Main Street, Lahinch at this time and residents of the satellite roads are being pushed out also to make room for more hol1- CEM a ste entey

“The ‘Cois Tra’ development itself is an example in that planning was eae DOLKerO MME A OCOKoMEAY S100 MEA SOMO I OLUNT-IBCOyN) that it was for permanent residents, but this is not the case. The proposed ‘Cois Tra Close’ will be an extension of this.

“The proposed development will cause serious disruption to the eld-

erly residents adjacent to it and, in particular, during the construction as it is proposed that all site machinery and construction works access will be through the proposed walkway which is between two houses of long- term residents of Station Road.

‘Lahinch has serious problems with anti-social behaviour, which has been widely reported in the press, with se- rious concerns being expressed by both Lahinch Community Council and the Garda.”

A decision is due on the application JE Trovamdebkomonteyelaen

CLARE County Council have yield- ed to public pressure and deferred closing the N67 Ballyvaughan to Lis- doonvarna road until after the busy September season in Lisdoonvarna. More than forty objections were lodged with the local authority fol- lowing plans to close the road for ten months, starting in early August. The road, which included Cork- screw Hill and is north Clare’s main tourism artery, will now be closed to

through traffic from October I, and will remain shut until May of 2008.

“Tt had been originally due to start on August 8, but we have now de- ferred the work until October,’ said Joe Spellissy from the road section of Clare County Council.

‘Most of the people who made sub- mission to us said that the main part of their business takes place between May and October. With this in mind we decided that deferring the work on the road would be the most pru- dent thing to do.

Local traffic will be accommodat- ed during the road closure and the council have committed to opening the road during the evening hours whenever possible.

A call had also been made for the local authority to put a stop-go traffic light system in place instead of clos- ing the road but this plan was reject- ed on health and safety grounds.

“It is my understanding that it is not possible to operate a traffic light sys- tem on this road because the road is too narrow. It is for health and safety

reasons,’ continued Mr Spellissey.

“Both emergency traffic and local traffic will be accommodated. In ad- dition to this we hope to be able to open the road between 8pm at night and 7.30am in the morning whenever possible.”

While the road works are in place, a diversion will operate for all non- resident traffic travelling from Bally- vaughan to Lisdoonvarna. The pro- posed route will increase the mileage from Ballyvaughan to Doolin from 14 to more than 40 miles, adding

more than an hour to the daily com- mute time for people living in north Clare and working in Galway.

The road works are to facilitate the connection of the new Lisdoonvarna Water Supply and the North Clare Regional Water Treatment Plant to the Ballyvaughan water supply.

Fears had been raised that the road- works could jeopardise this year’s Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festi- val which generates millions of euro for the north Clare tourism industry each year.

CLARE’S most senior politician, Minister for State Tony Killeen (FF), said he does not see the return of the Aer Lingus slots to Shannon unless a new deal is negotiated.

“I haven’t given up hope that Aer Lingus will look at the business ar- gument anew,” he said.

“But I don’t see that Aer Lingus will come back as things stand. It would only come back if it could show shareholders a better business arrangement had been agreed.”

The Minister for State at the De- partment of the Environment pointed to the failure of Aer Lingus manage- ment in its argument that the profit margins out of Shannon were low.

He said that claims of a high load factor and a low profit margin points to the failure of management at the airline.

Minister Killeen said however, “I don’t think we are in a position to rule out options.”

Minister Killeen, who in the early 1990s resigned the party whip over the ending of the compulsory Shan- non stopover, does not believe that

this move is necessary this time.

‘| have seen no evidece that resign- ing by anyone at any level would have services restored,” he said.

New Fianna Fail TD Timmy Doo- ley said he “would reserve all op- tions” when asked if he would resign his seat if the Government did not secure vital Heathrow slot for Shan- non airport.

Deputy Dooley, said, “the Govern- ment has a duty to protect the indus-

trial base of this region. While the Government seems to be indicating a lack of responsibility in the move by Aer Lingus to Belfast, it clearly is a matter for the Government to resolve under its commitment to regional de- velopment.”

“If this requires emergency legisla- tion then this should happen now,” he Sr nKOe

“In order to protect and underpin Government policy on balanced re- gional development and to protect the industry and tourism base of the region the Government must act now to ring fence direct connectivity.”

“The air bridge between Shannon and Heathrow is equally important as the new Limerick Tunnel or the West Link toll bridge on the East Coast.

“The government needs to act ina manner that would take ownership of the access route in the same way as it purchased the West Link toll bridge. This is absolutely critical now in or- der to give confidence and stability to the business community in the mid west region”.

TWO years after being built at an estimated cost of €175,000 to the tax-payer, a custom-made bat-house located along the route of the €205 million Ennis by-pass has failed to attract a single bat.

Due to security concerns, Clare County Council has refused to dis- close the location of the bat-house to the public and it appears that the council has also failed to inform any members of the endangered Lesser Horseshoe Bat community as to the whereabouts of the hi-tech home.

The tiny Lesser Horseshoe Bat is protected under the EU Habitats Di- rective and is listed as a vulnerable species.

As part of its contract for the by- pass scheme, GAMA Construction is required to put in place a series of measures — including the construc- tion of a purpose built bat house – to ensure the continued good welfare of the bat along the route.

However, in a report drawn up for the company by environmental con- sultant, Howard Williams of Inis En- vironmental Services, it confirms the absence of bats at the new home.

In the report released under the

Freedom of Information Act to

SOME of Clare’s lesser known tour- ist sites and attractions are being tar- geted by Clare tourist organisations who embark on a week-long promo- tional trip to the US next week.

Clare County Council, Shannon Development, the Clare Tourism Fo- rum, the Clare Tourist Council and Shannon Heritage will be promoting some of Clare’s lesser-known attrac- tions at the Milwaukee Irish Fest in Wisconsin.

“The promotional campaigns of national bodies such as Failte Ireland and Tourism Ireland Limited are un- doubtedly crucial to the overall suc- cess and development of the industry throughout the island at a very chal- lenging time in the global tourism market,” said Tomas Mac Conmara, Acting Heritage Officer, Clare Coun- ty Council.

“The Clare Tourism Forum and Shannon Development have under- taken a huge amount of promotional work in this area. However, the pro- motion of the lesser-known heritage attractions throughout the country 1s often overlooked even though they hold the key to revitalising rural communities and contributing to the sustained growth of the Irish tourist sector.”

The sites that the organisations hope

to sell to prospective tour organisers include the county’s 5,000-year-old portal tombs, its 23 surviving cran- nogs, 220 holy wells, King Brian Bort’s doorway in Tuamgraney, the Michael Cusack Centre in Carron, over 100 12th-century castles and 224 recorded surviving ringforts.

“Clare boasts some of the world’s most famous heritage sites and tour- ist attractions. However, the county has much more to offer than just the famous tourism landmarks with a vast array of local heritage sites and attractions available to tourists,” he continued. “If promoted at local, na- tional and international level, they are likely to benefit from existing tourism business in the region, as well as attract other visitors.”

Marie Slattery from Shannon Her- itage said we would be doing our- selves an injustice to forget the less- er-known attractions.

“Everyone knows that Knappogue Castle is ideal for weddings and the castle’s medieval banquets, but Knappogue’s walled garden and cas- tle tour as a daytime attraction help to keep the visitor in the area for longer, benefiting everyone including the actual visitor,’ she said.

“Promoting the lesser-known attrac- tions in conjunction with the world- renowned products is the only way to show the true promise of our region.”

THE company constructing the Ennis bypass has been accused of a breach of contract over placing a protected butterfly onto private land outside the bypass zone without the permis- sion of Clare County Council.

The placing of the Marsh Fritil- lary on lands formerly owned by JJ McCabe has sparked a row between consultants acting for Clare County Council on the bypass and GAMA Construction, where GAMA is deny- ing any breach of contract.

The placing or translocation of the rare butterfly has presented planning headaches to purchaser of the JJ Mc- Cabe lands, Stephen Harris in his bid to construct a €50 million retail park at the site.

Clare County Council has told Mr Harris that there remains serious concerns in relation to the presence of the butterfly on his lands.

Now, in correspondence released through the Freedom of Information Act, Bryan Hamilton of consulting firm Jacobs employed by the council wrote to GAMA in March to state, “We are extremely disappointed to read in this report that Gama Stra- bag Construction Ltd (GSCL) has worked outside the lands made avail- able for the works in relation to the original location of the species and the translocation area.”

In response, Project Manager with GAMA, John Cunningham said on March 29, “We note that in your

letter of February 14, you state that ‘there is no record that this location is outside the lands made available by the employer’.

“We consider that this comment is disingenuous as the reference clearly is to a location that was outside the alignment. For avoidance of any confusion, I note that I personally at- tended both meetings referred to.

“We made it clear on July 23, 2004, that we intended to move the marsh fritillary larvae and associated food plant outside the lands made availa- ble. You raised no concerns or sought

any clarification at the time.

“We further confirmed, as minuted on September 24, that we had relo- cated the plants and larvae and iden- tified the location to an adjacent field — JJ McCabe’s land.”

In relation to the claim of breach of contract, Mr Cunningham said, “We again state that we fulfilled our con- tractual obligations with regard to environmental mitigation in respect OM slow oer-vans meu lselt-)mvam

NINE months after doing a solo run on the appointment of a Clare foot- ball manager, the county board has come full circle and enlisted the help of the clubs in finding the right man for the job.

When the Clare delegation trav- elled to Paidi O Sé’s pub in Ventry late last November, they did so under the cover of darkness. Only a select group of board members knew of the impending approach, prompting an- ger among certain delegates.

“I think it was very, very under- hand the way it was done,’ said Ber- nard Hanrahan, Clarecastle delegate of O Sé’s appointment at December’s GAA convention.

Hanrahan’s remarks were knocked back by chairman Michael McDon- agh at the time, but this week the chairman confirmed that the board are two weeks away from receiving final correspondence from the Clare clubs, in relation to who the next man in charge should be.

‘“We’ve made contact with the clubs and we’re waiting for them to get back to us,’ he said. “Once that’s done, it’s a case of drawing up a shortlist over the following ten days or so.”

That the clubs of Clare have a say in the process may ensure that an

exhaustive search will have been un- dertaken, but it’s not guaranteed that success will follow.

While O Sé’s tenure as manager ended without many high points, the board were lauded by most in the winter for going after and securing a big name to help propel Clare up the football ladder.

It didn’t happen and as a result, the search is on for a Clareman to lead the county team from bottom-rung football next season.

“We’re anxious to get the right peo- ple in as soon as possible, but we’re not going to rush anything,’ added McDonagh. “The most important thing is we get the right men to do the job.”

Next Tuesday’s meeting of the board promises to be another action filled event. Besides the expected debate on the next man to fill the football manager’s shoes, talk will also turn to the position of hurling manager following Clare’s departure from the championship against Limerick.

It’s an open secret by now that a certain section of the board wished to remove Tony Considine, despite his two-year appointment. If this fac- tion gets it way, the board could be looking at an unprecedented four in- ter-county appointments in less than one year.

AFTER taking a break over the bank holiday weekends it’s full steam ahead for underage soccer in the county.

There is a full programme of games down for decision with 19 fixtures due to be played.

Tonight the under 11 leagues takes centre stage with Moher Celtic look- ing to continue their solid start to the season when they take on Lifford in JBHIaVEIATanelOvee

Elsewhere in the same division Newmarket take on Moneypoint at McDonough Park.

In division three, leaders Burren United are another North Clare side that have made a winning start to the season.

They face a tough challenge in the form of Fern Celtic. In the under 13 league, Lifford will be hoping to get their second win of the campaign with a home tie at Cassidy Park where Connolly Celtic are the visitors.

Newtown take on Mountshannon at Ballycasey while in division two, St Pats will be hoping they can leapfrog Newmarket at the top of the table with victory over Moher Celtic in Kiulmihil.

It’s already getting tight at the top in

division one of the under 12 league. Moneypoint and Ennis Town are tied on ten points with four games played. Sitting in third are Avenue United on nine points and three games played.

Moneypoint take on Avenue United in Kilrush with Lifford and Bridge United meeting in Lees Road.

It’s a similar situation in the under 16 league where three games are tied on six points. Fern Celtic are among the early pace-setters and they travel to Lees Road next Tuesday night for a meeting with Turnpike Rovers.

THE terms of reference for an inde- pendent investigation into the treat- ment of patients at an Ennis nursing home have been set.

The HSE ordered the external in- dependent review into Cappahard Lodge on May last, following con- cerns raised “by a number of parties including staff”’.

A separate Garda investigation was also ordered, following complaints made by some of the family mem- bers of Kilrush man Gerard Finn, relating to his treatment and care at the home.

The terms of reference for the re- view, Which will be chaired by Dr Donald Lyons, Mental Welfare Commission of Scotland, have now been set.

In the course of the review, Dr Lyon’s committee will “identify and collate all policies and procedures relating to patient care in Cappahard Lodge”.

The investigating committee will also examine the extent to which current policies and procedures are adhered to and the adequacy of cur- rent policies and procedures.

Finally, the review committee will be asked to make recommendations as to how policies and procedures might be improved and/or more ap- propriately implemented.

Relatives and other stakeholders are to be contacted and asked to make submissions. The late Mr Finn died at the home in June. The 69- year-old was admitted to the home in December 2005, with Alzheimer’s and angina.

Over an “extended period of time”, some of his family members, includ- ing his daughter, made a number of complaints to the HSE regarding his care at Cappahard Lodge.

The complaints were investigated by the clinical director and direc- tor of nursing, Clare Mental Health Services under the HSE Trust in Care policy document which is designed to deal with allegations of abuse.

The complainants were informed of the findings.

This “screening process” found that no abusive actions had taken place and that “nursing and medical care provided for Mr Finn was ap- propriate”.

However, following the Trust in Care investigation, the HSE contin- ued to receive complaints from some family members in relation to Mr Finn’s ongoing treatment and care.

The external review was then com- missioned, prior to Mr Finn’s death POM LUD ates

Mr Finn’s wife, Ann, has made it clear on numerous occasions that she was happy with her husband’s treat- ment at the home.