Month: November 2007

CONTRACTS for the €12.2 million sewerage scheme for Scariff are be- ing signed tomorrow (Wednesday).

Councillors for the area had it con- firmed last week that after years of campaigning for the scheme and much wrangling over funding, it is now certain to go ahead.

News that the contracts have finally been brought to the table broke at the opening of Clare County Council’s Scariff area offices last week, when Mayor of Clare, Patricia McCarthy, announced that she had a date for the signing.

At a later meeting of the elected

members for the area, senior execu- tive engineer, Sean Lenihan, con- firmed that the contract had been awarded to Mayo firm, G and D Ley- CaF

“It’s a twelve month contract and all three elements definitely have to be finshed in that time,” said Sean.

Once complete, the scheme will result in a major reduction in the amount of pollutants which are flow- ing into Lough Derg.

It will also open the doors for ex- pansion and development in Scarilff, Feakle, Tuamgraney and Whitegate.

The announcement that the scheme will now defintely go ahead was warmly welcomed by the elected

members for the Scariff area.

“I’m very pleased that the long road to making this scheme a reality 1s at an end. It’s been a long time com- ing but I’m delighted to hear that we are at last at the signing of contracts stage,’ Cllr Pat Hayes said.

Cllr Hayes also asked that the coun- cil should now look at issues such as working on the problems with water pressure in Juamgraney. “We were advised not to rock the boat while the process of getting funding was on-going but now, when we have the contractors on-site would be the time to tackle some of these issues,” he said.

Cllr Colm Wiley said there are

“houses out the Mountshannon road which should be included. I can’t un- derstand how we didn’t have them included in the first place”.

The council engineer agreed with members that it would “be a good time to look at some of the other needs, when the town is excavated for this project’, Sean Lenihan said.

He added that while talks could be had with the contractor on some 1s- sues, Others might come under the remit of funding for small schemes.

“Tm looking at alternative ways of funding and getting work done while we have the workers on site and I’ll do all I can on the issues that have been raised,” he told the meeting.

THE SAFETY of children and par- ents travelling to school in Shannon Banks is at risk from the huge vol- umes of traffic which now pass their homes and school gates, local coun- cillor Pascal Fitzgerald has warned.

He was speaking at a meeting of the Killaloe area councillors last week, having asked the director of services to provide safety railings across the bridge at Shannon Banks.

“This would go a long way towards ensuring the safety of residents and children in the area. It has been re- ported to me that there have been a number of potential accidents there in the last few weeks. Young kids just run out on to the road and there will be a tragedy if we don’t do some- thing,” the Labour councillor said.

Cllr Tony O’Brien seconded Cllr Fitzgerald’s motion to have railings erected.

“You have Scoil Ide National school

and St Munchins on that route and it is heavily used. I know we would have to have agreement with Limer- ick City Council but we need to move on this,” he said.

Senior Executive Engineer with Clare County Council, Sean Leni- han, told councillors that part of the area in question comes under the re- sponsibilty of Limerick City Coun- cil, as the bridge straddles the border betweent the two local authorities.

“IT have a meeting lined up with

city council staff for November 27. We have agreed to do this, it’s just a case of getting down and doing it in the new year. We’ve taken on board what the councillors have said and this is a high priority for us,” he told the meeting.

The senior engineer also told the meeting that there were a number of issues which Limerick City Council and Clare County Council needed to discuss and these would be on the ta- ble at the meeting later this week.

THERE are people in east Clare who will forever have cause to be grateful to Kevin Canny.

In the 41 years plus that Kevin has been delivering letters and parcels to his native Feakle and surround- ing areas, he’s brought a lot of good news.

And some bad. But for Kevin, who followed in his father’s footsteps as postman and whose daughter is now taking up the reins as he retires, it is, in his own words, “in the blood”’.

“IT remember 35 years ago, going to the house of a man who was known to be a good man to swear. He said to me ‘well Canny, I suppose that’s another feckin’ bill?’ I joked with him that it was a letter from the Prize

Bonds office. As I walked back to collect my bike he let a shout out of him for me to come back. He asked me how did I know what was in the letter — he’d won £100.”

Kevin took over as postman from his father, John Canny, who earned a princely £19/23 when he started out in 1929.

Kevin’s route took him on a daily 27 mile journey, delivering letters to more than 400 homes on a bike.

‘People used to wait to see you coming, to see were you bringing a letter they might be waiting for from a child or relative who had emigrated to England or America. The Amer1- can parcels that used come brought huge excitement. They were clothes of amazing colours and materials and money sometimes. I remember one

Christmas, when we’d just got our first post van, a Renault, we had four American parcels for one house. We packed the four boxes into the van and you wouldn’t have got a pound of butter in with them. You can imagine the excitement in that house.”

Some days were not so happy. “You’d bring telegrams and people would ask you to open them because they were so afraid of what was in there. Telegrams were very often bad ea AS

He describes the days of delivering the post as “the happiest days of my Th tome

While getting motorised transport made the job physically more com- fortable, Kevin says he missed the bicycle.

“When we got the van, we were

pressured for time. Before that you’d stop for a chat with people, sit up ona ditch or go in for a cup of tea.”

As the people of Feakle parish gathered last Friday, along with rep- resentatives of An Post to celebrate Kevin’s years of bringing the news to homes in east Clare, Kevin himself had a proud boast.

With his daughter, Martina, now working a route round Killaloe he can say “there has been a Canny de- livering the post in east Clare since 1929.”

UPTO 100 children from across Clare will gather in Ennis next Wednesday to share their school experiences and Opinions on the future development of play and recreational policies.

The meeting has been organised by the Clare County Development Board, as part of the Comhairle na nOg or ‘youth council’ initiative.

Clare Comhairle na nOg, which includes representatives of primary and secondary schools, is a local forum for young people where they can discuss local and national issues of relevance to them.

Since 2002, Clare Comhairle na nOg has seen a steady increase in

its membership, with up to 40 local schools now participating.

Speaking ahead of the upcoming meeting in the West County Hotel in Ennis, Clare Mayor, Councillor Pa- tricia McCarthy said, “The objective of the Comhairli is to give children and young people a voice at a com- munity level. In my address to dele- gates I will outline the importance of considering the opinions of younger members of the community when devising local or national policy.”

“IT am delighted to see that Com- hairle na nOg is increasingly being recognised by local, regional and national bodies. It has provided rep- resentation to a number of initiatives such as Dail na nOg. This proves

that the process is effective and does make a difference to the lives of young people,” added Ms McCarthy. The upcoming Comhairle na nOg meeting will consist of two separate workshops and feedback sessions, which will feed into the review of Clare Local Authorities Play Policy and the development of a new Strat- egy for Clare Sports Partnership. | Meanwhile, five Comhairle na nOg delegates will be selected to repre- sent County Clare at the annual Dail na nOg on February 15, 2008. The national Young Person’s Parliament, which comprises representatives of Combhairli in 34 local authority areas throughout the country, meets once a year and submits an annual report of

the outcome to the Cabinet Commit- tee on Children. ;

Ms Brid Kirby, Comhairle na nOg co-ordinator for Community and Enterprise in Clare County Coun- cil, said that the upcoming meeting would provide an invaluable oppor- tunity for young people under 18 years of age to have a say in issues that affect their lives.

“The opening ceremony will fea- ture speeches from two of last year’s delegates who represented Clare at Dail na nOg and made a presenta- tion to the September meeting of Clare County Council. It underlines Comhairle na nOg’s ability to have its collective voice heard at local and national level,’ said Ms Kirby.

A LEVEL playing pitch should be put in place for all water users, ac- cording to county councillors in the Shannon area.

In a joint motion at a meeting last week, Councillors Gerry Flynn (In- dependent) and John Crowe (FG) asked a number of questions relat- ing to the supply of water to bed and breakfasts and guesthouses in the Bunratty area.

They specifically asked how the

cost 1s calculated; are bed and break- fasts paying the same rate as guest- houses; and are families who use the bed and breakfasts as their family homes allowed a set discount.

In response, Senior Engineer Wal- ter Walsh said the flat rate charge and metered charge applies through- out the wider area of Bunratty and also throughout the county.

“Bed and breakfasts are paying by both systems, 1.e. some are me- tered and some are paying by fixed charge. This situation has arisen his-

torically and there is no explanation for the different charging systems to different customers. It is the policy that all new customers both domestic and non-domestic will have meters installed at the time of connection,” said Mr Walsh.

He pointed out that families who live in their own bed and breakfasts or guesthouses are given an allow- ance. All other water provided is charged at the current charge rate.

“At present, a complete survey of all known non-domestic water cus-

tomers is ongoing in the county. Fol- lowing on from the survey, meters are being installed where none exist at present or where existing meters are not properly functioning. It is expected that this contract will be finished in late spring 2008,’ added Mr Walsh.

Cllr Flynn said he raised the issue on foot of queries in Bunratty, while Cllr Crowe remarked, “All we are looking for is a level playing field. If one is paying for it, let everyone pay for it.”

PROJECTED growth in the number of people attending Sixmilebridge national school has prompted plans to be drawn up for a new school in STO BU UE RSXon

Currently, there are 329 pupils on the roll of St Finnachta’s National School and it is anticipated that this will grow to 600 within the next 10 years.

The Department of Education and Science has approved the building of new 24-classroom school to ac- commodate the future needs, on the current school site. The site itself has recently been enlarged through

the purchase of land adjacent to the original site. Based on current es- timates, the anticipated cost of the new project could reach €5 million and over the next few years and the fundraising committee hopes to raise €120,000 which will include the lo- cal contribution sum required for all such school development projects. Chairperson of the Parents Associ- ation Caitriona O’Reilly said growth in the village’s population is key to the development of the new school. “Sixmilebridge is very well located for Limerick and Ennis and Shannon and that is how it has grown so much. There has been a huge increase in the numbers of house built in the areas,”

she said.

While the funding has been sanc- tioned by the department, planning permission has yet to be sought and it should be four years before the school will be built.

The school’s teachers and pupils currently use the existing building, along with four prefabricated build- ings, on the same site. The space is not sufficient for the growing popu- lation of the school and given the anticipated increasing numbers, the new school will be a necessity.

“We really want a state-of-the-art school. It will be a challenge to raise the money,” said Ms O’Reilly.

“We are appealing to locals to help

out, particularly people coming into the area. A lot of young people are choosing Sixmilebridge to live in, given that houses are affordable and the location suits them,” she added. School principal Ray McInerney acknowledged “the early decision and foresight of the Department of Education and Science to invest in the new school here’. He thanked “the parents and supporters of the school, the Board of Management, the teachers and staff of the school and the sponsors of this important event”. He made special mention of “the organising committee who have dedicated time and energy to make this local fund raiser a big success”.

THE streets of Ennis will be off lim- its to cars in the run up to Christmas, despite concerns over the impact on retail activity in the town.

Abbey Street and O’Connell Street will be vehicle-free on Saturday/Sun- day 1-2, 8-9, 15-16 and 22-23 of De- cember. The streets will remain pe- destrianised during Christmas Eve.

Eddie Power, Ennis Town Clerk said that the decision to pedestrianise the streets was taken following consid-

eration of submissions received and that, as part of the statutory process, gardai were also consulted.

Mr Power said, “Ennis Town Coun- cil will erect signage around the town indicating that Abbey Street and O’Connell Street will be pedes- WUTTIDRoOD

“In relation to parking, it should be noted that the new multi-storey car park at Dunnes Stores has resulted in an additional 250 spaces in the town. Other car parks are conveniently lo- cated adjacent to the town centre and

are easily accessible.”

Ennis Chamber of Commerce sup- ports the temporary introduction. But, in a statement, the chamber said the completion of the inner re- lief road must take place before the policy could be contemplated on a long-term basis.

The chamber has called for free parking to be introduced on the days set aside in December and for extra parking to be provided in town cen- tre schools.

Concern over the impact of pe-

destrianisation stems from a recent footfall survey commissioned by En- nis Chamber to examine the impact of the policy on retail activity in the town centre.

The footfall survey conducted on Car Free Day and October 6 showed a significant and proportional in- crease in Abbey Street and O’Connell Street.

However, researchers conditioned results with the views that on Car Free Day favourable weather condi- tions had an impact on figures and

that people brought more children into the town centre.

Welcoming the move, Mayor ‘lom- my Brennan said pedestrianisation would improve safety for increased numbers of shoppers.

Businessman Oliver Moylan, a vo- cal critic of pedestrianisation in En- nis and of the level of commercial rates imposed on businesses in the town centre, said the policy would depress activity and drive shoppers towards large-scale retail develop- ments.

The musical western was adapted for the stage from the film musical of the same name with Doris Day in the title role and Howard Keel as Wild Bill Hickok. This stage ver- sion of the show was premiered in 1961. The musical tells the story of famed Calamity Jane — played by

Aisling Davies — who dresses and shoots like a man, but given a proper chance, can be a beautiful girl who hankers for the love of a man.

That man may be dashing Lt. Dan- ny Gilmartin — played by Emma Collins — or the justly famed Wild Bill Hickok — played by Stella Mc- Glennon.

Calamity puts her reputation on the line when she volunteers to bring famous singing star Adelaide Ad- ams (Aoife Corry) but mistakenly hauls her maid, Katie Brown (Kate Mc Glennon) to Deadwood’s Golden Garter Saloon.

This is the latest in a long line of Scoil Mhuire’s hugely entertaining musical offerings and, with Peter Kennedy as producer and Patricia Dooley as musical director, the well- loved musical will no doubt be a SNe efete

The school has been something of a hotspot for musical talent over the years. In this, Scoil Mhuire’s ninth musical, the students deliver the mu- sic with panache and verve.

The musical numbers are outstanding, including the romping ‘Deadwood Stage’, the charming ‘Just Blew in from the Windy City’,

the romantic ballads “Higher than a Hawk’ and the Academy Award- winning “Secret Love’.

The show will be staged in Ennistymon Community Centre from Wednesday, December 5 to Saturday, December 8, with matinees on Tues-

day and Thursday.

LISDOON VARNA is set to benefit significantly as a result of a four- pronged development which will cost up to €3 million.

The major plans will see the development of a 300-seater thea- tre, a new community creche, play- eround and sports pitch complete with running track.

All of the projects are being run in tandem and will be located close together, along the site of the old

town hall in the town. The plans for the theatre were spun into action some years ago when former Clare TD Sile de Valera secured more than €1 million towards the project. The project is expected to be completed early in 2008. The existing town hall will be renovated and the state- of-the-art theatre is expected to be opened next April.

“All projects are being done together and will be a huge benefit to the local community,’ said Marian O’Callaghan, who is a director of

Lisdoonvarna Failte, which owns the property on which the development will take place. The old town hall goes all the way back to Victorian mb en teh

“We are kitting it out as a fully equipped theatre. Along with the main theatre, there will be a suit- able place for conferences,” said Ms O’Callaghan.

“It will be a good asset for touring groups around Clare. We will talk to all groups so that it is a benefit not just to Lisdoonvarna, but north Clare

as such,’ she added. While Govern- ment funding will pay much of the costs, there will also be a need for lo- cal fundraising and Ms O’Callaghan is encouraging people to dig deep and help out.

“We hope to raise €120,000 over- all and now there is the chance to do it,” she said.

The organising committee has decided to organise a few major fundraisers, one of which will be a race night at the Ritz hotel on Satur- day, December 29.

ONE of Clare’s largest credit unions has said it proposes to pay its mem- bers the same dividend they earned last year, despite predictions of slashed earnings on shares.

The ACCA (Association of Char- tered Certified Accountants) is advis- ing credit union members to expect a lower dividend and loan interest re- bate this year.

Aidan Clifford, Advisory Services Manager, ACCA Ireland, said, ““The current trend is for credit unions to be under-lent and over-invested and because investments yield a lower return than loan interest, the surplus

available for distribution in many credit unions will be lower this year.”

He added, “A number of credit un- ions have also been hit with invest- ment losses from perpetual bonds and other bonds and a generally un- derperforming stock market, adding to the downward pressure on divi- dends.”

All credit unions in Ireland have a September 30 year-end and will traditionally hold their AGM in De- cember to allow a dividend and loan rebate to be paid prior to Christmas.

Credit unions take deposits from members, lend the funds to other members and the balance of un-lent

funds are invested. The target for credit unions is to lend out €7/0 of every €100 deposited and invest the balance.

Few credit unions achieve this, with €50 being more normal and in some cases as low as €20 in every €100 being lent. Investments typi- cally yield a much lower return than interest on loans and this year invest- ment income has been hit by falling markets and losses on some unusual investment products such as “per- petual bonds”.

The Registrar of Credit Unions has barred credit unions from investing in some of these more exotic prod- ucts in the future. Mr Clifford con-

cluded, “Some credit unions are so heavily invested and so under-lent that they risk being described as dysfunc- tional savings clubs.”

But Paddy McNamara, acting man- ager of Derg Credit Union, said that the board will be proposing paying a two per cent dividend when the AGM is held in December.

‘“That’s the same rate as last year and the year before.” he said, adding that that is ““a much better rate than the or- dinary bank deposit account, which would typically pay much less on an active account. Credit union members have full access to their funds, pro- vided they are not being used to guar- antee loans and a better rate.”