Month: February 2008

THE Department of Education has dashed the hopes of over 250 fami- lies around Ennis this week by re- fusing to confirm whether Barefield National School has been given the approval to begin work on its long- awaited extension.

The school first put in a bid for funding in 2000 and for the past eight years both management and local families, under the guidance of the Building for the Future com- mittee, initiated fundraising events

which helped raise €31,500 – the re- quired local contribution.

In 2002, John Carr, the General Secretary of the Irish National Teachers Organisation agreed that the “school accommodation was se- riously substandard”’.

The department agreed to the ex- tension. Almost €250,000 has al- ready been spent planning the build- ing, which would include eight class rooms, a library, a general purpose room, five special education rooms, improved heating system, staff fa- cilities and playground.

When Minister Mary MHanafin made her selection in 2005, Barefield topped the list of approved primary schools. The Minister stated that “These projects have been identi- fied as priority projects in areas where demand for school places are increasing or current facilities are deemed inadequate to cater for exist- ing needs.”

“It is vitally important that children and teaching staff in our schools have facilities which are suitable to their growing needs,” she said.

But according to the Barefield

Parent’s Council, with some classes housing up to 36 pupils, the needs of their children are not being met – and they will do everything in their power to ensure that the munister does not renege on her intention of including their school in the 2008 School Building Programme to be announced at Easter.

“The school cannot cope in its present form. We have done the plan- ning; the project should be funded as agreed,” said Maeve O’Regan, chair- person of the council.

Timmy Dooley TD (FF) visited the

school yesterday and agreed that re- development should get underway as soon as possible.

‘The current site at Barefield is ab- solutely inadequate for its needs and I will be putting a strong case forward to the department to try to expedite the development process,” he said.

Minister Tony Killeen has also vowed to lend his voice to the cam- Oe ea ne

“T will bring these concerns to the education minister and try to ensure that the project gets included in the Easter announcement,” he said.

AMBULANCE personnel across the county have voted overwhelmingly for industrial action, if a staffing cri- sis within the service is not resolved.

It is estimated that more than 20 new personnel are required to bring employee numbers up to a quota ca- pable of delivering a proper and safe 24-hour service to the county.

SIPTU ambulance service employ- ees across the country are also dis- eruntled with the HSE which signed contracts with three private compa- nies.

When asked this week if the HSE Mid West had signed a contract with a private operator to do out of hours or overtime emergency work in Clare, a spokesperson said, “Private operators will be used if necessary to maintain life-saving services in accordance with the National Ambu- lance Service policy.”

Meanwhile, the HSE has apolo- gised to the three west Clare moth- ers left without ambulance cover to get them safely to hospital to deliver their babies.

Speaking on behalf of the Min- ister for Health, Minister of State Pat “The Cope’ Gallagher said that it was regrettable that the mothers

Should have suffered undue distress, particularly as the birth of a child should take place in a safe, secure environment.

“Tl have been advised that while, thankfully, such incidents are rare, the HSE will examine the circum- stances which culminated in the un- fortunate events.”

“The HSE apologises unreservedly to the three mothers. Both the min- ister and myself hope that the events leading up to the birth of these babies have not taken from the joy which the birth of a child brings to parents,” he said.

Minister Gallagher was respond- ing to the issues raised by Fine Gael Deputy Pat Breen during a debate on ambulance services.

The deputy was referring to young Kilrush mums Mary O’Gorman, who gave birth on the family couch; Anna Jenkins, who was taken to hospital in Limerick by her father when an ambulance failed to arrive one hour after it was called; and mother of three Patricia Keane who gave birth on the side of the road in the family car.

He said that while all three babies were delivered safely, inadequate ambulance cover in the county was putting lives at risk.

A MAN who operated the main broadcast site for a Limerick City pi- rate radio station at his County Clare home has appeared in court in con- nection with the illegal activity.

John McNamara (30), of Ballycar South, Ardnacrusha faced six charg- es under the Broadcasting and Wire- less Telegraphy Act 1988. However five of the counts were withdrawn by the Commission for Communi- cations Regulation (ComReg) after the accused pleaded guilty to one Oe aero

Tom Hurley, who works as an In-

spector with ComReg’s Compliance Unit, gave evidence of carrying out a raid, with the assistance of gardai, at the premises at Ballycar South, Ar- ehatleuels ere

Mr Hurley said that he had been in the area carrying out monitoring and on the basis of that monitoring, sought a search warrant and visited Mr McNamara’s premises.

Mr Hurley said that when he ar- rived at the property, it was unoccu- pied but that he observed an antenna on the side of a barn. He said that a few minutes after he had arrived at the address, Mr McNamara turned up and confirmed he was the owner

of the property.

During a search of the barn, a pow- er amplifier and FM transmitter were located and dismantled. The court heard that the transmitter was broad- casting the studio output of Limerick City based pirate radio station Radio Limerick One (RLO).

In response to questioning by coun- sel for ComReg, Philip Rahn BL, Mr Hurley confirmed that the output of RLO’s studio was sent by cable to Mr McNamara’s property from where it was broadcast to the public on 105.2 naKeeeed aes A

Judge Aeneas McCarthy expressed concern that such transmissions

could interfere with air traffic con- trol but was assured that “there was no interference with air traffic con- trol, emergency services or other l- censed broadcasters”.

Counsel for the accused, Lorcan Connolly BL said Mr McNamara had never been in any sort of trouble before and had no previous convic- tions.

Judge McCarthy said, “The defend- ant has pleaded guilty to the offence but despite my reservations about the danger of interference with air traf- fic control and communications with aircraft, in this case I will apply the probation act.”

THREE former football stars have highlighted a reluctance to play inter- county football on the behalf of some players as part of the reason for Clare football’s current low standing.

Odran O’Dwyer, Frankie Griffin and Aidan Moloney each pointed to a lack of commitment from players who should be making the current panel as a central element to the de- cline in recent years.

“It seems to me at the moment that a lot of players in Clare just don’t enjoy it and that’s why they’re not playing for the county,” said Griffin. “Maybe there’s too much involved — too much commitment.

“There are probably some better players out there, but some won’t commit themselves to it. Getting 30 good fellas committed to the thing 1s the problem.

“I don’t think we have that at the moment and there’s no easy solution

to Clare’s problems,’ added Griffin.

Moloney echoed his former Clare teammate’s words, saying he began his inter-county career during a pe- riod when Clare football was also at a low ebb.

‘“There’s no doubt that it’s a big commitment for players and when fellas don’t see a lot of success it’s hard to swallow. But in our time eve- ryone really wanted to play and we didn’t have much success for a lot of years either.

“There were a lot of dark days as well but we were always proud to wear the jersey and there was never a question of considering giving it hone O’Dwyer broadened the debate, saying Clare not only needs added commitment across the county, but also investment in the right places.

“If you take Tyrone as an example, they’ve 15 county coaches whereas we only have one football coach in Clare. That’s just not good enough.

People might say they get extra grant money from the British government, but why can’t Clare increase the number of coaches in the county? Something has to be done and invest- pneKo emp MA’s LED

“These days players have houses and mortgages — things we wouldn’t have had — so maybe they’d have oth- er priorities. But you have to ques- tion the attitude if players don’t want to play for Clare,’ added the former Compromise Rules International.

A NEWMARKET-ON-FERGUS man, who admitted assaulting a garda, has been handed a suspended jail term.

Adam Mulqueen (25), of Kilna- soolagh Park, Newmarket-on -Fer- gus pleaded guilty to assaulting Garda Cathal Nolan and to resisting arrest outside the library on October 31, 2007.

Garda Nolan told Ennis District Court that as gardai were in the process of arresting two people, the

accused arrived with a can of Bulm- ers in his hand.

“When he saw that his younger brother was one of those being ar- rested, he became very agitated,” Ger MN e) Ei er- bee

“I became concerned for my col- league’s safety. I thought that he (the accused) would throw the can at him so I put out my hand to keep him back.”

Gda Nolan said there was a scuffle between himself and Mulqueen as he tried to restrain him. The pair fell to the ground and Gda Nolan injured

his elbow.

The court was told Mulqueen then calmed down but soon afterwards, Gda Nolan again became concerned for his colleague’s safety. At this point, Gda Nolan attempted to arrest Mulqueen. The pair again fell to the ground, as the garda tried to hand- LUND ME WatomrLerel UEorOn

Mulqueen lashed out and struck Gda Nolan on the cheek with the ort

The garda sustained a cut to his cheek which later required three stitches and was off work for over

two weeks as a result.

Defending solicitor Daragh Hassett suggested to Gda Nolan that “things were a bit frantic on the night with bonfires out of control”. Mr Has- sett suggested that the garda was “dismissive” of his client and that at first Mr Mulqueen was not agitated but was trying to talk to the gardai. Garda Nolan said the accused was “drunk and very aggressive”.

Judge Aeneas McCarthy imposed a four month sentence for the assault charge, suspended on condition he be of good behaviour for two years.

A VULNERABLE drug addict from Killaloe has had to wait five months for an appointment with a residential addiction treatment centre, his solici- tor has claimed.

The revelation came as a garda told a court that residential treatment was “the only hope” for the young man, who has no support at home.

Detective Garda John Mulvihill made the comment in the case of Ger- ard O’Connor (19), of Chapel Street, Killaloe, who appeared in court on a string of burglary charges.

Judge Joseph Mangan read a proba- tion report on the accused and said it was “up and down… more down dereDemel ome

Detective Garda Mulvhill said there were concerns that O’Connor was not obeying his bail conditions.

“As late as last Saturday night, at 12.41am, I observed him on Killaloe bridge. He had a lot of drink taken,” said the garda.

He said that a short time later, at 3.10am, he spotted O’Connor at Main Street, Killaloe.

“I called his name. He took flight,” |aTemncrsnCGe

He said the accused had been as- sisted by the State, the Probation Services and the courts, but that his problems persisted.

‘He was in residential care and walked out. It’s my honest opinion

an outpatient situation won’t work. Inpatient is the only hope. There are no supports at home. It’s not all his own fault,” said the garda.

Defending solicitor Daragh Has- sett said his client had been living in Limerick at one stage and had been in a relationship.

Det Gda Mulvihill replied, “That relationship was good while it lasted. He has had a difficult upbringing.”

“After Christmas he went back on the narcotics again. It is only when things are about to come to court he realises he has to knuckle down,” said the garda.

Mr Hassett said, “It would be in everyone’s interest if he gets the care he needs.”

Gda Mulvihill said, “Prison is not the solution for him. Residential treatment is the only hope.”

The solicitor said, “Whilst he is making the best efforts possible, he is very vulnerable. There is no sup- port at home.”

He pointed out that “at the height of his difficulty, he was breaking into places and robbing. That has stopped but the drug problem hasn’t.”

Det Gda Mulvhill said _ that O’Connor told gardai he was afraid he would get “worse drugs” in jail than he would while out on bail.

Mr Hassett asked for a short ad- journment, to explore the possibil- ity of getting a place in a residential course for his client.

“It took five months to get an ap- pointment with Aislinn (residential addiction treatment centre). That’s just an appointment. That’s not his fault,’ he said.

Judge Mangan said, “I take your point but he can’t absolve himself completely.”

He imposed a two-year detention sentence at St Patrick’s Institutions and fixed a bond in the event of an appeal.

TWO pupils from St. Annes school were Selected for the Munster schools team that won the interprovincial soccer title in Tullamore last week. The Munster team won all their games without conceding a goal.

Michael O’Shea from St. Annes school was one of the players select- ed. Michael is presently studying for his leaving cert at the school.

Aaron Connolly was also a starter on the Munster team and scored two goals in the final game. He was one of the youngest players on the team and will feature again in the coming years. Aaron is currently doing his junior cert at St. Annes.

School coach Damian Walsh was

delighted with both players and it is a great honour for the school to have an international player.

The tournament is organised and run by the FAI. There were a number of training sessions in Cork for the Munster team prior to the tourna- ment. Colin O’Brien of Cork City was in charge of the Munster team and he was ably assisted by a number of FAI coaches. After the tourna- ment ended the FAI coaches from all provinces selected an Irish team to play in the home countries quad- rangular tournament which this year takes place in Scotland in April.

NIALL Clarke’s family has said they are pleased with the jail term handed down last week in the US.

Clarke showed no emotion as the 33-month sentence was imposed by a federal judge last Tuesday. His father Michael and sister Michelle attended the sentencing. Niall’s mother Mary was not present, having returned home to Kilrush, after spending some time close to her son in the US over the Christmas period.

Michael Clarke, who is due to re- turn to Kilrush within the next week, said he had expected a term of ap- proximately 10 years for his son and was pleased with the length of the sentence handed down.

When Clarke was arrested initially, Suggestions of a 25-year term were made, but the Clarkes expressed re- lief that the term was not this long. The family had requested that Niall be afforded proper medical treat- ment in jail and they were also happy that the judge recognised this.

Niall’s father and sister stayed on in the US following the sentence and have had the opportunity to visit him in the jail. Michael Clarke expressed concern at not being able to get treat- ment for Niall in Ireland, for his mental illness, three years ago.

“My mother was a paranoid schizo-

phrenic,’ Mr Clarke said last Tues- day. “My earliest memories are of watching the police come and force my screaming mother into a police car so they could take her to a mental hospital. As a kid, I learned to cope.

“When I saw Niall’s behaviour, the hardest thing I’ve done as a father was to sign the form for his (invol- untary) committal,” he continued. “I didn’t do it easily. I begged for help for my son.”

Niall Clarke, however, refused to be committed and because he was not a danger to himself or others, he could not be forced to seek treatment, his father said.

Speaking outside the courthouse last week, Clarke’s solicitor Eugene O’Kelly, said, “What makes this so sad is that it could have been pre- vented. In a few short years, Niall’s gone from college to criminal, from prodigy to prison.”

Clarke briefly addressed the court before being sentenced. “I’d like to apologise to the bank tellers. I’m very sorry, he said.

OI Ea ODOM Mus VRCCOAUSD ODD OTSMmCIRb es dent while studying Computer Sci- ence at Trinity College Dublin and won a top Enterprise Ireland Student Award in 2002. As a result of his Leaving Certificate, he was awarded a scholarship by Trinity College to study mathematics.

A GIFTED mathematician who was last week sentenced to more than nine years in an American prison for armed robbery, is believed to be suffering from a mental illness that affects one per cent of the Irish popu- lation.

Niall Clarke from Kilrush was a top student in his final year at Trinity Se NSM Deer WatoremebicmecDeevE WANED ANI became concerned about his men- tal health. He started to get serious panic attacks.

His father Michael told a Maine Federal Court that his mother, Niall’s grandmother, suffered from paranoid schizophrenia.

The distraught father said he felt let down by the health services here for failing to help his son.

Before Niall was arrested for the robbery of Bank of America in Maine in October 2006, his father said that he had taken his son to a GP who, after a 10-minute evaluation, said that he would be all right.

On Tuesday last, Mr Clarke’s de- fence team argued that he had com- mitted the offences “while suffering from a reduced mental capacity”’.

Cork-born psychiatrist Dr Niamh Holohan, who is based in Bangor, Maine, gave evidence that the Kil- rush man had symptoms of schizo- eavne tb eee

She had been working with Ni- all for a year and told the court he had an IQ in the top two per cent in

the world and was “very honest and straightforward in explaining what happened”’.

The psychiatrist explained that Niall said he was driving through Maine when the idea to rob a bank came to him and “crystallised” in such a way as he just had to do it.

“Niall did not understand he had schizophrenia and did not understand the consequences of his actions. He needs therapy,” she said.

According to sources within the Clare mental health service, an aver- age of 45 people in Clare are diag- nosed with schizophrenia every year. The good news is that as many as one third of the population diagnosed with the illness can be completely cured, once treated.

Another third of the population can have “partial remission” but require

medicine for the rest of their lives to prevent the onset of the disease.

Others may require an “environ- ment of care’, whether in the home or institutionalised.

Following Mr Clarke’s sentencing, which is to include medical treat- ment, his father told reporters, “Niall appears to be in remission because he is in an institutionalised environ- ment.” The Kilrush father was in no doubt that had his son received the proper treatment in Ireland, he would not be in a high-security American prison today.

According to Schizophrenia Ire- land, this serious mental illness is characterised by disturbances in a person’s thoughts, perceptions, emo- tions and behaviour. The first onset commonly occurs in adolescence or early adulthood although it can also OLererty am -NkodanbO DB Kon

There are a number of signs and symptoms that are characteristic of schizophrenia. However, the expres- sion of these symptoms varies greatly from one individual to another.

Symptoms are divided into two groups: “active” symptoms that re- flect new or unusual forms of thought and behaviour; and “passive” symp- toms, that reflect a loss of previous feelings and abilities.

AN EAST Clare-based company has secured planning permission for a project that will allow it to supply up to half of its energy costs from alter- native energy.

Clare County Council has granted planning permission to Olympus D1- agnostica for a 200 foot high wind turbine on the site of the facility near O’Callaghan’s Mills.

The company has overcome the council’s concerns in relation to a device that is designed to scare away

bats from the structure.

The company stated that in rela- tion to the nature and scale and use of the proposed development, the policies of the County Development Plan and the pattern of development in the area, the proposed develop- ment would not seriously injure the amenities of the area and would not be prejudicial to public health.

In the planning application lodged with Clare County Council, Olym- pus is “seeking a solution which would meet a portion 40-50 per cent of our electrical base load using al-

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The company stated that it would consume all the energy from the wind-turbine and there was no need for a grid connection. It stressed that the proposal turbine didn’t lie with- in any recognised flight path of the Whooper Swan and the Greenland White Fronted Goose.

In a submission lodged with the plan, the company stated: “The ra- tionale for this project has its roots in spiralling energy costs which are set by international markets and impact severely for two reasons:

the wide fluctuation in energy costs which make financial planning more difficult and the underlying trend is upwards.”

Stressing its adherence to “corpo- rate social responsibility”, Olympus pointed out that it had already re- duced its greenhouse emissions by putting in place a wood chip burner instead of oil which also created a lo- cally-based market for wood-chip.

The company stated that the noise emissions from the wind-turbine will be lower than similar sized turbines.

Cllr Brian Meaney (GP) said yes-

terday, “It is a positive move. I am delighted with the decision of Clare County Council and I hope that other Koy enh oy-bauCecmayya 00s ce) 0 Ce) annetcs bane) ome

The company also stated that the Clare County Development Plan had deemed the location “a suitable area for wind energy” and didn’t have any scenic or environmentally sensitive OLAS hea sree ley ekse

The company also stated that it has held a number of local meetings and had relocated the wind-turbine from its original location in response to local concerns.