Month: May 2008

THE Equality Authority has rejected a complaint by Travellers over not getting served lunch at the Auburn Lodge hotel in Ennis.

The dispute concerned a complaint by Patrick O’Reilly, Patrick Moloney, Mary Moloney, Kathleen Stokes, Christopher Stokes and two minors that they were discriminated against, contrary to the Equal Status Act by the staff of the Auburn Lodge Hotel, Ennis, on the grounds of their mem- bership of the Traveller community.

They claimed they were discrimi- nated against in not being provided with a meal when they called to the Hotel at 6pm on Friday, April 18, 2003.

The hotel claimed that discrimina- tion was not a factor, that the day in question was Good Friday and that they had closed their carvery after lunch when the chef had finished his Sausam

Given the length of time before the case was due to go to hearing, a letter was sent to the complainants’ solicitors in October 2007 seeking confirmation that they still wished to pursue their complaint and were available to attend a hearing in Ennis over the coming months.

Confirmation was _ subsequently received and the complainants indi- cated that they would be available to attend the hearing.

On January 7, 2008 both parties were informed that the hearing would be held on February 20 and were asked for details of those who would be attending. Both parties were also expressly told that the tribunal could not entertain requests to postpone a hearing save in exceptional cir- cumstances and that requests of that nature must be submitted in writing in good time for the attention of the Director.

The complainants failed to attend the hearing and the respondents made the argument that the only appropriate course of action for the Equality Officer to take was to dis- miss the complaints.

The tribunal officer ruled that the onus was on the complainants to es- tablish a prima facie case and it was essential that evidence was provided in the presence of the respondents to give them the opportunity to chal- lenge any allegations made against ntoONF

As the complainants did not attend, they failed to establish a prima facie case and the tribunal ruled in favour of the respondents.

GARDAL are investigating the possi- bility that a fire that extensively dam- aged a house 1n Ennis at the weekend is linked to a Traveller feud.

The fire broke out at a house in Shalee Drive, Cloughleigh, on Satur- day night. Emergency services were called to the scene at 11.20pm and brought the blaze under control after some time.

No-one was injured in the incident and gardai say that no-one was in the house at the time.

Gardai have confirmed that the cause of the fire is being investigated and are appealing for any possible witnesses to come forward.

A garda spokesman has confirmed that one theory being pursued 1s that the incident is part of ongoing feud in the town.

Over the past few weeks, gardai have voiced concerns that ‘innocent’ members of the public may become embroiled in the feud between two ie Deebe bony

Senior gardai have also expressed fears that the feud would escalate further and are actively monitor- ing the situation, following a recent flare-up.

Five members of three families are currently before the courts on charges relating to several incidents around Ennis earlier this month.

The blaze occurred just days after the Bishop of Killaloe, Dr Willie Walsh appealed for those involved in the ongoing feud to desist.

In an interview with

CLARE Fianna Fail TD, Timmy Dooley has performed a u-turn on the loss of Clare’s mammography service, claiming that travelling for the service to Limerick and Galway is now the best outcome for Clare (eyenles tb

In his maiden speech to the Dail last July, Deputy Dooley said he was deeply unhappy over the decision to end the mammography service at NKR eroloeye

“The genesis of this service was

based on the efforts of a local group of women who raised funds to put the equipment in place. Without con- sultation, however, the HSE proposes to end the service. This shows a great lack of understanding of the volun- tary sector and an arrogance on the part of the HSE.

“The HSE has not put forward a credible service plan to cater for the women of Clare in Limerick and Cre Ne

“They have done nothing to pro- vide reassurances that a centre of ex- cellence will be established and this

adds to the suffering of people who are already in very vulnerable situ- ations.”

But speaking on the same issue in the Dail last week, Deputy Dooley said he had sympathy with people in areas that are losing cancer services.

“When I first learned that Ennis General Hospital would lose its mam- mography services, I was deeply con- cerned but when I sought the advice of clinicians and consultants, it was clear that the best outcome from the patients’ point of view was to travel to either Limerick or Galway.

‘The reason is that enough patients were not using the service in Ennis to keep the skill levels of those uti- lising the equipment up to speed or to keep the system or the machinery calibrated.”

Speaking last year, Professor Ra- jnish Gupta, HSE Mid-West Director of Cancer Care Services, said, “The decision to discontinue mammogra- phy in Ennis is driven by the need to provide the best possible clinical practice.

“The time came to bite the bullet. Centres where less than 1,000 mam-

mograms are being done in a year do not provide the volume of work necessary for the maintenance of the required level of professional skills,” he added.

Consultant radiologist, Dr Paul Hession said “The benefits of this change are that the people of Clare can be assured that the service is in line with international best practice and subject to all the checks and bal- ances that ensure such a unit fulfils its remit. A standalone unit in Ennis would not have these benefits and protections.”

BUSINESSES on the Tulla Road may seek compensation from En- nis Town Council once construction work in the area is complete.

The May meeting of Ennis Town Council also heard that Tulla Road residents are living in a “Checkpoint Oita BCoMME AY Lom IAUE- LB CONTE

Speaking last Wednesday, Inde- pendent councillor Frankie Neylon said, “Businesses on the Tulla Road weren’t identified as being open. Pat Fitzpatrick has had to lay off staff. Pat Quinn’s business is down 80 per cent. When the bridge is complete, either the council or CIE will have to look at providing compensation for these businesses.”

CUlr Johnny Flynn (FG) said frus- tration in the area was mounting.

“We have taken an absolute ham- mering over this. East of the bridge, it’s a bit like Checkpoint Charlie. It’s bad for business.”

Cllr Tom Glynn (FF) said some businesses faced closure. “Could the work be done at night? We see it being done in America, Dublin, even back in west Clare. We have a

stretch of 50 metres – surely it could be done.”

He continued, “Some _ businesses are talking about going down the legal route. Can we consult now and can we try to help out young business people who are surely at risk?”

The Tulla road will remain closed until June 2 to allow for the raising of the Corrovorrin bridge and the upgrading of the foul sewer infra- structure. For the subsequent 25 days from June 3 to June 27, a single-lane closure will apply daily between 10am and 4pm.

New working arrangements were expected to come into effect over the weekend. Town Engineer Tom Tiernan stated work on a roundabout at the entrance to the Roslevan shop- ping centre should be “substantially completed” by June 2.

Mr Tiernan said that 72 signs had been erected in Ennis, alerting driv- ers to the closure. He added, “Ideally it would be great to have focused activity, over 24 hours. There are procurement procedures that need to be overcome. It might have been easier had a local contractor been in- volved.”

IN an effort to catch up on the air- miles clocked up by their colleagues in Clare County Council, members of Ennis Town Council are packing their bags to travel to Hungary at the weekend.

Leading the charge is Town Mayor Tommy Brennan (Ind) and he ex- plained yesterday that the trip is at the invitation of the Mayor of Erzsé- betvaros, which 1s a district in Buda- pest.

According to Cllr Brennan, the trip

is part of a twinning initiative by Erzsébetvaros.

The district of Budapest is no stranger to twinning with other towns and is already twinned with Sveti Vlas, Bulgaria; Po’ega, Croatia; Nevers, France; Stavroupoli, Thessa- loniki, Greece; Siedlce, Poland.

According to Cllr Brennan, Erzsé- betvaros is paying the accommo- dation bill for the Town Council group over the bank holiday week- end, while Ennis Town Clerk, Eddie Power confirmed yesterday that the trip is costing the Council €7,000

and funds have been provided in the 2008 budget to cover the costs.

Those travelling to Hungary include four other councillors, Cllr Mary Coote-Ryan (FG), Cllr Taiwo Mat- thew (Ind), Cllr Tom Glynn (FF) and Cllr Donal O’Beara (Green) along with Town Manager, Tom Coughlan; Town Clerk, Eddie Power and Senior Staff Officer, Liam O’Connor.

One councillor who will not be trav- elling is Cllr Johnny Flynn (FG) who said yesterday: “Unless it 1s demon- strated to me that there is a benefit for the local community, I won’t go.”

He said that at the moment, re- sources are scarce with 900 people on the housing list.

“T have no problem with officials going to learn from others or the mayor representing the town, but I am focused on local priorities and I believe that the solutions to our own problems can be solved from within our own area.”

According to Eddie Power, the in1- tial contact came through the Hun- garian Embassy in Dublin and the visit will allow an opportunity for both Districts to exchange informa-

tion and to learn from each other’s experience and culture.

Noted for his singing ability, Cllr Brennan said if called upon, he will sing a song for his hosts.

“We are honoured and privileged that the District of Erzsébetvaros in Budapest has identified Ennis as a possible twinning partner. We are indeed pleased to accept the Mayor’s kind invitation to visit his district and look forward to exploring the twinning potential and the possibil- ity of developing links between our respective areas’, he said.

THE public will be alerted if water quality in Ennis deteriorates or the risk posed by consumption increas- oe

Town Engineer Tom Tiernan was speaking at the May meeting of En- nis Town Council. Called to defend the council’s handling of a recent En- vironmental Protection Agency re- port critical of water management in Clare, Mr Tiernan said, “When you go out with a message about crypt- osporidium, you create panic”.

Mr Tiernan said that since the in- troduction of a temporary treatment plant, “The risk has not increased, it has reduced. It is absolutely mini- mal”.

Mr Tiernan said on the day the EPA

audit was carried out 17 per cent of the water supply for Ennis did not pass through the filtration system.

Mr Tiernan said, ““We manage the risks, people get the facts if the sup- ply deteriorates or the risk increases. 100 per cent of the water supply is going through the filters for the past few weeks”.

Mr Tiernan said that while certain sections of the community remained vulnerable, the risk of illness from drinking the public water supply had been exaggerated.

He said, “I opened up a prominent tourism website and it stated that En- nis water is unsafe to drink. Some of the pictures put up there send out a scare message about Ennis”.

Town Manager Tom Coughlan said, “If there was an increased risk

the HSE would implement the boil notice. We are trying to manage the situation without provoking panic.” |

Green Party councillor Donal O Bearra criticised the council’s reac- tion to the EPA’s findings.

He said, “In a town that has had water problems for the past 16 years any EPA report should be sent to all councillors. It 1s the public interest that guides us.”

Fianna Fail councillor Tom Glynn said, “I would agree that our image has been damaged. We should be in- formed”.

Fine Gael councillor Johnny Flynn said the EPA report “highlighted the benefits of external auditing”.

A pre-cautionary boil notice re- mains in place in Ennis for vulner- able groups including people with

immuno-suppression, children under five and visitors.

, Mc- Namara has put it up to his players to deliver Clare from its abysmal record in Munster in recent years.

“The players are in no doubt that this is D-day, this is the day they must deliver,’ McNamara said.

Clare have only won one Munster

championship tie since 1999, a first round win against Tipperary back in 2003. Now, McNamara is deter- mined to bring an end to that four- year losing streak.

“Our performances in the Munster championship in the last few years have been poor to say the least. We need to start levelling that out and need to start presenting perform- ances — hopefully winning perform- ances.

“We have presented players of qual- ity for a number of years now, but teams of quality seem to be absent.

It’s now time for players to present themselves as a team.

“We now have a new system in the championship — it’s two strikes or you’re out. There’s no easy passage, irrespective of performance in the last couple of years, you finished up at worst in an All-Ireland quarter fi- nal.

‘That was the old system – it’s now defunct and gone. So our best foot must be put forward on June 1, which would be unheard of for the last cou- ple of years.”

Meanwhile, it has emerged that Ni-

all Gilligan is winning his battle to be fit for the big game, which would be his 50th senior championship ap- pearance.

‘He has more than a 50/50 chance of making it,” revealed McNamara.

“Waterford have been the high kings, the strongest team in Munster over the last couple of years. The challenge is huge, the target is high. We have had an incredible amount of sessions put in plus commitment and courage — everything has gone in from the players. Now is the time to deliver a performance.”

MOUNTSHANNON is the place to be this week for fun-lovers and cul- ture vultures alike, with the Inisceal- tra Festival of the Arts in full swing until June 1.

The official opening of the week- long festival was performed at the weekend by Theo Dorgan, poet, writer, broadcaster and member of Aosdana and The Arts Council.

One of the highlights of this year’s festival is the family boat-building weekend, with craftspeople showing land-lubbers how it’s done.

Each family – or group – gets a kit which they put together under su- pervision, to be followed by a boat launching on Lough Derg to test how well the budding boat builders learned their craft.

With music, drama and dance per- formances from local and visiting eroups, some of the highlights of this year’s festival include musical performances by Eoin O’Neill, Orla Harrington and John Feely to name but a few.

There will be a film night, a free storytelling family event and an art exhibition, opened by well-known artist, Charles Harper.

The Fishbowl Youth Group present an acoustic evening of entertainment – music, poetry, prose and dance – in

a candlelit café-style setting. Visiting German students and young people

from The Alfa Project school will work with artists to create a sculp- tural riverside installation for the festival on the river bank from Scar- iff Harbour to Lough Derg. Free boat trips are being offered by local boat owners to see the resulting creation.

Also planned are a céili with The Four Courts Céili Band. Weekend classes and workshops will be held in sean nos dancing, traditional mu- sic and singing as well as African drumming.

‘Does It Grow Corn?’, the feasi- bility study to determine the need for a new community/arts centre for Mountshannon, will be unveiled during the festival and there will be plenty of music, craic and a family fun day with puppets and entertain- ment.

On Sunday, June 1, there will be a Green Fair at the Aistear. Hosted by members of CELT, the Irish Seed Savers Association, and the Alfa Project, this will feature demonstra- tions, information and workshops in a variety of traditional crafts includ- ing metalwork, stone carving, wood and willow skills and textiles.

THE trial of an Ennis woman, ac- cused of conspiring with an Egyp- tian man to murder her partner and his two sons, will enter its fifth day today at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin.

Sharon Collins (45), of Ballybeg House, Kildysart Road, Ennis, and Essam Eid (52), a poker dealer with an address in Las Vegas, deny con- spiring to murder PJ, Robert and Ni- all Howard, between August | and September 26, 2006.

Ms Collins also denies soliciting Mr Eid to murder the three men, on August 15, 2006.

Mr Eid has also pleaded not guilty to demanding €100,000 from Robert Howard, in exchange for not killing the three men at Ballaghboy, Doora, Ennis on September 26, 2006.

The three Howards, who are busi- nessmen in Ennis, are this week due to give evidence at the trial, which is expected to last four weeks.

Robert Howard (29) has _ started giving evidence, while his brother Niall (24) and father PJ (58) are also due to take the stand over the com- ing days.

According to the prosecution, Sha- ron Collins was keen to get mar- ried to her partner of eight years, PJ Howard. However, he did not wish to wed as he wanted his inheritance to go to his two sons.

It is alleged that Ms Collins organ- ised a proxy marriage through the internet without her partner’s knowI- edge. She then allegedly made con- tact with Essam Eid through email and, according to the State, they con-

spired to murder the three men.

The prosecution says _ that Ms Collins operated an _ email lyingeyes98@yahoo.ie while it al- leges that Mr Eid operated an email hitmanforhire@ yahoo.com.

It claims that Ms Collins set up the email ‘for the purpose of hiring a hitman’ and that a contract was made between the person behind ‘lyingeyes’ and the person behind ‘hitman’ to kill the three men for $US90,000.

Prosecutor Tom O’Connell said that on August 15, 2006, Ms Collins made a down payment of €15,000 on foot of that contract.

It is alleged that Mr Eid then trav- elled to Ennis, burgled the Howards’ family business and later visited Robert’s home, where he 1s alleged to have demanded €100,000 to buy O}UI MEH eToMmOrO) LB e-LOLKMNO)O MEET MBER oc MaU El allegations are denied.

During the course of the trial it has been uncovered that Sharon Collins was interested in inheritance and often sought information on this on computer websites, according to the prosecution.

Prosecutor Tom O’Connell told the jury on the second day of the trial last Thursday, that Ms Collins ar- ranged a marriage to PJ Howard, but he did not go through with it.

IN CLARE football, you live and die by what happens in May.

A few days back, Frank Doherty rightly said that Sunday’s game is of huge significance for Clare. Win and the season stays alive, lose and the Tommy Murphy is around the corner.

For all the positive talk the Tommy Murphy has received over the past two days in the wake of Wicklow’s Leinster First Round win over Kil- dare – Wicklow won it last year – Clare are still right to target a possible meeting with Kerry in the Munster semi-final.

The secondary competition, in re- ality, won’t coax the commitment and concentration levels required after Waterford next week.So Clare, simply, must beat Waterford and the feeling here is that they will.

A lot will hinge on the availability of a handful of players but that has been Frank Doherty’s lot since the league began and though Clare lost to Limerick and Tipperary in two warm-up games over the past ten days, they had turned the corner in the league with four wins back-to- eee.

True, Offaly came to Ennis with promotion secured but they didn’t come to Ennis to lose. Wicklow had openly targeted Sunday’s Leinster Opener as their priority but in both those games, Clare showed deter-

mination that they hadn’t displayed throughout the league — with the exception of the opening quarter against Waterford in Dungarvan. Right now, captain Michael O’Shea is Clare’s biggest doubt for the game

having injured his calf in that Tip- perary challenge. Both he and Dar- ragh Kelly — who slightly damaged his hamstring – travelled to Wexford to undergo two separate days of three cryogenics sessions in a bid to ensure

fitness and Kelly should be avail- able.

On top of that, Niall Considine picked up a slight knock on his calf but he too should be available for SUTIOE NA

Laurence Healy returned from in- jury and took part in both those chal- lenge games, Ger Quinlan shouuld be fit but that 1s tempered with news that Colm Dillon and Timmy Ryan both absent with continuing problems.

Doherty once more put out the call to the football people of Clare to travel to the game on Sunday. That such a statement has to be made by the manager is telling in itself, but that’s the reality.

Sunday matters arguably more than any game Clare have played in the last five years. If the hangover from last May is to be quenched, Clare must win. If the application that they showed in the second half of the league presents itself on Sunday, then they will. Seven months of work needs to be transferred into some- thing tangible.