Month: June 2008

A RESIDENTS association in Shan- non is calling for the site of a local hall to be cleared up, over a year and a half after it was gutted by fire.

The Drumgeely hall, which was a privately-owned derelict building, was destroyed by a fire in October 2006.

The Drumgeely Residents Associa- tion are concerned that the site has been in a poor state since the fire

broke out.

They are particularly concerned that some of the wire netting is bro- ken and hanging loose, while the site is littered with rubbish.

“It is in a dangerous condition and it 1S past time something is done about it. We just want it made safe and tidy,’ said chairperson of the residents group Beatrice Keville.

She says that while the site is pri- vately owned the local town council should play a role in ensuring it is

safe.

The residents association wrote to Shannon Town Council last week, expressing their concerns.

The letter stated, “Drumgeely Hill is home to long-time residents of Shannon. Matters totally outside their control have changed the char- acter of their neighbourhood from the scenic one they chose to live in to what is (now). We look to our local representatives to protect our inter- ests.”

This is not the first time they have brought the matter to the attention of the council. Asked do the locals an- ticipate that the site will be cleared, she said, “We live in hope.”

“The basic thing is that it’s tidied up and made safe and that is the min- imum that the residents are looking for,’ said Ms Keville.

Previously, local residents called for the site to be converted into a tennis court, as it had used for this purpose several years ago.

THE first prong of a major devel- opment of the community centre in Quin is to be officially opened on Sunday week.

The centre is undergoing major re- furbishments and the first part has just been completed. To coincide with its completion a family fun day will take place on Sunday, June 15.

This is the first phase of a two- pronged project and includes a major development of the front part of the building – the kitchen, storage room and snooker room have been totally revamped. The most impressive part of this plan has been the conversion of the snooker room to a multi-pur-

pose state-of-the art meeting room. This incorporates a dance studio, where local resident Laura-Jane Al- lis will teach dancing to youngsters.

The second phase of the plan will follow the completion of the first prong. This will include the crea- tion of a large activity room, storage areas, toilets, dressing rooms and showers, a dedicated snooker room, an IT/office area, while the possibil- ity of building a gym has also been mooted. Twenty-five additional car parking spaces will also be provid- ed.

Chairman of the community centre committee Ger Buggy said that the entire building would be “totally un- recognisable’ when the plan is com-

taKaee

“The bigger picture is our phase two plan. We have submitted plan- ning permission to totally revamp the hall. It was built in the 1940s. There were a few add-ons in the 1980s, but little change otherwise,’ he said.

‘There has been a huge increase in activity in the hall and we need more space.

“Our policy is to facilitate potential users in any way we can. We wel- come both large and small groups either on a regular or once-off basis and look forward to welcoming new users in the coming year,’ he added.

The work is being funded through government grants, allied to local fundraising and private donations.

an LeCO)tL sD AYAmn Oe) Col MERC DE Nimmo) Nore: I Kore! more than €60,000 income, while €41,000 was contributed through grants.

An application for €350,000 in National Lottery funding is pending and the outcome of this is expected within weeks.

‘A lot of work has gone in on this over the past 12 to 14 months. It is a two-year project,’ said Mr Buggy, who is optimistic that the entire project will be fully finished within ANOLO)N NMA ore

“We are far from the finished prod- uct but are doing our best. I would ask the community to stick with us in our vision for the future,” Mr Buggy added.

GARDAI in Ennistymon were last night trying to identify the body of a man that was recovered from the sea in the north of the county on Bank Holiday Monday.

The man’s body was spotted in the water between Hags Head and the Cliffs of Moher at around 10am.

The man is believed to be in his late 30s but gardai were still unsure of his identity last night.

It is thought, however, that the vic- tim may be from Dublin but gardai could not confirm this at the time of going to press.

An initial search of the area was carried by rangers based at the Cliffs of Moher yesterday morning after a motorcycle was discovered in the car park at the tourist attraction.

It 1s understood that the vehicle was also seen there late on Sunday evening and suspicions were aroused when it was still at the same location

yesterday as staff arrived for work.

Several rangers carried out a search of the area and later saw a body in the water about three kilometres south of the public viewing platform at the cliffs.

The discovery was immediately reported to gardai and the Doolin unit of the Irish Coastguard was also contacted. Coastguard volunteers launched two boats shortly after llam and rushed to the scene where they recovered the man’s body.

Shortly after Ipm, the body was taken from the water and removed to the pier at Doolin where a local doc- tor pronounced the victim dead. His remains were later transported to the Mid Western Regional Hospital in Limerick where a post-mortem ex- amination is expected to be carried today (Tuesday).

Gardai at Ennistymon say foul play is not suspected. An investigation of the incident will be carried out and a file will be prepared for a coroner’s

inquest which will be held at a later CF Kee

A Garda spokesman said, “The body was recovered around lunch- time and taken to Doolin Pier.

‘‘A post mortem will take place and we will prepare a file for the county coroner who will hold an inquest in due course.

We know that he is in his late 30s and he may be from Dublin. We still have to confirm this,” the spokesman added.

TWO courses, one in how to plaster and the other in getting plastered the natural way, are proving to be a big hit in east Clare.

Run by the Irish Seed Savers Asso- ciation in Capparoe, anyone interest- ed in learning how to make natural country wines or how to plaster with traditional lime will learn all they need to know.

The lime plastering course is a must for people who are involved with re- storing old stone buildings, said PRO

for Seed Saver’s, Geraldine Tobin.

“The course tutor, Phoebe O’Brien, has had a huge amount of experience in working with this type of plaster and it is absolutely the most suitable material for old stone,’ said Geral- elt eter

As part of the course work, par- ticipants will plaster the cob build- ing which was recently erected at the Seed Savers gardens.

Meanwhile, Kes Clarke will be teaching those fond of a natural tip- ple how to make wine from ingred1- ents growing all around us.

‘A lot of people know that you can make wine from elderberries but there are so many more berries and flowers that can be used,’ said Ger- aldine.

Meadowsweet, gorse flowers, dan- delion and elderflower are just some of the base ingredients that can be used and Kes will be demonstrating techniques and natural methods of producing delicious country wines.

And of course, there will be a chance to taste the country tipples Kes made previously, all in modera- tion of course.

The plastering course runs all week- end and the wine-making course 1s a one-day event on Sunday.

Courses cost €60 for wine-making or €120 for the lime plastering.

Both courses are being run by the Irish Seed Savers Association and are being given by tutors from CELT, the Centre of Environmental Living and Training.

There are special reductions for Seed Saver members and places can be booked over the phone at 061 921856 or online at wwwirishseed- savers.ie

ma dite councillor said these are among his priorities for the coming year.

Pat took over office from council- lor Colm Wiley (FF) at the last area meeting of the council.

“I’m very pleased with the progress that’s been made in areas such as the

Scariff sewerage scheme but I want to see these facilities rolled out for other areas. In parts of east Clare, there has been little or no develop- ment because of the lack of this type of infrastructure and we must keep on working to provide and upgrade water and sewerage schemes for eve- ry area of east Clare.”

Cllr Hayes said that he 1s also con- cerned that there has been a huge fall-off in angling tourism in east Clare, a slice of the market which played a major role previously.

‘There was a time when a lot of people made their living solely from the angling tourism trade. Now that

has fallen off the page entirely,’ Cllr Hayes said.

The councillor said that he ap- plauds the work being done by the East Clare Tourism organisation: ‘But we need to be part of a bigger promotional picture and we also need to integrate cultural tourism into the picture. If you look at the east Clare area in the coming months, we have a myriad of different festivals with a cultural emphasis.”

Pat wants to see a meeting of the key people involved in tourism and tourism promotion to set out a plan of action. The newly elected chair says he is also anxious to see more

co-operation with council colleagues in neighbouring areas, including Tip- Oe DAA TIOm Or NAVE hs

He is hopeful that when the elec- toral boundary commission unveils it’s plans in the coming weeks, east Clare will remain intact.

“Rural and urban areas have differ- ent needs and places like Scariff and Tuamgraney need representation on different issues to developed urban areas.”

The councillor said he will also be placing a lot of emphasis on road up- grades “particularly main link roads such as Limerick through Broad- ford’, he said.

KILLALOE singer/songwriter K1i- ernan McMullan will help launch a new night for local artists later this evening in Lahinch.

The up and coming east Clare art- ist, who last month signed his first professional contract with American based label One Eleven Records, will be joined on the night by Shan- non’s David Hope, Limerick’s Wal- ter Mitty and the Realists and Lynda Cullen from Cork.

They will all help to launch Clare’s newest free singer songwriter night, The White Horse Sessions, in Ken-

ny’s Village Inn in Lahinch. The evening is being organised by Clare singer/songwriter Louise McMahon and Kenneth Kenny from Kenny’s.

“We want to have a good mixture of acts in the White Horse Session and with Kiernan as well as the other acts I think we have achieved this. We don’t want to have all bands or all singer songwriters – we want to break it up,” said Kenneth.

“Clare has always been very good for musicians and at the moment there is something really good going on in Lahinch. There is a great lit- tle scene here, everyone helps each other out. People are crying out for

the music but they need a stage. Our real aim is to bring the music back to the west.

‘So we were thinking of something we could do here. We thought about an open mic but they’ve been done. We really wanted to get some real talent in, people who are really good. So Louise came up with the idea of the sessions and it has all snowballed from there,’ said Kenneth.

The aim is to create an intimate venue for candlelit sessions through- out the summer. The organisers hope to provides a stage and a listening au- dience for both the cream of up and coming and the established original

Irish and international artists.

The sessions will take place each Tuesday throughout the summer months with plans already being formed to continue the gigs into the winter if the demand is there.

Meanwhile, the next month looks set to be a busy one for Kenneth. Be- sides working on the new album, he plays the Sugar Club in Dublin next Tuesday, June 10, and will be the second artist in

Lough Graney Youth Club will be flying the flag for east Clare in the Gort branch’s section of the AIB Better Ireland Awards.

The east Clare group will be com- peting against two Gort groups to win the coveted text votes that could see them pocket as much as €10,000.

The youth club, which is in its sec- ond year, has already dared to con- sider how it could spend the gener- ous prize.

“We are delighted with this short listing and if we won the €10,000 we would be able to purchase com- puters and filming equipment for our youth club.

This would enable our young peo- ple to become more involved in the community and also we could do many different projects incorporat- ing other age groups,” said Kathleen McNamara, Chairperson of Lough Graney Youth Club.

“Winning this award would ben- efit the entire community including pre-school, primary school children, after-school, adult education and the older members of our area. In this way our youth would appreciate and value their own community and en- able it to grow more progressively or become community leaders of the JUUAb Kr

“We are in the Clar area of dis- advantage and we do not have any

amenities on hand for our young people. We do not have a commu- nity centre, which is a major disad- vantage for our youth. Also, we have to travel long distances for cinema, etc,” she said.

This does not limit the amount of work the Lough Graney Youth Club do in any given week, however.

Last Saturday, the youth club went to Caher House Estate for a barbeque while that night the Lough Graney Youth Club Singers performed for a pre-exam Mass in Kilclaran Church, which was officiated over by Fr Brendan Quinlivan.

The local, people can support the youth clubs campaign to win the coveted €10,000 by texting GortC

to 53099.

Even if the group don’t win they will receive a donation for every text KAAS Aor b

The two other groups competing for the prize are Ballinderreen Play- group and the Gort No Name Club.

To support the Ballinderreen Play- eroup text GortA to 53099, while you can support the Gort No Name Club by texting GortB to 53099.

All texts must be in before June 6 to count.

A FIRST of a kind art gallery ded1- cated solely to photography is to open in Kilrush this week.

On Thursday night well known Kil- rush solicitor Eugene O’Kelly, along with his wife Felicity, will see their dream come true when their purpose built gallery opens to the public.

The NatureQuest Gallery of Fine Art Photography will feature the work of some of the best-known pho-

tographers in the county.

Among the work on display is that of Christy McNamara. Much of this work has never been seen in Ireland before. A lot of it from New York and Los Angeles, will be on display.

Dave Dakin and Carsten Krieger, who have made Loop Head their home, will also be using the space to display their works.

The gallery will be dedicated to providing exceptional images of west Clare by predominately west Clare

photographers.

Mr O’Kelly, himself an accom- plished amateur photographer, has championed the promotion of pho- tography as a fine art form and this gallery is dedicated specifically to photography and will be innovative in that commitment.

It will also provide sculpture rep- resentative of artists and subjects of west Clare.

Kilbaha artist Seamus Connolly’s work will be on display from the

opening night.

NatureQuest Gallery, located on Burton Street just off Market Square in Kilrush, has been developed from the historic buildings of the But- termarket and offers state of the art lighting, and a professional gallery atmosphere.

The opening reception will take place at 7.00pm on Thursday night and will be launched by Dr Simon Berrow of the Irish Whale and Dol- phin Group.

ete tle lived with his elderly brother for half the year from 2002, before moving into the family home permanently. Mr Dempsey claims that the house, which is built on boggy land approxi- mately 20 feet from the road, was se- cure up until 2002 when the road was upgraded.

He said that the heavy traffic that used the road then caused the house to shake and the house to crack.

The Environmental Health Officer with the HSE and two engineering reports commissioned by Mr Demp- sey and his late brother point to a house in serious disrepair.

“While the dwelling is obviously unfit for human habitation at this stage. I would also have concerns for Mr Dempsey’s safety while he is occupying the house,” the environ- mental health officer said in a letter to Clare County Council in April PAU

The house is visibly subsiding with the walls coming apart at the corners and also separating from the ceiling by approximately 30mm.

‘In two areas of the house the prob- lems are so severe that there is dan- ger of collapse. It 1s doubtful if it is economically advisable to attempt to shore up or repair these dangerous areas,’ the letter said.

“IT would recommend that Mr Dempsey be provided with alterna- tive housing preferably in a location of his choosing but alternatively oth-

er options should be fully explored,” the Environmental Health Officer had advised a month earlier.

An engineering report commis- sioned by Mr Dempsey this year said that “vibrations can be felt underfoot with the passing of heavy traffic’ and ‘settlement appears to be related to the increase heavy traffic’.

“The end result is that the main body of the house is 375mm out of level. The flat roof extension to the rear 18 225mm out of level. With the settlement, various cracks have opened up throughout the structure and the roof has developed a hump- backed appearance. Walls have be- come off plumb by up to 125 mm. The floors have broken and become off level due to that upward pressure from the subsoil,’ it said.

Mr Dempsey said he has repeatedly asked the council to put a weight re- Striction on the road, but to no avail.

A spokesperson for Clare County Council confirmed that the local au- thority carried out dilapidation sur- veys on four houses on the stretch of road in question last week, before any work was to begin.

Consultant engineers on behalf of the local authority carried out an internal and external dilapidation survey in two of the four houses, and an external survey on the remaining two, including Mr Dempsey’s.

The council spokesperson said that Mr Dempsey refused access to his home when the council’s consultant engineers called to carry out the sur- vey, so they could only analyse the outside of the house.

An internal survey is necessary to examine the foundations and to get a full picture of a subsidence.

The council were also unable to put “tell tales” into the cracks, which measure any changes.

Mr Dempsey told

MULLAGH National School has maintained its French connection again this year, as its pupils con- tinue to learn French from a native speaker.

Taking over the role of ensuring these west Clare students have a third language is Monsieur Frederic Charrier.

Mullagh National School has been included in the Department of Edu- cation and Science Modern Lan- guage Initiative for the past number of years and, as part of this, French is taught to pupils in the school.

Last year Swedish born Hulda Schorling taught French to the pupils in Mullagh while she lived in rural west Clare, miles away from the busy streets of Paris where she studied.

School Principal Sean McMahon is

aware of the added dimension these young French-speaking teachers bring to the school.

‘The school has been fortunate this particular year to avail of an EU Lin- gua language initiative. This Europe- an community programme promotes teacher mobility throughout the EU as well as helping children learn the language of their fellow Europeans from a native speaker,’ he said.

Since September 2007 Monsieur Charrier has taken over the baton from Ms Schorling and has been teaching French to the pupuls.

He has also immersed himself in life in Mullagh and is enjoying the experience.

The young Frenchman has a partic- ular love for the traditional music so often heard in the area, as well as the rural landscape that surrounds him in his temporary new locale.

“The children and staff in return have welcomed Frederic into their school community and shared not only his native language but also French cuisine, games and litera- ture. They are, however, particularly proud of the recent Munster victory over French club Toulouse,’ said Mr McMahon.

Under the Department of Educa- tion and Science Modern Language Initiative, the progressive Mullagh National School is a pilot school for the teaching of French.

Pupils in Mullagh have embraced the opportunity to learn French, expanding not only their language skills but also their understanding and appreciation of other European GI TRE Kone

Arising from this project Mullagh National School has also got involved in a Leargas sponsored Comenius

Project facilitating international teaching through a Comenius Lan- guage Assistantship.

This is aimed at giving future teach- ers the opportunity to gain a better understanding of the European di- mension to teaching and learning, to enhance their knowledge of foreign languages, other European countries and their education systems and to improve their teaching skills.

It was in this capacity Ms Schorling taught in Mullagh.