Month: December 2008

THREE Kilrush Town councillors gave up their conference money to ensure that the cost of applying for a parking permit in Kilrush did not increase by 100 per cent.

The decision followed a suggestion from the father of Cllr Jack Fennell (Ind) that the council consider giving up the conference fund and the may- oral bonus to spare the rate payers a three per cent hike and those paying parking permits an increase in ad- ministration costs of €10.

While the rate increase of thee per cent was passed, former mayors and chairpersons Cllr Fennell, Cllr Stephen O’Gorman (FF) and Tom Clyne (Ind) agreed to give back their conference allocation for the remain- ing six months of this council to re- tain the parking permit cost at €10.

“-€18,000 allocated to this council is going to seminars and conferences around the country. They should be eliminated for a period of two years. The ratepayers are paying for that. I have never seen a report back from one of those conferences,” said Cllr Fennell.

‘I propose the mayors give up their bonuses for a year or two,” he added, claiming that it would save the coun- cil between €3,000 and €3,500.

“T agree,’ said Cllr O’Gorman.

“You would Stephen, you have a

job,” said Cllr Collie Sweeney (Ind). Cllr Fennel’s proposal lead to a heated debate in the chamber, a de- bate that ran one and a half hours over its allocated time. Cllr Tom Prendeville (FF) accused

members of the council of looking for cheap headlines.

“IT am calling the bluff of people here looking for cheap headlines. Anyone who wants to put up their 2,000 (conference allocation) do it

now,’ he said.

He also asked for members to say if they wanted to give up their gratu- ity for the year, or eliminate the grant for retiring members.

“T don’t want any headlines,” added Cllr Prendeville.

Cllr Marian McMahon Jones (FG) said it would be an ideal situation not to increase the rates as business in the town was bad this Christmas with early sales in most shops.

She suggested that money be taken from the civic office fund. Earlier this year €213,000 was taken from the revenue budget and put into this capital programme.

‘Times were better then and no one could foresee what was to happen,” said Cllr McMahon Jones.

“We could look at taking it out of capital and putting it back into rev- enue and put things on hold for 12 months.”

Cllr Prendeville said, “23 per cent of this budget goes on promoting this town and it 1s very easy to make cheap shots,” he said.

Town Clerk John Corry told the members that the three per cent in- crease in rates was the minimum necessary to maintain the town’s os ATs Gone

CLARE County Council is to carry out upgrade works on two treatment plants to boost sewage capacity in Syavauksy

Senior executive engineer Walter Walshe told last Wednesday’s budget meeting of Clare County Council that work at a site in Clonroadmore, Ennis should be completed by Sep- tember 2009.

The move comes as progress con- tinues to be slow on the long mooted

Ennis Clarecastle main drainage scheme. The project, which would add extra sewage capacity in Ennis, was first proposed in 1995.

The meeting heard that work on the scheme is not expected to begin until 2010. Walter Walshe, senior execu- tive engineer, told the meeting that the process had been delayed in re- cent months pending completion of a cost/benefit analysis report.

‘Hopefully by the end of the year, we can finalise it and send it to the department.”

Cllr Tommy Brennan said the de- lays had negatively impacted on LoynaueassKoE DMO Coa Zed o)oyeeCornmnO me ONNNKS

He said, “There is to be no move- ment on the plant until 2010. What will people do in the meantime? We’ve been reduced to a situation where not even one more house can plug into the main sewer”’.

“Go ahead for this plant was given in 2002. Its high time the department were brought to book on this. How can you pay for something with de- velopment charges, if you can’t let

people develop”, added Cllr Bren- TENOR

Cllr Brian Meaney (GP) called for the council executive to give a strong commitment to the Ennis Clarecastle Main drainage scheme.

“Development in the town is mori- bund. Even if we had a full time boom we would not be able to take advantage,” said Cllr Meaney.

Director of services David Timlin said assessments were still being carried out on the Ennis Clarecas- tle main drainage scheme. “There

is a very strong commitment from the executive to the project. We are looking for funding from the depart- ment”, said Mr Timlin.

Clare County Council estimates that it will spend over €22 million on water services for the county next year. That 1s an increase of almost €3 million from the estimated 2008 figure.

Deputy county manager Noreen Fitzgerald expenditure had _ swal- lowed up a large part of the council’s finances in recent years.

DESPITE the Doolin branch of the Irish Coastguard recording it’s high- est ever call-out figures in 2008, it now seem likely that the long await- ed modern facility for the lifeboats 1s at least three years away.

The matter was raised in the Dail last week when Fine Gael TD, Pat Breen said that he “hoped and prayed” that that facilities would be put in place as soon as possible.

“All that we know at the moment is that negotiations are still ongoing with the landowner and these nego- tiations are at a very advanced stage. We also know that the funding has been put aside by the Office of Public Works for the purchase of the site in Doolin in 2009,” said Matty Shan- non of the Doolin Coastguard.

“We are hopeful that it will happen sooner rather than later. Once we get the site the next challenge will be to get financing for a building, which could be another campaign in itself.”

“While an agreement for the pur- chase of a site looks likely to be completed in 2009, no funding 1s currently allocated for the construc- tion of a rescue centre.”

Speaking in Dail Eireann last week Clare TD Pat Breen said that, “this volunteer group 1s operating out of a building that is no bigger than an average garden shed. I hope and pray

that a proper facility will be put in place in the new year. Is it right that they should be forced to battle the poor infrastructure while they go about their life-saving work?”

The Doolin branch of the Irish Coastguard responded to 43 call out to date in 2008, 50 per cent more than last year.

“It’s seems that people are more aware of the rescue organisation that are operating around the county and are more aware of people be- ing in the sea. People are becoming more vigilant of the whole situation. We did have a number of situations where people spotted a buoy in the

sea and we were called out. They were rough seas at the time but it’s better to go out and rescue a buoy than if people don’t ring in if there was an emergency.

“This does create a disturbance for the team member because they are being called more often. But as long as people are aware then that is the main thing. What is more im- portant than people being aware of other people in the water is if people were very vigilant of their own safety while in the water.

EAR, nose and throat patients from Clare are to benefit from the newly refurbished ENT ward 2C in the Mid Western Regional Hospital, Limer- ick. The newly kitted out ward has set a new standard in patient accom- modation according to the HSE

The original ward, designed in the early 1950’s, to cater for the special needs of the ear, nose and throat service, provided accommodation for 22 patients, the bathroom and toi- let facilities were corridor based and shared by all patients.

Today, the newly re-furbished ward can still accommodate 22 patients, in a mix of four single rooms, four two bedded and two five bedded rooms.

All rooms are equipped with en- suite facilities and every patient’s bed-space is equipped with a plasma television.

The patient beds are new, electric profiling beds providing the ultimate in patient comfort and care.

“It was a major challenge to retain

the required complement of patient accommodation and still provide en- suite facilities without compromising patient space. This was successfully achieved by a clever extension within the ward,” said a HSE spokesperson.

“The ward has been sensitively designed and has an elegant and comfortable feel. The impact of the improvement is immediately expe- rienced on entering the ward. Every detail has been thought through for its aesthetic effect on the final fin- ished ward. Indeed, the importance of providing a therapeutic environ- ment in which both patients and staff can flourish is evident in this new ward.”

The new facility includes a treat- ment facility which 1s equipped with endoscopic and microscopic equip- ment necessary for a Regional Ear, Nose, and Throat Service.

The ENT service provides a com- prehensive region wide service, catering for a population in excess 370,000 and sees patients from as far away as Gort and Tralee.

THE owners of Shannon Town Cen- tre have claimed that a proposed €60 million retail park for the town is ‘opportunistic’ and contrary to the provisions of the South Clare Devel- opment Plan.

Last month, Greenband Investment Ltd lodged plans for bulky house- hold goods, discount food-store and neighbourhood centre to include a small convenience store, pharmacy, bookmakers and _ hairdressers at Smithstown, Shannon.

According to developer and one of the partners in the project, Sean Halpin, the development will create

250 direct jobs, 200 indirect jobs and 180 jobs during the construction phase. The retail warehouse park and neighbourhood centre is the first of two phases of this project, with the second phase to comprise of a resi- dential development and plans for de- velopment are to be shortly lodged.

However, the owners of Shannon Town Centre claim that the proposal in its current form “presents a direct challenge to the Shannon core town centre area”.

In a comprehensive submission to Clare County Council, Shannon Town Centre stated that “the pro- posed location for the discount food- store within the retail park 1s incon-

sistent with zoning”.

The submission stated: “In sum- mary, the proposed development is opportunistic in the contest of the draft local area plan and has cherry picked the matrix to maximise retail and commercial advantages.

“No element of the proposed de- velopment reflects the primary zon- ing objective for ‘residential’ on the lands…Effectively, the applicants have ignored the primary land use zoning indicated in the draft South Clare Development Plan.”

The submission claims that Green- band Ltd has “abandoned the resi- dential, open space and street struc- ture” and “cherry picked the matrix

to maximise retail and commercial advantage, as we predicted would happen and have not awaited the im- plementation and delivery protocols, which we were informed would be required before developments would be considered”.

In a separate submission, the Hick- ey family in Smithstown have voiced their opposition to the proposal, stat- ing: “We feel we would be squeezed into an industrial park for life and have no future in our current homes where we’ve lived for 40 plus years, it would hinder the privacy we are accustomed to.”

A decision is due on the plan next year.

THERE has been a surge in applica- tions to reduce maintenance in the family law courts in Clare, as a di- rect result of the recession.

Family law solicitors in the county say more and more people are facing difficulty in paying maintenance and are applying to the district court to vary payments.

The free legal advice clinics in En- nis are also noticing a huge increase in queries related to family law and employment law issues, due to the downturn in the economy.

Solicitor and family law special- ist Mairead Doyle said many people have had reduced incomes or are on

social welfare and as a result are simply unable to meet maintenance payments.

‘There 1s a marked increase in the number of applications for decreas- ing maintenance before the courts. This is as a result of some people earning substantially less than they were, she said.

She pointed out that the threat of committal to jail is hanging over those who fail to meet their main- tenance commitments, pending the decision of a district court judge.

‘People are missing payments and are being brought back before the judge. The penalty is committal to prison and the judge has to consider each case on its own merits,” said Ms

Doyle.

Those who are not receiving their maintenance are going to court, to PYG COKoN MOO OMONTLAKOe

‘The other option is for an attach- ment of earnings order to be brought to the district court, where someone applies to have maintenance deduct- ed at source by the employer. Those applications are more common now,” added Ms Doyle, who is an associate partner at Michael Houlihan’s solici- tors in Ennis.

She said the family law courts — which sit twice a month in Clare — have been particularly busy in the run-up to Christmas, amid intense family pressures and the squeeze on incomes.

“The family law courts are ex- tremely busy, especially coming up to Christmas. There are access mat- ters and problems with maintenance. The downturn is taking effect. Peo- ple are really feeling the pinch,” she NCO

Ms Doyle is on the free legal ad- vice panel, which runs clinics in Ennis every week and has noticed a sizeable increase 1n queries in recent weeks.

“The clinics are inundated with family law and employment law que- ries. The way the economy is going, a lot more pressure is being put on relationships,’ she said.

The free legal advice clinics are regularly held at the Ennis Citizens

Information Centre on Bindon Lane every Thursday between 7pm and O00

A WOMAN has denied in court that she made love to her ex-partner after he hit her. She said, “I can categori- cally 100 percent say it was not love. It was rape.”

She was giving evidence in the trial of a man who has pleaded not guilty to seven charges arising out of an al- leged incident in the complainant’s Clare home on September 9, 2007.

He denies three charges of rape, anal rape and oral rape of a woman, one charge each of falsely imprison- ing and threatening to kill her, aggra- vated burglary using a single-action shotgun and unlawful possession of a firearm, all on the same occasion.

He has pleaded guilty to one charge of assaulting the woman on the same occasion, causing her harm.

The woman told the court that the

43-year-old accused had announced that he was going to rape her before he did so.

She was surprised he had said that because minutes earlier he had de- clared his love for her.

She didn’t accept a suggestion from defence lawyers that the accused had a gun with him that night because he was intending to shoot himself.

She also didn’t accept that she started to row with her ex-partner when she woke up to find him in her room.

“He had a gun with him and I was not going to argue with him,” she said.

She said the accused was lying if he had told his counsel that he had not touched her in the face with the gun.

The complainant agreed that she had a cigarette with the accused that night. “I asked him for a cigarette be-

cause I was shaking. It was a break from his anger and it was a connec- tion between us to share a cigarette,” she said.

She said during the rape she had thought about trying to escape by poking the accused in the eye with a set of keys on the bed but she re- alised to get out she would have to jump out of a window when it was pitch black outside.

The complainant agreed with John Phelan SC, defending, that there was a “series of ups and downs” in their relationship, that there was a pattern of “moving in and moving out” and that they had “their share of fero- os (o) brome: 0 yca 000 8(o) 81 RcMe

The hearing continues today (Tues- day) before Mr Justice Barry White and a jury of five women and seven men, at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin.

THE sister of a man accused of rap- ing and threatening to kill his preg- nant ex-partner has told a jury that she spoke to her brother on the phone during the alleged incident and he told her he wanted to commit sui- cide.

She said the accused told her eve- rything was “ok” and she also talked to the complainant, after hearing that her brother had hit her and the wom- an confirmed that she was not hurt.

“She said she was fine and it was not serious,’ the witness told the jury.

She said she asked her brother to ei- ther put the gun down or throw it out the window and leave the house.

She said she asked him, “Do you realise that the police think this is a hostage situation?” as that was what their father had earlier told her.

When asked by counsel if her broth- er was obsessed with the complain- ant, the witness replied “He loved her very much but I am not qualified to say if he was obsessed with her”.

The accused’s brother told the court that he rang the man after his sister called him. He said that his brother told him he was going to kill him-

self.

The trial was also told that a cousin of the accused contacted gardai be- cause he was worried about the man’s welfare after he noticed that his own shotgun and cartridges were missing from his home.

The witness said he “thought of the accused” because the man was de- pressed and was going through his own troubles. He went to the garda station after he spoke to the accused on the phone and realised he was in the company of his ex-partner.

He later talked to his cousin, with the phone on loudspeaker so the

gardai could listen in on their con- versation, during which the accused admitted he had hit his ex-partner AUN eM Melomcae tee

Sergeant Brian Howard said he took over the phone from the accused’s cousin and reassured the man that his and his ex-partner’s welfare were priority for the gardai and confirmed that they would not storm the house.

He also told him that he would give him any assistance, medical or oth- erwise, that he required.

Sgt Howard said he made an agree- ment with the accused to leave the shotgun in the back of his cousin’s

car and the man later complied with Wek

He then met the accused and the complainant at the back of her home and arrested him under the Mental Health Act.

On the way to the station the ac- cused started to cry and the com- plainant, who had asked to travel in the patrol car with him, leaned over and held his hand for the rest of the journey.

Sgt Howard said the complainant was injured and appeared to be both frightened and shocked.

GARDAI in Ennis are believed to have intercepted a Dublin gang plan- ning to commit a serious crime in the heart of the town.

As part of a major operation, armed gardai swooped and arrested five members of a suspected criminal gang on Parnell Street in Ennis on Friday morning.

Pedestrians looked on in aston- ishment as the five were taken into custody, while a car and van were taken by gardai for technical exami- nations.

The five men were taken for ques- tioning at Ennis and Shannon Garda stations, where they were held throughout the day. All five were released without charge on Saturday and a file is being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecution’s of- fice, where a decision will be taken on whether to charge them.

According to sources, the move- ments of the gang had been under surveillance for a number of weeks and this led to Friday’s major op- eration. They are understood to have been monitoring their business target in Ennis for some weeks.

There was the most significant Garda operation mounted in the county capital for a considerable pe- riod of time.

The other, separate, most prolific Garda operation in the town this winter was last month’s success- ful recovery of a haul of more than

€100,000 worth of jewellery which had been stolen from people’s homes across the town.

The jewellery was stolen during 55 burglaries over a six-week period and was recovered in a garage in the town five weeks ago.

This was on foot of the establish- ment of Operation Ennis, which was set up after dozens of home own- ers reported that their premises had been broken into during the daytime. Jewellery and cash were taken by the intruders as burglaries hit an all-time high in the town.

A major surveillance operation was set up and this led to the arrest of an individual. One man has been charged in connection with the in- vestigation — he is facing four charg- es — and the probe is continuing.

Some of the victims were delighted to have their valuable items of jewel- lery returned to them by gardai in- volved in the extensive investigation.

THE Bishop of Killaloe has told Education Minister, Batt O’Keeffe that he may have to close down En- nis National School over the state of the school building.

Dr Willie Walsh was responding to a HSE report which concluded that the school was ‘not fit for purpose’.

The report stated that parents of pupils attending the school “are en- titled to feel seriously concerned about the health and welfare of their

belch

School authorities met with Minis- ter O’ Keeffe to advance the case for a new school, two weeks ago when Dr Walsh referred to the health and safety inspection which had put him in a position where the school might have to be closed.