Month: March 2009

, edited by Gerard Madden of East Clare Heritage, again provides a valuable insight into unexplored areas of east Clare’s local history.

Michael Coffey, who lives in Mer- seyside, writes about a Clare land

dispute in Ballyvannon, Tuamgraney that came before the House of Lords in 1819, while Alfie O’Brien from Whitegate discusses the Ballinruane estate of Clanricarde, with a map and comments.

Lorna Moloney from Feakle, who lectures in the history department in the University of Limerick writes

about sex and marriage in medieval Thomond. The magnificent stained glass windows of Josh- ua and Harry Clarke in St Flannan’s Church,

Killaloe receive at- tention from Donncha MacGabhann.

Padraig G Lane, a retired history teacher from Rochestown, County Cork has done extensive research on Fenianism, the Land Question, and the Rural Labour Movement and

has contributed an article on Clare rural local organization and constab- ulary intelligence 1881-1901.

Other areas include the Clare Gold Cup by well-known historian, Kieran Sheedy, the killing of civilians by the military in Bodyke in 1817 by Denis Moloney and the coming of electric- ity to Scariff by Michael O’Gorman.

THE NATIONAL Water Activity Centre at Killaloe is celebrating a new arrival this week.

In January the NWAC received an amazing piece of luck when a very kind benefactor decided to donate a yacht to the centre for the training of young people. The centre is used by scouts and sea-scouts from all over the mid-west.

The NWAC camp chief, secretary and quartermaster took a trip to Skibbereen, in County Cork, to see ‘An Ron’ in the flesh and plan how it could be transferred to Lough Derg.

After some discussion it was de- cided to have the boat transferred on a specialist low-loader with inbuilt crane. The boat was lifted on to the truck and An Ron started the long journey to the mid-west. After an overnight stop in Patrickswell, it was at Lough Derg marina for transfer to new waters.

The newly acquired vessel was transferred to the lake by crane and sling and An Ron was soon floating in Lough Derg.

An Ron made it’s maiden voyage in freshwater without a hitch and is now is moored at the NWAC, ready for eager young hands to learn how to crew a Sail vessel.

“When our benefactor offered us the boat, we thought he was giving us a row-boat so we were stunned when we realised what it actually was,” a spokesman for the centre said. “His own children had grown up and he wanted the boat to be put to good use teaching young people, so that was our good luck.”

CLARE County Council has serious concerns over plans to construct a €12 million eight turbine windfarm in an upland area of east Clare.

In December, SWS Energy Ltd lodged plans with the council for the 350 metre high windfarm to the south of the Maghera Mountain range and seven kilometres from Tulla.

In the Environmental Impact State- ment (EIS) lodged with the plan- ning application, SWS Energy Ltd claimed that the potential impacts associated with a wind energy devel- opment of this size and layout could be absorbed and accommodated without significant impairment of the existing environment.

However, the Department of the Environment told Clare County Council that the proposal “on its own and in combination with other plans and projects, had the potential to have significant effects on the Spe- cial Protection Area (SPA) and its conservations objectives.”

The Irish Peatland Conservation Council (IPCC) said it couldn’t sup- port the development as it would be adjacent to Glendree Bog Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and would negatively affect its conserva- tion status by affecting the hydrol- ogy of the site, its biodiversity and its habitat.

Numerous local objections were also lodged against the plan.

In response, the council has put the plan on hold requiring additional further information.

The council stated that, “A number of serious concerns arise in terms of the geotechnical qualities and the stability of the site and the impact that the proposed development, both during construction phases and op- erational phases, may have on this.

The council has also stated that three breeding pairs of Hen Harriers were recorded within five kilometres of the site and that this is significant from a local and national perspec- tive.

The council added that the site is a known roosting site for the Green- land White Fronted goose.

“The proposed development has the potential to have significant ef- fects on the Special Protection Area and/or the Special Area of Conser- vation and their conservation objec- tives. Accordingly, a EU Habitats Directive ‘Appropriate Assessment’ is required by way of further infor- mation.”

In its objection, the IPCC stated that, “With the aim of protecting the rare and threatened blanket bog habitat of Glendreee Bog SAC, the proposed development should not be permitted.

“IPCC would consider approval of this development to be setting a very bad example for nature conserva- tion and could compromise Ireland’s commitment to conserving not only Glendree Bog SAC, but SACs throughout the country.”

East Clare gearing up for St Patrick’s Day

A COMPANY that received €80,000 in grant aid from Clare County Council this year has failed to pay the council €23,012 in commercial rates, it emerged yesterday.

Yesterday, Cllr Brian Meaney (Green) called on the council to pur- sue Kilkee Waterworld for the un- Or Nem AlKone

However, board member of the company, Cllr Patrick Keane (FF) said that the rates have not been paid as the company is awaiting details as to whether it is required to pay the Teoh

Cllr Keane said, “Kilkee Water- world is a community facility and we are waiting to learn if the facility does have to pay the rates.”

Established in the mid 1990s, Kil- kee Waterworld is integral to the tourism industry in Kilkee in attract- ing visitors to the area.

Cllr Keane said that 2008 “was a very good year where the bad weath- er was good for the centre.”

Shannon Swimming Pool and Leisure Centre Ltd also receives ۤ0,000 from the council and one of its directors, Cllr Patricia McCarthy (Ind), confirmed that it has paid its rates to the county council.

She said, “We have always paid our rates. It is a substantial amount. We might not like it, but it has to be paid.”

Cllr Meaney said that the council should now pursue Kilkee Water- world and no exceptions should be

made due to fact that the company’s board has council representation on 1

Cllr Meaney said, “That legisla- tion is quite clear and community facilities are not exempt from rates. I am extemely unhappy over Kilkee Waterworld’s non-payment of the rates.”

Asked would he vote for Kilkee Waterworld not to receive the grant aid of €80,000 if he was aware that the company was not paying its rates, Cllr Meaney said, “It’s quite possible

that Kilkee Waterword needed the grant aid in order to pay the rates.”

Three years ago, Kilkee Water- world faced the threat of being struck off by the Companies Office by fail- ing to file its returns.

The cash-strapped company did eventually file the accounts, stating that it was late in filing the accounts as it did not have the required €2,500 to do so.

ENNIS Town Council have a big push on to get people on board to buy homes in an affordable housing scheme just weeks after it opened.

The three-bedroom affordable homes are for sale in the Westbourne Estate, Watery Road, Ennis, at €175,000.

The council is hoping to get would- be property owners to take up the offer for the knock-down price as quickly as possible.

“What makes these houses afforda- ble is that they are available at prices that are much lower than the market

value — that is what makes it an ‘af- fordable home’,” a release from the town council said.

It is possible to borrow up to 97 per cent of the purchase price of an af- fordable home, leaving the buyer to make up just the remaining three per cent.

The council is even advising which financial institutions are lending for the properties.

To qualify for an affordable home, buyers need to earn roughly from €30,000 for a single applicant and up to €60,000 on a joint application.

“These are the approximate limits only – lower and higher income lim-

its may apply,” the release said.

The properties ae being sold through Frank Cullinan at Paddy Browne and Co Real Estate Alliance at Woodquay, Ennis.

The latest official figures show that Clare County Council acquired 35 units of affordable housing in the period from January | to September 30.

In the same period, the local au- thority were in the process of acquir- ing 24 more units and were looking at proposals for four more.

During that time also, the council rented 133 homes under the social rental housing scheme and bought

12 more for rental. They were in the process of acquiring 250 more.

There were four homes completed under the voluntary and co-operative housing scheme, while 54 more were in progress at that time.

There was no housing processed under the voluntary and co-opera- tive housing capital loan and subsidy scheme in that period but the capital assistance scheme saw four homes aquired in Clare, 54 in progress and a start being made on 44 more.

The local authority completed 133 housing units in that time, aquired 12 more, started on 181 further units and were making progress on 252.

CAR-PARKING charges at Shannon Airport are now more than double those at Dublin Airport.

Local county councillor, Cllr Patri- cia McCarthy (Ind) has called on the Shannon Airport Authority (SAA) to review its charges. She made her call after it emerged that the Dublin Aiur- OLeummaUe Nee e AAO D.0n0 eel mB Lie OU (eer in response to a private competitor at Dublin Airport.

Last month, the SAA – which op- erates a monopoly at Shannon on car-parking – increased its long-term parking charges from €9 to €9.50.

However, in the past week, the DAA, which operates about 21,000 parking spaces at Dublin Airport, cut the price of long-term parking in half after private operator Quick-Park re- duced its charges.

Passengers who pre-book their spaces online can now park in the DAA’s long-term facilities for just €4.50 a day — the offer is open to a limited number of spaces. This com- pares with the normal rate of €9 a day at Dublin.

Short-term spaces can be booked for as little as €10 a day in Dublin, compared with a normal rate of €40 a day. In Shannon, the cost of car-

parking is €20 per day.

A spokeswoman for the SAA said yesterday that the authority has re- cently spent €800,000 on a new car-parking management system at Shannon to allow passengers to pre- book online. However, she said there is no timescale in which passengers will be able to book online.

Car park revenues have been a cash cow for the SAA over the past num- bers of years as passenger numbers soared in line with economic growth and charges to airlines dropped to at- tract new carriers.

The spokeswoman said there are no plans to reduce the car-parking charg-

es at Shannon. She pointed out that the long-term car-park at Shannon Airport is the most adjacent car-park at any of the three main airports.

Cllr McCarthy said yesterday, ‘People are finding the cost of park- ing at Shannon Airport prohibitive and some are parking in Shannon town rather than at the airport. The authority should review the charges because we don’t want them to be- come prohibitive.”

Last year, it emerged that the DAA earned €52 million in 2007 from its car parks in Dublin, Cork and Shan- non. This was roughly eight per cent of DAA’s overall turnover.

BISHOP of Killaloe Willie Walsh has hit out at “unacceptable” school conditions in Ennis.

Bishop Walsh was speaking in En- nis on Thursday where he also stat- ed that the provision of new school buildings in Ennis had been a “prior- ity” for him since he became patron of the schools 20 years ago.

‘These are very difficult issues and very sensitive issues. None of us do everything perfect. I have no hesita- tion in saying that I didn’t do every- thing perfect over the past 20 years,” said Bishop Walsh, when asked if he thought mistakes had been made during his tenure as schools patron.

He continued, “But the whole ques- tion of buildings in Ennis schools as far as I am concerned is unaccepta- ble. I have at all times, over the years, done all in my power to try and right that situation. I don’t mind saying that it’s a source of real sadness to me to see pupils and teachers work in conditions which I regard as unac- ceptable in this day and age.”

Bishop Walsh’s remarks came at the launch of a common enrolment policy for all six schools in Ennis

vale

Feasibility studies for Ennis Na- tional School, Ennis CBS and Scoil Chriost Ri, Cloughleigh, were first carried out by the Department of Education in 1999. Despite these studies all recommending extensive building accommodation works, none have been carried out.

“The trap which the Ennis schools fell into is that the devolved grants scheme only applies to extensions. It did not apply to totally new schools. Unfortunately, three of the schools in Ennis had the assessment done 10 years ago, and the Department decided that all three needed new buildings,” he commented.

Bishop Walsh continued, “At the time, we were very happy that we were going to get three totally new schools in Ennis and that the other schools were in new buildings. So we were looking forward to having an excellent standard of new schools in Ennis. But unfortunately, despite our best efforts…And it certainly has been a priority with me. I have had more contact with the department in relation to the buildings in Ennis than in any other place in the dio- cese, but without success.”

, Dr Walsh writes that any Board of Management (BOM) un- able to commit to a common enrol- ment policy could be instructed, “not to engage in an enrolment procedure under the provision of their current admissions policy”.

A second option that could be pur- sued, the letter states, would be to “instruct the BOM to conduct enrol- ment under the joint auspices of the Chairperson of the BOM and the St Senan’s Education Office”.

All six primary schools in Ennis agreed to the implementation of a common enrolment policy follow- ing lengthy discussions through the Ennis Parish Forum and St Senan’s Education Office in Limerick.

Speaking in Ennis on Thursday night at the launch of the common enrolment policy, Bishop Walsh said he wrote to schools to ask them to

follow the policy for one year.

‘That was the reason why I wrote to them. I wanted to indicate very strongly that I wanted this admis- sions policy accepted,” he said.

Bishop Walsh added, “All the boards have signed up to it. I’m aware of the fact that some schools have some difficulties. They have made their unhappiness known to me.”

The letter is dated January 21, 2009, and is addressed to members of the Board of Management and En- nis Parish Forum Members.

In it, Dr Walsh states, “As of writ- ing, no Board of Management has

indicated to me that it wishes to re- scind this commitment. However, it has come to my attention that an issue regarding the implementation of the agreed admissions policy and application procedures has arisen in one school.”

The letter continued, “At this junc- ture, I request that each Board of Management recommits to the im- plementation of the admissions pol- icy and application procedure for the school year.”

The letter continued, “The prin- ciples of the Ennis Parish Forum underpin collaboration between the

Boards of Management of the Ennis Parish schools. As patron, I reiterate my total support for these principles and the functioning of the forum. With this in mind, I wish to inform each board that should it find itself unable to re-commit that I will pur- sue one or a combination of the fol- lowing. (1) Instruct the BOM not to engage in any enrolment procedure under the provision of their current admissions policy or (2) instruct the BOM to conduct enrolment under the joint auspices of the Chairperson of the BOM and St Senan’s Educa- tion office.”

INDEPENDENT councillor Taiwo Matthew has confirmed that he will be running as a candidate in June’s local elections.

Speaking yesterday Cllr Matthew said he is seeking to retain his seat in Ennis Town Council.

The Nigerian born doctor made history when he became the first im- migrant to be elected to local office in Ireland in 2004.

At the time of his election in 2004, Cllr Matthew addressed his support- ers in Ennis. “You have written the name of Ennis in gold in the book of history,’ the former Nigerian asy- lum-seeker said proudly to the sup- porters who helped elect him to En- nis Town Council.

“By electing me, the Ennis people have looked beyond the colour of my skin and accepted me on my indt-

vidual merits.”

Cllr Matthew said he is looking forward to again contesting the elec- tion.

[have had a great experience in the council. I have learned a lot in these last five years. I will be running for Ennis Town Council again.”

While he says that he is looking for- ward to getting out and meeting vot- ers, Cllr Matthew admits that regain- ing his seat in Ennis Town Council is going to be a tough challenge.

“Tam looking forward to it. It was a great experience when I first ran for office in 2004 and it is a process that I am looking forward to taking part in again. But I know that it will hard and that it will be very challenging to get elected again. But as I said, I am looking forward to the election,’ said the councillor.

Cllr Matthew explained that he had just moved house and was now con-

centrating his energies on the elec- tion campaign.

‘‘T have just moved house so things are very busy at the moment.”

Cllr Matthew’s election to Ennis Town Council occurred in the same year as the election of fellow Nigeri- an, Rotimi Adebari in Portlaoise. Mr Adebari made history when he was elected Ireland’s first black mayor in 2007.

In the same year Cllr Matthew missed out on election as Ennis’s first black mayor when he was defeated in a vote by fellow Independent coun- cilor Tommy Brennan.