Month: April 2009

SELLING agents Sherry FitzGerald, Shannon, tell us that this property 1s presented for sale in absolutely pris- tine condition, with high quality and stylish finishes throughout.

Gort nanUll was the first recognised ECO scheme in County Clare and was completed in late 2007. Built to very high specifications, it has a heat recovery ventilation system ensuring the indoor air is renewed regularly,

removing contaminants and smells, whilst recovering warmth and trans- ferring it to the fresh incoming air.

The 105 sq.m (1,130sq.ft) house has gas central heating and the attic, which is accessed via a Stira stairs, has been converted into a home gym/ office.

The accommodation comprises an entrance hall, kitchen/dining room, utility room, guest WC, family bath- room and three bedrooms, one of which 1s ensuite, as well as the con-

verted attic.

No. 18 comes to the market in walk in condition, tastefully decorated throughout with an option to pur- chase fully furnished if desired.

For further information, telephone 061 361905 or visit www.sherryfitz. ile

THOUSANDS of euros worth of dam- age has been caused to classrooms and facilities following a break-in at Ennis National School last week.

Vandals struck in the early hours of Thursday morning, forcing their way into five classrooms and destroying property.

Classrooms for students in first, sec- ond and third class were hit. School principal, Gary Stack said rubbish bins were emptied around in the rooms and major damage was caused to doors and windows.

“There was a stroke of evil about this,” said Mr Stack. *““They emptied bins around the place. As well as that, they went around the rooms and pulled out books and left the rooms in an awful condition. They broke two windows. It looked like they used an iron bar to force themselves in.”

This latest incident marks the 11th time in the past year that the schools has been subject to a break-in.

“It’s strange, we had a break in dur- ing Holy Week last year. They’ve been happening almost one a month over the past year. It is very disheart- ening for the caretaker and all the staff when things like this happen.”

Gardai in Ennis confirmed yester- day that they have questioned three people in relation to the incident.

THE company that built the Ennis bypass were paid €9 million more than the original contract of €123 million for the scheme.

New figures released yesterday by Clare County Council in response to a Freedom of Information request, show that GAMA Construction re- ceived €132 million for its work on the scheme.

The council confirmed that the final overall cost of the scheme was €197 million and this included land acqui- sition fees and other payments.

GAMA Construction failed to com- plete the construction of the project on time and only fully opened the route in December 2007 — eight months after the project was due to be completed.

Work continued on the scheme in 2008 on ancillary aspects of the project and last year, GAMA also commenced re-alignment work on part of the link-road near the Clare- abbey roundabout.

As part of the FOI request, the council was asked for any documents dating from September 1, 2007 relat- ing to the delay in completing the contract and the penalties imposed.

However, the council has responded to say that no such records exist.

The local authority was also asked to provide correspondence’ with GAMA on the need to carry out re- medial works on Ennis bypass near

Clareabbey.

However, the council refused ac- cess to these records under a number of provisions including the fact that documentation is commercially sen- sitive.

The council has yet to respond to emailed queries on why GAMA was paid in excess of €9 million more than the original contract price. GAMA has already told the Labour Court that it has lost €45 million on

the scheme after underestimating the cost of labour and materials.

Green Party county councillor Brian Meaney called on the council to provide a full report on the Ennis bypass and said he would be asking why penalties have not been imposed when it was provided for in the con- elem

“We all know that the bypass project was well behind schedule and the contract details with the penalties

were never revealed. Work is still on- going on the scheme and I believe the public should be told how their money was spent and why a com- pany was paid €9 million in excess of the original contract price in spite of the project not being complete on nbs stones

SAVE the historic election of Nige- rian candidate Dr Taiwo Matthew to Ennis Town Council — becom- ing the first asylum seeker/refugee to be elected to local government in Ireland and the excitement it engen- dered – the eastern part of the county provided most of the talking points in 2004.

There were two constituencies there back then – the old Scariff Electoral Area in which there were three seats up for grabs and the Kiul- laloe Electoral Area where there were four Seats.

Two distinct areas before they were effectively merged under the terms of the latest boundary changes – ar- eas home to high drama in the 2004 poll, the tears of joy, the other tears of defeat and all that.

The Scariff Electoral Area was the smallest constituency in the county, but it provided a huge shock when Cllr Paul Bugler of Fine Gael lost a seat that had been in his family since his late father Paddy was first elected in the 1960 election.

It showed up politics and the elec- torate for what they were and always will be — no respecters of talent, abil- ity and performance.

Paul Bugler, across the Clare Coun- ty Council floor, was considered to be one of the most articulate and able performers on the local author- ity since he was co-opted following the death of his father in 1997.

Therefore, his defeat was one of the biggest shocks in the county – one he himself put down to “a high risk strategy of going all out to try and win two seats”.

Ironically, in defeat he became on of the stars of the 2004 election – taking the shock with the grace and professionalism that marked all his contributions to the local authority.

Meanwhile, over in Killaloe there were even bigger shocks — sitting councillors Mary Mannion (Pro- gressive Democrats), Pat O’Gorman (Fianna Fail) and Michael Begley (Fianna Fail) all lost their seats as the winds of change swept through the constituency like never before.

With the other outgoing councillor for the area, Tony McMahon (Fine Gael) not contesting the election, it meant that Killaloe saw the return of four first time councillors – this was unique in its own right.

Pat O’Gorman from Cratloe was sit- ting Mayor of Clare at the time of his defeat, making his defeat the biggest shock of all. The defeat of two-time General Election candidate Mary Mannion was like Paul Bugler’s de- feat in Scariff, while Michael Beg- ley’s reverse was unexpected.

Into the vacuum came new council- lors, with 21-year-old Cathal Crowe of Fianna Fail causing the biggest stir of all — all because he was the youngest councillor throughout the country and for the fact after he was hoisted aloft as an election winner he took off one of his shoes, show- ing off a massive hole in the sole as evidence of mileage he had put in on the campaign trail.

2009 has a lot to live up to!

GARY* has spent time in jail, not for holding up banks or riding around in stolen cars. The Clareman’s crime is one he says he “fell into” while he was unemployed.

“I discovered how easy it was to pretend to be someone else. It was as simple as that.”

It’s some years ago now, but Gary is one of many people who defrauded the social welfare system and by the time he was caught up with, he was drawing the dole under seven names every week.

“It started when my flatmate de- cided to go to Australia. We were living in Dublin at the time. He was fed up not being able to get work and his parents were well off, so he bor- rowed money to go travelling. The night before he went, he said – jok- ing – that I could draw his dole for him. Anyway, there must have been a mix-up because, a few days later, a payment slip arrived through the door in his name. The post office where he collected his money was a big one and there were a lot of tellers working there so I thought I’d chance it and it worked. Nobody asked me for ID or anything.”

Gary kept collecting the payments for a couple of weeks but stopped when one of the tellers seemed to be suspicious and asked for ID.

A few weeks later, Gary admitted to a friend that he had fraudulently collected his pal’s payments.

“He just laughed. He told me he was claiming for three people. All you had to do is to use the names of people who had left the country or people around your own age who had died. You just applied for a birth cert and walked in with the cert as identification. He made claims in dif- ferent areas using different friends’

addresses. That’s how easy it was dete

Gary became even more ambitious with the emergence of cheap flights to Britain.

“I could get to London for 20 quid and even use the same birth certs I used here as ID to claim the dole over there. I was cleaning up. All I needed were the certs and a couple of pals’ addresses in London. It was worth my while to fly over and back

to make claims and cash payment slips or cheques.”

Gary was caught when a computer check made by one conscientious British civil servant matched a new claim made by him to an existing claim address. The matter was fol- lowed up and CCTV revealed that one person was collecting both al- lowances. He had no means of pay- ing the money back and served three months in jail in the UK.

“Tm not proud of what I did and it wasn’t worth going to jail for. But in the end, it wasn’t rocket science and I was fed up being poor the whole time. There are a lot of people still making double claims or claim- ing and working at the same time. I wasn’t the only one at it.”

* Name has been changed to protect his identity.

Dole claimant used seven names

LATER this month, Kilfenora will erupt in an explosion of traditional music as the village celebrates it’s greatest ever export – the Kilfenora Céili Band.

The world famous band, which cel- ebrates it’s centenary this year, has both it’s past and it’s present deeply rooted in the hills of north Clare.

The festival is being put together by the newly formed Comhaltas Cuillf- hionnurach, and will take place from April 23 to 26. It will celebrate the last hundred years of the band but it will also celebrate the rich music heritage that has always been in this

area.

“It’s really unique. When you think about how many orchestras or groups who have been around for more than 100 years and there is really noth- ing else to match. You could scour the whole world and come up with maybe a handful of groups with this kind of history,” said Andy Lambert of Comhaltas Cillfhionntrach.

“We have families here who have connection with the music going back for centuries. Indeed there are very few family names here in the locality who don’t have a name in the ceili band or in the brass and reed band going back over the last hundred years.”

The festival will include a number of performances from the current and past members of the Kilfenora Ceili Band as well as a performance from the great rivals, The Tulla Céili Band, a lecture by Garry Shannon on the history of the band and a re- cital by some of Kilfenora’s talented younger musicians.

The majority of events are being offered free while a small cover charge will apply to some events. The festival will also see the launch of the first ever permanent exhibition of artifacts relating to the Kilfenora Céili Band.

“We will have a section of the Bur- ren Centre dedicated to the Kilfeno-

ra Céili Band and music generally in the area,” continued Andy

“We will have a lot of text and photographs to start with and after a while we would hope to build up a collection of music as we go on. It 1s the first time that a permanent record of the band has ever been on display and the idea is that it is something that can keep growing and growing as we go on.”

The weekend will also features per- formances by Tommy and Siobhan People, Michael Sexton, PJ Murrihy and a host of other top musicians.”

For more information on the festi- val contact kilfenoracelebrations@h otmail.com.

THE Mid-West Regional Authority has announced details of an ambi- tious new plan to develop and pro- mote the watersports sector in the Shannon region.

The Mid-West Watersports Project, which will be launched in Ballina on April 30, is aimed at boosting the marine leisure sector and its positive economic and environmental im- pacts in north Tipperary, Clare and Limerick.

The authority intends to build on existing marine leisure initiatives, to develop new opportunities for sus- tainable development of watersports

and attract thousands of additional visitors to the region each year.

According to Project Manager Marie Collins, the regional authority will design and implement a compre- hensive online portal for watersports in the region over the next three years, working closely with the re- gion’s local authorities, tourism busi- ness sector, tourism bodies and local watersports centres.

“Through the National Sport Fed- erations, we will also develop a series of training programmes in environ- mental awareness and social inclu- sion, promoting the marine leisure sector and creating opportunities for all people to become more involved

in the sector.”

A regional launch of the Mid-West Watersports Project will take place in the Lakeside Hotel, Ballina on Thursday, April 30 from 2 to 4pm.

The event is geared towards water- sports clubs, activity centres, marine leisure businesses and tourism pro- motion bodies in the marine leisure sector.

It will feature a number of presen- tations on the various elements of the project, marine leisure and the envi- ronment.

Anyone interested in attending should contact the regional authority at 067 33197 or by email info@mwra. ilo

THE mayor of Kilrush told this month’s meeting of Kilrush Town Council that fishing in a council owned lake should not be held to ransom by a few.

Cllr Liam O’Looney (FF) said that the town council should “facilitate the fishing of Knockerra Lake and broker a deal with the adjoining land- Owners so not to let another fishing season go to waste.”

He said he was continuously asked by the West Clare Angling Club to investigate the possibility of making fishing available in the lake again.

“Here we have a natural facility that is not being utilised,” he said.

“In the past farmers had issues with littering and cattle being interfered with by a dog, but the lake is in our ownership. I don’t think it should be held to ransom by a number of peo- ple,” he added.

Town Clerk John Corry told the meeting that he was awaiting legal advice on the matter.

“IT am awaiting a map to identify where our ownership extends to,” he

said.

Mr Corry said that when he received the map he was hoping to meet with the adjoining landowners.

Cllr Colie Sweeney (Ind) proposed that the anglers would also be invited to the meeting.

The father of the council Jack Fen- nel (Ind) said the council must have

access to the lake as the lake in ques- tion once provided the water supply for the town.

EAST Clare’s oldest man placed a wreath on the graves of the Scariff Martyrs on Sunday to mark the 90th anniversary of the founding of the East Clare Brigade.

Paddy Gleeson was just thirteen years old when he attended the fu- neral of the four men, three of whom were members of the East Clare Bri- gade.

Memorial services were organised by the East Clare Memorial Com- mittee for the Memorial Park in Tua- mgraney and at Scariff church where

the four are buried.

The Tulla Pipe Band provided mu- sical tributes.

Memorial Committee member, Tomas Mac Conmara, plans to write a book about the martyrs with the help of people in east Clare.

He said that the memorial commit- tee “are dedicated to reminding the community of east Clare of the sac- rifices made by the men and women of the Republican movement in east Clare during the Irish War of Inde- pendence and the Civil War.”

The Scariff Martyrs – Alphonsus Rodgers, Michael McMahon, Martin

Gildea and Michael Egan – were ex- ecuted on the bridge in Killaloe on November 17, 1920.

Egan had been providing a safe house for the other three at White- gate but they were informed on, ar- rested and brought to the barracks at Killaloe where they were tortured before being killed.

The official line was that they had been shot while trying to escape but the front of each body bore up to 17 bullet entry wounds and numerous bayonet wounds. Their bodies were dumped in a shed at the back of the Lakeside Hotel.

“T would love to talk to anyone who can help to fill out both the history and the folklore surrounding these men and this period.” said Tomas. ‘People may have stories they heard from their parents or grandparents. Stories that may have been told in a particular village or area or people might have memorabilia or old pic- tures. There must have been many people who were aware of the op- erations and of the men who died and I want to record all these things whether they are fact or folklore, they all have a place in telling the story of the time.

“Any material history, including artefacts associated with the story of the four Scariff Martyrs or the fight for independence in east Clare are also welcome and encouraged.

“In particular, any elderly people who may remember or have inherited stories regarding the four young men or the period in question are asked to make contact,” said Tomas.

Anyone who would like to help with information can _ con- tact —Tomas Mac Conmara, Baile Maeloin, Tuaimgreine, or by emiling macconmarat@hotmail.com. Alter- natively you can phone 087 9160373.