Month: November 2009

A NUMBER of residents who had to evacuate their homes as a result of a fire that burned down Bredin’s hard- ware on Station Road in Ennis have failed in their bid to halt the redevel- opment of the site.

The well-known Ennis store burned down in November 2007 causing a number of houses to evacuated for a number of days and, in one instance, for a number of months.

Last year, Galileo Enterprises Ltd lodged plans to replace the structure and these were approved by Ennis Town Council. The directors of Gal- ileo Enterprises Ltd are local busi- nessmen, Noel Connellan and Dan Moran and its most recent returns show that it has accumulated profits OR OPA Pa ribelnleie

However, Maeve Hoey, Paul Bar- rett (on behalf of the Estate of the late Mrs M.R. Barrett) and Sile Gin- nane lodged an appeal against the council decision on the grounds of privacy and security of their houses . They maintained that the application was “thoroughly unclear and unsat- isfactorily”’.

They maintained that there should be an overall site masterplan which would set the design quality for the remainder of the brownfield site.

An earlier submission to the coun- cil from the residents stated that “the fire at Bredin’s premises put their homes at risk to fire, smoke and as-

bestos, resulting in evacuation for a number of days to several months for some residents and the clean-up which took many months to com- ey Kome

“This experience has undermined our confidence in the close proxim- ity of large retail and warehouse units and we are not distressed with the scale of what is indicated in the masterplan site of this application,” they claimed.

However, in his recommendation, the Bord Pleanala inspector stated that “the proposed development does not represent a significant departure from the current use of the surround-

ing area and would not require justi- fication by a masterplan”.

The inspector stated that “the type and scale of the proposed uses would be in keeping with those established on the site and the proposed building would be in keeping with the charac- ter of the area”.

“The development would not seri- ously injure the amenities of proper- ties in the vicinity of the site. it would not give rise to traffic hazard or con- gestion or place an undue demand on the water and sewerage services in the area

As a result, the Board ruled that “having regard to the established use

of the site and to its planning history, the grant of permission and to the pattern of development in the vicin- ity, the proposed development would not seriously injure the character of the area or the amenities of property in the vicinity, would not be prejudi- cial to public health and would be ac- ceptable in terms of traffic safety and convenience’.

THE people of Clare are willing to pay for the long-term sustainability of some of the county’s most under threat natural environments.

According to anew survey commis- sioned by the Carron-based Burren- LIFE project, which was presented at the organisation’s seminar in Gort yesterday, it is estimated that the public was willing to pay farmers as much as €842 per hectare if it meant the protection of the biodiversity of the Burren.

“Using internationally recognised researched methods, we have been able to show that the Irish taxpayer

is willing to pay farmers to continue to deliver these services,” said head researcher Tom van Rensburg.

“This is a really interesting find- ing at a time when the national REP Scheme has been closed to new en- Wee D ea

The research also showed that the farming for conservation methods practiced as part of the BurrenLIFE’s method would improve water quality in the area.

The research found that many farm fields in the study did not have nutrient inputs that exceed the re- quirements of the animals and grass erowth. Areas at risk are those sub- ject to point sources of contamina-

tion, such as round feeders for silage, animals having access to streams and springs.

Other findings presented yesterday include those of Dr James Moran of Sligo IT who, together with Teagasc officials, developed a tailored feed- ing system using [rish-sourced GM- free ingredients to sustain cattle on Burren hills over the winter.

BurrenLIFE’s Dr Sharon Parr showcased some of the initial find- ings of the BLP’s ecological moni- toring work. This work indicated that grazing can help increase biodiver- sity of limestone grasslands but that scrub encroachment remains a major problem in the Burren, one that will

require direct intervention.

“Burren farmers are piloting a farm- ing system which has significantly increased their household income level through on-farm conservation measures including the maintenance of dry-stone walls, scrub removal work and the development of ‘con- servation grade’ Burren beef and lamb,’ said Ruairi O Conchuir of the BurrenLIFE Project.

The pilot phase of the EC LIFE Nature funded project is scheduled to finish in January 2010. Funding has been allocated for the roll-out of conservation farming in the area but no additional funding has been al- located as an operational budget for

BurrenLIFE.

“We can show that the Burren- LIFE model of farming can help increase biodiversity on our farms while maintaining animal health, water quality and farmer income,” said BurrenLIFE Project Manager, Brendan Dunford.

“What’s more, we know the costs involved in this and we now know that society is willing to meet these costs as they generate significant public benefits.”

THOUSANDS of Clare farmers are still unable to make any provisions for 2010 as the future of the REPS scheme remains in doubt.

The Department of Agriculture failed to release any information on the possible restructure of the scheme at last week’s Teagasc REPS conference prompting the IFA to ac- cuse the Government of dragging its feat on the scheme.

The Department of Agriculture has been involved in a consultation proc- ess on the future of the scheme with stakeholders for more than three Tae) el ete

“It is high time the Minister for Agriculture, Brendan Smith, in- structs his department to put in place a meaningful scheme for the 30,000 farmers who will be leaving REPS 3 over the next two years,” said IFA Rural Development Chairman, Tom shitelars

“The allocation of funding indi- cated, over the next four years of the scheme, is woefully inadequate and will translate into payment levels that will make the scheme unattrac- tive to farmers.”

Meanwhile, Minister Smith was talking up the importance of the Irish agri-food sector at last week’s

Ireland the Food Island Awards.

“The Irish food industry is deeply embedded in the Irish economy and is vital to our future. It draws on our natural resources and the expertise of key market players to produce nearly one third of the net export earnings from primary and manufacturing industry which are so vital to our economy,’ he said.

‘‘As a sector where huge investment has been made in high standards of food safety and quality, it is also well placed to continue to contribute to the food security of millions beyond WOT EsDOLem

“Developing strong business rela- tionships through the supply chain, leveraging the capability in food re- search now available in the country and considering strategic consolida- tion can contribute to holding current markets and positioning the industry for growth in the new markets, which will emerge in the upturn.”

Minister Smith said the shape of the CAP post 2013 will also impact on the future of the agri-food industry. Food security and climate change will represent key global challenges requiring a strategic and joined up approach. They will also influence the ongoing work on the 2020 strat- egy for the development of the Irish agri-food sector.

THE Labour Party in Clare has ex- perienced a resurgence, as those frustrated by the political incumbent flock to the left.

A new branch of the party has been set up in Ennistymon, with the Shan- non branch expanding by 15 new members. The Ennis branch has also seen its numbers multiply.

While Labour is usually associated with the more urban areas of Clare,

rural areas are now developing branches and joining the fold.

Talks are to begin in the com- ing weeks in Kilrush with a view to forming a Labour branch for the west.

In the last number of weeks the branch in Ennis has expanded, with new members joining the party from throughout the county and lapsed members returning to the fold.

Clare County Councillor Paschal FitzGerald attributes the growing

success of the party to its leader, Eamon Gilmore TD, who is consist- ently the most popular party leader HOMO semereleuN Ame

“We plan to make the party bigger in Clare again. It is great to see peo- ple taking the initiative. I am getting calls from people from all over the county, many are interested in join- ing and many more are just interest- ed in helping out,” he said.

Secretary of the Clare Labour Party, Seamus Ryan believes that the

move towards the Labour Party sig- nals disillusionment with society and politics among the general public.

‘People recognise that Fianna Fail has let them down and there is a lack of leadership from that party,’ he Sr ntGe

‘People now feel if ordinary peo- ple don’t come out and make a stand then this cycle is going to continue.”

Labour in Clare is now planning to capitalise on the unpopularity of the Government parties and re-launched its constituency organisation at a meeting in the West County Hotel last week.

Chaired by Limerick TD Jan O’Sullivan, members from through- out the county attended to hear the message that Labour has a his- toric opportunity to make electoral progress in the next general election.

Labour has branches in Ennis, Shannon, Ennistymon and Parteen and members say it is ready to con- test the next election in every district in Clare.

The last Clare Labour TD was Dr Moosajee Bhamjee. The outspoken consultant psychiatrist was elected to the Dail in 1992.

In the local elections last June, the Labour Party retained one county council seat, two seats on Shannon Town Council and secured a seat on Ennis Town Council.

CLARE County Council has sought funding for the demolition of the Tradaree Court flats in Shannon and the project will be a priority for next year.

Town councillors were told last week the council is hopeful that the funding application, from the depart- ment, will be successful. Funding has also been sought for site suitabil- ity and feasibility studies.

Sinn Féin Councillor Cathy Mc- Cafferty raised the issue at a meet- ing of Shannon Town Council, where she called for the demolition of the flats to be discussed. “I don’t want

the same situation happening with the Tradaree flats as happened with Cluain Airne in the past,” she said.

“The front areas have overgrown to the extent they are tearing the legs off people passing. I don’t want to see the same going up again,’ she said.

Independent Councillor Gerry Flynn said some of the flats are “old and dilapidated”. He said there are more than 300 houses in that area and he would like to see a green field site there when the flats are demol- ished.

Independent Councillor Patricia McCarthy said, “I don’t know would we want that whole area a green area where we could have anti-social be-

haviour going on.”

Labour Councillor Tony McMa- hon said, “I’d be interested to know what’s the situation around these. I certainly wouldn’t like to see another structure of the same type and in the same place. I think it would be good to look at it and see could a differ- ent type of accommodation be pro- vided.”

“T believe if something gets fund- ing, it should be within an area or within the town,’ he said.

Fine Gael Councillor Mike Flem- ing said, “My biggest fear is the loca- tion where it would be removed to. The last thing I’d like to see going into an area like that would be apart-

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He said the option of building sin- gle houses, rather than apartments, should be considered.

The town manager Bernadette Kin- sella said that discussions on the fu- ture of that area were never brought to aconclusion, “but what is agreed is that they have to be demolished and that is one of our priority projects for next year”.

“What isn’t agreed is where any replacement dwellings would go. We need to carry out site feasibility and suitability studies. Any replacement development would require us to go through a consultation process,’ add- ed Ms Kinsella.

RESIDENTS in the Cronan area of Shannon are calling for a bus shelter to be put in place in their locality. The previous shelter was removed, af- ter local residents complained about anti-social behaviour in its vicinity. Councillor Mike Fleming (FG) called for the shelter to be replaced, but was told — in a written response at this month’s meeting of Shannon Town Council — that “re-erecting a bus shelter at the same location as be-

fore would not be welcomed by local residents and is therefore not recom- mended”’.

Cllr Fleming said he was not happy with the response. “An 18-page peti- tion has been filled out in that area,” he said.

He added that a survey carried out showed that 78 people use the bus Shelter in the area, most of who are old-age pensioners.

Independent Councillor Patricia McCarthy said the shelter cannot be located in the same position as it was

previously.

Cllr Tony Mulcahy (FG) said, “Somebody needs to do foot pa- trol down there and talk to the resi- Clonee

Labour Councillor Tony McMahon said that the bus service in the area is very popular. “There has to be a degree of consultation with all the parties in the area. A solution must be found and a bus shelter must be put there. If that means the council or somebody has to do surveys, that’s what needs to be done. It is the high-

est use of bus service in the town,’ JnTomcte BCG B

His party colleague, Councillor Greg Duff agreed. “I understand there 1s a need for a bus shelter there in the vicinity, not at that exact spot,’ |nTemcteBCG

Sinn Féin Councillor Cathy McCat- ferty said there is a “dire need” for a bus shelter in the Cronan area.

The mayor of Shannon, Council- lor Sean McLoughlin (FG) said he would support the suggestion that a survey be carried out.

MEMBERS of Ennis Town Council have overwhelmingly rejected a mo- tion calling for Ennis to withdraw from the RAPID scheme.

After a heated debate at last week’s meeting of Ennis Town Council, councillors voted by a margin of sev- en to two against the motion submit- ted by Cllr Michael Guilfoyle (Ind).

Cllr Guilfoyle had called for the Council to withdraw from RAPID — a government initiative that provides funding for projects in 51 urban ar- eas around Ireland — because the De- partment of Gaeltacht, Community and Social Affairs refers to them as “disadvantaged” areas.

Cllr Guilfoyle told the meeting that there was a stigma attached to the term and said it was unfair that areas of Ennis should be referred to as dis- advantaged.

Opposing the motion, Cllr Tommy Brennan (Ind) said RAPID funding had enabled the council to install and carry out numerous works projects including white lighting, all-weather pitches, panic buttons in the homes of elderly people and playgrounds.

“There 1s no such thing as disadvan- taged areas. These are all figments of Mickey’s imagination. I have no intention of denying the people of Ennis of money coming down from Dublin,” said Cllr Brennan.

Town Clerk, Eddie Power said “‘dis- advantaged” was not mentioned in the description of the RAPID pro- gramme. He said the programme had resulted in “huge investment” to benefit communities in Ennis.

Cllr Brian Meaney (GP) said he could not support a motion he de- scribed as “unfortunate”, “ill thought out and ill informed”.

‘“T do not want to be associated with

this motion” he said.

Cllr Johnny Flynn (FG) said resi- dential areas should not be referred to as disadvantaged. However he added that Ennis should continue in RAPID because it served as “mecha- nism to draw down funding”.

Cllr Guilfoyle’s motion was backed by Mayor of Ennis Frankie Neylon (Ind) who raised concerns over the structure of RAPID in Ennis.

In response, Cllr Flynn told the meeting that Ennis had been high- lighted as one of the most successful RAPID areas in the country. “As a process it is very transparent and it has been externally audited.”

Town Manager, Ger Dollard told the meeting that RAPID had been very successful in Ennis.

Clir Guilfoyle then challenged councillors to vote, angrily claiming that councillors were voting to keep people “down and living in disadvan-

taged areas’. His comments drew a stern response from Cllr Brennan, who reminded him that the motion to be voted on concerned the proposed withdrawal of Ennis from the RAP- ID programme.

The debate concluded on a stormy note with Cllr Guilfoyle referring to Cllr Meaney as “a clown”. Cllr Meaney requested that Cllr Guil- foyle provide “some background” to his comment. Cllr Guilfoyle claimed Cllr Meaney had been called a clown on local radio.

A vote was taken with seven coun- cillors — Cllr Tommy Brennan, Cllr Peter Considine, Cllr Johnny Flynn, Cllr Mary Coote Ryan, Cllr Mary Howard, Cllr Brian Meaney and Cllr Paul O’Shea — voting against. Two councillors, Cllr Michael Guillfoyle and Cllr Frankie Neylon, voted in favor of Ennis withdrawing from RAPID.

ENNIS Leisure Complex has been honoured by the leisure industry for a decade of high standards.

The centre retained its White Flag status at the annual Institute of Le1- sure and Amenity Management (ILAM) White Flag Awards in Dub- lin last month.

It marks the 10th year in a row that the centre has been awarded white flag status, a national hygiene and operational standard for leisure fa- TELA Cone

In order to receive the award, En- nis Leisure Complex was judged on facilities for disabled users, staff training and qualifications, facilities on site, services provided, swimming water quality and record keeping, re-

cycling initiatives and in-house pro- Tel Kene

Inspection visits and audits are car- ried out throughout the year to the leisure centre, by an auditor under the auspices of ILAM. Inspections on management codes of practice, policies, facilities interior and exte- rior are also carried out.

Centre manager, Jackie Coote ex- plained that management, staff and customers worked hard to achieve high marks in each category as the standards increase year after year.

She added, “Ennis Leisure Com- plex caters for all sectors of the com- munity from the younger child to the older adult. Our competitive prices reflect good value catering for stu- dents, aqua tots, teenagers, adults and golden years. We provide both

membership rates or pay as you go admission prices to the gym and the pools.”

Ennis Leisure Complex is run by Ennis Town Council and Clare County Council.

Daily usages now exceed 600 visits with clients availing of two swim- ming pools, two sauna and steam rooms, aerobics hall and large gym area.

This year’s White Flag Awards, which are supported by Ireland’s largest insurer Hibernian Aviva, were presented by Minister for State Aine Brady TD at a gala dinner hosted by RTE’s Michael Lyster in the Burling- ton Hotel, Dublin on October 23.

A record number of facilities ap- plied for the 2010 White Flag Award, with 87 leisure facilities achieving

the standard and being presented with a 2010 White Flag. Leisure fa- cilities in 23 counties were presented with the prestigious award.

Kilian Fisher, CEO of ILAM said, ‘There are over 650 leisure facilities in Ireland and the White Flag Award TEM DO Monicos 110C-D mb oer-De GRO JMmeLUr-UbIR ama er:TI any gym, swimming pool, spa or lei- sure facility must strive to achieve. It is a clear sign that the leisure facility has high standards and employs staff who operate to the industry code of practice.”

TEACHERS, students and _ local businesses have all contributed to the total revamp of the Ennistymon Vocational School playground which was officially reopened last week. Students from the nearby Mol an Oige National School were invited by the vocational school to join in the opening of the facility. The de- velopment was made possible, not only through Department of Educa- tion funding but also the efforts of local people.

Indeed, much of the work for the playground took place over the sum- mer months – with staff and students pitching in to lend a hand.

One of the centre points for the new facility is a large handball alley, com- pletely re-plastered by Barry Chap- man with the assistance of teachers and students. The alley was then dec- orated with a mural completed by art teachers Bairbre Geraghty and Edel Hogan with the help of a number of students.

A number of local businesses helped out in the fundraising effort with Daly’s Pub raising €700 on Arthur Guinness’ Day, a golf classic – sup- ported by numerous local businesses – at the Lahinch Castle Course, while the students also raised much needed finances with a sponsored walks, a run and a church gate collection.

Meanwhile, the students also used

the day to mark their participation in SEV ONE ESM oro.e

Maddie Paine from the Samaritans spoke about the Christmas shoe box appeal, while Glen Guilfoyle from Clare Youth Service spoke to the students on developing the mental health initiative and policy in the school.

Indeed the school has been making strides in this area in recent times with a welfare care team hosting weekly meetings and different coun- selling services being made available for students.

In recent weeks, a young men’s eroup has been established which allows students to talk and get help from their peers.

“We take Mental Health Week very seriously. It 1s an opportunity to fo- cus On us aS acommunity of not just teachers and students but as a group of people coming together as a unit of care and understanding,” said a school spokesperson.

“As one student remarked during last year’s Mental Health Week in the school: we are like one big fam- raed

The school also used the day to present a cheque for €200 to Patrick Bogue of Clare Crusaders. The mon- ey will go to the Clare Crusaders’ Barefield-based clinic where spe- Cialists treatment is provided to more than 120 children.

GENERAL practitioners in Clare had a bonanza last year with total payments to the county’s doctors exceeding €11 million for the first mb eaten

According to figures exclusively re- vealed to The Clare People under the Freedom of Information Act, total payments to the 41 doctors partici- pating in the scheme increased by 8 per cent on the 2007figures.

Dr Michael Kelleher’s practice in Lahinch was the top Clare earner with €379,094 in fees and €85,137

in practice support.

Three practices received over €350,000 – Dr Martin Fitzgerald who received a total of €384,077; Dr Jocelyn Ellis who received a total of €366,215 and Dr William O’Connell who received €351,602.

The figures — supplied by the HSE’s Primary Care Reimbursement Board — show that a further seven doctors received between €300,000 and €350,000. They are Dr Eugene Casey who received €346,843; Dr Patrick Bugler received €344,024; Dr Colm Hackett received €341,740; Dr Fer- gus Glynn received €321,/67, Dr

Anthony Cox received €320,968; Dr Blathneid Regan received €318,145 and Dr John O’Donnell received Sel OlsMeb ee

Eight doctors received total fees between €300,000 and €250,000 – Dr Conor Hanrahan who received €296,396; Dr Mary E O’ Sullivan re- ceived €294,311; Dr Michael Harty who received €289,177, Dr Manus Maguire who received €280,800; Dr Conor Fanning who received €272,650; Dr Raymond O’Connor who received €270,202; Dr Eoin Curtin received €269,274 and Dr Eric Carr who received €252,830.

A further 13 doctors received payments between €200,000 and €250,000, while a further 10 doctors received payments of €100,000 and €200,000 with six doctors receiving less than €100,000.

The fees set out in the HSE report are global figures and practice ex- penses have to be deducted from the amounts concerned. They reflect the cost of the provision of comprehen- SUAIoM od ISHN Um ov u-KeL NI M(ONS) MENTO MIA Leo MO LELI do not represent income for individ- ual doctors.

The practice support grants made available to doctors contribute to

the cost of the provision of practice nurses and secretaries.

They do not cover the provision of premises or other bills such as heat, light or insurance.

However, the figures do not include any payments made to GPs in respect of treating private patients.

Just over one quarter of citizens are covered by the medical card, about half are covered by private medical insurance and one quarter have no Oo

The cost of each new medical card issued by the HSE in 2008 was €1,650.