Month: January 2011

WITH just six days until the Fianna Fáil convention, the party which was traditionally considered the political strong hold in Clare is struggling to even find candidates.

Fianna Fáil has been thrown into further turmoil with the retirement of Minister Tony Killeen (FF), leaving sitting TD Timmy Dooley as the only sure candidate prior to the convention.

The number of candidates to be selected on Sunday is also unclear, with no direction as yet from the party’s head office.

Up to last Wednesday the party was scouring west Clare for a third candidate, sure that its two sitting TDs would again contest the General Election.

Now just days before the convention, and it is not only struggling to find the much talked about candidate from the west, but any candidate that will appeal universally to a very disgruntled electorate.

As Minister Killeen stepped down early indications were that the party were Keane to return to the Daly days, with five names to the fore solicitor and Kilkee native Marina Keane, who has repeatedly refused any approach to run; former Clare hurling star and Dublin manager Anthony Daly; Ronan Daly, son of former TD Brendan Daly; Eire Óg football manager and former Lissycasey footballer Martin Daly, and Ennis councillor Pat Daly (FF).

Anthony Daly was quick to rule out a career in politics, preferring to leave his running to Dublin hurling training sessions.

Cllr Pat Daly, who has worked closely with Minister Killeen for more than 18 years, is also thought to be out of the running on medical grounds.

Other possible candidates being suggested since the stepping down of Killeen are three Fianna Fáil members from the north of the county or with strong connections with the area.

Among those suggested is Dr John Hillery, son of the late president Dr Patrick Hillery and former president of the Irish Medical Council.

The Dublin-based medic still retains strong ties with his ancestral home.

Inagh woman Michelle Moroney, who contested the local election for the party in 2009 is seen as another contender, but many favour Spanishpoint school principal Mary Crawford.

The principal at St Joseph’s Secondary School would be strongly supported not only by the Killeen camp, but also the Daly camp if Ronan Daly was not to contest the election.

The north Clare woman would also provide an ideal geographical location for the party if she were to be selected.

In the west of the county Coora- clare county councillor Bill Chambers is also in the running as a candidate, with many hoping CEO of the Ennis Chamber of Commerce Rita McInerney will return to the Fianna Fáil fold to run as a candidate, having ran as an independent candidate in the local elections.

While Minister for Defence Tony Killeen (FF) is confident that with the right candidates selected Fianna Fáil can retain two seats, many within the party are preparing for a difficult and disappointing election.

Sources close to the party say that as of the beginning of this week finding candidates for the convention is proving difficult, without even looking as far ahead as the general election.

DETAILS of the 2011 Ennis Book Club Festival will be announcned in the Old Ground Hotel, Ennis tonight, Tuesday, January 11, at 7.30pm.

The festival will run at venues around Ennis from March 6-11. The programme will include authors’ readings, lectures, music, workshops, exhibitions and more.

Among the contributors to last year’s festival were Lionel Shriver, prolific journalist and Orange Prizewinning author and Joseph O’Connor, journalist, screenwriter and author of ten Irish number one bestsellers

Supported by Clare County Library, the three-day programme of events is expected to attract hundreds of Book Club members and book lovers from all over Europe and North America. The festival programme features author visits, readings, lectures and workshops, exhibitions, walking history tours, musical entertainment and chocolate tasting in various venues around Ennis.

It also includes a ‘Book Club of the Year Award’ and a professional development workshop for library staff.

The winning Book Club (up to a maximum of six people) will receive a prize of free weekend passes to festival events and overnight accommodation at the Temple Gate Hotel in Ennis.

The inaugural Ennis Book Club Festival was held in 2007. Past participants have included Patrick McCabe, John Boyne, Carlo Gébler, Edna O’Brien, Joanne Harris, Brian Keenan and Roddy Doyle.

Previous festivals have also attracted literary enthusiasts from all over North America and Europe, including members from many of Ireland’s 150 Library Book Clubs and more than 300 Private Book Clubs, thus proving that literature and books are still thriving in Ireland.

LANDOWNERS have welcomed a decision by Clare County Council to implement the council’s existing Wind Energy Strategy as part of the County Development Plan 20112017.

There was a near unanimous vote in favour of keeping the current wind energy strategy, as proposed by Councillor Brian Meaney (Green), at yesterday’s monthly meeting of Clare County Council.

Cllr Meaney had urged the council not to amend its current wind energy strategy, as it would jeopordise the viability of many proposed windfarm projects in Clare.

Cllr Michael Begley (Ind) said the council had to decide if it wanted to have a wind energy policy that was “likely to happen or an aspirational one”. He said that under the revised strategy proposed in the County Development Plan, many areas identified as potential wind farm locations would be significantly reduced or completely eliminated.

Cllr Martin Conway (FG) criticised the role of the Department of the Environment, who had sought changes to strategy. He said the proposed changes were a “classic example of Big Brother” trying to interfere with a locally formulated policy.

Cllr Cathal Crowe (FF) said that any downgrading of the strategy would “significantly reduce chances of employment” in many areas of Clare.

Cllr James Breen (Ind) said, “At the same time that the economy is struggling we can’t do anything that will hinder employment.”

Landowners from east Clare, who are seeking to develop a wind farm in an area between Broadford and Ardnacrusha, sat in the council gallery while the vote was taken.

After a majority of councillors voted in favour of keeping the existing wind energy strategy, one landowner told The Clare People of his relief at the decision.

He said, “We felt that the original plan that was in place was acceptable to us and now there was an amendment coming. Amendments at this stage are changing the goalpost com- pletely. There was an amount of time and energy put in at that stage. We were happy that we could go ahead with planning a wind farm in our area, or go towards planning one.

“If a decision is made, we need to stay with that particular decision. The amendments that were being proposed would have made it a lot more difficult to proceed with a viable unit.”

Over 30 landowners in the Broadford, Ardnacrusha area are seeking to form a co-op to develop a windfarm over a “large area”.

Another landowner, who did not wish to be named, remarked, “It’s tied down to farmers setting up a co-op in the area. It’s about the local community, local jobs.”

THE water supply situation in County Clare has now stabilised and is back to normal, according to Clare County Council.

The local authority said yesterday that as of January 10, 2011, there would be no further planned shut offs of the water supply in any part of the county.

Water tanks are still available at The Promenade in Lahinch and the County Council offices in Ennistymon.

A spokesperson said, “The council would advise persons to remain vigilant in respect of water supplies to vacant properties and land as water demand is still high. As usual, the council appeals to the public to conserve water at all times. The council would like to thank the public for its understanding response to the water supply situation over the last two weeks.”

At yesterday’s monthly meeting of Clare County Council, County Manager Tom Coughlan praised the efforts of council staff, many of whom, he said, had worked for free to repair water supply problems last December.

Mr Coughlan told the meeting that a total of 200 people had been involved in the council’s response to problems that emerged following extreme cold weather conditions. He explained that Clare had experienced three periods of severe weather over the past 14 months and that while some staff were paid for their work, many had responded on a “goodwill basis”.

He said that in a lot of cases, council staff were experiencing their own water supply problems at home while at the same time attempting to alleviate difficulties encountered by the wider public.

Mr Coughlan said someone had remarked to him that a lot of the criti- cism levelled at the public service had “died down” over the last two months.

He added that it appeared to be “open season” on public servants for 10 months of the year, but in periods of water supply shortages and busy accident and emergency units, criticism is far less vocal.

“It’s just a comment that was made to me. I’m not saying I agree with it”, said Mr Coughlan.

He said the council’s response to crisis had been formulated prior to freezing weather, and had been de- livered “on the ground” through local area offices.

There was also unanimous praise for council workers from councilors and officials at the January meeting of Ennis Town Council.

Town Manager Ger Dollard told the meeting that the council’s helpline had logged 500 calls a day since December 20, 2010, and that 360 leaks had been repaired in Ennis since December 26.

Town Engineer Eamon O’Dea said there had been a huge increase in demand for water use in Ennis resulting in production at the Ennis Water Treatment Plant reaching almost 20,000 cubic metres on December 27.

Normal demand in the Ennis area is 15,000 cubic metres. Mr O’Dea said the council had turned off water in almost 70 unoccupied premises and businesses in Ennis.

He said that during the supply shortage period, Clarecastle, including the Roche pharmaceutical plant, received water from Ennis and west Clare.

THE development of a hydro-power facility at the Old Mill in Ennis could be used to supply the electricity requirements of recreational facilities and of the wider community in Ennis, a meeting has heard.

Last week local councillors urged Ennis Town Council to consider renewable forms of energy to supply power to the Ennis Leisure Complex and the Lees Road Sports and Amenity Park.

Cllr Brian Meaney (GP) told the January meeting of Ennis Town Council that the “significant infrastructure” in place at the Old Mill could be utilised to generate power, of which the nearby Ennis Leisure Complex “would be a willing customer”.

He said the mill had been identified as a potential source of hydropower in a report carried out by the Limerick Clare Energy Agency.

According to the report, ‘Micro Hydro Electricity Potential in County Clare’, the mill has the potential to produce 259 megawatts per hour.

The report estimates that it would cost € 216,000 to develop suitable turbine facilities at the mill.

The report states, “Because of the central location of the proposed site, and the high volume of traffic that passes through daily, a hydro-power development at this location would give a very strong indication of support for the micro-hydro industry in County Clare. The historical location of the mill reflects the excellent hydro resource at this point, downstream of the confluence of the Claureen and Fergus rivers. The theoretical average power of the river is 240kW.”

Pat Stephens of the Limerick Clare Energy Agency explained, “We looked at six commercial and six domestic micro-hydro projects. There are already one or two projects out there in the county; The Falls Hotel is one. What we looked at, essentially, was if you were to try and re-establish the one in Ennis, what would it cost and how much energy would it generate. There’s potential there for it.”

Cllr Meaney also urged the council to consider the development of a 500-megawatt wind turbine at Lees Road. Noting that the acceptance of such a project would depend on the outcome of a cost-benefit analysis, Cllr Meaney said a wind turbine would meet energy needs at Lees Road and also serve to “landmark the site”.

Cllr Johnny Flynn (FG) told the meeting that 60 per cent of the hot water required at Ennis Leisure Complex could be met by the installation of solar panels in the complex’s south-facing roof. He said the remaining demand could be met through the use of woodchip burners.

ENNIS STUDENT Katie Drennan knows better than most the importance of the adult Cystic Fibrosis Out Patient Unit which makes up part of the € 10.5 million development unveiled yesterday (Monday).

Twenty-year-old Katie (pictured above), a second year Business Studies student at the University of Limerick, was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) when she was just shy of her third birthday.

Her 19-year-old brother Jordan also has CF.

“The difference this new development will make for my quality of life and for many other CF patients is difficult to summarise,” she explained.

“Over the past 20 years I’ve had a lot of experience of the Irish hospi- tal system, some of it good and some quite difficult. I’ve spent a lot of time as an in-patient in the Mid Western Regional Hospital, in Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin and in St Vincent’s Hospital. This wonderful new facility will improve the lives for all Cystic Fibrosis patients in the mid-west region.

“The benefits of such a unit are many. It means we will not have to travel to other CF centres in Dublin to receive our treatment. We will not have to endure long hospital stays away from home. We will no longer fear the risk of cross-infection when we attend the hospital for treatments.

“Such a unit will also benefit our families, as long-term absence from the home due to frequent hospital stays can sometimes be very diffi- cult, and the absence from our families and friends can sometimes be the hardest to deal with,” she said.

“The importance of an isolation facility cannot be over emphasised enough and the recent appointment of Dr Brian Casserly as the first Adult CF Specialist Consultant in Limerick is a major step forward.

“TLC4CF hopes that this new unit will also mean that CF patients attending the Mid Western Regional Hospital will not have to go through A&E to be admitted to hospital, which has always been detrimental to CF suffers health, due to the high risks of cross-infection.

“With the continuous help of TLC4CF all CF patients attending the hospital won’t have to endure the dangerous and inadequate services that previously existed,” said Katie.

IT HAS BEEN hailed as the building that will fill the significant gaps in the mid-west’s health system.

Yesterday (Monday) the HSE unveiled a € 10.5 million development of specialist health services at the Mid Western Regional Hospital.

The development is aimed at filling significant gaps in the provision of specialist services including cystic fibrosis, neurology, stroke, dermatology and symptomatic breast disease.

The purpose built six-storey building on the hospital’s Dooradoyle campus represents a united effort from the Mid Western Hospitals Development Trust, the Parkinson’s Association and the Cystic Fibrosis Association of Ireland.

Planning permission for the development was received on December 23, 2010. Construction is due to begin in June 2011 and the various components of the project are expected to be operational by January 2013.

Construction costs are estimated to be € 10.5 million and additional funding is available for equipment.

Louis Creaven, Chairperson of the Mid Western Hospitals Development Trust, said, “Pressure on public finances means that the work of bodies such as the Parkinson’s Association of Ireland and Cystic Fibrosis Association of Ireland, TLC4CF Mid-West Branch of Cystic Fibrosis Association and the Mid-Western Hospitals Development Trust, is today more important than ever in meeting the gaps in the public health service.”

The much needed development will provide for patients from Clare, Limerick and North Tipperary, and will include a specialised Cystic Fibrosis Out-patients Unit with five treatment rooms and an in-patient unit with nine en suite rooms.

A Neurological Unit to cater for 11 neurological conditions will also be included to cater for the very young with epilepsy, all ages with Parkinson’s Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Motor Neuron Disease and the more common condition of stroke.

Complex technical treatments will be provided in a special six-bed unit. Overall the unit will serve some 5,000 patients.

A Dermatology Outpatient Centre will also be added to bring all dermatology services together at one location and to act as a focus for dramatic improvements in services for dermatology patients throughout the region. As many as 6,280 dermatology patients were seen in the Mid West Regional Hospital in 2010.

A Symptomatic Breast Specialist Unit to consolidate services which are at present fragmented in different areas of the hospital will complete the development.

As many as 5, 500 new patients and return patients were seen in 2009 at

PROJECTS LIKE the € 10.5 million development of specialist health services at the Mid Western Regional Hospital have become possible thanks to the support of the Mid Western Hospitals Development Trust and the assistance of its philanthropists, and the hard work of charities supporting the health services.

Founded in 1986 the trust has raised well in excess of € 16 million for public hospitals in the region. The trust has benefited from the support accrued from the JP McManus Invitational Pro-Am’s since 1990.

Chairperson of the Mid Western Hospitals Development Trust Louis Creavan explained, “This funding makes such a significant impact on developing health services in this region. We also sincerely thank the public for their committed support and tremendous generosity over so many years to the Trust. The money so generously donated has provided specialist equipment and services such as CAT scanners, a radiotherapy centre, Cath laboratory, MRI centre, hydrotherapy centre, urology, renal, endovascular, intensive care, neurology and ophthalmology equipment.”

In addition to the € 16 million already spent on equipment for midwest based public hospitals, the Mid-Western Hospitals Development Trust is now providing a € 4 million construction costs Dermatology Unit and Specialist Breast Unit. This unit, which is part of the € 10.5 million initiative, will dramatically change the way dermatologic and breast care disease services can be delivered to patients in the mid-west region.

“We are delighted to be associated with the Parkinson’s Association of Ireland and Cystic Fibrosis Association – TLC4CF – in setting a new headline for health service development,” aid Mr Creavan.

Una Anderson Ryan, Chairperson of the Parkinson’s Association said, “It is impossible to describe the dif- ference the new Neurological Unit, which includes an Acute Stroke Unit, will make to the lives of so many of our members and their families. A unit like this should be provided in every hospital in the country. Some patients have very difficult symptoms that require privacy and the smaller wards and private rooms will provide this. Overall, the new unit will be an invaluable resource that will make a significant difference in improving patient care and quality of life.”

Owen Kirby, chairperson of TLC4CF, added, “This is a very positive move and a critical next step in TLC4CF’s goal of achieving a world class facility for CF Adults in the Mid Western Regional Hospital. TLC4CF would also like to acknowledge the other very positive fact that the staff complement at MWRH dedicated to CF patients has increased as part of our overall drive.”

“The number of adult CF patients attending MWRH is increasing all the time as people living with CF are surviving longer. There is a dedicated Paediatric CF team at this hospital, but at present the facilities in the mid-west for adults with CF are very basic, which is why this announce- ment is so important.”

NEW anti-bullying legislation was last week enacted in thousands of public schools in Massachusetts, just days before the one year anniversary of the tragic death of Fanore teenager Phoebe Prince.

In total 390 or the state’s 393 public school districts began enforcing the new legislation, known as Phoebe’s Law, in schools when they returned from their Christmas break last week.

Fanore teenager Phoebe Prince took her life on January 14, 2010, after suffering a prolonged period of bullying at the hands of a number of schoolmates at South Hadley High School in Massachusetts.

This new anti-bullying law is designed to protect victims of bullying and will draw a legal link between bullies and the actions carrier out by the people who they bully.

Speaking on American television last week Phoebe’s aunt, Eileen Moore, said the best way to get justice for Phoebe was to speak out against bullying and raise awareness of suicide and suicide prevention.

“We are coping how any family copes when it has been affected by tragedy: You do the best you can as many other people are trying to do in their own life,” she said.

“I think there has been some change in peoples attitudes to bullying [since Phoebe’s death] but it is in people’s awareness of suicide and suicide prevention that people need to be more aware.

“Our children are in desperate pain. The rate of suicide has increased to the point where it’s the second or third highest cause of death among teenagers. We are not listening or we are not hearing their pain. We need to start a conversation.

“I feel that the school has let these kids take full responsibility for their actions – there are many facets to this and need to look at every aspect of this.

“I think that the truest justice for Phoebe is to speak out on her behalf against the despair and the pain that our children are holding inside and to make it better for another child. We need to better.”

Felony charges have been brought against six South Hadley High School students in relation to Phoebe’s death. Separate pre-trial hearings for all six students took place in October and November and full trials are expected to take place in the coming months.

SIXMILEBRIDGE Mart could reopen in as little as three months following the decision by a large local consortium to purchase the mart from Golden Vale Properties (GVP) at last Thursday’s public meeting in the town.

An estimated 400 people turned out for the meeting where the bid to purchase the mart was given the unanimous support by those in attendance.

This move comes following the surprise move by GVP to drop the asking price for the mart, which has been closed for more than a year, to € 300,000 last month.

The five-man purchasing committee, who were given the responsibility of negotiating with GVP on behalf of the local community, will now go “full steam ahead” to push through the paperwork in an effort to get the mart up and running again by March or April of this year.

“There was really only one thing up for debate and that was whether we wanted to go ahead with purchasing the mart or not. In this we got the unanimous backing of everyone who was there,” said local farmer Jim Enright.

“Everyone now wants to get this up and going as quickly as possible. It is full steam ahead from here on out and we are hoping to have the mart up and running by March or April. We have done what we needed to do and now it’s about getting the paper work sorted as quickly as possible and getting the mart ready to go.”

While hundred of farmers and local residents have already signed up to be shareholders in the new mart, it is hoped that more people will come on board in the coming weeks.

Mr Enright continued, “We are delighted with how this worked out. There was great support for the project, both from the local community and also from the wider farming community. This was a real community effort – we have people involved from across five or six local parishes.

“We had a sale of shares last year and a lot of people have already bought into the mart. What we need now is for anyone who is interested to come forward and become a shareholder.

“If people do become shareholders we feel that they will be more loyal to the mart and will be more likely to use it. A lot of people also promised that they would come on board if the deal went through and now is the time for that to happen.”