Month: July 2011

A PUBLIC meeting will be held next week to launch a Clare campaign against the introduction of flat-rate water charges before meters are installed.

The meeting is being organised by the newly formed Shannon Green Party branch. Their chairman Gerben Uunk explained why awareness of the water-charge proposals are important.

“We all remember the drastic icy winter; many citizens were left with burst water pipes in Clare and around the country. The Government relentlessly plans to introduce water charges without proper water metering in place in most Irish homes. Households are to be charged € 175, before water meters are installed,” he told The Clare People .

“Shouldn’t people on disability benefit or reliant upon social welfare be exempt from paying water charges? Householders will be forced to pay this flat-rate charge for their water for at least three years. No matter how much water you use, everyone will pay the same flat fee. That is not equitable,” Mr Uunk said.

On the agenda for the meeting which will be held in the Oakwood Arms Hotel in Shannon on Wednesday, July 20, at 7.30pm – will be the reasons why water charges are being introduced, lessons from the international experience of water charges, why it’s important to conserve drinking water, tips to help reduce the amount of water usage at home, an outline of the Green Party position on water charges and an open floor questions and answers session.

Clare TDs and senators are also being invited to the meeting to express their opinion.

MEMBERS of the public are being urged to have their say on a proposed footpath for the Quin Bridge.

Concerns have been raised over plans by Clare County Council to install a footpath on Quin Bridge.

Councillors yesterday urged the Council to consider installing a foot- path underneath the bridge rather than on the main road.

Cllr Sonny Scanlan (FG) told the a meeting of councillors in the Ennis East Electoral Area that that he is against the current proposal. He said a footpath would make the bridge too narrow and cause problems for motorists and pedestrians alike.

Cllr Pat Daly (FF) supported the call, saying that the road is “too narrow and dangerous” for a footpath. “The footpath should be underneath the bridge,” he added.

Senior Executive Engineer Eamon O’Dea told the meeting that the part eight planning process finishes on July 15 and all public submissions about the project should be in by that date.

“The manager’s report will be drafted and brought before the coun cillors for their consideration.”

Mr O’Dea said resources will be made available for the project. Ennis town manager Ger Dollard told the meeting that plans to improve pedestrian facilities at the railway bridge on the Quin Road are “tied up with the railway safety commission”.

RESIDENTS along the old N18 road between Barefield and Crusheen are “mystified” by the removal of road markings in the area, a meeting has heard.

The issue was highlighted at yesterday’s meeting of councillors in the Ennis East Electoral Area. In a motion, Cllr Brian Meaney (GP) requested that “that no road markings be removed from what was the N18 road without the consultation of elected members”.

Cllr Meaney told the meeting that residents in the area are “mystified” by the removal of a “ghost traffic island” at Ballymacona Cross. He said the removal of the traffic island was understandable given its proximity to a bend of road leading to a fly-over on the M18 Ennis / Galway road.

However he added that it “appears curious” that a traffic calming measure installed at a cost and that helped motorists when the road was busy, was removed at a cost.

Cllr Meaney acknowledged that there is an issue in relation to the speed of cars coming off the flyover.

He said that he was concerned that decisions to remove road markings were being taken on a “unilateral basis” without the knowledge of the public or elected representatives.

In his reply to Cllr Meaney’s motion, Senior Executive Engineer Eamon O’Dea stated, “The existing line marking at Ballymacona Cross on the R458 (old N18) was put in place at the end of the Ennis bypass project. The design build contractor of the Ennis bypass and their road safety auditor (and checked by the supervising engineer) required that a ghost island was installed at the Ballymacona Junction, as the dual carriageway was reducing to a single carriageway way on the N18.

Mr O’Dea added, “The N18 is now the R458 and the traffic levels has reduced on the road, the design build contractor for the Gort Crusheen project and their road safety auditor (and checked by the supervising engineer) consider that a ghost island is not required and that the lining provided complies with the required standards.”

Mr O’Dea told the meeting that he is “not happy” with the road surface or the bends leading to the fly-over.

COMMERCIAL traffic through Shannon Airport rose by 22.5 per cent last month, according to figures released by the Irish Aviation Authority.

It compares with a 3.5 per cent increase in Cork and numbers remaining static in Dublin Airport during the month of June.

There were 1,905 overflights and airport commercial movements at Shannon in June, compared with 1, 555 in June of last year.

The figures are a significant improvement on poor figures at the mid-west airport in recent months. Figures for 2010 showed that commercial traffic fell by 32.2 per cent and overall traffic at Shannon fell by 21.7 per cent.

En-route flights, which are flights transiting between Europe and North America – the majority of which do not land in Ireland – increased by 2.1 per cent, when compared to June 2010.

Spokesperson for the IAA, Lilian Cassin, said the figures are positive. “We are delighted with it. What’s more significant is the overhead flights between Europe and North America are up. That tends to be a barometer of international traffic, a barometer of how the global economy is,” she said.

She said she is hopeful that terminal traffic will increase as a followon from this.

“When the recession hit the first impact was on the en-route traffic and the terminal was after that. Hopefully this will be followed by an increase in terminal traffic,” said Ms Cassin.

According to the IAA, traffic figures for the first six months of the year are subject to distortion when compared to the first half of last year, due to the impact of the Icelandic volcanic ash crisis in April and May 2010. However, when adjustments are made to compensate for this, the en-route traffic movements for the first six months of this year show an increase of around five per cent over the same period in 2010.

A € 12.8M FLOOD defence scheme along the River Fergus from Ennis town centre to Doora Bridge has received the green light from the Government.

The Minister for Finance, Michael Noonan TD, last week signed off on funding for Phase 2 of the Ennis Drainage Scheme.

Welcoming the news, Chairman of the Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Clare TD Pat Breen said that “Phase 1 has already being completed very successfully and the works in Phase 2, which will be carried out under the auspices of the OPW, will alleviate the problems which were caused by flooding in Ennis in December 2009. The area covered will be from Bank Place in the town right down to Doora Bridge.

“It is very good news for the town of Ennis. When this work is completed it should prevent further flooding which has caused a lot of hardship in December 2009,” he added.

The scheme is expected to be officially launched by Minister for State Brian Hayes in Ennis on Friday.

Part of the scheme, which involves the construction of a walkway and handrail along the left riverbank in Fergus Park to Knox’s bridge, has been opposed by local residents.

Members of the Fergus Park Residents Association are concerned that the proposed handrail will encourage anti-social behaviour and the ease of access to the back of 20 houses in the area.

In a report to Ennis Town Council on the Ennis Flood Relief Scheme, Town Engineer Eamon O’Dea said the OPW anticipates work will begin on phase two in September.

He explained that the tender assessment procedure for the Lough Girroga Flood Relief Scheme (Gort Road Industrial Estate) has been completed and work should start in August.

He stated that final design details for flood relief works at Fioruisce have to be confirmed with the OPW. The Council is also proceeding with the part 8 planning procedure at Watery Road / Elm Park Flood Relief Scheme. Mr O’Dea said the matter should be before the Council at the September meeting. He added that detailed design has commenced at St Flannan’s Tobertascáin – Ballybeg flood relief works.

A NORTH Clare publican will this week install a lotto style “big wheel” into his pub which will allow his patrons to decide how much they have to pay for their booze.

The big wheel will be the latest in a series of recent new arrivals at The Roadside Tavern in Lisdoonvarna, who are also preparing to officially launch a series of home-brewed Burren drinks and Ireland first pub loyalty card later this month.

According to the pubs owner Peter Curtin, the three new Burren brews, the big wheel and the loyalty card is being introduced as a way of keeping his family pub alive.

“The pub trade in Ireland is in a tailspin. I am interested in learning new things and trying things. I’ll be 58 at my next birthday and I don’t want to have to close the door of this pub. This is a family pub and I’m happy to do what need to be done to keep it going,” said Peter.

“The loyalty card system is the first of its kind in Ireland. People can come along a Burren Brewery Club member, once they are over 18 and drinks responsibly. When someone buys something in the pub they get points on their card and after awhile they can claim back produce for their points.”

On Sunday, July 21, the three new Burren Brews will be launched with a day-long celebration at the Roadside Tavern. The day will also see the official launch of Burren Brew- ery’s Loyalty Card and the world’s first pub spin-the-wheel machine.

“This will be the first pub in the world to have a big wheel. All the Burren Brewery Club members can come in and choose to pay the display price of the produce or they can spin the wheel,” continued Peter.

“The wheel will have a € 4 slot, a € 3.50 slot, a € 3 slot and so on down and whatever the ball falls on – that’s what they pay. There will also be a euro symbol on the wheel and if it falls on that they will pay the regular price and also pay € 1 towards a local charity.”

Peter has developed three Burren Brews with the Brendan Dobbyns who was involved in setting up of the Biddy Early Brewery in Inagh. From July 21, the Roadside Tavern will unveil the Burren Black, a smooth stout, the Burren Red which is slightly sweet ale and the Burren Gold which is a characterful lager.

THE Cliffs of Moher is in line to reclaim Ireland’s top tourism spot and once again become the most visited tourist attraction in the country.

The iconic cliffs have seen a massive turnaround in visitor numbers in recent months, which could see them leapfrog other attractions such as Dublin Zoo, the Guinness Storehouse and the National Gallery and into first place.

Visitor numbers for the first six months of 2011 have increased by 19 per cent compared to the same period in 2010. A total of 345,398 people visited the tourism location so far this year. Typically, the second half of the year is busier than the first six months, meaning that visitor numbers could be close to 800,000 for 2011.

Should this trend continue, it could bring visitor numbers back to the previous high of 2007 – the year that the Cliffs of Moher Visitors Experience was first set up.

“We are delighted with the significant increase in visitor numbers to the cliffs this year. The increase is especially noteworthy considering the poor weather conditions experienced in May and June in particular,” said Katherine Webster, Director of the Cliffs of Moher.

“The provision of visitor facilities, such as the exhibition centre and our new café, have ensured that the Cliffs of Moher is further establishing itself as an attractive year-round visitor destination, irrespective of the weather conditions.”

Nine jobs have also just been created at the Cliffs of Moher through the opening of a new style café, the Cliffs View Café. The Cliffs of Moher Centre now employs a total of 50 people, making it one of the largest employers in north Clare.

“The Cliffs View Café is operated by Cliffs of Moher Centre Ltd and the focus is on good value and locally sourced food. The café is focusing on offering a selection of the fantastic local food products available in County Clare and includes local spring water, cheeses, baked goods, smoked fish, ice-cream and fruit and vegetables among the fare on offer. The café can seat 100 and free WiFi is on offer throughout the area,” continued Katherine. A € 200,000 community astro-turf facility will be officially opened in Tulla tonight. The 60×40 pitch is located at Tulla United’s Cragg home grounds and represents the latest step in the club’s emergence as a new power in Clare soccer. Forty qualified coaches cater for an estimated 200 underage players at Tulla United, while the club’s junior team enjoyed a promising return to the Premier League last year, finishing in fifth place and narrowly losing out to Avenue United in the semi-final of Clare Cup. Perhaps the club’s most visible imprint on Clare soccer could be seen in their contribution to the county’s youths team, which this year contested the semi-final of the All-Ireland inter youths league for the first time since 1971. Tulla players Daragh Corry, Niall Whelan, Paraic O’Malley and Thomas McKeown were all key members of the Clare panel that was managed by their fellow clubman, Mike Moloney. Moloney returns to club duties alongside Denis Corry for the coming season, replacing the long serving Barry Murphy as junior team manager. With final preparations underway ahead of the FAI visit, club chairman Mike Hoey last week paid tribute to the progress being made by Tulla at underage and adult level. He said, “The schoolboys have done well over the years and have been unlucky in a number of competitions. It has really brought the club on. Some of those players have come onto the A team. It has really made a big difference. We went up to the Premier last year. It’s nice to see young fellas come through.” The completion of new astro-turf facilities also brings to an end an eight-year project of re-development

at the Cragg.

Hoey explained, “We bought the land in 2004 and started reclaiming it in 2005. The grass pitches were developed in 2006. It was left for 12 months to mature and was opened in May 2008. We are absolutely thrilled and very proud of it.”

Work on the astro-turf project was carried out in conjunction with the local community council and was backed by LEADER funding. Hoey added, “It is part and parcel of the parish. Other clubs will avail of it. We have rugby, hurling, football and camogie that will be taking part in it. It has been well supported by everybody.”

Tulla’s underage structure was reinvigorated in the early part of the last decade. The club now fields teams at under 11, 12 and 14 as well as operating a blitz tournament for children aged seven and nine. Hoey is equally enthusiastic about the progress of the club’s girls teams.

He said, “This is their first really serious season at it. We had a team back in the early ‘90s but it disbanded. It’s good to see them back now. They have a big panel. And they also have an under 12 panel of players playing friendly games during the week. To see all those youngsters come along, it’s fantastic”.

Tulla has also been earmarked by the FAI as a potential site for an Ireland schoolboy international.

Hoey said, “‘Tis a very proud day for the club to hear that. We’re just waiting on clarification. They (FAI) are trying to work in a suitable date that would suit their home and away fixtures. It would be nice to get it. It would be great for the whole of Clare to see an Irish team in action.”

ARRANGEMENTS have been made to transport the bodies of French couple Michel and Jacqueline Lacave after the pair died in a tragic road accident on the Clare and Galway border last Wednesday.

The elderly couple, who are understood to come from Pontvallain, just outside Le Mans in the north-west of France, were on a sightseeing holiday in the Burren when the accident took place.

The 77-year-old man, Michel, was driving a motorcycle with his 66year-old wife Jacqueline as his pillion passagener when the accident took place between Ballyvaughan and Kinvara on the N67.

The accident took place at an area known as Roo Demesne, right on the Clare/Galway border, when the motorcycle collided with a car while trying to negotiate a difficult bend in the road.

The French couple were pronounced dead at the scene while the people travelling in the car – two adults and two children – were uninjured but shaken.

Two units of the fire brigade from Gort and an ambulance from Galway attended the scene and the road was closed off for some time while gardaí conducted a forensic examination of the scene.

It is understood that the motorbike had difficulty taking one of the large bends at Roo Demesne and collided with the car, which was travelling in the opposite direction.

ONE of Ennis’s most historic buildings may be saved from collapse, courtesy of representations which have resulted in an € 85,000 grant.

But the shelving of a funding system, which was in place up to this year, means that Clare will lose grant aid for other historic structures, according to Dick Cronin, Architectural Conservation Officer with Clare County Council.

Last week, Clare got the highest single allocation in the country under the new Heritage Structures at Risk fund, with € 85,000 being allocated for urgent repairs to the 16th century McParlands, home of the former Bishop of Killaloe.

The house, at the corner of Chapel Lane and Parnell Street, which was built between 1580 and 1620 incorporates a large tripple-stack Jacobean chimney had to be shored up and made safe last year when it became clear that it could collapse.

“The whole gable is leaning more than a metre off the perpendicular and it is in very poor structural condition. This is not only a particularly important mediaeval building – it is also an historically important structure, having been the home of Dr Barrett, the Catholic Bishop of Killaloe, in the late 1700s and also the home of Harriet Smithson, who achieved fame as an actress in Europe and married the classical composer, Hector Berlioz. The house is an icon of mediaeval Ennis and with other recently discovered features, helps to date the whole town centre of Ennis,” Dick Cronin told The Clare People .

The conservation officer said that he is delighted that the grant application was successful. But the reality is that a huge slice of Clare’s architectural heritage and an important aspect of the county’s tourism attraction is in danger of being lost. One in five important structures are in urgent need of repair, he said.

“We have more than 900 buildings on the Record of Protected Structures in Clare and about 20 per cent of those are in need of help. Until this year there was grant aid available under the Conservation Grant Scheme, allowing us to assist in the repair of about 25 buildings each year, but this scheme has been shelved by the department for 2011 with no guarantee that it will be re-instated.

This shelving will result in loss of State revenue through VAT, taxes and PRSI, the loss of important historic buildings and indeed the loss of many traditional building skills, such as masonry, lime rendering and thatching, which evolved over generations and will now dissappear due to unemployment, emmigration and career changes.”

AN AVERAGE of 14 people have taken their own lives in Clare in each of the last five years, according to official figures received from the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

The figures show that the number of suicides in the county reached a 10-year-high in 2007, the first year of the recession, and numbers have remained high in each of the subsequent three years.

The figures also show a massive gender split in the numbers taking their own lives in Clare, with 57 men taking their own lives over the past five years compared to just 15 women.

Shocking as these figures are, they would surely be a lot worse if it wasn’t for the good work being undertaken by a number of worthy organisations on the ground.

For organisations in the front-line against depression and isolation, such as Clare Youth Services, the key can often be to tackle a problem before it becomes too serious, rather than waiting until the situation has gotten out of control.

“When people think of the area of mental health, they think about a sit- uation where things have gotten very serious. But if you look at a youth club, there could be volunteers there talking to young people, treating them like an adult and making connections with them and that could help that young person in the future,” said Brian McManus, who works with Clare Youth Services to encourage youth clubs and youth cafés to open up around the county.

“We are there at that level and just simply having a connection or an involvement with someone might be enough to help them get over a problem.

“Adolescence can be a difficult time and if you have nowhere to go then it can be difficult to change that. But if you have a safe space, like a youth club or a youth café, then maybe there will be a chance for a person to get past a little problem before it becomes a big problem.”

Clare Youth Services cannot offer a counselling services to all the young people involved in a youth club or other organisation.

However, some young people who are involved in the Community Training Centre service can obtain counselling through their participation in that scheme.