Month: January 2012

A COMMUNITY united in grief around the Lavery family yesterday as they said goodbye to their “little angel” Maureen. Parts of Ennis came to a halt as family, friends and colleagues bade farewell to a woman recalled as a true inspiration.

The 27-year-old beautician passed away at the weekend following a brave battle with cancer. Mourners lined O’Connell Street and the steps to the Ennis Cathedral as Maureen embarked on her final journey.

Fr Fergal O’Neill, who presided over the funeral mass, said the huge number of people who attended to pay their respects illustrated just how popular and highly regarded Maureen was. Fr O’Neill said the deep sense of sadness would make people wonder, “It isn’t fair that Maureen was taken so young.”

Moving tributes were paid to Maureen, a former student of Holy Family National School and Coláiste Muire. The service heard that after leaving school, Maureen graduated with top honours as a beautician from Pembroke College. From there she worked at Normoyle’s Chemist, Brown Thomas and Rochford’s Chemist.

Her academic excellence was such, recalled Fr O’Neill, that the college was keen for her to extend her studies. He recalled the first time he met Maureen a year ago and how he was struck by her positive and amazing personality and strong willpower. He said she was a remarkable young woman who never complained about her illness.

Friends said Maureen was a person of tremendous loyalty and companionship. The service heard how she fought her battle against cancer with “determination and grace”.

The daughter of John and Mairead Lavery, Maureen was described as a loving daughter, cherished sister and devoted aunt. Her friends recalled Maureen’s fun-loving personality and sense of mischief, her dedication to her work at Rochford’s and her deep and abiding faith in angels.

There was an outpouring of emotion online with family and friends posting tender tributes and offering their condolences to the Lavery family. Friends described her as “beautiful, kind and amazing person”. Another poster recalled Maureen as one of the nicest people you could hope to meet.

She will be sadly missed by her parents, siblings Sarah, Michael and Aaron, boyfriend Barry, extended family and many friends.

A BUSINESS offering to manufacture prototypes at cost for entrepreneurs and a 12-month free office lease are just some of the ways one business is helping other businesses to grow, despite the current economic climate.

The initiative was welcomed this week by the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and the Shannon Chamber of Commerce.

Connor Winfield Ltd, in association with Irish Executives Network, have offered entrepreneurs developing products in the electronic hardware field to have up to 20 prototypes manufactured at cost at its manufacturing facility in Shannon.

The company has also offered one entrepreneur the opportunity to avail of office accommodation, free of rent, for 12 months at the Shannon facility.

“We hope, through these actions, to not only assist, in a small way, Ireland in our national recovery process, but also to inspire other businesses, whether multi-national, like ourselves, or indigenous to reach out and support business development in Ireland in a similar way,” said a spokesperson for the company.

“This is a great example of how Irish-based businesses and leadership can make a difference. What John O’Connell (Managing Director) and his team are providing is so crucial, and so important to both recovery and nurturing the next generation of entrepreneurs,” sais John Keogh, founder and president of Irish Executives Network.

Community support for job creation, such as The Clare People ’s free jobs advertisement service and the Conor Winfield Ltd Imitative, was welcomed by the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton (FG), and encouraged by the Shannon Chamber of Commerce.

Minister Bruton told The Clare People that communities and businesses had huge roles to play in job creation. “It is often quoted that if people diverted € 4 a week of their spending to locally produced goods, you would create 6,000 jobs,” he said.

Shannon Chamber President, Damian Gleeson said that business supporting business was necessary for maintaining indigenous and multi-national companies and jobs.

“The onus is on everyone to encourage entrepreneurial endeavour. Businesses need to start playing their part,” he told members of the chamber at their annual lunch.

During the lunch, he raised concerns with Minister Bruton about the lack of support for existing companies. “It is now down to the Government to play its part in tackling local government costs and reduce redundancy cost charges to help sustain existing businesses,” he said.

DOOLIN residents and members of the local surfing community will come face-to-face this Wednesday following the decision by Clare County Council to host a public consultation event as part of the new planning process for the controversial development of the Doolin Pier.

There has been some animosity between the two groups since the surfers succeeded in delaying the construction of the pier last year by appealing to An Bord Pleanála to force Clare County Council to produce a complete Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

With scores of local surfers lodging objections to the planning process for the pier and more than 60 Doolin residents attending at Clare County Council when the Part 8 planning permission was decided, this Wednesday’s meeting is likely to be well attended on both sides.

The Lahinch-based West Coast Surf Club say that the design for pier will impact on the famous wave at Crab Island, just off Doolin, while the local community in Doolin say the pier could open Doolin up as a major gateway to the Aran Island and create hundreds of jobs locally.

Clare County Council is currently mid-way through preparing an EIS in relation to the pier and will have to submit this statement to an Bord Pleanála for approval before any work can begin on the € 5 million project. Clare County Council’s senior engineer Tom Tiernan said that alternative options for the pier are being considered.

“The council recognises the importance of facilitating public consultation and considering fully the views of the various stakeholders,” he said.

“The Doolin Pier Project is a critically important piece of infrastructural development for the North Clare area and will serve to significantly enhance the tourism industry in both North Clare and the Aran Islands in future years.

“All submissions will be considered in detail along with all of the other pertinent detail collated by the council’s consultants. This will ultimately lead to the selection of one option, which in turn will become the proposal to which the Environmental Impact Assessment refers. Once the pier option to be proposed in association with the Environmental Impact Assessment is confirmed, the overall proposal will be submitted to An Bord Pleanála for determination.”

The public consultation event will take place at Hotel Doolin, this Wednesday, January 25, from 3pm to 8pm.

THE success story of the pioneering Seol Sionna project in West Clare has been recognized nationally as the traditional boat building initiative has been short-listed for a major community award.

The Department of Education sponsored Star Awards that celebrate adult learning initiatives throughout the country have singled out Seol Sionna as one of the key community driven projects that has taken place over the past year.

Seol Sionna is a community based boat building project in Querrin which over the last 18 months has drawn thousands of people to the Shannon estuary to witness the building of a traditional boat which has a long history of carrying turf and goods on the Shannon Estuary.

While trainees have been learning to build a traditional wooden boat under the expertise of local shipwright Stephen Morris, others have taken up film making, history research and recording with the help of the West Clare Learning Network.

The local primary school in Querrin have been constant visitors to the shed and are now presenting to other schools on the peninsula who are visiting Querrin before its launch on May 19th.

“This is a project which has cap- tured the imagination and filled the communities in West Clare with great pride,” says Seol Sionna PRO Trea Heapes. “Not only does it recognise the skills and contributions of people who have gone before us but it has a contemporary benefit in that it now gives a whole new generation the opportunity of getting out sailing on the Shannon Estuary; one of the great wild places to be explored and appreciated.

“Many potential sailors have completed navigation and sailing courses with the intention of skippering the newly named Sally O’ Keefe. A new Seol Sionna Club has been set up to make the boat available to club members,” she adds.

“While the opportunity to learn how to build a trad boat will finish with it’s launch, a new rainbow of learning opportunites will make themselves available to those who are interested in taking up new challanges of sailing, navigation, exploring, fishing, exploration, nature watching and working with others to realise the rich potential of living along the Shannon Estuary,” she adds.

The Maintenance Project operated by Newmarket-on-Fergus community organization, Obair, was the Munster winner of the Star Awards in 2011. The awards, which are part of the Adult Learners’ Festival, will take place from February 20-24.

UP TO 10 new jobs will be created this summer with the reopening of Loop Head Lighthouse.

The project was one of the tourism success stories of Clare last year when a trial opening of the historic lighthouse saw almost 17,000 people visit the landmark during an 11-week period in the summer. It is estimated that that 11-week period was worth € 400,000 to the local economy.

Loop Head Tourism, Clare County Council, Shannon Development and the Commissioners of Irish Lights (CIL) now plan to further develop the West Clare amenity by expanding the facilities at the 19th-century lighthouse.

The groups responsible for the running of the lighthouse project are now seeking suitable consultants to research, design and implement an exhibition and interpretation plan to further expand the tourism offerings there. The request for tender was advertised on the e-tenders website last week.

Councillor Oliver Garry (FG), Chairperson of the West Clare Economic Task Force, said that the trial opening enabled the project partners to gain valuable feedback regarding the operation of the site and the impact on tourism in the area.

“It is anticipated that the content of the exhibition and interpretation plan should draw on the unique tourism resources of the area in order to produce a distinct experience that will enable Loop Head to maintain and grow a competitive advantage in tourism terms. A key objective of the overall project, therefore, is to increase bed nights and visitor spend in the area,” he said.

“Feedback was received through comments made directly to the guides, through ‘mystery shopper’ visits to the lighthouse and through surveys of local tourism businesses. The majority of tourism businesses in the area reported a positive impact on their season. It is estimated that the opening of the lighthouse was worth approximately € 400,000 to the local economy during the trial period,” he added.

Ruairi Deane, Tourism Product Development Executive with Shannon Development added, “We believe the new exhibition will further enhance the tourism product offering at Loop Head Lighthouse and will continue to draw additional visitors to this spectacular area of West Clare.

“The 2011 trial opening scheme exceeded expectations and complemented a range of initiatives that we have undertaken during the past year in West Clare, including the new loop walks in Lissycasey and Kilkee,” added Mr Deane.

Loop Head Lighthouse, located at the mouth of the Shannon Estuary, is steeped in history and rich in maritime heritage with its origins dating back to the 1670s.

In January 1991, the lighthouse was converted to automatic operation, and today is in the care of an attendant and is also monitored by the CIL.

HUNDREDS of acres of Clare forestry have been siphoned out of public ownership in the past three years, according to the East Clare-based Woodland League.

According to Coillte’s own end-ofyear accounts for 2009, € 33 million worth of forestry has been transferred from the forestry company to a number of forestry “funds”, with the majority going to the Irish Forestry Unit Trust (IFORUT).

This trust was established by Coillte itself, alongside AIB and Irish Life in 1994. At present, little is known about the internal workings of the fund but the Woodland League believe that details of the fund should be made open to Freedom of Information Requests, following the substantial investment made by the State in both the AIB and Irish Life.

“We should know what is going on with these forests but we don’t. Our forestry in this country is being dictated by pension funds and that has been the case for the past 15 years. And all of this has happened away from the public eye,” said Andrew St Ledger of the Woodland League.

“The land is bit by bit being trans- ferred from Coillte to these funds and, from there, who knows? We feel that because Coillte is a government agency, and because of the amount of public money that has gone into AIB and Irish Life, that this trust should be open to requests under the Freedom of Information Legislation.

“Our understanding at the moment is that pretty much every bit of public-owned forestry in Clare is up for sale if someone wants to buy it.”

At present, Clare has about 55,000 acres of Coillte-owned forestry, one of the largest stocks of publiclyowned forestry in Ireland.

Meanwhile, three Clare forests have been put forward as part one of the largest sale of forests ever to take place in Ireland. A single fund company, whose identity has not been made public, is to sell 20 separate holdings across Ireland in the coming weeks, including three holdings located in Clare.

The woodlands cover a total area of 917 acres and have reached around 50 per cent maturity. The sale is expected to generate an estimated € 4.5 million for the trust – or just under € 4,900 per acre. The selling agents for the properties say they have already registered interest from a number of Irish and overseas investors.

THE long-awaited development of a new junction at Blake’s Corner in Ennistymon could be jeopardy following the shock announcement by Clare County Council yesterday that they will have to fund an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) before any work can take place.

This means that any progress at the site will be delayed by at least 12 months and € 100,000 will have to be found to finance the EIS. It is unclear where the € 100,000 will come from as Clare County Council do not have the money and the National Roads Authority (NRA) generally do not fund a project until after it has passed through the planning stage.

The decision to voluntarily complete an EIS was made, according to senior council engineer Tom Tiernan, because the local authority felt certain that groups opposed to the destruction of the listed building at Blake’s Corner would object to An Bord Pleanála should Clare County Council grant Part 8 planning permission for the site without a complete EIS.

A similar objection was used by a number of surfing organisation to delay the construction of a new pier at Doolin last year.

“There is no point in us doing this and then being told down the line that we need to go for EIS. This is terribly disappointing but I think that in the long run this will be the shortest route,” said Mr Tiernan

“The NRA have stated very clearly to me that they are committed to this project. But their commitment does not translate into money in any way until a time that you have all the approvals that are required.

“I would sincerely hope that they can allocate money [for the EIS], they are aware that this is a very important and controversial project and something that needs to be pushed forward as soon as possible.”

According to one local councillor, more than 100 local jobs could be lost if the scheme at the junction is not sorted out soon.

“I am stunned that this has happened. Common sense has gone out the window,” said Cllr Bill Slattery (FG).

“We have a factory in Deerpark which employs 100 people. If this isn’t fixed, I know from speaking to the owner of this factory, they will be forced to pull out of Ennistymon.”

Cllr Richard Nagle (FF) said that he was “absolutely stunned” by yesterday’s development and said that it was the latest is a list of delays for the project.

THE campaign to secure Gaeltacht status to parts of the county is set to be stepped up next week when the Clare Gaeltacht Committee holds an open general meeting that has targeted to attract language enthusiasts throughout the county.

Kilrush Golf Club is to play host to the gathering as part of the Irish language action group’s campaign to “to revitalize and strengthen further Irish in county Clare” and secure Gaeltacht status ahead of the 100th anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising.

This new campaign was officially launched in December when the Clare Gaeltacht Committee called on language enthusiasts to embrace a four-month consultation process from January to April 2012 by sending “electronic or written submissions for Plean na Gaeilge 2012-2017 in Clare that will identify what needs to be done for Irish in the county”.

“We intend seeking Gaeltacht status for the people of County Clare in the near future,” said Kilmihil-based Seosamh Mac Ionnrachtaigh.

“To that end a new language plan for the county is going to be formed as part of revitalising the language in the county and getting back the Gaeltacht status that was taken away many years ago,” he added.

At the meeting, Mr Mac Ionnrachtaigh is set to outline the new strategy to reestablish a Gaeltacht in Clare, while other speakers will included Mary Hamilton, Séan MacMathúna, Joan McGeorge, Hazel Uí Chéitinn and Eilís Uí Chondúin.

“A Gaeltacht is an area where Irish is being spoken or heard on a daily basis,” said Mr Mac Ionnrachtaigh.

“It is estimated that there are up to 170 people in south west Clare alone with Irish and not to far in the future Irish as a spoken language will be more widespread,” he added.

In his submission to the county development plan, Mr Mac Ionnrachtaigh said “the future of the Irish language in the county is important in economic, social, infrastructural, cultural and environmental terms”.

He also said “the establishment of Gaeltacht status should be recognised in the Draft County Development Plan”.

Clare enjoyed breac-Gaeltacht status from 1929 to 2001, with the biggest Irish-speaking districts being near Ballyvaughan, Doolin, Kilkee and Carrigaholt, where the Coláiste Eoghain Uí Chomhraidhe which celebrates its centenary year in 2012 is based.

UNFINISHED housing estates existing in limbo somewhere between a bust or absentee developer and a cashstrapped county council are causing many problems for residents.

Clare County Councillor Michael Hillery (FF) raised the plight of such homeowners at the January adjourned meeting of the council.

There may be light at the end of the tunnel for these people, however, as they can apply to the council to take over the estate, if the majority of the homeowners are in agreement.

Cllr Hillery explained that many Clare people are living in estates where the developer is broke or, in some cases, has left the estate unfin- ished. As a result, these estates have not been taken over by the council.

During the council meeting, he asked if Clare County Council was legally obliged to take charge of estates when requested to do so by a majority of owners under Section 180 of the Planning Act 2000 and Section 2 of the Roads Act 1993.

It emerged that, in many cases, the council are obliged to get involved. Even in cases where the developer is now in NAMA, the residents can still apply to the council. The council, in turn, can then take over the estate, recouping the cost from NAMA.

In cases where the builder has just not completed the estate, the majority of the residents can apply to the council to have the estate taken over, and the council can then move against that developer.

The head of the Planning, Land Use and Transportation Department, Nora Kaye, explained that the council was obliged to take over housing estates under three circumstances.

“Where a development has been completed to the satisfaction of the Planning Authority, the authority must, where requested, as soon as may be, initiate the procedures under section 11 of the Roads Act 1993,” the director of services explained.

When a development has not been completed to the satisfaction of the Planning Authority, and enforcement proceedings have not been commenced within seven years of the expiration of the permission, the Planning Authority must, where requested by the majority of owners of the houses involved, also begin proceedings to take over the estate.

In this instance, the council may apply any security given for the satisfactory completion of the development in question.

Where a development has not been completed to the satisfaction of the council and either enforcement proceedings have been commenced or the Planning Authority considers that enforcement proceedings would achieve nothing, it is at the discretion of the Planning Authority to take the development in charge where requested by the majority of the owners of the houses in question. Again, in this instance, the Planning Authority may apply any security given for the satisfactory completion of the development in question.

Ms Kaye reminded the councillors, however, that each application has to be considered individually. She said there were also issues in relation to resources.

“Until the estate is complete and taken in charge, it is the developer’s responsibility. Many developers are not in business and it is very complicated dealing with the banks and dealing with NAMA,” she added.

Cllr Cathal Crowe (FF) said that Clare has one of the biggest housing estates in the country in its jurisdiction. “One of the biggest challenges for this council is the Westbury Estate, which has 1,000 houses with one entrance, and it still has not been taken over,” he said. “Many of these houses were built over 20 years ago.”

CLARE County Council has invited the HSE and HIQA to come before the members in chamber to answer numerous questions relating to the health and safety of the area’s hospitals.

At this month’s adjourned meeting of the council, two independent councillors – Cllr Patricia McCarthy and Cllr James Breen – raised concerns about the number of bugs, infections and viruses in the Mid Western Regional Hospital Limerick, and the affect of these outbreaks on the public.

At this month’s meeting of the council, Cllr McCarthy queried how many times visitors were denied access to the Mid West Regional Hospital Limerick due to the presence of an infection especially during 2010 and 2011.

The Shannon councillor also wanted to know how these figures compared to hospitals in other regions.

Cllr Breen, a prominent health advocate for years, called on the two health bodies – the HSE and HIQA – to publish the hygiene audits that were carried out on all hospitals and nursing homes in the mid-west, and to publish the number of people affected by hospital superbugs in 2011.

The Kilnamona councillor, who was victim to a superbug in the past, was also critical of his own recent experience within the public hospital service.

He raised concerns about hygiene and safety at the Mid Western Regional Hospital Limerick and other hospitals in the mid-west region.

He described how during one night he spent at the Limerick hospital he was forced to clean the toilet himself it was so dirty. He was equally revolted by the state of the shower, he said.

“While I was there, I had to go from unit three to unit four and it was like an obstacle course,” he said.

The concerned councillor described how he had to find his way around food carts, beds and wheelchairs left on the corridors.

He raised concerns as to the difficulties such obstacles would pose in the case of an emergency at the hospital.

All members of the council agreed to write to the HSE and HIQA to invite them to address them on such issues.