Month: February 2012

CLARE County Council’s water staff was last night encouraged by some members of the council to go on strike and bring the country to a halt.

The council was reacting to news of Government plans to give full responsibility for water supply to a new national body.

Cllr Gerry Flynn (Ind) told the February meeting of the council, “I feel it is time for Clare County Council to stand up and be counted and withdraw that service.”

Fellow Independent councillor Tommy Brennan said that if every council followed suit, it would bring the country to a standstill. Electricity and power rely on water too, he explained. Without these services, the country could not function.

The majority of councillors were concerned with the implications of a new Irish Water Company, as it would inevitably erode more of the local authority’s powers and more than likely lead to job losses within its water section.

Cllr Bill Chambers (FF) led the charge that the members of the council were opposed to having its responsibilities for water maintenance and provision transferred to the new Irish Water Company.

“The last thing we want now is another quango with high-paid officials,” he said.

Father of the council Cllr PJ Kelly (FF) said he could not understand the Government making such a proposal given difficulties experienced in Northern Ireland during this winter.

“We can huff and puff about taking water from the Shannon, but if it is nationalised, they can make a canal and bring all the water to Dublin,” he added.

Former mayor Cllr Christy Curtin (Ind) said there was no indication of early consultation with the stakeholders. He also had reservations about the second phase of the process – the consultation phase.

“Are they going to listen to us or is it a courtesy exercise to appease the peasants?” he asked.

“This debate is coming too late. It would appear this is a fait de compli,” said Cllr McCarthy who raised concerns about council jobs if and when it was set up.

“By degrees we will have no function at all as councillors,” said Cllr Brennan.

County Manager Tom Coughlan said that there was a lot of uncertainty surrounding the plan. Among his many concerns was the possible loss of council assets to the Irish Wa- ter Company but with the liabilities staying in the county.

“I have serious concerns in relation to the financial statement. I have concerns the council will be left in a worse financial state at the end of it.”

He said the council is carrying a € 13 million debt balance which is mostly due to water. “I hope the liabilities transfer with the assets,” he added.

The manager said a lot was still uncertain, not least the future of the council staff working in this area.

He raised concerns about the loss of control of planning issues relating to water and a lack to democratic responsibility under the new proposal.

ORGANISERS of a public meeting in Ennis at the weekend are hoping to tap into mounting public anger at new taxes and cutbacks to services.

Members of the public are being invited to attend ‘Organising Resistance – Fighting Against Injustice And Inequality’, which takes place upstairs in Brogan’s Bar, Ennis, on Saturday, February 18, 2pm.

Kieran Allen of the Socialist Workers Party (SWP) and the United Left Alliance (ULA) will give a talk on organising protests and activism.

Opposition to the new household charge will be among the topics up for discussion, according to one of the event’s organisers, Brían Ó Cualáin.

Brían, a member of the SWP, explained, “There is a push on against the household charge. And we’re hoping this meeting will give people an incentive to come out and hopefully inspire them to get involved.

“It’s not necessarily just about the household charge. We want people to talk about the issues that are affecting them in their community. That could be cutbacks to education, a lack of facilities for young people.”

He believes more and more people are looking for a way to express their anger at a time of economic uncertainty.

He said, “It is definitely building. There is an appetite there and people are looking for ways to express their anger and change the agenda for the little people, the people who are on the margins.

“This is affecting us all. Hopefully it will help create a bit of movement and we can capitalise on that movement and anger.”

The meeting is the latest in a series held in recent weeks around the county aimed at encouraging greater protest and activism.

Brían explained, “There were around 250 people at the Old Ground Hotel for a meeting on the household charge.

“There was a meeting in Kilmihil where around 80 people attended. We had about 80 at a meeting in Shannon and there were 50 or 60 at a meeting in Scariff.”

Organisers say that the reduction in the registration fee for septic tanks following a nationwide storm of protest offers a good example of the power of grassroots activism.

However, Brían says that one of the purposes of Saturday’s meeting is to encourage people to continue to hold the government of the day to account.

Pointing to the ongoing campaign for the retention of services at En nis General Hospital, Brían says, “We know that whatever government gets back into power down the road, they will roll back on a lot of promises.”

Originally from Inis Oirr, where he was involved with the island’s cooperative movement, Brían moved to Ennis 15 years ago.

He says, “I just feel that things have got to such a stage that I’m worried about my own kids’ futures.”

Opposition to the household charge and a new regime of septic tank inspection has been the focus of intense debate at meetings of Clare County Council in recent months. Last month, members met for a special meeting called in response to concerns expressed over the implications of the scheme for homeowners.

At the meeting a senior member of Clare County Council and former Dáil TD, Cllr James Breen (Ind) called for the people of Clare to engage in a period of “civil disobedience”. Around 300 people attended a public information meeting held in Ennis just before Christmas about new septic tank charges.

A WEST Clare councillor has called on retired public servants in the county to play their part in the national recovery, saying that they are ideally suited, thanks to years of experience to put their shoulder to the wheel for the good of the county.

Fine Gael councillor Gabriel Keating has sounded out the calling by saying that the raft of public service retirements in the county should now be used to harness a recovery of the county’s economic fortunes.

“This presents an opportunity for County Clare to harness the wealth of experience amassed from their careers for the benefit of the economic and social revival of the County,” Cllr Keating said this week.

“There are a lot of people, who will be retiring this year; who have gained valuable experience in the field of Healthcare, Education, Business and Tourism and who still have a lot to offer.

“I believe that many of these retirees would love to be able to impart their knowledge and experience which they have built up over the years and would be willing to volunteer if there was a process or forum set up which would facilitate this useful exchange of ideas.”

“That is why I am calling on Clare County Council to formalise a way in which these people can contribute and participate fully in the economic and social recovery of this county,” Cllr Keating added.

In expanding on his new blueprint for economic recovery, he said that volunteerism has a huge part to play over the next couple of years. “In seeking opportunities for volunteerism we must start looking beyond the traditional roles, such as Tidy Towns or local charities,” he said.

“However, in order to fully utilise the skills which these people possess, and to make sure that we just do not end up with another ‘Talking Shop’. It is important that the process or forum which is set up is active and that the ideas and proposals which are formulated in the process are fed into Local Authority System so that they can be acted upon.”

“Whether people have retired from the public, private or tourism sectors or whether they are self-employed retirees they have a vested interest in County Clare; they live here; their children or grandchildren are living here and they have the energy and enthusiasm to contribute to making this County a better place for all of us to live and work in.”

“It is an economic reality that we are where we are, and if we are to move forward recovery has to begin at grass root level. By participating in this initiative, I believe that these individuals will be displaying the true spirit of Clare patriotism and they will be making an enormous contribution to the future of their own county,” he added.

CLARE County Council has been urged to press for changes to electoral boundaries after the current arrangement in Ennis was labelled a “disgrace”.

Independent councillor Tommy Brennan made the call at yesterday’s meeting of Clare County Council’s Community and Enterprise, Tourism and Emergency Services Strategic Policy Committee (SPC).

He said that the council should seek to have boundaries re-drawn now rather than leaving any proposal too late. Cllr Brennan criticized the boundaries in place in Ennis for the 2009 local election, which saw the county town divided into Ennis east and west.

He said, “Ennis should have one constituency not two. It’s a farce to put a boundary down O’Connell Street.” Cllr Brennan added, “It was a downright disgrace to have O’Connell Street split down the middle in the last local election.”

SPC members were speaking fol- lowing the release of preliminary data for Clare from the 2011 census.

Commenting on the high population concentration that exists in the ‘golden triangle’ from Ennis to Shannon, SPC chairman Richard Nagle said he found it difficult to agree with some of the statistics.

He said that if the census were carried out now, it would paint an even more “depressing picture” of the number of people living in rural parts of the county.

He said that recently 20 people, all aged in their twenties, had left two parishes in North Clare, to seek work abroad. He said rural areas that had been dependent on construction and tourism had been hardest hit by the economic downturn. “A generation is disappearing,” he warned.

Cllr Brennan said emigration is also a major feature of life in Ennis. He told the meeting that 14 members of an underage hurling team have now moved to Australia. Cllr Gabriel Keating (FG) said that 16 people had recently returned from Australia to a part of West Clare to attend a funeral.

CLARE men on the look-out for love this St Valentine’s Day may have trouble finding a woman if new figures are anything to go by.

Preliminary figures from the 2011 census show that there are 10 per cent more men living in Clare than women.

The data shows that the male population of the banner county stands at 55 per cent. According to the census, Clare has a popualation of 116,885 which indicates that there are cur- rently just over 11,500 more men than women in Clare.

Men living in North East Clare may have the most trouble finding love with the figures indicating that the population there is 58 per cent male.

The statistic was revealed yesterday at a presentation on preliminary census data during a meeting of Clare County Council’s, Community and Enterprise, Tourism and Emergency Services Strategic Policy Committee (SPC).

Michael Neylon of the Council’s Community and Enterprise section described the finding as “surprising because the disparity in gender is very severe”.

He said the disparity between men and woman existed in nearly every part of Clare. The findings show that 45 per cent of Clare’s total population live in the ‘Golden Triangle’ in an area from Ennis town to Shannon and its extended environs including Newmarket on Fergus and Sixmilebridge.

The data shows that the most significant population changes have occurred around urban areas. Ennis’s population has decreased by around 860 people. However this has been offset by a boom (2000) in the amount of people in the town’s rural hinterland. Mr Neylon said a trend of population growth in areas around urban centres is evident across the county, particularly in Kilkee and Shannon.

The data also notes “significant” population growth around Bodyke and Feakle. Mr Neylon told the meeting that the number of people living in parts of Ennis (urban) had fallen by 20 per cent, in Kilkee by 22 per cent and Liscannor/Doolin by 12 per cent.

He said the “urbanisation pattern” now stretches almost continuously outward from Ennis to Scariff.

Cllr Pat Keane (FF) told the meeting that he had “major problem” with the manner in which census data is collected. He said the information is wholly dependent on the number of people in a house at a given time. He told the meeting that five buses on average leave West Clare every Sunday night to bring students to college.

He said census data is giving a “false reading of the population of West Clare”.

OFFICIAL figures that claim that just 3,000 people are employed in Shannon could jeopardize future inward investment in the region, a meeting has heard.

According to maps produced using the data, Shannon is “less significant than Portumna” in terms of job creation. The reporting “anomaly” was highlighted yesterday at a meeting of Clare County Council’s Community and Enterprise, Tourism and Emergency Services Strategic Policy Committee (SPC).

The meeting was told that preliminary figures for Clare from the 2011 census have “understated” by 9,000 the true number of people employed in Clare’s second largest town.

Michael Neylon, of the council’s Community and Enterprise section, said the data is used in official maps produced by the Department of the Environment and agencies such as the Western Development Commission. Mr Neylon said the figure does not take into account Shannon Airport and industrial estate. He explained that the anomaly arises from the legal definition of the town with the data only recording employment within the town boundary. There are actually 12,000 people employed in Shannon when figures from the Clenagh and Drumline electoral divisions are used, the meeting heard.

Mr Neylon said that the data, as used by the Western Development Commission, appears to show that “Shannon is less significant than Portumna” in terms of job creation.

Director of Service, Ger Dollard said the council had brought the anomaly to the attention of the Department and the National Institute for Regional and Spatial Analysis (NIRSA) – the body tasked with carrying out spatial and economic research.

Mr Dollard said the council is concerned that the data “understates” Shannon’s importance as a centre of employment. He told the meeting that the NIRSA had acknowledged the mistake when they stated “it does create an impression that Shannon is not significant employment area”.

Mr Neylon said the data gives a “poor gateway profile” of Shannon in that it does not take into account the number of multinationals operating there. He added that the “apparently small number of people traveling to Shannon suggest it is of little significance to the surrounding hinterland”.

SPC Chairman, Cllr Richard Nagle (FF) said he found it alarming that Shannon could be mis-represented in such a manner. Cllr Pat McMahon (FF) said the understating of Shannon’s importance as jobs centre could threaten future “inward investment” in the area.

Cllr PJ Ryan (Ind) said Clare County Council had “spent a half a lifetime trying to promote Shannon” only for people in the “background” to hinder their efforts. He told the meeting that investment in the area is needed, stating that there are currently 45 empty industrial buildings in Shannon.

Mayor of Ennis, Cllr Michael Guilfoyle (Ind) said the matter should be brought to the attention of Clare’s Oireachtas members.

A PROMINENT hotelier has said that the tourism industry in Clare could be in for a slight rebound this year. John Madden, owner of the Temple Gate Hotel in Ennis, told a meeting yesterday that hoteliers had reported a 6-7 per cent increase in business last year. He said the boost in trade was a welcome one for the industry, given the tough economic conditions of recent years.

Mr Madden was speaking at a meeting of Clare County Council’s, Community and Enterprise, Tourism and Emergency Services Strategic Policy Committee (SPC). Commenting on the future of Shannon Airport, which he said was essential to tourism in the mid-west, Mr Madden said the indications are that Shannon will have “some definite independence by the end of the year”.

He said he also hoped that there would be a renewed emphasis on marketing Shannon, an area he said had been “sadly lacking” in recent years. “There hasn’t been a specific body for the marketing of Shannon and that is a problem,” he said.

Director of Service, Ger Dollard said the recent announcement of two new flights from Aer Arann was a welcome development for the airport. The move sees the introduction of a new Shannon-Rennes weekly service and improved frequency on the Shannon-Edinburgh route.

Mr Dollard said the council was awaiting publication of a government-commissioned report from consultants Booz and Company on the future of Shannon Airport. He told the meeting that the Department of Transport had responded positively to proposals to develop Shannon as a humanitarian aid hub while progress had also been made on plans to construct new cargo facilities at the airport.

The meeting heard strong criticism of what SPC members called a lack of a definite marketing strategy for Shannon.

Mayor of Ennis, Cllr Michael Guilfoyle (Ind) said an initiative should be launched to woo customers from the east of the country. He said the ready availability of the airport’s parking facilities should be highlighted as part of the campaign.

Cllr PJ Ryan (Ind) said a € 15 mil- lion budget had been promised to promote the Open Skies initiative but so far Shannon had only received € 3 million. He also criticized Shannon Development, saying, “Shannon Development have virtually put nothing into promoting Shannon.”

Cllr Pat Daly (FF) said Shannon needed to attract another airline like Ryanair. Cllr Pat McMahon (FF) said the absence of year-round transatlantic flights from Shannon was hurting the airport.

He said agencies associated with the airport would have to be more “aggressive” in marketing Shannon

TEACHERS, parents and concerned members of communities throughout the county are expected to gather in the county town on Monday night next to voice their concerns at one of the largest cuts to teaching numbers in the history of the state.

Co-ordinated by the teachers’ union, INTO, the meeting will address the growth in class sizes that will lead to the reduction in teachers in many schools throughout the county.

Larger schools such as the Killaloe Boys National School are facing massive cuts.

The East Clare school faces the prospect of having its teaching numbers halved next year, from 14 to nine mainstream and remedial teachers and five special needs assistants (SNA), to just 7.5 – 6.5 teachers and one SNA if the proposed cuts are implemented.

Many smaller rural schools in Clare also face losing a teacher next year, with teachers faced with teaching numerous classes at once.

In many other communities, despite an increase in population and growing numbers at the local schools, teachers will also be lost.

For example a school with 49 pupils are currently entitled to a principal plus two teachers. However, by September 2014 the school must have at least 56 pupils to retain its three teachers.

Clare executive member of the INTO and Mullagh principal Sean McMahon said changes to staffing in small schools would also be applied retrospectively.

“Next year’s teacher allocation will be given to schools on the basis of pupil enrolment last September. Last September, a school with 50 pupils could have expected three teachers next year. The budget changes mean that school will only have two teachers,” he said.

The public is now being invited to have its say on the issue.

The officers of all Clare INTO branches met with Mr Mc Mahon last week and decided to respond to hundreds of requests from parents and teachers throughout the county to help organise a public meeting in Clare to highlight the issues involved, as well as appraise the Clare Oireachtas members on their growing concerns.

The public meeting will take place in the West County Hotel, Ennis, at 8pm on Monday February 20.

ENNIS Town Council has said it does not have land available to give to sports clubs to develop facilities.

With clubs in Ennis seeking to develop their own playing grounds, a local councillor had urged the council to make any surplus lands available.

In a motion submitted to the February meeting of Ennis Town Council, Cllr Johnny Flynn called on, “Ennis Council to request Clare County Council, a la recent decision with regard to the site at Doora, consider making available portions of any suitable surplus lands in Environs area similarly available to Ennis Rugby Club, Avenue United soccer club, Ennis Town and other clubs who have the ability and can demonstrate the capacity to build much needed additional facilities.”

He added, “Some of these clubs, I understand, made previous such applications/approaches to one or both local authorities.”

In his response, Town Clerk Leonard Cleary, pointed to the council’s significant investment in “flagship facilities” such as Lees Road.

However he said that the council does not have surplus land available to distribute to clubs.

He stated, “Ennis Town Council recognizes the important role that sports clubs play in the everyday health and quality of life of residents and visitors to Ennis. In this regard, the council has invested in the development of flagship facilities at Lees Road, Ennis Leisure Centre, Tim Smyth Park, Glenina, Cloughleigh, and Coote Park. Some government grant support has also been provided which has enabled the local authority to develop these facilities.”

Mr Cleary regarded, “This is a major capital investment in sports in Ennis town and requires significant council budget provision to meet operational costs of these facilities. Further developments are planned at these sites, subject to available resources. Ennis Town Council is aware of a number of sports clubs currently seeking to identify a suitable site, but does not currently have a suitable landbank for consideration in this regard.”

The matter was discussed at last week’s council meeting with on councillor suggesting the sporting clubs in the county look to NAMA when it emerged that there was no local authority lands available for sporting amenities.

“Can we get a list of lands from NAMA and put the clubs on to them,” asked Cllr Tommy Brennan (Ind) who was reacting to indications from town manager Ger Dollard that the local authority had no surplus lands available.

“I am not sure that Clare County Council has a surplus of lands available.”

He added that while the town council should contact the more senior local authority to request any such lands for sporting clubs, he did not want to give false hope.

THERE was a large increase in the number of dogs being put down in Clare last year, with a total of 728 animals destroyed in the county throughout 2011. This compares to a total of 547 animals destroyed in Clare in 2010 – a year when more animals were put down in Clare than in any other county in Ireland. Given this 34 per cent year-on-year increase, it is likely that Clare will retain the unwanted title of Ireland’s biggest dog-killing county when na- tional figures for 2011 are released later this year.

This news comes despite massive efforts being made by a number of organisations in the county – including the ISPCA and Clare County County – to reduce the number of animals being destroyed each year. Of the 1,378 dogs dealt with by the Clare dog pound in 2011, 176 were returned successfully back to their owners while 465 dogs were rehomed in Britain though Deirdre Ryan and Rover Rescue.

The majority of dogs, 812 in total, were brought to the pound by their owners, while 563 were stray dogs.

“People don’t realise the scale of the problem in Clare. I have been in the pound this morning from 9am to 1pm and already we have had 11 dogs handed into me here this morning,” Clare dog warden Frankie Coote told The Clare People yesterday.

“Nobody here wants to see a dog put down. We are making every effort we can. It is heartbreaking having to put down an animal. We have about 150 dogs in for biting people each year and another 170 or thereabouts in for chasing livestock. The fact is that once a dog does something like that, we have to take action. But we have one of the highest numbers of dogs who we get back to their owner each year.”

Only 4,000 of the estimated 30,000 dogs that currently live in Clare are registered.

“These problems could be solved quite easily if dogs could be microchipped. That way we know as soon as we find a dog who the owner is and we don’t have the expense of keeping that dog for days. That way, when we come across a stray, we know it’s a stray straight away. This would sort the whole thing out very quickly. As it stands now, the figures in Clare are not going to change because we have too many dogs,” continued Frankie.