Month: April 2012

A SMALL West Clare primary school has been praised for its enthusiastic teaching staff, well behaved pupils and significant improvements made in information technology.

A Whole School Evaluation Report under taken by the Department of Education and Skills at Clohanbeg National School, Cree, last November, found that its board of management and the local community enthusiastically supported the school, “for which this school is the primary focal point”.

“The teachers work diligently to provide effective teaching in an atmosphere conducive to the growth of mutual respect and inclusiveness,” the report into the 36-pupil school said.

“The quality of overall teaching, learning and pupil achievement, in the areas evaluated, is very good. The principal provides able leadership to the school and is well supported by a hard-working deputy principal.

“Significant improvements have been made to the school’s information and communication technologies (ICT) infrastructure and to the integration of ICT into teaching and learning,” it said.

The report found that enrolment was “somewhat higher” than in 2004, when it last carried out an inspection.

It recommended that the board should consider appropriate protocols for communicating its work to parents and said greater cohesion and consistency is required in planning for pupils with special and additional educational needs and in recording their progress.

The school’s board of management said it was committed to implementing the recommendations during the lifetime of the board and it was encouraged by the positive feedback of the report.

A Clare secondary school also came under the microscope of the Department of Education Inspectors.

The inspectors examined the teaching of English at St Camin’s Community School in Shannon in September. The resulting report found that good interpersonal relations exist between teachers and students at the 700 student co-ed school.

“Overall, teaching was good in the lessons observed, with examples of excellent practices in some lessons,” the report said.

“Further developing the school library would be a very useful wholeschool literacy support. While progress has been made in subject department planning, this is an area where there is still scope for development.”

The report recommended more active learning strategies in classes, by extending team teaching arrangements to meet the needs of particular cohorts, and by more widespread promotion of personal reading through planned year-group initiatives.

It said subject department planning for English would be enhanced by regular, planned teacher sharing of effective teaching methods and recommended that the existing programme for first-year English should be revised in order to provide a consistent, skills-focused experience for students.

CLARE farmers could be the unlikely winners of the move to domestic water metering, with water charges for farmers in Clare likely to be reduced under the new Irish Water organisation.

At present, each farmer in Clare pays Clare County Council a standing charge of € 145 per water metre, per year – almost 350 per cent more per year than the annual charge per domestic metre proposed by Irish Water.

The standing charge for farmers varies drastically from one local authority to the next, with farmers in Wicklow paying just € 60 per year, while farmers in Donegal pay € 175 per year.

Speaking to The Clare People yesterday, the Clare chairperson of the IFA, Andrew Dundas, says his members are hopeful of a standing charge reduction under Irish Water.

“We would be hopeful that the charges would at least be evened out across the country. It is very unusual, you play an awful lot more in some counties than you would in some others,” he said.

“We are hoping that we will get a reduction here in Clare. But it’s not just the reduction; we are hoping that the system would be an awful lot more efficient when it comes to things like stopping leaks and things like that.

“We are hoping that under the new company the whole water system will be run better.”

The Southeast Clare farmer did welcome the announcement that farmers who use water drawn from their own wells will not be hit with a charge under the new system.

“Some farms in Clare have their own wells that they paid to put in place themselves and it is some relief that they won’t be charged again,” he said.

“These wells were not cheap for the farmers to put in place in the first place and I think it would have been very unfair if farmers were to be charged to draw water from a well that they built themselves,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Mayor of Clare, Cllr Pat Hayes (FF), has said that the proposed establishment of Irish Water by the Government has raised more questions than it has provided answers about the transfer of Clare’s water and wastewater assets from Clare Local Authorities to the independent, State-owned subsidiary.

“If Clare’s water and wastewater infrastructure is transferred to Irish Water it is imperative that the funding invested by Clare ratepayers to develop this asset is returned to the county,” said Mayor Hayes.

The Burren will once again be in the hat when the management committee of the UNESCO World Heritage Site organisation meets in St Petersburg in the Russian Federation later this year.

It was confirmed yesterday that the Burren is one of a number of Irish locations that will go forward for possible inclusion as an official World Heritage Site. Should the Burren gain this prestigious status, it could result in thousands of extra tourists being attracted to holiday in North Clare each year.

The Burren was included on the so-called “tentative list” drawn up by the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht’s Expert Advisory Group on World Heritage Sites. The Burren was included alongside a group application from the ‘Royal Sites’, which include Tara, Cashel, Dún Ailinne and Rathcroghan; the ‘Monastic sites’, which include Clonmacnoise, Durrow, Kells and Glendalough; and the Céide Fields in Mayo.

If the Burren succeeds in gaining UNESCO World Heritage status, it will becomes just Ireland’s fourth site after Brú na Bóinne, Skellig Michael and the Giant’s Causeway.

This is not the first time that the Burren has been close to gaining World Heritage status, having gone forward as one of Ireland’s final nominations in 2011 and 2010.

The Burren and Cliffs of Moher were granted Geopark Status earlier this year and it is thought that this might aid in the quest to be classified as a World Heritage Site.

The 36th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee will take place in St Petersburg from June 24 to July 6. The committee, which is headed up by Russian diplomat Mitrofanova Eleonora, meets once a year to consider new applications for World Heritage Site status and to ensure that all current heritage sites are living up to their commitments under the programme.

STUDENTS from Coláiste Muire will meet Taoiseach Enda Kenny in Dublin tomorrow as part of an ongoing campaign to make Ennis the age-friendly capital of Ireland.

The group of transition-year students are hoping Mr Kenny will support their project on Positive Ageing, which aims to tackle ageism in Ennis.

They will also present the Taoiseach with an age-friendly loyalty card during their meeting at Leinster House on Wednesday.

The meeting was arranged by local Fine Gael councillor Mary Howard.

Led by their teacher, Mrs Finola Howard, the transition-year students have set out to tackle as many of the aspects of ageism as possible.

The foundation of their project is based on the areas of age discrimination and abuse, loneliness, lack of social connection and an education in technology.

The group have submitted a proposal to Ennis Town Council for new signage to caution motorists to be more aware of elderly pedestrians.

They also put forward the idea that the time period available to pedestrians at traffic lights is insufficient and should be lengthened.

The project is the school’s entry in the annual Young Social Innovators competition, the finals of which take place on May 9.

As part of the project, the students take part in paired walking with elderly members of the community, to keep them company while walking and to run errands for them.

The students are also promoting ‘New Year, New Price’, a collabora- tion with a number of cafés and taxi companies to agree on a reduced price for OAPs, which will take effect this month.

The students will also be actively involved in the consultations for Ennis’s Age Friendly Strategy on May 3. To mark this occasion, the European Day of Solidarity, the class have invited an active retirement group to visit the school on April 27 and relive their school days.

Student Muireann O’Shea said, “Ennis, as a potentially age-friendly town, needs to adapt its structures and services to be accessible to and inclusive of older people with varying needs and capacities.

“We, as a community, need to look after our elderly. Crossing the roads is a basic function and should not cause unnecessary stress or injury to any individual, least of all the vulnerable in our community.”

A MAN has been ordered to pay money to a local women’s refuge after being found by Gardaí in possession of a kitchen knife on the streets of Ennis earlier this year.

At Ennis District Court on Wednesday, Arunas Jankauskas (29) with an address at 11 Gus Murphy’s Apartments, Mill Road, Ennis, was charged having a 12-inch kitchen knife contrary to the firearms and offensive weapons act on Parnell Street, Ennis, on February 26.

He was also charged with a public order offence, being intoxicated to such an extent that he might endanger himself or others.

Inspector Tom Kennedy said Mr Jankauskas was “staggering” on the street when he was met by Gardaí.

His solicitor John Casey told the court that his client had been drinking in a flat on the Mill Road with a woman. He said the woman had come at him with a knife. Mr Casey explained that his client took the knife away from the woman for her own safety. He said Mr Jankauskas, a car sprayer, had been on his way to the Garda station to hand in the knife when he met gardaí. He said his client had been “as drunk as a skunk” on the night. The court heard that Mr Jankauskas has no previous convictions. Judge Patrick Durcan said there was an “element of gallantry” in Mr Jankauskas’ actions on the night. He ordered him to pay € 250 to Clare Haven, a service that provides support, and refuge accommodation to women and their children experiencing domestic violence/abuse. He struck out the charges against Mr Jankausakas.

A WOMAN suffered serious injuries including a fractured finger after allegedly being hit with a metal bar in her home in Ennis last month, a court has heard.

Details of the alleged assault against Bernadette Walsh at 179 Achabhaile, Ennis, were heard at Ennis District Court on Wednesday.

Alan Kilmartin (32) with an address at 14 Davitt’s Terrace, Cloughleigh, Ennis, appeared in court charged with assault causing harm to Ms Walsh on March 2 (2012).

Inspector Tom Kennedy said the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had not yet issued directions on the case.

Garda Sarah Murphy gave an outline of the alleged facts. She told the court that it would be alleged that on the night in question, Ms Walsh was in her home at 179 Achabhaile when she heard a knock on the door between 9.15pm and 9.30pm.

The court heard that half of the houses in Achabhaile are unoccupied. The area was described in court as a “ghost estate”.

She said that Mr Kilmartin, a security guard working in the estate, was at the door. She said that after the pair had a brief conversation, the woman went into kitchen.

Garda Murphy said that it would be alleged that when Ms Walsh turned around, Mr Kilmartin was standing in the house with a metal bar in his hand. It is alleged that he assaulted Ms Walsh with the weapon. The court heard that the woman sustained fractured fingers and to receive surgical staples for lacerations to her head. Garda Murphy said Ms Walsh and Mr Kilmartin did not know each by name.

“It was an unprovoked incident,” she said. Noting the alleged facts of the case, Judge Patrick Durcan refused jurisdiction.

He remanded the accused on continuing bail to appear at Ennis District Court on June 6 for service of a book of evidence.

A MAN alleged to have committed a burglary in Barefield last month has appeared in court.

Michael Flaherty (26) with an address at 108 Clancy Park, Ennis, is alleged to have entered a building as a trespasser to commit theft at Drumcliffe, Ennis, on March 23.

At Ennis District Court on Wednesday, Inspector Tom Kennedy said that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had directed summary disposal of the matter.

Insp Kennedy said that it would be alleged that Mr Flaherty was in the process of burglaring the house when he was spotted by a passer by.

He said the alleged burglary took place at 2pm at a time when the house was unoccupied.

Insp Kennedy added, “It was fortu nate that this man was spotted and arrested.”

After a summary of the alleged facts, Judge Patrick Durcan said he accepted jurisdiction with the “greatest reluctance”.

Solicitor Daragh Hassett said the case would be contested. He said he is seeking disclosure from the State. Judge Durcan adjourned the matter until May 16 for a plea or a date.

A MAN who taunted another man over his family’s difficulties with suicide has been fined € 200.

Michael Molloy (19), with an address at 2 Ballaghboy, Quin Road, Ennis, appeared at Ennis District Court on Wednesday.

He was charged engaging in threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour with intent to provoke a breach of the peace.

The charge arose out of an incident at Abbey Street, Ennis on March 10 (2012).

Garda Niamh Browne told the court that Ennis Garda Station received a call about two men fighting outside All Bar One on Abbey Street on the night in question.

She said that when she arrived at the scene at 10.15pm, Mr Molloy was involved in an altercation with another man.

Garda Browne said she arrested the accused under section six of the public order act.

She told the court that as Mr Molloy was being brought away by gardaí, he sang lyrics about suicide from a song by the American artist Sean Kingston in the direction of the other man.

The court heard that a member of the other man’s family had committed suicide.

Mr Molloy told the court that he had been out for a drink with his wife.

He said he had been standing at the front door of the pub when he was hit in the back of the head.

He said, “I wasn’t going to let that go. I was defending myself.”

Mr Molloy accepted that he was uncooperative on the night. He said the pair had been calling each other names but denied singing songs about suicide.

Mr Molloy said he had previously been involved in altercations with the man.

Inspector Tom Kennedy said Mr Molloy had been fighting on the street when he was detected by gardaí.

Judge Patrick Durcan said Mr Molloy had given evidence that he was “set upon” on the night.

However he added that it was “curious” that no complaint had been made to gardaí.

He said he accepted Garda Browne’s evidence.

Judge Durcan said Mr Molloy had engaged in “appalling singing”.

Solicitor Daragh Hassett said Mr Molloy comes from a large Traveller family and had recently married.

He added, “He assures me he is staying away from this man. He has a young child.

“He won’t be repeating this behaviour.”

Judge Durcan imposed a fine of € 200. He said suicide was a problem that touched everyone in society.

He added, “I am not going to have people singing songs that abuse the issue of suicide.” Recognances were fixed in the event of an appeal.

A NEW Ennis General Hospital Committee is needed to raise issues relating to health in the county and keep the need for investment in Clare’s health services top of the agenda.

That was the message that came from a special meeting of Clare County Council called to discuss the ailing health services in the midwest region.

Councillors were unanimous in their call for the Minister for Health to provide necessary finances to recruit essential frontline staff for the HSE West.

The councillors were careful to add that Ennis General Hospital stayed within its budget for the last number of years, unlike other hospitals in the HSE West, and were punished for its competency with further cuts to its budgets.

In a letter to the Minister the councillors said, “Recognising that Ennis General Hospital has lived within its budget, it should not be cut in the upcoming budget.”

In the hour-long meeting, members of the council pointed to the dangers of staff shortages in frontline services and weaknesses within different services in Clare.

“We need a service for people under 65 years of age who have strokes in Clare,” Cllr Tom McNamara (FF).

He also raised concerns about the absenteeism figure of 12 per cent at Ennis General Hospital. A former nurse, he said the staff were under so much pressure due to staff shortages and over work that they were getting sick.

Cllr Pat Keane (FF) agreed stating the number of absenteeism would increase with the pressure.

“We have a new building here that we campaigned for for years and we can’t open it due to lack of staff,” he said.

Cllr Michael Kelly (FF) said, “Whatever we compromise for the sake of finance it should not be health.

“It is unacceptable to expect a nurse to care for 22 patients,” he added referring to The Clare People’s lead story two weeks ago.

Stating that pressure needed to be put on the health policy makers, Cllr PJ Kelly (FF) said it had slipped from the agenda since the demise of the hospital committee.

Cllr Brian Meaney (GP) agreed that as the driving force behind the committee Peadar McNamara had passed away, it had lost momentum.

He suggested that a new committee be formed.

A LARGE number of North Clare community groups and tourism providers will travel to Limerick this week to show off everything that the Burren has to offer. ‘A Burren Evening’, which is organised by the BurrenBeo Trust, will take place at the Hunt Museum in Limerick this Thursday.

This is the second time that local groups in North Clare have taken it upon themselves to travel to another location and show off exactly what the Burren has to offer.

Last year, a large group from North Clare travelled to Dublin to market the Burren directly to the people of the capital.

The theme of this week’s event is ‘Landscape, Memory and Friendship’ and it aims to be a celebration of life in the Burren as well as the work of the BurrenBeo Trust and other organisations.

Some of the organisations taking part in ‘A Burren Evening’ include St Tola’s Cheese from Inagh, the Burren Smokehouse in Lisdoonvarna and the Aillwee Caves in Ballyvaughan.

BurrenBeo Trust is Ireland’s only landscape charity and is dedicated to ensuring that the unique yet fragile Burren landscape is sustained for future generations to enjoy. The Limerick event will also include the launch of the fourth edition of the annual flagship magazine, ‘Burren Insight’, as well as a new set of Burren field guides.

“The Burren has long been admired its rare habitats, geology, archaeology, rich culture and traditions. Burrenbeo Trust is actively engaging with the local community and other stakeholders in managing this unique landscape,” said Brigid Barry of the BurrenBeo Trust.

“The field guides have been developed as part of Burrenbeo’s ‘learning landscape’ initiative, which is just one of a number of exciting programmes that Burrenbeo Trust are currently concentrating on.

“The Burren is the perfect outdoor classroom for young and old and the Trust’s Ecobeo programme has already seen over 700 children take part in their experiential learning courses.

“As well as facilitating children in becoming Burren experts, the Trust is also the main providers of information to local and visiting communities through a range of cutting edge media and more traditional walks and talks,” she said.