Month: May 2012

A NORTH Clare woman who lost her sight almost five years ago has become the spokesperson for one of the country’s most high-profile charities and has now been charged with organising its biggest fundraiser for 2012.

Áine Mae O’Mahony was declared blind after a series of laser treatments and surgeries when she was just 25 years old.

The former café owner adapted to her condition with such grace and bravery that she has since become a “poster girl” for the charity Fighting Blindness Ireland, representing the charity and sharing her story both locally and in the national press.

This year, the charity asked the Lahinch woman to organise a major fundraiser.

Sticking to her roots, she has planned and organised a triathlon and family fun days for the last weekend in July, which was traditionally Gala Sunday.

The Áine Mae Fighting Blindness Weekend is scheduled to take place on July 28 and 29 in the seaside town.

Ms O’Mahony said the weekend will have something for everyone.

“It will include a vision challenge consisting of a run, one-kilometre paddle on boards, another run and a cycle with an early morning start. Seaworld have given us a venue to host a kiddies disco, bouncy castles and other events and we already have many more sponsorships,” she said.

“There will be many mini events and novelty ideas on the days. John McCarthy of the Lahinch Surf School has given his premises at the back so we can host a barbqueue and music for all the volunteers who have taking part.

“I have full support from Senator Martin Conway (FG) and the local county councillors, as well as the community itself. We have had several meetings with a positive outcome,” she said.

As well as raising much needed funds for Fighting Blindness, a charity that supports research into the causes of blindness and any possible cures, Ms O’Mahony also hopes the Áine Mae Fighting Blindness Weekend will resurrect the traditional Gala weekend in Lahinch.

THREE Clare properties went under the hammer at the latest sale of distressed properties organised by British-based auctioneering firm Allsop Space that took place in Dublin’s Shelbourne Hotel on Thursday last.

The lowest price for the 98 properties that went under the hammer and yielded nearly € 13m was recorded in Clare when a 2.5 acre site on elevated ground in Connolly without planning permission was knocked down for only € 10,000.

This figure represented a new low for the county where Allsop Space auctions are concerned, beating the € 11,000 that was recorded for the sale of a site in the Cloughleigh area of Ennis that came with planning permission for a shop unit and two apartments in 2011.

The two other properties in the county that were sold also went for bargain basement prices, with a holiday home in Doonbeg being sold for € 54,000 and an apartment in Ennistymon fetching € 31,000.

The Doonbeg property is located in the Dun na Mara housing estate in the village – the four-bedroomed property with a sea view had a reserve price but exceeded this by € 9,000, even though the house was described by Allsop Space firm as being “in a shell condition” without fittings in the kitchen or bathoom areas.

The two-bedroomed apartment in Ennistymon located on the junction between Main Street and Parliament Street that was being sold on the instructions of the Kavanagh/Fennell firm of receivers had a reserve price of € 30,000.

Two other Clare properties were also included in the 106-lot auction, but both were withdrawn from the sale. A four-bedroomed bungalow on Station Road in Lahinch had been given a reserve price of just € 50,000 – the property which is just a couple of minutes walk from the centre of the village also came with planning permission granted by Clare County Council in December 2010 to demolish the house and build three town houses in its place. The second property withdrawn was in Crusheen, a four-bedroomed house that had a reserve price of € 75,000.

THE retention of one classroom teacher in Boston National School and four English Language Support teachers [EAL] in Ennis has been described as a “stay of execution” by Mullagh teacher and local head of the Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO), Sean McMahon.

The five teaching positions, which were due to be scrapped by the Department of Education in September, will now be retained for the 2012 to 2013 school year. While he welcomed the successful appeals, Mr McMahon said that a major u-turn in government educational policy is needed if rural Clare schools are to continue to provide top-class education for the people of Clare.

“This is good news but we have to balance this with the communications coming from the Department of Education which indicate that all schools will have to meet the new student number criteria come September,” he said.

“It is not fair to compare urban and rural schools, especially in the Burren where planning permission is difficult to obtain. The minister [Ruairi Quinn (LAB)] should take a step back from this approach and realise that it is not fair to compare the educational realities of schools in urban and rural areas.”

Mr McMahon also criticised a situation which could see a large number of the county’s urban schools lose English Language Support teachers in the coming years. Four Ennis schools which were due to lose a teacher each in September will now retain their EAL.

The four affected schools are the Holy Family Junior and Senior Schools, Ennis Educate Together and Scoil Chriost Ri in Cloughleigh. They each retained an additional EAL post in the appeals.

Boston National School is one of a number of small rural schools in Clare that face the prospects of teacher cuts and even closure, as a result of the drastic increase in the minimum numbers required to sustain one- and two-teacher schools.

“I’m happy that Boston has retained its post. While I regret the loss of any teaching post in Clare, I am satisfied that posts are being allocated where they are needed most. And need must be the criteria when it comes to something as important as primary education, not politics,” said Clare TD Michael McNamara (LAB).

“In that regard, I’m pleased that the need for four additional EAL posts in Clare was recognised on appeal and will be met – at Holy Family Junior and Senior Schools, Ennis Educate Together and Scoil Chriost Ri in Cloughleigh.” Wh ile it wo n ’t b e o ve rly w a rm , it sh o u ld b e p le a sa n t fo r m o st o f th is we e k, w ith Tu e sd a y, Th u rsd a y, Frid a y a n d Su n d a y th e b e st o f th e we e k. Th e e a rly fo re c a st fo r n e xt we e k is sim ila r.

THE COST of providing Traveller accommodation in Clare has been described as “disproportionately high” and “unsustainable”.

Clare County Council are seeking to amend its current Traveller Accommodation Programme, which runs until 2013.

The proposed amendment, which has gone on public display, states that the council has spent € 20 mil- lion on the construction of 10 permanent group development schemes throughout the county, in addition to other housing supports.

It states, “Three new group schemes were constructed as part of the current 2009-2013 programme, two in Ennistymon at Ballymacraven and at Glen North, and one in Ennis at Knockanean.”

The amendment notes, “The council and the members of the LTACC (Local Traveller Accommodation Consultative Committee) recognise that the group scheme programme has had disappointing results, as reflected in the number of vacancies (currently 16 units or 25 per cent of all units provided), the high level of transfer requests (currently 13 households or 27 per cent of all current tenancies in group schemes) and the loss of units through arson (5 or 7.9 per cent of all units provided).”

Concern has previously been expressed over the high cost of providing and maintaining Traveller accommodation in Clare.

The document states, “The disproportionately high resources that the council is expending on the maintenance and management of Travellerspecific accommodation is unsustainable and negatively impacts on the capacity of the council to achieve the objectives of the programme.”

Under the proposed amendment, the council will close a temporary site at the Quin Road after the existing family there is relocated.

It continues, “It is the council’s policy to apply its rent arrears policy to all tenants. This is in the interests of equity, consistency and in the interests of promoting sustainable communities.”

Traveller tenants will be encouraged to participate in estate management programmes while the council’s antisocial behaviour strategy will apply “to all tenants in all settings.” The council is installing a CCTV system in three group scheme developments as a funded pilot project. Submissions to the document can be made until June 22.

PREPARATIONS are underway to mark the 25th anniversary of the twinning of Ennis and Phoenix, Arizona. A marching band from Saint Mary’s Catholic High School in Phoenix, Arizona, has accepted an invitation to play in the 2013 St Patrick’s Day Parade in Ennis.

The visit will form part of the celebrations to mark the 25th anniversary of twinning between the town of Ennis and the US city of Phoenix.

According to TJ Waters, Chairperson of the Ennis Phoenix Twinning Board, “We are delighted that St. Mary’s High School band will march in Ennis on St. Patrick’s Day next year. It will be great to welcome the high-school students and their teachers to Ennis.”

The band is made up of 25 students from 9th to 12th grades. Since the formation of the twinning relationship between Ennis and Phoenix in 1988, civic and community leaders from both sides of the Atlantic have visited each other and developed strong ties and personal friendships.

The focus has been on commercial, cultural and civic activities. Oppor- tunities for trade and education links have been promoted and developed and tourism and enterprise potential has been highlighted.

The proposed visit coincides with the theme for next year’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade is ‘Ennis – a Musical Town’.

Members of the Ennis Phoenix Twinning Board will be contacting schools in the Ennis area in coming weeks to outline their plans for St Patrick’s weekend in Ennis in 2013 and to encourage as many school bands as possible to participate in the parade.

According to Cllr Michael Guilfoyle, Mayor of Ennis, “It is very important that we celebrate the strong connection between Ennis and Phoenix. This is a real and enduring association that deserves support and encouragement. Congratulations to all of those who have been involved over the past 25 years.”

A new website has also been launched to highlight the twinning arrangement. Log on to www.ennisphoenix.com to find out more about the work of the Ennis Phoenix Twinning Board or to find out how to get involved in the 25th anniversary celebrations.

THE economic downturn has brought about an increased number of unfair dismissals cases in the county, one of the county’s leading business organizations has claimed this week.

The Shannon Chamber of Commerce has sounded out its concerns over the growth in the amount of cases in the county being referred to the Employment Appeals Tribunal over the past two years.

In a statement issued to The Cla re People this week, Shannon Chamber chief executive, Helen Downes said that, “2009 witnessed a 73 per cent increase in the number of cases re ferred to the Employment Appeals Tribunal and the volume of cases referred to the Tribunal in 2010 was equally worrying”.

And, because of this trend the chamber of commerce has been prompted to organise an event to address unfair dismissal obligations and redundancy management.

The event, which is sponsored and supported by Career Decisions Ireland and Zimmer, will be held at Zimmer’s facility in Shannon on Thursday, May 17, from 8am to 10am.

“It’s critically important therefore for companies to be fully aware of the implications of the Unfair Dismissals Acts and their requirements under the Redundancy Payments Acts,” said Ms Downes.

“This seminar will provide information on what constitutes a fair or a constructive dismissal, the steps a company can take to minimise exposure to an unfair dismissal claim, trends in dismissals, a company’s requirements under the Redundancy Payments Acts 1967-2007 and how to effectively manage a redundancy process.”

The event will be of interest to HR practitioners, managers and busi- ness owners. It’s part of a series of workshops being organised this year by Shannon Chamber to address human resources and employment law. It also fits in with the Chamber’s new HR Forum, which involves senior HR professionals from across sectors in the Shannon Region.

The Forum was set up to share best practice research and thinking in HR and Employment Law, develop a network amongst HR professionals in the Shannon Region.

CLARE Youth Service joined with other local youth services around the country last week to impress upon decision-makers the importance of local youth work to the country and its future.

The Oireachtas briefing, organised by Youth Work Ireland, highlighted concerns about youth unemployment, community employment and funding cuts, which are threatening youth projects around the country.

As part of the briefing, Clare Youth Service provided information on local projects and highlighted where cuts are impacting.

Margaret Slattery, CEO of Clare Youth Service, said, “We currently face many challenges in delivering essential services but it was important to recognise our Oireachtas rep- resentatives as partners in establishing the importance of youth work in both the legislative and budgetary processes.

“The meeting was an important opportunity to frankly highlight the situation on the ground.”

Bryan McMahon, an adult leader and part of the CYS Younger Voices group, highlighted the role of volunteers in providing value-for-money in the youth service.

As a former member of Skyview youth club in Shannon, his own story impressed the deputies and senators.

He said, “We saw this as an important opportunity to show what communities and young people can do in partnership with agencies and the State to provide quality services in difficult economic times”

Patrick Burke, CEO of Youth Work Ireland, complimented the role played by Clare Youth Service and others in the briefing.

Clare Youth Service is currently in the midst of their drive to recruit patrons and friends to help meet the shortfall caused by the current round of cuts.

The campaign was been a resounding success so far, with 120 patrons recruited from a target of 150. It is hoped to reach the target by the end of May.

Individuals and companies can become patrons for a donation of € 50 or become a friend for € 20. Friends will receive a car sticker, while patrons will receive a certificate for their business premises or home in addition to the car sticker.

To enrol as a friend or patron of Clare Youth Service, contact 065 6845350. Alternatively, anyone interested can enrol online at www. clareyouthservice.org

THE majority of Clare’s Oireachtas members are in favour of civil marriage for gay and lesbian couples.

While civil partnership was introduced more than a year ago, it still falls short of the full legal entitlements of marriage, especially where the rights of children are concerned.

TDs Michael McNamara (Lab) and Timmy Dooley (FF) and Senators Tony Mulcahy (FG) and Martin Conway (FF) all said they believed marriage should be available to same-sex couples..The Fine Gael TDs were not as clear-cut in their answers.

Fine Gael TD Pat Breen said he needed more time to give a more considered answer on the issue.

Meanwhile, Deputy Joe Carey (FG) stated, “There is a commitment in the programme for government that the constitutional convention will examine the provision of same-sex marriage. They’re examining that currently, as well as a number of other issues. I am in favour of civil partnership and believe this provision is a huge step forward for same-sex couples.”

The other TDs are happy to see the legislation go further.

“I don’t see why there shouldn’t be civil marriage. I believe in the principal of equality,” said Deputy Dooley.

As it is the stated position of the party following this year’s Ard Fheis, he said he would also be supporting any legislation brought before the Dáil on this matter.

Labour’s Deputy McNamara was equally supportive. “Civil marriage, yes, but obviously what religious communities do is a matter for religious communities themselves,” he said. “There are same-sex relationships where children are involved now, they are not as infrequent as they were 20 years ago. The current laws are inadequate to deal with where the natural mother or father of the child had died leaving the child and the other partner in the relationship in a very difficult legal situation, so clearly for the sake of children, as well, it needs to be regularised,” said the former barrister.

Senator Conway (FG) said, “I believe there should be absolute equality for all people. Marriage is about a couple committing to each other for life, irrespective of their circumstances. If legislation comes through, I would like to see an all-party approach to this important issue and I would like to see all-party agreement. If that is not possible, the legislation I will support is legislation that is properly proofed and enshrined in equality.”

Senator Mulcahy (FG), who was also in favour of equal rights for same-sex couples, said, “As a society, we have been shoving our heads in the sand for far too long. We as a nation need to grow up, as opposed to growing up a bit of the way every 20 years.”

“If adults of the age of consent determine this is what they want to do with their lives, it is not for us to dictate to them. I came across it at the doors at the election last year, meeting people who believed we all should adhere to their beliefs, but I do not believe in that. I don’t dictate terms to anybody. I don’t think any sector of society should.

“If people over the age of consent decide that is how they want to live their lives, then we should legislate for that and provide for that,” he said.

A MAN who was assaulted by his brother with a hatchet has said the family has been left “troubled and broken” by the incident.

Father of four Michael McDonagh had half of his left ear severed from his head when he was attacked by James McDonagh (38) at the Ballymurtagh halting site in Shannon on August 31 (2011).

James McDonagh, with an address at bay six Ballymurtagh, Shannon, was last week convicted at Ennis Circuit Criminal Court of assault causing harm to his brother at Ballymurtagh on the day in question.

A jury also found James McDonagh guilty of possessing a hatchet with intent to cause injury to his brother Michael. Michael McDonagh, of bay 5 Ballymurtagh, Shannon, suffered serious cuts to his head and abdomen as a result of the assault.

Michael McDonagh’s victim impact statement was heard at the conclusion of a four-day trial in Ennis on Friday.

The statement was read out in court by Detective Garda David Laing of Shannon Garda station.

Michael McDonagh stated that he had made the statement as he had been forced to seek the protection of the State after the assault.

He said, “I believed I was going to die and I could see the hatred in my brother’s eyes.”

Michael McDonagh stated that his wife had been traumatised by the assault and that his children still wake up screaming at night.

He continued, “I am not the first brother that Jimmy has attacked and I am sure I will not be the last unless a dramatic intervention is made.”

Michael McDonagh stated that the assault had put “huge strain” on his family and left his wife and children in a “very nervous state.”

Referring the consequences of the incident, Michael McDonagh said, “We know we are left with a broken and troubled family.”

He stated that he had not made the statement to ensure his brother got the maximum sentence.

Rather, Michael McDonagh stated, he hoped that the sentence would include some aspect of medical treatment that his brother “urgently requires.”

Michael McDonagh also praised the “swift action” of the gardaí in his statement.

A MAN has been found guilty of assaulting his brother with a hatchet at a halting site in Shannon last year.

James McDonagh (38), with an address at bay six Ballymurtagh, Shannon, attacked Michael McDonagh at he rear of their father’s home at the Ballymurtagh halting site on August 31.

Details of the assault were heard during a four-day trial at Ennis Circuit Criminal Court last week.

It took a jury 96 minutes to convict James McDonagh on one count of assault causing harm and another of possession of a hatchet with intent to cause injury. The court heard he has 97 previous convictions.

Half of Michael McDonagh’s left ear was severed in the assault while the father of four also suffered injuries to his scalp and abdomen.

He spent four days in hospital receiving treatment for his injuries.

James McDonagh, referred to throughout the trial as Michael James McDonagh, had denied the charges, claiming that he had acted in self-defence after his brother had attacked him with a hurley.

The court heard that a row over a car parked at the entrance of 81-yearold Frank McDonagh’s home at Ballymurtagh sparked the assault.

Counsel for the State, Stephen Coughlan BL, told the court that Frank McDonagh, father of Michael and James, blamed James for blocking the entrance.

He asked Michael to ring the gardaí who came and removed the car.

Michael McDonagh said that at around 8pm on the night in question, James McDonagh came running into his yard at bay five Ballymurtagh, wielding an orange and black handle hatchet.

He said, “He was roaring and shouting and swinging the hatchet and saying he was going to kill me.”

Michael McDonagh told the court that he ran from his home, where he had been watching television with his wife and children, and into the adjoining yard of his father’s bay.

He said he picked up a hurley to defend himself after he was “cornered” by James.

A struggle ensued and Michael McDonagh eventually managed to take the hatchet from his brother and throw it over the wall.

Frank McDonagh gave evidence of seeing James hit Michael “two or three clouts in the head with the hatchet.”

He added, “I heard Michael’s wife and kids screaming….I saw Michael running like a hare into my bay.”

Garda Barry Doherty of Shannon Garda Station attended the scene on the night. He said both Michael and James were covered in blood.

He said, “Michael McDongh’s ear was cut and half hanging off.” The hatchet was found in a field behind the halting site. James McDonagh was arrested and subsequently interviewed by gardaí.

In his closing speech, Mr Coughlan said. “The State’s case is that this was a willful attack by James McDonagh on his brother and he used a hatchet to do it.”

Counsel for the accused, Pat Whyms, said the State’s witnesses had given different accounts of the incident. He said the jury had to decide if the witnesses are “truthful and reliable.” He said James McDonagh had picked up the hatchet to defend himself.

Addressing the jury, Judge Gerald Keyes said, “If you are satisfied that the accused was the aggressor then it precludes him from using the defence of self defence.”

Mr Whyms urged the court to consider to suspending a portion of the sentence on condition that James McDonagh enters a treatment programme.

Sentencing of James McDonagh will be finalised on Thursday. The court heard he faces a maximum sentence of 10 years.