Month: May 2012

A FORMER road sweeper who suffers from a serious heroin addiction has been told the court will help him if he takes steps to improve his life.

At Ennis District Court on Wednesday, Edmund Lyons (47) with a former address at 2 Clare Villas, Clare Road Ennis and currently of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to theft. The charge relates to the theft of a wallet at O’Sullivan Hansbury, Kilrush Road, Ennis on July 28 (2011).

Inspector Michael Gallagher told the court that a person dropped a wallet in the shop. He said the accused picked up the wallet, which contained € 130 and a number of bank cards.

Insp Gallagher said the man reported the lost wallet to gardaí. He said the accused was subsequently identified by CCTV footage from the shop.

Insp Gallagher said Mr Lyons made a full admission to gardaí in February 2012. The court heard that neither the cash nor the cards were recovered.

Solicitor Tara Godfrey said her client, a father of two, had worked as a road sweeper for a local authority for almost 20 years.

She added, “He developed an addiction to heroin. 90 per cent of his life has been taken away.” Ms Godfrey said the drug had destroyed Mr Lyons’ life. Asked by Judge Patrick about what he had done with the bank cards, Mr Lyons said he had left them on a wall outside the shop.

After hearing the case, Judge Durcan said that Ms Godfrey must come back to court in two months time with confirmation that Mr Lyons is taking steps to “look after himself.”

He said, “If this court sees he’s making every effort, the court will be there to help.”

Judge Durcan said he wanted to see that a positive plan for Mr Lyons is in progress.

He added, “If not there will be a prison sentence.” Judge Durcan adjourned the matter until July 18.

A CLIMBER narrowly escaped serious injury on Saturday after a large rock, dislodged by another climber, fell on him from the top of a climbing cliff in North Clare.

The climber, who was holding a safety rope for another climber at the time, broke his femur in the incident but escaped a life-threatening injury by a matter of millimetres. The men were climbing at a popular climbing wall at Ballyreen, just north of Doolin, when the accident took place.

The Doolin unit of the Irish Coast- guard received the call just after 2.30pm on Saturday afternoon and rushed to the scene where they located the injured man at the bottom of a high cliff. They reached the injured man and helped make him comfortable until the arrival of the paramedics, splinting his injured leg. A winch was lowered to the bottom of the cliff and the injured climber was then stretchered to the shoreline.

From the shoreline, the injured man was airlifted by the Shannon-based Coast Guard Rescue Helicopter to Limerick Regional Hospital for further treatment. He is expected to make a full recovery.

“He had a broken femur and was very lucky that it was not a more serious incident. The femur is the strongest bone in your body and there is a big risk of severing a major artery and bleeding to death in a situation like this,” said Mattie Shannon of the Doolin Unit of the Irish Coastguard.

“We were able to reach him along with the HSE paramedics and he received medical attention. He was in a lot of pain but he was conscious throughout the rescue.”

Meanwhile, a body was recovered from the water around Poll Cnaimhín, north of Doolin, early on Saturday morning.

CLARE’S fire service and the University of Limerick are leading the way when it comes to educating emergency response professionals.

The Advance Trauma in the Community initiative was developed by Accident and Emergency Consultant Cathal O’Donnell, and Mark Dixon through the University of Limerick.

Dr O’Donnell is clear, however, that the progressive training for professionals when faced with major traumas and emergencies could not take place without the enthusiasm of the Clare County Fire Services, under the direction of Fire Chief Adrian Kelly.

In its fifth year, the course aims to bring the HSE national ambulance service, the fire services, Irish De- fence Forces, GPs, Gardaí, civil defence, Order of Malta, coast guard and the Irish Red Cross for an all-inclusive training course.

The course takes place over one day, usually in Ennis.

“Prior to this, all the organisations trained in isolation but responded together. The concept of training together gives the patient the best possible care and outcome,” explained Dr O’Donnell.

In many cases, terminology differs between the professions, and many services are unaware what the other professional can and cannot do, explained the A and E expert.

“For example, a GP would not be familiar with how the fire brigade cut the top off a car, and that there is a slow way and quick way to do it. Being aware of this, the GP at the scene can tell the fire service how quickly the patient needs to come out and the decision on how to cut him or her out can be made,” he said.

Understanding each other’s use of language, terminology and expression, and the role each party can undertake at the site of an accident, can save valuable time.

To date, at least 200 professionals from all over the country have taken part in the highly respected course.

“It was largely started with the support of the Clare Fire Service. We couldn’t do this without the Clare service and the University of Limerick,” explained Dr O’Donnell.

“There is a big issue of safety at the site of an accident and not just for those involved but also for the emergency staff. We take the lead from the fire service who have a strong safety ethos and a strong appreciation of hazards,” he added.

EVIDENCE of an ancient tsunami that may have hit the north Clare coast some 6,000 years ago could explain what became of the first people ever to live in Clare.

Archeologists working on an ancient shellfish midden on Fanore beach have discovered a mysterious black substances, which they believe could have been left behind by an ancient tsunami.

The substance, which is two or three inches deep, disintegrates when it comes in contact with air. The fact that a large slab of this material has remained intact on an ancient settlement site on Fanore beach, indicates that a large amount of it was laid down at once, possibly as the result of a tsunami.

“We have found a mysterious layer of black organic material on the site and it is under that level that we have fond all the oldest archeology. We have not been able to identify exactly what this black layer is yet but, as it happens, it is that layer which helped to protect the ancient settlement that we are currently excavating,” said Michael Lynch, the Field Monument Advisor for County Clare.

“If we can establish a date for this black material it will help us to peace together more of the mystery of this site and it could tell us a bit about what happen here that brought the use of the midden to an end.

“It is possible that this is the result of a major climatic event, a massive storm or possibly a tsunami, or some other major event of that sort which would have thrown up a large amount of debris all at the one time.”

Another mystery of the Fanore site is a series of upright, placed stones which appear to be the foundations of an ancient dwelling.

“The upright stones are from the period after the midden but they could be very early all the same. They are certainly earlier than the majority of major climatic events which have thrown up stones around the beach,” said Michael.

Excavation work will continue on Fanore beach for four weeks. The work is part funded by the Royal Irish Academy and made possible with the help of volunteers, including volunteers from the BurrenBeo Trust.

CLARE’S most senior garda has acknowledged the “widespread” problem of fuel theft in Clare.

Chief superintendent of the Clare Garda Division John Kerin said yesterday that gardaí had received an estimated 40 reports of fuel theft so far this year.

He said roughly 25 report referred to the theft of home heating oil while around 15 to 20 concerned theft of fuel from cars. He explained, “It is fairly widespread, right across the country and people are using sophisticated methods.”

Chief Supt Kerin was speaking at a meeting of the Clare Joint Policing Committee (JPC) in Clare County Council.

JPC Chairman Cllr Joe Arkins (FG) said people should not be tempted by offers of cheap fuel.

He said, “If the price is unbelievable then don’t believe it.”

Cllr PJ Ryan (Ind) said his business had been a victim of fuel theft. He added, “It seems to be on the increase over the last few weeks.”

The meeting heard that 54 neighbourhood watch schemes are currently active in Clare along with 41 Community Alert Schemes and 10 Business Watch Schemes.

Chief Supt Kerin said the gardaí are placing a “major focus” on establishing new scheme and revitalising existing ones.

He said, “The Business Watch Scheme on the industrial estate in Shannon is one of the very best I have ever seen. Crime has been reduced to virtually nothing.”

Concern was also expressed about the number of burglaries in Clare.

Chief Supt Kerin said 33 per cent of all burglaries occur as a result of people leaving doors or windows open.

Cllr Cathal Crowe (FF) said it was “soul destroying” for communities to see criminals with numerous previous convictions receive suspended sentences.

Labour TD for Clare Deputy Michael McNamara said gardaí could be freed up from court time if they a new system was introduced that would allow Garda seargents to give evidence of minor crimes.

THE search is on to locate the family of a Kilfenora couple who emigrated to America more than 160 years ago. An American-based descendant of Patrick Haverty and Anna Flannery – both from Kilfenora – is appealing to the people of North Clare to help them locate their Irish cousins.

Patrick Haverty married Anna Flannery in the parish of Kilfenora on May 2, 1850. The marriage was witnessed by a Pat Torpey. Shortly thereafter, Patrick moved to Detroit in Michigan and, within a few months, he sent for his wife Anna to join him. It is also possible that his wife’s sister, Anne Haverty Kennedy, also travelled to America to live with the couple in October of 1851.

Their marriage records, which have survived, are the only remaining evidence linking the family with their relation in Clare.

The American great-great-grandchildren of Patrick and Anna have contacted the Reach Out organisation, who are attempting to reunite the family with their Irish cousins.

Anyone with any information on the Haverty or Flannery families from Kilfenora are asked to contact Paula Kennedy on 086 0695152 or email pkennedy@irelandxo.com.

For more information on the Reach Out project, visit www.irelandxo. com.

THERE was an increase on the number of people from Clare seeking help from suicide intervention service Pieta House in 2011. 348 people accessed Pieta House Mid West’s centre in Mungret, Limerick. 54 people came from Clare.

Tom McEvoy of Pieta House in Clare confirmed the increase ahead of the service’s second annual ‘Darkness into Light’ charity walk in Ennis next week. There are currently 20 people on a waiting list for the centre.

Mr McEvoy said, “We have a waiting list unfortunately. That isn’t the way we want Pieta House to run because we were fortunate up to now that we were able to cope with the numbers of people coming in the doors. However, we had 15 and a half per cent of the total number of people availing of Pieta’s services last year from County Clare. That’s a firm statistic.”

Mr McEvoy said the service urgently needs funding to meet its goal of providing a centre within 100km of every person in the country.

“There was a gesture made through the lottery and health board. We got € 100,000 which partly paid off the debt that we have on Pieta Mid West, our facility there. It’s like scraping all the time for funding. Instead of having a figure that we can work with, we’re continually going for bits and pieces. It’s not good enough and I feel strongly that we need to drive harder for funding.”

The Darkness into Light walk starts at 4am on Saturday, May 12 at 4am. Registration takes place at Lees Road on Thursday, May 10 and on the day.

THERE have been calls for teachers in Clare to receive training to help support students who may be feeling suicidal or depressed. Services and organisations that help prevent suicide and self-harm should also be publicised through secondary schools.

The suggestions were put forward in Ennis on Friday at the launch of Pieta House’s Darkness into Light walk, which takes place at Lees Road in Ennis on Saturday, May 12.

Pieta House is a non-profit organisation providing a specialised treatment programme for people who have suicidal ideation or who participate in self-harming behaviours.

The Ennis launch was attended by local politicians including the Mayor of Clare, Councillor Pat Hayes, gardaí, clergy and teachers. The walk is also supported by Davy Fitzgerald and the Clare senior hurling panel.

John Burns, Deputy Principal of Rice College, Ennis, said it is “vital” that the availability of services such as Pieta House is promoted through schools. He added that training should also be provided to teachers.

Joan Freeman, CEO of Pieta House, said the service has refused requests to speak at schools. She said that after hearing from Pieta House, teachers were often left “to deal with the aftermath” amongst students, a situation she described as “unfair”.

Ms Freeman said Pieta House has initiated a ‘Mind Your Buddy’ programme, which encourages students to tell someone if one of their friends is in crisis.

Ms Freeman said the service would be happy to educate staff.

A recent meeting in Ennis heard that 899 children were referred to the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in Clare, Limerick and North Tipperary last year. In 2009, that figure stood at 419, while 710 children were referred in 2010.

Cllr James Breen (Ind) told the launch that the decision by the Minister for Education and Skills to abolish guidance counsellor posts in schools was a mistake.

“They understand the pressures pupils are under. This can avoid people committing suicide. Career guidance is a very important part of the curriculum.”

Mayor of Clare, Pat Hayes praised the work of Pieta House, who operate a centre in Limerick.

He said, “We all have a duty of care to try and help people who seek help. Thank you for the good work that you do. It is the voluntary and community organisations that are keeping this country afloat.”

CLARE people waiting for out patient appointments in Galway are among 40,517 hoping to get a call, with many waiting years for that coveted appointment.

Galway has the longest waiting lists in the country, but the CEO of the Galway/Roscommon Hospitals Group, Bill Maher, said he was more concerned with the duration people were waiting rather than the length of the list.

He also said the 40,000 plus figure was “a worse case scenario” as it had not yet been validated and once it was he expects the figure to fall significantly.

He told members of the Regional Health Forum West that some of the names on the list were duplicated, on other hospital lists or no longer required the service.

“Once validation is complete we would expect a reduction in this number. We know for example that a number of patients are referred routinely to the same or similar services in a number of hospitals,” he said.

Describing the list as “frightening” chairman of the HSE West Forum Cllr Padraig Conneely said he was “getting horrific stories of people waiting years” on the list.

“This is a figure I wouldn’t be happy with either. The real issue for me is not the number of people in the list but how long they are waiting. There are some specialise where people are waiting for years,” the CEO admitted. “I wouldn’t be sure if all patients are still active on the list. To validate the list properly would entail writing out to 40,000 patients and await a response,” he said.

Mr Maher added the HSE had set itself a target to shorten the list significantly within the next 12 months.

“We have set ourselves a target that no one will still be on the list in 12 months. 12 months is still too long for patients to wait for an out-patient appointment but we have to start somewhere,” he said.

“On March 23, 2012, the SDU launched an initiative to deal with the out-patient waiting list. This is similar to the initiative currently underway for in-patient waiting lists. We are currently preparing to take part in this initiative and will be addressing out-patient waiting lists across the hospital group.”

He also denied that the waiting list was as a result of a staffing issue.

The CEO told the HSE forum members that when he had exhausted all of the resources he had, and if he still needed more then he would apply for some.

SOUTH Clare’s tourist attractions will be put under the spotlight this Wednesday when tourism operators from throughout the county take part in the third of four ‘Familiarisation Tours’.

The tours are the brainchild of the Clare Tourism Forum, thanks to their ongoing campaign aimed at increasing tourism business referrals within Clare.

As part of the initiative two tours have already been held in North and West Clare, while the final tour in the series will take place in East Clare later on in May.

This Wednesday’s excursion to South Clare will feature guided tours of Quin Abbey, Craggaunowen, Bunratty Castle and Folk Park, Bunratty Castle Hotel Angsana Spa, and Durty Nelly’s perfect Guinness workshop. Participants also will attend a cookery demonstration at Bunratty Cookery School and an Irish coffee making demonstration and tasting session at the Shannon Oakwood Arms Hotel. John O’Brien, Shannon Archaeological and Historical Society will accompany the tour.

“The familiarisation tours have been hugely successful to date with dozens of Clare tourism providers pledging their support to help to build referral business within the local sector,” says Clare Tourism Forum chairperson, Barbara Faulkner.

“By broadening their knowledge and experience of other tourism attractions within County Clare, individual operators will be better positioned to promote the wider tourism sector and in doing so accrue the benefits of fellow operators doing likewise,” she adds.

Tourism operators interested in joining a tour should contact the Clare Tourism Forum office on 0656846537 or email ctf@clarecoco.ie.