Month: October 2012

THREE separate investigations have been launched following the electrocution of a man in North Clare last week. The man, who has been identified as 58-year-old father of four, Johnny Geraghty, from Loughrea, died when the pole he had been helping to erect came into contact with overhead power cables.

Mr Geraghty was working as a contractor for ESB Networks when the accident took place. It is understood that he and another man were erecting a pole to carry power to a new house in the area.

The tragedy took place just after 12.30pm last Monday, September 24, at Ballybornagh, in Boston. The men had dug a hole for the timber pole and, while the JCB operator was lifting it into place, the pole touched overhead wires carrying 10,000 volts.

It is believed the victim may have been holding on to a metal stay wire when the accident took place. He was pronounced dead at the scene and a priest performed the last rites over the body before it was removed to the Mid Western Regional Hospital in Limerick for a postmortem examination.

The JCB driver was taken by ambulance to University Hospital Galway after being left deeply traumatised by the tragedy. The area was sealed off while a Garda forensic team from Ennis carried out an examination of the scene.

Two units of the Gort Fire Brigade, an ambulance from Galway and a local doctor attended the incident while a number of engineers and officials from ESB Networks also travelled to the scene.

Separate investigations into the incident have been launched by the Health and Safety Authority, ESB Networks and local gardaí. Gardaí in Ennis will forward a report on the incident to the County Coroner who will host an inquest.

Mr Geraghty was laid to rest at the Leitrim New Cemetery in Loughrea last Thursday. He is survived by his wife Phyllis, three daughters and one son. Mr Geraghty had worked as a contractor with ESB Networks for many years and was also a part-time farmer.

THE land will go quite in the Banner County next Tuesday as 6,500 Clare farmers down tools in an unprecedented strike day being organised by the IFA. The action is being organised to highlight the threats currently against the Single Farm Payment, the decreasing margins offered by super- markets and the loss of other government schemes for farmers. The Single Farm Payment currently bring in € 49 million to the Clare economy each year. This money is a vital lifeline for local communities as most of it is reinvested in the local community. “We are asking farmers not to let any produce off their farm on that day. This means that farmers would not go to the mart at that day, that milk would not to the creamery, that sort of thing,” said Andrew Dundas, Chairperson of the IFA in Clare. “This is easy enough for the 600 or so milk producers in Clare, because of the time of the year that’s in it, but the marts are in to their busiest time now. So it is probably harder on marts and the 6,000 suckler farmers to come on board. “This is about sending a message to government and the shops. There are marts scheduled to take place on that day so this is, unfortunately, going to inconvenience some people. “We have been getting a great response in Clare. Farmers see the necessity of it – we all know the importance of the Single Farm Payment. Very very few farmers in Clare would be able to farm without it. It is the pretty much the total income taken in by most farmers in Clare. “That money is spent in the local shop and is a very important aspect to farming in Clare and really all rural live in Clare.”

DESPITE the fact that Shannon was up and running by the start of World War II, having had its historic first landing in May 1938 when an Army Air Force Avro Anson Bomber touched down in Rineanna, it seems that the new airport wasn’t considered of strategic importance to Germany.

That’s according to the top-secret Militärgeographische Angaben über Irland document, which identified key strategic sites in the county to play a part post-German invasion of Ireland and its subsequent occupation.

Across the estuary, Foynes port, a transatlantic flyingboat base, was one of the sites mapped, but Shannon wasn’t considered to be vital to German plans in Ireland. This is despite the fact that less than two months after Operation Sealion was abandoned by the German high command, the fledging airport was plunged into the centre of a diplomatic incident that could have conceivably sparked a British invasion of Ireland.

The incident occurred on December 19, 1940, when German Ambassador to Ireland, Edward Hempel, informed Eamon de Valera’s government that a Lufthansa plane would be landing at Shannon carrying extra diplomatic staff for the German Le- gation in Dublin.

Any move by Mr de Valera to refuse permission to Germany to increase its staff would have compromised Ireland’s neutrality, while giving the green light for a German landing at Shannon had the potential of provoking a British invasion of Ireland.

In the end, Mr de Valera agreed to Germany’s request, but insisted that the Germans could only come to Ireland by a normal commercial air route and that if they landed in any other way they would be arrested.

Ambassador Hempel agreed to this stipulation before it was realised that all commercial plans from Europe were required to land in Britain, which would have resulted in the immediate arrest of the German officials.

A NUMBER of strategic sites in Clare were identified as being key to Nazi Germany’s plan to invade and occupy neutral Ireland during World War II, a new top-secret dossier has revealed this week.

The document, which went under the hammer at an auction in England last Thursday for € 2,961 – almost four times the reserve price – was compiled by Nazi spies in Ireland and graphically illustrates that Clare would have been given a crucial part to play in any German war effort conducted from Ireland.

In all, seven Clare sites were singled out by Nazi intelligence as having a role to play in German’s invasion plans in a document that clearly showed that neutral Ireland and the constituency of Taoiseach Eamon de Valera was viewed of strategic importance by the fascist regime.

The detailed document, which includes maps and analysis of the Irish countryside compiled by Nazi spies, shows how under Operation Green/ Sealion, Hitler planned to overthrow the State and turn it into one of six regional hubs for Britain and Ireland.

Ardnacrusha Power Station – which had been constructed by the pride of German engineering, SiemensSchuckert in the 1920s, at the cost of £5.2m, and at that time the biggest hydro-electrical plant in Europe – was circled as being a vital component in the German rule in Ireland. Other key Clare sites included former capital of Ireland Killaloe, probably because of Lough Derg’s potential to cater for flyingboats, while the key coastal areas targetted by the Nazi regime were the Cliffs of Moher and Blackhead/Ballvaughan area. The document entitled Militärgeographische Angaben über Irland contains detailed maps and postcards, with a number of images of Ardnacrusha highlighting it importance to the state. These key places were numbered by military officials before being plotted on a series of eight fold-out maps, which would have been used during ‘Operation Sealion’. However, on September 17, 1940, Hitler was forced to scrap Operation Sealion because of the Luftwaffe’s failure to gain air supremacy over England during the Battle of Britain. The Nazi offensive never took place after the German defeat in the skies, but experts believe the book reveals what could have happened if the Nazi’s had conquered Britain.

THE number of Clare homes that have registered their septic tanks has doubled over the past week as the deadline for the reduced € 5 registration charged passed on Friday.

According to figures obtained from the Local Government Management Agency yesterday, a total of 7,603 septic tanks have now been registered in Clare. This is an increase of more than 100 per cent, 3,534 of which had been registered in the county on the same day last week.

In addition to the 7,603 online registrations, the Local Government Management Agency found that there are an estimated 70,000 registration forms which have been processed at local authority offices around the country and have yet to be added to the current figure.

When processed, these registrations could bump up the numbers signed in Clare by more than 2,000 and bring overall registration close to the 10,000 mark.

It is still unclear exactly how many septic tanks currently exist in Clare. Last year, the former Director of Services, David Timlin, put the number at close to 19,000. However, more recent research has estimated that there could be as many as 31,000 septic tanks in the county, with 11,700 in the River Fergus catchment area, 8,400 in the West and North Clare area, 7,600 in the Lough Derg area and 3,400 in South Clare.

The registration fee for the septic tanks had been set at € 5 by the Minister for Environment, Phil Hogan (FG), until last Friday, September 28. Anyone who wises to register their septic tank from now on will have to pay € 50 and homeowners could also face a fine of € 5,000 if they fail to register their tank before February 1, 2013.

Clare currently has one of the highest registration rates in the country with only Wexford, Galway, Meath and Mayo reporting more registered septic tanks.

A DEMAND for Clare’s top civil servants to take paycuts has been sounded out this week by a Shannonbased businessman who is one of the leading figures behind a new countywide campaign that is demanding Clare County Council to cut rates and water charges for 2013.

Darragh O’Connor, the proprietor of the Texaco Service Station in Shannon Town Centre, has warned that hundreds of Clare businesses are now teetering on the brink of going under, because of Clare County Council’s refusal to budge on the issue of service charges.

“Businesses are closing down everywhere and the county council seem happy to let that happen,” blasted Mr O’Connor in a statement to The Clare People this week, ahead of a public meeting for ratepayers throughout the county that’s being organised in Shannon next Monday night.

“We are now in a situation where businesses are closing down every day, something that’s not acceptable if the county hopes to get back on its feet. The only thing that the county council has said is that rates won’t go up, but that’s not enough.

“There has to be some give. Look at the top salaries in Clare County Council – the top 10 officials are earning € 1.2 million between them,” Mr O’Connor claimed, “yet for people who are struggling with rates and water charges, they are living with the fact that their lights or their water could be turned off because they can’t pay the rates,” he added.

As recently as the 2012 Budget, which was passed by Clare County Council, it stated, “It has not been possible to provide for a decrease in rates”, with the local authority adding that, “Clare County Council is acutely aware of the financial difficulties which our ratepayers are experiencing and we are committed to adopting a practical approach in terms of facilitating rate-payers”.

The meeting takes place in the Oakwood Arms on Monday night next at 8pm, with Mr O’Connor calling on business people, public representatives and council officials to attend.

THE Diocese of Killaloe yesterday moved to dampen speculation that the Bishop Kieran O’Reilly is being lined up to replace Seán Brady as the Primate of All Ireland. Bishop O’Reilly will attend a special synod or meeting of top-ranking bishops in Rome this Sunday, in the place of Cardinal Brady. This is the first synod not attended by Cardinal Brady in his time as Primate of All Ireland and it has been seen by some as an indication that he soon intends to step down. Cardinal Brady has faced a number of calls for his resignation over the last 12 months and, while Bishop O’Reilly is one of the newest bish- ops in Ireland, it is thought in some circles that he would be the ideal candidate for the position – should it become available. Spokesperson for the Killaloe Diocese, Fr Brendan Quinlivan said yesterday that while his elevation is “not beyond the bounds of possibility” it is more likely that he is being asked to attend because of his missionary experience. “While it is true that Cardinal Brady would have attended all of these meetings in the past, I’m not sure we can draw too much from that. “The theme of this meeting is the new evangelisation of the faithful and I think Bishop O’Reilly’s experience in the missions makes him a perfect candidate to attend,” said Fr Quinlivan. “He is very happy in Killaloe. He has really thrown himself into the role and has been travelling the diocese, meeting and getting to know all the clergy here and getting into the work of the diocese. That said, it is not beyond the bounds of possibility.” Bishop O’Reilly will be joined in Rome on Sunday by Archbishop Diarmuid Martin who, as Cardinal Brady’s number two, also attends all of the synods. Archbishop Martin is considered by some to be too radical – given his previously stated opinions in support of gay priests – to be acceptable to the powers that be at the Vatican.

THE awards continue to pour in for North Clare food producers and restaurants with four new accolades being won over the weekend.

St Tola’s Inagh Farmhouse Cheese was the toast of the 2012 Irish Cheese Awards winning a gold medal for the “St Tola Organic Log” and a silver medal for the “St Tola Ash Log”.

There was also celebration for two Ballyvaughan restaurants who both won gold medals at the prestigious Hotel and Catering Review Awards. L’Arco Italian Restaurant, operated by the Quinn Family in Ballyvaughan, picked up the Best Ethnic Restaurant award, while Stephen Spielberg’s favourite Irish restaurant, An Fear Gorta received the Gold Medal Award for Cafés and Tearooms.

Speaking after the cheese awards, Siobhan Ni Ghairbhith of St Tola said she was delighted that their cheeses were recognised.

“We are very happy to have won two Irish Cheese awards this year. It’s great that our classic log, now over 30 years in production, is still recognised as one of the finest cheeses in the country,” she said.

“We are also thrilled that our new cheese, St Tola with Ash, which has only been developed this year, is winning awards already! It’s a great boost for all the team back in Inagh and reflects that hard work and high standards of the whole company.”

The Irish Cheese Awards 2012 were judged by a panel that included Michelin starred chef Ross Lewis and celebrity chef Rozanne Steven. It was held with the support and assistance of Cáis and Sheridans Cheesemongers.

THE daughter of controversial revolutionary figure Che Guevara was in West Clare this weekend to attend the Che do Bheatha festival in Kilkee and pay a visit to the Loop Head Lighthouse.

Aleida Guevara March, a doctor based in Havana, was one of the guests of honour at the three-day long Che do Bheatha festival which was held to mark the 51st anniversary of Che Guevara’s visit to Kilkee in September of 1961.

Celebrations to mark Guevara’s connections to Clare and Galway have come in for heavy criticism in America – where he is seen as a murderous dictator by some high profile politicians.

Dr March was also one of the final guests to visit the 19th century Loophead Lighthouse before it was closed for the winter. Figures released today show that 17,423 people visited the lighthouse during the opening period up to Sunday, September 30.

Preliminary estimates indicate that 71 per cent of the total visitor figure was represented by domestic visitors, of which approximately 50 per cent were holidaymakers and 35 per cent were day trippers, with local visitors accounting for the remainder. Overseas visitors accounted for 29 per cent of the total figure.

It is estimated that the 18-week opening period was worth approximately € 650,000 to the local economy.

“It was an honour to have accompanied Dr Guevara and the Cuban ambassador, Teresita Trujillo, on their visit to the lighthouse which they both enjoyed immensely. Dr Guevara was very impressed with the new ex- hibition and particularly enjoyed the tour of the tower and the superb views from the top,” said Cillian Murphy, Chairman of Loop Head Tourism.

“The closure of the lighthouse brings to an end another great season which saw huge benefits to the local tourism operators. The figures reflect a high concentration of family business and this is the marketplace Loop Head Tourism is keen to be targeting and produce growth in the industry into the future. This in turn will make the whole community on the peninsula more sustainable in the long term. Once again, this project shows the benefits of local community and statutory agencies working in partnership.”

Ruairi Deane of Shannon Development said that Loophead Lighthouse was an effort to establish an anchor visitor attraction in West Clare with strong overseas appeal.

“Loop Head Lighthouse is now a wonderful success story that highlights what true partnership between state agencies and community bodies can achieve,” he said.

GORT mother and son team, Gina and Cathal Casey, made their own piece of history last week when they both won bronze medals at the World Kickboxing Championships on Florida. The pair, who are both students of Lisa Connolly, at the Gort Taekwon-do Academy returned home over the weekend with their unique set of medals.

Gina, who is a special needs assistant at Gort Community School, and Cathal, a second year pupil at the school, both won the medals for Ireland competing in the ‘Light Contact Sparring’ category.

Fourteen-year-old Cathal is a black belt in Taekwondo, while Gina has a red/blue striped belt. The pair began Taekwondo three years ago and are now leading members of the Gort Taekwondo Academy. After making it past the initial elimination rounds, both were delighted to take home bronze medals from their first ever WKA World Championships.

The pair’s trip to America was made possible, in part, because of € 500 in fundraising conducted by Gort Community College.

According to their instructor, Lisa Connolly, who is herself a European Taekwon-do Champion and fourth degree black belt, Taekwon-do has many benefits for those who practice it. “The main things that people learn concentration, discipline and respect. Respect is a very big thing in Taekwon-do,” said Lisa.

“People’s concentration can improve because there is a lot of repetition, and if you don’t get something right you have to do it over and over.”

To find out more about the Gort Taekwon-do Academy call Lisa on 087 2070583.