Month: October 2012

THEY’RE the sounds that have made Clare a haven for traditional music lovers around the world and now they’ve been made accessible to everyone thanks to a new online initiative called the Music of Clare Project.

Clare County Library and the Clare Arts Office have joined forces in the venture, the first stage of which concentrates on the traditional music of the county and featuring the biographies and music of some of Clare’s best known traditional music artists.

These include Martin Hayes, Micho Russell, Willie Clancy, Sharon Shannon, Chris Droney, Dennis Cahill, The Kilfenora Céilí Band, Martin Junior Crehan, Elizabeth Crotty, Kevin Crawford, Kieran Hanrahan, The Tulla Céilí Band and Kitty Hayes.

“This new online project will allow immediate access to all those interested in the music of County Clare, and will greatly enhance the existing historical and cultural resources on the library website itself,” said Clare County Librarian, Helen Walsh in launching the initiative.

“We want members of the public to be able to listen to traditional tunes associated with Clare, played by musicians who are from the county or who have lived in it for many years,” said senior executive librarian Anthony Edwards.

“We have also included transcriptions of the featured tunes, to help anyone who wishes to learn the basic notes of a tune so as to be able to play it. Links to alternative transcriptions are also provided,” he added.

The project also includes a music videos feature, a collection of embedded online videos of Clare musicians from YouTube. Historical and biographical articles place the music of Clare in context and provide back- ground and further resources for study and enjoyment.

The project received financial support from the Clare County Arts Office which, with Arts Council funding, sponsored an initial researcher, Paddi O’Connell, and funded the transcription of some of the tunes by Geraldine Cotter.

“The County Arts Office is committed to promoting the wealth of traditional music in Clare and we were delighted to work with Clare Library Service on such an exciting and important project,” said Siobhán Mulcahy, County Arts Officer.

The Music of Clare Project team consisted of executive librarian Maureen Comber, library staff officer Jackie Dermody and project manager Anthony Edwards.

The Music of Clare Project is accessible at www.clarelibrary.ie.

THE Department of Education and Skills has raised a number of queries regarding the possible lease of land from a Killaloe school to a local community development group.

The Ballina Killaloe Sports and Community Development Company Ltd are seeking to lease land from Clare VEC at St Anne’s Community College for the development of new sports facilities.

The September meeting of Clare VEC heard that the Department has now written back to the group with a “significant” number of queries.

CEO George O’Callaghan told the meeting that the Department had concerns over a number of aspects of the proposed agreement, including the length of the lease and the amount of land being sought by the company.

Mr O’Callaghan said the Department also has concerns over the impact any arrangement might have on the future development of the school.

Mr O’Callaghan told the meeting that the company had requested some time to consider the Department’s requests. He said the company had also requested time to look at “other options”.

The meeting heard that the VEC must first receive the approval of the minister before entering into any agreement.

Mr O’Callaghan said the Department had indicated a desire to work with the Ballina Killaloe Sports Development Company.

Committee member Cllr Peter Considine (FF) urged the company to work with the Department on the project.

Mr O’Callaghan said the VEC expect to reach agreement with a Kildysart-based community group about the lease of lands at St John Bosco Community College in the next few weeks.

He said that the heads of agreement had been sent to the Department of Education and Skills.

He said the group had been able to address the queries raised by the Department.

Mr O’Callaghan added, “We would expect to be able to sort it out in the next couple of weeks.”

THE break-up of Shannon Development will be put on a legislative footing by the end of the year in a move that will pave the way for Enterprise Ireland and the Industrial Development Authority to take over the running of the Shannon Free Zone.

The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton, made the announcement on Friday after it was revealed that an agreement had been reached with Shannon Development to enable the two State bodies to take over the enterprise development functions in the Shannon Free Zone.

In announcing this decision, Minister Bruton said, “This Government is committed to securing a bright future for the Shannon region. We have decided to make swift legislative change to ensure that Enterprise Ireland and IDA can, as soon as possible start delivering enterprise support services in the Shannon Free Zone.”

This move follows on from the decision taken in May by Minister Bruton and Transport Minister, Leo Varadkar to create a new world-class aviation industry at Shannon as part of a series of reforms of Government agencies operating in the region.

Central to that plan was the decision to merge Shannon Airport and Shannon Development into a new entity and to transfer Shannon Development’s functions in relation to indigenous enterprise and foreign direct investment (FDI) in the Free Zone to Enterprise Ireland and IDA.

Part of the reforms previously announced was to task IDA and Enterprise Ireland with carrying out enterprise development functions in the Shannon Free Zone, in addition to their existing enterprise development functions throughout the Shannon region.

The agencies will also develop a plan for the delivery of enterprise supports in the Shannon region. This will mean that indigenous and foreign businesses throughout the region will have direct access to the comprehensive range of supports from the State enterprise agencies, as well as to a dynamic international airport with extensive property holdings.

The legislative process made it nec- essary to remove the restriction contained in the Industrial Development Act 1986 on Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland carrying out enterprise development functions in the Shannon Free Zone (SFZ).

This legislation will be published before the end of the year and then put before the two houses of the Oireachtas for enactment in the new year.

“This represents a step along the road to creating a new future for Shannon,” said Minister Bruton. “Much important work remains to be done, and that work is continuing. I am convinced that with the right reforms properly implemented, that a bright future can be delivered, and Government will continue to work hard to ensure that happens.” We will h a ve w in d a n d p le n t y o f ra in e a rly in t h e we e k b u t t h e we e ke n d lo o ks p le a sa n t , fin g e rs c ro sse d .

ENNIS Town Council will today announce details of plans to pedestrianise parts of the town centre in the run up to Christmas.

The council has been urged to follows last year’s system, which saw O’Connell Street closed to vehicular traffic from 12 noon to 6pm.

Parking charges were also suspended for certain days, a move credited with helping to attract more shoppers to Ennis.

Free parking was applicable to the town’s 759 off-street and 783 on- street public car parking spaces up to 12pm daily on Saturdays during the festive period.

Councillor Johnny Flynn (FG) believes the council should adopt a similar approach to pedestrianisation again this year.

He said, “Last year, it seemed to have been very successful where they pedestrianised only O’Connell Street and only from 12 noon to 6pm and offered free parking for that period. Hopefully it will be a similar approach.

“I believe pedestrianisation of Abbey Street is a total failure. It closes off the town. It gives the impression to people that the town is closed down.”

Cllr Flynn continued, “You need to bring people to the Square. You need to be able to bring people into the middle of the town to do their shopping. In the morning time, you have people from the suburbs and the outlying areas of Ennis coming in to do their shopping before 12. I think last year’s solution was very successful, just O’Connell Street until 6pm. I would hope that they bring that in again, along with the free parking.”

Rita McInerney, CEO of Ennis Chamber, said pedestrianisation on Saturday should be again introduced along with free parking.

She added, “It was a real benefit in terms of bringing people into town. It was nice to be able to come into Ennis and relax and not have to worry about paying for parking.

“The Christmas lights went on a week earlier as well, which helped. I think that they should even be switched on a week earlier this time. It gets people into the spirit that bit earlier.

“For businesses, Christmas is the most important time of the year. They can do up to 50 to 60 per cent of their business in December so it really is a crucial time for businesses.”

Ennis Town Council members are also expected to discuss an updated report on efforts to develop the town’s night-time economy.

The council is working with the local business community, Gardaí and Promote Ennis on plans that could see part of the town receive a Purple Flag status.

The Purple Flag is run by the Association of Town Centre Management (UK) and is awarded to towns based on the quality of its nightlife and the types facilities and services in place at night.

BUSKERS could soon have to go through X-Factor-style auditions in order to perform on the streets of Ennis. Ennis Town Council will today discuss a proposal to introduce new on-street entertainment byelaws.

In a notice of motion, Cllr Johnny Flynn (FG) is calling on Ennis Town Council to “draw up street entertainment bye-laws to deal with busking and the provision of small street public performance spaces (spotaí ceol) to enable performers book a targeted time”.

Cllr Flynn says similar byelaws have been introduced to much success in several other towns around Ireland.

He explains. “It’s about bringing opportunities to quality young performers and to people who have busked in certain locations in town. It’s to try and enhance the experience on the streets, particularly on Fridays and Saturdays from 4pm on. It would provide opportunities for local groups to perform in areas like the Temple Gate or up in the Square, or in Abbey Street.

“There are one or two corners that could be developed to suit bands playing from around 4pm to 7pm on Saturday afternoons. It’s trying to bring a bit of music and culture to the streets of Ennis, a bit like there is in Galway.”

Cllr Flynn says the byelaws would be aimed at improving the on-street experience of customers and businesses alike.

He says the byelaws could include a requirement for buskers to audition in order to a secure a designated performance space.

He explains. “You can see the huge improvements that are happening in coach parking where we are trying to make the town a more go-to place for coach tours. It’s taken a number of years to get agreement and provide facilities. Once you provide facilities, you have to manage them.

“Likewise, if you make the streets of Ennis more open and available for street performers, you have to manage them in a way to ensure there is high-quality busking. Some businesses might not want buskers outside their premises, blaring music all the time. You would have to manage that and see how different towns and cities manage them.”

Cllr Flynn continues, “You could have an X-Factor-style audition process for busking in Ennis. You can’t very well have somebody pelting away poor quality music and driving people off the streets. It’s to improve the experience in and around the street of Ennis, both for businesses and the customers coming.

“It would give an opportunity for prime busking locations or prime performance spaces for young as well as experienced performers.”

UNPRECEDENTED cuts to services will be inflicted on Clare County Council this winter unless an unlikely change of heart is forthcoming from the Department of the Environment over the next seven days.

Following a mix-up concerning Clare Fine Gael deputies Joe Carey and Pat Breen and the Minister for the Environment, Phil Hogan (FG), the council is now faced with cutting € 243,000 more from its budget, over just three months.

County Manager, Tom Coughlan, declined to go into detail over how these cuts could be achieved as he doesn’t want to create alarm in the county.

A proposal to use an overdraft facility to carry the quarter of a million debt to next year’s budget was also turned down by Mr Coughlan.

“To be honest, I am slow to give an answer to what the impact of this will be. I don’t want to be alarmist. If there is not a positive response from the meeting [a proposed meeting between Minister Hogan and Clare Fine Gael deputies], we are really running out of time,” he said.

“I have not brought proposals to you today for reducing the budget, but the longer we wait, the more difficult it is going to be. The council has an obligation to operate within its budget.

“Any move to operate outside the budget would put Clare County Council in a very difficult position and would store up this problem for another day. If we wait for two weeks, that is two weeks gone – and that will make this much more difficult.

“As of now, we are just over 68 per cent compliance rate. Collecting every 0.01 per cent is getting increasingly difficult. Without the cut of € 240,000, it would already be extremely difficult to balance this budget.”

Former Mayor of Clare, Pat Hayes (FF), said that the cuts could result in basic services such as street lights being turned off.

“Ultimately, this is not our fault and we are going to pay in cuts to frontline services. I am very disappointed by the tactic here, especially that there are no government representatives here today.

“This is bad politics. There will be lights that will be turned off, roads that won’t be repaired and services that will be cut,” he said.

FINE Gael deputies Pat Breen and Joe Carey were nowhere to be seen at yesterday’s emergency meeting of Clare County Council where councillors and officials discussed ways to cut the € 243,000 hole which has emerged in the council’s budget.

The Fine Gael deputies were accused of being sold a pup by the Minister for the Environment, Phil Hogan (FG) – a pup that could result in drastic cuts to services in Clare over the next three months.

Deputies Breen and Carey assured members of Clare County Council at a meeting earlier this year that the € 243,000 deducted from the council’s budget, because of the low payment rates of the household tax, would be refunded if the rate in Clare reached 65 per cent.

With the collection rate in Clare currently standing at 68 per cent, the Department of the Environment is sued a circular last week stating that the money would not be refunded.

Deputies Breen and Carey, Sena- tors Tony Mulcahy (FG) and Martin Conway (FG) as well as Labour Deputy Michael McNamara all sent their apologies to the meeting, with only Fianna Fáil’s Timmy Dooley in attendance.

“When these promises were made, I rang the Department of the Environment the very next day and they hadn’t heard about it. It was just a yarn passed down to Deputy Breen and Deputy Carey to fool the people of Clare,” said Cllr James Breen (IND).

“I challenged Deputy Carey and Deputy Breen to clarify the position. I asked the [County Manager] Tom Coughlan to clarify with the Department if this arrangement was ever made. I don’t believe that it was.”

Cllr Patricia McCarthy (Ind) accused the Minister for the Environment of using the issue as a way of cutting budgets by the back door.

“We have a problem. It is clear that whatever promises were made, there was no foundation for it. I am finding it extremely difficult not to believe that the Department and the Department’s head [Phil Hogan] haven’t pulled a fast one in relation to this,” she said.

The council adopted a proposal to allow the Fine Gael deputies another week to secure a meeting with Minister Hogan before immediate cuts to services were introduced.

A motion put forward by the Fine Gael councillors to ask for the full refund from the Department of the Environment should Clare reach a 75 per cent sign-up rate for the household charge was defeated by nine votes to 13.

GARDAÍ encountered a man pushing 11 shopping trolleys up the middle of a road in Ennis at 2.15am, a court has heard.

The incidents occurred at Friar’s Walk, Ennis on September 9 (2012). Gardaí were called to the area following reports of a man interfering with shopping trolleys near Dunnes Stores.

At Ennis District Court on Wednesday, David Darcy, with an address at Reaskaun, Larchill, Ennis, pleaded guilty to engaging in threatening, abusive or insulting behaviour with intent to provoke a breach of the peace.

Inspector Michael Gallagher told the court that when gardaí arrived at the scene, Mr Darcy was pushing a line of trolleys up the middle of the road.

Mr Darcy refused to stop when asked to do so. Insp Gallagher said the accused threatened one of the gardaí, saying he would “put him down”.

The court heard Mr Darcy has 15 previous convictions.

Solicitor John Casey told the court Mr Darcy had been out drinking on the night after his application to join the British Army had been refused.

Mr Casey explained that his client had trained hard in order to be accepted into the British Army.

He said Mr Darcy, who previously worked as a mechanic, was very dis- appointed when his application was turned down.

Mr Casey added, “He wanted to get away from Ennis and from the crowd he was hanging around with.”

Of his client’s behaviour on the night, Mr Casey said;

“It was stupidity.

“It wasn’t like it was even an act of bravado where Mr Darcy was showing of to a crowd. He was pushing them (trolleys) in front of him like a train.”

The court heard that Mr Darcy had previously received a 14-day prison sentence that was suspended for two years.

Judge Patrick Durcan adjourned the case until this Wednesday (October 3) for sentencing.

THREE people have appeared in court charged in connection with a series of disturbances at Ennis Courthouse last week.

The court was interrupted on three separate occasions last Tuesday as 29 gardaí were forced to intervene in confrontations between two families in the foyer of the courthouse.

Three people – Darren Maughan (21), Nora Maughan (24), Patrick Maughan (32) – all with address at 20 Stonecourt, Drumbiggle, Ennis, initially appeared in court on Tuesday charged in connection with the events.

Darren Maughan and Nora Maughan are both charged with assault and provoking a breach of the peace. Patrick Maughan was charged with provoking a breach of the peace.

At Ennis District Court on Friday, Patrick Maughan pleaded guilty to the public order charge. Inspector Tom Kennedy told the court that he was concerned about letting Patrick Maughan’s case go ahead.

He said it would be preferable if all the cases were heard at the same time.

Insp Kennedy said there were indications that more people could be charged in connection with the disturbances.

Solicitor William Cahir said his client had become involved to try and break up the fracas.

He said Mr Maughan, who now lives in Limerick, has not been involved in feud related matters. Judge Patrick Durcan directed that the case proceed. Insp Kennedy said he accepted Mr Maughan’s plea.

He told the court that Patrick Maughan was one of the parties involved in the disturbances at the courthouse on Tuesday. Insp Kennedy said it was accepted that Patrick Maughan was not one of the instigators of the trouble. The court heard Patrick Maughan has 40 previous convictions.

Mr Cahir said his client, who now lives in Limerick, had problems with alcohol but is now clean and sober. Mr Cahir added;

“He apologises to the gardaí and the court for what happened.” He said Patrick Maughan had attempted to extricate his brother from the al- tercation. Mr Cahir said his client would be suitable for community service.

Judge Patrick Durcan said the business of the court had been greatly disturbed on Tuesday.

He said, “Twenty nine members of the gardaí on three occasions had to leave at speed and stop a melee that was audibly evident.”

He said it was “irrelevant” that Patrick Maughan was not the instigator.

Judge Durcan said, “I found it very difficult to make proper judgments and decisions on anything.”

Noting Mr Maughan’s apology, guilty plea and circumstances, Judge Durcan imposed a one-month prison sentence. Recognances were fixed in the event of an appeal.

He said, “This kind of behaviour around courthouses will not be tolerated.”

Darren Maughan was remanded in custody to appear again at Ennis District Court on October 17. Nora Maughan was remanded on continuing bail to appear again at Ennis District Court on October 17.

A SLOVAKIAN man has received 10-month prison sentence for his role in the break in of a well-known family run pub in Ennis earlier this year.

Alcohol valued at € 545 and € 500 cash were stolen from Brogan’s Bar and Restaurant on O’Connell Street during a break-in in the early hours of May 28.

€ 300 worth of damage was also caused to a wooden door during the incident. At Ennis District Court on Friday, Milan Rac (21), with an address at 3 Hazelmore, Clonroadmore, Ennis, pleaded guilty to charges of theft and criminal damage.

Inspector Tom Kennedy told the court that the pub as entered at around 3am.

He said the rear door was forced open and money was taken from the till along with seven bottles of spirits.

CCTV footage subsequently identified Mr Rac as one of the people who entered the premises.

The court heard that no compensa- tion has been paid to the owners.

Solicitor Tara Godfrey said her client has received very little family support since moving to Ireland.

She told the court that Mr Rac was in the company of other individuals when the break in occurred.

She said Mr Rac had told her he only received € 30 or € 40 from what was taken on the night.

Ms Godfrey requested that the court consider a suspended sentence or engagement with the probation services.

She added, “This is a young man who needs some help or support.”

Judge Patrick Durcan said Mr Rac had been convicted of drink driving 10 weeks before he “embarked on the commission of this appalling criminal activity.”

He said that at a time when the pub trade is under pressure because of the recession, the break in at Brogan’s represented “an assault on the viability of Ennis as a town.”

Judge Durcan added that the owners of the pub had the right to expect that their premises would not be broken into and ransacked.

He said such crimes can lead to families and staff no longer feeling safe.

He continued, “If we continue to allow people to break in at three in the morning, then it will not be long before they break in at three in the afternoon.”

Noting the accused’s previous convictions for burglary, Judge Durcan imposed sentences of six months and four months to be served consecutively.

Recognances were fixed in the event of an appeal.