Month: November 2012

FIANNA Fáil in Clare has been accused of cynical political opportunism as it launched an amendment to the State Airport Act.

Leading the charge was Labour TD Michael McNamara who said, “Fianna Fáil had their chance over many years to secure Shannon and they blew it. The party has no credibility on Shannon or on Aer Lingus. The State Airports Act 2004, a piece of Fianna Fáil legislation, enabled the transfer of Aer Rianta International (ARI) to the Dublin Airport Authority, and the establishment of a Shannon Airport Authority to run the airport without Aer Rianta International.

“All Clare’s Fianna Fáil TDs and senators at the time voted for it, including the current transport spokesman. It’s easy to talk the talk in opposition. Walking the walk when they were in government was a different matter. Why did Fianna Fáil use the power they once had to transfer ownership and control of ARI from Shannon? And why are they now singing a different tune?” he asked.

“The Fianna Fáil leader and the Transport spokesman need to recognise that this Government proposes to leave Shannon debt-free, this is an enormous contribution at a time of harsh economic conditions. Making Shannon debt-free and leaving the international travel retail company with the airport, is a phoney suggestion from the party which contributed so much to landing us in the mess we are in.

“I am confident that there will be a turnaround at Shannon. There is growing optimism that flight numbers will increase in the coming year. A new structure and good marketing will create a new dynamic at Shannon, which we all hope will generate new business and employment in the region. Something new and positive is being done by this Government following years of neglect by others,” he said.

ALTHOUGH the 2014 local election is a year and a half away, the last ever mayor of Kilrush is already being tipped as Fianna Fáil’s most likely candidate from the town.

Independent councillor Paul Moroney is understood to be an early favourite among the party leadership, ahead of serving party members on the town council, to run in the crucial election.

It is accepted that with the dissolution of Kilrush Town Council, the town will need to elect a strong councillor to a new-look county council made up of four electoral areas.

There are currently three Fianna Fáil members serving on the town council, including former county councillor Tom Prendeville.

On Saturday last, Cllr Moroney attended a Fianna Fáil social gathering in Shannon and sat with party leader Michéal Martin at the top table.

The well-got councillor, who topped the poll in the town council election, said he has not fully made up his mind if he will run in the county council election as an independent councillor or otherwise.

“I haven’t been asked to run yet,” he told The Clare People , but admitted he would not be surprised if he were formally approached by Fianna Fáil in the future.

The father of three comes from a strong Fianna Fáil family and was first elected to the council in 2009 as an independent candidate.

The boundaries for the new Clare local electoral areas will not be published until March, but parties are already strategising about finding strong candidates in the main urban areas – Ennis, Shannon and Kilrush.

Fine Gael introduced new blood to Kilrush Town Council in 2009 in the form of councillors Liam Williams and Ian Lynch, both of whom are considered strong contenders should they put their names forward for the new county council election.

Cllr Moroney could have one slight advantage, however, as he will, if he is nominated and selected, enter the race as the last every mayor of Kilrush.

Meanwhile, Fianna Fáil are concentrating on finding a strong candidate in the Shannon urban area. Mr Martin was in the town on Friday to rally the troops as they attempt what many consider a political impossibility – to find a potential Fianna Fáil councillor in an urban area that traditionally votes for Labour, Sinn Féin and left wing independents.

Labour is also going to face challenges as it attempts to translate its strong Shannon Town Council holding to a county council seat in a new smaller council.

A FORMER Clare hurler has committed to look into the cause and affect of cyber bullying as he works with young people through the organisation Soar.

Tony Griffin co-director of the national youth outreach movement built on an early intervention preventative model for 10 to 18 years olds said it is something the group will be looking into in the coming years.

In the past few weeks two teenage girls took their own lives after been bullied on line.

Cyber bullying is one of the biggest concerns among teenagers according to Mr Griffin, who added that a recent survey of students at a rural secondary school showed it was the top worry among 83 per cent of those that replied.

“It is something we would be very, very interested in and absolutely a lot of the deeds of bullying arise out of low self esteem and self belief. So we will certainly be looking at that over the next number of years as an organisation that is interested in young people fulfilling their potential and being as happy as possible,” he said.

Mr Griffin added that the challenges facing teenagers today are very different to previous generations.

“We are living in a different world now. And our first responsibility, rather than try to understand it through our eyes of what we grew up with, is actually to see it through teenager’s eye. They are living in a much more challenging world than we did, because bullies can come into their living rooms and houses and bully them on there computer,” he said.

“People say why don’t they just turn off their computer but it is not that easy for them because that is there world. They live in a virtual world.”

The local HSE does not have a specific programme in place to deal with this relatively new issue affecting young people’s mental health.

A spokesperson for the organisation said that different health professionals are engaged in case work with various other agencies and schools in supporting children, families and young people where bullying is involved.

“CAMS (the Child and Adolescent Mental health Service) works with young people who have experienced bullying and their parents where it has had a direct detrimental effect on their mental health or has been a contributory factor. CAMS also works closely with schools to advise and support staff both in dealing with individual cases and in general within the school,” he said.

“A useful resource is the Anti Bullying Centre in TCD led by Professor Mona O’Moore. The centre provides resources and advice both to professional and families regarding bullying in all its forms including recent publications on cyber bullying.”

A LARGE amount of stone has reportedly been stolen from walls on sections of the Burren Way walking trail in Corofin. The stone has been removed from privately owned boundary walls in the Wood Road area of Corofin and the Vigo area of Kilnaboy in recent weeks.

Limestone pavement exported from the Burren is being sold for premium prices in parts of the UK and even countries in mainland Europe. While it is currently unclear if this stone was removed for sale abroad, the removal of limestone pavement from the Burren has become a growing problem in recent years.

It is currently illegal to remove limestone pavement from any area which falls within the Burren National Park.

“The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) police the Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) inside the national park but there are other areas which are vulnerable,” said Burren-based geologist and member of the UK and Ireland Limestone Pavement Biodiversity group, Stephen Ward.

“This Burren limestone certainly does end up in garden centres in parts of the UK and I would suspect that it also goes as far away as Holland and Germany. There is a European-wide market for it.

“It is estimated that as much as 8,000 tonnes of this stone are ex- ported every year form Ireland. So there certainly is a market for it. The Burren National Park is protected and limestone pavement is considered to be a priority habitat for conservation in these areas.”

Limestone pavement has been offered to sale in many garden centres in the UK for the last 40 years. The spread of modern machinery coupled with the rising cost of the decorative stones themselves has made it easier for people to excavate and export the stone for sale.

IRELAND’S two national fisheries organisations are at odds over plans to construct a large organic salmon farm off the Clare coast. Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) last week came out against the farm in its current form, saying that there has been a major lack of research into the impact that it would have on the local environment. The farm is being proposed by Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM), who claim that the farm could create as many as 500 jobs for the local economy. BIM have launched a pe- riod of public consultation into the proposed farm, with agencies such as An Taisce and the Galway City Salmon Angling Association also coming out against the proposal. The IFI was formed in 2010 after the amalgamation of the Central Fisheries Board and the seven former Regional Fisheries Boards. While the IFI and the BIM are State bodies, the IFI is responsible for river fisheries, while the BIM is tasked with promoting offshore, sea fishing activities. The IFI last week claimed that the fish farm could cause a major infestation of the salmon smolts that currently spawn in rivers in North Clare and South Galway, including large wild salmon stocks on the River Corrib. In an official submission to the BIM proposal, the IFI claim that there is a “considerable risk” that sea lice from the proposed sea fish farm will affect salmon migrating to rivers in the area. The group also questioned the methodology used by BIM, saying that recent research into the salmon migration in the Galway Bay area had been overlooked. According to BIM, the proposed fish farm has the potential to produce 15,000 tonnes of organic-certified salmon, create more than 500 jobs and inject more than € 14.5 million into the local economy.

THE prospect of having fine weather for a long weekend could be greatly improved if the power to determine one bank holiday a year was granted to Met Eireann.

An Ennis councillor is calling for the likes of Jean Byrne to have the final say on when bank holidays take place, in order to ensure a greater chance of the sun coming out.

In a motion submitted to the November meeting of Ennis Town Council, Cllr Brian Meaney (GP) called on the council to “request that the Minister at the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation allow Ireland’s Meteorological Service decide the date of at least one public holiday every year”.

Cllr Meaney told the meeting that Ireland had been plagued by bad weather in recent years, adding that it seemed like every bank holiday weekend was “abysmally worse than the last”.

He said if climate change is going to have such a major impact on Ireland’s weather, the government was going to have to start “thinking outside the box” to ensure people enjoyed a decent standard of life.

Cllr Meaney said it was “nonsensical” to have bank holidays at a time of the year where you are guaranteed to have driving wind and rain.

“We are going to have to look at giving consideration to one floating bank holiday weekend which would be decided by the likes of Jean Byrne or Aidan Nulty to have some chance of having a bank holiday weekend with fine weather.”

Cllr Meaney’s proposal was supported by the Mayor of Ennis, Cllr Peter Considine (FF).

However, Deputy Mayor of Ennis, Cllr Tommy Brennan (Ind) quipped that it might not be best to leave it up to Met Eireann because even they did not always get the weather right.

THERE have been calls for Ennis Town Council to drop a controversial charge for use of facilities at the Lees Road Sports and Amenity Complex.

Last February members of Ennis Town Council voted through byelaws which allowed for the introduction of a new € 40 charge to be levied on clubs for the use of facilities at Lees Road.

It followed a number of meetings where strong opposition was expressed to the charge. According to the council the charge is needed to cover the high costs of maintaining Lees Road.

The area charged for relates to a section of re-developed track that borders woodland at the rear of the facility’s synthetic running track and all weather soccer pitch.

The November meeting of Ennis Town Council heard calls for the charge to be dropped.

The meeting was attended by representatives of local athletics clubs.

In a motion, Cllr Paul O’Shea (Ind) proposed that the byelaws be amended “with regard to the charging of fees for the cross country track”.

Cllr O’Shea said the charges for a 600 metre section of cross-country track is unfair. He said clubs are being “victimized” as individuals and other groups are not being charged for the use of the same section of ground.

“This is a nonsense. That charge needs to be dropped,” he added.

Cllr Mary Howard (FG) said athletics groups are being “charged on the double” for the use of the synthetic track and the cross-country track.

She said athletic clubs had already paid € 2,000 to Lees Road in the past five months. Cllr Mary Coote Ryan (FG) also called for the byelaws to be amended.

Cllr Johnny Flynn (FG) said, “It’s unfair, this particular byelaw, it should be amended.”

Cllr Frankie Neylon (Ind), who is chairman of the Lees Road management committee, said the matter should be raised at the council’s budget meeting.

He added, “There has to be a reasonable charge for Lees Road. I would hate to see a situation where Lees Road has to close for two or three days because of a lack of finances.”

Cllr Neylon said the committee had never received a complaint from any of the clubs using Lees Road.

Yesterday’s discussion followed a recent meeting between sports clubs and some councillors in the Auburn Lodge Hotel.

Cllr Brian Meaney (GP) said the council should proceed with a promised review of byelaws and also hear from Lees Road general manager Tim Forde.

Cllr Michael Guilfoyle (Ind) said he agreed with Cllr Meaney’s suggestion that the byelaws be reviewed.

Town Clerk Leonard Cleary acknowledged the effort of voluntary organisations.

He said it was not “procedurally possible” for the council to change the byelaws immediately. Mr Cleary added, “The Lees Road facility is a significant cost to the council…there are significant ongoing maintenance costs there.”

The matter is to be discussed at the next meeting of the Lees Road management committee.

ENNIS Town Council needs to work towards a long-term policy of increased pedestrianisation in Ennis, a meeting has heard.

The message came as the council announced details of its Christmas pedestrianisation programme.

O’Connell Street and the lower part of O’Connell Square will be closed to traffic from 12 noon to 6pm on December 15, 22, 23 and 24.

Abbey Street and the upper part of O’Connell Square will remain open to traffic during the festival period.

In a report, Town Clerk Leonard Cleary said the council must consider “the signal that these intermittent pedestrianisation pilot periods are sending to customers and visitors to Ennis”.

Mr Cleary stated that while there are “historical objections to full pedestrianisation of Abbey Street, The Square and O’Connell Street are acknowledged, the feedback from customers is that pedestrianisation is a preferable experience in some new areas of the town.”

He added, “Ennis Town Council needs to be working towards a longterm solution regarding some increased level of pedestrianisation or indeed a compromise that presents a continuous trial in at least one of the three additional proposed areas.”

Mr Cleary stated that pedestriani- sation remains an objective of the Ennis and Environs Development Plan.

Mr Cleary stated that imminent opening of the Inner Relief Road would offer improved access to a town centre pedestrianised area.

Town Manager Ger Dollard said the road is expected to open in November.

Mr Dollard said the council’s place names committee would bring for ward suggestions for the name of the road next month.

Cllr Frankie Neylon (Ind) said ‘Bothar na Rince’ had been suggested as one possible name.

Free parking will be in place during December up to 12 noon daily as part of the Christmas Pedestrianisation Initiative.

Mayor of Ennis Peter Considine (FF) said it was important that staff of shops are encouraged to free up parking spaces for shoppers.

Cllr Johnny Flynn (FG) said every space taken up a staff member represents a loss to business of € 250 per space.

Mr Cleary said the council had received a submission on pedestrianisation from Ennis Chamber of Commerce. He said Gardaí had no objection to pedestrianisation.

Cllr Tommy Brennan (Ind) urged the council to write to businesses in Abbey Street and Parnell Street as historically they had not been represented by the Chamber.

THE Killaloe Diocese is facing a “crisis” of holy orders, with the Association of Catholic Priests (ACP) predicting that the entire diocese will be serviced by a handful of “ShannonDoc priests” in as little as a decades time.

The organisation, which now represents more than 1,000 parish priests in Ireland, says that massive changes are required by all the Irish Bishops and the Vatican if this doomsday scenario is to be avoided.

According to Fr Tony Flannery of the ACP, the priesthood is set to become a transient profession in Ire- land, with a much reduced number of priest delivering sacrament across many parishes – without having the time to be based in any individual community.

A spokesperson from the Killaloe Diocese told The Clare People yesterday, that there have been active moves to engage with lay community in the diocese over the last 12 months – there are some issues which can only be changed at Vatican level.

“Priests in the Killaloe Diocese are already doing the work that three priests would have been doing ten years ago, and this is going to get much worse, very quickly. This is a crisis, no questions about it. In 10 or 20 years time there will be only a handful of priests and they will be just saying mass in an area and moving on – they will be like ShannonDoc priests,” said Fr Tony Flannery.

“The ACP now have more than 1,000 priests in our organisation and it is growing all the time. This is in spite the feeling that priests are being actively discouraged by the powers that be to join. So it shows you that there is a real desire among the priests for change.”

According to Fr Brendan Quinlavin, spokesperson for the Killaloe Diocese, Bishop Kieran O’Reilly has been engaged in a “listening” process over the last 12 months designed to allow lay people to have more say in the diocese.

“The ACP is concerned that there is not a proper dialogue between lay people and the church hierarchy but that has been happening in this diocese for more than a year. The Bishop [O’Reilly] has been fully involved in this process so I would reject any suggestion that we are not interested in taking the opinions of the people of the parish on board.

“There are issues of Church doctrine that cannot be dealt with at a diocesan level and would need the input of the Vatican, the Curia and indeed the Pope to change. But that is not to say that we in the Killaloe Diocese can not do everything we can to empower people to become active members of the Church.” Wh ile t h e re wo n’t b e t o o m u c h ra in t h is we e k (3/ 4 m m s), it w ill b e c h illy, g e t t in g w in t e r c o ld by t h e we e ke n d , wra p u p !

A MAN has received a suspended sentence for a “road rage” type incident in Ennis earlier this year.

Wayne Donnellan (31) struck Denis McElligott (53) during an altercation at Carmody Street, Ennis, on January 3. Mr McElligott said that Mr Donnellan had cut him off at high speed when driving through the Maid of Erin Roundabout.

The court heard that Mr McElligott got out to talk to Mr Donnellan after both cars were stopped at traffic lights near the old ESB offices on Carmody Street.

Mr Donnellan, with an address at Fiach Rua, Connolly, denied the charge of assault causing harm at Ennis District Court on Wednesday.

Mr McElligott told the court that he got out of his car to tell Mr Donnellan to slow down. He said, “All I remember is getting a belt of fist. He was dragging me to the other side of the road.” A witness, whose car was stopped behind, told the court that he saw Mr Donnellan strike Mr McElligott and drag him across the road.

Both parties made statements to gardaí on the same day. Mr Donnellan told the court that his pregnant girlfriend and two other children were in the car with him.

He denied cutting Mr McElligott off, saying that his car had not en- tered the roundabout when Mr Donnellan drove through. Mr Donnellan said that when he stopped on Carmody Street he could see Mr McElligott gesturing at him.

He said, “He was yelling, screaming. He wasn’t in a good state of mind to talk about anything.” He told the court he got out to talk to Mr McElligott to “protect his family”. Mr Donnellan denied punching the victim but admitted slapping him in the ear. He said that he dragged Mr McElligott to the other side of the road for his own safety. “I was just worried about getting my family home,” he added. Insp Tom Kennedy put it to Mr Donnellan that he had “behaved in a road rage type manner”.

Mr Casey said there was a conflict between the evidence of State’s witnesses. Judge Aeneas McCarthy said he was satisfied, based on medical evidence handed into the court, that Mr Donnellan had assaulted Mr McElligott. The court heard Mr Donnellan has a previous conviction for assault. Mr Casey said his client had not initiated the contact.

“He is stronger, younger and he hit the man,” he added. Mr Casey described it as an “extremely unfortunate incident.” Judge McCarthy imposed a 10-month sentence. He suspended it for a period of two years on condition Mr Donnellan be of good beahviour.