Month: June 2013

THREE men allegedly smashed up a car parked outside Drumcliffe graveyard while a religious service was underway, a court has heard.

Michael Doherty (51), with an address at 2 St Michael’s Park, Ballymaley, Ennis; James Galbraith (45), with an address at 1 St Michael’s Park, Gort Road, Ennis, and Patrick Doherty (34), with an address at Bay 2 St Michael’s Park, Ballymaley, all appeared at Ennis District Court on Wednesday.

All three are charged with the criminal damage of a car at Drumcliffe on March 24.

Inspector Tom Kennedy outlined the alleged facts of the case to allow Judge Patrick Durcan to consider jurisdiction.

He said the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) directed summary disposal of the cases.

Insp Kennedy said a woman was attending a mass at the graveyard on the day in question. The court heard the woman returned to her car at around 3pm. Insp Kennedy said it would be alleged that the woman observed the three accused arrive at the scene in separate vehicles.

He told the court that it would be alleged that the three men attacked the Ford Focus with weapons, breaking windows and damaging the bodywork.

The court heard that the woman fled from carpark back into the graveyard.

Judge Patrick Durcan accepted jurisdiction. Defence solicitor for the Doherty’s, Daragh Hassett told the court that he had only just received statements in the case.

Mr Galbraith is represented by solicitor John Casey. Judge Durcan adjourned all cases to July 3 for a plea or a date.

THE HSE reported it repaired an open gully adjacent to a disabled parking space at a health clinic after a man fell and hurt his ankle two weeks ago.

Tom Clifford from Killaloe was attending the clinic on Bindon Street, Ennis with his wife who is a wheelchair user when the incident happened. Mr Clifford, who is also co chair of the Mid West regional Hospital Limerick Hospital Patient Forum described how he parked in the disabled space and went around to the back of the car to retrieve his wife’s wheelchair from the boot.

“There was a part of the ground which I thought was just covered in leaves, but when I stood on it I discovered it was covering a hole as I fell,” explained Mr Clifford who hurt his ankle in the incident.

He said he then went into the HSE clinic with his wife and reported the incident.

“I was told by staff that they were aware of the issue,” he said.

On leaving the clinic Mr Clifford moved the car forward of the parking space before attempting to put the wheelchair back in the boot.

He slipped again, this time on depressions in the parking space and hurt his hip.

“I have a sprained ankle and my hip is very sore and I have lost two nights sleep,” Mr Clifford said.

He told the Clare People that he was not going to sue the HSE over the incident but believed it needed to be rectified as soon as possible.

“If a disabled person with some mobility had driven into that space and fell while attempting to get their wheelchair, they would not have been able to get themselves back up. They would be left there for a long time because they would be hidden from public view behind the car,” added Mr Clifford who also works in the disability sector.

In response to a query from The Clare People a HSE spokesperson said, “Remedial action has been taken to cover the gulley/drainage area and to improve the general surface of the parking space area” following an investigation of the condition of the parking space.

“The above incident was reported by telephone on May 27, 2013 to the HSE offices. We were advised that a man had slipped into a drainage area that was covered with leaves and hurt his ankle when parked in the Disabled Parking Space at Ennis Health Centre while attending an appointment with his wife. He requested attention to the problem to avoid a further incident of this nature,” she said. She added that no previous incident of this nature had been reported.

“Existing Ramp Access into the Health Centre is currently under review and an upgrade design scheme will be developed over the next few months,” she concluded.

MAYOR of Clare Cllr Pat Daly (FF) appealed to the business community and fellow Local Authority mayors in the West of Ireland to support Shannon Airport’s position as the Region’s ‘transatlantic airport’.

The appeal was part of the swan song by Ennisman Pat Daly as he prepares to step down as mayor of the county next week.

Under a cross party agreement within the council, Fine Gael Councillor Joe Arkins is expected to take the chair next week and the council winds down to a local election next year.

During his final speech in the chair last evening Cllr Daly said, “the onus is on the people of Clare and beyond to support the airport and ensure its growth into the future.”

Mayor Daly confirmed he would be writing to the Mayors of the Local Authorities in the West of Ireland urging them to actively support and promote Shannon Airport as the Region’s transatlantic airport.

He also issued an appeal to businesses in County Clare and surrounding areas, particularly those which engage in business outside Ireland and those in the tourism sector, to include a direct link or reference to the Shannon Airport website from their websites, email accounts and letterheads.

“The separation of Shannon Airport from the DAA has provided added impetus in relation to efforts to source new business. While attending the launch of United Airline’s summer service between Shannon and Chicago last Friday, I noticed a distinct change in atmosphere at the airport which can only be attributed to an operation that has a restored sense of confidence and purpose.”

CLARECASTLE based Acquired Brain Injury Ireland (ABI) has been named the overall national winner of the Ulster Bank Achievers Awards’ Social Enterprise category.

Judges described ABI as an organisation that positively impacts the community, generating an outcome with a long-term benefit.

Driven by social innovation and structured as a business model, Acquired Brain Injury Ireland provides community based neuro-rehabilitation services to those who have acquired a brain injury.

ABI Irelands residential assisted living service, and community ABI service, is based in Clarecastle, providing personalised quality rehabilitation and support following a brain injury.

Founded in 2000, in direct response to a personal need for an acquired brain injury service for her brother Peter Bradley, CEO Barbara O’ Connell, her husband Maurice and members of the Bradley family set up Ac- quired Brain Injury Ireland; ensuring people with a brain injury could live a meaningful life at home in their community.

Ms O’Connell who received the award on behalf of the organisation said;

“This award is a huge honour for Acquired Brain Injury Ireland.

“I accepted it humbly as recognition for the inspiring personal achievements of the people who access our services, and also in acknowledgement of the dedication and commitment of all ABI Ireland staff who work continually to advocate on behalf of our service users every day.”

“People with ABI often look normal, but can have hidden problems which mean they cannot resume their previous lives.

“We tailor our services around the individual and their family to support them through the journey of rebuilding a meaningful life for themselves.

“Believing there is a better way, is the passion behind any successful social enterprise.

“At ABI Ireland we have seen the remarkable impact and long term benefits that can be achieved through neuro-rehabilitation; for us that’s our return on investment,” said Ms O’ Connell.

Approximately 13,000 people acquire a head injury in Ireland each year.

The severity of brain damage can vary with the type of brain injury.

With the support of the HSE, ABI Ireland has grown to provide a wide range of supports and services to people with ABI nationwide.

It has 235 staff and over 40 services throughout Ireland.

A CROWDED field is developing within Fianna Fáil as competition between would be candidates intensifies ahead of next year’s local elections in the Ennis electoral area. The Cla re People has learned that as many as 11 people are keen to put their name forward for the candidate selection process at the party’s convention later this year.

Three current Fianna Fáíl councillors – Mayor of Clare Pat Daly, Tom McNamara and the former Green Party councillor Brian Meaney – are expected to seek the party nomination.

It is not known yet whether or not current Mayor of Ennis, Cllr Peter Considine (FF) will seek to stand for election in 2014.

Thereafter a number of other potential candidates with strong Fianna Fáil connections are also understood to be keen on having their name on the ballot paper next year.

Former Mayor of Ennis and member of Ennis Town Council, Joe Reidy, former member of Clare County Council, Bernard Hanrahan and Garrett Greene, a former local election candidate are among the established Fianna Fáíl names seeking the backing of party at the convention.

Eoin Neylon, a member of the Fianna Fáil national executive and former garda seargent and All-Ireland winning Clare Intermediate hurling manager Kevin Kennedy are also strongly rumoured to be interested in putting themselves forward for the party selection process.

A senior party source says Fianna Fáíl is actively headhunting a high profile female candidate ahead of the introduction of a quota system in the next general election.

Fianna Fáíl has not yet decided whether to field four or five candidates in Ennis.

The party is considering the implications of the revised local election boundaries which were published earlier this month and a decision on the number of candidates is not expected to be taken until the party convention which is expected to take place later this summer.

The source said that competition within the party is expected to be fierce. He explained, “Its crazy at the moment. There are a lot of names out there.

“There are only going to four or five positions available so it’s going to be a right bottleneck with so many outgoing councillors as well. There seems to be the most competition for places in Ennis”.

The eventual candidates will battle for eight seats in the Ennis area.

HOPES are high that a breakthrough could soon be on the way in one of Clare’s longest running unsolved murders. Ennistymon woman Emer O’Loughlin lost her life in a mobile home in Tubber in April 8, 2005.

A number of attempts have been made over the years to track down the chief suspect, John Griffin, with Interpol releasing a photograph and a description for John Griffin in early 2011.

Despite a number of leads and suspected sightings of Mr Griffin in Europe, the official search has gone cold in recent years. This has prompted the family of Emer O’Loughlin to launch a new online campaign which they hope could uncover information about the tragic killing.

A new group entitled ‘Justice for Emer O’Loughlin’ was set up on Facebook last week and has already received almost 600 followers.

The reward poster for Mr Griffin, which was shared on the site, has been viewed by more than 15,000 people in the last seven days – with residents living in mainland Europe asked to be particularly vigilant.

It has also been confirmed that the case of Emer O’Loughlin will feature in the first episode of a new RTÉ series entitled “Cracking Crime” later this summer.

The first episode, which will be broadcast on RTÉ 1 on Tuesday, July 23, will include interviews conducted with the O’Loughlin family at the eight anniversary of Emer’s death this April.

Emer was killed on April 8, 2003. She was studying art in Galway at the time and would have been in college that day had it not been for funeral of Pope John Paul II.

Her body was found in the burnedout neighbouring mobile home and was only identified following DNA testing.

The chief suspect in the case, John Griffin, was tracked to the Aran Island where Gardaí believe he tried to fake his own suicide before he fled the country.

For more on the new group visit www.facebook.com/JusticeForEmer.

UNEMPLOYMENT and social inequality is feeding a rise in mental health problems and drug abuse, according to the chairman of the Mid West Regional Drugs Task Force.

Mick Lacey was speaking at a meeting of drug support services in Ennis last month.

He said that the recession and austerity are indirectly leading to a “huge rise in suicide”.

Mr Lacey explained, “National statistics for suicide are not out yet but anecdotally there seems to be a huge rise in suicide, indirectly as a result of austerity. There has also been a rise in drugs issues and mental health issues right across the board. Social inequality, unemployment all contribute to this problem.”

He added, “There is a certain amount of people irrespective of our social and economic system who will get addicted. They are pre-disposed to it. But social inequality, marginalisation, unemployment and austerity have contributed to people who would normally not develop mental health or alcohol problems, being affected. We’re seeing a lot of that. People from right across the board.”

Mr Lacey said despite a near 4 per cent cut in funding, the task force has not reduced services.

He said, “We’ve something like € 1.4 million and we didn’t have to cut back services. We streamlined the services. We were able to set up community substance misuse team (CSMT), which we are very proud of because it takes a multi-dimensional approach. It’s not just about pathologising the addiction. We’re looking at the young person, relationships in the community, employment issues and identifying underlying mental health issues also.”

Mr Lacey also warned of a rise in the number of people using benzodiazepines.

He said, “Benzo use is huge at the moment. Benzo use and pharmaceuticals are being used right across the board.

“Not just with teenagers but we’re finding it a problem with young women and older women. Where as heroin you can treat it with methadone, with benzos it takes six months to get out of your system. You can be going through withdrawls for six weeks because of the half life of the drugs.”

AN ENNIS-based Traveller health care programme has launched an awareness campaign warning of the dangers of using the injectable tanning agent melanotan.

The campaign was in response to health concerns sparked by the easy availability of melanotan online.

It is one of a number of information campaigns launched by the Ennis Primary Traveler Healthcare Programme.

Operated by the Ennis Community Development Project, the programme is run by three community healthcare workers.

Dr Siobhan O’Connor, Co-ordinator, said the programme works as a conduit between the health services and the traveler community.

Dr O’Connor explained, “We offer specific services to individuals of the families in the Traveller community affected by substance misuse. Our drop-in service, every Wednesday, has Traveller community health care workers who will give information and advice to any body that calls in, no appointment is necessary. We also have information sessions and develop materials and resources to spread information”.

She continued, “We put together a DVD last year and we have had a road show earlier this year where we showed the DVD to audiences made up of Travellers in Ennistymon, Shannon and Ennis in a number of locations including the Family Resource Centres and the Community Development Project. This year we have put together an information/ awareness flyer on the dangers of Melanotan, an injectable tanning agent. There had been a couple of stories in the UK about the risks of using it and we wanted to get the message out that you can keep beautiful but in a beautiful way.”

The programme educates young people from a Traveller background on the dangers of substance misuse through the work of Education Peer Support Worker, David McCarthy.

According to the latest census figures, there are an estimated 840 people from a Traveller background living in Clare. The programme has also launched a five-week Traveller men wellbeing programme.

The aim is to support Traveller men to gain the skills and knowledge to take better care of their physical and mental health. This is an opportunity for Traveller men to learn new skills and to hear about the benefits of healthy eating and exercise in a fun way. It runs at Ennis CDP, Clonroad, until June 25.

CLARE students are among those participating in a pilot drugs education project that highlights the dangers of solvent abuse.

Seven secondary schools in the mid-west, including a number in Clare, have taken part in the workshop series, which is aimed at both parents and teenagers.

The workshops provide information on the dangers of alcohol, cannabis and solvent misuse.

The programme, developed by the HSE and the Mid West Regional Drugs Taskforce, was piloted in the mid-west from January to May.

Dr Sancha Power, HSE post primary substance use education worker, explains, “We specifically target second year students in secondary system. The reason for that is they are the moat at risk. They are not the newbies and they are not third years doing exams. All the education research carried out in Ireland shows that if a child is going to disengage from education, it’s that year. A lot of the drugs research would show that if kids disengage with school, that’s when they are most at risk of getting involved in substance abuse.”

Dr Power said the number of children misusing solvents has grown in recent years.

“We only look at alcohol, cannabis and solvents. Solvents are on the rise. Aerosol cans, lighter fluid, petrol. It’s gone back to 1980s when there was a lot of glue sniffing. It’s cheap, it’s available, it’s affordable. It’s everywhere you look. Some of the parents would ask us why are you teaching us about it when we are looking at 14/15 year olds. We have to keep an eye out for it because it’s so affordable. Markers are another big one. They are back on the rise.”

The programme is due to be rolled out last this year. Dr Power is encouraging Clare schools to get involved.

She said, “We have had huge positive results. Parents have thoroughly enjoyed it and the confidence they got from it. The teachers are really positive about it. They feel that it is really supporting the work they are doing and primarily that’s what we are doing. We are not trying to replace teachers. This is a supplementary programme that directly links what they are doing in classrooms to the homes.”

She added, “If there are schools out there and they want to get involved, please ring us.”

IT IS hoped that a new directory featuring information on a range of services available to homeless people in Clare, will help to prevent the death of another person on the county’s streets and combat the growing number of people forced “to live rough”.

Josef Pavelka died on the streets of Ennis last month having come to public attention for sleeping in the county town’s public toilets.

The Clare Homelessness Alliance (CHA), which was launched in early 2012, is now making available a directory of services, while also launching a five-year action plan to combat homelessness in Clare.

The new Directory of Services has been produced by CHA member agencies including the Society of St Vincent de Paul, HSE, the Department of Social Protection, Clarecare, An Garda Síochána, Mid-West Simon Community, Clare Probation Services, Clare Haven Services, Clare County Council, and Kilrush and Ennis Town Councils, and is available from any of these organisations.

Councillor Patricia McCarthy, Chair of Clare County Council’s Housing and Cultural Services SPC (Strategic Policy Committee), said that homelessness in the county has been on the increase in recent years.

“The plight of the homeless and the need to ensure that every effort is made to redress the problem was highlighted in recent weeks as a result of the tragic death of a homeless person in Ennis,” she said.

“The agencies involved in providing services for homeless persons came together last year as they recognised the growing need to address the issue of homelessness in a coherent manner. The directory is the initial outcome of this coordinated approach and sets out information in relation to services and supports available to homeless persons, including necessary contact details.

“During the next month, the CHA will be publishing its Draft five-year action plan to deliver on the objectives of the mid-west regional homelessness action plan 2013-2018. The CHA will continue to provide a forum for the sharing of information and development of awareness of issues and services impacting on the homeless. Its members will also promote best practice in service delivery and provides essential links between services providers,” Ms McCarthy added.