Month: July 2013

CLARE County Council has commenced a countywide survey of an estimated 31,000 domestic water connections in the county ahead of the Government’s introduction of water charges.

However a council official said the local authority staff would not require access to private property while conducting their assessment of water connections.

Carmel Greene, Water Services Department with Clare County Council, said, “The survey duration will be very short in most cases, and so the surveyor will not usually be outside a property for more than five minutes. If any person tries to gain access to a property or home claiming to be part of the water survey team, access should not be given and the gardaí should be contacted immediately.

“Surveyors will carry official County Council photo identification and will be able to present a supervisor’s telephone number for verification.”

The survey work is being carried out on behalf of Irish Water, which is set to take over responsibility for the delivery of water services from local authorities at the beginning of next year.

As part of this work, Clare County Council will be carrying out a visual examination of the connection between the public water mains and householder’s water system.

The council advised there would be no interruption to the water supply and no digging or excavation will be carried out. It also confirmed that homes that are connected to a private water supply or Group Water Supply schemes would not be surveyed.

“As a result of the decision by government to commence a project of meter installation in domestic premises, Clare County Council is carrying out a survey of domestic water connections, in order to gather information to support the installation of water meters for domestic consumers,” explained Ms Greene.

“The survey involves an employee of Clare County Council carrying out a visual examination of the service connection or stop-cock at each property on the public water network. This will determine, in advance, if your home is likely to be suitable for a meter to be installed and, if so, the degree of work required during the installation of the meter.

“The stopcocks are generally located under the footpath at the entrance to the driveway or gate of each home. Householders will be notified in advance by Irish Water of the installation of meters, which is estimated to commence in the coming months.”

TRIBUTES have been paid to one of Clare’s most experienced and high profile detectives who passed away suddenly on Wednesday while out jogging.

Detective Sergeant Michael Moloney (51), who was better known to many as Mick, had been out jogging in Lees Road Sports and Amenity Park when he was found in a collapsed state by a passer-by.

The emergency services were called but Det Sgt Moloney was pronounced dead at the scene.

The married father of three was central to a number of high profile cases in Clare in the last number of years, and was the lead detective in the infamous “Lying Eyes” case which resulted in the jailing of Ennis woman Sharon Collins for conspiring to murder her partner PJ Howard and his two sons in 2008.

Sgt Moloney was also one of the lead investigators in two separate murders, which concluded just two weeks ago, with the conviction of Joe Heffernan and Colm Deeley.

Mayor of Clare Joe Arkins (FG), who is also Chair of the Joint Policing Committee, described the late Garda as an “exceptional officer who served the force and his community with distinction”.

A Galway native Det Sgt Moloney served as a member of an Garda Síochana for more than 30 years, firstly in Dublin and later as a sergeant in Kilrush and Ennis.

He is survived by his wife Sadie, daughters Dáire and Orla, son Kevin, sister Mary, brothers Jerry and Diarmuid, mother-In-Law Teresa, extended family and friends.

Tributes were also paid at Ennis District Court on Friday. Ennis Courthouse manager Josephine Tone described Det Sgt Moloney as a “devoted father” and “devoted husband” to wife Sadie who attends court frequently in her work with the Probation Services.

Speaking on behalf of the Clare Law Association, Solicitor John Casey said Det Sgt Moloney was a “gentleman from the top of his head to the tips of his toes, both professionally and personally.” “He will be terribly and sadly missed,” added Mr Casey.

Inspector Tom Kennedy said there had been a “huge sense of shock and sadness at the Garda station” since Wednesday. He said Det Sgt Moloney was a “very accomplished investigator” and that Gardaí very grateful for the messages of support they had received from the local community.

Judge Patrick Durcan said a sudden death is a terrible thing that strikes people in a particular way.

He said it was obvious that Det Sgt Moloney was “intensely driven and intensely professional”. He said the entire community should be grateful for the dedication of gardaí like Det Sgt Moloney.

Following a large funeral in Ennis, Det Sgt Moloney was laid to rest in Templemaley Cemetery Barefield on Saturday afternoon.

A PROUD Cooraclare man has brought the attention of the European media to his home village this week, as more than 40 members of the foreign press visited the area on his invitation.

Professional sean nós dancer, and qualified block layer, Diarmuid Meade is the only brush dancer in the dancing troop Irish Celtic, Spirit of Dance.

The West Clare man has travelled all over France and Germany with the dance group, and the show has gained such popularity on the continent the French Press requested an opportunity to travel to Ireland to witness the Irish dance show in a traditional Irish setting.

The 21-year-old, who has been dancing with Irish Celtic for three years, quickly proposed an alternative to the usually tourist destinations and proposed Tubridy’s pub in Cooraclare.

And so for two nights last week Martin and Ann Tubridy wined and dined the members of the press, while Irish Celtic provided the entertainment supported by local acts and musicians.

Fáile Ireland prepared a full itinerary for the journalists taking them to local tourist attractions by day, in a bid to promote West Clare to French tourists.

Diarmuid joined the French-owned show after he was discovered by its producers on the TG4 show Jig Gigs .

“If I didn’t get it back then I would be in Australia now,” he told The Clare People .

Now he is working with a local builder in between tours with the show. He is currently preparing for a tour of Germany and an 11-week tour in France.

The son of Helen and Michael Meade, he has been dancing for years, providing entertainment at weddings and he was also a member of Hell for Leather with John Fennell’s School of Dance.

The Cooraclare man has not forgotten his roots as he is at pains to point out that he would not be where he is today if it were not for his local dancing teachers and support locally.

A FORMER Anglo Irish boss, who is currently being pursued by the bank for a repayment of part of his retirement package, is living in his dream home in Killaoe on the shore of Lough Derg.

John Rowan stepped down as the head of Anglo Irish Bank’s British operations in 2005 after former Anglo colleague David Drumm became chief executive. The 55 year-old and his wife Annette bought the property at Rahena Beg, Killaloe, which included almost 10 acres of land and a two-storey house, in August 2007.

There is no mortgage recorded on the property, according to land registry papers. Mr Rowan ran the bank’s UK operations for almost 18 years, building up the business from scratch from 1988 onwards.

The UK operations represented more than a third of the bank’s profits at the time of his resignation in 2005, a full three years before the bank needed State help and four years before it was nationalsied.

Proceedings against Mr Rowan, launched by the liquidated successor to Anglo Irish, IBRC, are to resume in the Commercial Court later this month.

IBRC is claiming that the resignation agreement drawn up for Mr Rowan does not comply with the Companies Act because it wasn’t approved by a general meeting of the bank. In an affidavit, Mr Rowan has said he is “horrified” that the bank is now seeking repayment more than seven years after he stepped down from Anglo, pointing out that it was not until late 2011 that IBRC claimed his retirement package was unlawful.

THE summer sunshine at the weekend had an impact not just on the count y’s beaches and water ways, but also the local hospit al.

Yesterday mor ni ng (Monday) there were no patients in the newly opened and much publicised Medical Assessment Unit (MAU), and just “a handful of people” awaited t reatment in the Local Injur ies Unit.

Medical st aff put the low attendance down to the fine weather, as t raditionally accident and emergency cent res see a drop in patients during sunnier days.

The MAU i n Ennis was officially up and r unning yesterday and will remain open ever y Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm.

Patients are to be refer red to the unit by thei r GPs if they have symptoms that may requi re hospit al admission such as chest infections and chronic diseases i ncluding asthma and diabetes.

Shannondoc and GPs can also admit medical patients di rectly to t he hospital outside the opening times of the MAU, following discussion wit h the medical and nursing staff.

GPs and hospital st aff wil l have time to familiarise themselves with the new system as patients have yet to come flocking through the door.

The 12-hour local emergency cent re was also replaced at the weekend with a local injuries unit that wi ll cater for minor injuries and illness.

The good weather seemed to have a positive affect on t he well being of t he people of Clare as less t han five people awaited t reatment at the injuries unit at 8am yesterday.

ENNIS Hospital has never been busier according to the Health Service Executive (HSE), even with the removal of 24-hour accident and emer- gency service four years ago, and the “down grading” of the replacement 12-hour local emergency centre yesterday to a local injuries unit. A spokesperson for the HSE maintained, “Ennis Hospital is now busier than ever. The reconfiguration of sur- gery in the region has seen surgical activity increase from 2,723 procedures in 2010 to 4,585 procedures in 2012. “It is now the centre for bowel cancer screening for the region. The ambition of UL Hospitals is to grow services in Ennis, particularly services for chronic diseases and planned care,” he said. The new Medical Assessment Unit also opened yesterday (Monday) along with the local injuries unit are only “the latest in a series of developments costing over € 12 million which has resulted in the transformation of the hospital,” he said. “Ennis Hospital is an essential part of UL Hospitals, which operates over six sites in the mid-west with a single management structure, medical leadership, budgeting and governance.” The spokesman also denied suggestions that the changing status of the hospital would make it more difficult to attract experienced doctors and nurses to its staff, an issue that has been ongoing in the mid-west region within certain specialities. “Attracting medical and nursing staff to work in stand alone hospitals like Ennis is difficult. Incorporating Ennis as part of the UL Hospitals means that doctors and nurses are exposed to greater clinical variety which makes recruitment and retention less of an issue,” he said. He also stressed that while seriously ill or injured patients are directed to attend the Emergency Department at the University Hospital Limerick, no sick person will be turned away from Ennis. “A sick person will never be turned away. Anyone who needs treatment will be assessed, stabilised and transferred to Dooradoyle if their condition warrants it,” he said.

ENNIS Town Council has advised against members of the public carrying out repairs to a vacant apartment block in Ennis.

The warning from Ennis Town Manager Gerard Dollard came after a local councillor offered to provide building materials to make the Fairways building safe. The area has been a source of concern among lo- cal residents due to the derelict condition of the building and the level of anti-social behaviour it is attracting.

A number of homeless people have also been residing in the building.

There have also been calls to demolish Fairways, which has been declared a derelict site by the Council

At the July meeting of Ennis Town Council, Cllr Johnny Flynn (FG) asked if there was anything preventing members of the community from carrying out repair work. Cllr Flynn said he would supply materials for the work.

However, Town Manager Gerard Dollard said that from a health and safety point of view, the Council would caution against members of the public working on a privately owned structure. The issue was raised by Cllr Brian Meaney (FF) who has called on the Council to issue a vesting order to take control of the property.

He said such an order would enable to take possession of the building for a nominal fee.

Mr Dollard said the Council is pursuing the matter under the dangerous buildings legislation and is obliged to follow correct legal procedures. He told the meeting that issues had arisen in trying to identify the owner of Fairways. “It is something that we are not ignoring”, he added.

Mayor of Ennis, Cllr Mary Coote Ryan (FG), described Fairways as an “awful looking building.”

ENNIS Town Council has announced the introduction of a new cashless method of paying for parking in County Clare’s largest town.

The ParkMagic system enables customers displaying a ParkMagic barcode window sticker in the windscreen of their cars to make parking payments via text message or phonecall.

Traffic wardens use electronic handheld devices to scan the barcode or input vehicle registrations to verify payment status.

The system also includes a text messaging option for customers to be notified that their payment is due to expire.

Ennis becomes only the third Irish town to use the ParkMagic system, which is already in operation in Limerick City and Cork City.

Newly appointed Mayor of Ennis Cllr. Mary Coote Ryan said:

“I would like to commend the Council for providing innovative and easier ways for members of the public to park in the town.

The introduction of the pay-byphone system complements other parking initiatives such as the extension of free parking during the summer season, the Christmas free parking scheme and the introduction of new Carparking Byelaws.

Leonard Cleary, Town Clerk explained:

“The ParkMagic system uses mobile phone technology to simplify parking payments whilst also allowing greater access for the public and the overall efficiency of parking in the town.

“An expiry text message facility is available to customers to alert them 10 minutes prior to their parking payment expiring and will prompt a repeat payment if permitted at the relevant parking location.

This facility encourages space turnover and also maximises the level of payment compliance.

Payment systems that allow flexible payment arrangements rather than payment of parking on arrival.

This is expected to encourage longer shopping trips and greater consumer spend as indicated in the recent Retail Excellence Ireland report on Ennis and other towns and cities,” added Mr Cleary.

Before parking, drivers need to register with ParkMagic.

This can be done by picking up a window sticker in any one of the designated outlets.

These include Ennis Town Council (Drumbiggle), Rowan Tree Café Bar, County Boutique, Willow, The Ennis Bookshop, Zest, Ennis Tourist Office, County Museum, Glór, Chamber of Commerce, Clare County Council, De Valera Library, Bank of Ireland, AIB, Ulster Bank, Permanent TSB, Credit Union, Main Post Office, and Market Place Post Office.

PARENTS with children under five years of age, who have sustained injuries or are seriously ill, must go directly to the Accident and Emergency Unit at the University Hospital Limerick, by-passing the Local Injuries Unit at Ennis Hospital.

Clare people with “conditions due to medical illness”, serious head injury, abdominal pains, gynaecological problems, neck and back pain, injuries due to self harm and major injuries must also go direct to Limerick as the Local Emergency Centre in Ennis became a Local Injuries Unit yesterday (Monday).

As part of the reorganisation of health services a new 10-hour, fiveday week, Medical Assessment Unit (MAU) was also opened yesterday at Ennis Hospital.

The MAU will be open from 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday.

The unit will see patients who are referred by their GPs with certain symptoms that may require hospital admission such as chest infections and chronic diseases including asthma and diabetes.

Shannondoc and GPs can also admit medical patients directly to the hospital outside the opening times of the MAU, following discussion with the medical and nursing staff.

In announcing the change of services at the County Clare hospital, the HSE said, “the hospital will continue to provide consultant delivered selected acute medicine.

“It is being done as part of an ongoing programme to improve patient safety and efficiency. The Small Hospitals Framework published in May 2013 sets out a very clear role for hospitals such as Ennis. Ennis hospital has a pivotal role in treating patients from Clare.”

The new look Ennis hospital is now not a million miles away from what the Hanley Report proposed in 2003. That report was campaigned against by the Ennis General Hospital Development Group for years and was the subject of differing election promises in the last decade.

In April 2009 the then Mid Western Regional Hospital Ennis lost its 24hour Accident and Emergency Department, which was replaced with a 12-hour local emergency centre.

In May of this year the HSE published The Small Hospital Frameworks, which outlined yesterday’s changes and included Ennis in the University Limerick Hospital group.

The new Local Injury Unit will be open during the same hours as the emergency centre it is replacing from 8am to 8pm seven days a week.

It will treat adult patients and children aged over five with minor injuries such as suspected broken bones, sprains and strains, facial injuries, minor scalds and burns. The unit is led by a consultant in emergency medicine and staffed by registrars, nurses, radiographers, pharmacists, multi-task attendants and clerical staff. People can self refer to the Local Injury Unit or be referred by their GP/Shannondoc.

Anyone requiring treatment outside of the opening hours should attend the Emergency Department in either University Hospital Limerick or Galway Hospital; or visit Shannondoc.

Those with minor injuries may also wait to attend the Local Injury Unit the following morning.

ALMOST € 65,000 has been allocated to 15 childcare facilities in the county for repair and building work.

The allocations are part of the second round of Childcare Capital Grants awarded since 2008.

Among the facilities to benefit are Teach Spraoi, Toonagh (€ 2,148); Fledglings Early Years Cuan Samh, Kilrush (€ 9,886); Lifford Childcare Centre in Ennis (€ 1, 542); Redeemer Pre-school in Ennis (€ 9,324); Bridge Kids, Sixmilebridge (€ 4,948); and Brigit’s Hearth, Tuamgraney (€ 4,720). Kilmaley Community Crèche Ltd will receive € 2,979, while Naíonra Na Leanaí, Westbury, will get € 2,997; Daisychains Playschool, Bridgetown € 2,988; Tic Toc Nursery Ltd, Westbury € 2,919; Wonder Years Crèche, Ballynacally € 2,994; Stone Court Childcare Initiative, Ennis € 1,308; Maghera Gardens Crèche and Playschool € 2,389; Kincora Kids, Killaloe, € 4,960, and Little Harvard’s Montessori, Quilty € 8,519.

Nationwide € 2.75 million is being allocated to 671 childcare providers.

Clare senator Tony Mulcahy (FG) said, “I understand that all submitted applications were considered in order to find those that most closely met the criteria and objectives of the programme. Applications that were successful were those that represented the most complete, coherent, and compelling cases for funding with particular consideration given to additional supporting material and the level of deprivation of the areas according to the Pobal Haase index. I would like to congratulate all of the 15 successful applications in Clare.”

“This investment is being targeted to have high impact on the successful childcare providers involved. Funding will go towards providing safe outdoor play spaces in childcare services, improving buildings and supporting services to ensure that children with disabilities have better experiences within early years settings.”