Month: June 2014

THE development of a “high-quality” market in Ennis would be a boost to the local food and tourism industry, a meeting has heard.

Doirin Graham, the CEO of the Clare Local Development Company (CLDC), last week recommended that Ennis be the location for a “flagship” market development.

“There are all these food produc- ers out around the county and I think what would really work for Ennis, is a good strong, high-quality food producers market in Ennis town centre,” she said.

“There is a really good attractive range for both local people and for the tourists, to draw both tourists into a market and have all the ancillaries of cafés and music. I think we need to look at something that is a good strong, flagship-type project for Ennis. The food businesses are out there to populate a market and sustain a market, particularly from March to September. There is potential for looking at that but you need a dedicated space that is really set up for it and meets the standards that people have become used to. It also has to be attractive for tourists and locals as well.”

Prior to its abolition, the former Ennis Town Council set in train a process that could lead to the re-development of the Ennis Market.

The € 1.5 million project proposes the installation of covered market spaces in Garraunakilla.

Ms Graham was speaking at a public meeting in Ennis on Thursday on the topic of community led job creation in the food sector. She said the CLDC, the company which administers LEADER funding, has supported the establishment of 86 food enterprises in Clare over the last five years. She said those enterprises have created 109 jobs in the county.

THE head of the largest retail industry trade body in Ireland has said Ennis has been “forgotten” as a shopping and hospitality destination by the people of Clare.

David Fitzsimons, the CEO of the Ennis-based Retail Excellence Ireland, says new forms of customer communication and a fresh look at the town’s urban environment could aid retail activity in the town.

Mr Fitzsimons was speaking on the issue of how to make Ennis a retail destination of choice for local people in Clare.

He said Ennis could learn from Letterkenny, which recently established a Town Team to formulate policies to revive the town centre.

He told a public meeting in the Temple Gate Hotel on Thursday that the introduction of a rates incentive for hospitality and visitor-based businesses helped boost tourism in the Donegal town.

“They’ve realised they’ve been forgotten by the people of Donegal and in many ways Ennis town has been forgotten by the people of Clare,” Mr Fitzsimons said.

“As consumers we’re convenience based shoppers during the week, we nip into Tesco and Dunnes Stores. We do one thing and we go home. At the weekend we’re willing to travel longer distances for experiences and that’s why Kildare Village, Dundrum, Avoca… and all these destination venues are thriving.

“We need to remind people that Ennis is here, that it’s theirs, it’s their public realm. We need to maybe communicate with people differently. We need as a town to get out, we need to be communicating really professionally to citizens and give them a reason to come into their civic space. It doesn’t have to always be ‘shop more, spend more’. It’s just come in an enjoy the space. It’s yours,” he added.

A GROUP that represents retailers in Ennis has said that pedestrianisation will not work and is bad for business in the town.

Michelle Madden, a member of Ennis Chamber’s Retail Committee, described pedestrianisation of the town centre as an “impediment to business”.

“It doesn’t help business, I’m afraid and I don’t think Ennis town is actually geared for pedestrianisation,” Ms Madden told a public meeting in Ennis on Thursday night.

The former Ennis Town Council has on several occasions attempted to introduce pedestrianisation on a trail basis in the town centre.

In recent years, a limited system of pedestrianisation has been in place during the weeks before Christmas.

Ms Madden, a former President of Ennis Chamber said, “Pedestrianisation is a big impediment to trade in Ennis.

“Four years ago we did a survey over the summer months. It was meant to last for six months on Saturdays. It lasted five weeks.

“I have a report here from Ennis traders, particularly O’Connell Street traders. Over the five-week period, 22 of them were strongly opposed to pedestrianisation on a Saturday. Only five of them were in favour of continuing.”

Ms Madden was speaking at a meeting on proposed measures to stimulate job creation in the town.

She put forward a “shopping list” of measures, including reduced parking and better motorway signage for Ennis that retailers want local councilors to deliver upon.

“That’s a big impediment to retail,” said Ms Madden on the current cost of parking in Ennis.

She continued, “We’ve done sur- veys ourselves on it. People are not happy paying € 1.40 an hour. I think € 1 an hour is plenty and maybe the first hour every morning free.”

Ms Madden praised the former council’s free parking policy brought in last December alongside pedestrainisation of the town’s streets in the week before Christmas.

“It was great. It brought people into town. They spent money in town. They stayed in town. That creates jobs, it retains jobs,” she said.

The meeting was attended by 67 business people from industry, retail, hospitality, construction, town centre management and other key sectors.

The aim was to provide initial enterprise and job creation input to the Clare Local Enterprise Office’s (LEO) six year economic plan as well as to compile a result-driven report asking the LEO’s and the Ennis Municipal District Council’s support in the implementation of measures outlined.

Cllr Johnny Flynn (FG), an elected member of Clare County Council and local businessman, told the meeting it is important that Ennis and Clare is “not left behind” when it comes to job creation.

“We need to pull back job creation to the West of Ireland,” he added.

DIGGING has started on the remains of a Medieval structure in North Clare, which could reveal secrets of life in the county in the 10th and 14th centuries.

Work began last week on a major excavation at Caherconnell Stone Fort in Carron with a large area in the centre of a 1,000-year-old cashel. It is hoped that the excavation, which is being led by Michelle Comber from NUI, Galway, will uncover remains of a freestanding structure which is though to have stood in the centre of the cashel.

This structure is likely to have been the home of the highest status family in North Clare at the time and it is hoped that the excavation could provide new clues about the live in the area 1,000 years ago.

“We are excavating the centre of the cashel. When you excavate in the ringfort of a cashel you would normally expect to meet some sort of free-standing structure of house and that is what we are hoping for,” said Ms Comber. “This is where the person who owned the cashel, the most prominent family in the area, would have lived. We have opened a a 10 metre by 12 metre section and we are now getting down towards the stony area. We are getting slices coming through already, which are possible wall lines, but we will have to go deeper before we know for sure.

“What we are looking for could be from anything from the 10th to the 14th century. There were people living the cashel in the 15th and 16th century but we know where these people lived. So we are hoping for something much earlier than this.”

Excavation will continue in Caherconnell Stone Fort for the next six weeks and all the materials will be processed and dated over the winter months.

NORTH Clare has a new animal superstar. A Snowy Owl, the animal made popular by the Harry Potter series of films, has set up home in the Burren, three thousand miles away from it usual habitat.

The massive bird was photographed by Welsh tourist Mark Lewis, hunting over Black Head near Fanore last week, but it is now thought that it has based itself in Clare since August.

Although Snowy Owls normally base themselves in Arctic regions, they are known to settle in warmer climbs on certain rare occasions and it is hoped that this owl has taken a shine to the Burren.

This is only the third time in more than 100 years that a Snowy Owl has been sighted in Clare – and in each of the previous occasions the animal did not make the county its home.

There is though to be a resident Snowy Owl based in Donegal, how- ever the exact location of birds are often kept secret to avoid poaching. The birds are much sought after in collections and the price and demand for Snowy Owls has increased dramatically since the character of Hedwig appeared in the Harry Potter books and movie franchise.

Snowy Owls nest in the Arctic tundra of the northernmost stretches of Alaska, Canada, and Eurasia and sometime winter in south Canada and parts of Greenland.

It is understood that the Burren Snowy Owl was part of a large group which migrated from Nova Scotia in August of last year.

“This bird possibly arrived with those birds that left North America last autumn. I would suspect that this bird came into the Burren last October or November. They have an incredible range. This bird might just make the Burren its home. If it is able to get a good source of food and it likes the place,” said John Murphy of Clare Birdwatching.

“These birds are kept in collections and falconers and have because very popular since the Harry Potter films. People may try and capture the bird for breeding with their own captive Snowy Owls.

“A wild bird like this could be bred with a tame bird in a collection to create a wilder offspring. I’m not overly worried about this bird being caught because this one will roam so much that it should be safe.”

The bird was photographed by Welsh tourist Mark Lewis and his wife last week.

“I recognised it as a Snowy Owl when I saw it but I didn’t believe that it could be a Snowy Owl. Having photographed it I decided that it just couldn’t be a Snowy Owl in this location – but it was,” said Mark.

“I’m glad we got the pictures – because if we hadn’t taken the pictures no one would have believed us.”

THREE marine experts from the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) will be in Doolin this Wednesday evening to oversee explosive detonations at Doolin Pier and ensure that Dusty or any other marine mammals are injured.

The detonations, which are part of the construction process for the new Doolin Pier, were due to take place last Thursday and Friday but were delayed for operational reasons.

This is the first time that the sonic impact of major coastal blasts on marine mammals has been taken into account during maritime construction and follows new guidelines being put in place by the Irish Wildlife Services in December of this year.

According to recent sighting, Dusty the dolphin has been basing herself on the Aran Islands in recent days and should be safe from harm unless she decided to return to the mainland.

Although based in Doolin, Dusty follows the local ferries to and from the Aran Islands and often spends a number of days off shore.

“Dusty is off the Aran Islands at the moment and she should be very safe out there but there are a whole array of marine mammals in the area.

“Dusty is just one, granted she is the most famous, but there are a large number of mammals that we are looking out for,” said Simon Berrow of the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group.

“Our objecting is to make sure that no mammals are harmed in the explosions.

“It is a good plan, we have spent a lot of time working on it, and we are hopeful that it will be successful.”

An exclusion zone will be put in place around Doolin Pier on Wednesday evening to ensure that no one gets too close to the detonation works.

Construction work on a new € 6 million pier got underway last month and it is expected to be completed by the middle of next year with Kilmaley based construction company, L&M Keating, carried out the complex build.

A new pier for Doolin has been in the pipelines for more than a decade but the development was subject to an extended planning process following objections by local surfers who felt the pier would damage local waves.

The new pier will also ensure that Doolin is accessible in all tidal conditions, which will be of particular benefit to Doolin Search and Rescue as well as the ferry operators, who currently have to trans-ship passengers onto their boats during low tide.

A MAN who admitted driving a car with four bald tyres in Ennis last year has received fines totaling € 975 .

At Ennis District Court on Friday, Judge Patrick Durcan also banned Stefan Coustrain from holding a driver’s license for six months.

He told the 22-year-old he “was driving around the town of Ennis a most dangerous vehicle” when he was stopped by gardaí in the town on October 7 last.

He said the motoring offences occurred at a time of the year when conditions are wet and roads are covered with fallen leaves.

Mr Coustrain, with an address at Aisling, Shanaway Road, Ennis, was convicted of failing to wear a set belt, having a type that was not maintained in a condition so as to be fit for use.

He was also fined for unpaid excise duty on a vehicle contrary to the Finance Act.

The court heard Mr Coustrain has a number of previous convictions including one for a hit and run offence in Ennis

Defence solicitor Tara Godfrey said her client had previously worked as a chef and a computer repair man but is now out of work.

She said he is currently doing a training course in Limerick.

Acknowledging her client has a “bad record”, Ms Godfrey said any disqualification would hurt Mr Coustrain and affect his ability to support his family.

She said her client was going through a difficult period in his life when he committed the offences.

Judge Patrick Durcan struck out a number of road traffic offences against Mr Coustrain.

However he imposed fines totaling € 975 for the remaining charges. He also disqualified Mr Coustrain from holding a license for six months, by way of ancillary order.

Judge Durcan said he was cognizant the accused had a young family. “He just has to wake up”, he added.

The Judge said Mr Coustrain had shown total disregard for his children by driving them around in a “rattletrap”.

He said parents who behave in such a way should be referred to the Child and Family Welfare Agency (CAFA).

PEOPLE charged with criminal offences who are released on bail are now facing more regular inspection under a new regime of bail enforcement.

Gardaí in Clare have taken what has been described as “systematic approach” to the enforcement of bail conditions set down by the court.

The number of applications to the District Court from the State seeking to revoke the bail of persons accused of breaching conditions has markedly increased in recent weeks.

A senior garda last week told Ennis District Court there has been a “seachange” in the monitoring of people released on bail.

Insp Tom Kennedy was speaking after a man accused of burglary told the court that gardaí are calling to his home on a daily basis.

Judge Patrick Durcan asked Insp Kennedy if a daily level of vigilance was not counterproductive in terms of ensuring people on bail abide by conditions.

Insp Kennedy said it is unlikely inspections are carried out on a daily basis. But he said gardaí in Clare are maintaining a high level of vigilance.

“It wasn’t too long ago that we were being abused for not enforcing bail conditions but you can see there has been a sea-change,” he added.

His comments come in a week when a local Fine Gael councillor said more restrictive bail conditions could help address the issue of antisocial behaviour in the town.

“Really as a community we should be looking at very restrictive conditions put on every bail for offences on public order, theft or anything that is a threat to the quality of life in our community,” said Johnny Flynn.

Cllr Flynn added, “In our business we have 11 people employed and one day a seven year-old took out a knife demanding quicker service. That was about two years ago.”

He was speaking at a public meeting in Ennis on Thursday night. Ana Bella Alvarez, the Director of the upcoming Ennis Street Festival, said anti-social behaviour by teenagers is affecting tourism.

“When tourists come to the town and they see all this messing in the town, their experience is not positive, it’s negative,” she said.

Chairman of Promote Ennis, Brian O’Neill told the meeting “it is a statistical fact that Ennis has a very low rate of crime in comparison to other towns of its size and population in the country.

“It does superbly well. I think the gardai need to be applauded for the fantastic work they are doing. I suppose we also note that we would like to see an additional presence on the streets and additional community gardaí to assist in the reduction of anti-social behaviour,” he added.

WATER from the Burren could be used to solve ongoing drinking water shortages on the Aran Islands following the discovery of a series of fresh water caves connecting North Clare with the islands.

The discovery of the massive cave network running underneath Galway Bay was made by scientists at NUI, Galway, who investigated the possibility following reports of fresh water currents in the sea by fishermen on the Aran Islands.

The cave network is understood to be in the region of 20 metres wide and runs for at least 50 miles. Further investigation is required on the unique underwater cave structure before its potential as a water source can be fully explored.

The massive underground river is made possible due to the limestone landscape of Burren, which can be dissolved by rainwater to form underground conduits.

“We were told about a well at a local hotel on Inishmaan that had an excellent supply of fresh water,” said Dr Tiernan Henry, Lecturer in Environmental Geology, School of Natural Sciences at NUI Galway.

“The islands can have water problems, they are always short, but this well went deep into the rock and was getting more water than falls on the whole island.”

These types of cave structures are similar to those at the Aillwee Caves in Ballyvaughan and Doolin Cave in Doolin. Indeed, there are a large number of underground cave network all around the Burren – only a fraction of which have be explored or mapped.

The Burren was last year given an award to recognise the work being undertaken to conserve some of Europe’s most outstanding natural and semi-natural areas.

The Council of Europe chose the Burren, stating the award recognises the European significance of the area, which has remarkable natural values, a rich flora and fauna, an important cultural heritage, traditional socio-economic activities and good management.

GARDAÍ are investigating early morning armed robbery at a business in Ennis town centre yesterday.

The incident occurred at around 7.30am at the Xtra Vision store in the market area of the town.

A man carrying a weapon entered the home entertainment and electrical goods store and made away with a quantity of cash. A member of staff was opening up when he was set upon by the assailant at the front door of the premises.

It is understood the man who carried out the robbery was carrying a hammer. Gardaí in Ennis are investigating the robbery and are looking at CCTV footage from the area.

The incident follows a similar robbery at a family run shop in Ennis last month

Gardaí have urged business owners in the town to be vigilant and take appropriate security measures such as lighting and security cameras to protect their premises.