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CLARE’S Water Safety Officer has warned people to remain vigilant on the county’s beaches following the rescue of a family of four from a West Clare beach last weekend.

The entire family were rescued by lifeguards, including a father, mother and four children who got caught in a rip current.

Describing the incident as serious Liam Griffin said, “If the lifeguards had not got involved I shudder to think what the consequences might have been for the entire family.”

“We still have a long way to go until the end of the summer. We still have the full month of August. If we get another fine spell we just don’t want three further drowning in county Clare.

“The three we had in July are three too many as far as I am concerned,” he said.

“If we do get a return of the fine weather I hope that we won’t have further fatalities and people will swim in the guarded locations and not to be swimming in quarries, reservoirs, rivers and un-recommended areas, places where they were swimming during the last warm spell.”

Mr Griffin said that despite the downturn in temperatures the county’s beaches are still very busy.

He advised beach goers to go to guarded beaches and swim between the flags.

“If you do that you are going to be grand.

“You won’t have a problem but there are people who don’t do that. They swim away from where the swim zone is and when they get into difficulty we have to try to take immediate action,” he said.

ONE of Ireland’s most acclaimed painters is eyeing a former barracks on the banks of the River Fergus as the location of a proposed new artistin-residence project.

Ennis man and award winning artist Mick O’Dea (RHA) is part of a local group proposing to convert old stables located near the Garda Station into an artist’s studio.

O’Dea believes the site is rich with potential and the project could attract the very best artists from around the world.

He says, “Ennis is one of the few towns in Ireland without a studio or even a proper exhibition space. There is one in Glór, but that’s more of an annex, its part of the building. Ennis doesn’t have a dedicated space. It would be an interesting thing to happen for the town.

O’Dea adds, “Those buildings and that area from Steele’s Rock down by the river are what makes the town, I think. Can you imagine if that was a car-park or if those buildings were gone? They are amazing buildings and you have these stories that go with that area. It’s a good opportunity to get artists into the middle of Ennis.” It has been suggested that some of the work produced by artists using the studio would be gifted to local museums or local authorities.

O’Dea is currently working on a proposal document for Ennis based on artist in residence schemes from around the world.

He says the cost of transforming the stables into a working studio would be “minimal”. O’Dea says Ennis should also exploit its twinning arrangements with other towns and cities to bring artists from around the world to the town.

“We’re twinned with enough of towns. There must be artists in these places who would relish coming to Ennis.”O’Dea was part of a group of local people including Fine Gael councillor Johnny Flynn who recently visited the buildings.

Cllr Flynn is hoping that the Office of Public Works (OPW), who are currently carrying out major flood relief works on the river, will repair slates and the guttering of the building while scaffolding is in the water.

He says the artist-in-residence project could be the next step in promoting cultural tourism through a so-called Abbey Quarter, based around the town’s historic Franciscan Abbey.

“You’re talking about the best in international talent. Anything that would bring more culture into the town would be great.”

Cllr Flynn is also proposing that the OPW develop walkways and cycle paths along the Fergus in order to connect Ennis and Clarecastle.

A STAND-OFF between Iarnród Éireann and the Department of Transport has resulted in the shelving of planned Crusheen rail stop on the Western Rail Corridor.

Construction work on the Crusheen station, which has been the subject of the major local campaign for almost 10 years, was due to begin this year but works will now not get going until 2014 at the earliest. The stand-off centres around the € 2.1 million price tag for the station with the Minister for Transport, Leo Varadkar (FG), insisting that Iarnród Éireann find a way of cutting the construction costs.

The rail company insist that a full € 2.1 million will be needed to complete the long awaited project – resulting in a stand off.

In a written Dáil reply to Clare Fianna Fáil’s transport spokesman Timmy Dooley, Minister Varadkar said there was no money at present to fund the station.

“My department’s capital funding for rail infrastructure was reduced last year in order to support the emergency funding required for the CIE Group.

“As a result of the reduced capital funding, Irish Rail have had to reevaluate their planned capital programme to 2016, with the priority being to protect existing assets and to maintain safety standards,” he said.

“In the context of this, I have asked Irish Rail to revisit their current proposals for Crusheen rail stop which have a construction cost of in the order of € 2m and see if a lower cost alternative is feasible.

“It is my intention to provide for a rail stop at Crusheen.”

Earlier this year Clare County Council granted planning permission for the long awaited station at Crusheen. While overall passengers on the Western Rail Corridor have been slightly below projects – the number of people using the commuter sections of the line – such as between Ennis and Limerick and Athenry and Galway have exceeded all expectation.

It has been projected that a strong commuter demand between Cursheen and Ennis will help make this station a success.

An Iarnród Éireann spokesperson said there was “limited scope” to reduce the cost of the Crusheen Station.

A CLARE food company is to increase its work force by almost 50 per cent after it was given the go ahead to build a new café and restaurant in Bunratty.

Shannon based company Zest is expected to begin building the new eatery on the site of the former Avoca building early next year, the construction also providing up to 40 new jobs. The site has been vacant since the landmark building along the N8 dual carriage way was destroyed by fire in 2007.

It was purchased by Zest, which is the retail division of EFG Inflight Ltd, in 2011.

Last December Zest was granted conditional planning permission to demolish the existing structure on the old Avoca site, and build a new 680 square metre facility comprising of a restaurant, café, food hall and kitchen, as well as associated works, by Clare County Council

The local authority’s ruling was appealed to An Bord Pleanala by Maurice Walsh of Durty Nelly’s, who claimed it would “severely detract from the setting and character of Bunratty”.

An Bord Pleannala rejected the appeal and the project was given the green light in the last week.

A total of 15 conditions have been attached to the Bunratty development.

These include an order that a bat survey be carried out on the site, further changes to proposed signage, as well as other measures in the interest of visual amenity, traffic safety and local wildlife.

The new project is expected to create 40 jobs to add to the 100 more Zest jobs at its base in Knockbeg Point, Shannon Airport, and at its shops and cafes in Ennis and Limerick.

The company was founded in 2006, and the first Zest shop opened in Ennis in June 2010.

The Limerick branch is open in Pery Square at the Limerick City Gallery of Art and in the last few weeks the company opened a new store for Killaloe.

THE NUMBER of people signing on the live register in Clare has risen for the second straight month with 9,849 people signing on in the county in July.

This second straight rise comes after an extended period of good news on the live register – with the number signing on in May of this year at its lowest level in almost five years.

This last two months have come as a blow to the county – with hopes having been high that an end to the recession might have been in sight, although seasonal facts may have affected the figures.

The recent increase has been driven largely by increase in the Ennis area where the numbers signing on have risen by almost 250 people since May. Over the same period however, the numbers in the Ennistymon area have continued to drop. A total 1,404 people signed on in Ennistymon in July, the lowest number since June of 2009.

It is unclear whether this two-speed live register in the county is being driven by an increase in employment in the North Clare area as a possible result of a recovery in the tourism industry or by prolonged emigration from the area.

ONE OF the Burren’s largest employers may be forced to close for good next month – leaving 16 people out of work.

The Gallery Café says they maybe forced to close for good at the end of the Summer, with owner Sarah Harty blaming a lack of support from the local authorities as the main reason for the closure.

An estimated 20 separate business have closed in Gort over the past two years – with many of the market towns traditional employers feeling the effects of the recession.

According to Sarah Harty, proprietor of the Gallery Café on Queen Street, businesses in Gort are being “buried alive” by Galway County Council.

“I have been running a business for eight years in this town, employing up to 16 people.

“In order to reinvent my business I needed to enhance the outside of my property to attract people in.

“After spending thousands each year on council rates, the council rejected my claim to improve the pavement outside which was a myriad of potholes – completely unsightly and near reck- less for any passer-by, due to lack of budget,” she said.

“So I took matters into my own hands and put up an attractive decking. This decking feature was instrumental in attracting people down this formerly little known side street of Gort, spreading business around this side of town.

“I was then asked to remove this by the council as it didn’t comply with their regulations, which I duly accepted.

“However, during the recent hot weather, my restaurant was too uncomfortable to sit inside, so I put tables and chairs outside on the pavement in order to keep my business going, making sure not to obstruct anyone.

“I then received a letter with a summons to court and a fine for doing so. I have now completely hit a wall and am considering closing – this lack of support for small businesses is killing our town, and I can’t afford the fine plus my rates.

“I feel I am getting no support from our local government.” The Clare People contacted Galway County Council in relation to this story but a spokesperson from the local authority declined to comment – saying it was policy not to comment on ongoing enforcement matters.

MORE than 11 per cent of mortgage holders in Clare have defaulted on their payments and many of these cash strapped home owners now face unpaid property tax been taken from their wages or social welfare payments in the coming weeks. Paul Woulfe Development Manager, Citizen Information Clare and MABS has attributed the struggle to stay up with household payments to increasing taxes and bills at a time when working hours are being cut. He told The Clare People that the majority of the people failing to pay their mortgages are not necessarily out of work, but people who have had their working hours or wages cut. “We are seeing this especially in the retail sector which has been badly hit. “People are having their hours and working days cut, with some being made redundant,” he said. “They are going into arrears because of changes in their circumstances. “Then there are extra charges such as the property tax,” he added. The citizen information expert said that at this time of year people are under particular pressure as they face the back to school bills. He was also critical of costs, bills and expenses that target the less well off such as the National Car Test and car tax. The NCT must be carried out in cars over four years old every sec ond year and every year on cars over ten years old. Car tax is also higher on older cars. “People have multiple debts, but we always encourage them to speak to their banks,” he said adding that there is some helpful information on the citizen information and MABS websites. The Ennis based official said there has been a marked improvement in the number of people contacting the office about mortgage payments problems since the introduction of the Central Banks Code of Conduct for banks, but people are still struggling. “There is a way of dealing with banks and the in formations is available on keepingyourhome.ie, citizen information or MABS,” said Mr Woulfe. Meanwhile Insurance company Caledonian Life has warned that the increase in arrears and mortgage restructure arrangements is leading to potential underinsurance issues for Irish households. Tadgh Malone Caledonian Life representative in Clare said; “According to a Moodys report from less than a year ago 11.3 per cent of people in Clare have defaulted on their mortgage and unfortunately it is unlikely that this per centage has decreased with the latest Central Bank figures revealing that arrears are on the up and so too are restructure arrangements for homeloans, with nearly 80,000 mortgage accounts classified as restructured.”

AN Ennis based community group has issued an appeal to raise greater awareness of the issue of suicide amongst Travellers.

The Primary Health Care Programme is urging people struggling with problems to contact them or other services. The programme, which is run by the Ennis commu nity Development Project (CDP), was commenting following the recent death by suicide of a number of young travelers in the Mid West.

Programme coordinator, Dr Siobhan O’Connor, stated that deaths by suicide are “not uncommon in Clare.”

She said, “Ennis Community Development Project and the Clare Primary Health Care Programme for Travellers was saddened to read, once again, of suicides here in the MidWest.

“Our thoughts are with the families of the young people who died in Limerick and Tipperary. Unfortunately dying by suicide is not uncommon here in Clare.

“It breaks our hearts to lose those that died, their unrealised potential and their presence amongst us in our daily lives.

“We are distressed to bear witness to the heartbreak and confusion that is left behind.

“In 2010, the All-Ireland Traveller Health Study, the first study of Traveller health status and health needs that involves all Travellers living on the island of Ireland, was published.

“The study showed the suicide rate in male Travellers is 6.6 times higher than in the general population; and the female suicide rate is also higher than females in the general population”.

Dr O’Connor said suicide is blind to ethnicity, gender or faith. She continued, “Whether you are rich or poor, whether you live in the town or the countryside, it can reach everyone”.

Dr O’Connor said people need to know that help is available and are not alone in their struggle.

She said, “We appeal to anybody who is struggling, or needs to talk, or has a problem, to reach out, to find somebody to talk to before you take that very permanent solution to whatever it is and take advantage of all of the help that is there.

“Here in the Primary Health Care Programme for Travellers our Community Health Workers will listen in confidence. They can be contacted on 065 6823968.

Ennis CDP Primary health Care Programme for Travellers in Clare has a drop-in service every Wednesday from 10am to 1pm for any Traveller that wants to talk or get information on health services in the region.

SEVEN summer festivals in Clare are receiving € 81,500 in Arts Council funding this year, with the Willie Clancy Summer School Festival receiving the majority of the funding.

The Miltown Malbay festival, which took place from July 6 to July 14, was awarded € 60,000 as part of Arts Council’s provision of € 2.1m in support to over 40 festivals scheduled to take place all over Ireland this summer and early autumn.

The Summer Music on the Shannon, which is currently taking place at different venues throughout the county received € 6,000, while the Feakle International Traditional Music festival which is to begin tomorrow (Wednesday) was awarded € 5,500.

The Crotty Galvin Traditional Music Festival Weekend which will take place in early September and last months Ennis Street Festival received € 3,000 each, while the Music in the Glen and the Willie Keane Memorial Weekend, both to take place in October received € 2,000 each.

The funding was made available to these festivals under yearly grants, with a number also receiving fund ing through the Arts Council’s festivals and events scheme.

Orlaith McBride, Director of the Arts Council, said, “The Arts Council is delighted to be able to fund these very important upcoming festivals. Many of these festivals have be- come household names and this is down to the great work that is being done on the ground and in organisations around the country.”

“In addition, these festivals provide an important economic stimulus for the regions where they are held.

“Each year, thousands of tourists travel not just from across Ireland, but from across the world, to sample the atmosphere and to take part in the excitement that these events generate.

“Despite the vagaries of our summer weather, these festivals give a lift to cities and towns and create many memorable moments for visitors and locals alike.”

“Despite funding for the arts being cut by 30 per cent in the last five years, the Arts Council remains dedicated to maintaining support for the arts and ensuring that events around the country are available for people across Ireland in the months and years ahead,” she added.

THE inquests into the deaths of two fishermen who died off the coast of Clare last year are due to take place at Ennis District Court tomorrow (Wednesday).

64 year old Skipper Michael Galvin – a married father of three and his 35 year old neighbour Noel Dickinson drowned when their boat – the Lady Eileen- sank off the coast of Quilty last August.

Their disappearance sparked a massive search involving coastguard units from Kilkee, Doolin along with a rescue helicopter and the Aran Island Lifeboat.

The bodies of the men were subse- quently recovered in the wreckage of the boat.

The official report into the tragic sinking of the “Lady Eileen” found that the 10.85 metre boat probably encountered wind or wave action on the day when the local fishermen lost their lives at sea.

“It is probable that the “Lady Eileen” encountered wind or wave action or a combination of both. This caused the vessel to be swamped and loose reserve of buoyancy beyond which it was able to recover for its loaded condition, resulting in its sinking,” the report said.

The inspector who carried out the “Report into the Sinking of FV “Lady Eileen” on August 13, 2012” also had questions regarding recent work carried out on the boat.

The report was clear however that the incident that resulted in the sinking of the vessel, and the death of the two men, was sudden.

“Both men were active able-bodied experienced individuals. The evidence would suggest that the incident happened very suddenly and that neither Mr. Galvin nor Mr. Dickinson had any time to react to the situation and access the emergency equipment,” the report said.

The report did claim however that “Neither crewmember was found wearing a lifejacket,” and “the wearing of lifejackets would increase the chances of survival.”