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WEST Clare school principal Sean McMahon was officially declared the new vice president of the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation at the union’s congress in Cork on Wednesday.

The principal of Mullagh National School is now the most likely contender for president of the union next year, as traditionally the vice president takes over at the helm when the president stands down.

Like the previous Clare man to hold the post, Declan Kelleher from Corofin, Sean has a strong North Clare roots and has spent most of his teaching career in the west of the county.

As a child he attended primary school in Coore National School and completed his secondary education in the CBS Ennistymon. He then attended Mary Immaculate College of Education in Limerick, graduating in 1979.

Seán has worked in a number of different roles as a primary teacher. His teaching career began in 1979 in Rathdowney Boys’ National School, Co Laois, teaching fifth class boys. In 1980 he was appointed to Annagh National School, Miltown Malbay, teaching third to sixth class, in what was then a two-teacher school.

This marked the beginning of years of campaigning for increased understanding of and support for the critical contribution small rural schools make to their communities and to Irish education.

In tandem with his teaching career, Seán attended University College Galway for three years and graduated with a master’s degree in Rural and Community Development in 1989.

“Implications of School Consolidation and Amalgamation for Rural Communities” was the title of his thesis – a paper that is likely to prove invaluable during two years at the forefront of the INTO.

In 1990 Seán was appointed teaching principal of Mullagh National School.

He continues to teach there in a multi-class environment.

Seán completed a H. Dip. in Education – School Planning in NUIG in 2004 – and worked as a part-time school developing planning tutor for a number of years.

Education plays a large part in Sean’s life and that of his family.

He is married to Gerardine, who is also a primary teacher, and they have five children all of whom are currently in full-time education.

Mr McMahon also has a long history working within the INTO, having been involved in the union since the 1980s. Initially, he was involved at school level as staff representative.

He has represented District 11; Clare, Tipperary and Waterford, on the CEC since 2007 serving 17 INTO branches from “Loop Head to Hook Head”.

Seán previously represented District 11 on the Principals’ and Deputy Principals’ Committee. He has also served as secretary and chairperson to the West Clare INTO Branch and has been an active member of District 11 Committee since 1996.

CLARE’S rivers have been devastated by pollution over the last 15 years with nearly half of the county’s formally pristine waterways now polluted.

That is according to a survey released by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last week, which also calls for an investigation to be carried out to determine the exact cause of the rapid deterioration of the county’s waterways.

The survey has been criticised by the Clare branch of the Irish Farmers Association (IFA) who say that the information is out of date and does not reflect the massive improvements made in water standards over the last five years.

According to the EPA survey, there were a total of 45 ‘high status’ or pristine river sites in Clare in 1998. This number declined to 32 in 2006, with a further decline to just 24 pristine sited in 2009. This represents a drop of more than 46 per cent in the number of high quality sites between 1998 and 2009.

Broadford, Lough Graney and Owengarney each currently boast three high status sites each with the rest of the pristine sites located throughout the East Clare water sys- tems and the rest of the county.

The Clare Chairman of the IFA, Andrew Dundas, yesterday described the EPA report as scaremongering and out of date.

“The EPA information does not take into account the massive amount of work that was done on farms building in recent years – especially in the years between 2006 and 2008 when 2.5 billion was spend on Irish farms,” he said.

“Farming is now a very highly regulated area and many of the changes suggested [by the EPA report] are already in place. We have had the introduction of the Nitrates Directive and farmers must now undertake a full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) before they undertake any drainage work can take place.

“This is scaremongering and the information is just not up to date. The report also identifies rural septic tanks as a main concern and we all know that that issue is being changed dramatically.

“Farmers see themselves as the caretakers of the environment and it is in our interest to ensure that pollution does not become an issue in our water systems.” The Clare People contacted the EPA in relation to this story but no comment was available at the time of going to print.

AN EAST Clare woman interrupted two burglars who broke into her home in broad daylight on Friday morning last. The woman, who lives in a house in Drewborough in Scariff, was out the front of her house painting at around 11.25am last Friday, April 5, when the incident took place.

She walked into her house and discovered two males in one of her bedrooms. The males, who were aged in their mid to late teens and were wearing baseball caps, fled the scene. They had entered the building after forcing a rear window.

A burglary also took place at a house in Lisdoonvarna over the last two weeks. The house, which is located in Rooska, was broken into some time between 6pm on Sunday, May 24, and 6am on Saturday, April 6. Glass was broken on the front door to allow access to the house and a box containing some cash and personal belongings was taken.

A number of incidents of theft and criminal damage were reported in the North Clare area over the weekend.

A boat located on the pier in Ballyvaughan was broken into some time between 10pm on Friday evening and 7am on Saturday morning. Noting was stolen from the boat.

Last Thursday, April 4, a number of cars were broken into close to the Poulnabrone Dolmen. Two rental cars belonging to tourists from New Zealand and Germany were broken into and handbags, wallets, cash and passports were taken.

More than 600 metres of cable was also stolen from a telephone pole in Tubber at some time between Midnight on Monday, April 1, and 5am on Tuesday, April 2.

Two tonnes of fertiliser was also stolen from lands at Ballypottery in Corofin at some time between 3pm on Tuesday, April 2, and 11am on Wednesday, April 3. Anyone with information on any of these incidents is asked to contact their local Garda station.

CLARE teachers spoke out at the INTO Congress against potential plans to close and amalgamate small schools, which at its most extreme would see the closure of 59 schools in the county.

Labasheeda school principal Liam Woulfe described teachers and parents in these small schools as being concerned, stressed and terrified regarding the mixed messages they are receiving.

“The teachers and communities of these schools are condemned to a stressed-filled limbo looking towards September 30 annually, looking towards the realisation of the ever increasing but receding magic number [to ensure the school’s ongoing existence] determined by the Minister with almost no semblance of consultation,” he told delegates among which there was a strong Clare presence.

Newly-elected vice president of the INTO and Mullagh school principal Sean McMahon explained that these schools, which “are a central part of life in Ireland” must be seen in a new light by the Minister for Education and Skills.

“The proposals in the recent budget will see the destabilization and potentially the closure over time of one third of all small mostly rural primary schools. Amalgamations and the closure of some very small schools have always been part of the education system,” he said.

“The Minister’s policy on small schools is fundamentally flawed, misguided and devoid of planning.

“What is needed is a coherent, long-term and resourced strategy for sustainable schools into the future. Instead, the last two budgets are leading to forcible closure or amalgamation,” added the West Clare teacher who is also a member of the INTO Task Force on Small Schools.

He said that there needs to be an al- ternative to forced closure and pressurised amalgamation.

Marie Gold is a teacher in Flagmount National School and reminded delegates that education “is not merely a cost to the State; it is an investment”.

“There is a growing body of research that small is beautiful when it comes to school size, especially for very young children.

“Educationally it makes sense for young children to be taught in a small, interdependent, family-like community before having to negotiate the challenges of a larger community in later life,” she said.

Secretary of West Clare INTO Brid Hanrahan spoke of the “hands off approach of the department of Education, particularly in circumstances where they are decreasing enrolments in small schools as a consequence of diminishing population treads, but offering no information, advice, assistance or incentives to schools to consider school reorganisation”.

JOBS could be under threat in Lahinch as employers face a marked increase in parking costs in the village, that’s according to locals who may have to pay for parking spaces they currently get for free come January 1st 2014.

A number of local businesses are set to lose access to unlimited car parking spaces at Liscannor Road car park from January of next year following plans to centralise the way parking fines are managed in the county.

Local representatives have accused Clare County Council or of handing out “diktats” to the local business community, by introducing measure that they feel will put employment at risk.

More than 70 free car parking permits have been issued by Clare County Council for the car park in recent years – with some local businesses currently in receipt of as many as seven permits.

The move is being put forward by Clare County Council, who have directed the Ennistymon Area Office to write to every business in Lahinch to inform them of the possible change.

The council is currently streamlining its parking procedure in Ennis, Kilrush and Lahinch in an attempt to save costs by managing all all parking appeals centrally from Ennis.

“The system has worked well up to now and the only reason we are introducing this is to suit other areas. I cannot see that these employers will be able to absorb these extra costs,” said Cll Richard Nagle (FF).

“This is inevitable going to incur increased costs for the people at Lahinch. This never came to us before now, this never came before [a meeting of ] Clare County Council, I feel that this is very heavy handed that is coming to us as a diktat from Ennis.”

At present, local permit holders cannot use car parking facilities at the Lahinch promenade. The proposed change would see local workers forced to use the Miltown Road car park on the southern edge of the town.

“This is a seasonal area, in Ennis the businesses are operating five or six days a week, all year round. The permits should reflect that.

“I take the points of the car park on the Miltown Malbay road, but there will be many days when it’s raining and employees will walk all the way down to work from this car park and the Liscannor Road car park will be totally empty,” said Cllr Joe Arkins (FG).

The proposed change to the parking system in Lahinch will not be brought in until January 1, 2014, at the earliest. Local councillors have asked that their opposition to the change be relayed to the officials at Clare County Council.

A KILRUSH business and almost 50 per cent of the jobs have been saved in an 11th hour plan.

John O’Dwyers Builders Providers and DIY Store in Kilrush will remain open despite an announcement that it was to close its doors at the end of the month with the loss of seven jobs.

Owner, John O’Dwyer said that thanks to the support of staff and loyal customers the shop will now remain open in a smaller retail unit.

The shop size will be reduced from 7, 500 square feet to 3,000 square feet, and staffing numbers will be reduced to three.

The yard and store will remain the same.

The Kilrush shop will stay open six days a week from 8am to 6pm, closing Sunday.

“We are hoping to stay until things improve and then open the shop back in the main building,” Mr O’Dwyer told The Clare People .

“We reduced the cost of keeping the store here to sustain the business here. We had to get our overheads down,” he said.

Mr O’Dwyer paid tribute to the staff who agreed to “keep the shoulder to the wheel” to keep the shop open.

He said that the four staff who had to be let go were also happy to see the shop remain open, as it gave them hope that the business would improve and expand giving them their jobs back in the future.

“I would also like to thank all the customers for their supportive over the last three weeks [when the closure was announced] and for their good wishes,” said the business owner.

“It is not going to be easy but we are going to give it a go.”

Seven months ago the Ennis store closed due to the down turn in the economy but the Miltown Malbay and now the Kilrush store continue to operate.

CLARE men are bearing the brunt of the recession in the Banner County, with a large difference in the number of men signing on the live register compared to women.

In 2006, the number of women signing on the live register in Clare was almost equal to the number of men. In January of that year 1,878 women (46.4 per cent) and 2,185 men (53.6 per cent) signed on in Clare.

Figures obtained by the Central Statistics Office show that both genders have been effected negatively by the recession – the increase in the number of Clare men signing-on over the last seven years is far higher than the number of women.

In January of 2013 there were 3,990 women signing on the live register in Clare, an increase of 112.46 per cent since 2006. In the same month there were 6,093 men signing on in the county – an increase of 178.85 per cent over the same period.

The Construction Industry Federation (CIF) believe that this gender difference has been brought about as a result for job losses in the construction area. The CIF estimated that 8, 500 Clare construction jobs have been lost since 2006, with the majority of these jobs losses coming in male dominated trades.

“In 2006 and 2007 we estimate that there would have been around 10,000 people working in construction sector industry in Clare. It is very hard to get an exact figure at the moment but we would estimate that that is now down to around 2, 500 jobs,” said Conor O’Connell, local spokesperson for the CIF.

“We have been saying this for years; the decline in the construction industry is responsible for the lion’s share of people who are unemployed. Other sectors have been hit, but nothing like the hit that construction has taken.

“We are looking at a lost generation. Every week we are seeing people made redundant who probably won’t work again in the industry. There is no easy way of saying that, it is very difficult for people. It is very difficult to see an upturn.”

Patrick DEEGAN
Ballymacahill, Barefield, Ennis. Funeral mass on Tuesday inThe Church of the Immaculate Conception, Barefield at 11 o’clock followed by cremation in Ringaskiddy Crematorium, Cork. House private. May he rest in peace.

Patrick STAUNTON
Moymore, Lahinch and formerly of Lissatava, Hollymount Co Mayo. Peacefully at Cahercalla Community Hospice, Ennis. Funeral mass onTuesday at 12 o’clock at the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Roundfort, with burial after in Roundfort cemetery. May he rest in peace.

Mary MALONEY, (née Healy)
of Circular Road Ennistymon. Unexpectedly. Laid to rest in Ennistymon (new) cemetery. May she rest in peace.

John MARRINAN
of Marine Parade, Kilkee. Peacefully. Laid to rest in Lisdeen Cemetery. May he rest in peace.

Seán DOWNES
of CrossVillage and formerly of Tullig, Cross.At Ennis General Hospital. Laid to rest in Kilballyowen Cemetery, Cross. May he rest in peace.

John O’BRIEN
of Gortnalough, Firies, Co Kerry and formerly of Annagh, Miltown Malbay. Laid to rest in Kildimo Cemetery. May he rest in peace.

Bernard PRIEST
of Steele’sTerrace and late of Fergus Park, Ennis. Laid to rest in Drumcliffe Cemetery. May he rest in peace.

Joan SUMMERLY, (née Magrath)
of 13 Brookville, Claureen, Lahinch Road, Ennis. Laid to rest in Drumcliffe Cemetery. May she rest in peace.

Nora COSTELLO, (née O’Connell)
of Derryard, Doonbeg. Peacefully. Laid to rest in Lisdeen Cemetery. May she rest in peace.

Maree DUFFY
of 51 Cronin Gardens, Shannon. Laid to rest in Illaunamanagh Cemetery. Donations, if desired, to Irish Cancer Society. May she rest in peace.

Andrew (Andy) FAWL
of 94 Shalee Drive, Cloughleigh, Ennis. Laid to rest in Cashel Cemetery,Tipperary. May he rest in peace.

Maura FLAHERTY
of No.5 Hillcrest, Mullinary, Carrickmacross, Co. Monaghan and Kilrush. Late of Tullycrine, Kilrush, at Glencarron Nursing Home, Crossmaglen, Co Armagh. Laid to rest in Prospect Cemetery Glasnevin. Donations in lieu, if desired, to Carrickmacross Cancer Care. May she rest in peace.

Paddy NEYLON
of Roughan, Kilnaboy. In his 95th year. Laid to rest in Laughtagona Cemetery, Corofin. May he rest in peace.

Conor HARTY
of 2, Dun an Oir, Shannon. Late of 2 ,The Path, Garryowen, Limerick. Laid to rest in Illaunamangh Cemetery. Donations in lieu, if desired, toThe Motor Neurone Association. May he rest in peace.

Martin SHANNON
of Gortbavarna, Maurice’s Mills. In his 96th year. Laid to rest in Inagh Cemetery. May he rest in peace.

AN ATTEMPT to rescue the three bottlenose dolphins who are trapped in shallow waters in Bunratty will be made later this week.

The dolphins, who are part of a school who normally live much farther down the Shannon Estuary, have been stranded in the fresh water areas for 10 days now, and could succumb to liver failure if they are not returned to salt water soon.

A rescue mission is likely to be conducted this Wednesday or Thursday, to coincide with low spring tide. The low tide will make it easier to catch the dolphins but it also increases the chances that the one or more of the animals might get beached in the shallow water.

According to the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG), the dolphins currently appear relatively healthy. The animals have been creating quite a stir in Bunratty since they appeared on March 31, but there have also been reports of young people throwing stones and other missiles at them.

“In my opinion something will have to be tried this week. They are healthy at the moment but with the low tide coming on Wednesday, something will probably have to be tried,” said Simon Berrow of the IWDG.

“The longer this goes on the more stressed the animals will get. They are in fresh water and that is damaging their kidneys right now and it will also start to damage their skin as well.

“We have also heard reports of kids throwing stones at them when they get close to the shore and we would appeal to anyone who comes to visit the dolphins, not to engage in this sort of behavior.”

The dolphins were discovered on March 31, in murky water close to the old bridge over the Ratty River and Durty Nelly’s Pub.

The last time that dolphins became stranded in this area was in 1995, when Clare recorded one of its finest summers in recent memory. Some locals are hopeful that the return of the dolphins are a sign of a good summer ahead.

Hurling fans are also hopeful that the return of the dolphins to Bunratty may also be on omen suggesting a hurling season similar to what took place in 1995.

RESIDENTS of local authority housing in Ennis who mistakenly received letters requesting payment of the property tax have been urged to raise the issue with the Office of the Revenue Commissioners directly.

The letters have caused confusion and concern among council tenants, according to Ennis councillor Frank- ie Neylon (Ind). Cllr Neylon says that as the owner of the properties, Ennis Town Council is liable to pay the tax. Cllr Neylon has urged the council to tell the Department of the Environment how many houses it is responsible for.

Mayor of Ennis, Cllr Peter Considine (FF) said he is aware of letters being sent to people who have died.

Town manager Ger Dollard said the he is aware that some council houses mistakenly received letters from the Revenue Commissioners.

He said that even though the council is the landlord liable for the tax, the person who receives the letter is responsible for bringing the mistake to the attention of Revenue.

He told the council’s April meeting that staff would assist residents. However he rejected a call from Cllr Paul O’Shea (Lab) for the council to carry out an awareness campaign.

He said the council had no role in the collection of the tax and any involvement “would only confuse the issue even more”.

Cllr Johnny Flynn (FG) says he has received a number of calls from elderly residents concerned about the tax. Cllr Michael Guilfoyle (Ind) queried why there are differences between the values of neighbouring houses in the Turnpike area of Ennis.

A FINAL decision on revised plans for the construction of a long-awaited Crusheen stop on the Western Rail Corridor will be made tomorrow, April 10.

A decision on the development, which includes a new 90-metre platform, a 17-bay car park, a telecom and equipment room and a bicycle shelter, is expected from planners at Clare County Council tomorrow afternoon.

A campaign to create a Crusheen stop on the Western Rail Corridor has been underway for more than a decade.

Government funding of € 1.5 mil- lion was allocated for the development when the Ennis to Galway section of the Western Rail Corridor was reopened on 2010.

Clare County Council previously granted planning permission for a station at Crusheen in June of 2011. However, a fresh application for a revised plan for the station was submitted to Clare County Council in September of last year.

The main difference between the current proposal and the one granted planning permission in 2011 is a reduction in the number of parking spaces sought – which has been reduced from 47 to 17. A platform shelter which was part of the 2011 planning permission is not mentioned in the current planning application.