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MORE than 70 per cent of the houses in Kilkee are considered to be unoccupied – according to information revealed at last night’s meeting of Clare County Council. Following a motion put forward by Cllr Gabriel Keating (FG) it was revealed that just under 7, 500 houses in the West Clare Local Election area are unoccupied.

Commenting on the situation, Council Director of Services, Ger Dollard, said that more information was required but described the figure as a “frightening statistic”. The figures revealed that 36.4 per cent of all houses in this part of the county are considered to be unoccupied with the highest level of un-occupancy found in Kilkee, with 71.5 per cent of houses unoccupied, Kilfearagh (56.9 per cent unoccupied) and Liscannor (56.5 per cent unoccupied). It is not clear from the research what number of these houses are holiday homes, which are occupied during the summer, and properties which are unoccupied all year round.

A NORTH Clare food producer is on the verge of making a major breakthrough and opening itself up to more than a billion possible new customers in China.

Later this month the Burren Smokehouse in Lisdoonvarna will send a representative to Shanghai, where she will work for nine months to find opportunities for Clare salmon to be sold directly into the Chinese market.

The representative, who is herself a Chinese national, is a fellowship student at the Smurfit Business School in Dublin, and will represent the Burren Smokehouse in China until April of next year. The move is being seen as a major development for the Lisdoonvarna producer, who have been making small inroads into the Chinese market in recent years.

“I took part in a major seafood fair in China last November and I saw that there was opportunities for very high end products like ours in China – es- pecially in specialty food shops and in high end restaurants as well.

“There is a growing demand in that part of the world for high end seafood. It’s not easy, it takes time, but there is potential for growth there,” said Birgitta Hedin Curtin of the Burren Smokehouse.

“We had some products in China for Christmas, so we have had a presence there. So I feel that we have a great opportunity now while we have the fellowship student working for us in China to make a breakthrough. It is exciting.

“There are opportunities for us in China. It is invaluable for us to have someone on the ground in China – this will allow us to dip out toe in the market without having to go there myself all the time.

“We are looking for a niche market – relative small volumes but at a higher price. So we need to have a good understanding of where our products should be pitched.”

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THERE is a glimmer of hope for the thousands of Clare country-music fans left in low places following last week’s news that Garth Brooks’ sold out series of Croke Park concerts may not go ahead.

Peter Aiken of Aiken Promotions said that he has been in contact with Mr Brooks and has not yet given up hope of all five concerts going ahead. The matter was discussed at last night’s meeting of Dublin County Council, with ticket holders left with unanswered prayers as the local authority did not row back its decision to only grant a license for three of the five concerts.

The thunder rolled in front of Croke Park yesterday as rival groups, both claiming to be local residents, held separate protests about the controvertial concert.

“We’re just going to keep working away as much as we can, meeting as many people as we can and doing whatever we can to try and get some light at the end of this,” said Mr Aiken.

Dozens of Clare people queued for days when the tickets went on sale earlier this year. UK-based fan Andrew McIntyre contacted The Clare People claiming that he would never return to Ireland if the concert does not go ahead.

“My trip from the UK has cost us around £700, excluding the cost of the tickets, and all that will be nonrefundable if they don’t happen,” he said.

“Do Dublin Council not realise the damage they have now done to the reputation of themselves and Ireland as whole? I will certainly never go back to Ireland should all of the gigs be cancelled.”

If tomorrow never comes for the two cancelled concerts, and no alternative venue can be agreed, tickets holders will be refunded directly into their credit card accounts.

Potential problems regarding the concert have been flagged for some time with local residents launching a major campaign on the back of a written agreement in 2009 outlined that no more than three concerts were to be held at the stadium each year.

At present the concerts on July 25, 26 and 27 are set to go ahead with the concerts on Monday 28 and Tuesday 29 in jeopardy.

HOTELIERS and guesthouse owners in Clare are reporting a serious shortage of qualified, entry-level staff in the tourism sector, even though there are more than 8,000 people on the live register in the county.

One Ennis hotelier says he is now finding it so difficult to find staff, that he will hire unqualified personnel, provided they have some experience.

The Irish Hotels Federation’s (IHF) quarterly barometer findings revealed that nearly three quarters of business owners in the sector were having difficulties in recruiting qualified staff to fill entry level positions.

Speaking to The Clare People last week, owner of the Rowan Tree in Ennis, Brian O’Neill stated that he would be happy to take on people without a qualification if they had experience.

“Finding chefs and kitchen staff has been quite difficult recently.

“I had a position looking for kitchen staff for a good while, thankfully I managed to hire someone recently,” he said.

“But I have to say that a qualification isn’t everything, I would happily take someone who has a good deal of experience. And without a doubt personality goes a long way in the industry.”

The IHF report shows that 86 per cent of hoteliers are indicating a positive outlook for bookings this year, but those in the industry claim that filling these positions will be difficult because of the industries unglamorous reputation as well as lack of work being done with third level colleges to attract young people into the sector.

Speaking last week, head of the Shannon branch of the IHF, Matthias Muller, said that the lack of qualified staff will significantly hinder the prospect of increasing jobs in the tourism sector in the future.

“As we seek to secure growth in the tourism industry, the barrier to stifle that growth must be addressed. We can build the tourism industry from strength to strength as long as we continue to have the right environment to encourage domestic and overseas visitors and continue to invest in pro-tourism marketing measures,” he said.

Hoteliers and guesthouse owners in Clare could see more qualified staff coming on stream in the years ahead following the announcement of plans for a training centre to be built in Limerick.

CLARE tourism businesses are struggling to find staff to fill vacant positions this summer, despite there being nearly 9,000 people on the live register in the county.

One prominent Ennis businessman told The Clare People last week that he is now happy to take on unqualified staff, as it is proving increasingly difficult to find qualified staff to fill vacant roles.

This news comes as the number of people signing on the live resister in Clare jumped by more than 1.5 per cent last month, with 8,717 people now signing-on across the county.

With tourism numbers predicted to grow across Clare this summer, the possibility of a staff shortage has now been flagged by local employers. According to the Irish Hotels Feder- ation’s quarterly barometer, three out of every four hotels reported having difficulty finding qualified staff to fill entry level positions.

UNEMPLOYMENT figures suffered an unexpected blow last month with a sharp rise in the number of people signing on the life register in the county. The number of people singing on in Clare increased from 8,585 in May to 8,717 last month.

This represents a month on month overall increases of 132 people – or 1.5 per cent. This news comes on the back of months of good news for the live register in the county with the May figures being the lowest recorded in Clare since February of 2009 – more than five years ago.

It is likely this this increase is being driven by a large number of university students coming back to the county for the summer and not be- ing able to find summer work. The increase was felt all over the county, except in the Ennistymon area office, where the effects of the summer tourism trade possibly offset and major increase.

The largest increase in the live register was felt in Ennis where the number signing on increase from 4,848 in May to 4,934 last month. This increase of 86 people represents a 1.8 per cent jump in just a month.

The largest percentage increase was recorded in East Clare however with the Tulla office recording a 3.2 per cent increase in the numbers signing on. A total of 1,246 signed on in East Clare last month, an increase of 38 on the 1,208 who signed on in May.

West Clare saw a similar trend with the numbers increase by 25 from 1,198 in May to 1,223 – an increase of 25 people or 2.1 per cent.

Only North Clare recorded a decrease with the number of people signing on falling from 1,331 in May to 1,314 last month – a decrease of 17 people of 1.3 per cent.

This negative turn on the county’s live register comes after consistent reduction saw the number drop to their lowest levels since the start of the recession.

DETAILS of the life and medical history of Ballyvaughan woman Ellen Moore will be heard by the United Nations Committee Against Torture next week, following the unanimous decision of the Survivors of Symphysiotomy (SOS) group to reject a last gasp compensation offer made by the Irish Government last week.

Ellen, who was given a symphysiotomy without her knowledge or consent while giving birth to her first son in September of 1965, has been actively campaigning for recognition of the wrongs done to the hundreds of Irish women who were given symphysiotomies in the 1960s and 1970s.

In March of this year it was announced that her case would be one of a number of case studies sent forward to the United Nations Committee Against Torture.

The SOS move to take the case to the UN came after months of discussions and lobbying with the Irish Government.

With the UN hearing just days away, the Government made a compensation offer to sufferers last week. This offer was unanimously rejected at two survivor meeting in Dublin and Cork last week and the UN hearing is now set to go ahead on July 14.

The SOS spokesperson, Marie O’Connor, has called on the Government to admit that all symphysiotomies done in Irish hospitals were wrong.

“Truth has been the main casualty today. The official lie, that symphysiotomy was acceptable medical practice, continues,” she said.

“The Government has never admitted that these operations were negligent and that they should never have been done. All symphysiotomies were wrong, not only those done in the aftermath of a C-section.”

After meeting with Mrs Moore and other members of the Survivors of Symphysiotomy (SOS) group last October, the Health Minister, James O’Reilly (FG), agreed to lift the stature of limitation involving symphysiotomy and allow sufferers to gain compensation through the courts. The minister also agreed to release the second half of the Walsh Report, which probed the use of symphysiotomies in Irish hospitals. Neither of these promises have, to date, been kept.

HUMAN remains discovered on Mutton Island just off Quilty may belong to one of island’s final inhabitants or even a sailor shipwrecked during the Spanish Armada almost 500 years ago.

Gardaí investigated the human remains discovered on the tiny island last Wednesday have confirmed that there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the discovery and that the remains are historic.

The alarm was raised last Wednesday when a local man discovered the skull and bones on the uninhabited island. Members of the Gardaí conducted a preliminary investigation of the schene on Thursday and a Garda forensic investigation team and an archeologist from the Archaeological Survey of Ireland examined the human remain last Friday, and determined that the bones were historic and not part on any modern day crime.

It is understood that the storms of January and February of this year may have unearthed the remains on the eastern side of the island. The remains were discovered at the foot of a cliff dozens of metres above sea level and could have remained their undisturbed for hundreds of years until this year’s heavy storms.

It is almost 100 years since the last permanent inhabitants left Mutton Island. The cliff where the bones were discovered is understood to be located close to the last pocket of human settlement on the island.

A number of ships from the illfated Spanish Armada are known to have sank in the area. It has long been suspected that a number of Spanish sailors from the Armada were buried on Mutton Island but no remains have previously been found.

Over the years, Mutton Island has attracted the attention of many people. John Lennon of the Beatles once attempted to purchase the small island as his west of Ireland getaway but purchased Dorinish Island off Mayo instead.

A PRIME Ennis development almost doubled its original asking price when it went under the hammer at the Allsop Space Estate Agents distressed property auction in Dublin last week.

The mixed residential and commercial development, located on the Mill Road in Ennis, attracted a lot of attention and was eventually sold for € 315,000 – despite having gone on the market with a reserve of just € 180,000.

The property comprises five apartments and three retail units right in the heart of Ennis, which already have a sizable rental income.

According to Allsop’s, the rental income on the property at present amounts to more than € 25,000 per annum, a figure made up of € 18,000 from three of the apartments while one of the retail units is bringing in € 7,380 per annum for the present owner. Two of the retail units are vacant at present as are two of the apartments.

This means that, even with the current level of vacancies, the development will pay for itself in just 13 years.

According to the auctioneers, the Ennis block is “internally arranged to provide five two-bedroom apartments and three retail units” and was advertised as an “ideal investment opportunity”.

The property is located along the Mill Road close the junction with Pound Lane and the Old Mill Road, while Allsop have revealed that first floor offices are not included in the sale as they have previously been sold.

Two other Clare properties were sold at the auction with a further two not being sold.

Three vacant warehouse units located at the the Portdrine Development Park in Cratloe sold for € 145,000, while a vacant house at Ashview Drive, Shannon Road in Sixmilebridge, sold for € 140,000.

A second house in Chapel Court in Sixmilebridge was withdrawn before the auction as was a property at Castle Gardens in Bunratty.

CLARE ISPCA officer Frank Coote has said he is concerned that a dangerous poison may have been laid along a popular public walkway in South East Clare.

Gardaí are looking into the matter after it emerged that a number of dogs died after ingesting Strychnine.

The dogs had been walking on the River Shannon canal bank near the villages of Clonlara, O’Briensbridge, Killaloe and Twomilegate towards the ESB power station at Ardncrusha. The walkway is owned by the ESB, who have rented the surrounding lands to farmers.

The potential presence of Strychnine along the walkway sparked fears locally that the pellets could be picked up and ingested by a child.

“It is a serious concern for a couple of reasons,” said Mr Coote,

“One of those reasons is that if you are putting down poison, it has to be pinned down. Animals can come along and eat it but if it’s a thing it is not pinned down properly, something like a blackbird could come along, pick it up the pellet and drop it in someone’s garden. And then you have the whole danger with children picking it up,” he explained.

Mr Coote said Strychnine is illegal but other forms of poison can be laid down providing the gardaí are first notified, warning signs notifying the public are erected and a notice is taken out in a local newspaper.

Warning signs have now been erected in the area and the ESB has written to farmers reminding them of their responsibilities. Gardaí are also looking into the matter.