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Clare symphysiotomy victim’s case to be heard at the United Nations

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.

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Ennis A&E campaign launched

A CAMPAIGN to reinstate a permanent A&E service at Ennis General Hospital has been launched.

Kilmaley councillor, Tom McNamara (FF) was elected head of the Regional Health Forum last week, and has made the reclassification of Ennis General Hospital his primary goal for the next 12 month.

The Mid West Region is currently the only HSE region in Ireland not to have a secondary tier, or Model 3, hospital. Model 3 hospitals are designed to act as cover for the main Model 4 hospital in a region, in our case – the Regional Hospital in Limerick.

This campaign goes much further than a motion put forward at Clare County Council last month, which called for the temporary reinstation of A&E Services in Ennis, until construction work on a new facility can be completed in Limerick.

“There needs to be a lot of political pressure to bring this change about. But we’ve seen the evidence in the HIQA report [a damning report on A&E services at Limerick Hospital]. If a service is not being provided properly we have to act on that. Our health service is the most critical service in the country and we need to have a proper one here in Clare,” he said.

“We are the only hospital group in the country with no Model 3 hospital, I would be pushing for a Model 3 Hospital in the mid-west and Ennis is the ideal location for that. This would give us a 24 hour A&E and would give us a surgical service. I will be lobbying hard with the Department of Health and the HSE to put a Model 3 hospital in the mid-west. It is something that needs to be done.

“This would mean a permanent A&E service in Ennis, even when the new building in Limerick comes on stream. The HSE’s own plan means that you need all the different types of hospitals in an area and we have no Model 3 hospital.

“Limerick in our Model 4 hospital but we are missing a Model 3 hospital with a full A&E that can be used as a back up for the Model 4 hospital. At the moment they are saying that the population number are not there. But for the system is to work properly you need to have a Model 3 hospital to be in place.”

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Man recovering after North Clare motorcycle crash

A MAN is recovering in hospital today after being involved in the latest of a spate of serious accidents involving motorcyclists in Clare.

The German tourist sustained multiple injuries when his motorcycle collided with a car at Mountrivers Bridge on the outskirts of Doonbeg on Wednesday afternoon. A second motorcyclists was also hurt in the incident but her injuries are understood to be less serious.

The car, which was being driven by an American tourist, is though to have clipped another vehicle, before colliding with the bridge itself and then the two motorcycles.

The motorcycle being driven by the male tourist became embedded in the front of the car during the crash, while the second motorcycle was thrown over the car. Both of the motorcyclists were taken by ambulance to University Hospital Limerick for treatment.

This incident comes just weeks after a two motorcyclists died in a horrific collision just outside Lisdoonvarna. That incident saw the sad deaths of Ferdinand “Ferdi” Waidel, a 55-year-old German national who had been living in Clare for more than a decade and Ricardo ‘Ricky’ Godoy, a Chilean television presenter and motorcycle enthusiast.

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Drug polic y rally in Ennis

A CLARE local election candidate, who came within a whisker of winning a seat to the local authority at last months election, hosted a rally in Ennis last week aimed at changing Irish drugs policy.

Fís Nua candidate, Niamh O’Brien secured 731 first preference votes in last months local election – just 20 short of then Mayor of Clare Joe Arkins (FG) – and came close to winning the final seat in the Killaloe constituency.

She hosted an information event in Ennis last Thursday and is also exploring the possibility of establishing a branch of Student for Sensible Drugs Policy (SSDP) in Clare.

“It is all about drugs – supporting and not punishing – and the whole issue of decriminalising drugs in Ireland. The idea is to educate people about drugs and to transfer the money – which at present is spent on the court system, the prison system and the Gardaí – over to things like rehab and the mental health system,” she said.

“We don’t treat alcoholics in the same way as we treat drug addicts. We offer a lot of support and help to alcoholics and we should be offering the same to drug addicts and people who trying to get off of drugs.

“We need to offer proper information about the real effects of drugs. These people [drug addicts] are desperate and they need help.”

Ms O’Brien, who listed a change in government policy towards illegal drugs on her campaign information, was also collecting signatures for the Rachel Keogh petition in Ennis. Rachel Keogh is a former Irish heroin addict who has started a campaign to change Irish drugs policy.

The event was part of a nationwide campaign by Student for Sensible Drugs Policy and Niamh is now ex- ploring the possibility of setting up a branch of SSDP in Clare.

“I have been in contact with the group and I was roped in to organise this event.

“I have it [legalising cannabis] on the back of my leaflets while running for election in the Killaloe area so I though this was a perfect opportunity to highlight this issue again,” she said.

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Aero-Zone jobs for Shannon

A SMALL number of new jobs are set to come in stream in Shannon in the coming months following the decision of American aircraft parts provider Aero-Zone, to set up a European headquarters in Shannon Airport with the creation of a new, Clare based subsidiary.

It is as yet unclear how many jobs will be created directly through the project, but it seen as a very positive long term development for the Airport. Over the last 18 months the Shannon Airport Authority (SAA) has been working to increase the number and type of air services it provides to airlines and this move could help attract more business to the airport.

Based in Arizona, Aero-Zone said it has selected Shannon so it can provide “increased interaction and improved service” for its European clients. It said the decision to set up in Ireland is in line with its strategy of housing inventory at diverse locations.

“Aero-Zone has a large customer base within Europe and the Middle East.

“Having a physical presence in the region means we have an inventory closer to our customers, and allows us to improve what is a leading aircrafton-ground rapid response programme,” said Alfredo Dreyfus, founder and president of Aero-Zone.

The Shannon arm of the company will now be headed up by Sean O’Brien. He will be responsible for establishing a team of inventory specialists in Shannon, as well as supporting clients across Europe.

Established in 1994, the company provides parts for commercial airlines, corporate jet fleets and owner-operators. The company is now looking to procure a building in the Shannon Free Zone to act as its European Headquarters.

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No mammals were harmed during the Doolin explosions

THE first in a series of controlled explosions at the site of the new Doolin Pier took place last Wednesday, without any significant harm coming to local sea mammals, including Dusty the Dolphin.

The blasting, which is being carried out by Clare contractors, L&M Keating Ltd, had been scheduled to take place on a number of occasion earlier this month but had been delayed because of weather.

The explosions took place just after 9.10pm last Thursday evening. A number of members of the Clare based, Irish Whale and Dolphin [IWDG] were in the area to over see the explosions.

With Dusty basing herself on the Aran Islands for the last number of months, no sea mammals were harmed in the explosions – with a small number of fish the only reported casualties.

“The Marine Mammal Mitigation Plan was successfully delivered by IWDG and no marine mammals were affected. Despite heavy rain, sea conditions were very favourable,” said a spokesperson from the IWDG.

“Visual and acoustic monitoring 60 to 150 minutes pre-blast detected no marine mammals or otters and blasting went ahead. Post-blast monitoring recovered two dying pollack which were thought to have been killed by the shock wave but no other affected marine life was observed.”

More blasting in expected to take place in Doolin later this week provided that weather conditions are suitable. The blasting is to clear rock for the construction of a new start of the art pier at Doolin and an exclusion zone will also be put in place on land to ensure that no humans stray too close to the blast site.

During Wednesday’s scheduled explosion, a number of volunteers were also with Dusty the Dolphin on the Aran Islands, ensuring that the bottle nose dolphin did not stray too close to Doolin or be effected as a result of the shock wave.

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Shannon a ‘tempting’ target for terrorists

A LEADING security analyst has described Shannon Airport as a “tempting” target for terrorists.

Dr Tom Clonan, a retired Irish army captain, was giving evidence at the case of two peace activists at Ennis District Court on Tuesday.

Dr Clonan, who is a security analyst with the Irish Times, said that 2.25 million US troops have passed through Shannon since 2002 “making it the largest invading force to have ever passed through Ireland in its history”.

He said 70,000 US troops transited through Shannon Airport in 2013. In evidence, Dr Clonan recalled a conversation he had with a senior politician with Hezbollah – an Islamic militant group based in Lebanon.

He told the court he was attempting to speak about the situation in Syria to Dr Ali el Mekdad. He said Dr Mektad told him that he did not want to talk about Syria but about “your airport over there in County Clare. You should be ashamed of yourselves.”

Dr Clonan said it would be a concern to him that one of the most high profile Islamic resistance groups knows about the use of Shannon Airport by the US military.

He said it could subject Irish troops serving in the Golan Heights and other areas to “hostile scrutiny”.

Later in his evidence, Dr Clonan said the fact that Hezbollah are referring to Shannon mean Irish people abroad could be subject to hostile scrutiny. He said the airport could be seen as “soft” or “tempting” target for Jihadists returning from Syria. He said this was an increasing cause for concern in the Irish intelligence community and among senior gardaí he had spoken to.

Dr Clonan was asked about the term ‘Teeth to Tail’, which refers to the ratio of logistics support to the front line. He said, “Shannon is an integral part of that teeth to tail ratio.”

He described how Shannon has entered the aural culture of the US military. Dr Clonan said US soldiers refer to trips to hostile environments as “a pint of Guinness in Shannon” followed by a “wake up”.

Dr Clonan was giving evidence on behalf Margaretta D’Arcy (80), with an address Woodquay, Galway.

Ms D’Arcy and co-accused Niall Farrell (60), with an address at Ballynacloghy, Maree, Oranmore, Galway, were convicted September 1 (2013) of interfering with the proper use of Shannon Airport by going on the runway without permission on September 1, 2013. The pair denied the charge. After a lengthy hearing, Judge Durcan found Ms D’Arcy and Mr Farrell guilty. He imposed a two-week prison sentence on each accused; suspended on condition they refrain from entering unauthorized areas of the airport.

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Illegal hunters shoot horse dead

ILLEGAL hunters, using high powered rifles capable of firing bullets for more than a quarter of a mile, could pose a serious risk to public health.

Gardaí in East Clare are investigating an incident in which a horse was shot dead on private property near Whitegate earlier this month.

The animal, an Irish Draft Yearling, was shot at night with a high pow- ered gun, with the bullet travelling so fast that it passed clean through the animal. The owners believe that their horse was shot accidentally by hunters at night, who were in the area shooting deer.

With deer shooting season over until the autumn, local landowner Geraldine Jones believes her animal was killed by ‘lampers’ or hunter operating at night using flashlight.

“There has been incidents here before of cattle being shot. There are houses in the area but there is also deer, and when there is deer there are hunters. We’re out of pocket [because of the shooting] but that isn’t the point really, we have more horses down there and we don’t want to go down there and find them shot – or worse still, see someone walking on the road get shot, she told The Clare People .

“These weapons are very powerful and some people just seem to shoot and not worry about where [the bullet] is going to end up. I’m not antihunting or anything like that, but they [high powered rifles] should not be in the hands of careless people.

“The animal was shot on the [Sunday, June 15] evening or later that night – we can’t pinpoint the exact time. He was our animal but to others he was only a horse. We don’t think that it suffered.

“There was no marks on the ground where the animal might have scratched if it was in pain, but it looks like it was dead before it hit the ground.

“It is distressing. I go down there now and if I see one of them [the horses] lying down I automatically think that they are dead.

“The worst we thought would happen was the horses getting frightened and maybe breaking out onto the road. We never expected to find one with a bullet in it.”

Clare dog warden Frankie Coote says that the rifles used by some of these hunters are very powerful.

“It has happened but not at this time of year. These are people who are lamping and shooting deer out of season.

“A bullet shot from one of those rifles could travel up to a quarter of a mile and kill whatever it meets.

“They are so powerful that the bullet will keep travelling until it hits a target. We have had similar cases in this area in the past and it is a real problem,” he said.

Margaret (Olive) CULLINAN (née
Tuohy) , 77Turnpike Road, Ennis. Funeral Mass Tuesday, July 1, at 11amat Ennis Cathedral, followed by private cremation. Family flowers only, donations if desired to Milford Hospice, Limerick. May she rest in peace.

Kevin MALONE
, 3 Aiden Park, Shannon. Late of Burnham, Dingle Co Kerry. Funeral Mass onTuesday at 12 noon at St John and Paul’s Church, Shannon. Burial afterwards in Lemenagh Cemetery. May he rest in peace.

John (Jack) MCINERNEY
, Scart, Kilkishen. Laid to rest in Clonlea Cemetery. May he rest in peace.

Aine FITZGERALD (née Fennell)
, Renton, Washington, USA, and formerly of Henry Street, Kilrush. Laid to rest in All Saints Cemetery, Shanakyle. May she rest in peace.

Robert GODZISZ
, 15 Ard Caoin Gort Road, Ennis. Laid to rest in Cork. May he rest in peace.

Denis JONES
, Clonloum, O’Callaghans Mills. Peacefully at the Mid-Western Regional Hospital. Laid to rest in Clonlea cemetery. May he rest in peace.

John (Johnny) MALONE
, Clareview, Ballybeg, Ennis. Peacefully at the Galway Clinic. Laid to rest in Clareabbey. Donations, if desired, to Slainte an Clair. May he rest in peace.

Derek (Dobber) O’BRIEN
, Rivendell, Pass Road, Meelick. Peacefully at his residence. Laid to rest in Ballycannon Cemetery, Meelick. Donations, if desired to the Oncology Department, of Limerick University Hospital. May he rest in peace.

Patrick (Pa) O’SHAUGHNESSY
, Knockdonagh, Kilmore. Laid to rest inTruagh Cemetery. May he rest in peace.

Patrick BUCKLEY
, 126Tradaree Court, Shannon. Laid to rest in Illaunamanagh Cemetery. May he rest in peace.

Sister Baptiste CASEY
, Kilkenny/Ruan. Late of Rinneen, Ruan. Laid to rest in Foulkstown Cemetery, Kilkenny. May she rest in peace.

Mary DONNELLY (née Burke)
, Kilmacduane, Cooraclare. Laid to rest in Kilmacduane cemetry. Donations if desired to Milford Hospice. May she rest in peace.

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Portrait of Ruan-born archbishop of Perth to go under the hammer

THE auction of the year was to have been the sale of the correspondence between Jackie Kennedy and a priest in All Hallows College in Dublin, but they were withdrawn at the 11th hour because a dispute over their ownership.

Now, the seminary which is closing has come back for more with another auction that will take place over three days, with one of the lots providing an historic link with Clare.

It’s contained the collection of art that will go under the hammer at Sheppards Auctioneers from Durrow in Laois – a portrait of the Clareborn Archbishop of Perth Patrick Joseph Clune.

Archbishop Clune was born in Ruan in 1864, educated at St Flannan’s College and All Hallows College. He was ordained a priest in 1886 before his first appointment was to St Patrick’s College in New South Wales.

From there he rose through the ranks of the Church and became Bishop of Perth in 1911 before being elevated to archbishopric in 1913, a position he held until his death in 1935.

Though he lived nearly all of his adult life in Australia, Archbishop Clune was given a key part to play in War of Independence in Ireland when British Prime Minister, Lloyd George turned to the Ruan man to act as a mediator with Irish leaders to secure a cessation of violence.

This was despite the fact that at the time Archbishop Clune made no secret of the fact that he was a keen supporter of the Sinn Féin movement. “I admire their gallantry. When Mr Lloyd George termed them assassins I was content to reply to him: ‘No not murderers but the cream of their race’,” he said.

Archbishop Clune’s portrait is one of 14 ecclesiastical paintings that will go under the hammer in the highly anticipated auction and could fetch up to € 2, 500.

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Cliff ’s park and ride planning application is refused by council

PLANNING permission for the construction of a park and ride service to the Cliffs of Moher has been refused by Clare County Council.

The application, which sought to retain a planning permission granted to Atlantis Development in 2009, was submitted earlier this year by a new company, Lazarus Investments.

According to documents lodged with the Company Registration Office (CRO), both Atlantis Development and Lazarus Investments list Clare businessman John Declan Flanaghan as their director.

The proposed retention of planning permission was refused by planners on Friday, with changes to the Clare County Development Plan cited as the main reason for the decision.

Lazarus Investment are currently objecting to upgrade work planned by Clare County Council on the parking facilities at the Cliffs of Moher. The objection states that according to the original planning permission granted for the Cliffs of Moher Visitors Experience, a park and ride service and not a permanent car park should be provided.

In recent weeks, Lazarus Investments have also lodged a number of planning applications with Clare County Council in relation to properties connected to the Atlantis Development.

An application, which would have involved a major redevelopment to Egan’s and McHugh’s in Liscannor, including the construction of a seven-bedroom hostel, has also been refused by Clare County Council, while a proposal to construct a 11 houses at Teergonean in Doolin has been given the go ahead.

There are decisions pending on a number of other projects including the construction of a supermarket, crèche, medical centre and a chemist at Killilagh in Doolin.

Meanwhile, a Liscannor hotel, which once formed part of the Atlantis Development collection of properties in North Clare, has been offered for sale with a price tag of € 550,000.

The Cliffs of Moher Hotel, which was built in 2006, is being offered for sale by receiver Michael O’Regan of PriceWaterhouseCooper. The hotel, which is located a stone’s throw from Liscannor Bay, sleeps 22 and includes a fully-fitted out bar and restaurant.