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A RECENT spate of business closures in Ennis re-enforces the importance of customers shopping locally.

That’s according to one local businessman who said many small businesses in the town are “struggling to stay open”.

Gearoid Mannion, Chairman of the O’Connell Street Trader’s Association, said the closure of as many as a dozen small businesses in Ennis in recent weeks is “disappointing”.

“Even though there is this talk of green shoots and of an economy being in recovery, it shows that those green shoots don’t extend as far as small businesses who have been living on the edge for the past four years now.

“A lot of the talk about recovery is premature and based on optimism. The reality is a lot different. The reality is a lot of businesses are struggling to survive… We’re certainly not out of the woods yet.”

Mr Mannion said a lot of businesses are being left with no option but to pull down the shutters.

“It got to a point where a lot of people are putting their own personal money into the business just to keep going. That was never going to be sustainable long term and there comes a point where people just have to call a halt. There are a lot of businesses struggling to stay open, to meet their responsibilities and pay their staff,” he explained.

The well-known Leavy’s shoe shop on O’Connell Street is probably the most high profile casualty of the slump in retail activity.

Businesses on Abbey Street are equally concerned about the future with as many as nine vacant units on the street.

Mr Mannion said the spate of closures around the town empahsises the need for customers to support local businesses.

“If anything it just goes to show how important it is to shop local. The level of disposable income available to people to way down and people are certainly a lot more cautious about how they spend money. But what I would say is if you’re going to buy a jacket, or a pair of shows or whatever, shop locally and give the Galways and Limericks a miss,” he added.

Another local businessman Tony Mulqueen believes Ennis Town Council should focus on revitalising Parnell Street in order to breathe new life in the town centre.

“I know they are talking about this new covered market but I think they should put a roof on Parnell Street. It’s ideally suited to it. It could be easily done,” he said.

The Fine Gael councillor estimates that business at his own garden centre is down 80 per cent. “Things are very bad out there,” he added.

FLOODING along a stretch of footpath at Ennis General Hospital is creating a dangerous situation for pedestrians and motorists alike, a meeting has heard.

Walkers are being forced out onto the road in front of the hospital after the footpath became submerged under a large pool of water in recent weeks.

Meetings yesterday of councillors in the Ennis electoral area heard the flooding is a high priority for the council.

Senior executive engineer Eamon O’Dea said a road sweeping truck has been “suctioning” water from the area, a course of action he described as “unsustainable”.

Mr O’Dea told the councillors the council has discussed the issue with the Health Services Executive (HSE). A CCTV survey to ascertain the exact reasons for the heavy flooding was carried out in recent days.

Mr O’Dea said it might be necessary to carry out work in the grounds of the hospital to solve the issue.

Cllr Tony Mulqueen (FG) said that if work is required, the council should seek to retrieve some of the cost from the HSE.

Cllr Johnny Flynn (FG) said pedestrians are being forced onto the road because the footpath is impassable due to water. He said this is particularly dangerous for elderly people living in the area.

Mr O’Dea said solving the problem is a “high priority” for the council.

The council is also to investigate the potential risk of flooding to houses in Victoria Court on Cusack Road.

Cllr Pat Daly (FF) said a number of residents are fearful their homes could flood. He has asked the council to seek funding from the Office of Public Works to deal with flooding in the area.

Mr O’Dea said the council is surveying the area so a “detailed flood risk assessment can be completed”.

“Subject to that assessment an application will be made to the OPW under the minor works scheme,” he added.

THE use of unmanned flying drones could help halt the growing problem of illegal dumping of household waste at areas around Ennis, a meeting has heard.

In addition to the use of CCTV, Clare County Council is assessing a number of measures aimed at reducing illegal dumping.

The issue was raised at yesterday’s meeting of councillors in the Ennis West electoral Area where Fianna Fail’s Brian Meaney suggested the council explore the use of drone aircraft.

He requested the local authority to consider using CCTV to “counteract the upsurge in dumping of sorted domestic waste on roads in the Ennis west area”.

He told the meeting new technologies such as cameras and drones would make it easier for the council to enforce its litter laws while at the same time act as a disincentive to dump rubbish.

Cllr Tom McNamara (FF) agreed the council had to find a solution, describing the litter problem in the Ennis area as “absolutely awful”.

In his reply, acting senior engineer Paul Moroney said the council are currently dealing with dumping of domestic waste at various locations around Ennis. He said CCTV has been used at certain “problem locations in the county”.

He continued, “The Environment section are also dealing with a number of CCTV companies currently with a view to installing high grade cameras in the county. Decisions on the scale of the operation will be determined by a number of factors including site suitability, information technology compatibility and budgetary constraints.”

Mr Moroney said the adoption of new draft byelaws on waste collection would see the council begin a process of determining how individual householders and commercial operators are disposing of their household waste.

“The onus will be on the householder to either have a waste collection service or alternatively produce receipts from Clare County Council’s amenity centres when requested,” he added.

Mr Moroney said the illegal dumping of domestic waste at locations around Ennis is difficult to monitor “due to the sporadic nature of the activity”.

“The pattern of this type of dumping is that the waste is very rarely dumped at the same precise location but more likely to be dumped at varying locations on the same stretches of road. The difficulty is, recording this activity of CCTV cameras is not always possible due to the random nature of the dumping. Clare County Council environment section will continue to address the issue of illegal dumping.”

Ennis Town Manager Gerard Dollard said the council has significantly invested in measures to prevent dumping.

Responding to questions from Cllr James Breen (Ind) on farmers being held responsible for rubbish illegally thrown on the land, Mr Dollard said, “I agree it seems unjust and unfair but that is the law.”

CLARE is in line for a double tourism boost with the news that the world famous Lisdoonvarna Spa Well is set to reopen to the public later this month and that country singer Garth Brooks is considering playing an intimate charity gig at the nearby Pavillion Theatre.

The wells, which have been shut for nearly four years, are set to reopen before the end of March – once the results of a chemical analysis of the famed spa waters are released. Once the water is certified, tourists will once again be allowed to visit the Spa Well and take the water.

More than 10,000 German tourists already travel to Lisdoonvarna each year, even though the wells have been effectively closed for a number of years, and this number is likely to swell once the wells reopen.

The proposed reopening of the famed sulfur baths themselves will require a large investment before it can be realised with Lisdoonvarna Fáilte estimating that € 1.3 million would be needed to brings the baths back on line. This figure includes between € 20,000 and € 30,000 worth of damage sustained during the recent storms.

The Minister for Tourism, Michael Ring, was in Lisdoonvarna last week to see the facilities.

“The wells are open at the moment and hopefully in a week or two, once the water is tested, we will be able to give it to people again. We will be giving people free samples, we won’t be charging for it,” said Lisdoonvarna Fáilte chairperson, Paddy Dunne.

“We will be able to get the pumphouse open but it will take some serious investment to get the bath houses open again. This will be a huge boost for the whole county. If we get the pump house going well hopefully an investment will be made available for the baths.”

Meanwhile, Mr Dunne also confirmed yesterday that Lisdoonvarna Fáilte has been in contact with representatives of Garth Brooks, with a view to bringing the US singer down to Lisdoonvarna for a one-off concert.

“There is the possibility of Garth Brooks coming for a private show. We contacted them, and they got back to us looking for more information, so you’d never know. They got back to us last Friday so we will see what happens,” said Paddy.

Lisdoonvarna Fáilte have recently elected a new Board of Management and are hopeful to add three new members to the board, especially people with a background in tourism.

The current board includes Tina O’Dwyer, Donie Garrihy, Pat Haugh, Kate Burke, Marie Urquhart, Gemma Dowling, Cllr Joe Arkins, Peter O’Dwyer and Tom Connolly. Anyone interesting in becoming involved is asked to contact 065 7075644.

CONCERNS have b e e n e xp re sse d t hat child re n unknowingly p laye d on a nd close t o asb e st os mat e rial, while t he ir p are nt s �she d at Lisla naghan Lake in Kilke e . Locals say t he re we re no signs t o ind icat e any d ange r from asb e st os at t he sit e of t he forme r re se rvoir p rior t o t h e issue b e ing raise d by forme r councillor PJ Linna ne last June . Cla re Count y Council ad mit t e d t his we e k t hat it d id not know how long t he asb e st os was ille ga lly d ump e d at nine sit e s in we st Cla re , st at ing “t he mat e rial ap p e ars t o have b e e n d e p osit e d ove r an und e t e rmine d numb e r of ye ars up t o June 2013.”

THE war of words and scientific data over the proposed construction of Ireland largest fish farm off the Doolin and Fanore coast may just have been won.

The Journal of Fish Diseases, who first questioned the research put forward by Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) on the likely effects of sea lice on the local wild salmon as a result of the fish farm, have retracted their complaints.

The Journal of Fish Diseases had described the research, which was carried out for BIM by the Marine Institute in Oranmore, as having ‘fundamental errors’. The article, which was attributed to ‘Krkosek et al’, was the source of much criticism from groups opposed to the farm, including government agency Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI).

The twin fish farms, which will located about 10 kilometres off the coasts of Doolin and Fanore, would be the largest facility of its kind ever built in Ireland, if it gets the go ahead. The proposed farm has been met with stiff opposition, not least by groups of fishermen, business people and environmentalists in North Clare, who believe the farms will be a threat to local wild fish stocks and tourism.

“I welcome the apology by the journal for the inadequate editorial procedures followed and the unfairness with which they treated the Marine Institute by not affording us right of reply prior to the publication of Krkosek’s accusation,” said Peter Heffernan, CEO of the Marine Institute.

“Scientific peer review is all important to the quality, accuracy and integrity of research. However, what people must be made aware of now is that Krkosek et al’s work has now been reclassified by the Journal as a ‘Comment’, which is akin to an opinion piece.

“The journal has also updated its author guidelines to clearly state the level of peer review for the different types of articles.”

THE long lost remains of a British ship which sank off the Clare coast almost 120 years ago, were uncovered over the weekend in Liscannor Bay.

The ship, named the Elizabeth McLea, sank in rough seas in December of 1894 when its anchor became dislodged, causing it to drift in a heavy storm and run aground on rocks just off Lahinch beach.

The remains of the wooden hull of the ship, which have somehow survived in Liscannor Bay for the past 119 years were uncovered over the weekend. It is understood that a combination of the recent storms and high tides over the weekend, worked to uncover the remains of ship.

Heavy storms in January and February have transformed the layout of the beach at Lahinch – moving thousands of tonnes of sand and exposing large areas of rock.

The ship was spotted by local man Patrick O’Dwyer, who is a green keeper at the nearby Lahinch Golf Course.

“We were working away on the golf course and we noticed what looked like flags sticking up from the sand. If you look from the end of the Lahinch Promenade, the ship is located about 200 yards north and about 100 yards out to sea, so it isn’t far off from the main beach at all,” he said.

“We’re not sure how it became uncovered, but it must have something to do with the tides and the way that all the sand shifts and gets moved around.

“You can actually get relatively close to it. The sand becomes very shallow around the ship itself so you’d want to be careful because it might give away and that would be quite dangerous, but you can get relatively close to it.”

The ship sank on December 28, three days after Christmas Day 1894. The storm was so great that the crew were forced to climb the ships rigging to avoid being swept overboard by the storm. When the storm began to ease the crew were able to make it back to the deck before using ropes to winch there way into the water and finally ashore.

The Elizabeth McLea was in Liscannor Bay collecting a cargo of Doonagore Stone for transport back to Bristol. The Clare flag stone was a prize cargo in the 1800s and some is understood to have been used in both Buckingham Palace and the White House.

According to locals the ship has resurfaced in the past, but this is the first time that the Elizabeth McLea has been visible for at least a decade.

COMMUNITIES along the west coast of Clare are coming together to hire their own engineer and access the damage to land and property as a result of two months of storms and high tides.

Led by the Clare Irish Farmers Associations, community groups have decided to take action where responsibility is being denied by government and state bodies.

Of particular concerns are sluices, which were in many cases initially built by the former Board of Works to drain sea water from farm land.

This infrastructure is not the responsibility of Clare County Council according to the local authority, with the Office of Public Works also denying accountability.

Embankment work and coastal erosion along farms and private property is also adding to the confusion, with property owners in many cases prepared to undertake the work but fearful of the bureaucratic consequences if they do so.

Clare IFA county chairman Andrew Dundass said the Minister for State with responsibility for the OPW Brian Hayes gave a commit- ment that he would consider some financial support if the farmers came together to undertake the work.

This would have to be inspected by the council, said the minister, as the OPW did not have the resources.

“These are all jobs that need to be done, even though they may be farm land at the moment, if these jobs aren’t done they will affect people further a field,” said Mr Dundass.

The plan is that farmers will come together to finance the work with some grant aid from the Government, similar to the community road projects a number of years ago.

“We will have to put all the reports together for the areas the council are not responsible for and what can be done for these people.”

Mr Dundass said farmers along the Shannon estuary are frustrated that no commitment has come from the OPW as yet as to what repair work will be carried out there. The OPW is responsible for parts of the estuary, especially areas of conservation.

“A lot of farmers are in a position to build up those embankments but are afraid of the consequences of doing so due to the restrictions on these lands,” explained Mr Dundass.

A SHANNON based company has been ordered to fund a third level science scholarship after pleading guilty to health and safety breaches.

Seven people were hospitalised after the accidental release of a “toxic” and “corrosive” gas at Chemifloc, Smithstown Industrial Estate, Shannon on December 20, 2012.

Details of the accident were heard at Ennis District Court on Friday.

Inspector Dermot O’Callaghan of the Health and Safety Authority (HSA), told the court that 6000 litres of sodium chloride were being loaded onto a tanker for delivery on the day in question.

Insp O’Connor said that after the loading of the fourth container, a yel- low green chlorine dioxide gas was produced, “which is classified and toxic and corrosive”.

The warehouse and yard were evacuated and emergency services were called to the scene.

A number of people were hospitalized and one person spent two days in intensive care, the court heard.

Insp O’Callaghan explained that an investigation determined that an unknown and unidentifiable container was accidentally loaded beside the sodium chloride, which led to production of the gas.

Chemifloc pleaded guilty to failing to ensure that all containers used at work for hazardous chemical agents were clearly labeled or identified.

The company also pleaded guilty to failing to manage and conduct work activities in such a way as to ensure, as was reasonably practicable, the health and safety of employees.

The offences are contrary to the Safety, Health and Welfare Act Work Act, 2005.

Solicitor James Nash said his clients had acknowledged the accident. He said it had resulted from a “systems error” and the company have fully changed their labeling system at the plant.

The company has no previous convictions. Mr Nash said the company, who were represented in court by the managing director and another director, were embarrassed by what happened and would suffer a 70 per cent jump in insurance costs.

He said Chemifloc had always been compliant with health and safety regulations.

“They are both here. They are both embarrassed to be here and they want to take it on the chin”, he added.

Judge Patrick Durcan said this was a very serious matter.

However he noted this was a local company that provides employment and has complied with every regulation and law.

He said if Chemifloc funded a € 10,000 third level science scholarship and discharged total witness and legal costs of 4714 euros, he would strike out the summonses.

He adjourned the case to March 14. Founded in 1982, Chemifloc employs 40 people.

The company is involved in the manufacture and supply of water treatment products.

A FIREMAN from Ennis is being hailed as a hero for the second time after jumping to the aid of a drown- ing woman at the weekend. Eli Brace jumped off Sarsfield Bridge in Limerick City as the woman was swept under. Eli is a member of Limerick City Fire and Rescue Service. The Shannon-based Coast Guard Rescue Helicopter 115 had been dispatched to help out in the river rescue, but due to high winds the winch man could not reach the woman. Eli then jumped from the bridge. The woman was being swept under the water when he rescued her from the water. The Ennis native was previously in the army before joining the fire services in 2008. He is a member of the fire service’s Swiftwater Rescue Team, who receive specific training to carry out rescues in river conditions. It is not the first time the married father has been involved in a dramatic river rescue. In March 2011, he was one of 10 members of the fire services who attended an emergency at Shannon Bridge in Limerick city. Emergency services were called to the scene after a man was seen entering the water. Eli, who is originally from the Cloughleigh area of the town, jumped into the water at Limerick Docks in order to save the man from drowning. In January, Eli was one of three people who co-opened Crossfit Ennis in the Quin Road area of Ennis. He spent his military career training soldiers in all aspects of fitness in his capacity as a PTI (Physical Training Instructor).