Category: News

NEW Mayor of Ennis councillor Mary Coote Ryan has defended her decision to vote against a Fine Gael party colleague at last week’s annual general meeting of Ennis Town Council.

Cllr Coote Ryan voted for independent councillor Frankie Neylon for the position of Deputy Mayor ahead of Cllr Mary Howard (FG).

Cllr Howard had earlier withdrawn her nomination for Mayor, clearing the way for Cllr Coote Ryan to take up the post. Cllr Coote Ryan was nominated for Mayor by Cllr Neylon and the long-serving councillor said it would’ve been “bad form” not to back his nomination for Deputy Mayor.

“I’m very fond of Mary. I think she is a lovely person. It was very big of her to withdraw but Mary’s time will come. I won’t be going anymore. I do hope that Mary does very, very well in the next election and anything I can do to help with that, I will do it”.

Cllr Coote Ryan added that her decision not to vote for Clr Howard “won’t do anything to our friendship”. Cllr Coote Ryan has sat on Ennis Town Council since 1990 when she was co-opted onto the seat following the death of her brother Paddy. Speaking on Tuesday night, she admitted she is “very proud and honoured” to have been chosen as Mayor. She continued, “It is a very important year, the last year of the town council as we know it. We can’t sit back on our laurels. As far as I’m concerned this is a year we should be planning ahead. I know that economically things aren’t great but they won’t always be like that and I think we should be planning ahead for the future and get our little speak in before the council dissolves. Hopefully whatever decisions we make now will be carried on by the council”. Recalling her early days as a councillor, Cllr Coote Ryan said, “At that time I was really plucked from the kitchen sink. I hadn’t a clue. I knew Paddy went to meetings and that was the extent of what I knew about the council. But the minute I entered that door, I took to it like a duck to water. But they were all so good to me. At that time, and I hate to bring politics into things because I think it’s unfair, there were four maybe five Fianna Fáíl councillors and they looked after me so well that I never would have made it but for them. They were all terribly good to me. Tomás Ryan was wonderful and his knowledge of local government was a real help.”

Cllr Coote Ryan said she would like to see further enhancement of facilities at the Lees Road sports and Amenity Park during her time as Mayor.

She explained, “I think there is a need for a café. You have some big sports days up there and I think it would be lovely if parents and children could go an get a drink. I think there is a need for something like that. Maybe in time too we could have some indoor facilities. We could be planning that now.”

LONG serving Fine Gael councillor Mary Coote Ryan will serve as the last Mayor of Ennis Town Council after she was selected for the post unopposed last week.

Cllr Coote Ryan, who was first elected to the council in 1990, was elected after party colleague Mary Howard withdrew her name from the race at the council’s annual general meeting on Tuesday night.

Cllr Coote Ryan was proposed as Mayor by the town’s new Deputy Mayor, Cllr Frankie Neylon (Ind). Her nomination was seconded by Cllr Tommy Brennan (Ind). She replaces outgoing Mayor, Cllr Peter Considine (FF). It will be the third time in her political life that Cllr Coote Ryan will serve as the town’s Mayor.

She told the meeting that it was a wonderful honour to be chosen as Mayor on a historic night for the local authority. Pledging to do her best for Ennis, Cllr Coote Ryan said the night was both a “happy and sad” occasion for her, a reference to her late brother Paddy whom she replaced on the council 23 years ago. “I’m an old townie and I absolutely adore my town. With all your help and support, I hope I will do well for the town,” added Cllr Coote Ryan.

Cllr Mary Howard withdrew from the race saying she the last thing she wanted was “more division in the council”. Cllr Howard was nominated for Mayor by fellow Fine Gael councillor, Johnny Flynn and seconded by Cllr Paul O’Shea (Ind).

Cllr Howard paid tribute to Cllr Coote Ryan. She said, “There is no greater honour that to serve your town as Mayor. It is a milestone.” There was an element controversy in the election of Deputy Mayor.

Cllr Frankie Neylon and Cllr Howard were both nominated for the post. Cllr Neylon was elected on a 53 vote after securing the backing of Cllr Coote Ryan.

Cllr Coote Ryan said she voted for Cllr Neylon instead of her Fine Gael colleague because he had nominated her for Mayor. Cllr Neylon was elected with the votes of councillors, Brennan, Guilfoyle, Considine and Coote Ryan. Cllr Howard won the votes of councillors Flynn and O’Shea. Fianna Fáil councillor Brian Meaney was not present at the meeting.

The election sparked a brief row between councillors Neylon and Flynn. The new Deputy Mayor claimed Cllr Flynn had accused him of “rigging” the vote for Mayor.

“I would’ve supported Cllr Howard only for the remarks of Cllr Flynn,” he added.

This claim was strongly denied by Cllr Flynn who later congratulated Cllr Neylon on his success, saying he had served the town with “great efficiency”.

BUSINESSES are facing a potential 20 per cent increase in commercial rates under new structures of local government, the outgoing Mayor of Ennis has warned.

Fianna Fáí l councillor Peter Considine was speaking at the annual general meeting of Ennis Town Council where he called for Fine Gael councillors to lobby for the retention of local authorities.

Eight councillors will be elected to represent the Ennis area in the 2014 local elections.

Cllr Considine said the town will “suffer” by the loss of one elected representative. Currently there are nine elected members on Ennis Town Council.

Cllr Considine said the elimination of local authorities could also have implications for businesses. He claimed that under the new structures, commercial rates could rise by up to 26 per cent. He called on Minister for the Environment, Phil Hogan, to re-think his policy on local government reform.

“Nothing would’ve happened, I’m sure, in this town without the urging, thriving and thinking of Ennis Town Council,” he added.

County manager Tom Coughlan acknowledged that difficult and challenging times lie ahead for local authorities.

He said the timescale for change is tight and that all staff are going to have their shoulders to the wheel.

Town manager Gerard Dollard said, “It’s going to be year of great change and some difficulty.”

Cllr Considine was presiding over his final council meeting as Mayor of Ennis. Recalling the past 12 months, he picked out Ennis’ successful Purple Flag bid, work on the new Quin Road pedestrian bridge and the civic reception afforded to former county manager Joe Boland as particular highlights.

He also hailed the positive impact new coach-parking facilities at Fri- ar’s Walk are having on tourism in Ennis.

It is thought that Cllr Considine will not run for election next year. Colleagues paid tribute to his work as Mayor. Mr Coughlan described Cllr Considine was an “excellent ambassador” for Ennis. “You could see Peter’s pride in the town,” he added.

Cllr Paul O’Shea (Ind) also paid tribute to Cllr Considine, joking that he would “miss their little sparring matches”.

LAHINCH – a nice town except for all the rubbish. That is the message from a group of local people who are attempting to change attitudes toward litter in Clare’s premier resort town – and make it a nicer place to visit and live.

According to the group, the village was left in a “disgusting” state after last month’s unexpected sunny weather and they are calling on visitors to be more litter conscious and Clare County Council to do more to keep the village clean.

The group formed after the a local clean-up organised large levels of dumping during the June bank holiday weekend and now intend to form a formal group aimed at working to make the village cleaner.

“It was very really disgusting – you name it, it was dumped on the beach after the [bank holiday] weekend. It was great – about 15 of us went out on Monday evening and picked up more then 30 bags of rubbish – it was disgusting,” said Louise McCormack of the group.

“We need more bins on the prom that is for sure. I know there would be some dumping anyway, but if we can set a higher standard and work to keep the place cleaner then visitors will think twice about dumping themselves.

“There are two men [from Clare County Council] who are very helpful and do some clean up work – but it’s just too much work for them. One tourist said to me last week that we had a lovely village – it’s just a shame that it is so dirty.

“The council makes a lot of money from the car park in Lahinch and that money is supposed to be invested in the village – but that isn’t happening. It would not take a lot of money to fix this problem.”

A spokesperson from the Ennistymon Area Office of Clare County Council said, despite the economic downturn, the local authority have maintained rubbish collections at Lahinch.

“After the bank holiday weekend a group contacted Clare County Council to tell us they were organising a clean up and requested to assist in removing and disposing of the waste they collected. We agreed to the request,” said a spokesperson from Clare County Council.

“At no time did the representative of the group raise any questions about litter management with Clare County Council. With regard to Lahinch, Clare County Council provide a seven day service all year round.

“Due to the downturn in the economy, funding for local authorities has been cut dramatically over the last number of years. The embargo on public sector employment has led to a huge reduction in staff resources available to carry out the functions of the local authority.

“However we have maintained the same level of service on the streets and the promenade of Lahinch despite the lack of resources. All bins have been deployed for the summer season.”

JAIL terms have been handed down to two people involved in a violent Halloween home invasion in Ennis three years ago.

Carrie Brigdale (23) and Sean Moroney (41) were both sentenced to two years in prison for their roles in a alcohol fueled violent disorder incident that occurred at a rented apartment in Ennis on October 31 (2010).

Ugandan national Collins Kato (28) suffered multiple stab wounds during the assault at 13 Parnell Court.

He was also robbed of € 1640, two laptops and iPhone when a group of 10 people entered his home for a Halloween night party.

Seven people charged in connection with the incident, appeared before Judge Caroll Moran yesterday for sentence.

Judge Moran said Mr Kato had been subjected to a four and a half hour ordeal, during which he was restrained, kicked, robbed and stabbed in the neck with broken shards of a mirror.

He added, “This was an appalling incident, an incident that clearly got out of hand because of the influence of drink.”

The court heard Mr Kato asked the group to leave because of noise concerns and after he found three of them in a “sexually compromising position” in a bedroom.

Gardaí found Mr Kato “coming in and out of consciousness” when they arrived at the scene.

In his victim impact statement, heard in April, Mr Kato said he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and feels “lucky to be alive.”

Judge Moran said evidence had been given that mother of three Ms Brigdale was heard to make a “terrifying threat” of “if this guy lives we’re in trouble”.

After which, Judge Moran said, another person said, “cut his throat.”

Judge Moran said Ms Brigdale, with a former address of Mill House Flats, Mill Road, Ennis and currently of no fixed abode, was the most culpable of the group.

She received a two-year sentence after pleading guilty to violent disorder, assault causing harm and production of an article during the course of a dispute.

Mr Moroney, with an address at 31 Dalcassian Park, hit Mr Kato over the heard with a fire extinguisher. He received a two-year sentence for violent disorder. He has 34 previous convictions.

Four other people also appeared before the court.

Caroline Lyons (22), with an address at 15 Waterpark Heights, pleaded guilty to violent disorder. Judge Moran said Ms Lyons, who has 17 previous convictions, invited people to the apartment after initially coming on the night to view the premises to rent.

She received a two year suspended sentence on condition she abstain from alcohol and be of good behaviour.

Her brother Gerard Lyons (21), with an address at 15 Waterpark Heights, Ennis pleaded guilty to violent disorder. He also received a two year suspended sentence.

Warren O’Donnell (21), with an address at Laurel Lodge, Ennis and Moore Street, Kilrush, pleaded guilty to violent disorder. Judge Moran said O’Donnell admitted being one of the people in the “sexually compromising position” and being present when Mr Kato was assaulted. He received a two-year sentence.

A mother of one who was 17 at the time of incident pleaded guilty to violent disorder. She received the probation act.

A 19 year old man who was 16 at the time of incident pleaded guilty to stealing € 1640.

The court heard yesterday that he has re-paid € 800.

Judge Moran said he would suspend a two-year sentence if the man re-paid the rest of the money by July 22.

Two other men were also charged in connection with the incident. The court heard yesterday that one of those has since died and the other man is no longer thought to be in the jurisdiction.

THE CLARE toddler that was waiting five hours to have a head wound treated at the University Hospital Limerick, was treated within a time fame that is not only acceptable but strived for by the HSE.

In relation to queries from

A SKULL discovered in Quin almost five years ago may have belonged to a compulsive pipe smoking woman, who died in her 40’s more than 300 years ago.

The human remains, which were discovered in Quin in August of 2008, have been shrouded in mystery for the last five years. However, research carried out by TVAS Ireland, who discovered the remains, had shed some light on the historic discovery.

While many questions remain unanswered, the possible life story of the Quin body has started to emerge.

“We now know that the jaw bone had typical female traits – so we can cautiously say that the body was a female.

“We know that the person also suffered from arthritis – part of the bones discovered were from the spine and there was evidence of the bones rubbing together.

“So we are fairly sure that the person would have had severe neck pain,” said Edel Ruttle of TVAS.

“From the jaw bone we noticed a third molar – or wisdom tooth. So we are confident that the body was aged somewhere between 21 and 40 years of age. Interestingly, we also saw a clay pipe semi-circle on the body’s teeth, this is consistent to a person holding a clay pipe in her mouth almost constantly.

“So not only was this person a smoker – they would have had to hold the clay pipe in their mouth for hours and hours every day to make marks consistent with the ones we have discovered.”

Despite these discoveries, it is still unclear why the body was buried in that spot and what religious the woman was.

One theory maintains that the woman was a social outcast of some sort, which is why she was buried on the edge of a disused Catholic grave – and not in the regular Catholic or Protestant graveyards which were in use in Quin at that time.

“She is buried in an East/West lie – which suggest that it was, at least, a partially standard burial, but the she is buried on the very edge of the cemetery – probably after the cemetery went out of use. So it’s difficult to know,”continued Edel.

“It is possible that she was a marginal figure.

“Maybe she wasn’t buried in the graveyard in Quin Friary because of some social standing – or lack of social standing.

“These are possibilities, but we don’t know for sure. There is still a lot of mystery surrounding this body.”

IT COULD be full steam ahead for the old West Clare Railway line as the Government provide € 50,000 for a West Clare Railway Greenway project.

Not only have new plans been lodged with Clare County Council to extend the popular west Clare Railway in Moyasta but according to Labour TD Michael McNamara Minister for Public Transport, is to provide the € 50,000 seed funding to kick-start the Green Way Project.

He said the Westport to Achill Greenway in Mayo has been an outstanding success and contributes over € 1 million to the local economy each year.

“The history, folklore and song associated with the West Clare Railway greatly enhances the attractiveness of a walking/cycling Greenway along the historic route.

“The grant of € 50,000 will be used by Clare County Council for design and planning purposes.

“I am totally committed to the project and will do all that I can to secure the major capital funding which the project will require,” said Deputy McNamara.

The proposed West Clare Railway Greenway when completed will link Ennis with Lahinch. Its total length will be 40km but will be delivered as a four phase project. The final phase of 3.5km linking Ennistymon with Lahinch has already been completed.

The remaining four phases are: Ennis to Ballymaquiggan (3.9km), Ballymaquiggan to Corofin (15km) and Corofin to Ennistymon (18km).

Meanwhile plans have been filed with Clare County Council to extend the West Clare Railway.

The plan includes 1,853 square National Railway Heritage Museum that will include a café and toilets, at the station that inspired the Percy French song “ Are You Right There Michael? ”

The application also includes a rail way and pedestrian crossing on the N67 Kilrush to Kilkee road, as well as pathway footbridge and associated site works.

Clare County Council granted planning permission to a similar project in 2009 but the National Roads Authority successfully appealed the decision to An Bord Pleanala.

The new development included rail and pedestrian crossings along the N67, whose sped limit has since been reduced from 100 kilometres per hour to 60 kilometres per hour.

FIFTY years to the week that President John F Kennedy said farewell to Ireland at Shannon Airport with his famous pledge to “come back and see old Shannon’s face again”, it has been claimed that his wife Jackie Kennedy Irish ancestors hailed from West Clare. American genealogist Jim O’Callaghan has claimed that Jackie Kennedy was more Irish than her husband, saying that she was “one-eighth French amost of her ancestors coming from Shandrum, near Mullagh, in Co Clare”.

O’Callaghan discovered that on her maternal line, all eight greatgreat grandparents and two of her four great-grandparents were born in Ireland, making her more Mullagh than Montpellier. John F Kennedy also had Clare roots, with his great grandfather being James Hickey who hailed from near Dromoland Castle.

A JURY has begun deliberating in the trial of a Clare farmer, Joe Heffernan , charged with murdering a 21-year-old student on his land two years ago.

Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy yesterday (Monday) told the seven women and five men of the jury that they could reach one of three possible verdicts, none of which could be an acquittal.

Meanwhile the trial of Colm Deely (41), who is accused of murdering Deirdre McCarthy was adjourned for a number of days last week. It resumes this morning (Tuesday).

It is expected to have concluded by the end of this week.

A forensic psychiatrist told the Heffernan trial that the accused (33) knew what he was doing was wrong when he killed a student, whom he said was the devil. Dr Sally Linehan of the Central Mental Hospital was giving evidence to the Central Criminal Court in the trial of the farmer charged with murdering the 21-year-old on his farm.

Dr Linehan testified last Wednesday that she had interviewed Mr Heffernan three times since the incident and had studied his records from his time in the Central Mental Hospital following his arrest. The trial also heard harrowing testimony from two friends who were with Eoin Ryan on the night he died.