Category: News

AT A recent sitting of the Circuit Court in Ennis, presided over by the President of the Circuit Court Mr Justice Raymond Groarke, a quarry operation carried out at Moveen, Kilkee was forced to close its gates when the judge granted an injuction to six co-owners which ordered the defendant, M Gerry Whelan to cease quarrying the lands in question.

The case arose from the ownership of some 174 acres at Moveen, near Kilkee and the operation of a quarry on part of the commonage by Gerry Whelan.

Plaintiffs Andrew Curtin, Caroline McMahon, Michael Murrihy, Damien McInerney, Eileen Walsh and Thomas Collins are six of eleven co-owners.

The defendant, Mr Gerry Whelan is another co-owner and operates the quarry.

The court heard that up to 2007 an agreement existed between most of the co-owners and Mr Whelan for the operation of the quarry, but this had expired in September of 2007. Mr Whelan however continued to operate the quarry and the plaintiffs alleged that Mr Whelan was obliged to account to them for royalties since that time.

The Circuit Court heard from one of the plaintiffs, Mr Whelan and also from engineers on behalf of the plaintiffs and defendant. Judge Groarke advised that Mr Whelan was obliged under the law to account to his co-owners.

He granted an injunction to the six plaintiffs directing the defendant, his servants or agents to forthwith cease quarrying the lands at Moveen together with an injunction restraining the defendant, his servants or agents, from the repitition or of continuance of the acts of trespass and nuisance as complained and an injuction in further acts of buying or development of or upon the commonage lands.

The judge also awarded the sum of € 83,427 to the plaintiffs, to be divided at one sixth each. He awarded costs to the plaintiffs.

He dismissed the defendants counterclaim with no orders to costs. Counsel for the plaintiffs was Lorcan Connolly BL, instructed by John Callinan and Co Solicitors, while counsel for the defendant was Pat Whyms BL, instructed by O’Keeffe Moylan Solicitors.

In his evidence to the court one of the plaintiffs, Andrew Curtin, indicated that the quarry provided local employment and that he didn’t wish to see it closed down, but wanted the exploitation of the commage to be regulated.

A TWO-tier property market has emerged in Clare over the last five years as demand for properties in urban centres such as Ennis and Shannon far outstripping rural areas.

According to figures produced by the Central Statistics Office (CSO), 22 per cent of the houses in Clare are currently unoccupied – one of the highest of any county in Ireland.

Clare spokesperson for the Respond housing charity, Paul Hargaden, believes that the recession has created a two-tier property sector in Clare.

“The situation is very different depending on where you are. People might not realise this but there is a demand for houses to be built in places like Ennis at the moment,” he said.

“In other areas there are lots of empty houses that nobody wants and it is hard to see that they will ever be a demand for all of these. The majority of these properties are buy-to-lets or holiday homes in rural parts of the county.

“There is a demand for houses which are located close to where the jobs are located. There is need to build new houses in these areas and there is also a need for more social housing and local authority housing in places like Ennis, Shannon and Kilrush. There is basically a two-tiered housing system at work in Clare at the moment.”

A growing number of Clare families are also struggling to pay their mortgage and Respond are calling for a revamped mortgage-to-rent scheme to save Clare people in arrears.

“We are also seeing a lot of people in Clare who need help and support in maintaining their mortgages. It is a growing problem and it needs to be tackled by the banks and the Government,” continued Mr Hargaden.

“There is virtually no successful claims coming through the current scheme and something needs to be done to address that because people are in over their heads.”

The construction industry in the county has been the hardest hit as a result of the recession with a massive 87 per cent drop in the number house completions between 2005 and 2007.

ST TOLA Goats Cheese in Inagh is officially the best cheese in Ireland – after it’s new Ash Log took the top award at the Irish Cheese Awards this weekend.

The award was the finale of a big week for the North Clare producers, who were already celebrating the opening of its first cheese shop in Inagh last week.

The development of the shop is a major milestone for St Tola and for the local eco-tourism community and will stock a number of locally roduced products alongside a full range of cheese.

“The shop is a big step for us. There is a growing demand for food tourism and a lot more people are becoming interested in food and how it is made,” said Grainne Casey from St Tola.

“When people come to our shop they can look in on the animals and see for themselves how well they are treated and the high standards of the farm. As well as cheese, we also stock a range of local products and we will have a lot of information about tourism and the local area. It is a real holistic approach to food and tourism.”

St Tola’s newest product, the Ash Log, won a Gold Medal and then was named the Supreme Champion of this weekend’s Irish Cheese Awards.

“The team in Inagh are dedicated and uniquely skilled and awards such as these motivate us to continue to develop high-quality products for our customers,” said Siobhán Ní Ghairbhith of St Tola.

“The St Tola Ash Log is rolled in vegetarian food grade charcoal by our experts in Inagh. Rolling the cheese log while its fresh preserves the unique citrus and slightly acidic flavours of the cheese. Consumers will particularly appreciate the smooth and creamy texture of the finished product which is encapsulated by the ash.”

The new shop is open from Monday to Saturday, 12am to 5pm, and on Sundays from 12 noon to 5pm.

MORE than half (51 per cent) of all Clare people over the age of 75 in 2012 considers themselves to be disabled – one of the highest percentages in Ireland.

These figure, which was obtained from the Central Statistics Office (CSO), come at a time of widespread cuts to supports for people with disabilities.

Research compiled is the Clare People’s Life in Clare 2013 study reveals that much has changed in the county over the past decade. This change can be see in the way we live our lives – how we live and even who we are.

More than 11,000 non-Irish born people now call the Banner county their home. The majority of these new Clare people come from UK and other EU national, but the county is now also home to 940 people who were born in Africa and more than 700 people who classify themselves as being Asian born.

The way in which people in Clare has also changed dramatically with three out of every 10 people choosing to live by themselves – the highest level on record. The technology serving these houses has also changed dramatically with 68 of Clare households now containing at least one computer.

Detached houses are by far the most popular homes owned by peo- ple in Clare. Of the 46,000 houses in the county – almost 60 per cent (59.1) are detached, with 22.9 being semidetached and 11.9 per cent terraced.

Four in every ten Clare people own their own home (39.8) without any outstanding loan or mortgage. This in one of the highest levels of debt free ownership of houses in Ireland. Almost 37 per cent of Clare peo- ple own their house but have an outstanding mortgage and just 22.2 per cent of Clare people rent their home – one of the lowest percentages in Ireland.

THE new Emergency Department for the mid-west region will not be open and ready for its first patient for at least another year and a half.

The region’s only 24-hour Accident and Emergency Department, the Mid West Regional Hospital, Limerick has on-going overcrowding issues as emergency cases from Clare and Nenagh are routed through the Limerick hospital.

Last April the HSE announced that 20 beds would be reopened in a bid to alleviate chronic overcrowding.

Patients from Clare, Limerick and North Tipperary had been subjected to long waits and hours on trolleys as staff struggled with patient numbers.

A spokesperson for the HSE said at the time;

“We are very much aware of the inadequacies of the present Emergency Department and construction has commenced on a new department which is expected to be operational in two years.”

Ann Doherty, CEO, Mid Western Regional Hospital Group now says that the new Emergency Department would be open and ready for occupation in late 2015.

“Construction has commenced for the new Emergency Department. The project is being delivered in two phases.

“Phase one is due for completion by end of March 2014. Phase two which is the ‘fit-out’ of the Emergency Department is due to commence in June 2014,” she said.

Meanwhile the five-storey critical care block development on the site of the Mid Western Regional Hospital, Dooradoyle will be officially opened once full services have moved in.

The cardiac services have already moved in to floors three and four. The first and second floors are currently being equipped and commissioned. Staff recruitment has also commenced.

No date for the opening had been released by the HSE however.

A CLARE artist will travel to the Kennedy Foundation in Boston with one of his three paintings of John F Kennedy’s visit to Ireland, just weeks after he sold a second for well over the asking price at auction and presented the third to the late American president’s daughter, Caroline Kennedy.

Michael Hanrahan, Lahinch, was inspired to paint the trilogy after reading Ryan Tubridy’s book on the 1963 presidential visit to Ireland.

Remembering his own sighting of John F Kennedy in Ireland, he wrote to Caroline Kennedy explaining that he was an artist in Clare, and a few weeks later he was sent archival images of Kennedy in Ireland from the Kennedy Foundation.

“I did three pictures, photographed them and sent the photos back to the foundation,” he said.

The foundation was impressed by the work and was particularly interest in the painting of Kennedy in Cork in 1963, so Mr Hanrahan offered it to them.

He will be flown by Aer Lingus to Boston in the coming weeks to present the painting to Tom Mc- Naught, CEO of the Kennedy Foundation, where the picture will be put on display.

Whytes Art auction then expressed interest in a second painting – Kennedy addressing the Dáil – and this was sold for € 2,500, with a guide of between € 1, 500 and € 2,000 on the piece. The buyer remains a mystery.

The third painting depicting John F Kennedy speaking at New Ross will be presented to Caroline Kennedy by New Ross Town Council when she visits Ireland to mark the 50th anniversary of the late president’s visit, on June 22.

Mr Hanrahan, a former bank manager, is no stranger to providing paintings to significant art collections.

His painting is the only one by a living Irish artist in the private collection of Queen Elizabeth II.

One of his paintings of Mary Mc Aleese is part of Aras an Uachtaran’s art collection, while another of his paintings of Barack Obama hangs in the White House following the American President’s visit to Ireland in 2011.

CLARE will have a contestant at this year’s Rose of Tralee for the first time in almost a decade as Newmarketon-Fergus live-wire Marie Donel- lan upset the odds to qualify for this year’s prestigious final. The 25-year-old wowed judges at the semi finals in Portlaoise on Sunday, claiming one of the six grand final slots reserved for Irish roses. “I can’t believe it. I really wanted to get through but it is really hard, especially for the Irish roses, to make it through. There were 29 Irish roses in Portlaoise and only six of them go through, so it is very hard,” she told The Clare People . “Once I got there and met all the girls I thought that I didn’t have a hope [of reaching the final], so I decided to really enjoy the few days. When they called out Clare last night I could not believe it. “It is really tough for Irish roses to make it – it was 2006 that Clare last had a rose in the final. Every year there are more and more international roses looking to take part so that means that there are less places for the Irish roses. It really is such an international competition now and I just can’t believe that I was one of the roses chosen.” Marie is a qualified accountant and working at Apple and she has just returned from a year travelling the world. “Being the Clare Rose was the real victory. That is when my dream came true. Even going to Portlaoise was a bonus, never mind getting to Tralee itself. No matter what happens, I’m the Clare Rose and that is really the things that matters most,” she continued. “But that said the emotions of getting through was something else. I was bawling all over the place when Clare was called out. I was that shocked.” The final of the Rose of Tralee will take place from August 14 to 20.

AND SO it begins. Since Phil Hogan announced a new structure to local government there has been a cold war of sorts over the local elections next summer.

The town councils were going to be dissolved, so there were potentially 36 new candidates with experience of elections already circling the county council seats.

It was also known that those county council seats would be fewer in number, the only question was by how much.

All was to be revealed in May, and on the second last day of the month all became clear.

There would be four constituencies or Local Electoral Areas in Clare as opposed to the six that are currently in place. The areas, particularly two, would be larger with fewer councillors to serve them as the county council membership is to be cut from 32 to 28 after the 2014 local election.

In total the number of local elected representatives in the county will drop from 68 (including town councillors) to 28. That is 40 elected representatives that will retire between now and next summer, or risk swimming in a much bigger shark infested pond.

Those overseeing the next election for the major parties know they have a busy few weeks ahead, but all agree that at least now they know what they are dealing with in terms of the boundary.

The “war” can begin – and nowhere is that more fierce than the battles within political parties.

Ask anyone in the world of politics, the most difficult part is not the election, but the selection process to make it on to a party ticket.

As well as the young guns already signing up and showing an interest, and other councillors changing party allegiances, the incumbents will also be concerned about the impact their party colleagues decision to re-run will have on their own chances of reelection.

There are significantly less seats, and this is even more of a concern when you include eager and in many cases accomplished town councillors in the race.

There will be a lot of soul searching during the coming weeks and months as councillors decide if there is a place for them in their newly-designed electoral area, and if a move to a new one would increase there chances of survival.

When surveyed by The Clare People in February, the majority of county councillors said they would contest the next election.

I would suspect there will be a number of minds changing with the changes to the boundary in the coming weeks, and the reality that two thirds of the town councillors have expressed an interest in the 2014 contest.

The major parties must now decid- ed strategies. Both Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have admitted that they will be drawing up strategic plans as soon as possible.

Conventions will need to be held soon, but a long summer ahead will probably postpone the majority until September at the earliest.

The independent candidates will also have a lot of soul searching to do. In many cases the area to canvass has become significantly larger, and the people behind the doors are no longer neighbours and friends. The added financial cost of this election must also be a consideration for independents as they have more area to cover and people to connect with.

Whatever decisions are made by councillors and potential candidates, there will be some interesting times ahead for political anoraks.

Let the 2014 games begin.

THE office of the Data Protection Commissioner (DPC) says an investigation into the placement of a CCTV camera in a classroom of a Clare school is continuing.

The school installed the CCTV system recently and within days of their installation a complaint was received by the DPC.

The DPC asked the school to turn off the cameras pending the comple- tion of the investigation. The Clare People understands that the school have been in contact with the office of the DPC and urged them to reinstate the CCTV. The school’s Board of Management are dealing with the issue, it is understood.

A spokesperson for the DPC said the office could not comment on details of the investigation other than to say it is ongoing.

Within the complaint it is alleged that the school in question installed the CCTV cameras in classrooms without consulting parents of children in the school.

In a letter sent by the senior compliance officer of the DPC to the Chairperson of the Board of Management of the school, which has been seen by The Clare People , the officer stated the DPC “will not tolerate the use of CCTV cameras in the classroom”.

The letter stated that an investigation of the complaint is underway.

“The position of this office is that is it is not acceptable under the Data Protection Acts of 1988 and 2003, to have a CCTV camera operating in a classroom,” the compliance officer wrote.

The DPC asked the school to clarify four points as regards the CCTV cameras, namely the scope of the operation, why cameras were installed, what the school are doing with footage captured by the cameras and if there is any signage in the school outlining the purpose of the cameras.

The letter does not identify the complainant who brought the matter to the attention of the DPC.

WITH the other three constituencies built up around an urban centre or identity, at first sight it would appear the Killaloe Electoral Area is an amalgamation of everything else that is left over when Ennis, Shannon and West Clare were constructed.

The Boundary Committee Report refers only to this electoral area as “A fourth local electoral area is recommended for the eastern side of the county, to be titled Killaloe.”

It has been given its name from the area’s largest town, Killaloe, on the Tipperary border, but spans an area that borders County Galway at the north.

The new Killaloe Electoral Area will cover most of the current Killaloe electoral area, but will also include parts of North Clare traditionally in the Ennistymon Electoral Area.

Questions remain as to what commonality lies between East Clare areas such as Clonlara and Killaloe and the traditionally North Clare areas of Tubber and Boston.

If the guidelines set out by the boundary committee in drawing up these new local electoral area boundaries hadn’t stipulated that no area could be smaller than six councillors with an average of 4,830 people per councillor, then this area could have been very different.

Putting areas like Cappavilla and Kiltenanlea in the south of this constituency into Shannon or part of the north into the West Clare constituency would probably make more sense locally, but this would also result in a five seater Killaloe Electoral Area, which is not allowed under the guidelines. As a result, the six councillors elected to this are next summer will cover an area spanning from O’Briensbridge to Tubber and beyond.

Six county councillors will cover this expansive area that extends from Cappavilla in the south to Abbey in the north, and they will represent 22,940 people or 3,823 people per local representative. KILLALOE