Category: News

STRIKE action will take place at Shannon Airport later this month if “meaningful” progress on the issue of pensions is not made in the coming week. That was the SIPTU warning after the union announced it was to temporarily suspend planning rolling strikes at Shannon, Cork and Dublin airports.

Strike action was due to begin at Shannon Airport yesterday, October 1, but this has been put on ice to allow for further negotiations to take place.

Union bosses say they will “reluctantly” re-enter talks at Labour Relations Commission (LRC) with the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) and Aer Lingus this week.

This comes following warnings from the Aer Lingus top brass that they would sue the union officials personally for any revenue lost as a result of the strike.

Despite the mini breakthrough in the dispute, SIPTU officials warned that they have merely removed the strike notice temporarily and still have a mandate to strike at Shannon if progress is not made.

The dispute centres on a € 170 million shortfall in Irish Airlines Superannuation Scheme, a pension jointly operated by DAA, Aer Lingus and SR Technics. The dispute involves a large number of SIPTU members but Impact, Unite, Mandate and the TEEU members are also involved.

Meanwhile, new figures released by the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) show that number of flights using Shannon Airport continued to fall in August, despite an overall increase nationally.

An average of 56 flights used Shannon Airport each day in August, a 4.7 per cent drop on the previous year. There was also a 1.7 per cent drop at Cork Airport, but these figures were offset by a 2.7 per cent increase in the number of flights using Dublin Airport.

Nationally, the August figures are encouraging for Ireland as it was the first time this year that en-route traffic movements, North Atlantic communications flights and international arrivals and departures have all shown an increase.

THEY’RE the sounds that have made Clare a haven for traditional music lovers around the world and now they’ve been made accessible to everyone thanks to a new online initiative called the Music of Clare Project.

Clare County Library and the Clare Arts Office have joined forces in the venture, the first stage of which concentrates on the traditional music of the county and featuring the biographies and music of some of Clare’s best known traditional music artists.

These include Martin Hayes, Micho Russell, Willie Clancy, Sharon Shannon, Chris Droney, Dennis Cahill, The Kilfenora Céilí Band, Martin Junior Crehan, Elizabeth Crotty, Kevin Crawford, Kieran Hanrahan, The Tulla Céilí Band and Kitty Hayes.

“This new online project will allow immediate access to all those interested in the music of County Clare, and will greatly enhance the existing historical and cultural resources on the library website itself,” said Clare County Librarian, Helen Walsh in launching the initiative.

“We want members of the public to be able to listen to traditional tunes associated with Clare, played by musicians who are from the county or who have lived in it for many years,” said senior executive librarian Anthony Edwards.

“We have also included transcriptions of the featured tunes, to help anyone who wishes to learn the basic notes of a tune so as to be able to play it. Links to alternative transcriptions are also provided,” he added.

The project also includes a music videos feature, a collection of embedded online videos of Clare musicians from YouTube. Historical and biographical articles place the music of Clare in context and provide back- ground and further resources for study and enjoyment.

The project received financial support from the Clare County Arts Office which, with Arts Council funding, sponsored an initial researcher, Paddi O’Connell, and funded the transcription of some of the tunes by Geraldine Cotter.

“The County Arts Office is committed to promoting the wealth of traditional music in Clare and we were delighted to work with Clare Library Service on such an exciting and important project,” said Siobhán Mulcahy, County Arts Officer.

The Music of Clare Project team consisted of executive librarian Maureen Comber, library staff officer Jackie Dermody and project manager Anthony Edwards.

The Music of Clare Project is accessible at www.clarelibrary.ie.

GARDAÍ have launched an investigation after a man was stabbed at his home in Shannon.

The serious assault occurred at around 6.30am on Sunday morning in Cluain Airne, Shannon.

The occupier of the house opened his front door and was then stabbed in the stomach by a man who was standing outside. The man then fled the scene.

The injured man called the emergency services and was treated at the scene before being taken to Limerick Regional Hospital for treatment but his condition isn’t believed to be life threatening.

Gardaí have released details of the person they believe is responsible for the attack. He is described as being 5’8” in height and approximately 2021 years of age. He was wearing a navy jacket with an Eircom logo on the back.

Gardaí say he may have had a black eye. The injured man is currently recovering in hospital.

Gardaí in Shannon are appealing for anyone with information on the incident or anyone who may have seen anything to contact them.

GORT mother and son team, Gina and Cathal Casey, made their own piece of history last week when they both won bronze medals at the World Kickboxing Championships on Florida. The pair, who are both students of Lisa Connolly, at the Gort Taekwon-do Academy returned home over the weekend with their unique set of medals.

Gina, who is a special needs assistant at Gort Community School, and Cathal, a second year pupil at the school, both won the medals for Ireland competing in the ‘Light Contact Sparring’ category.

Fourteen-year-old Cathal is a black belt in Taekwondo, while Gina has a red/blue striped belt. The pair began Taekwondo three years ago and are now leading members of the Gort Taekwondo Academy. After making it past the initial elimination rounds, both were delighted to take home bronze medals from their first ever WKA World Championships.

The pair’s trip to America was made possible, in part, because of € 500 in fundraising conducted by Gort Community College.

According to their instructor, Lisa Connolly, who is herself a European Taekwon-do Champion and fourth degree black belt, Taekwon-do has many benefits for those who practice it. “The main things that people learn concentration, discipline and respect. Respect is a very big thing in Taekwon-do,” said Lisa.

“People’s concentration can improve because there is a lot of repetition, and if you don’t get something right you have to do it over and over.”

To find out more about the Gort Taekwon-do Academy call Lisa on 087 2070583.

A DEAL to purchase Tinarana House in East Clare looks set to be complete before the end of the month as three separate offers have been made for the property.

The property, which was bought for an estimated € 14 million less than a decade ago, is likely to be sold for € 2 million.

The property is being sold by GVM Auctioneers in Limerick, who yesterday confirmed that a deal was imminent.

“We have had a lot of interest in the property and a lot of viewings. At the moment, we are looking at three different offers which I would describe as being substantial,” said Tom Crosse of GVM.

“While I can’t give any more detail about the offers, I can say that they are in the region of the € 2 million guide price. Things are moving quickly and we would expect a deal to be finalised before the end of the month.”

Located in Ogonnelloe, Tinarana House boasts 16 bedrooms and 222 acres of grassland and woodland.

Plans had been approved by Clare County Council to convert the property into a major tourism, sports and leisure centre but planning permission for a € 100 million development at the site were turned down by An Bord Pleanála.

One of the reasons for overturning the local authority planning permission was that it was in an area designated as visually vulnerable in the 2005. The latest version of the Clare County Development Plan sites the development of a tourism facility at Tinerana House as one of its desired outcomes.

Meanwhile, the Merriman Hotel in Kinvara was purchased last week for an undisclosed fee, understood to be in the region of € 400,000. The 32bedroom hotel was due to go up for auction on Saturday but an agreement was reached before the auction could take place.

Auctioneer for the sale, Colm O’Donnellan could not give any detail of the final sale price of the property but did confirm that the property was sold as a going concern and will be relaunched as a hotel.

THE daughter of controversial revolutionary figure Che Guevara was in West Clare this weekend to attend the Che do Bheatha festival in Kilkee and pay a visit to the Loop Head Lighthouse.

Aleida Guevara March, a doctor based in Havana, was one of the guests of honour at the three-day long Che do Bheatha festival which was held to mark the 51st anniversary of Che Guevara’s visit to Kilkee in September of 1961.

Celebrations to mark Guevara’s connections to Clare and Galway have come in for heavy criticism in America – where he is seen as a murderous dictator by some high profile politicians.

Dr March was also one of the final guests to visit the 19th century Loophead Lighthouse before it was closed for the winter. Figures released today show that 17,423 people visited the lighthouse during the opening period up to Sunday, September 30.

Preliminary estimates indicate that 71 per cent of the total visitor figure was represented by domestic visitors, of which approximately 50 per cent were holidaymakers and 35 per cent were day trippers, with local visitors accounting for the remainder. Overseas visitors accounted for 29 per cent of the total figure.

It is estimated that the 18-week opening period was worth approximately € 650,000 to the local economy.

“It was an honour to have accompanied Dr Guevara and the Cuban ambassador, Teresita Trujillo, on their visit to the lighthouse which they both enjoyed immensely. Dr Guevara was very impressed with the new ex- hibition and particularly enjoyed the tour of the tower and the superb views from the top,” said Cillian Murphy, Chairman of Loop Head Tourism.

“The closure of the lighthouse brings to an end another great season which saw huge benefits to the local tourism operators. The figures reflect a high concentration of family business and this is the marketplace Loop Head Tourism is keen to be targeting and produce growth in the industry into the future. This in turn will make the whole community on the peninsula more sustainable in the long term. Once again, this project shows the benefits of local community and statutory agencies working in partnership.”

Ruairi Deane of Shannon Development said that Loophead Lighthouse was an effort to establish an anchor visitor attraction in West Clare with strong overseas appeal.

“Loop Head Lighthouse is now a wonderful success story that highlights what true partnership between state agencies and community bodies can achieve,” he said.

A Kilrush man has been sentenced to five months in prison for offences committed on the premises of a shop in the West Clare town earlier this year.

Patrick Hall (26), with an address at 3 Chapel Street, Kilrush, appeared before Ennis District Court on Tuesday.

Mr Hall pleaded guilty charges of theft, trespassing and criminal damage.

The charges arose out of an incident at Patrick Burke Menswear in Kilrush on March 26.

After hearing a brief outline of the facts of the case, Judge Patrick Durcan accepted jurisdiction.

Garda Conor Flaherty of Kilrush Garda Station told the court that gardaí responded to a call of a man on the roof of Patrick Burke Menswear.

Garda Flaherty said that he observed Mr Hall damaging an air con- ditioning unit.

He said the accused took a copper pipe from the unit. Mr Hall was arrested but gave no explanation for taking the pipe.

The court heard that € 200 worth of damage was caused.

No compensation has been paid. Inspector Tom Kennedy said Mr Hall has 43 previous convictions.

Solicitor William Cahir said his client has suffered from serious alcohol and drug problems.

He said Mr Hall is a “gentlemen who is easily led.”

Mr Cahir said that Mr Hall is apologetic for his “mindless beahviour.”

Inspector Kennedy said Mr Hall’s activity had “caused an awful lot of difficulty” to gardaí in Kilrush.

Judge Durcan imposed a five-month sentence for criminal damage and a three-month concurrent sentence. The sentence was made retrospec tive to July.

THE awards continue to pour in for North Clare food producers and restaurants with four new accolades being won over the weekend.

St Tola’s Inagh Farmhouse Cheese was the toast of the 2012 Irish Cheese Awards winning a gold medal for the “St Tola Organic Log” and a silver medal for the “St Tola Ash Log”.

There was also celebration for two Ballyvaughan restaurants who both won gold medals at the prestigious Hotel and Catering Review Awards. L’Arco Italian Restaurant, operated by the Quinn Family in Ballyvaughan, picked up the Best Ethnic Restaurant award, while Stephen Spielberg’s favourite Irish restaurant, An Fear Gorta received the Gold Medal Award for Cafés and Tearooms.

Speaking after the cheese awards, Siobhan Ni Ghairbhith of St Tola said she was delighted that their cheeses were recognised.

“We are very happy to have won two Irish Cheese awards this year. It’s great that our classic log, now over 30 years in production, is still recognised as one of the finest cheeses in the country,” she said.

“We are also thrilled that our new cheese, St Tola with Ash, which has only been developed this year, is winning awards already! It’s a great boost for all the team back in Inagh and reflects that hard work and high standards of the whole company.”

The Irish Cheese Awards 2012 were judged by a panel that included Michelin starred chef Ross Lewis and celebrity chef Rozanne Steven. It was held with the support and assistance of Cáis and Sheridans Cheesemongers.

AN Ennis teenager found to have been selling cannabis to his friends was fortunate to have been caught by the gardaí, a court has heard.

At Ennis District Court on Wednesday, Anthony McNamara (18), with an address at 14 Sean Dun, Tulla Road, Ennis pleaded guilty to possession of cannabis and having the drug for sale or supply on February 13 (2012).

The court heard that members of the Clare divisional drugs squad found cannabis valued at € 940 during a search, under warrant, of 14 Sean Dún, Tulla Road, Ennis on February 13. The court heard that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had directed summary disposal of the matter.

Judge Patrick Durcan accepted jurisdiction. Inspector Michael Gallagher explained that quantities of cannabis were found in tinfoil wraps and small plastic bags.

Insp Gallagher said the accused admitted selling the cannabis. He said gardaí accepted that this was the first time Mr McNamara had engaged in drug dealing.

Defence solicitor Joe Chambers told the court that his client had sold the drugs to his friends and not “Joe Public”. He said Mr McNamara was rarely paid by his friends.

Mr Chambers added, “This was a tight knit matter in which he was the mule.” Mr McNamara had never come to garda attention before this incident, the court heard.

Mr Chambers said his client was fortunate to have been caught so early. He added, “There was a certain innocence to what he was about.”

Mr Chambers told the court that Mr McNamara no longer smokes cannabis.

“He needed a sharp reminder of what he is doing is wrong”, he said. Insp Gallagher said Mr McNamara “wouldn’t be a typical drug dealer.”

Judge Patrick Durcan ordered that Mr McNamara engage with the Probation services. He adjourned the case until November 14.

THE Diocese of Killaloe yesterday moved to dampen speculation that the Bishop Kieran O’Reilly is being lined up to replace Seán Brady as the Primate of All Ireland. Bishop O’Reilly will attend a special synod or meeting of top-ranking bishops in Rome this Sunday, in the place of Cardinal Brady. This is the first synod not attended by Cardinal Brady in his time as Primate of All Ireland and it has been seen by some as an indication that he soon intends to step down. Cardinal Brady has faced a number of calls for his resignation over the last 12 months and, while Bishop O’Reilly is one of the newest bish- ops in Ireland, it is thought in some circles that he would be the ideal candidate for the position – should it become available. Spokesperson for the Killaloe Diocese, Fr Brendan Quinlivan said yesterday that while his elevation is “not beyond the bounds of possibility” it is more likely that he is being asked to attend because of his missionary experience. “While it is true that Cardinal Brady would have attended all of these meetings in the past, I’m not sure we can draw too much from that. “The theme of this meeting is the new evangelisation of the faithful and I think Bishop O’Reilly’s experience in the missions makes him a perfect candidate to attend,” said Fr Quinlivan. “He is very happy in Killaloe. He has really thrown himself into the role and has been travelling the diocese, meeting and getting to know all the clergy here and getting into the work of the diocese. That said, it is not beyond the bounds of possibility.” Bishop O’Reilly will be joined in Rome on Sunday by Archbishop Diarmuid Martin who, as Cardinal Brady’s number two, also attends all of the synods. Archbishop Martin is considered by some to be too radical – given his previously stated opinions in support of gay priests – to be acceptable to the powers that be at the Vatican.