Category: News

THE two men arrested following the shooting of a wedding guest at a Bunratty hotel have been released without charge.

Gardaí investigating the death of Robert Sheehan confirmed that they released the two Limerick men arrested in connection with the September 2, shooting.

A file will now be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Mr Sheehan of Pineview Gardens, Moyross was shot a number of times by two gunmen as he stood having a cigarette outside the Bunratty Castle Hotels at approximately 3.40am on the Sunday morning.

He died on Monday evening September 3, at the Mid Western Regional Hospital, Limerick from his injuries. The father of one, who turned 22 years-old last week, was attending a family wedding in the County Clare hotel.

Shortly after the shooting two men were arrested in Cork and were ques- tioned in Ennis and Shannon Garda Stations before being released on Friday morning last.

Mr Sheehan was buried in Limerick on Thursday.

Speaking at Corpus Christi Church in Moyross during the funeral mass, his father Patrick Sheehan, called for no retaliation for his son’s murder.

“As a family, we would not like to see any other person in the world go through what pain we are going through at the moment. No parent should ever have to bury their child through senseless violence or any other reason,” he said.

CLARE County Council is considering the introduction of new waste byelaws, as figures estimate that up to 25 per cent of all household waste in Clare is unaccounted for.

It follows a report, which shows that almost 53 per cent of households avail of a regular waste collection service. The collection figures are taken from 2010 waste records complied by the Environmental Protection Agency. They are contained in a report prepared by the council in response to concerns raised by members of Ennis Town Council over household waste.

Anne Haugh, Director of Services Transport, Water Services and Environment, explained that 53 per cent is a “stark figure” that needs to be put in context before any conclusions can be drawn.

Ms Haugh cites figures from the Regional Waste Management Office in Limerick showing that 14 per cent of households share a bin service.

Ms Haugh adds that almost 8,400 tonnes of household waste was deposited at the council’s “five civic amenity sites and 54 bring banks” in a single year. The report states that this equates to waste from 20 per cent of households in Clare.

Ms Haugh adds, “This means there are approximately 20 to 25 per cent of households in County Clare where their waste cannot be accounted for. It is in this context that Clare County Council is examining the introduction of updated presentation of waste byelaws that would, with some exceptions, require households within 200 metres of an existing waste collection route to avail of a waste collection service.”

The waste byelaws were due to be presented at yesterday’s meeting of Clare County Council.

The report states that local authorities in Clare work closely to address waste and litter issues. Ms Haugh added, “Environmental patrols, CCTV surveillance and a joint gardaí / waste enforcement checkpoints are carried out on an ongoing basis to counter illegal waste and litter activity.”

The council recently secured three separate prosecutions against people found to be illegally disposing of waste.

Margaret SMITH (nee Cahir)
of 55 Cahercalla Heights, Ennis, and formerly of Ballyshannny, Kilfenora. Laid to to rest in Drumcliffe cemetery. May she rest in peace.

Michael MOLONEY
of Drimeenagun, Doon Road, Broadford. Late of Ballymcdonnell, Bodyke. Funeral mass onTuesday at 11.30amat St. Patrick’s church, O’Callaghan’s Mills, followed by burial in Killuran Cemetery. May he rest in peace.

Peter GRIFFIN
of Cloonlaheen, Mullagh. In his 93rd year. Laid to rest in Mullagh. Donations if desired to the Alzheimers Unit, Saint Joseph’s Hospital, Ennis. May he rest in peace.

Teresa O’NEILL (née Kilmartin)
of 8 Church Drive Clarecastle. Peacefully at home surrounded by her loving family. Laid to rest in Clarehill Cemetery. May she rest in peace.

John SCANLON
of Chicago and late of Cooga, Kildysart and Cloncolman, Lissycasey. Funeral has taken place in Chicago. May he rest in peace.

Elizabeth (Lilly) DONNELLAN
(née Fagan) of 34 ConnollyVillas, Ennis. Laid to rest in Drumcliffe Cemetery. May she rest in peace.

Nora McGUANE (née O’Sullivan)
of Letteragh, Kilmaley. In her 96th year. Laid to rest in Kilmaley Cemetery. May she rest in peace.

John QUEALLY
of Drumcliffe, Ennis. In his 96th year. Laid to rest in Drumcliffe Cemetery. May he rest in peace.

James CASEY
of Kilrush Road, Kildysart. Laid to rest in Kildysart. May he rest in peace.

Chrissie O’HALLORAN (née Garvey)
of Ballyliddane, Sixmilebridge, Suddenly. Laid to rest in in Ballysheen Cemetery, Sixmilebridge. May she rest in peace.

Mary KIELY
of 16 Fearnog, Shannon. Late of Tullamore. Laid to rest in in Newlands Cross Crematorium, Dublin. May she rest in peace.

Bernadette MINOGUE
of 6 Station Court, Quin Road, Ennis. Formerly of Glendree, Feakle. Peacefully. Laid to rest inTulla Cemetery. May she rest in peace.

Jack O’DEA
of Ballygannor, Kilfenora. Peacefully, surrounded by his family. Laid to rest in Kilfenora. May he rest in peace.

REPRESENTATIVES from Ireland’s largest provider of addiction treatment services may be forced to appear before Ennis District Court to explain why a Kilrush man has not been admitted to one of it’’s centres.

Cuan Mhuire Bruree, County Limerick have been ordered to send a letter to the court confirming that Martin Burke (30) has applied for a place at the centre.

The order was made by Judge Patrick Durcan at Ennis District Court on Wednesday. He said that if a letter were not forthcoming, he would issue a witness summons to Cuan Mhuire.

Mr Burke (30), with an address at 4 St Senan’s Terrace, Kilrush, previously pleaded guilty to handling stolen property at John Street Kilrush on June 25.

The court previously heard that Mr Burke was found by gardaí rolling a wheelie bin containing a keg of Budweiser down a street in Kilrush. Mr Burke has also admitted to charges of criminal damage, theft and public order.

The court previously heard that on April 29 (2012) the accused damaged the side of a car at Convent Road, Kilrush and then stole a handbag valued at € 20.

The other offences were committed on May 5 (2012) when the accused smashed a window of the Central Pharmacy causing an estimated 200 euros worth of damage.

Mr Burke also pleaded guilty to be ing intoxicated in a public place on the same night. Mr Burke has 82 previous convictions.

In June, Judge Durcan ordered that Mr Burke enter a treatment centre to deal with his alcohol and drug addiction problems.

He had also previously requested a letter from a doctor recommending that Mr Burke enter a residential treatment programme.

On Wednesday, solicitor Fiona Hehir said her client is still on a waiting list for Cuan Mhuire.

She told the court that Mr Burke is clean of drugs but may have to wait another month before gaining a place in Bruree.

She explained that Bruree does not accept doctor’s letters as a form of recommendation.

Ms Hehir said Mr Burke had been in near daily contact with the centre.

Judge Durcan ordered that a letter be sent from Cuan Mhuire confirming that Mr Burke had applied for a place in Bruree.

THERE were five Clare centres awarded in the National Tidy Towns Awards initiative on Monday as the results for the 2012 competition were announced at a gala presentation in the Helix in Dublin.

Ennis, a former winner of the overall national title, led the way for the Banner County as the county capital was named the tidiest large urban centre in Ireland.

The other big winners, along with Ennis, were Ballynacally and Kilrush, who also produced Gold Medal performances, while Mountshannon, which won the overall title back in 1981, captured a Silver Medal, with Bronze going to Kilkee and Tuamgraney.

The results from the competition, which is now in its 54th year and attracted a record entry of 856, were announced by the Minister for the Environment, Phil Hogan on Monday. Ennis was marked against strict adjudication criteria and beat off stiff competition from other large urban centres, such as Kilkenny City. It’s the fourth time that Ennis has been designated Ireland’s Tidiest Large Urban Centre, having won the award in 2006, 2008 and 2009.

Meanwhile, Ennis also retained the Clare County Award for the 14th successive year, while it has received its 12th Gold Medal in as many years.

Furthermore, the town was named overall winner of the Gum Litter Task Force National Award, a category in which Newmarket-on-Fergus was also a finalist. Ennis also won the Mid-West Endeavour Award, for which the villages of Connolly, Ballynacally and Mountshannon were also named finalists.

“The standards in County Clare were extremely high again this year and I am delighted to see that our county capital has received national recognition in numerous categories,” said Deputy Mayor of Clare, Cllr Pascal Fitzgerald, who attended the presentation ceremony in Dublin in the absence of Mayor of Clare, Cllr Pat Daly.

“I would like to congratulate all participants from Clare who have done their county proud. There was unprecedented interest in Tidy Towns this year, and I would urge everyone to participate in 2013,” he added.

Thirty-four Clare centres participated in the 2012 competition, the same number as last year, with O’Callaghan’s Mills coming in as a new entry, while Kilmurry did not take part. The only centre to fare worse in 2012 than it did in 2011 was Kilmihil as their overall score dropped from 266 to 265, while the biggest mover was Newmarket-onFergus as their score jumped by 18 from 256 to 274.

A 19-YEAR-OLD man has received a four-month prison sentence after being convicted of two charges of criminal damage in the Loughville area of Ennis.

Thomas McCarthy, with an address at 12 Pearse Avenue, Cloughleigh, pleaded guilty at Ennis District Court on Wednesday to damaging Drumkerrin Lodge sometime between the hours of February 15 and 16 (2012).

Inspector Tom Kennedy told the court that Mr McCarthy was among a group of people who entered the house, broke a window and forced open the garage door.

A total of € 250 worth of damage was caused to the garage door and a total € 800 worth of damage was caused to the double glazed windows during the incident.

The State struck out a charge of trespass against Mr McCarthy. Insp Kennedy said the house as undergoing renovations at the time.

He said it had been raining and the group entered the property to drink alcohol.

The court heard that the accused told Gardaí that he entered the property to take shelter.

He also admitted damaging the window.

The court heard that Mr McCarthy is currently serving a two-year period of detention in St Patrick’s Institution.

Mr McCarthy was also charged with contravening a barring order at his family home on February 2.

Defence solicitor Tara Godfrey said the barring order had been put in place because her client’s family could not come to terms with his drink and drug abuse.

She said Mr McCarthy “unreservedly apologises” for the damage he caused to the house. Ms Godfrey said the prospect of compensation was nil.

Mr McCarthy has 12 previous convictions. Judge Patrick Durcan imposed a two-month sentence in respect of each criminal damage charge.

The domestic violence charge was taken into consideration. Judge Durcan said no further breach of the order had occurred between February and Mr McCathy’s earlier conviction in July.

MEMBERS of Clare County Council voted by the smallest margin possible to overturn the advice of the county manager relating to the Shannon Town and Environs Local Area Plan 2012 to 2018.

In his report, Tom Coughlan recommended that land at Drumgeely Hill in Shannon be divided in two with part of it zoned community and part zoned open space. The Shannon members of the council objected to this element of the plan and proposed an amendment that would zone all of the land open space.

Cllr Patricia McCarthy (Ind) raised concerns that there would be no space available for car park spaces should the land zoned community be used for a community centre.

“A community hall there would only serve a small catchments albeit an important group,” she said.

Cllr Sean McLoughlin (FG) also recommended voting for the amendment. He said, “I don’t think it is fair for these senior citizens (residents of Drumgeely Hill) to have to fight planning for the next five years of the plan.”

Cllr Gerry Flynn (Ind) called on all of his council colleagues to support the Shannon councillors move, as they, he said, had the local knowledge. He said many of the residents had spent 50 years living in the area.

“I hope the councillors can live with allowing them to continue to fight planning for the next number of years,” he added.

Senior planner with Clare County Council Gordon Daly said it was the belief of the planners that the split zoning gave the best option to that area of the community. He admitted that a lot of trust would have to be given to the planners should a planning application reach the council relating to that area.

The 15 members of Clare County Council present voted 12 to 11 in favour of the amendment and against the recommendation of the council executive.

Two councillors – Cllr James Breen (Ind) and Cllr Tony Mulqueen (FG) abstained.

KILRUSH has been put forward as the location for a National Famine Commemoration Ceremony in 2013.

The announcement was made by Director of Service Ger Dollard who said Kilrush had been selected by an expert panel.

Mr Dollard made the comments after a group of West Clare councillors proposed that Kilrush’s Famine history be recognised as part of events for the Gathering tourism initiative.

The motion was put forward by councillors Bill Chambers (FF), Pat Keane (FF), Oliver Garry (FG) and Gabriel Keating (FG) at yesterday’s meeting of Clare County Council.

The motion called on the council to nominate Kilrush as the location for the National Famine Commemoration Ceremony 2013 “as the case for Kilrush was exceptionally strong given the severe impact of the famine on the area”.

According to the three councillors, “a very strong group has been established to promote such an event”.

Cllr Chambers told the meeting that Kilrush, along with Westport and Skibereen was one of the worst areas hit by death, disease and evictions during the Famine.

Cllr Pat Keane said Kilrush had suffered hugely during the Famine and deserved to be commemorated during the Gathering events in 2013.

Cllr Oliver Garry said Kilrush met all the criteria in terms of logistics for the Gathering.

In his reply, Mr Dollard said the council had placed a public advertisement inviting submissions or observations in relation to locations within Clare where the National Famine Commemoration could be held. He said the council had received three submissions. He added, “Each County Council has been asked to submit only one proposal for each county. It will be a matter then for the National Famine Commemoration Committee to determine which location will host the 2013 National Famine Commemoration.

IN AN era when the HSE is relying more on air travel to attend serious emergencies in West Clare and other rural areas, concerns have been raised that one busy town is without a publicly designated helicopter pad.

The population of the seaside town of Kilkee also multiplies during the summer months, making the need for emergency access more urgent.

Mayor of the coastal town, Cllr Claire Haugh (FF) said that the need for the helicopter pad had to be a priority, especially as a support to the entire local emergency services.

Helicopter support has proven essential to voluntary organisations such as the Kilkee Marine and Rescue Service.

For many people rescued off the cliffs and in the sea, time is of the essence when it comes to accessing medical help.

Kilkee is more than 95 kilometres from the nearest Centre of Excellence at the Mid Western Regional Hospital, Dooradoyle, Limerick.

“For a coastal town like Kilkee, this is vital. We must take it on as a project for the coming year and ensure it is installed,” said Mayor Haugh. “We are now asking Clare County Council to get working on a helicopter pad in Kilkee. We have services here for emergencies yet we haven’t this necessary facility.”

Kilkee’s first citizens said that the cost of putting a helicopter pad is Kilkee is estimated at € 30,000.

“All we need to do is to find a designated area for the helicopters to land.”

She suggested that the area adjacent to the Garda Station, which had been spoken of before, would make an ideal location. “It would be just along the beach and beside the rescue centre,” she said.

The council must now contact the Department of Justice about the possible location.

“This has been in the mix for a few years. It is a very urgent thing. It is imperative we this facility fast,” said Mayor Haugh.

NERO fiddled, while Rome burned.

It was this analogy that floated around Ennis Town Council on Monday as Fine Gael representative Johnny Flynn received unanimous cross-party backing for his demand that the process of giving Shannon Airport its full independence from the Dublin Airport Authority be ac- celerated.

This demand for swift action came against a backdrop of another alarming drop in Shannon figures, with the latest results confirming that commercial movements at the international airport have fallen for the first seven months of the year when compared to the same period in 2011.

This downward spiral started with a two per cent drop in movements in January and peaked in April when the figures showed nearly a ten per cent drop on the corresponding month from 2011.

The figures then remained relatively stable for May and June, as the returns posted for commercial movements only showed a 1.6 and 1.3 drop respectively, but the slide accelerated once more in July with a four per cent drop.

These trends are set to continue for the remainder of 2012, which will en- sure that returns at the year end will show nearly a 50 per cent reduction in commercial terminal movements from the peak of 2007 which represented the peak of Ryanair’s association with the airport.

Ryanair currently operates to 11 destinations in Britain and mainland Europe out of Shannon. This represents over a 300 per cent cut in operations out of Shannon from a high of over 50 flights in 2008.

The airline began reducing its Shannon-based aircraft in February 2009.

It was this slide in Shannon’s fortunes that prompted the Government to embark on a consultative process over the future of the airport that was co-ordinated by Booz and Company in 2011, ahead of the formal announcement in May that Shannon would be given its full independence from the DAA.

OFFICIALS from Ennis Town Council are to meet with family members to discuss the best way to honour the memory of the politician and writer Paddy Hogan.

A native of Ennis, Mr Hogan was a Labour TD and member of the Oireachtais from 1923 to 1967.

For the final 16 years of his tenure, he was appointed by Taoiseach Eamon DeValera as Ceann Comhairle.

A qualified barrister, Mr Hogan was actively involved in the trade union movement and wrote a play about Irish freedom and the ‘Galway Shawl’ ballad.

According to a letter written to Ennis Town Council, the Labour Party in Clare are planning to mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of the party with a memorial to Mr Hogan.

It had been proposed that the Kilmaley roundabout be renamed the ‘Paddy Hogan Roundabout’.

The Labour Party say that the family “are not enthusiastic” about renaming a roundabout in memory of Mr Hogan.

At yesterday’s meeting of Ennis Town Council, former Labour party member, Cllr Paul O’Shea proposed that the new inner relief road be renamed after Mr Hogan.

However, councillors suggested that the matter should be discussed further between the council executive, the Hogan family and the council’s place names committee.

Cllr Frankie Neylon (Ind) said Mr Hogan was a “proud members of the community in Ard Na Greine who are very proud of him”.

He added, “I’d prefer if the family sit down with the council and come up with a suitable memorial to Paddy Hogan.”

Cllr Neylon said Mr Hogan should be commemorated. Mayor of Ennis, Peter Considine (FF) said he and council officials would be happy to meet the Hogan family.

Cllr Tommy Brennan (Ind) said the council had moved away from the practice of naming roads and estates after individuals. He said a plaque might be a more suitable memorial.

Work on the inner relief road, which will link Station Road to the Clare Road, is expected to be complete by the end of the month.

According to the council, this relief road is intended to include the overlay of Station Road from Árd na Gréine to the school crossing in the works.