Category: News

THE Banner County’s multicultural community will be celebrated on Saturday at the eighth annual Clare Intercultural Festival.

The festival, which takes place at St Flannan’s College is organised in collaboration with the Clare Women’s Network, Ennis Community Development Project, Clarecare and the Clare Immigrant Support Centre.

The festival’s showpiece event is an intercultural seven-a-side soccer tournament that brings together people from all communities living in Clare.

Gaelic football, hurling, camogie, handball and cricket also for part of a busy sporting programme.

Workshops will include drumming, fun yoga, laughter yoga, qigong and Louise L Hay’s positive thinking, zumba and set dancing.

Fun for children will include an art workshop, drama workshop, face painting, hair braiding and a special visit from Elmo the Clown.

There will be music and poetry from many countries. Mayor of Clare, councillor Pat Daly (FF) will be guest of honour on the day and will present the winning trophies.

Alphonse Basogomba from Clare Intercultural Network said, “Since the festival began in 2005, it has be come a popular gathering of people coming from many different countries and backgrounds and celebrates the enormous diversity of nationalities living in Clare and truly reflects Clare for the global village which it has become.” He added, “Last year the festival attracted people from more than fifty countries including Ireland. This year promises to be an even greater and more popular event. Treat yourself and come along with your friends and families.”

This event is free of charge.

LOCALS say they are frustrated and disheartened following recent vandalism near Barefield village.

Three large concrete flowerpots were damaged at a roundabout near the M18 last Sunday. It followed similar incidents of flowerpots being damaged in the area over the weekend.

Gardaí have been informed of the incidents with members of the Bare- field Tidy Towns Committee blaming the behaviour of boy racers for the damage.

Committee chairman Sean Corcoran explained, “It’s been sort of going on for the past six weeks, cars doing wheelies on the roundabouts and damaging the flowers. Then under the bypass these three concrete pots were smashed.”

Sean says the incidents are a blow to the village’s efforts to do well in the annual Tidy Towns competition.

“We’re disheartened and upset. The guards called out and had a look. The people that are doing this are a bloody nuisance. We’ve been doing work on the roundabouts and the approach roads, planting flowers beds, cutting the grass, to make sure the place looks good. And then along come these people and do this. It really is very, very frustrating.”

The incident couldn’t have happened at a worse time for the committee with judging for the Tidy Towns expected to take place in the coming weeks.

Sean explains, “Judging usually takes place in June or July. That’s what usually happens. So this is a bad time for all this to happen. We had nearly € 2,000 saved from various fundraising events we held in the village like the quiz night. But to buy new pots, we’re almost down to the last few hundred euros. We can only hope that they’ll last.”

The Tidy Towns committee was set up in 2010 with local people volunteering their services. The committee has drawn members from the local community who were eager to roll up their sleeves and help out. Their activities include cleaning stone walls, re-setting grass margins and placing flower baskets around the village.

The project also enjoys close links with Barefield National School and the local Clare Crusaders Clinic.

Sean says, “We’re all doing this on a voluntary basis on our own time. We’re not getting any help from FÁS or anything like that. We’re delighted to do it but when something like this happens, it’s really frustrating.”

IN THE last year Clare Suicide Bereavement Support has received more calls than ever before.

Spokesperson for the voluntary group Owen O’Mahony cannot be sure however if the increase in numbers can be attributed to an increase in deaths or the change in the group’s name from Living Links in the past 12 months.

Either way the organisation is proving a necessary support in County Clare as more people seek out its service.

The group is run completely by volunteers and provides one to one befriending at home or at an agreed location, family support and a healing programme. A monthly group support meeting is also held.

“We don’t approach people we feel that is intrusive. We wait for people to contact us,” explained Mr O’Mahony, adding it was essential that the bereaved know this help was available.

He said while people eventually learn to go on and live their lives the most difficult issues to resolve for most is the question “why”.

“They really don’t find an answer to it but they learn to take up activities and live again,” he added.

As many as eight volunteers work for the service which now has a premises in the Roslevan Shopping Centre, Ennis.

Mr O’Mahony stresses that the volunteers are not councillors but will help someone find such support if it is required.

Mostly people get a lot off their chest through the service and begin a healing process.

“People find if they can talk and realise what they are feeling is normal it helps,” explained Mr O’Mahony.

Those wishing to contact Clare Suicide Bereavement Support can do so by calling 086 0565373 or 087 3698315 or get further information on www.claresuicidebereavementsupport.com.

A JUDGE has said he will refuse installment orders sought by Ulster Bank until it gets its “house in order.”

Judge Patrick Durcan has been refusing to grant the applications in light of recent problems at the bank, which have caused massive disruptions to customers.

Banks can seek an installment order from the court to compel debtors to pay a fixed amount each month.

Ulster Bank sought two such orders at Ennis District Court on Friday. However, Judge Durcan informed the solicitor acting on behalf of the Bank that he would “not be granting any installment orders until they get their house in order.”

He said the recent problems experienced by the bank had caused “huge inconvenience to the people of Ireland”.

Judge Durcan adjourned both cases to December 14. IT problems have affected hundreds of thousands of Ulster Bank’s customers for almost one month. A technical problem dur- ing a software upgrade at its parent company RBS disrupted electronic transactions and created a massive backlog processing payments.

In a statement yesterday, the Bank said, “All of our systems are running as normal this morning in the timeframes we would expect and normal service has now been restored for the majority of our customers.”

The statement continues, “Given the scale of the incident, the clean up continues and a small percentage of outstanding transactions are being processed over the next couple of days.

“There is no doubt that there will be reconciliations to some customer accounts that also need to take place over the coming days and weeks. However, for the majority of customers it is now business as usual”.

Judge Durcan was also critical of the level of information provided by Banks on debtors when seeking installment orders.

Referring to an order sought by the Bank of Ireland, Judge Durcan said, “The behaviour of the banks is nothing short of scandalous.”

A MAN who has pleaded guilty to harassing his former partner sent her a text message stating her new boyfriend would be “breathing through a tube” when he finished with him, a court has heard.

Ray Clune (37), with an address at Breafa West, Lissycasey, pleaded guilty to harassment and to contravening a safety order at a named Ennis address on dates between January 20 (2012) and February 4 (2012).

Details of the offences were heard at Ennis District Court on Wednesday.

Inspector Tom Kennedy said that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had directed summary disposal of the matters.

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

Solicitor John Casey told the court that his client would be entering a plea of guilty.

Inspector Kennedy told the court that a woman made a complaint to gardaí after receiving a number of phone calls and text messages of a threatening nature.

He said the woman’s phone received 30 missed calls on January 21 and a further eight missed calls on February 4.

He said the woman had not answered the phone calls.

Insp Kennedy said the calls were followed by text messages containing remarks about her new partner.

Insp Kennedy told the court that the messages included threats that the man “would be breathing out of a tube” and “would end up in a body bag.”

Approximately 20 text messages were sent in total to the woman’s phone, the court heard.

Insp Kennedy said that Mr Clune was completely “cooperative and apologetic” when met by gardaí.

“No new complaints about the accused have been made,” he added.

Mr Casey handed in a doctor’s report explaining that his client suffers from depression.

He said at the time the offences were committed, Mr Clune “was drinking very heavily, 24/7, and this sparked something in him.”

Mr Casey added, “He knows that she has moved on and he has moved on and he accepts it.”

“He apologises unreservedly. She did not deserve this. She did nothing”, he said.

Mr Casey said his client had lost his job and had recently found it difficult to get meaningful employment. Mr Clune has no previous convictions.

Judge Durcan acknowledged that Mr Clune had experienced a number of difficulties in his personal life. However, he said that the accused had breached a court order and had harassed his former partner.

He remanded Mr Clune on continuing bail to appear again on November 7 for finalisation of sentence. He granted the State liberty to re-enter the matter at 24-hour notice. He said if Mr Clune’s good behavior continues, then the matter will be disposed

A MAN with an address in Crusheen has been charged with having what gardaí have described as ‘large quantities’ of heroin and cannabis for sale or supply at two different locations is due back again in court later this month.

Simon Bracken (45), with an address at Cappamore, Crusheen, appeared at Ennis District Court on Wednesday.

It is alleged that Mr Bracken had diamorphine for purposes of sale or supply at Cappamore, Crusheen on June 1 (2012).

Mr Bracken faces another charge of having cannabis for sale or supply at Ardrahan, Galway on June 13.

The court previously heard that the cannabis seized by gardaí was estimated to be worth € 20,000.

Inspector Tom Kennedy told the court that the State are awaiting directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

He said quite a “sizeable” amount of drugs had been seized and that the case “might attract another charge.”

Solicitor Tara Godfrey said she intended to make a bail application on behalf of her client.

The court heard that Mr Bracken had previously been remanded in custody with consent to bail in relation to the cannabis charges.

Inspector Kennedy said the State would consent to bail on the heroin charges.

He sought a further adjournment in the case for DPP’s directions.

Ms Godfrey said that her client could not achieve bail at this time on the current terms.

She added, “I am concerned that DPP’s directions have taken some time.”

Judge Patrick Durcan remanded the accused in custody with consent to bail to appear again on July 25. Judge Durcan added that given Mr Bracken’s continued “incarceration”, he was concerned that DPP’s directions had not yet issued.

In response, Insp Kennedy said, “Mr Bracken is in custody having been caught in possession of a large quantity of drugs on two separate oc casions within a week.”

A JUDGE has declined jurisdiction in the case of a man accused of breaking into an apartment block in Shannon last month.

At Ennis District Court on Wednesday, Judge Patrick Durcan referred a case involving Derek Quaid (23) back to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

The court had heard that the DPP had directed summary disposal of the matter.

It is alleged that Mr Quaid, who gave an address at 218 O’Malley Park, South Hill, Limerick City, trespassed at flat at Kincora Apartments, Shannon in such a manner that was likely to cause fear in another person. The alleged offence is alleged to have occurred in Shannon on June 27.

A woman was in the apartment at the time of the break in, the court heard.

Solicitor Jenny Fitzgibbon requested that the court consider jurisdiction of the case.

Inspector Tom Kennedy outlined a summary of the alleged facts.

He said a woman was in the apartment when she heard someone banging and kicking on the door.

The woman rang the building caretaker and the gardaí.

The court heard that gardaí found Mr Quaid going through drawers in a bedroom of the apartment. The accused was subsequently arrested by gardaí at the scene, the court was told.

Judge Patrick Durcan declined jurisdiction. He granted an extension of time for the service of the book of evidence.

He remanded the accused on continuing bail to appear again at Ennis District Court on September 12.

He also consented to a request to have Mr Quaid’s bail conditions amended to allow him to visit his solicitor’s office in Shannon.

Judge Durcan ruled that the accused could visit the office as long as he has in his possession an official letter of appointment.

AN ENNIS businessman has been given until tomorrow to devise a schedule of works to address fire safety concerns at an apartment block in Ennis.

Details of the case brought against Oliver Moylan were heard at Ennis District Court on Friday.

Mr Moylan, owner of the Ennis Cash Company, was brought to court by Clare County Fire and Rescue Services after failing to comply with a fire notice issued on January 23.

The notice was issued to rectify deficiencies at a 10-room apartment building owned by Mr Moylan on O’Connell Street, Ennis.

Ger Fallon, Assistant Chief Fire Officer, told the court that an inspec tion of the premises was carried out on January 16 (2012).

He explained that the apartments are located on the top two floors of a four storey building on O’Connell Street.

He said that two of the apartments were occupied at the time of the inspection.

The court heard that as of last week, none of the apartments are oc- cupied.

Mr Fallon said the inspection highlighted a number of deficiencies including inadequate means of escape and the placing of cooking facilities adjacent to doors.

Mr Fallon told the court that individual apartments were not fitted with fire alarms while there was no central fire alarm for the apartment block.

He said that both systems are required under fire safety regulations.

Mr Fallon said there was also an issue with items being stored on the stairs. Judge Durcan questioned Mr Fallon a number of times on the precise location of the items.

Mr Fallon said furniture had been left in an area on the ground floor near the stairs. Judge Durcan said he was “not impressed” by Mr Fallon’s evidence in respect of this issue.

Mr Moylan, with an address at Golf Links Road, Ennis was given two months to rectify the outstanding issues.

However the court heard that most of the work had not been carried out when the premises was re-inspected on April 16.

Under cross-examination from so- licitor Marian Petty, Mr Fallon accepted that the building was a concrete structure and that the stairway was not blocked.

Mr Fallon said that the area of the stairs must be free of any flammable material.

Ms Petty said the property is now vacant and that an engineer and architect hired by Mr Moylan have entered negotiations with the fire services.

Judge Durcan adjourned the matter until July 18. He ordered Mr Moylan to agree a schedule of works with the fire services.

OFFICIAL funding for the arts in Clare has been slashed this year by almost 25 per cent leaving many small festivals and large institutions fighting for their survival.

Figures obtained from the Irish Arts Council reveal that the total amount of funding for projects in Clare fell from € 481,000 in 2011 to just € 362,000 this year – a drop of 24.7 per cent.

This latest drop comes after a series of funding cuts in recent years and is having a serious financial impact on the arts in the county.

Some of the worst hit areas include Glór, the Willie Clancy Summer School and the Clare County Council Arts Office – each of which saw major funding cuts this year.

Funding for Glór fell from € 112, 500 last year to just € 90,000 this year while the Clare County Council saw a total, year-on-year cut of almost 27 per cent with Arts Council funding dropping from € 102, 500 to € 75,000. The Willie Clancy Summer School, which last week generated millions for the local tourist industry in West Clare, saw its annual Arts Council funding cut from € 100,000 in 2011 to just € 80,000 for 2012.

Smaller local festivals have also been hit hard with the total allocated through the Small Arts Festivals Scheme dropping from € 69,000 last year to € 45,000 this year while the annual allocation to Liscannor publishing house, Salmon Poetry, fell from € 50,000 to € 42,000 this year.

Reacting to the funding announcements, Clare arts officer Siobhan Mulcahy said that Clare artists and festival organisers are resilient and would survive the funding cuts.

“These cuts represent the difficult situation artists and arts organisations find themselves in. Many of these organisations and festivals rely on Arts Council of Ireland support to keep going, but their successes over the years show that they are resilient and creative in the face of such adversity,” she told The Clare People .

“Clare County Council contin- ues to support the arts in Clare and views the arts as a key component of cultural life in the county and as a resource to be supported for the benefit of all.”

Besides the overall cuts to certain funding streams, a number of Arts Council schemes have been discontinued. Clare projects received no funding through the Deis Scheme or the Project Award scheme in 2012 but the was a one gain – with € 8,000 more coming to the county through the Bursary Scheme in 2012.

A spokesperson for the Arts Council declined to comment on the cuts but government funding for every section of the arts has been hit badly since the beginning of the recession in 2007.

FOUR architects from the University of Limerick have been living and working in the village of Crusheen for the past week as part of one of the most unique architectural projects ever undertaken in the county.

The four architects will remain in the community until this Sunday, July 22, meeting the local community and immersing themselves in the life of the village. At the end of their stay in the village, the four will complete a design for the Crusheen Community Centre, which is currently being redeveloped by the local community.

The four architects set up outside of mass in the village on Sunday and will host an open evening in the village later this evening – where local people can see how the design is progressing and suggests possible changes and additions. The four are also working in an open office where any member of the local community is invited to call around at ant time and make suggestions for the makeup of the new centre.

This is the first time that this sort of “live-in” approach has been taken to a community project in Ireland. It is hoped that this will produce a unique building, tailored exactly to the needs of the local community.

“A group was set up in Crusheen last March to tackle the situation with the community centre in Crusheen – which is no longer fit for purpose. The community has grown massively in the last 10 to 15 years and the current centre is an old school building, which was first built in 1884. The centre is still being used by the local community but really a new building is needed,” said Keith Walsh of the Crusheen Community Centre group.

“We wanted to come up with a really good design for the centre, something that would produce the best building for the local community, so we approached UL who formed a partnership called ‘Start-Design Crusheen’, which is four, fourth-year architects who have agreed to live and immerse themselves in the local community out there and then design us a community centre that exactly fits our needs.”

The architects of the Start-Design Crusheen group have been living with members of the local community in Crusheen since last Friday, July 13. Part of the inspiration behind the design team is to find a way that they can use their skills in Ireland in the current economic climate and not be forced to emigrate.

“Part of this is about creating a path for us to be employed in Ireland in the future. This project is partly a means for us to overcome our urge to emigrate,” said architect Colin Dorgan. “We all have different approaches to how we work and we jumped at the chance to do this once the Crusheen group got in contact. We are here to get a feel for the place and the people and that will help the design of the centre in the long term. We want to meet with everyone who is using the building now and anyone who might want to use it in the future.

“We met with people after mass yesterday (Sunday) and spoke to anyone who would talk to us about the centre,” he added.

The group are working in an open studio at the site of the old dispensary in Crusheen and would be happy to speak with anyone who would like to have an input into the project. Local people living abroad are also asked to visit their website startdesigncrusheen.tk and give their opinion on the centre.

“It is an open studio and we want people to come in and take part in the design for the centre. We want to show the difference between architects really getting involved in a community project and people maybe paying a visit to the site and doing all the work somewhere else,” said architect Ray McGreal.

“Two of us are staying with the parish priest in Crusheen and two of us are being put up by the Fogarty’s – just next to the studio. So you couldn’t be more in the local community. This is a community centre for the local community and everything we do will have that in mind.”

Ray and Colin are being aided in the project by fellow architects Diarmaid Upton and Ronan O’Dea. The group are also being mentored by Peter Carr, architecture professor at the University of Limerick.

The group will finish their work by completing a full design for the Crusheen Community Centre and to apply for initial planning permission with Clare County Council.

The open evening will take place tonight (Tuesday, July 17) at the Crusheen Community Centre.