Category: News

THE future of rural Ireland will be up for debate at this year’s Merriman Summer School, which takes place in Lisdoonvarna this August. The line-up for the summer school was confirmed yesterday with the Minister for Agriculture, Simon Coveney (FG), set to speak as part of the event.

This year’s school is being directed by the Chairman of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland and former Director General of RTÉ, Bob Collins, who has chosen ‘Thriving at the Crossroads: Rural Ireland in a Globalised World’, as the theme.

“For a long time, the focus of Ireland’s identity was its rural, its agrar- ian base. Frequently romanticised, regularly misunderstood, it had an important part in the shaping of ourselves and of a sense of our ideal selves,” said Doireann Ní Bhriain of the Merriman Summer School.

“The world that gave us that approach is long gone. The face of the country has been transformed. Urban life and the urban experience dominate the international media and shape contemporary identities.

“And yet, rural Ireland continues to exist. Its landscape still proclaims its beauty. Its people make an impact on the life on the country. Its fields produce food that is consumed in many lands.”

Alongside Minister Coveney, the summer school will also feature Professor Kevin Whelan of the Univer- sity of Notre Dame, Professor Chris Curtin of NUI Galway, Dr Ruth McManus and Eddie Downey, Vice President of the IFA.

Some of the specific topics earmarked for discussion include how the new virtual community relates to rural Ireland as well as questions about the future of farming, food, landscape, tourism, sustainability and the environment.

“This year’s school sets out to offer a positive but realistic perspective on the reality that is rural Ireland, It will look at the possibilities and potentials of the future,” added Doireann

The Merriman Summer School will run from Wednesday, August 15 to Sunday, August 19, at the Pavillion Theatre in Lisdoonvarna and other venues in the locality.

THE UEFA European Championships seem to have had a negative impact on visitor numbers coming to County Clare, with a marked decrease in tourists coming to the Cliffs of Moher Visitors Centre since the start of the competition.

Despite a largely positive start to the year, numbers visiting the Cliffs of Moher have dropped by more than 10 per cent in June, coinciding with the start of the competition.

This could mean further bad news ahead as the London 2012 Olympics, which had been thought of as a means of attracting tourists to the county, could follow the same pattern and draw tourists away.

According to figures obtained by The Clare People , overall visitor numbers between January and May of this year have shown a 6 per cent increase on the previous year.

This increase has been driven largely by an increase in group tours.

“The outlook is still unclear and we are hoping that we will see a pick up in individual business when the school holidays in Ireland and across Europe arrive at the end of the month,” said Katherine Webster, Director of the Cliffs of Moher Visitors Experience.

“It is possible also that the European Championships are having a negative effect on visitor numbers, as European nationals stay at home to watch their teams or, if they do travel, it’s to Poland and the Ukraine.

“The growth so far this year is in the group tour business which is substantially up on last year. Individual visitors for the period of January to May are flat with 2011 for the same period.

“Our busiest season is June to September. So far, the month of June is slightly down on last year and, while group business is continuing to do well, the individual visitor numbers are more than 10 per cent down.”

Meanwhile, it seems that the decision to remove any charge for entering the Vandeleur Walled Garden in Kilrush is paying dividends. Visitor numbers attending the historic site have grown by between 10 and 15 per cent so far this year.

Visitors to the centre are normally charged € 5 per adult during the summer season. However, the decision was made this year to scrap the entry fee in an effort to attract more tourists and allow the centre to make up lost revenue from entry fees.

According to Susie Matjeha, who manages the walled garden, there has been a marked increase in visitor numbers since the fee was waved. Ea rly in d ic a t io n s fo r n e xt we e k a re fo r t e m p e ra t u re s t o g e t wa rm e r w it h su n sh in e o n t h e wa y – fin g e rs c ro sse d !

GARDAÍ are investigating an incidence of cattle rustling in East Clare with a Quin farmer losing almost € 5,000 worth of livestock in a nighttime raid last week. Three mature animals were taken from the farm of Anthony Flannery in the Knappogue area of Quin last week, with a further five animals managing to escape capture.

This is the third instance of cattle rustling to take place in Clare in recent month, sparking fears among farmers that an organised gang may have been responsible. The animals were taken from a locked field on June 13 last, between 2am and 4am.

According to the Clare chairperson of the IFA, Andrew Dundas, farmers are becoming more and more fearful that their animals will be stolen.

“The animals were stolen from a field with a locked gate, so they had to cut through the lock to gain access. The animals were herded into a holding pen in the field and five of the animals managed to knock the wall of the pen and break out,” said Andrew.

“The farmer is very distressed after this. These people came prepared to do this job. They certainly had transport and were organised.”

The stolen cattle were each one and a half-year-old limousins which could have reached between € 1,100 and € 1,500 at the mart. These animals will not be able to be sold at any mart in Ireland with their current tags and it is likely that the criminals will try to use tags taken from dead farm animals, who have not be disposed of legally.

“People are scared, I have been talking to the milk truck driver and he tells me that gates are locked that never used to be locked. There was a major theft in Bridgetown in March with 13 animals stolen from inside a shed,” continued Andrew.

“I also heard of a large number of calves stolen from out of a shed over in West Clare, so it is all over the county. We would appeal to anyone who may have heard something on that night to get in contact with the guards. These animals can be traced. If we can locate them, even with their tags taken off, we can trace the DNA and confirm that they are the right animals.”

AN ENNIS teacher has made history by becoming the first woman to be named as principal of St Flannan’s College. Carmel Honan, who grew up in College View directly opposite St Flannan’s, is also thought be the first ever female principal of a diocesan college in Ireland.

A former student of Holy Family National School and Coláiste Mhuire in Ennis, Ms Honan has worked at St Flannan’s since 1990, teaching English and History.

The Ennis native said she is “deeply honoured” to have been named principal of one of the country’s largest secondary schools.

She added, “I have been really fortunate to work at what I love doing, which is teaching. I am going to miss the classroom.

“I’m looking forward to the challenge. I suppose I am excited about the challenge ahead.”

She replaces retiring principal Colm McDonagh, who became the first lay person to be appointed principal of the college.

Ms Honan said, “I certainly want to pay tribute to Colm. He was an inspiring colleague and an inspiring principal. He is a person of tremendous vision.”

She said she regards the appointment as “huge privilege”.

Ms Honan continued, “It’s a challenging role to ensure in the present climate that we cater for all of our diverse community.

“I grew up across the road from the school and I never once dreamed I’d be principal.

“I’ve always been happy at St Flannan’s because St Flannan’s is a place that was always concerned about people and motivating students.”

The history of the school dates back to 1846. It currently caters for over 1,200 students.

THE opportunity for Shannon Airport to strengthen its place in the global business aviation sector will be explored at a major conference attended by key international players at Dromoland Castle this week.

The second annual Irish Business Aviation Convention, hosted jointly by Shannon Airport and Shannon Development, on Wednesday and Thursday, will hear a number of leading figures discuss not just Shannon’s emerging role in the sector but also a range of opportunities and challenges facing the industry globally.

Among those speaking at the event will be Transport Minister Leo Varadkar, who will give a key note address on ‘Irish Aviation: Challenges and Opportunities’.

“The aviation industry presents enormous opportunities for Shannon, and for Ireland, in terms of job creation and economic growth. As we face into a crucial period for the Shannon’s future, the airport’s longstanding expertise in the aviation gives it a vital head-start,” said Minister for Transport, Leo Varadkar.

“This conference is ideal opportunity to tease out options for the aviation sector in Shannon, and for Ireland as a whole,” he added.

Shannon Airport director Mary Considine said that the conference is a timely opportunity to showcase Shannon’s potential to become a key player in the global aviation industry in the years ahead.

“Last year’s inaugural event was widely applauded by the industry, with the presence of representatives from the biggest operators in the business being a real vote of confidence in relation to our global reputation in this industry,” said Ms Considine.

“This year’s event will build on that, with an even stronger line-up of national and international speakers set to give insights into this very significant and exciting aviation sector. Shannon already has an excellent international reputation for delivering a top quality service to operators of business (private and corporate) jets. It is regularly used by some of the world’s highest net worth individuals and corporate entities. Last year, in a challenging year, we had over 4,500 business jet movements in and out of the airport, a slight increase on 2010. Our plan now is to build on this and broaden Shannon’s role as a potential business aviation hub.”

“This is Ireland’s only business aviation convention and the fact that it is being held in Shannon is testament to our rich aviation history,” said Shannon Development Chief Executive Dr Vincent Cunanne.

Among the other guest speakers are CEO of Avolon, Ennis nativeDomhnal Slattery, aviation consultant Brendan McQuaid and former NASA astronaut and space shuttle commander Bill Readdy.

IT MAY look suspicious when a group of strangers meet up in car parks and at bus stops around the county to hand over packages and large goods, but the new phenomena is a lot more innocent than it first appears.

These people have met through a Facebook page that gives away used good for free.

“One man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” explained Ennis woman Tina Whelan, the brainchild behind the operation.

The Facebook page “Clare free to a good home” allows people advertise items that they no longer require and want to give away for free.

Everything from a three piece to a bicycle, phone to a playhouse, and even some wedding dresses have been given away.

With over 1,500 friends Ms Whelan set up the closed page as the original “open” page was too difficult to police.

“People were messing and causing offence so we closed the first page after 50 to 60 days and then set up the closed page that people have to ‘like’ to access,” she explained.

There are now rules associated with the page, such as the amount of items any one person can claim. People are only allowed to claim one item a day from the 50 to 60 items a week that are posted.

There remains a few minor arguments from time to time, Ms Whelan admits, but nothing too serious that the administrators can’t manage.

People also ask for items they may need from the other members.

Last week one man asked for old fertiliser bags so he could go to the bog and fill his turf.

Within hours he had four to five offers.

“Another girl came on looking for a wedding dress and someone gave her their dress which was worth over € 2,000,” said Ms Whelan.

“In the first week one girl came on looking for a mannequin. I thought she will never get that, but she had three to four offers.

“It has just taken off. I am absolutely stunned at the reaction. People tell me they are now addicted to the page,” she added.

Since the page was launched last week more than 2,000 items have been given away.

“Children’s clothes are the biggest draw,” said Ms Whelan.

And as children finish up at school this week, the woman behind “Clare free to a good home” has set up a new page where parents can offer school uniforms, books and other materials to other parents.

“I am encouraging people to swap on this page so everyone benefits,” she said. Clare School/Book Uniform Swap has already had a lot of hits and a number of followers.

And while “giving stuff away” may be at the core of Ms Whelan’s first two pages she has set up a third that allows employers advertise jobs in Ennis.

“Ennis regular jobs for regular people” contains what she describes as “ordinary jobs that don’t require degrees or qualifications”.

ENNIS Chamber of Commerce has warned local businesses to be extremely cautious when advertising in publications that they are not familiar with and to do their research before placing any advertising.

The warning comes following a disagreement between three Clare businesses and a UK-based publications company over advertisements published in the ‘Friend for Life’ magazine.

The local businesses claim that they were sold the advertisements under false pretenses by the Vision Group, who publish the magazine. The Vision Group however, claim that the advertisements were sold to the Clare businesses legally and in good faith.

According to Rita McInerney of the Ennis Chamber of Commerce, proper research is the key for ensuring that Clare businesses get the most out of their advertising budget.

“Ennis Chamber would advise any business considering advertising with a publication that they are not familiar with to exercise caution. Businesses should ensure that it is a legitimate business and conduct a background check through some research on the internet or by requesting a company registration certificate or a charity number and then verify this with the authorising organisation,” she said.

“Dun and Bradstreet offers a credit check service on any business world- wide at a reduced fee through Ennis Chamber, which is worthwhile when considering doing business with a company you a not familiar with.

“This is particularly relevant for international trade, where business legislation can differ from country to country and it is more difficult to find out information. Businesses need to advertise to ensure their customers know what they have to offer but such marketing has to be conducted in a targeted way and businesses should investigate to ensure that the advertising does actually reach the audience to which it is intended,” she said.

“With tight budgets, businesses have to receive the most return on investment when marketing their products and services.”

HISTORY was made in Ballyvaughan yesterday as passengers from both sides of Galway Bay travelled between Ballyvaughan and Galway city centre in minutes on the first sailing of the Ballyvaughan Bay Hop.

The fast ferry made the crossing in perfect conditions with everyone present adamant that they would use the service into the future.

Present on the 12.30pm crossing was Mary Unglert from Unglert’s Bakery in Ennistymon, who went to Galway for the day for a spot of shopping with her mother and daughter.

“This is a service that is definitely needed and a permanent link from Ballyvaughan to Galway would be great. With the business that I am in, we wouldn’t need to use it but for anyone who is commuting from Clare to Galway, this is ideal. This can also help to bring more tourists from Galway into Clare,” she said.

“I’m not worried about getting seasick, we’re on ferries and boats the whole time and we like going out to Doolin from the Aran Islands so there’ll be no problem with that.”

Doolin resident Dolores Delaney is hopeful that the Ballyvaughan Bay Hop will be made into a full-time, year-round service.

“I have been waiting for this to happen for years and years. I think it’s wonderful. My husband and myself are going to have a bit of lunch in Galway, do some shopping, have a little walk around – then we are coming back on the 6pm boat,” she said.

“This is a great way of beating the traffic. Sometimes it can take us more than two hours to get from Doolin to Galway. I can guarantee that I would use this service at least once a week, maybe even more.”

There was also some exciting news from Dave Brocklebank from the Burren Yoga Centre, who believes that he can incorporate the Ballyvaughan Bay Hop into the yoga packages that he offers through his business.

“We run yoga courses all year around and, as part of that, we take people on different trips. For us, this would be a fantastic thing, to be able to take people over to Galway city as part of their course,” said Dave.

“We would be able to support the service but, more than that, this surface would help to support our busi- ness, by providing another attraction to bring people to the Burren Yoga Centre.”

The Ballyvaughan Bay Hop is the brainchild of Ballyvaughan resident Gwen Ryan, who is hopeful that a full-time, year round service will be available soon.

“I am thrilled that this is happening. It is brilliant to see the positivity of everyone around here. The response has been so encouraging. This really does present so many opportunities for the area,” said Gwen.

For more information or to book, visit www.ballyvaughanbayhop.com.

THE owners of a missing ferret in Ennis say they have been plagued by pranksters since they launched a poster campaign to find the animal.

Daniel Drzeweecke and his girlfriend have appealed for help from people in Ennis to help find their pet ferret – Ceara – who has been missing in the town for the past two weeks.

Daniel says the couple has received numerous helpful phonecalls from members of the public.

However, pranksters have rung the couple with false sightings. They also received a call from a person who claimed they had found their beloved pet dead.

Daniel explains, “We have got many different phonecalls, some prank calls. Sometimes it’s a joke or a prank.

“Once somebody called and said they had found the ferret dead. But it was actually only an old piece of clothing, a piece from a jacket.”

Ceara, who is microchipped, has been missing for the past two weeks since getting free while being brought for a walk near a fountain in the Mill Road area of Ennis.

The couple are asking anyone who sees Ceara not to be afraid to approach her.

Alternatively, they can contact Daniel on 085 1465752, Julija on 085 1316651, Egle on 085 1315841 or any local vet, pet shop or dog pound. Daniel says that any information is useful.

The couple have had Ceara for three years.

According to Daniel, ferrets are an increasingly popular pet.

Daniel has not given up hope of finding his ferret.

He explains, “I was talking to some other ferret owners and they say that ferrets go missing a lot.

“One person told me that their ferret was missing for a month before they found it again. They enjoy their freedom.

“They are not really a pet. They are able to live outdoors and kill their own food. She can handle the outdoors.” AS the switch to digital television gets closer, SAORVIEW targets half a million affected homes with onscreen message across RTÉ One, RTÉ Two, TG4 and TV3. Latest figures show there are 491,000 households with an estimated 800,000 television sets in Ireland that must switch to digital to avoid blank screens when the old analogue signal is switched off on October 24th, 2012. Starting this week, in a drive to ensure that affected homes know how to respond to the changeover, a brief on-screen message will appear at regular but infrequent intervals on sets receiving the old analogue TV signal. The message does not appear on sets already receiving a digital television signal. Almost a million households already subscribe to a digital service and therefore need take no action unless they choose to switch to the free SAORVIEW service. Commenting on the reason behind the on-screen caption, Mary Curtis, Director of Digital Switchover, SAORVIEW said: “Understandably, lots of people have been asking how they will know if they must get ready for SAORVIEW and digital television. The answer is straightforward. If you have an old analogue television and aerial, you will need to convert to digital otherwise you will lose your free Irish channels next October. By transmitting this message periodically on analogue sets, we hope to prompt viewers to take taking action sooner rather than later. SAORVIEW is available now so we are advising those affected not to wait until the last minute particularly as upgrading to RTÉ Two HD (High Definition) will make sports viewing more pleasurable this summer”, said Curtis.

The on-screen caption gives viewers the basic information they need to get SAORVIEW. As most will already have a UHF aerial, they simply need a SAORVIEW Approved settop box or a SAORVIEW Approved TV (which has the digital tuner built in). The caption also directs analogue viewers to the SAORVIEW website and call centre if they have any questions about getting SAORVIEW. Once sets have been upgraded to receive SAORVIEW, viewers can sit back and continue to enjoy Irish TV for free.

In addition to the caption, a date reminder “bug” will appear on these same TV sets. In welcoming this initiative Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Pat Rabbitte, said “The ‘bug’ which those still using the analogue TV network see on the top left corner of their TV screens will appear until they switch to a digital TV network will allow us to make it very clear to them that they need to take action and change to a digital TV service if they are to avoid losing their TV signal on Wednesday 24th October. Along with the information booklet which will be delivered to every home in the country at the end of June, the introduction of the ‘bug’ to analogue TV screens is an important part of our communications campaign to encourage people to get informed and take action. These initiatives, along with the decision by RTE, TG3 and TG4 to introduce reminder captions to analogue TV viewers, will serve to remind people that they need to move to a digital TV service of their choosing in advance of Wednesday October 24th and that they can take action now. We hope that analogue TV viewers will understand the reasons for the introduction of these devices and that it will prompt them take action sooner, rather than later”.

The date reminder in the top lefthand corner of the screen will be permanently on screen in the countdown to analogue switchover date, October 24th.

IN A WEEK when the retail and motor trade were severely hit in the county, there was good news for the hotels industry.

As many as 170 jobs were saved when the Clare Inn hotel was purchased for what is believed to be more than € 1.8 million by Dromoland Castle Hotel.

The value of the Clare purchase was further compounded by the interest in the 188-bedroom hotel from the time it went on sale.

Selling agents Savills Commercial said there was a lot of interest from home and abroad in the 8. 5 hectareor 21-acre site.

“An asking price of under the million mark would have drawn a lot of people to put an interest forward,” said a spokeswoman for the company.

In the end, Dromoland Castle Hotel paid just over twice the asking price of € 900,000.

The three-star hotel, which was owned by the Lynch Group, went into examinership in July 2009.

It first opened for trade in 1968, with 123 guest bedrooms. In the 1990s, it extended to 183 bedrooms and has an extensive range of facilities.

Now Dromoland Castle plans to develop its new sister hotel even further. Between € 250,000 and € 500,000 is expected to be spent on the refurbishment of the Clare Inn.

Each hotel will continue to trade separately and serve distinct markets, but the informal relationship between the neighbouring hotels, which has existed for years, will likely become more structured.

Dromoland Castle Hotel continues to be one of the most successful in the county, with latest accounts showing that it had accumulated profits of € 11 million at the end of 2010, with net assets totalling € 21.7 million.