Category: News

REGINA House has been embracing all that is positive about aging for 40 years. This weekend staff, residents and their families celebrated the service the Community Nursing Unit, Residential and Day Care Services have provided in Kilrush and West Clare for four decades.

The building on the Cooraclare Road began life as a welfare home in 1973, the first of its kind in the country.

It provided care to people who were mobile but in need of a little care so that they could live independent lives.

As the years passed, so too did the needs of the residents and the community and, subsequently, the role of Regina House also changed.

Today, the unit provides 30 beds for long-stay residents.

It also provides two outreach palliative care beds for Milford Hospice.

The attached day care centre provides a get-together and facilities for older people from Loophead to Lissycasey and from Labasheeda to Quilty.

When the centre is not in use at the weekends, it becomes a treatment room for the out-of-hours GP service Shannon Doc.

The community physiotherapist is also based there, with carers groups using it at night for meetings and training exercises.

On Saturday last, the 40-plus staff, along with residents, service users and their families, celebrated Regina House’s 40th anniversary.

Following an address by Director of Nursing Anne McNamara, a cake was cut to commemorate the day by John Woulfe, the longest resident; Mary O’Dwyer, who has just recently retired from Regina House after 37 years; and Mary Hassett, the longest serving member of staff.

The party organised by the Health Promotion and Standards Group, with the support of the staff and the director of nursing, included a blessing by Fr Sheedy PP followed by refreshments and entertainment by local schools, the community and family members of former residents.

While those present were celebrating 40 years of change at the HSErun Regina House, they were also celebrating a philosophy that has remained constant – “to embrace a positive approach to flourishing in later life”.

“We promote independence, health and well being and we aim to provide a safe therapeutic environment where privacy, dignity and confidentiality are respected,” the HSE said of the home.

THE Office of Public Works (OPW) has been urged to leave the historic 13th-century Ennis Friary visible to the public when it closes for winter.

The Friary, which had been closed to the public for three years to facilitate restoration works, re-opened last week.

Ennis Friary is open daily from 10am to 6pm up to October 31. The last admission is 45 minutes before closing. Public car and coach parking facilities are provided close to the site. A visitor leaflet providing background to the Friary has been translated from English into Irish, French, German, Italian and Spanish and is available on site.

The purpose of the estimated € 100,000 works project is to provide protection for the collection of carved features which survive at Ennis Friary.

A roof has been installed over the 18th-century church in order to pro- vide protection for the collection of carved features, which survive at Ennis Friary.

The OPW also plans to improve visitor access at the site.

Authorities on medieval sculpture have highlighted the importance of the Friary’s unique collection, which contains a complete set of panels representing the 12 apostles and stages of the Passion of Christ.

One Ennis man, whose father kept the keys of the Friary at his nearby business on Abbey Street, welcomed the re-opening but urged the OPW not to repeat the mistakes of previous years.

Cllr Tony Mulqueen (FG) said, “I spoke to the OPW and I asked them not to put up those horrible hoarding boards that were up for the past few years. Everyday, particularly during the summer, you could see tourists standing outside trying to get a look in. It was a disgrace because this is one of the town’s main tourist attractions.”

Cllr Mulqueen added, “It’s a relief to have it open again but I’m not sure about the timber frames they have around the windows. I think it would have looked better if they’d been toned down a bit to blend in with the rest of the building. But I’m delighted it is open.”

Mayor of Ennis, Cllr Peter Considine (FF) said, “I would encourage anyone interested in discovering more about the origins and early days of Clare’s county capital to pay a visit to the Friary during the summer months.”

A NEW roadmap for the development of Shannon into an international gateway has been laid out by Clare County Council in the terms and conditions of a new development plan for the town.

Taking on from where the 20112017 Clare County Development Plan left off, the new Shannon Town & Environs Local Area Plan has set out its goals for the development of Shannon, with the promotion of the airport and its hinterland seen as the key driver in the town’s progress over the next decade.

The local plan has pledged to play its part “to facilitate the development and expansion of Shannon”, which could now be in the offing as the airport prepares to take control of its own destiny with independence from the Dublin Airport Authority in the coming months.

And, part of these expansion plans for the airport envisaged in the council blueprint include the development of “an international air freight cargo hub” and “the development of innovative initiatives that harness the potential of the airport including a residential flight school, global logistics centre for humanitarian aid, unmanned aerospace systems and a centre for space collaboration”.

As part of paving the way for these ambitions plans for the airport, what has been termed a “core strategy” of the local area plan is to “ensure that sufficient lands are zoned at appropriate locations to meet all envisaged land use requirements of the area over the lifetime of the local area plan”.

The local area plan has also pledged “in collaboration with other agencies, to prepare a high level Strategic Plan, to identify key priority projects and developments capable of being accommodated at the Shannon Airport lands, Shannon Free Zone and Westpark”.

The draft goes on to highlight Shannon as “a key hub” both for national and international air travel, “a gateway to Ireland’s primary tourist locations” and “a driver” for county and region’s economic development.

“In this regard the plan will seek to ensure the growth and development of Shannon Airport and to harness its full potential, in line with national, regional and county development policy. The designation of a Strategic Development Area encompassing the airport lands reinforces this commitment,” it says.

‘Strategic Development Areas’ are areas identified within the plan area where specific planning and development objectives, land use policies and or master development plans have been identified for the future development of such designated area.

WHATEVER Steele’s Terrace can do, so too can St Flannan’s Terrace on the other side of the ‘Rhine’.

That’s message that will be delivered a public meeting that takes place this Tuesday night in the Temple Gate Hotel in Ennis as residents past and present prepare to mark the centenary of St Flannan’s Terrace.

Earlier this year current and former residents of Steele’s Terrace marked the centenary of the row of 30 houses that were built in 1912 with the publi- cation of a commemorative booklet.

Now, St Flannan’s residents are doing the same, with former St Flannan’s Terrace resident, Brian Dinan spearheading the drive to mark the centenary celebrations this autumn.

“Help us compile an illustrated booklet to mark the centenary year – the history of your house and where your family lived or where you live today,” Mr Dinan told The Clare People this week.

“Perhaps some former occupants and current occupants would get together to produce a commemorative booklet. We would like people who wish to help in this worthwhile project to come to the Temple Gate for the inaugural meeting that will launch the project,” he added.

The purpose of the meeting is to generate an interest in those with a St Flannan’s Terrace connection, urging them to come forward and contribute in whatever way they can.

“It is hoped to form a working committee to find ways of marking the 100 years. Celebrations will take the form of a social evening in October when an illustrated souvenir booklet containing memories and histories of past and present residents will be launched,” said Mr Dinan.

The foundation stone for St Flannan’s Terrace that comprises of 46 houses was laid at number 11 by the then sitting MP for East Clare, Willie Redmond, and the Bishop of Killaloe, Dr Michael Fogarty.

“As many as 300 families may have lived on St Flannan’s Terrace,” revealed Mr Dinan.

“There are many memories locked away or scattered to the four winds, which deserve to be recorded and celebrated in recognition and respect of these past generations of wonderful people,” he added.

SEVEN out of every 10 Clare families have had to sacrifice their teeth in order to see them through the recession.

A survey completed by DentalCover.ie has revealed that 73 per cent of Clare families have decreased the number of yearly visits to the dentist since the recession started in 2007.

Indeed, only 32 per cent of Clare people surveyed said that they were able to visit the dentist at least once a year.

Money was indicated as being the biggest factor for preventing Clare people from attending the dentist with 64 per cent of those surveyed, saying that a check-up fee of € 60 would prevent them from visiting the dentist.

One of the main areas to be cut back has been dentistry for children, with the majority of young Clare people not visiting the dentist until after they begin primary school.

“Worryingly, more and more children are now presenting with large cavities that can only be dealt with by extraction and often requiring general anaesthetic,” said Ger Gavin, Chief Dental Officer at Dentalcover. ie.

“As well as being an unnecessary ordeal for young children and expense for the family, it can make children reluctant to attend the dentist in the future. All children really need to attend a dentist in the first two years of their lives.

“It’s at this stage that the dentist can identify and remedy any unhealthy dietary habits or inadequate oral hygiene routines. This establishes a healthy relationship where children are associating dentistry with preventive dental care.”

Separate research has also indicated that the recession may be having another negative impact on Clare teeth as a result of an increase in the frequency of teeth grinding.

More than 30,000 Clare people suffer with bruxism, more commonly known as tooth grinding, and dentists have reported a dramatic increase in the number of patients presenting with the condition since the economic downturn.

“Those figures mean up to 1 million people in Ireland alone may grind their teeth. This is a much higher figure than many people would expect and one that is likely to rise if present trends continue,” said Dr Padraig McAuliffe.

“As many of these people mainly grind their teeth during sleep, they may not realise it is happening until they start to notice some signs – most commonly, tenderness or stiffness of the jaw in the morning, headaches and wear or damage to the teeth.”

MEMBERS of the public have been invited to a meeting on Monday night aimed at drawing up a communityled development plan for Clarecastle. Organised by Clarecastle Community Development Ltd, the meeting will take place in the Abbey Hall on Monday, June 25 at 8pm.

Clarecastle Community Development Ltd (CCD) is a non-profit-making company that was established six months ago. Its main objective is to promote the educational, cultural, social and economic wellbeing of all the members of the community of Clarecastle and its environs

The first phase of mapping out a new blueprint for community-led development in Clarecastle was launched in January. At the time, the company sought feedback from local people.

A CCD spokeswoman explained, “Clarecastle Community Development Ltd has finally concluded a lengthy consultation process with the people and organisations of Clarecastle through which it aimed to establish the community’s future vision for the village. It has received input from individuals, the business community, schoolchildren, youth and individuals. It has met with over 40 organisations within the community and has received useful feedback from them.”

She continued, “From this feedback, Clarecastle Community Development Ltd will put together a development plan for the next few years but, in the meantime, certain projects have been identified as being of significant importance to the community. CCD Ltd is now considering how best to develop these.” She added, “The interim Board of Clarecastle Community Development Ltd would like to share some of the feedback and ideas for potential development with the community of Clarecastle, identify some priority projects and look at our next steps.”

In May 2011, a public meeting was held which identified positives and negatives about Clarecastle and produced ideas for developing the village and its environs. The then Acting Development Group made a recommendation in September 2011 that a Selection Committee would nominate a new Development Committee. An interim Board of Directors of the new development company was nominated and met for the first time in October 2011.

DESPITE flooding in many parts of the county, 2012 will go down as a the record-breaking year for sunshine in County Clare.

Friday, May 25, and Saturday, May 26, have been recognised as possibly the finest ever 48 hours seen in the county during the month of May.

According to new data released by Met Éireann, the highest temperature recorded anywhere in Ireland last month was recorded at Met Éireann Shannon Airport station which recorded a high 27.8 degree Celsius on May 25. This was the highest May temperature recorded at the Shannon Airport station since it was opened in 1938.

The longest day of sunshine was also recorded at Shannon Airport on May 26 when a total of 15.6 hours of sunshine were recorded. This was the joint highest daily sunshine rate to be recorded at Shannon Airport in the station’s history.

For once, the good weather seems to have favoured the west coast over the east with both rain levels and temperatures indicating a much better month on the Atlantic coast. An example of this was the highest average temperature for the month, 12 degrees Celsius, being recorded at Shannon Airport, compared to the lowest average was recorded at Dublin Airport where the mean was just 9.6 degrees.

The rain also seems to have stayed clear of the Banner County last month with the Shannon Airport station recording the lowest months rain total in Ireland at just 38.8mm. This amounts to less than 60 per cent of the normal average rainfall recorded at Shannon Airport in the month of May. This amounts to just more than half of the rain that fell at Met Éireann’s Newport station where 74.9mm were recorded.

Nationally, rainfall was below average nearly everywhere, with the exception of most stations along the East coast which reported above average rainfall. These stations all attributed at least a quarter of their monthly rainfall total to the heavy rainfall on May 1.

MORE and more distressed Clare families are seeking legal assistance new figures have shown.

One in every three queries to Clare’s Legal Advice Centres last year was on matters of family law according to the Free Legal Advice Centre Report.

The centre in Ennis also proves to be the busiest centre in Munster attracting 449 people last year alone.

As many as 497 people received legal advice from the three centres in County Clare last year.

And while one third of the callers were concerned about family issues, 14 per cent had enquiries about employment law and their rights.

Money matters in the form of debt problem made up 11 per cent of the calls in Clare, nine per cent were concerned about housing and property and eight per cent about consumer law. Just four per cent of the calls related to crime.

FLAC noted a particular development around increasing debt prob- lems intersecting with issues such as family, employment and housing.

“FLAC has focused on reforming laws around personal debt because we have seen the terrible impact of over-indebtedness on people contacting us, having dealt some 83,000 legal queries since the start of 2008,” said Noeline Blackwell, FLAC Director General. “We have kept it simple: we need an independent, out-of-court debt settlement structure that will examine people’s personal debt in a holistic way and where possible aim to keep people in their homes.” Clare has three of these NSO centres in conjunction with the Citizens Information Centres in County Clare. The busy Ennis centre is open every Monday afternoon, Thursday evening and Friday evening at the Ennis CIC on Bindon Lane, while there are also evening clinics in Kilrush on the first and third Tuesdays of the month and an evening clinic in Shannon on the last Monday of the month. FLAC is an NGO that relies on a combination of statutory funding, contributions from the legal professions and donations from individu als and grant-making foundations to support its work. FLAC offers basic legal information through its telephone information line and free legal advice through its network of 80 volunteer evening advice centres. It also campaigns on a range of issues including personal debt, fairness in social welfare law, public interest law and civil legal aid.

LISDOONVARNA woman Birgitta Hedin-Curtin has been appointed as Ireland’s leading authority on organic fish.

Birgitta, who operates the Burren Smokehouse in Lisdoonvarna along with her husband Peter Curtin, was appointed by the Junior Minister at the Department of Agriculture, Shane McEntee (FG), to the newly formed Organic Focus organisation.

The organisation aims to coordinate business and government policy in the organic sector and Birgitta will have a key role in the way that the organic fish sector develops over the next few years.

According to the Burren Smokehouse funder, organic fish could become a major growth area in Clare in the years to come and could generate a large number of jobs.

“It is essential that you have a thriving organic sector, it showcases the entire food sector to foreign markets. The organic sector is a big focus for this and really does help to promote Irish foods abroad generally,” she said.

“Organic food is very important for County Clare but also for all of Ireland. The board is mainly made up of representatives from the business sector of the organic industry and the work will focus on helping to shape Government policy.

“Irish salmon production would not exist today if it wasn’t for the organic sector in the mid-1990s which kept it going. The weather conditions are difficult for salmon on the west coast but that gives us a higher class of salmon which means that we can charge a premium.

“Irish organic salmon has become a leader in the world market. It is being sought after worldwide at the moment. This can be built on. We have problems at the moment with licensing issues and that is holding things back at the moment but there are plans from the Department of Agriculture to address that.

“It needs to be addressed if there is to be a growth in the market. There is room for widening the production in the future and that can only be a good thing for the industry.”

PRESIDENT of Ireland Michael D Higgins did not call himself a Clare man during his first offical presidental visit to the county, but his brother and sister both agreed it was safe to consider him “one of our own”.

Ireland’s first citizen, who spent his formative years, from the age of five to 19, living in his parental home of Ballycar, Newmarket on Fergus, would not describe himself as a Clare man but a man with many associations with different counties.

“Yes indeed I associate myself with Clare.

“There are many origins I have that are very simply understood,” he said.

“My father and my grandfather and my greatgrandfather have been associated with County Clare since time immemorial. I am glad to say in the 1901 census in the townland of Ballycar there are four families of Higgins. And once again as a result of my brother’s [John] activites and his sons, there are four families in Ballycar again.”

The President explained that his mother came from an area near Charleville in Cork and her family continue to live there.

A former TD for Galway West, he described how the city accepted him as a migrant and its mayor twice.

“Galway is where my own fam- ily have been born and rared,” he added.

While the president maintained his life experiences have been made up of many counties, including the city of Limerick where he was born, all have a common thread of both rural and urban life.

It is these experiences that have formed the ninth President of Ireland, who admited that coming back to Clare as the country’s first citizen was like coming home.