Category: News

THE Government decision to snub demands at Clare County Council level for the local authority to be given representation on the any of the three committees charted with shaping Shannon Airport’s future has been branded as “a disgrace”.

At the June monthly meeting of the county council, Mayor of Clare, Pat Hayes (FF) led the charge against transport minister, Leo Varadkar, amid growing calls for a representative from the local authority to be brought onto one of the committees.

“It a disgrace that there is no local authority representation,” said north Clare electoral area representative, Cllr Pat Hayes (FF), while Mayor Hayes said “it was hugely disappointing that there is no one from the council on the steering committee”.

Council criticism came despite the revelation that Minister Varadkar is seeking to meet with Clare County Council chiefs on Shannon Airport, with councillors vowing to crank up the pressure in demanding that the local authority be given a role in Shannon’s future. Meanwhile, both Shannon Development and the Shannon Airport Authority have welcomed the announcement of the task forces and steering committees charged with mapping a new direction for Shannon Airport and the wider Shannon region.

“We are pleased to be part of both Task Force teams,” said Shannon Development chief executive, Dr Vincent Cunnane. “Shannon Airport and the Shannon Complex (which includes the Shannon Free Zone) are major economic drivers for the Shannon region and the wider western region, and Shannon Development is fully committed to engaging with the various groups to chart the future direction that will secure the viability and sustainability of the airport in the years ahead.

“We are particularly pleased that a guiding principal for the overall approach of the Steering Group enshrines the future development of the wider Shannon region,” Dr Cunnane added.

“The announcement of the makeup of the Steering Group and Task Forces is an important step in the Government’s process to create a new ownership structure for Shannon Airport,” said Shannon Airport director, Mary Considine. “We look forward to working with the Steering Group and Task Forces that have been announced today to help shape a new future for the airport and the region in line with Government policy,” she added.

GAY and bisexual young people living in Clare are more likely to contemplate and attempt suicide than their heterosexual piers.

That is the opinion of openly gay Ennis priest Fr Bernard Lynch and consultant psychiatrist Dr Moosajee Bhamjee, who believe that the lack of positive, openly-gay role models in the county can leave young Clare people feeling isolated and possibly suicidal.

Following the closure of the volunteer group Gay Clare nearly two years ago, there is no longer any Clare-based organisation to cater for the needs of rural gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered people.

According to Dr Bhamjee, many young gay people can find themselves completely isolated and in a very desperate position.

“People in rural Ireland can find it much more difficult to deal with their gayness – that is the case in many parts of Ireland and in rural areas abroad as well,” said Dr Bhamjee. “The problem is that they don’t have anywhere to express their sexuality and this can be very, very isolating for a person. In some ways, younger people are more open and more understanding, but there is still a huge stigma.” For a full inter view with

Fr Ber na rd Lynch, tur n to page 19.

THOUSANDS of householders across the county are now finding it increasingly difficult to meet their mortgage payments, with the number of people who are defaulting on loans with Clare banks increasing all that time.

That’s the warning that has been sounded out this week by the Clare Citizen Information Service, which has reported increases in calls to its helpline service for those coming un- der financial strain.

Speaking to The Clare People this week, Clare Citizen Information Service chief Paul Woulfe has urged people to come forward if they are experiencing financial difficulties as both his organisation and the debtcounselling service MABS gear up to meet the demands of giving muchneeded advice to cash-strapped individuals and families.

“People’s circumstances are changing all the time,” Mr Woulfe warned, “and there are a growing amount of people in the county getting into trouble with their mortgages. It is a huge problem that’s out there. People are defaulting on their mortgage payments in Clare and they have to go and try to re-negotiate with the banks.

“With the amounts of calls that are coming in every day, things are getting worse and they aren’t improving. It wasn’t a problem a couple of years ago, but now is the biggest problem facing people in the county. We see that every day,” Mr Woulfe added.

As part of this process the Clare Citizen Information Service has urged under pressure mortgage holders in the county to avail of the advice offered by the revamped keepingyourhome.ie website and MABS outlets in Clare that are located in Ennis and Shannon.

“It’s very stressful and mortgage arrears brought by losing your job can trigger other things as well,” warned Mr Woulfe. “It can lead to isolation, because with financial hardship you can lose your network and not interact with people as you used to. That’s why getting advice is so important,” he added.

MOVES are being made at Ennis Town Council level to mark the historic 1828 election of Daniel O’Connell in Clare by staging an annual event in honour of the ‘Liberator’ in the county capital.

The cause of O’Connell in Clare, which has been championed by a number of local historians in the county, will be taken to the floor of Ennis Town Council this week, with a motion being tabled by Cllr Johnny Flynn (FG) expected to receive the unanimous backing of the ninemember local authority.

O’Connell was elected as a Member of Parliament for Ennis on July 5, 1828. Having been proposed as a candidate by The O’Gorman Mahon and seconded by Tom Steele, he beat Vesey Fitzgerald in the election.

It was this victory that sparked the granting of Catholic Emancipation the following year, while Cllr Flynn’s motion to honour one of the most famous campaigns in Clare electoral history is being timed to coincide with the 185th anniversary of the election in 2013.

“We want O’Connell recognised in Clare by having a special day annually in his honour,” said local historian Declan Barron. “By having a Daniel O’Connell Day in Ennis and having that day set as July 5 every year, a whole new industry and interest can be cultivated.

“Daniel O’Connell’s election wasn’t only a turning point in Irish history, but it was a turning point in world history. That’s because it was the world’s first democratic revolution. Are we just the fighting Irish, who remember patriots because they were involved in wars or were killed?

“It is the first time that democracy was used to rebel against the status quo and the ruling powers. It was on July 5 that he was elected and it should probably be called Democracy Day, after Independence Day the day before. 2013 would be an ideal year to start this, on the 185th anniversary but also because it could become part of the ‘Gathering’ project,” added Mr Barron.

AN Bord Pleanála are due to deliver a decision on a controversial € 34 million retail park on the outskirts of Ennis next Monday.

In January, Ennis Town Council refused planning permission for a proposed retail development at the Clare Road / Tobertascáin.

Michael Lynch Ltd had sought permission for the (1) Demolition of all structures on site including five residential units, office block and all ancillary buildings; (2) Provision of a public plaza fronting on to the Limerick Road including both soft and hard landscaping; (3) A retail development including a food store incorporating customer restaurant and cafe, off licence sales area, dot com area and storage service area; (4) Separate ancillary two-storey retail and office blocks, a standalone two-storey office block, 610 parking spaces, provision for cycle parking, trolley bays and vehicular access to and from the Tobarteascain Road.

The developers had said the project would create 300 jobs in construction and between 180 and 200 per- manent jobs.

However, objectors, including town centre businesses, argued that the development would have a “significantly detrimental effect on town centre retail” and lead to a “decreased viability of the town centre”.

Residents on the Clare Road also fear that the proposed retail development will have an adverse impact on flooding in the area.

An engineering planning report prepared on behalf of Michael Lynch Ltd states that the site would be developed in a sustainable manner “in order to minimise the impact of the development during construction and throughout the lifespan of the proposed store”.

In its decision, the council deemed that the proposal is premature pending the upgrade of the wastewater treatment plant at Clareabbey and pending the implementation of the Ennis South Flood Relief Scheme.

The council also cited changes in the Planning and Development Act 2010.

The decision was subsequently appealed to An Bord Pleanála. The Board are expected to make a decision on June 10.

Gerard DAVOREN
of Griffith Ave, Dublin and late of Caherconnell, Kilfenora. Peacefully. Laid to rest in Kilcorney Cemetery. Donations in lieu to St Michael’s House. May he rest in peace.

Eamon MOLONEY
of McNamara Park, Ennis. Suddenly. Privately cremated. Donations, if desired, to the Irish Cancer Society. May he rest in peace. May he rest in peace.

Flan CUNNINGHAM
of Quilty East Quilty. Suddenly. Laid to rest in Mullagh Cemetery. Donations, if desired, toThe Irish Heart Foundation. May he rest in peace.

Tom LILLIS
of Killofin, Labasheeda. Laid to rest in Killofin Cemetery. May he rest in peace.

William SHAW
of 1 Collins Park, Shannon. Late of Castleconnell, Co. Limerick. Laid to rest in Lemanagh Cemetery. May he rest in peace.

Mary MOORE
of Dromindoora, Caher. Formerly of Killeaney, Maynooth and Carbury, Co. Kildare. Laid to rest in Killanena. Donations, if desired, to Cahercalla Hospice. May she rest in peace.

Pat DUGGAN
of Corry Lane, Kilkee. Suddenly, at his home. Laid to rest in Lisdeen Cemetery. May he rest in peace.

Anthony HEGARTY
of Crowhill Newmarket-on-Fergus.After a short illness. Laid to rest in Lemenagh Cemetery. House private please. May he rest in peace.

Eileen O’REILLY (née Markham)
of Castlefergus, Quin. Funeral Mass at St Bricken’s Church, Doora onTuesday at 11am. Burial afterwards in the Church grounds. May she rest in peace.

ENNIS General Hospital has under gone significant changes in the services it offers patients in the last three years. While the County Clare hospital has lost its 24-hour accident and emergency service along with its acute services, the number of day surgeries and non-acute procedures it is undertaking has grown significantly.

In 2008 there were no cardiac day procedures carried out at the hospital. In 2011 however there were 72 such procedures undertaken by specialised staff.

Similarly in 2008 there were no gastroenterology, geriatrics, maxillo-facial surgery or plastic surgery day procedures carried out at the hospital.

Three years later, 228 plastic surgeries, 143 gastroenterology procedures, 119 maxillo-facial surgeries, and three geriatric procedures were completed in one year on the hospital campus.

The most significant increase was in vascular surgery, where the number of procedures in a year increased by 400 per cent from 28 in 2008 to 140 in 2011.

There was also a significant increase in work carried out in the urology department from 69 procedures in 2008 to 342 procedures in 2011 – a jump of 395.65 per cent.

Gynaecology procedures increased by 43.75 per cent in that time period, while dentistry increased by 27.79 per cent.

With the change in the hospital’s status within the Mid Western Hospitals Group medical procedures and surgical procedures had dropped by 35.64 per cent and 12.59 per cent respectively.

CEO of the Mid Western Hospitals Group, Ann Doherty has previously explained, “We are engaged in build- ing a single hospital system. If that sounds radical let me assure you that the Trust will not be an exercise in centralisation of services at the expense of the smaller hospitals. It is significant that changes in medicine and technology are leading to the establishment of region-wide specialist departments in fields such as radiology and cardiology. This had led to dramatic improvements such as in Ennis where tele-radiology was introduced in April 2011 as the main method of reporting X-rays and the development of outreach cardiology services such as the heart watch programme.”

A new 50-bed unit at Ennis General Hospital is scheduled to open at the end of the month, which will provide new facilities to go with the procedure including two new wards with 50 new beds and en-suites, and facilities for CT scanning, operating theatres, endoscope facilities and day surgery.

SHORTLY after the ballot boxes opened on Friday morning, it was clear that the people of Clare had voted overwhelmingly to accept the Stability Treaty, and there were few if any protest votes among those tallied.

At 2.09pm, Clare’s Returning Officer Patrick Wallace announced that the people of Clare had resoundingly accepted the treaty.

As many as 26,121 people, or 65.7 per cent of the poll, had voted yes the previous day, while 13,613 or 34.3 per cent had voted no. Less than half a per cent of the votes were spoilt.

While the turnout was low, there also appeared to be no orchestrated protest vote against the Government.

Even in areas like Parteen, who are concerned about the proposed Limerick Northern distributory road cutting through their village, there seemed to have been no orchestrated protest vote. The Parteen ballot box opened in Clare showed a tally of 130 for, with 72 against. The second Parteen box was opened as part of the Limerick City constituency.

There was a slight swing towards the no camp in Shannon Town but the yes vote still won the day.

In the Shannon Electoral area, an estimated 61 per cent of voters voted for the treaty, with 39 per cent voting against. According to the tallies, there was one “no box” in Shannon Town. However, the tallymen and women missed a box and a half of votes from St Aidan’s School Ballycasey. It was estimated that the town voted 54 per cent in favour of the treaty and 46 per cent against, which made it the lowest yes vote in the county.

In total, the joint tally between Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil accounted for 78 per cent of the boxes. Despite missing a few boxes, the tally was still within one per cent of the overall result, predicting a yes vote of 64.8 per cent.

The north Clare area was the biggest supporter of the treaty, according to the tallies. As many as 67.8 per cent of people in the Ennistymon Electoral Area voted in favour of the treaty, with both Ennis electoral areas returning a joint yes vote of 66 per cent.

Kilrush Electoral Area returned a yes vote of 65.5 per cent, with Killaloe Electoral Area supporting the treaty by 64.73 per cent.

Shannon Electoral Area had the lowest yes vote, but still voted in favour of the referendum by a margin of 61 per cent to 39 per cent.

HUNDREDS of pilgrims from Clare are set to attend the Eucharistic Congress that is expected to attract over 40,000 people to the RDS in Dublin between June 10 to 17 next.

The Clare contingent will be led by Bishop of Killaloe, Kieran O’Reilly, while a spokesperson for the diocese has revealed that busloads of pilgrims from all parts of the country will attend the weeklong event.

“This is the 50th Congress and it is a very big event,” said Killaloe Diocesan secretary Brendan Quinlivan. “There is a very big ecumenical theme to this year’s Congress and the dialogue between the different churches.

“There are people coming from all over the world to this Congress – from eastern Europe, from Africa and Clare will be very well represented with people from all parishes attending,” added Fr Quinlivan.

“Next Monday is the big ecumenical day of the Congress,” revealed Fr Jerry Carey, “and young people from around the country will be gathering in the RDS on that day for special prayer services. There are young people from all over Clare who will be attending,” he added.

Eucharistic Congress organiser in the Diocese of Killaloe, Essie Hayes, revealed that many volunteers from the county will play their part transforming the RDS centre in Ballsbridge into a Eucharistic Village.

“It’s all about volunteerism,” she said, “and a big part of the village will be an exhibition that will remember when the last Eucharistic Congress came to Ireland in 1932,” he added.

Over 1,000 people from Clare attended the 1932 gathering, the 31st Congress since it was established in 1881 the Vatican as a gathering of clergy and laity to bear witness to the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.

THE voter turn-out for the Stability Referendum last week was the lowest in the county in almost a decade.

Campaigners from all sides said they were disappointed with the 49.8 per cent turn-out in Clare, which was just short of the national average. However, the large number of people staying at home at the time of a referendum is not unusual in Clare’s recent history.

Just 30.83 per cent of the electorate in Clare turned out in June 2001 to vote on the first Nice referendum, the abolition of the death penalty and the criminal courts referendum.

This was a huge drop from the previous referendum of June 1999 when 60.05 per cent of the Clare electorate turned out to vote for ‘Recognition for Local Government’.

In March 2002, just 39.29 per cent of the Clare electorate turned out to vote on the Protection of Human Life in Pregnancy, with 47.05 per cent voting on Nice 2 that October.

The largest turn out for a referen dum in recent years in Clare was in June 2004, when 64.6 per cent voted on the Citizenship.

From then until last Thursday, the turn-out remained over 50 per cent in the Banner county, with 52.48 per cent voting on Lisbon 1 in June 2008, 56.9 per cent voting on the second Lisbon referendum in October 2009, while 56.12 per cent voted on the House of the Oireachtais Inquiries and 57.95 per cent on Judges Remu- neration during the Presidential election in October 2011.

Last week’s drop below 50 per cent was a disappointment to the majority of people involved in the campaign. Some blamed referendum fatigue, others a lack of knowledge on the subject.

“An element of referendum fatigue was built into the turn-out. I was disappointed that more people didn’t choose to vote but it is the norm for referendums that you don’t have a large turn-out,” said Fine Gael TD Joe Carey.

Fine Gael Senator Tony Mulcahy said he believed the low turn-out was due to frustration and annoyance among people. There was also an element of “people not understanding it” he maintained.

CLARE’S vast Diaspora is to be tapped in an effort to create new jobs in the county, with the Clare County Development Board throw ing its weight behind the project being promoted by the Connect Organisation.

“We will succeed. We can deliver jobs in Clare by using our contacts abroad,” Connect Ireland’s Alan Gallagher said when address a meeting of County Development Board.

In backing this drive at stimulating jobs growth in the county, Clare County Council enterprise officer, Majella McNamara revealed that “many leading companies have already chosen Clare as a location for investment.

“The purpose of this new initiative is to attract smaller, more mobile companies to locate here too. The smaller companies can set up operations more quickly with the result that new jobs can be created a lot faster in smaller locations, such as Ennis and other parts of the county.

“What we need is to have suitable, attractive business space and to showcase and sell all the attractive aspects of the county,” she added.

Connect Ireland is the company appointed by the government and the IDA to deliver the Succeed in Ireland initiative with the aim of creating 5,000 jobs in Ireland within five years as part of the Government’s 2012 Action Plan for Jobs.

The initiative works by encouraging ordinary people and businesses to use their international connections to encourage companies to set up in Ireland.

An individual who introduces a company that subsequently invests in Ireland and creates new jobs will receive a financial reward of € 4, 500 if three jobs are created up to a max- imum of € 150,000.

“We would urge the people of Clare to think about the people you know all over the world: friends, family, old school friends and teammates, neighbours and business contacts.

“Just check in with them, you might be surprised at where they work, who they know and just what that quick email or phone call could result in in terms of job creation in Clare,” added Ms McNamara.