Category: News

LARGE surf schools have been accused of operating a monopoly on Clare’s beaches – with smaller operators not being allowed access to prime trading beach such as Lahinch.

Thousands of surf lessons take place at Lahinch, Spanish Point, Kil- kee and Fanore beaches each week – with dozens of surf school springing up around the county in recent years.

Yesterday’s North Clare Area Meeting of Clare County Council heard accusations that large surf schools were operating a monopoly and essentially forcing smaller operators out of business.

The meeting became heated when Lahinch-based Cllr Bill Slattery (FG) read out information on behalf a Lahinch-based surf school, which also trades on a number of other beaches in the county. Cllr Michael Hillery (FF), who is based in Spanish Point, then made representations on behalf of a Spanish Point-based “friend” who currently trades in Spanish Point, but cannot gain access to Lahinch. Fianna Fáil Cllr Richard Nagle, reprimanded councillor for making representative on behalf of individual surf school – while others schools were not present.

The trading bylaws which govern the licensing of surf schools in Clare are due to be updated next month. However, Irish Water Safety are due to complete a risk assessment on all beaches in Clare where surfing takes place.

It was decided at yesterday’s meeting to grant month-long licenses to the surf schools, to allow time for changes to be made to the trading bylaws, once the results of the risk assessment have been released.

“There are a number of individual who are licensed to provide les sons in Lahinch and throughout the country. The difficulty is that once you have a licence, you can employ as many people as you like. So one person with a licence could have 160 people on the beach with 24 instructors – is it a licence to trade or is it a monopoly,” said Cllr Joe Arkins (FG).

Separate bylaws limit the number of surf schools who can trade on Lahinch beach to six. However, no such bylaws exists on other Clare beaches, meaning that Lahinchbased schools can operate school on every Clare beach – while other schools cannot gain access to the town’s most popular surfing beach.

“The surf schools are becoming a victim of their own success. The number of surfers are increasing on a yearly basis and Lahinch can only cope with so many surfers at any one time,” said Cllr Nagle. Tue29May12

THE life and times of the the founder of the GAA, Clare man Michael Cusack, is to be celebrated in a new annual summer school which has been proposed for the Michael Cusack Centre in Carron.

The summer school, which was proposed by Cllr Michael Kelly (FF) at yesterday’s North Clare Area meeting of Clare County Council could see the local authority working hand and hand with the GAA to bring hundreds of delegates to Carron each summer.

Councillors resolved at yesterday’s meeting to make contact with the Clare GAA county board in an effort to move forward the summer school in partnership with the GAA.

“There are schools taking place all over the country. A school like this would be a great source of income and would also showcase the Burren to tourists,” said Cllr Kelly.

“You could get more than 200 people in an area for such a conference. Michael Cusack was the founder of the GAA and, to be honest, I can’t believe that there isn’t already a summer school to mark the man.”

The motions in favour of the sum- mer school received widespread support from local councillors.

“I think that it is an excellent idea. Maybe the GAA could help lead the way in this as well. It would be a money making venture for the GAA and the spins offs for the wider areas could be massive,” said Cllr Joe Arkins (FG) who seconded the proposal.

“It could help put the Burren and the Michael Cusack centre on the map – more then they are already.”

THE new 50-bed unit at Ennis General Hospital is to open at the end of next month.

The exact date to the opening has not been announced at the HSE awaits the arrival of specialist equipment for the unit.

Clare county councillor Tom McNamara (FF) said there was a lot of disappointment that it still wasn’t opened as the builders had handed over the unit last October.

“I cannot see how the delivery is taking so long. We were way under budget (at Ennis General Hospital) last year. Why couldn’t that saving have been used?” he asked.

“We need to put a definite date on it.”

CEO Mid Western Hospital Group, Ann Doherty, said the delay was not a budgetary issue.

“I don’t want to give a date and not meet it,” she said.

“We are well on the way to the opening of our new inpatient accommodation in Ennis. Currently the equipment is on order and delivery schedules are being agreed.”

“As of yet, delivery dates are not confirmed for all items of equipment and therefore an opening date cannot be confirmed. It is anticipated that the unit will be open in the next four to five weeks,” she said.

Ms Doherty said that once she had received definite information about the equipment and its installation she would confirm a date for the opening of the € 15 million extension.

The extension will include two new wards with 50 new beds and ensuites, and facilities for CT scanning, operating theatres, endoscope facilities and day surgery.

THERE was joy for the family and friends of baby Sergio O’Connor who came through a gruelling six hour operation in Boston on Saturday.

One year-old Sergio, who is one of a set of twins, had been in America for more than a week waiting for the life saving surgery to reconnect his oesophagus.

Sergio was born on March 5 last with a rare condition which prevents him from eating, drinking or swallowing. Sergio, who before travelling to America had only been released from hospital for a few hours on Christmas day, came through the operations well but is still in an induced coma.

Sergio and his twin brother Tadhg were born into one of North Clare’s best loved traditional music families with his father Donal, his grandmother Ann O’Connor (nee Dillon) and his uncle, the former TG4 Young Musician of the Year, Liam O’Connor, all taking part in countless sessions around the county over the years.

Sergio still has a large number of relatives in Ennistymon and other areas and a large number of fundraising concerts have taken place around the county in recent months, in help in the cost of his life changing surgery.

The youngster went into surgery at 7.30am local time and with surgeons using a rare process known as the Foker treatment, to reconnect his oesophagus. The operation went well but Sergio will remain in an induced coma for another week so that his oesophagus has time to heal up.

Sergio’s family in America say that are “over the moon” with the surgery and are very thankful to the entire team here at the hospital. Sergio will still require other procedures and surgeries in the future but last Saturday’s operation is seen as a key milestone in his recovery.

THREE thousand Clare people were unaware that they were close to becoming citizens of Limerick last week as amendments were made to the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2012 at Dáil committee level.

Limerick Fianna Fáil TD Niall Collins attempted to add an amendment to the bill that would in essence bring in the proposals of the controversial Limerick Local Government Com- mittee (LLGC) report more commonly known as the Brosnan report.

He put forward amendment nine, which stated, “The administrative area of the new Limerick Local Government Authority shall be extended to include the residential areas of Shannon Banks, Westbury, Carrig Meade and Athlundard in Co Clare and shall also include that part of the campus of the University of Limerick also in Co Clare.”

The new Limerick Local Government Authority that would take over from Limerick County Council and Limerick City Council was one of the Brosnan proposals accepted by Government last year.

The proposal to extend the boundary of this new authority into Clare was rejected however after much protest from the Banner County by the Government last year and by the committee on Thursday.

Labour Junior Minister Jan O’Sullivan, who was chairing the committee meeting, told Mr Collins that the Government would not be accepting the amendment after those in attendance voted to reject it.

Among them was Clare Labour TD Michael McNamara who described it as an attempted land grab.

“In Government, Fianna Fáil transferred Aer Rianta International in Shannon to the Dublin Airport Authority and privatised Aer Lingus so that it can leave Shannon on a whim. In opposition, Fianna Fáil now wants to move part of the campus of the University of Limerick and the residential areas of Shannon Banks, Westbury, Carrig Meade and Athlundard out of Co Clare,” said Deputy McNamara.

Flan CUNNINGHAM
, Sallus, Quilty East. Suddenly. Funeral mass today (Tuesday) at 11 o’clock at The Star of the Sea Church, Quilty, with burial afterwards in Mullagh Cemetery. Family flowers only please, donations, if desired toThe Irish Heart Foundation. May he rest in peace.

Kieran FAHY,
26 Lower Main St.Tulla and late of Lahardan. Peacefully at home. Funeral mass today (Tuesday) at 11 o’clock at Ss Peter and Paul’s Church,Tulla, with burial after in local cemetery. May he rest in peace.

John GALVIN
of 32 Liosard,Tulla Road, late of 2 Chapel Street, Longford town. Laid to rest in Drumcliffe Cemetery, Ennis. Donations, if desired, to Milford Hospice. May he rest in peace.

THE Mid Western Hospital group had exceeded its budget by as much as 13 per cent at the end of March, while € 30 million goes uncollected from health insurers.

Ennis and Nenagh general hospitals were breaking even during the first quarter of this year, however the Mid West Maternity Hospital and the Mid Western Regional Hospital Limerick was surpassing all budget alloca- tions, having overspent by € 6,869. This is the largest deficit among hospital groups in the HSE West.

Meanwhile as much as € 20 million has not been collected from health insurance companies due to consultants lack of paper work in the HSE West, with a further delay in the payment of another € 10 million.

Liam Minihan, Assistant National Director of Finance HSE West, said it takes the HSE 145 days to collect its income from these companies. He added that a private company would not survive this practice.

“Insurance companies have slowed down paying us. € 20 million is also waiting for consultant signatures so that it can be processed,” he said.

Mr Minihan explained that the biggest drain on the HSE’s budget was the nursing home Fair Deal programme. The HSE’s nursing homes must have more than 95 per cent occupancy to receive payment from the Government. In total the HSE West was € 26.3 million over budget by the end of March, with the hospital budget over by € 20.4 million and the community sector bursting its budget by € 5.5 million.

The 361 retirees from the HSE West will save the health service € 34 million this year, and travel costs are down by € 300,000 according to the financial expert, with a further € 3 million saved by cutting the agency nurses bill from € 9 million to € 6 million.

Hospitals are already implementing seasonal closing in a bid to cut their spending but a cut to the overall budget at the beginning of the year has put them under serious financial pressure.

Bill Maher, CEO Galway Roscommon Hospital Group, said, “Year on year spending has been reduced, and there was a significant reduction in our allocation this year.

“The money follow patient system has been mentioned for the last five years and that it is always around the corner,” he said adding that such a scheme would make it easier for hospitals to break even.

LIVES could be lost on Lahinch beach as a result of new parking bylaws which will force all the town’s surf school to trade in one area of the promenade. That is the opinion of surf school operator Ben Bennett, who believes that the schools provide the first line of defense for people who get into difficulty while in the water at Lahinch.

Mr Bennett, who operates Ben’s Surf Clinic in Lahinch, was responding to the introduction of the new bylaws which he says will not fix any of the difficulties experienced by beach users at Lahinch.

The bylaws force the surf school to operate and to enter the beach at the northern end of the Lahinch Promenade. They were put in place after a number of complaints were made by members of the public about overcrowding at the beach.

“There seems to be a confusion between surfers and surf schools,” said Ben.

“None of the surf schools allow the surfers into the swimming zone but it is the inexperienced surfers that do drift in there. The surf schools are getting blamed for what the surfers are doing.

“Surfing is keeping Lahinch alive all winter long. It is not just a summer thing – the car park will be filled with surfers in the middle of the winter and all of them will be paying parking fees to Clare County Council – we are getting a really bad rap here.”

According to Ben, the surf school also provide a year round safety net for people using the beach at Lahinch.

“I personally rescue about seven to eight people a year at Lahinch because I am on the beach all the time. I would imagine that every other surf instructor would do something similar,” continued Ben.

“The council are putting us at the furthest point possible from the beach. We can’t see the beach. I am located at the first ramp down and from there I can see the beach and advise the people who are there about the tides and the currents.

“There will definitely be more accidents and more incidents due to the fact that surf schools are being placed at the back of the prom. I think the safety issues are very serious and I believe that some day, someone is going to be stretchered off very badly injured just as a result of moving the surf schools back. Someone is unfortunately going to drown.”

FIANNA Fáil Director of Elections took the treaty campaign to his home county this week supported by party leader Michéal Martin.

Deputy Timmy Dooley walked the street of Ennis on one of the sunniest days of the year campaigning for a yes vote at Thursday’s Stability Referendum.

Deputy Martin was still confident that the treaty would be passed as he met the public.

“People are very concerned at the moment about the future of the country about their own futures as families, individuals, mothers are very concerned about prospects for their children, so they are looking at everything through that prism. Many people’s lives have been changed as a result of this recession which is the worst since the 20s,” he said.

“Up to last week or so there were more definite yeses than nos because people see it as a step that is safer than no, because they are not sure where no leads you to, and because of the crisis there is a fear about go ing down that road.

“On balance they feel that yes is a better than option than no,” he told The Clare People .

Asked if the shadow of Éamonn Ó Cuiv still hung over the party’s campaign he said, “I think Éamonn’s position is well known it has been well articulated on a number of occasions and I suppose that brought a degree of authenticity to the debate.”

He was also in the unusual position of campaigning with the Government as an opposition party leader.

“I think people do appreciate the fact that as an opposition party we are not playing games with the treaty. We are not trying to undermine the Government through the treaty. We have taken up the fact that we are taking an honest broker approach on the issue,” he said.

“I suppose there is less pressure in some respects in the terms of the nature of the campaign. What we have found is that there has been plenty of engagement.”

Through that engagement on the streets of Ennis he said, “The big lie from the beginning of the campaign has been labelling this treaty as the austerity treaty because the actual reality is that the rules contained in the treaty are there anyway under the stability and growth pact and the regulations the Government agreed to last year.

“Our reasoning is that actually if you vote for the treaty then you are giving yourself as a country a better chance to access money at a cheaper rate over the year.

If you vote no you could end up with more cut faster because you are not sure where you are going to get your money from and at what cost,” he said.

WITH just two years until the local elections, Fianna Fáil leader Michéal Martin believes his party in still strong in Clare.

Traditionally a Fianna Fáil stronghold the party’s vote in Clare fell by 32 per cent during the last local election in 2009, while it was reduced to just one Dáil seat after the General Election in 2011.

As Fianna Fáil had no candidate in the Presidential election last November, the leader of the party made his first canvass of Clare on Friday last as he campaigned for a yes vote in the Stability Treaty.

During his visit he said, “I am under no illusion as to where people are. People are very, very upset with the turn of events.”

“I don’t expect transformation in attitude overnight so what we have to do as a party is renew and regain trust for people by honest politics, by changing the way we behave and the way we act as politicians. That is a big challenge for us and that is what we have to do. And actions speak louder than words and in many ways our stance on the treaty reflects that.

“Over time we will regain trust but also we want to bring new people into the party and younger people into the party in addition to what we have already. And what I have detected around the country is that people are offering themselves. We are witnessing people who are coming forward who want to stand and who want to contest the local election. That is encouraging and that is very reassuring and we need more women and we need more younger people and that is the key.”

“We have already appointed area representatives in areas we don’t have councillors and these people are already beavering away meeting with local organisations and community groups and working on the ground,” he said.

A SLOVAKIAN mother of two described in court as a “menace to the town” has received a two month prison sentence after being convicted of possessing stolen property in Ennis.

Eva Makulova (31), with an address at 3 Hazelwood, Clon Road, Ennis, pleaded guilty to three charges of theft and one charge of possessing stolen property at locations in Ennis over a 16-day period earlier this year.

Details of the charges against Ms Makulova were heard at Ennis District Court on Tuesday.

The court heard that Ms Makulova stole € 108 worth of children’s clothes from Dunnes Stores on Feb- ruary 17; perfume worth € 52 from Boots Chemist, on February 24 and perfume worth € 56 from Boots Chemist on February 25.

Ms Makulova, who has no previous convictions, also pleaded guilty to possessing stolen property valued at 412 euros at Lower Market Street, Ennis on March 3, knowing the property was stolen or being reckless as to whether it was stolen.

Inspector Tom Kennedy told the court that the perfume found in the accused’s possession had been taken from Rochford’s Pharmacy, Ennis on February 29. The items were recovered and are re-saleable, he said.

Solicitor Tara Godfrey said Ms Makulova had stolen from Dunnes because she did not have money to buy clothes for her children. She said the clothes were recovered.

Ms Godfrey said her client, who is unemployed, had not been in receipt of social welfare at the time and had struggled to provide for her children. Ms Godfrey said the offences had occurred at a time when Ms Makulova’s husband was in prison.

She said her client had been compelled to steal out of a “victorian necessity” arising from “these hard times we live in.”

Insp Kennedy said he rejected Ms Godfrey’s depiction of Ms Makulova’s personal circumstances.

He said he disagreed that she was in “dire needs” and that no evidence of the unavailability of social welfare had been brought to court.

He said Ms Makulova had stolen “high value” goods.

He added, “I’m saying Ms Makulova is a thief and menace to this town.” Judge Patrick Durcan said he had to balance these “serious offences of a larcenous nature” with Ms Makulova’s guilty plea, good record and personal circumstances.

He applied the probation act in respect of the theft from Dunnes Store. Judge Durcan imposed separate fines of € 100 and € 200 in respect of the thefts from Boots. Recognances were fixed in the event of an appeal in both fines.

A two-month prison sentence was imposed for possessing of stolen property. Recogances were fixed in the event of an appeal.