Category: News

CLARE’S six Oireachtas members gathered in front of Daniel O’Connell on the top of O’Connell Street, Ennis, on Friday last, canvassing in unison for a Yes vote on the Stability Treaty.

TDs and senators across the three parties – Fine Gael, Labour and Fianna Fáil – agreed that accepting this treaty was in Ireland’s interest.

Clare Fianna Fáil TD and the party’s Director of Elections for the referendum, Timmy Dooley was aware, however, that although his Clare Dáil colleagues of all political persuasions were in agreement with the treaty, the same could not be said about all within his own party.

As the Fianna Fáil frontman on the Stability Treaty Referendum, the Clare TD must deal with the decision of former minister Éamonn Ó Cuiv, and his supporters in Galway West, not to support the treaty.

Deputy Dooley told The Clare People that he was not particularly worried about the Galway West TD’s stance, stating that the party’s recommendation for a Yes vote had received a lot of support in Galway West.

“Éamonn Ó Cuiv from the get-go was not an advocate of the European project to the best of my knowledge,” he said.

“He is a member of the party and has a right to his own views. It is my understanding that he won’t be canvassing against it (the treaty) either,” added Deputy Dooley.

Asked if it made his job as Director of Elections more difficult, he said,

“Things are difficult for Éamonn. He has lost the deputy leadership and his front bench position as a result of his stance.”

Deputy Dooley said he has been working in Galway West and around the country on the referendum.

Referring to Galway West he said, “There is a very committed organisation there who supports the treaty. I expect the Fianna Fáil vote will come out in support of the treaty in that constituency.”

One Clare-based party that will not be canvassing with the others is Sinn Féin.

Yesterday (Monday), Clare Sinn Féin welcomed the Civil Public and Services Union to the No camp, along with Mandate, Unite and the TEEU.

SHANNON Airport has a viable future if it is finally freed from the strictures of Dublin Airport Authority control – that’s the gospel according to a DAA memo that has been drafted ahead of the imminent announcement of a new blueprint for Clare’s international airport.

The memo that has been circulated amongst key government departments in recent weeks includes a landmark concession on the part of the DAA that Shannon Airport would be perfectly placed to sur- vive and prosper as an independent entity.

And the memo has revealed that any government decision to grant Shannon full independence could pave the way for the airport to attract an additional 250,000 passengers through the former hub of the aviation world.

This passenger growth forecast by DAA chiefs comes against a backdrop of a haemmorhage of traffic over the past five years, with numbers through the airport plummeting from the record high of 3.6 million in 2006 to under 1.5 million in 2011.

Traffic through Shannon Airport is now at a 15-year low with figures for 2012 so far showing an alarming loss of 20 per cent for the same period in 2011 – a slide that, if continued for the rest of the year, would see passenger numbers decline to under 1.3 million by the year’s end.

Now, the decision by the DAA to back the concept of an independent Shannon for the first time is seen as another link in the chain towards the Government’s long-awaited announcement on the new blueprint for the airport.

This decision was put back until this month, because of what Min- ister for Transport, Leo Varadkar calls “issues with due diligence”. But ahead of the formal announcement, the minister publicly stated his intention to “give Shannon the autonomy and the tools it needs to turn the situation around to get passenger numbers up and get employment up and investment into the area”.

The Government announcement is being made on the back of the Booz and Company report that put forward five separate options for Shannon, with the most favoured being an independent Shannon that will be under State ownership, but run by a new holding company.

EVIDENCE of an ancient tsunami that may have hit the north Clare coast some 6,000 years ago could explain what became of the first people ever to live in Clare.

Archeologists working on an ancient shellfish midden on Fanore beach have discovered a mysterious black substances, which they believe could have been left behind by an ancient tsunami.

The substance, which is two or three inches deep, disintegrates when it comes in contact with air. The fact that a large slab of this material has remained intact on an ancient settlement site on Fanore beach, indicates that a large amount of it was laid down at once, possibly as the result of a tsunami.

“We have found a mysterious layer of black organic material on the site and it is under that level that we have fond all the oldest archeology. We have not been able to identify exactly what this black layer is yet but, as it happens, it is that layer which helped to protect the ancient settlement that we are currently excavating,” said Michael Lynch, the Field Monument Advisor for County Clare.

“If we can establish a date for this black material it will help us to peace together more of the mystery of this site and it could tell us a bit about what happen here that brought the use of the midden to an end.

“It is possible that this is the result of a major climatic event, a massive storm or possibly a tsunami, or some other major event of that sort which would have thrown up a large amount of debris all at the one time.”

Another mystery of the Fanore site is a series of upright, placed stones which appear to be the foundations of an ancient dwelling.

“The upright stones are from the period after the midden but they could be very early all the same. They are certainly earlier than the majority of major climatic events which have thrown up stones around the beach,” said Michael.

Excavation work will continue on Fanore beach for four weeks. The work is part funded by the Royal Irish Academy and made possible with the help of volunteers, including volunteers from the BurrenBeo Trust.

IT WAS mixed news about the quality of the county’s bathing waterways, when the EPA published its quality report on Thursday.

The once bathing water quality blackspot of the county – Ballyalla Lake – has improved its water quality to acceptable. The news was not as good, however, for the White Strand in Miltown Malbay, which was the only one of Clare’s 11 bathing areas to fail the tes`t. Paul Moroney, Senior Engineer, Clare County Council, explained, “Nine samples were taken at this beach during the 2011 bathing water season. One sample out of the nine exceeded guideline and mandatory pollution limits. The sample was taken on June 7, 2011. At the end of the season, a compliance percentage rate is calculated, upon which this location was 89 per cent compliant with the mandatory limits. However, this exceeded the acceptable allowable failure rate of 95 per cent.”

“The limits only failed on one occasion during the entire season and all other results were in the ‘good status’ for the season. The weather in the days preceding the test was wet, with in excess of 15mm of rain falling in the region. It was deemed at the time that the reason for the failure was most likely due to high rainfall and wash-off from land,” he added.

The 10 bathing areas around Clare that were found to have complied with the minimum standards in 2011 included Ballycuggeran (Lough Derg), Ballyalla Lake (Ennis), Cappa Pier (Kilrush), Bishopsquarter, White Strand (Doonbeg), Kilkee, Spanish Point, Lahinch, Fanore and Mountshannon (Lough Derg).

“In particular, the council is pleased that Ballyalla Lake had good results in 2011 and is working to ensure that that improved status is maintained this year and for the future,” said Mr Moroney. “The bathing water results show that Clare County Council’s bathing waters have excellent quality. In the unlikely event that a result fails, Clare County Council implements a protocol to warn bathers of the failures, including advice to bathers that the water is unsafe for bathing. This was done at White Strand Milltown Malbay last June when the test result was obtained,” he said.

CLARE’S fire service and the University of Limerick are leading the way when it comes to educating emergency response professionals.

The Advance Trauma in the Community initiative was developed by Accident and Emergency Consultant Cathal O’Donnell, and Mark Dixon through the University of Limerick.

Dr O’Donnell is clear, however, that the progressive training for professionals when faced with major traumas and emergencies could not take place without the enthusiasm of the Clare County Fire Services, under the direction of Fire Chief Adrian Kelly.

In its fifth year, the course aims to bring the HSE national ambulance service, the fire services, Irish De- fence Forces, GPs, Gardaí, civil defence, Order of Malta, coast guard and the Irish Red Cross for an all-inclusive training course.

The course takes place over one day, usually in Ennis.

“Prior to this, all the organisations trained in isolation but responded together. The concept of training together gives the patient the best possible care and outcome,” explained Dr O’Donnell.

In many cases, terminology differs between the professions, and many services are unaware what the other professional can and cannot do, explained the A and E expert.

“For example, a GP would not be familiar with how the fire brigade cut the top off a car, and that there is a slow way and quick way to do it. Being aware of this, the GP at the scene can tell the fire service how quickly the patient needs to come out and the decision on how to cut him or her out can be made,” he said.

Understanding each other’s use of language, terminology and expression, and the role each party can undertake at the site of an accident, can save valuable time.

To date, at least 200 professionals from all over the country have taken part in the highly respected course.

“It was largely started with the support of the Clare Fire Service. We couldn’t do this without the Clare service and the University of Limerick,” explained Dr O’Donnell.

“There is a big issue of safety at the site of an accident and not just for those involved but also for the emergency staff. We take the lead from the fire service who have a strong safety ethos and a strong appreciation of hazards,” he added.

A CLIMBER narrowly escaped serious injury on Saturday after a large rock, dislodged by another climber, fell on him from the top of a climbing cliff in North Clare.

The climber, who was holding a safety rope for another climber at the time, broke his femur in the incident but escaped a life-threatening injury by a matter of millimetres. The men were climbing at a popular climbing wall at Ballyreen, just north of Doolin, when the accident took place.

The Doolin unit of the Irish Coast- guard received the call just after 2.30pm on Saturday afternoon and rushed to the scene where they located the injured man at the bottom of a high cliff. They reached the injured man and helped make him comfortable until the arrival of the paramedics, splinting his injured leg. A winch was lowered to the bottom of the cliff and the injured climber was then stretchered to the shoreline.

From the shoreline, the injured man was airlifted by the Shannon-based Coast Guard Rescue Helicopter to Limerick Regional Hospital for further treatment. He is expected to make a full recovery.

“He had a broken femur and was very lucky that it was not a more serious incident. The femur is the strongest bone in your body and there is a big risk of severing a major artery and bleeding to death in a situation like this,” said Mattie Shannon of the Doolin Unit of the Irish Coastguard.

“We were able to reach him along with the HSE paramedics and he received medical attention. He was in a lot of pain but he was conscious throughout the rescue.”

Meanwhile, a body was recovered from the water around Poll Cnaimhín, north of Doolin, early on Saturday morning.

A FORMER road sweeper who suffers from a serious heroin addiction has been told the court will help him if he takes steps to improve his life.

At Ennis District Court on Wednesday, Edmund Lyons (47) with a former address at 2 Clare Villas, Clare Road Ennis and currently of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to theft. The charge relates to the theft of a wallet at O’Sullivan Hansbury, Kilrush Road, Ennis on July 28 (2011).

Inspector Michael Gallagher told the court that a person dropped a wallet in the shop. He said the accused picked up the wallet, which contained € 130 and a number of bank cards.

Insp Gallagher said the man reported the lost wallet to gardaí. He said the accused was subsequently identified by CCTV footage from the shop.

Insp Gallagher said Mr Lyons made a full admission to gardaí in February 2012. The court heard that neither the cash nor the cards were recovered.

Solicitor Tara Godfrey said her client, a father of two, had worked as a road sweeper for a local authority for almost 20 years.

She added, “He developed an addiction to heroin. 90 per cent of his life has been taken away.” Ms Godfrey said the drug had destroyed Mr Lyons’ life. Asked by Judge Patrick about what he had done with the bank cards, Mr Lyons said he had left them on a wall outside the shop.

After hearing the case, Judge Durcan said that Ms Godfrey must come back to court in two months time with confirmation that Mr Lyons is taking steps to “look after himself.”

He said, “If this court sees he’s making every effort, the court will be there to help.”

Judge Durcan said he wanted to see that a positive plan for Mr Lyons is in progress.

He added, “If not there will be a prison sentence.” Judge Durcan adjourned the matter until July 18.

HUNDREDS of potential West Clare jobs will be lost if Shannon LNG pulls plans to develop a € 1 billion gas terminal along the Shannon Estuary.

The company has reached an impasse with the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) over tariffs the regulator claims it will be liable for.

The company estimates this could cost it up to € 83 million per year.

Following a meeting between the Kilrush area members of the council and Shannon LNG last week, Clare County Council has also invited the energy regulator to address the members on the issue.

Kildysart councillor Oliver Garry (FG) said that the issue must be resolved in the interest of job creation and the provision of gas to Ireland.

It is estimated that the building of the terminal between Tarbert and Ballylongford, across the estuary from Clare, will create more than 650 construction jobs and more than 100 permanent jobs.

Cllr Garry said that many of these jobs will be available to Clare workers.

“This is the biggest project to come to the estuary since the building of Moneypoint in 1980,” he said.

The chair of the Kilrush area councillors said that just as many of the workforce at Moneypoint came from Kerry on the ferry, so too would Clare workers be travelling to Ballylongford.

“We have to see where a solution can be found. It is so important that we develop industry on the estuary,” he said.

Shannon LNG has already invested € 45 million in the project that is already four years in the making.

Planning permission for the terminal was granted in March 2008, while permission for the pipeline from Ballylongford to Foynes was granted in February 2009.

Shannon LNG now maintains that just as it was getting all major consents for the project, such as a foreshore licence and third party access exemption, the CER proposed changing the pipeline tariff structure, introduced by a Government directive in 2001 to encourage new infrastructure.

The company said it needs Government support, not subsidy, if it is to continue as well as regulatory certainty.

“Indecision and delay will further postpone project progress,” it said.

A TOTAL of 32 volunteers worked diligently at the weekend to restore some forgotten West Clare history and adding to the number of tourist attractions on Loop Head.

Among those white washing the Kilbaha Éire sign was Peter Keane from Cross, whose father Corporal Keane was the last man to under take the whitewashing task more than 60 years ago.

Due to the hard and unfunded work of volunteers, the old Éire sign at Kilbaha has been restored to its former glory, and can now be seen by all passengers flying into Shannon.

On Good Friday last year, the venture to bring back the Éire sign began with a few volunteers using rods to mark out the 150 foot by 50 foot sign carved into the grassy shore.

Some inventive local men then took the blade off an old plough and attached it to the back of a tractor so that they could cut away the sod that covered the sign designed and built at the onset of World War II in 1939.

The top layer was removed under the supervision of archaeologist Terry Barry of Trinity College Dublin.

The original flat stone was still in place when the layer of clay was removed, looking almost as good as it did when it was placed there in 1939.

The volunteers then filled in any few gaps in the stone and white washed them.

These Éire signs were cut into the coastline every 10 miles to declare to fighter pilots that they were flying over a neutral country during World War II.

The American pilots requested that each sign be numbered so they knew exactly where they were flying, and the sign in Kilbaha got the number 45.

Volunteer Ailish Connolly said that the group now hope to restore the number 45 and the associated look out post in Kilbaha, before moving on to develop the Carrigaholt sign.

All new work is dependent on Leader funding.

To date, the sign has been restored without any funding.

The leading expert on the subject of protecting Ireland’s neutrality, Dr Michael Kennedy gave all of his services for free as he advised the group on the work.

Diggers, equipment, food and even overnight stays were also donated by local people and businesses.

“The only cost to me was the price of three bags of lime at € 8.99,” laughed Ms Connolly.

The project was under taken as a result of the combined efforts of the Kilballyowen Development Committee and Loophead Tourism.

It will feature on the RTÉ programme Nationwide next Monday, which will be all about West Clare.

THE HSE spent more than half a million euro on wheelchairs for Clare, Limerick and North Tipperary last year.

It was unable to say how much it spent on other aids such as walking frames and crutches last year stating they were included in “a generic cost centre of either beds and hoist or medical surgical equipment”.

In 2008 the HSE spent € 1,121,193 on aids and appliances in Clare.

However the cost of wheelchairs in the former mid-west area was recorded at € 511,260.84 in 2011 and € 491,231.07 in 2010.

Green Party councillor Brian Meaney raised concerns that aids such as crutches and wheelchairs were not being recycled by the HSE.

He asked if it was still the policy of the HSE not to return such mobility aids.

In its reply the HSE said it has recently signed a contract with the company Homecare Medical.

“This contract award supports and supplements existing recycling services and will ensure high standards in infection control and appliance service and maintenance. This contract will also support the movement of aid and appliances to ensure equity of service for clients in the community,” said Philip Browne from the HSE’s Procurement Department.

“It will increase current recycling levels and reduce the need for purchase of new appliances,” he said.

It is still unclear what equipment and aids will be recycled and how much will be saved each year under the project.