Category: News

A NEW community organisation, which aims to support people with disabilities in the Clare, will host its first meeting later this Friday. People with disabilities from across Clare are invited to come together with interested members of the public and community activists for the first meeting of The Clare Leader Forum.

“The Leader Forum provides a space for people with disabilities to talk to people who understand, without having to explain. As part of their work they will encourage all people with disabilities to come together and offer each other support, advice and exper- tise through a peer support network,” said Susan O’Brien of the Center for Independent Living.

“The purpose of the peer support network is to offer people the opportunity to make contact with others who are having similar life experiences. Through these groups a support network is established.

“This support can take the form of conversation and sharing experiences or simply listening to others. In some instances the network may decide to take an active part in promoting change or educating the public about issues they are experiencing in their area.”

Similar Leader Forums are already operating in several counties across Ireland and nationally through the Na- tional Leader Forum and the Center for Independent Living. The meeting will take place at the Junction at Cloughleigh in Ennis this Friday, July 18 at 11am. The new organisation forms as disabled Clare people have been expressed their frustration over the future of the Mobility Allowance and Motorised Transport Grant. Both grants have been closed to new applicants since March of last year, which the government undertakes a review of the schemes.

While the review is taking place, no new Clare applicants have been granted access to either scheme – resulting in a number of disable Clare people being left without a suitable transport options.

NEARLY ONE in every 8 Clare homes are contaminated with radon – a colourless and odorless gas which contributes to the development of a number of cancers, especially lung cancer.

The Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland have just released the results of the largest survey of radon levels ever conducted in Ireland.

The survey, which compiles thousands of radon test taken in houses over more a decade, reveals that just over 12 per cent of all Clare houses recorded unsafe levels of radon.

Of the 4,316 Clare houses tested for radon as part of the study, 433 were found to have radon levels in excess of the safe level of 200 bq/m3.

One Lisdoonvarna home was recorded as having a radon level in excess of 3, 500 bq/m3 – more than 17 times higher that the safe levels.

The average radon level in the Clare houses surveyed was 89 bq/m3 – one of the highest levels of radon in Ireland.

Because of the county’s limestone and karst landcsape, large sections of county Clare are specifically vulnerable to radon.

Radon has been proven to signifi- cantly increase a persons chances of contracting lung cancer. The gas also seems to act in conjunction with cigarette smokers – with people who smoke in high radon areas having a disproportionately high change of contracting lung cancer.

“Radon is the principal source of radiation exposure to the Irish population, contributing over 55 per cent to the average radiation dose.

“The radiation dose to individuals from radon can vary substantially with some people exposed to a fraction of the average radiation dose while others are exposed to hundreds of times the average,” said Dr Ann McGarry, Chief Executive of the RPII.

“Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas which can accumulate in buildings to unacceptable levels. It is the second biggest cause of lung cancer after smoking and is linked to up to 250 lung cancer cases per year in Ireland.

“Most of the radiation dose from radon is received in people’s homes although exposure at work is the largest contribution to occupational radiation exposure.”

Less than 1 per cent of the average radiation dose absorbed by Irish people is due to exposure to artificial sources such as Sellafield and Chernobyl.

A FORMER factory worker who admitted possession of child pornography at his home in Ennis will learn later this year if he is to receive a custodial sentence.

The 49 year-old man pleaded guilty in March to possession of five images and 43 movies of child pornography at an Ennis address on dates unknown between September 28 and September 30, 2009.

Details of the case were heard at Ennis Circuit Criminal Court on Thursday.

Gardaí searched the man’s house after his computer’s IP address was identified as having accessed child porn. The court heard gardaí seized a Dell Inspiron computer; a hand held XDA device and a memory card.

Garda Frank Browne of Ennis Garda Station told Counsel for the State, Stephen Coughlan BL, the man initially told gardaí he was looking for pornography of women dressed up as teenagers.

He said he may have had a problem with looking at pornography during that time in his life.

Sgt Alan Browne of the Garda Computer Crime Investigations Unit, Harcourt Square, Dublin told the court the images depicted young girls involved in sexual activity.

He said it appeared the girls were pre-pubescent but due to nationality and ethnic background, it was hard to place a definite age on them.

Sgt Browne said the images were in the mid to higher end of the scale used by Director of Public Prosecu- tions (DDP) to classify child porn images.

He said the movies lasted between a few seconds and a few minutes. The court heard they were accessed using peer-to-peer sharing programmes like Ares and Limewire.

Asked by Counsel if the movies could be accidentally downloaded, Sgt Browne said he couldn’t determine that.

He said all the movies had been permanently deleted into the unallocated space on the computer.

Defence counsel, Mark Nicholas BL, told the court, that of the 30,900 pornographic images recovered from the computer, only five were considered in breach of the Child Trafficking and Pornography Act.

He said that when the images and movies were deleted, his client would never again be able to access them. Counsel said his client had not attempted to hide or encrypt the images and videos.

He said the offending material just popped up when he was “trawling” for adult pornography.

Counsel said it had taken four years for the matter to come to court and his client had indicated an early guilty plea.

He said the man has suffered “reputational loss” and feels “absolute shame”. He said this was a case that did not require an immediate custodial sentence.

Judge Gerald Keyes said he required time to consider the case.

He consented to a defence application that the man not be named for the moment. He adjourned sentencing to October.

THE CEO of Shannon Airport, Neil Pakey, has invited members of public to attend a special meeting at the airport later this week which could see the establishment of a community led organisation to drive business in the airport.

Mr Pakey will himself chair the public meeting, which it is hoped will see the establishment of a ‘Friends of Shannon Airport’ organisation.

Speaking to the The Clare People yesterday, the Shannon CEO said that he has been impressed by the local support for the airport over the past year.

“The level of interest in Wednesday night’s meeting is another indication of the support and goodwill for Shannon.

“Should a Friends of Shannon Airport Group evolve from the meeting, it will be a very worthwhile exercise and we look forward to seeing what emerges,” he said.

“Since I came on board over a year ago as CEO, I have been really impressed with the goodwill within the region towards the airport.

“This has certainly strengthened with the gains we have been making in terms of new services and the positive news that our growth has generated.

“The region clearly recognises the importance of the airport.”

Member of ‘Friends of Liverpool Airport’ will also be in attendance at the meeting and explain how their organisation has helped in the development of the John Lennon International Airport in Liverpool.

Friends of Liverpool Airport was established by a small group of enthusiasts and people with a genuine interest in the well-being of Liverpool Airport and since then it has grown beyond expectations.

Their membership consists of people who want to be informed about the Airport, people who volunteer their spare time to help with specific airport needs such as tourist promotion and school tours.

The public meeting will take place at Shannon Airport this Wednesday, July 16, from 5.30pm. THREE North Clare schoolchildren will be the stars of a new RTE show this autumn. Robert Donnelly and Hannah Doyle from Gaelscoil De Hide Oranmore, and Keelin Fitzgerald from Kilnaboy National School, recently finished filming for the new RTE show ‘Bug Hunters’.

The show will hit the screens later this year as part of RTE Junior’s schedule of programmes.

Filming took place in recent weeks in the Burren and RTE studios. Robert, Hannah and Keelin were delighted to be involved with the show and are looking forward to seeing the end result later this year.

Bug Hunters is presented by Dr Michael Dugon. In each episode bug expert Michel meets up with three kids and takes them on an exciting bug hunting expedition.

As well as looking for, finding and discovering insects, Bug Hunters will allow the kids to handle these fascinating creatures and learn cool and interesting facts about them and their habitats.

Each episode of Bug Hunters is broken down into a separate environment. There are numerous animal-rich environments such as grassland, woodland, bogland, freshwater (ponds and streams), seashores, mountain/hills, farmland, urban areas (parks and squares) and houses.

Michel Dugon holds a Bachelor of Linguistics and Education from the University of Burgundy (France), a Masters in Ecology from Bangor University (Wales) and a Ph.D. in Zoology from NUI Galway.

From 2001 until 2005, Michel was employed as a lecturer and cultural coordinator at the French Alliance of Penang (Malaysia).

In 2005, Michel took over a reptile and venomous animal park on the archipelago of Langkawi (Malaysia). After discovering new populations of snakes and lizards, Michel was invited to pursue a M.Sc. in Ecology at the University of Wales Bangor. Michel graduated with distinction in September 2007.

THERE were emotional scenes at Ennis Courthouse on Friday as a retired teacher was found guilty on 59 counts of indecently assaulting former pupils at a Clare primary school.

Victims wept and embraced each other as a jury returned guilty verdicts against Pat Barry (80), of Well Road, Kilkee.

Barry denied 67 counts of indecently assaulting 11 girls at Moyasta National School between 1964 and 1985.

Judge Gerald Keyes had directed the jury of seven women and five men to find Mr Barry not guilty on eight of the 67 counts.

At the conclusion of the eleven day trial at Ennis Circuit Criminal Court, the jury today returned unanimous guilty verdicts on the remaining 59 counts.

Barry, who has hearing difficulties, sat with his left hand cupped around his ear, straining to hear Judge Keyes for the five minutes it took the Judge to read out the verdicts.

The jury deliberated for five hours and 35 minutes over two days.

They returned unanimous verdicts, 30 minutes after being told by Judge Keyes he would accept majority verdicts in each of the counts.

In the hallway outside the courtroom, the women hugged and wiped tears from their faces.

They declined to comment but one family friend spoke the “huge sense of relief” felt at the end long of the near three week trial.

The trial heard from 19 prosecutions witness including the 11 female complainants.

In evidence, the women detailed how Barry would grope and touch them on a regular basis primarily when they were in fifth and sixth class.

They recalled how Barry would call them to the top of the class and hold them between his legs while he sat at his desk.

The court heard he would press their hands onto his genitals.

Another woman recalled how Barry would squeeze into her seat beside her and put his hand up her shirt and on her private area.

“That was one of his favourites”, she said.

During the first week of the trial, one woman told the jury how, “That man molested me more times than I care to remember”.

The former teacher had been granted anonymity throughout the duration of the duration of the eleven day trial.

But after the verdicts were returned, Counsel for the State, Anthony Sammon SC, told Judge Keyes, it was the “express wish of the complainants” that he now be named.

Barry served as principal at Moyasta National School from 1964 and 1989.

The garda investigation into him was sparked by a complaint made in 2010 by a former student, referred to in the trial as Mr A.

That man has since passed away. Gardaí took 163 statements during the course of their investigation. Barry, who will now be placed on the Sex Offender’s Register.

The case was adjourned to October 28 when a date for sentencing will be fixed.

Barry, who will now be placed on the Sex Offender’s Register, was remanded on continuing bail.

MORE than 70 per cent of the houses in Kilkee are considered to be unoccupied – according to information revealed at last night’s meeting of Clare County Council. Following a motion put forward by Cllr Gabriel Keating (FG) it was revealed that just under 7, 500 houses in the West Clare Local Election area are unoccupied.

Commenting on the situation, Council Director of Services, Ger Dollard, said that more information was required but described the figure as a “frightening statistic”. The figures revealed that 36.4 per cent of all houses in this part of the county are considered to be unoccupied with the highest level of un-occupancy found in Kilkee, with 71.5 per cent of houses unoccupied, Kilfearagh (56.9 per cent unoccupied) and Liscannor (56.5 per cent unoccupied). It is not clear from the research what number of these houses are holiday homes, which are occupied during the summer, and properties which are unoccupied all year round.

THE Judge presiding over the trial of a Clare teacher convicted of indecently assaulting his pupils over a 21year period told the jury they were entitled to convict beyond a reasonable doubt if they accepted the evidence of the complainants.

Judge Gerald Keyes was addressing the jury of seven women and five men at the conclusion of the 11-day trial at Ennis Circuit Criminal Court on Thursday.

Pat Barry (80), of Well Road, Kilkee, was found guilty by the jury of 59 counts of indecently assaulting 11 female pupils at Moyasta National School between 1964 and 1985.

Mr Barry, who served as principal from 1964 to 1989, denied all charges. Prior to the verdicts being returned, Judge Keyes directed the jury to find Mr Barry not guilty on eight of the original 67 counts.

In his charge to the jury, Judge Keyes told them they must “scrutinize” the evidence of each of the complainants especially as this was a case where there was no corroboration or independent witnesses.

He told the jury they must be careful to consider the possibility of “collusion” particularly as this was a case with a number of complainants.

He said the fact the allegations concerned events that occurred between 20 and 40 years ago made the jury’s task all the more difficult.

He noted that the delay between the time of the assaults and the matters being investigated and prosecuted made the case harder to defend than to prosecute.

However the Judge said the law does state that old cases cannot not be prosecuted.

He reminded the jury they must be “much more careful” in their consideration of the evidence.

“You’ve heard the evidence. Apply your common sense”, he added.

Judge Keyes told the jury they must treat each of the 59 counts separately as if they were each separate trials.

“Do not allow yourself to say if the accused did it once, he did it twice”, he said. Judge Keyes told the jury that three types of indecent conduct had been outlined by the women.

He said the behaviour alleged involved girls being called to the front of the class and placed between Mr Barry’s legs as he sat at his desk.

Another type of assault involved the accused sitting beside girls at their desks and touching them inappropriately.

He said the other allegation involved Mr Barry holding girls between his legs while he sat at a high stool.

He told the jury all 12 of them must be satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that the alleged conduct occurred. He said evidence had been given that Mr Barry was a violent man in the classroom.

The Judge told the jury that this case was not about about corporal punishment or whether Mr Barry was a violent man.

“Don’t let the issue of violence cloud your mind or colour your thinking”, he said.

“This is not the issue in this case”, he added. After the jury returned their unanimous guilty verdicts at 2.39pm on Friday afternoon, Judge Keyes thanked them for their “diligence”, “attention” and “time keeping” over the three weeks.

CLARE LOOKS set to lead Ireland in wave energy after a revolutionary new wave energy project planned for West Clare was given a € 23 million grant by the European Commission last year.

It is now understood that construction work on the WestWave waveenergy power plant, which will be located at Killard just off Doonbeg, could get underway as early as 2016.

When completed, the WestWave plant will be the first of its kind in Ireland and will generate enough electricity to meet the needs of an area the size of Kilkee and Kilrush.

The Clare project was the only Irish wave energy project to receive funding under the European Commission’s NER 300 programme, which had funding amounting to € 1 billion to allocate.

A spokesperson for the ESB has indicated that should construction work begin as expected in 2016, the plant could be providing energy locally before the end of 2018.

The company also believes that the West Clare project will provide a platform for scores of similar projects off the Clare coast to emerge.

“Ireland’s oceans have the potential to provide large quantities of indigenous, renewable energy and reduce our dependence on imported fossil fuels.

“Demonstration projects like ESB WestWave are critical if we are to realise the ultimate aim of progressing to larger commercial scale projects and a low carbon future,” said John McSweeney, Head of Innovation at ESB.

“The funding award is a huge boost to the ESB WestWave project and to Ocean Energy development in Ireland and Europe.”

A number of Clare location have already been earmarked for future wave energy development.

The waters around Spanish Point have been identified as having possible the greatest potential for a commercial wave energy plant in Ireland, which Australian company, Carnegie Wave Energy, are already involved in the development of a plant at the White Strand in Miltown Malbay.

While the project is expected to result in some local employment opportunities, it is not clear yet just how many jobs could be provided by the wave energy project in Clare.

A NORTH Clare food producer is on the verge of making a major breakthrough and opening itself up to more than a billion possible new customers in China.

Later this month the Burren Smokehouse in Lisdoonvarna will send a representative to Shanghai, where she will work for nine months to find opportunities for Clare salmon to be sold directly into the Chinese market.

The representative, who is herself a Chinese national, is a fellowship student at the Smurfit Business School in Dublin, and will represent the Burren Smokehouse in China until April of next year. The move is being seen as a major development for the Lisdoonvarna producer, who have been making small inroads into the Chinese market in recent years.

“I took part in a major seafood fair in China last November and I saw that there was opportunities for very high end products like ours in China – es- pecially in specialty food shops and in high end restaurants as well.

“There is a growing demand in that part of the world for high end seafood. It’s not easy, it takes time, but there is potential for growth there,” said Birgitta Hedin Curtin of the Burren Smokehouse.

“We had some products in China for Christmas, so we have had a presence there. So I feel that we have a great opportunity now while we have the fellowship student working for us in China to make a breakthrough. It is exciting.

“There are opportunities for us in China. It is invaluable for us to have someone on the ground in China – this will allow us to dip out toe in the market without having to go there myself all the time.

“We are looking for a niche market – relative small volumes but at a higher price. So we need to have a good understanding of where our products should be pitched.”

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THE head of An Post, Christoph Meuller, has been called to appear before next month’s meeting of Clare County Council to outline the State organisations strategy towards post office in Clare.

The moves comes in the wake of ongoing feats over the future of the Cratloe Post Office, which is cur – rently not clear.

This follows a put forward by Cllr Cathal Crowe (FF) at last night’s meeting of Clare County Council.

“I think that it is high time that An Post came out and give an idea about their strategy regarding the future of the post office network in Clare. They speak of viability, but the very post offices which seem to be threatened are viable operations,” said Cllr Crowe.

“Basically, if your local post matter become ill or moves away, then the whole postal service in your area become suddenly under threat.”

Representative of the Cratloe Post Office Action Group have their final proposal for the retention of the post office to An Post last Friday and there is no indication yet whether this service will be retained.

The future of Cratloe post office came into doubt in late June an An Post review of operations found that the post offices was not generating enough income to justify keeping it open.

The Cratloe Post Office Action Group has gathered thousands of signatures locally from people and businesses who are pledging to use the post office more often.

The action group have proposed a five year trail period with An Post, to allow local people to support their post office and increase usage numbers.

The Cratloe Post Office Action Group say they will take to the streets if necessary to protest for the retention of their post office.

The Midwest representative of the Irish Postmasters’ Union, Kildysart native Tom O’Callaghan, has called on the government to allocate more services to post offices in a bid to maintain their viability.