Category: News

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.

HOTELIERS and guesthouse owners in Clare are reporting a serious shortage of qualified, entry-level staff in the tourism sector, even though there are more than 8,000 people on the live register in the county.

One Ennis hotelier says he is now finding it so difficult to find staff, that he will hire unqualified personnel, provided they have some experience.

The Irish Hotels Federation’s (IHF) quarterly barometer findings revealed that nearly three quarters of business owners in the sector were having difficulties in recruiting qualified staff to fill entry level positions.

Speaking to The Clare People last week, owner of the Rowan Tree in Ennis, Brian O’Neill stated that he would be happy to take on people without a qualification if they had experience.

“Finding chefs and kitchen staff has been quite difficult recently.

“I had a position looking for kitchen staff for a good while, thankfully I managed to hire someone recently,” he said.

“But I have to say that a qualification isn’t everything, I would happily take someone who has a good deal of experience. And without a doubt personality goes a long way in the industry.”

The IHF report shows that 86 per cent of hoteliers are indicating a positive outlook for bookings this year, but those in the industry claim that filling these positions will be difficult because of the industries unglamorous reputation as well as lack of work being done with third level colleges to attract young people into the sector.

Speaking last week, head of the Shannon branch of the IHF, Matthias Muller, said that the lack of qualified staff will significantly hinder the prospect of increasing jobs in the tourism sector in the future.

“As we seek to secure growth in the tourism industry, the barrier to stifle that growth must be addressed. We can build the tourism industry from strength to strength as long as we continue to have the right environment to encourage domestic and overseas visitors and continue to invest in pro-tourism marketing measures,” he said.

Hoteliers and guesthouse owners in Clare could see more qualified staff coming on stream in the years ahead following the announcement of plans for a training centre to be built in Limerick.

HUMAN remains discovered on Mutton Island just off Quilty may belong to one of island’s final inhabitants or even a sailor shipwrecked during the Spanish Armada almost 500 years ago.

Gardaí investigated the human remains discovered on the tiny island last Wednesday have confirmed that there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the discovery and that the remains are historic.

The alarm was raised last Wednesday when a local man discovered the skull and bones on the uninhabited island. Members of the Gardaí conducted a preliminary investigation of the schene on Thursday and a Garda forensic investigation team and an archeologist from the Archaeological Survey of Ireland examined the human remain last Friday, and determined that the bones were historic and not part on any modern day crime.

It is understood that the storms of January and February of this year may have unearthed the remains on the eastern side of the island. The remains were discovered at the foot of a cliff dozens of metres above sea level and could have remained their undisturbed for hundreds of years until this year’s heavy storms.

It is almost 100 years since the last permanent inhabitants left Mutton Island. The cliff where the bones were discovered is understood to be located close to the last pocket of human settlement on the island.

A number of ships from the illfated Spanish Armada are known to have sank in the area. It has long been suspected that a number of Spanish sailors from the Armada were buried on Mutton Island but no remains have previously been found.

Over the years, Mutton Island has attracted the attention of many people. John Lennon of the Beatles once attempted to purchase the small island as his west of Ireland getaway but purchased Dorinish Island off Mayo instead.

UNEMPLOYMENT figures suffered an unexpected blow last month with a sharp rise in the number of people signing on the life register in the county. The number of people singing on in Clare increased from 8,585 in May to 8,717 last month.

This represents a month on month overall increases of 132 people – or 1.5 per cent. This news comes on the back of months of good news for the live register in the county with the May figures being the lowest recorded in Clare since February of 2009 – more than five years ago.

It is likely this this increase is being driven by a large number of university students coming back to the county for the summer and not be- ing able to find summer work. The increase was felt all over the county, except in the Ennistymon area office, where the effects of the summer tourism trade possibly offset and major increase.

The largest increase in the live register was felt in Ennis where the number signing on increase from 4,848 in May to 4,934 last month. This increase of 86 people represents a 1.8 per cent jump in just a month.

The largest percentage increase was recorded in East Clare however with the Tulla office recording a 3.2 per cent increase in the numbers signing on. A total of 1,246 signed on in East Clare last month, an increase of 38 on the 1,208 who signed on in May.

West Clare saw a similar trend with the numbers increase by 25 from 1,198 in May to 1,223 – an increase of 25 people or 2.1 per cent.

Only North Clare recorded a decrease with the number of people signing on falling from 1,331 in May to 1,314 last month – a decrease of 17 people of 1.3 per cent.

This negative turn on the county’s live register comes after consistent reduction saw the number drop to their lowest levels since the start of the recession.

THE results of a post mortem on a body found close to the Cliffs of Moher are expected later this morning, Tuesday July 8. The body, which was identified last night as missing Galway man Adrian Folan, was transported to the Mid West Regional Hospital in Limerick yesterday afternoon, with a State Pathologist, Professor Marie Cassidy, set to conduct an examination late last night. The body was discovered in a quarry at Shingaunagh North, just off the R478 Liscannor to Cliffs of Moher road, close to the Liscannor Community Sports Field. The area around the quarry was initially sealed off early yesterday morning as part of an investigation into the disappearance of Mr Folan. Yesterday afternoon Gardaí also sealed off a house in the Carraroe area of Galway as part of their investigate into the disappearance of Adrian Folan. The 41-year-old man was last seen in Athlone town on the night of July 3, and gardaí are investigating whether he may have been killed as part of a alcohol-fuelled row. A man has been arrested in connection with his disappearance and he is currently being held at Mill Street Garda Station in Galway. The detained man, who is also in his forties, was arrested in Galway and detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act. Up until his disappearance, Mr Folan had been studying in Athone IT and was last seen alive in Athlone town last Thursday night. Mr Folan had remained in Athlone after the college year had finished to work on an end-of-year project with some of his classmates.

CLARE Local Development Company (CLDC) are appealing to members of the public to join them on a protest rally which takes place in Dublin tomorrow, July 9.

The protest has been organised in an effort to prevent the administration of the LEADER scheme from being taken from CLDC, which is due to happen in January of 2015.

According to Doreen Graham, CEO of CLDC, the LEADER Programme in Clare has become a model for other programmes and has urged the Minister for the Environment, Phil Hogan (FG), to reconsider the change.

“This is the most successful LEADER model in all of Europe and it is community led. We don’t think that taking this out of the hand of the community and putting it in the hands of the state is a good move. It is retrograde step and it will dismantle something that has been working really well for years,” she said.

“LEADER has become a key part of the rural development of Clare over the years. A huge amount of relationships and expertise has been built up between the LEADER group and rural communities all over the county. It has worked really well in Clare and the county would be regarded, at national level, as one of the most successful LEADER counties.

“This is not broken. Most believe believe that this system is not broken and should not be dismantle. We have seen so many Clare communities coming from a situation where there was little or no development to a situation where they are delivering important projects for their areas. That is what this project has done.”

Anyone wishing to take part in the CLDC Dublin protest is asked to contact CLDC on 065 6866800 or email info@cldc.ie for further information.

THE North Clare coast has a new aquatic star. While Dusty the Dolphin may have abandoned Doolin in favour of the Aran Islands, a new creature has appeared in the waters just off Ballyvaughan.

The Galway Bay Protection Group (GBPG) last week launched a giant floating model of a fish riding a bicycle into Galway Bay, just off the pier in Ballyvaughan. The permanent structure, which has already gained much attention both from locals and tourists, was built as a protest against the proposed construction of twin fish farms in Galway Bay, just off the coast of Doolin and Fanore.

The proposed fish farm, which would be the largest ever made in Ireland if it gets the go ahead, has divided many in the fishing community with the two state fishing organisations – Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) and Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) on different sides of the argument.

While no decision has yet been made about the fish farm, it had been thought that the Minister for Agriculture, Simon Coveney (FG), was a firm backer of the BIM proposed farm. However, with Minister Coveney in line for a change of portfolio at this week’s cabinet reshuffle, it is now envisioned that a new minister will make the final call on the multibillion euro project.

BIM, who lodged the original application for the fish farm license, say that they have had strong interest from a number of international companies who wish to take on the operation of the fish farms. BIM also claim that hundreds of local jobs will be created if the farm gets the green light.

IFI say that the farm will damage local wild fish stocks and put the livelihood of scores of local fishermen and the local tourism trade in jeopardy. A final decision is expected later this year.

DETAILS of the life and medical history of Ballyvaughan woman Ellen Moore will be heard by the United Nations Committee Against Torture next week, following the unanimous decision of the Survivors of Symphysiotomy (SOS) group to reject a last gasp compensation offer made by the Irish Government last week.

Ellen, who was given a symphysiotomy without her knowledge or consent while giving birth to her first son in September of 1965, has been actively campaigning for recognition of the wrongs done to the hundreds of Irish women who were given symphysiotomies in the 1960s and 1970s.

In March of this year it was announced that her case would be one of a number of case studies sent forward to the United Nations Committee Against Torture.

The SOS move to take the case to the UN came after months of discussions and lobbying with the Irish Government.

With the UN hearing just days away, the Government made a compensation offer to sufferers last week. This offer was unanimously rejected at two survivor meeting in Dublin and Cork last week and the UN hearing is now set to go ahead on July 14.

The SOS spokesperson, Marie O’Connor, has called on the Government to admit that all symphysiotomies done in Irish hospitals were wrong.

“Truth has been the main casualty today. The official lie, that symphysiotomy was acceptable medical practice, continues,” she said.

“The Government has never admitted that these operations were negligent and that they should never have been done. All symphysiotomies were wrong, not only those done in the aftermath of a C-section.”

After meeting with Mrs Moore and other members of the Survivors of Symphysiotomy (SOS) group last October, the Health Minister, James O’Reilly (FG), agreed to lift the stature of limitation involving symphysiotomy and allow sufferers to gain compensation through the courts. The minister also agreed to release the second half of the Walsh Report, which probed the use of symphysiotomies in Irish hospitals. Neither of these promises have, to date, been kept.

A COROFIN priest, who attempted to set up a colony of Clare people in California in the 1840s, has just been identified as the man who precipitated the start of the American Mexican War.

It has also been uncovered that maverick priest Father Eugene Mcnamara died in mysterious circumstances while in possession of a fortune in Paris in 1852 and that fortune passed back to his Clare family.

Long lost details of the life of Eugene Mcnamara, who was originally from High Street in Corofin, has been uncovered following years of research by Professor John Fox. Fr Mcnamara had planned to bring thousand of Clare people to California, which was then a part of Mexico in the 1840s, but was wrongly iden- tified by the Americans as a British spy.

Fearful that Mcnamara and his Clare settlers would give the British a foothold in mainland North America, the US invaded California, starting the American-Mexican War.

“He goes to California to choose the land for the colony but at that same time the American government become aware of him and see him as part of a British plot to take California. He really wasn’t, but when he starts getting lifts from the Royal Navy all around the Pacific, they become convinced of it. The Americans very much viewed him as British spy at this stage,” said Professor Fox.

“This leads directly to the American president taking America to war with Mexico to prevent them from allowing a British colony to be formed on California, a colony which they believed Mcnamara was about to start. The moment the president learns about Mcnamara the American president starts planning to take California either by force or by money. Mcnamara receives 20,000 acres in California from the Mexican government. He gets the deed from the land in California on the same day as the American army comes in and takes over. The British navy arrives eight days later and there is a moment when the Royal Navy appear in Monterey Bay with their cannon primed and find the America navy ready with their canon primed. It could have gone one way or the other.”

Mr Fox’s book ‘El Proyecto Macnamara’ will be published later this week by Irish Academic Press. Check out the Life section of next week’s