Category: News

THE FORMER home of controversial Clare novelist Edna O’Brien could be purchased and maintained by the Irish state.

Calls have been made for the State to intervene and purchase Drewsborough House in Tuamgraney after the property failed to sell at auction earlier this month.

The property, which was a central setting for O’Brien’s debut book, the partially autobiographical ‘The County Girls’, failed to reach its guide price of € 350,000 at auction.

Indeed the property, which was val- ued in excess of € 1 million during the Celtic Tiger years, was taken off the market with bidding reaching just € 200,000.

The house and adjoining land is being sold by the estate of the late Claire O’Brien, the novelist’s sister-in-law, who lived at Drewsborough with the novelist’s late brother, who ran his medical practice from the house.

According to auctioneer Noel Corcoran negotiations for the sale of the property are ongoing with one of bidders involved in the auction.

The property was described by O’Brien as “a font of inspiration” during an unveiling of a plaque in her honour at Drewsborough House in 2011.

O’Brien’s childhood there was not a happy one, as detailed in her 2012 memoir, Country Girl.

She was born in 1930 and her first novel, The Country Girls, is credited as breaking the silence on sexual matters and social issues in Ireland. The book was banned, burned and denounced from the pulpit following it publication, leading to O’Brien leaving Ireland and settling in London where she now lives.

Calls have been made for the state to acquire the house and develop it into a writers retreat and museum but to date there has been no formal government statement on the proposal.

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.

CLARE ISPCA officer Frank Coote has said he is concerned that a dangerous poison may have been laid along a popular public walkway in South East Clare.

Gardaí are looking into the matter after it emerged that a number of dogs died after ingesting Strychnine.

The dogs had been walking on the River Shannon canal bank near the villages of Clonlara, O’Briensbridge, Killaloe and Twomilegate towards the ESB power station at Ardncrusha. The walkway is owned by the ESB, who have rented the surrounding lands to farmers.

The potential presence of Strychnine along the walkway sparked fears locally that the pellets could be picked up and ingested by a child.

“It is a serious concern for a couple of reasons,” said Mr Coote,

“One of those reasons is that if you are putting down poison, it has to be pinned down. Animals can come along and eat it but if it’s a thing it is not pinned down properly, something like a blackbird could come along, pick it up the pellet and drop it in someone’s garden. And then you have the whole danger with children picking it up,” he explained.

Mr Coote said Strychnine is illegal but other forms of poison can be laid down providing the gardaí are first notified, warning signs notifying the public are erected and a notice is taken out in a local newspaper.

Warning signs have now been erected in the area and the ESB has written to farmers reminding them of their responsibilities. Gardaí are also looking into the matter.

CLARE tourism businesses are struggling to find staff to fill vacant positions this summer, despite there being nearly 9,000 people on the live register in the county.

One prominent Ennis businessman told The Clare People last week that he is now happy to take on unqualified staff, as it is proving increasingly difficult to find qualified staff to fill vacant roles.

This news comes as the number of people signing on the live resister in Clare jumped by more than 1.5 per cent last month, with 8,717 people now signing-on across the county.

With tourism numbers predicted to grow across Clare this summer, the possibility of a staff shortage has now been flagged by local employers. According to the Irish Hotels Feder- ation’s quarterly barometer, three out of every four hotels reported having difficulty finding qualified staff to fill entry level positions.

THERE is a glimmer of hope for the thousands of Clare country-music fans left in low places following last week’s news that Garth Brooks’ sold out series of Croke Park concerts may not go ahead.

Peter Aiken of Aiken Promotions said that he has been in contact with Mr Brooks and has not yet given up hope of all five concerts going ahead. The matter was discussed at last night’s meeting of Dublin County Council, with ticket holders left with unanswered prayers as the local authority did not row back its decision to only grant a license for three of the five concerts.

The thunder rolled in front of Croke Park yesterday as rival groups, both claiming to be local residents, held separate protests about the controvertial concert.

“We’re just going to keep working away as much as we can, meeting as many people as we can and doing whatever we can to try and get some light at the end of this,” said Mr Aiken.

Dozens of Clare people queued for days when the tickets went on sale earlier this year. UK-based fan Andrew McIntyre contacted The Clare People claiming that he would never return to Ireland if the concert does not go ahead.

“My trip from the UK has cost us around £700, excluding the cost of the tickets, and all that will be nonrefundable if they don’t happen,” he said.

“Do Dublin Council not realise the damage they have now done to the reputation of themselves and Ireland as whole? I will certainly never go back to Ireland should all of the gigs be cancelled.”

If tomorrow never comes for the two cancelled concerts, and no alternative venue can be agreed, tickets holders will be refunded directly into their credit card accounts.

Potential problems regarding the concert have been flagged for some time with local residents launching a major campaign on the back of a written agreement in 2009 outlined that no more than three concerts were to be held at the stadium each year.

At present the concerts on July 25, 26 and 27 are set to go ahead with the concerts on Monday 28 and Tuesday 29 in jeopardy.

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.