Category: News

THE organisers of the Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival have warned against the dangers of online dating after the festival was contacted by a convicted murder who was looking to find love in Lisdoon.

Festival organiser Marcus White received a letter from Steven Michael Sherrill, with an address at the Amarillo Prison in Texas last week, asking for the festival to find him a European woman to be his “pen pal”.

After further investigation, however, it was revealed that Sherrill is serving life in prison for the murder of his girlfriend, Christine Van Osdall, on February 3, 2000. Sherrill met Christine through an online dating service in November of 2009 and shot her in the head three months later, when she told him that she wanted to break off their relationship.

Sherrill was sentenced to life in prison in 2006 after Texas police tracked him down in Las Vegas. He had fled Texas after he was interviewed by local police in 2000 and was discovered living with a woman from Montana, who he had met using an online dating service, in Las Vegas.

In his letter to the matchmaking festival, Sherrill asked that an announcement be made on his behalf at the Matchmaking Festival, saying that he was looking for a “middleaged European woman” to begin a letter-writing relationship with.

He describes himself as a 50-yearold white male who used to be a professional poker player and currently works as a fiction writer. Sherrill closes the letter with a quote from the film Seabiscuit.

“There is a line in an America film, from horse trainer Tom Smith – ‘you don’t have to throw a whole life away just because it is a little banged up’,” he wrote.

“People using the internet and dating sites must be very vigilant as you never know who you are communicating with over the internet.

“That is why Lisdoonvarna is so successful in that you actually meet the people, thus minimising the risk of a bad experience,” Marcus White told The Clare People yesterday.

“Safety is a key factor and people come here with friends and socialise together. Clients feel safe here and would know a lot of the other festival-goers who come here each year.”

Irish singer Sinead O’Connor travelled to Lisdoonvarna to engage the help of matchmaker Willie Daly earlier this month because she said that she didn’t feel comfortable using online dating sites and preferred the old-fashioned way of finding a match.

NEW parking regulations have come into effect in Kilrush, following the adoption of the street pay and display parking by-laws for 2011 after the statutory public consultation period entered into by the Town Council.

These new guidelines are that people coming into Kilrush will be allowed a 30-minute period of grace before they have to put a ticket on display – this measure a 15-minute increase for motorists.

However, as part of some wideranging changes to the prices structure for parking, councillors have backed plans to increase residence and business car permits by 300 per cent from € 10 to € 30 per annum, while prices for seven-day and threeday tickets have been fixed at € 20 and € 10 respectively.

This new set of prices came after a lengthy debate at the June monthly meeting of Kilrush Town Council, during which it emerged that the council suffered a € 9,723 loss for its 2010 traffic management plan.

The draft by-laws went on public display for a period of one month from June 24, 2011, to July 25, 2011. A further period of two weeks was allowed for the public to make submissions and this period expired on August 9, 2011. No submission was received during this time.

Agreement for a new pricing structure came after a number of different proposals were put to the meeting by the then Mayor of Kilrush, Liam Williams (FG).

IRELAND’S first National Dog Surfing Championships look set to take place in Lahinch early next year, following a successful trial of the emerging sport in north Clare over the weekend.

Miltown Malbay native Mark Flynn and Lahinch businesswoman Raquel Noboa took their dogs Jessie and Bruce for a surf on Sunday, while also showing any interested dog owners the techniques required for successful doggy surfing.

Raquel, who has just founded the MyPetReview.com website, is now hopeful of hosting the National Dog Surfing Championships in Clare next year and even an international event in the future.

“My own dog started doggy surfing a few months ago and really likes it so when we went looking for someone in Ireland who was an expert in doggy surfing, we were surprised to find them down the road in Miltown Malbay,” said Raquel.

“There are two types of doggy surfing – one when you go surfing and you put the dog on the board with you, and the other is with the dog on the board by themselves.

“It has really taken off and we will host a few more training lessons in Lahinch.

“We are pretty sure that Mark’s dog Jessie is the best surfing dog in Ireland – she is the best that we have come across anyway.

“The plan after that is to host a national championships in Lahinch next spring.

“We have spoken to some people in San Diego in America and doggy surfing is very big over there. So, if we manage to get sponsorship, we will also look at running the first ever doggy surfing world championships down the line in Lahinch.”

Earlier this year, Raquel set up the MyPetReview.com website, which aims to identify which areas of the country have the best facilities for pets.

“It is like a TripAdvisor for pet services. You can go in and search for pet services in different areas, like vets, as well as reviews for the places listed.

“The idea is that this will highlight the people who are doing a good job for pets and also the people who are not going well,” continued Raquel.

“This would be great for people who are planning holidays and want to know where best to leave their animals.

“It can be a very stressful time when you have to leave your pet in a kennel that you don’t know anything about.”

KILRUSH Town Council has warned that “difficult decisions” will have to be made if the local authority is to ensure that it plays its part in the timetable laid down by the IMF for Ireland’s National Recovery Plan.

This warning has been sounded out by Kilrush Town Clerk John Corry in a comprehensive financial report for the year up to June 30, with some ratepapers described in the west Clare capital described as “very problematic”.

And, by way of confronting the problem of unpaid rates that are now running at an unprecedent level of 69 per cent, the council has warned that it may be forced to pursue people through the courts.

“The report highlights issues of concern in relation to the overall funding of Kilrush Town Council,” said Mr Corry is introducing his report. “Payments by customers continues to be very problematic. Rates collection at 30th June, 2011 stood at 31% in comparison to 39% at 30th June, 2010.

“Kilrush Town Council is dependent on rates income to maintain its operations as it represents 38.4% of Annual Income. The slowing payment pattern highlighted above has resulted in a considerable negative impact on cash flow.

“Kilrush Town Council is acutely aware of the commercial difficulties which rate payers are experiencing, and has adopted a practical approach in terms of payment plans to facilitate rate payers. However, where customers fail to engage to deal with amounts outstanding, recovery of the debt by legal means becomes necessary,” said Mr Corry.

The Town Council’s financial situation, brought on by unpaid rates has been exacerbated by a sharp rise in the arrears in housing rents in the first six months of the year as compared with the corresponding period last year.

“Arrears in housing rents have increased significantly since the beginning of the year,” reported Mr Corry, added that “rent collection at June 30 was 80 per cent in comparison to 87 per cent at the end of June, 2010. This increases reflects the current economic climate, but also impacts on cash flow to Kilrush Town Council”.

And, it’s the council’s warning that the Government “circular 3/2009 requires every local authority to ensure that its revenue account remains in balance for 2011 and consequently total expenditure must equal total income” that has opened up the live possibility of legal action being taken to ensure the books are balanced.

“This report highlights the difficulties that are facing Kilrush Town Council as we embark on the 2012 budget preparation process,” said Mr Corry. “Performance against budget is constantly monitored and managed. Difficult decisions have to be made to ensure that our current deficit can be eliminated,” he added.

THE Burren and the Cliffs of Moher was yesterday officially recognised as Ireland’s third UNESCO Global Geopark – a move which could have a major positive impact on the ecotourism industry in the county.

The official recognition, which was announced during the tenth European Geoparks Conference in Norway, is the culmination of more than three years of work done by a number of organisations in Clare, spearheaded by the Burren Connect Project.

With a number of tourism providers in the north Clare region now exploring the eco-tourism sector, it is hoped that this designation could increase the numbers visiting the Burren area and the Cliffs.

It was also clarified that the designation will not have any impact on the farming practices currently being employed in the Burren area.

“Global Geopark status does not create a national park or nature park, and does not permit open access to private property or land. It is the role of a Geopark to encourage visitors and communities to experience geology at publicly accessible sites and trails, where maintenance and access can be managed,” said Mayor of Clare, Cllr Pat Hayes (FF).

“Whilst the award has been granted to the Burren region, the actual components of the Burren and Cliffs of Moher Geopark are presently confined to specific public sites of geological and cultural interest, a network of visitor and education centres, the Burren Ecotourism Network businesses, and established walking routes such as the Burren Way and Burren looped walks.”

After the designation of the Burren and the Cliffs of Moher there are currently 78 Geoparks in 26 countries around the world. Part of the focus of Geopark status is a ficus on educating the people of area in some of the more technical aspects of the land that they live in.

“A Global Geopark must support education programmes, such as the geology evening course held in spring of 2010 and 2011 in the Burren Outdoor Education Centre. We look forward to continue to play our part in increasing awareness of the important landscape of the Burren,” said Joanne McInerney, Manager of the Burren Outdoor Education Centre and Chair of the Burren Ecotourism Network.

“The Geopark project is organising a Geo-Explorer Day in collaboration with the Burren Outdoor Education Centre on Saturday October 15. The day’s events will include introductory caving, geo-kayaking, hill-walking and a family beach exploration.”

THE Department of Education stands indicted of hitting the Clare economy where it matters most in the pockets of tourism interests around the county owing to the controversy surrounding the early return to school for many from both inside and outside the county.

That was the verdict delivered by Councillor Gabriel Keating as he demanded that the Minister for Education Ruairi Quinn revise the school holiday period so that families with children can remain at resorts until the end of August.

“Efforts to extend the tourism season in Clare are being thwarted by schools re-opening in August,” claimed Cllr Keating.

“Tourism is the backbone of many of our local communities with an estimated 3,000 people employed in the industry here in the county and it’s up to the Minister for Education to realise this,” he added.

The west Clare councillor pointed out the irony of the fact that the Government is talking about creating jobs – yet at the same time giving the imprimatur to the Department of Education to effectively put paid to thousands of jobs.

“One of the few areas which creates employment during the summer season especially for students who rely on this income to pay for their schools costs is tourism. The early return of those students to schools is threatening the survival of many of these tourism employers,” said Cllr Keating.

“Over the past two years the inclement weather and the recession has taken its toll on seaside destinations. For many tourism providers to survive they need to extend the tourist season not shorten it. That is why the early return of students to School in August is having such a big impact on them.

“Heretofore, families would remain on in places like Kilkee, Doonbeg and Quilty until the last week of August. Now, they are packing up around August 14 or 15, because they have to head back to get the children ready to return to School. Not reopening schools until the first week in September would give a welcome break to the tourism providers in the county,” he added.

SOME of the biggest names in Irish and international children’s writing will descend on Clare libraries next month as part of the annual Clare Children’s Book Festival.

A host of activities will take place in Clare County Libraries all around the county with a number of readings by popular children’s authors, illustration and live history workshops and storytelling taking place.

This year’s festival will also see one lucky Clare child see their artwork appear on the cover of one of Ireland’s most popular books for young people. The O’Brien Press Cover Design Competition will see a re-print of Siobhán Parkinson’s classic children’s book Four Kids, Thr ee Ca ts, Two Cows a nd a Witch (Ma ybe) , with a new jacket designed by a budding Clare artist.

As well as seeing their artwork in their local library or bookshop, the lucky winner will also have their entire class invited to a glitzy awards ceremony and will win five sets of all of Siobhán Parkinson’s O’Brien Press titles for their school.

Other highlight of this year’s festival include talks from authors Oisin McGann, Nicola Pierce, Judi Curtin, Bob Burke and Dolores Keaveney, while Bridget Bhreathnach will bring the newly published book Lúlú agus a n Oúiche Ghlór a ch to gaelscoileanna in Ennis, Kilrush and Shannon.

There will also be storytelling sessions from Billy Teare and Kathleen O’Sullivan and poetry will be presented by Tony Maude who will blend together songs, riddles, cats and even some Shakespeare.

Scottish song historian Fred Freeman, who is also a renowned bagpiper, brings his show ‘Burns for Bairns’, which provides an introduction to Scotland’s bard Robert Burns through singing, tapping-out rhythms, listening and questioning.

Michael Moylan’s ‘Irish History Live’ programme will visit Ennis, Tulla, Ennistymon and Miltown Malbay libraries and treat older children to everything from the uniforms worn during the Easter Rising to the weapons which were used during World War II.

There will also be a number of music workshops facilitated by John Lillis, the music project manager at Clare Youth Service, as well as a workshop featuring hiphop and information on DJ culture.

The festival will also include a host of puppet theatre, with worldrenowned puppetry artist Miriam Lambert performing ‘The Gingerbread Man’.

A NEW initiative which focuses on home composting will be launched in Shannon later this week.

The county’s first home composting demonstration site will be officially opened at the allotments in Shannon on Saturday morning (11.45am).

The county’s mayor, Pat Hayes, will perform the ceremony at the section of land which is located behind Illaunamanagh Cemetery. Those in attendance will be encouraged to take action, save money, prevent food waste and start composting.

“Both food waste prevention and home composting is something that can save households in Clare up to € 1,000 annually. By using savvy shopping techniques, planning household meals wisely and composting food scraps and garden materials at home, people can both reduce their weekly shopping bill and their rubbish charges while helping to reduce the amount of organic scraps that end up in landfill sites,” said Mr Hayes.

Clare County Council in partnership with the Stop Food Waste Team, an Environmental Protection Agency funded initiative, has trained 12 master composter volunteers from throughout the county.

The master composters are now available in communities to provide information on food waste prevention and home composting in Clare.

The Stop Food Waste Initiative was a response following Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) survey results which reported that the average person in Ireland was throwing out 300kg of organic scraps each annually from homes.

These food scraps and garden trimmings cost households in terms of disposal charges. The programme provides advice and training on how individuals can reduce the generation of these materials and safely manage them to create useful mulches and soil amendments.

The home composting site demonstrates compost turning and holding units, a leaf mould making bin; which are all simple ways to convert garden materials into a nutrient rich compost.

Master composter volunteers will also be on hand to introduce visitors to food waste prevention and composting. Members of the public are welcome to attend the official opening of the compost demonstration site and strong footwear are recommended.

AN INCIDENT in which shots were fired through the front door of a home of a woman and her teenage son in Clarecastle is being investigated by gardaí.

The frightening incident happened at Clarehill at 9.30pm on Thursday when the woman in her 40s and her son were at home.

They heard a bang and were alerted to broken glass on the front door. While no-one was injured in the incident, it has led to concern in the area.

A man was seen leaving the area in a dark coloured car. He is described as being 5’10” in height and had dark hair and wore dark coloured clothes.

No-one has been arrested and gardaí are appealing for anyone with information to come forward.

“We are appealing for anyone who was in the area at the time and saw a car acting suspiciously to contact us. It is a built-up area. Anyone who would have heard the discharge of a firearm is asked to come forward and assist us in our investigations,” Chief Superintendent John Kerin told The Clare People .

Meanwhile, gardaí are also investigating an incident in which a rock was thrown through a pub window in Clarecastle.

The incident occurred shortly before 11pm last Monday night. Gardaí have carried out house to house enquiries and have inspected CCTV from the locality in an effort to solve the crime.

In Ennis, gardaí are investigating a break-in to a nursing home in Lifford last Monday. Entry was gained via a back window and € 400 cash and medication was stolen in the incident, between 1pm and 8pm.

In another break-in in Ennis, a house in Cahercalla was targeted during the day last Tuesday. Entry was gained after a back window was left open. The burglary is understood to have occurred between 11am and 2pm.

Rooms in the house were searched, but nothing was taken.

Anyone with information on any of these crimes is asked to contact Ennis Garda Station on 065 6848100.

THE village of Quin will be full of fun on Sunday, September 25, as Scoil na Mainistreach hold their annual Fun Day and 10k run. Following on from the success of last two years, the committee decided to hold another day this year.

The day will kick off with the 10k run and walk which will see athletes head out from the school around a 10k loop on local roads and finish back at the school. Last year’s race was won by Michael Guerin, while Veronica Colleran took the women’s race. This year, the event will see plenty of challengers for those titles.

Entries are currently being taken on www.runireland.com, they will also be taken at the school on Saturday night, September 24, between 7pm and 9pm, and also on the morning of the race up until 11am. Entry to the race is € 20 and will include entry to the fun day in the afternoon. The route has been officially measured by the Clare Athletics Board with a Jones’ Counter.

The Fun Day will kick off at 2pm in the school field and visitors can look forward to a barbecue, bouncy castle, children’s races, horse shoe throwing, wheel barrow races, tug of war, human football, sponge boards, candy floss, puppet show, magician show, balloon modelling and a raffle.

Entry to the fun day will cost € 10 per person or € 20 for a family.

Scoil na Mainistreach principal Anne Fitzpatrick is looking forward to a fun filled day. “The committee have worked very hard organising this event and we are hoping it will be even better than last year. There really is something for everyone”

Speaking to The Clare People , she said, “Everything is ready to go so all we are hoping is that the sun will shine for us. We would ask that those wishing to take part in the run or walk would register online or on Saturday night if possible. If not, we would ask that they arrive early on Sunday to avoid any delay in starting the race. Unfortunately we will have to ask that there are no bikes on the route this year, however we are looking to plan a cycling route for our next event.

“This event is of great support to the school. This year, all proceeds from the day will go towards the development of our all-weather multipurpose play area for the children,” she said.