Category: News

A GOOD Samaritan who slowed down when he saw what he believed to be a late night traffic accident was robbed for his trouble near Ardnacrusha recently. The driver saw a car across the road and a man limping towards the front of the car. There were two other men lying on the grass at the side of the road.

As he slowed down the ‘injured men’ got up and attacked the driver of the car, forcing him to open his door, threatened him with a knife and robbed him of € 400. He was saved possible further injury and loss when an oncoming car prompted the thieves to make their getaway. Gardaí are appealing for potential witnesses or anyone who may have seen the thieves on the morning of June 25th at Carmody’s Cross.

AFTER more than 15 years of local campaigning, the dangerously corroded metal fence that protects the tens of the thousands of summer beach-goers from a 40-foot drop onto the rock at Lahinch beach is to be replaced.

The metal alloy fence, which was described as rust-proof when it was first erected in 1982, has been completely eroded by rust over the last 20 years, making it structurally unsound and, according to locals, a dangerous accident waiting to happen.

The fence, which runs for more than 140 feet along the most dangerous section of the beach, was damaged by construction work in the 1990s, with many sections simply breaking away.

A delegation from the Lahinch Community Council met with local engineers from Clare County Council in June, with the replacement of the corroded bars the top item on the agenda.

“The community council have been campaigning for these bars to be replaced for 15 years now so we are delighted with the news that they are going to be replaced,” said Gerry Hartigan of the Lahinch Community Council.

“When they were first put up, we were told that the poles were made from a special alloy and that they would not be affected by rust – but that proved not to be the case. Clare County Council have done their best to maintain them as best they could but it really is great news that they are to be replaced.”

Newly appointed Lahinch Cllr Bill Slattery (FG) welcomed the € 48,750 in funding for the project but said that Clare County Council must now get working on completing the much awaited Lahinch Prom Master Plan.

“This work has been delayed for too long already, due to the lack of funding. Now that the Government have resolved this issue, there can be no further delays in getting the job done,” he said.

“I am delighted with the work that has been done in Lahinch in recent years, particularly the new lifeguard facility and the recently opened playground. I am also calling on the council to speed up the completion of the much needed and long awaited Master Plan for the prom in Lahinch.

“There are hundreds of thousands of euro generated in car parking charges in Lahinch each year. The village needs this Master Plan in order to make the resort a world-class tourist destination.”

Meanwhile, a total of € 26, 250 has also been allocated to repair and upgrade the existing slipway at Liscannor. This project, which has been a long-term goal for Ennistymon-based Cllr Richard Nagle (FF) will see much needed repair works undertaken at the pier.

CLARE’S newest sporting heroes will return to Shannon, Sixmilebridge and to Inagh later this evening for a homecoming which should rival anything seen in the county for the last decade. Double Special Olympic silver medal winner, Ciara O’Loughlin, and silver medal winner Michael Neville will touch down in Dublin with the rest of the Irish team just before 1pm today.

Ciara won the silver medal in the shot putt and the 4×100 metre relay while Michael, from Sixmilebridge, was part of Ireland silver medal winning soccer team.

“We’re just so proud,” Ciara’s father Malachy told The Clare People

A COMMUNITY is fighting back against vandals who smashed headstones in the historic Kilquane cemetary. The group, who put in massive work to restore the cemetery, are back in action and this time they are erecting a CCTV camera to stop further attacks on the Parteen burial place.

The pole for the camera was erected at the weekend, and local gardaí, as well as the garda helicopter, have been brought in to protect the cemetery.

“There hasn’t been as much damage done in that graveyard since the Williamites smashed headstones 300 years ago,” said Donal Ó Riain, a local historian who was closely involved in the restoration work. “This is one of the most historic structures in the parish. It dates back to the sixth century and the church building dates back to just after the time of St Patrick,” he told The Clare People .

“We’re putting up the camera and we’re working on repairing the headstones. We also had a meeting and invited the two local guards and they have agreed to keep a particular eye on the area.”

Local Fianna Fail councillor, Cathal Crowe, has been closely involved with the cemetery committee and he is helping them get the right camera for the job. “I’ve also asked the garda helicopter patrol, which flies over the city, to see if they can hover over Kilquane, particularly at weekends as it’s an isolated patch of ground,” he said.

The CCTV equipment will cost a large amount of money, but Donal is confident that they will achieve their goal. “We’ve always had fantastic support from the community for anything we’ve done at Kilquane because it’s such an historic structure. We’re having a fundraiser in the Tailrace Bar in Parteen this Friday, with Larry McEvoy playing. I hope we will get the same support we have always had,” said Donal.

ICARUS will not be swooping down to settle in Clarecastle despite a late bid to have the well known piece of sculpture moved to a new home.

In a motion submitted to yesterday’s meeting of Ennis Town Council, Cllr Mary Howard (FG) called on the Council to “consider relocating the Icarus sculpture to the centre of the Clareabbey roundabout”.

Cllr Howard told the meeting that the statue would be a “lovely gateway” to Ennis if it was moved to Clareabbey.

Mayor of Ennis, Cllr Michael Guilfoyle (Ind) said he would like to see the 11-tonne statue brought back to the centre of Ennis rather than Clarecastle.

Cllr Paul O’Shea (Lab) called for a vote on the matter, urging the Council to install the statue at the Clareabbey roundabout.

However, in his response, town clerk Eddie Power stated that a site on the N85 western relief road had been chosen as a new location. He explained that design work on a new base for the statue had already started at the Rocky Road roundabout. He told the meeting that € 20,000 has already been committed to the project.

Town manager Ger Dollard said the Council was involved in three major sculpture projects – the Information Age Sculpture at Clon Road; Icarus and its replacement piece in the Market – a sculpture of two farmers and a cow.

He said it was “too late in the day” for a new location for Icarus. “The horse has already bolted in that re- spect,” he added.

The Icarus statue was designed by the renowned Irish sculptor John Behan. It was gifted to Ennis Town Council by the former Shannonbased company Guinness Peat Aviation in 1990 to mark the town’s 750 year anniversary.

Behan titled his work Daedalus though it became known locally as Icarus.

The sculpture had occupied a place on the roundabout at the heart of the market area of the town prior to its removal in December 2006.

IT TOOK a week longer than expected, but the heroic efforts by a Quin man to raise money for the Alzheimer Society of Ireland came to a joyful conclusion on Sunday.

52-year-old Brendan Cooney set out the aim of kayaking 124 kilometres from Athlone Weir to Two Mile Gate in Killaloe within a four-day period.

The challenge, in memory of his mother Nancy, was initially timetabled from June 23 to 26. While the first two days were a success, Brendan encountered tough conditions when he got to Meelick last Saturday week, June 25. He put the challenge on hold, but efforts to continue the following day were also hampered by the poor weather. He waited for a few days and managed to complete his challenge over the weekend, culminating on Sunday.

“I had to come out of it [last Saturday week]. The weather was just too bad, I had to walk out from the canoe on Saturday. We went back on Sunday morning but I was advised to go no further,” he told The Clare People .

He kayaked from Meelick to Rossmore in Galway to Williamstown to Mountshannon, before eventually reaching his destination, Two Mile Gate, on Sunday. He got great assistance along the way from his brother Austin who provided short support.

“I got to my destination, even if it was a week late,” he said. “If I took until Christmas, I was going to finish. With the type of canoe I had – a solo canoe – the wind has a big bearing,” he said.

Now that the kayaking is out of the way, Brendan will set his sights on collecting money for the Alzheimer Society. He hasn’t set any targets in terms of fundraising and says he doesn’t mind if he raises € 100 or € 10,000.

“That’s the next job. I have to take up the [sponsorship] cards and money. The aim is to raise awareness of the disease and also the carers. They do a great job,” he said.

He is also considering the possibility of doing a similar event next year, after a well-earned rest! “I’ll see what happens and how things progress from here. It’s a long way between here and next summer,” he said.

MEMBERS of the public in Ennis support pedestrianisation “in some sort or other” a new report about the future development of the town has found.

The findings of Ennis 20/20 – People, Place, Potential – A report on the Community Visioning Exercise – was presented by Dr Chris McInerney of the University of Limerick at yesterday’s monthly meeting of Ennis Town Council.

The main objective of the project was to support the development of a participatory plan for Ennis as a hub town in line with the National Spatial Strategy. The project was supported by the University of Limerick, Ennis Town Council and the Clare Active Citizenship Network.

The opinions of over 300 people were canvassed including those of 30 young people and the opinions of 180 people in Dunnes Stores on a Thursday evening and Saturday morning.

The report presents perspectives on what local people think Ennis will look and feel like in 2020; the strengths and assets on which it can build; how the image of Ennis might be improved and how Ennis might be developed further as an inclusive town. The report found that there is a “strong emphasis on pedestrianisation” with people also wanting an “enhanced relationship between the town and the River Fergus”.

In a section focusing on how improved infrastructure can enhance Ennis, the report found, “The related theme of pedestrianisation was undoubtedly one of the most prominent issues to be raised with all of those mentioned it advocating pedestrianisation of some sort or other, ranging from gradual or partial pedestrianisation to an all out approach taking in all of the town centre.”

Parking also emerged as a key concern for people in Ennis. The report states, “The suggestions ranged from reducing parking charges to designating certain days for free parking to help to stimulate retail sales.”

In a section on Ennis’ Economic Development, “reducing costs to business was also cited as an important factor in stimulating economic activity”.

Dr McInerney told the meeting that there was “divergence of views” on how retail development should proceed in Ennis.

The report states, “On one hand some participants favoured the introduction of large retails outlets as a means of preventing leakage of spending to Limerick and Galway. By contrast, other participants favoured the prioritisation of support for locally-owned specialty shops that would have a capacity to sell local produce, including the development of the town’s market area.”

The public also suggested “friendlier traffic wardens” and “street ambassadors and volountary town guides to assist tourists”.

In the area of ‘Building Cooperation’, the report found that some people are in favour of a “conscious effort” to support integration.

The report adds, “However, for others, further integration was not a priority, emphasis being placed instead on adjusting/improving behaviour, both amongst newly arriving groups and amongst the town’s Traveller population.”

VOLUNTEERISM in Clare is at an all time high as unemployed people in the county offer their skill for free to worthy organisations in the county.

Figures released from by the CAO last week reveal that the numbers signing on in the county rose by almost 200 last month – the first monthly increase since the Live Register hit its all time high in the county in January.

The news that there were 10,400 signing on in the county in June is disappointing as it comes after four months of straight drops in the the Live Register figure in the county.

The chairperson of the the Clare Citizen Information Service, Paul Woulfe, said that while there is no sign in the number of unemployed dropping, there are now many schemes to help them when they do find themselves out of work.

“We are seeing more and more people coming into us – people are still being let go and the trend is not changing at all at the moment. But there are a lot of schemes there to help people and the information about them is changing all the time. We would advice anyone who becomes unemployed to come into the office to see us or to look at any of our websites to see what their options are,” he said.

“The big thing for people when they lose their job is dealing with the immediate financial issues. A lot of people have mortgages and other expenditures so they have to change their budget a lot. If there is serious debt there or if they are finding that they are running into debt then we can refer them onto MABS who can help them with that.

“We do help by advising people on how they can fill their time in a good way. They might be interested in doing some voluntary work so we would be sending them onto the Clare Volunteer Centre who could assess their skills.

“People have more time on their hands than they are used to so we would be encouraging people to look at their options for upskilling and pointing them towards the VEC or other organisations. Or we could send them to the Adult Guidance Service if they want to get back as a mature student or to a jobs facilitator at the social welfare office if someone has an idea and wants to go out on their own. So we can look at the various options and then advise them where they can go and get more information and support that can help them.”

For help from the Citizen Information Service check out losingyourjob. ie or call into the Clare Citizen Information Services offices on Bank Place in Ennis.

NEW casual trading byelaws aimed at improving the operation of the Ennis market were last night adopted by members of Ennis Town Council after councillors voted unanimously to remove plans for a controversial tow away system.

As part of the byelaws, the Council had proposed introducing a system that would have seen cars parked in market trading bays on trading days, towed away.

That, along with plans to limit the sale of Christmas trees to the Cornmarket area of the town, were strongly opposed by all elected representatives present at yesterday’s Council meeting.

Despite sparking confusion, another proposal to prevent the further reduction of parking spaces in favour of trading bays in Guaranakilla, as set out in the byelaws, did make the final draft, despite criticisms from Cllr Johnny Flynn (FG).

Councillors Flynn, Paul O’Shea (Lab) and Frankie Neylon (Ind) proposed that the byelaws be passed subject to three conditions.

Members voted unanimously to re- move the tow away system and the restriction of the sale of Christmas trees from the byelaws.

However, following a warning from town manager Ger Dollard that a proposal to designate a section of Guaranakilla strictly for parking would have “serious implications” for trading in the market, a majority of councillors present voted 4-3 against the amendment.

Cllr Flynn said he was against the further reduction of parking in the interests of ratepayers in the area. Town clerk Eddie Power said effective byelaws were needed to manage the market in the interests of safety and of traders who pay to operate in the area.

Mr Dollard told the meeting that signs warning that cars may be towed away could still be put up in the market. He said the penalty would not be part of the byelaws, adding that Gardaí could still decide to tow cars away if they are found to be impeding trading.

Cllr Flynn described the tow away system as using a “sledgehammer to crack a nutshell”. Cllr Neylon said the proposal could cost affected car owners € 200 to remedy.

A MYSTERY Irish American couple have come forward with funding for a new project which could create hundreds of jobs in Clare over the next 12 months.

Details of the project, which is the brain child of West Clare man Jim Connolly, will not be officially released for another month but The Clare People understands that the project is modelled on a similar project started in Clare the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Jim, who is the founder or Rural Resettlement Ireland and was a candidate in this year’s General Election, says he had been seeking funding to restart the project for the last number of year but when no Government help was forthcoming the project was saved by the mysterious donation from America.

The project will see a series of open fair days being hosted around the county which would encourage unemployed people to show off their own talents and to grow confidence in the people.

“We are trying to attract people to set up their own jobs for themselves. It aims to promote one person enterprises by hosting free open days where unemployed people can come along and sell their good or services. It sounds like a simple idea but the response was simply overwhelming. This became a huge project, not just in Clare but in six other counties.,” said Jim.

“The key is that the whole thing is that it is totally free and people have nothing to lose. It is a great way of encouraging people to explore own talents and to give them confidence.”

Jim had failed to gain Government support for his project over the last two years, which was eventually why he decided to put his name forward for the General Election earlier this year.

“Through the publicity from the General Election I was contacted by an Irish American couple, who wish to remain anonymous, and within three or four weeks they had sent money over from America to fund this project on a part-time basis for one year,” continued.

“We have an application in with the new Government. I met the Minister last week and they are keen but have given no guarantee but if they come on board we could make it a fulltime project and extend it for more than a year.”

The project will be officially launched later this summer and any unemployed people are asked to prepare for the fair. The majority of the fair will be hosted by the local VECs but they will be made open to other locations.