Category: News

MEMBERS of Clare County Council last night narrowly voted to nominate Independent candidate Seán Gallagher to contest the 2011 Presidential Election.

Despite legal advice that the Council was not entitled to nominate a candidate before the election writ is officially moved, a majority of members present voted 16/15 in favour of supporting Dragon’s Den panelist Gallagher.

A decision on the motion was delayed last week after councillors requested legal advice.

Prior to last night’s vote, County Manager Tom Coughlan said that he had to draw attention to the legal advice that stated that any challenge to the Council’s proposal to nominate Gallagher would be likely to succeed. He added that the Council would then be liable to pay costs.

The motion, put forward by Cllr Michael Begley (Ind), stated, “That we the members of Clare County Council pledge our commitment to nominate Seán Gallagher to contest the 2011 Presidential Election.” The motion was seconded by Cllr Gerry Flynn (Ind).

The motion was strongly critcised by Cllr Brian Meaney (GP) and Fine Gael councillors.

Cllr Meaney described it as “extraordinary”, adding that he felt sorry for the normal members of Fianna Fáil whom he claimed were being forced to support Mr Gallagher, “a de-facto member of Fianna Fáíl”. Mayor of Clare, Cllr Christy Curtin (Ind) reprimanded Cllr Meaney asking him not to comment the decisions of other political parties.

Cllr Meaney said that if Mr Gallagher is a “de facto Fianna Fáíl candidate” then he should be declared as the party’s official candidate.

Fianna Fáil councillors asked Cllr Meaney to withdraw his remarks. Cllr Johnny Flynn (FG) told the meeting that he would be voting against the motion.

He added, “I’m a bit concerned that this is a bit premature.” Cllr Joe Ar- kins (FG) said that the motion represented “closing the stable door before the horse even got in”. He added, “We can’t formally nominate a candidate before the writ is moved.”

Cllr Tony Mulqueen (FG) warned that the Council could be legally exposed if the motion was passed.

When a vote was taken, 16 voted for and 15 against. Fianna Fáíl councillors present voted for the motion while Fine Gael councillors present voted against. Labour councillor Pascal Fitzgerald voted in favour of the Council nominating Mr Gallagher. The Labour party has nominated former Galway TD, Michael D Higgins, as its candidate in the Presidential Election.

SIGNS directing tourist towards Fanore and the R479 coast road will be re-erected by Clare County Council later this week.

MOVES to name a significant piece of infrastructure after the founder of the world’s first Duty Free Zone, Dr Brendan O’Regan, was begun yesterday by Clare County Council.

The Sixmilebridge man – who died in 2008 at 90 years of age and was key to the development of industry and tourism in Clare – established Ireland’s first hotel school in Shannon in 1951 and was Chairman of the Irish Tourist Board from 1957 to 1973.

Following a motion put forward by Cllr PJ Ryan (Ind) at last night’s meeting of Clare County Council, the County Manager, Tom Coughlan, has been asked to make contact with the Shannon Airport Authority to discuss renaming a major road in the area after Dr O’Regan.

It was suggested at last night’s meeting that a section of road from Drumline to the airport would be name The O’Regan Way, while it was also suggested that an area of road between Drumgeely to the airport also be renamed.

“He seems to have been honoured in every other county and every other country except for his own county. In the airport itself there has been very little recognition for him in the place where he contributed so much to,” said PJ Ryan (Ind). “I wouldn’t have a problem with the suggestion that the council talk to the airport authority in relation to this. But I know that airport authority does not move too fast so I would hope that Tom Coughlan would move this forward sooner rather than later.”

Meanwhile, a disagreement concerning the council’s financial operations broke out last night meeting when Cllr PJ Kelly (FF) suggested that the local authority was not complying with its own rules for reporting budget deficits to the elected members. Cllr Kelly said that, while he did not entirely support the laws as they stood, the council was in breach of Section 104 of the Local Government Act.

County Manager Tom Coughlan said that the local authority had not overspent on its overall budget in the last two years and that the elected members would be advised before any over spend would take place.

Mr Coughlan did admit however, that minor over spends in some areas had taken place, but that these were balanced off with under spends in other areas. He said that if the Council was to take a very strict interpretation of Section 104, it would make the day to day running of the local authority almost impossible.

“Towards the end of last year the Council was able to get some extra funding from the NRA – between € 1 million and € 1.5 million. If I had to wait for four weeks to tell the [elected members of the] Council that we would be spending that money then there wouldn’t be a hope we could spend it in time,” he said.

“If there is going to be over expenditure I will, of course, bring that issue before the council. There is over expenditure in certain areas but then there’s under expenditure in other areas, but we balance the budget. If the council was to apply very strictly the issues outlined in 104 then we would be back before the Council every week. It would be impossible if I had to go back to the Council every single week.”

THREE culinary entrepreneurs will embark on a new business venture in Quin later this month.

Husband and wife, Tony Molloy and Clare Colleran McKenry and sister Colette Colleran are the team behind Quincy’s – a new 30-seater restaurant that will open in Quin in two weeks time.

Chef Colette has over 20 years experience working in restaurants and hotels in Ireland and England, including a nine-year spell in the Old Ground Hotel in Ennis.

She said, “That’s where the experience really came from. I just felt that the time is right to run my own place.”

Despite the difficult business climate, Colette explained that the trio aim to work hard to ensure Quincy’s becomes a success.

She added, “The opportunity arose, the location is great and we are local to the area for almost 50 years.”

Ennis native Tony is well known in Ennis from his days at men’s clothes shop Tony’s fashions.

Tony ran the business for 21 years prior to its closure last October.

Currently employed on a seasonal basis as a starter and caddy master at Lahinch Golf Club, Tony, who previously worked at the Old Ground Hotel, said he is looking forward to the challenge of starting a new business. He continued, “I’ve always loved dealing with people and I’ve missed that part of the job very much. My skills are meeting and greeting.” Along with Tony, Clare will have responsibility for front of house du- ties in the restaurant. A practicing barrister on the South Western Circuit, Clare also has experience of working in restaurants and hotels.

She said, “Quin is a beautiful village and the restaurant will have a homely feeling and ambiance that we hope will compliment that.”

Apart from the owner/operators, it is intended that Quincy’s will employ two full-time and three parttime staff. The restaurant, which is located in the heart of Quin village, will open seven days a week, serving what Tony called “top quality food at reasonable prices”.

The restaurant has also helped raise money for the local primary school – Scoil na Mainstreach. Students were invited to enter a competition to guess the name of the restaurant with all money raised going to the school.

A wine and canapés reception will take place at Quincy’s on Wednesday July 13 (5pm to 9.30pm) followed by an official opening on Friday, July 15.

CLARE County Council is to hold a special meeting on the ongoing controversy over the iconic Ballyvaughan sign.

At last night’s Council meeting, a group of councillors put a forward a motion requesting a meeting to discuss the removal of the sign which has been strongly opposed by residents and business people in North Clare. The motion also proposed that the sign be re-installed at its original location and that it be listed as a protected structure.

Cllr Brian Meaney (GP) asked if the Council could provide a list of accidents that have occurred on the road near the sign. He said that it was within the remit of the Council to place a conservation order on the sign.

He added, “It was iconic and had particular relevance for people of Ballyvaughan and its removal was due to a vacuum of information.”

Cllr Joe Arkins (FG) said that signage is a big issue in Clare. He told the meeting that there are three different spellings of Lahinch and two different spellings of Ballyvaughan. He said, “If you were a tourist in this county you wouldn’t know whether you were coming or going.”

Cllr Arkins added that the different spellings of towns and villages had made Clare an “international laughing stock”.

Cllr Richard Nagle (FF) called for the National Roads Authority (NRA) to take a more realistic approach to signage. He said the removal of the sign had left people in North Clare feeling “outraged” and “victimised”.

He added, “The people in North Clare are relying on the sign for their livelihoods and this should be pointed out quite forcefully to the NRA.”

Cllr Tommy Brennan (Ind) told the meeting that if the NRA had “nothing to do but to look at signs, it should be abolished”.

County Manager Tom Coughlan said there had been contacts on an hourly basis between the Council and the NRA. He said he could not comment too much on the current situation regarding the sign, as he had not yet had a chance to speak with the Director of Service.

However he added that as far as the Council was concerned, it was the view of the NRA on Friday evening that the sign should not go up.

Cllr Patricia McCarthy (Ind) described the level of ambiguity coming from the NRA as “dreadful”.

RECORD numbers turned out to walk, jog and run the Clare 10K on Saturday in what has become one of the sporting highlights of the summer in the county.

The event, organised by The Clare People newspaper in conjunction with Clare Haven, was once again a major success. This is the sixth year of the event and the number of entries topped 1,300 for the first time.

Local athlete Seán Hehir won the race in a time of 29 minutes 42 seconds, while Veronica Colleran from Ennis Track Club won the women’s race.

All of the money raised from the run goes to Clare Haven, which provides support for female victims of domestic abuse and their families.

According to Services Manager with Clare Haven Denise Dunne, this event is the organisation’s biggest annual fundraiser.

“The Clare 10K is our biggest fundraiser for the year. Over the past couple of years it has become difficult to fundraise. We can’t keep the service open without fundraising,” said Ms Dunne.

“The people of county Clare have been very good in supporting the Clare 10K every year,” she added.

Colin McGann, of The Clare Peo- ple , said that while the weather was poor for the run on Saturday morning, the pouring rain didn’t dampen the spirits of most entrants.

“Around 1,100 turned up on the day, which was less than the 1,300 entrants, but thankfully the rain didn’t keep the majority of people away,” he said.

“It was a family fun day out and it is great to have the facilities at Lees Road. The running track adds another dimension to it. We are happy to support a good cause,” he said.

While several top class athletes take part every year, hundreds of walkers also participate in the event.

“And while it is becoming more competitive up the front, equally the numbers of walkers have increased every year,” he added.

Carmel Brady, of The Clare People , paid tribute to the participants and also the volunteers who helped out on the day.

“A huge thanks to all the volunteers. Complimentary refreshments were available for everybody for the first time, which was a nice touch,” she said.

“We are hoping to increase numbers again next year. People are becoming more health-conscious and there are a lot of Meet and Train running groups and walking groups across the county,” she added.

LITTER laws are criminalising landowners rather than people who engage in illegal dumping, a meeting has heard.

Councillors yesterday backed a motion calling for the “Litter Act to be amended to state that where there is a reasonable doubt that landowners are not penalized for illegal dumping”. The motion was put forward by North Clare councillor Michael Kelly (FF). At yesterday’s meeting of Clare County Council, Cllr Kelly explained that farmers are being hit with enforcement orders when rubbish is dumped on their land.

He said landowners are now “guilty until proven innocent”. He said he was aware of one incident where a farmer’s fence was cut and a sofa and armchair were thrown in.

He acknowledged that Council staff are doing everything they can to stop illegal dumping but farmers and landowners are still being penalized.

Cllr Pat Hayes (FF) said he had received numerous complaints from landowners about illegal dumping and encampments.

“There has to be protection for landowners. A lot of litter was dumped in my field and I had to take responsibility for it.

Cllr Joe Arkins (FG) said Council staff had been successful in identifying culprits and removing “lorry loads of rubbish”. He added, “We should engage in dialogue before we get into business of enforcement.”

Cllr PJ Ryan (Ind) told the meeting that “there is only one thing to be said and that the Act has to be changed.” Cllr Joe Cooney (FG) called for the imposition of “stiffer penalities”. Cllr Johnny Flynn (FG) described the current litter legislation as “bad law”. He added, “It criminalises the victim rather than the culprit.”

Cllr Gerry Flynn (Ind) said the majority of people are compliant with the litter laws. He said there are only two environmental wardens in the county. “They are doing the best they can but there are not enough resources,” he added.

Cllr Arkins urged greater promotion of the Council’s 24-hour confidential litter hot-line. He said the number should be marketed on all of the Council’s publications, stickers and biros. “Everyone should be a litter warden,” he added. Cllr Kelly said people engaged in dumping are more likely to throw rubbish onto other people’s lands in the middle of the night rather than the middle of the day. He added, “The wording of the act has to be amended.”

Director of Servce, David Timlin confirmed that the Council have two full time environmental wardens. He said that there were other members of staff designated to remove litter and carry out clean-ups of areas around Clare.

FOUR of Clare’s prime tourism hotspots will come together this Friday to launch a major new ticketing strategy, which they hope can attract thousands of extra tourists to the Banner county in years to come.

By using a special Burren4Group ticket members of the public will now be able to access the Cliffs of Moher, the Aillwee Caves, Caherconnell Stone Fort in Carron and the Burren Centre in Kilfenora for a fraction of the previous costs.

Several thousands copies of the special ticket will be circulated to hotels and guesthouse around Ireland, allowing anyone access to all four tourism location for just € 18 – a saving almost half on the non-ticket price to enter the four sites.

The initiative is designed to both attract tourist to the area but to also encourage the more of the 700,000 tourists who visit the Cliffs of Moher each year to stay overnight in the area or possibly for a number of days or a weekend.

“This really came about following the realisation that we are living in recessionary times and people don’t have the money to go to all the different centres. This is a combination of offering people good value but also offering them something really special. We have the iconic Cliffs of Moher, Aillwee, the fort in Caherconnell and ourselves, so you have a bit of everything that you might want,” said Frances Connole of the Burren Centre.

“Hopefully that this will get people to stay longer in the area and ultimately that is what all of this is about. This is not a day trip, we have so many great facilities here are there really is something for everyone.”

The scheme will be launched on a pilot basis by the Minister for Tourism, Michael Ring (FG) in Kilfenora this Friday. It is hoped that the ticket will be rolled out on a widespread basis should it prove to be a success this year.

“If this is successful, we build on that success in future years. We don’t want to rush into anything. At the moment the ticket is aimed only for individual travellers but down the road we will look at things like family tickets and things like that,” continued Frances. “It is just too early to roll that all out now. We need to float the idea and make sure that people will be happy with it and that it will work. It is a new project and a big innovation for this region so we need to be sure before we proceed. I think people will be interested in it though. This is about working together and networking together instead of always looking over the water and being in competition. It is a good idea and I think that people will like it.”

THE Banner County’s outstanding contribution to elected politics since the foundation of the state 90 years ago was celebrated at Clare County Council headquarters of Áras an Chláir last Friday.

Public represenatives, past and present, who spanned 70 of those 90 years were present to hear An Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Eamon Gilmore hail the county’s “historic contribution” to politics and a local, national and international level.

Deputy Gilmore made his comments as he unveiled a Roll of Honour chronicling the record of service of every elected member of Clare County Council, Dáil Éireann and Seanad Éireann since independence.

“This scroll of service clearly identifies the names and the times of service of those who were elected to local and central government doing the past 90 years.

“This is significant because of the historical contribution of County Clare, that public representatives have made in County Clare and elections in County Clare have made, right back to the time of Daniel O’Connell, through the 1917 by-election in East Clare right through all the elections we have had in the history of the State,” said Minister Gilmore. “Clare has produced a disproportionate number of statespeople who have contributed to the life and progress of our country – it’s something that Clare can be immensely proud of.

“Here we have the names of the people who have served County Clare in Dáil Éireann, in Seanad Éireann, in government, on the County Council. It is right that the role they have played and the service they have given to their fellow citizens should be formally recognised,” he added.

“This Roll of Honour underlines the unswerving commitment and loyalty to the democratic principle of public representation by the named individuals during this period of our history,” said Mayor of Clare Christy Curtin. “It’s a permanent record of the public service and duty to the Banner County and will be the inspiration for present and future generations of Clare people to participate and engage fully with the democratic process.”

“This Roll of Honour marks the commitment and dedication of a lot of people, who have not asked what their county can do for them, but for what they can do for their county,” said county manager, Tom Coughlan.

A LOCAL woman who managed to get photos of a funnel cloud in the outskirts of Kinvara last week, says that she never feared getting caught up in a dangerous tornado.

Amateur photographer Kit O’Sullivan managed to capture the rare funnel cloud as it came over North Clare and South Galway last Tuesday evening, June 21. It is still unclear if the funnel cloud touched ground – thus making it one of the first ever tornadoes recorded in the Clare area.

“Myself and my sister Mary were looking out the window, watching the cloud because we could see it coming in and we knew it was a thunder cloud. The next thing we saw the funnel come out of the bottom of the cloud – it shot down, about half way down the sky from the cloud.

“We though straight away that it must be a tornado – just from watching all these American shows at the moment about tornadoes. As it happened I had the camera with me so I ran out and got a few pictures of the cloud. It is very hard to tell for sure but it certainly appeared to me that the cloud was over land and not still over the sea.

“I never thought that I might be danger at all. God no, my first thought was to get the camera out and get outside and get a few pictures. I love watching the weather, I love thunder storms and things like that so I am always looking at the sky to see what is going on. It is better than television.”

Instances of funnel clouds and mini-tornadoes are becoming more common on the west coast of Ireland. Locals people also spotted a similar funnel cloud close to the airfield in Spanish Point earlier this year.

“The weather is certainly changing. If you look at the weather we had last week and then the weather we had on Friday and Saturday – you forget that we are in the month of June,” continued Kit.

“When you see the severe winters that we are getting, that we have never gotten before, I think that this is a clear sign that the whole ecosystem is upside down and the funnel clouds are just an example of that.”

More pictures of the funnel cloud are now available on www.irishweatheronline.com.