Category: News

DESPITE the landmark achievement of returning three government TDs to the Fine Gael/Labour coalition in the February 25 election, Clare was the only county along the western seaboard to be ignored for either full ministerial or minister of state status in the new administration.

However, 100 days into the government, the county has finally received recognition thanks to a number of key appointments made by Taoiseach Enda Kenny. Fine Gale deputies Joe Carey and Pat Breen have been appointed Assistant-Chief Whip and chairman of the Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs & Trade respectively.

“This role will ensure I have daily contact with An Taoiseach and Government ministers in relation to legislation and co-ordinating debates in the Dáil,” Deputy Carey told The Clare People after his appointment.

“My role will be most important, especially as tough decisions need to be made in the months and years ahead. It will also allow me to develop and enhance strong relationships with all Ministers and I will endeavour to use that influence and insight to the benefit of the people of County Clare.

“I will also have responsibility for monitoring Senate legislation entering Dáil Éireann. The role of the Whip is to have strong relationships with deputies and ministers and to ensure the smooth operation of Government in its highest capacity. I believe my appointment is recognition of the inter-personal skills which I have developed over the years,” he added.

“Restoring Ireland’s international reputation is a top priority for our Government,” said Deputy Breen after his promotion to a key Oireachtas committee that carries with it an extra salary of € 10,000 per annum.

“The Taoiseach has entrusted me with the responsibility for driving and formulating Fine Gael policy in this area. I will be making it clear that the message that Ireland is open for business must be communicated all over the world and that our Corporation Tax rate is not up for discussion,” added Deputy Breen who cut his teeth in foreign affairs as a member of the Council of Europe.

Labour’s Michael McNamara has also been also appointed to a position on the Dáil Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, as well as to a place on the Committee on Communications, Natural Resources and Agriculture.

In addition to his assistant-chief whip duties, Deputy Carey has been appointed to the Committee on Procedure and Privileges, while Fianna Fáíl’s transport spokesperson, Deputy Timmy Dooley has been appointed to the Committee on Environment, Transport, Culture and the Gaeltacht.

A MAN charged with the murder of a 21-year-old student in Barefield is due to appear again in court next week.

Joe Heffernan (31) with an address at Cappabeg, Barefield, was last week charged with the murder of Eoin Ryan at Cappabeg, Barefield, on June 7.

The accused made an initial court appearance last Wednesday and was remanded in custody to Friday.

At Ennis District Court on Friday, Inspector John Galvin applied to have Mr Heffernan remanded in custody until Friday week.

CLARE County Council have teamed up with An Taisce in a novel plan to show the way for the rest of the country by organizing the first ever Banner Bike Week – a ground-breaking initiative to take cars off Clare’s roads.

Local An Taisce activist Róisín Ní Ghairbhith and the council’s road safety officer Barry Keating are spearheading the week long festival in which hundreds of people are expected to take to their bikes.

“This is about changing people’s habits and giving them the incentive to get back on their bikes,” says Ms Ní Ghairbhith. “As part of that we are organizing a series of events throughout the week to increase the amount of bike owners in the county by making cheap and free bikes available.”

The week starts this coming Saturday with what Ní Ghairbhith describes as “the Banner’s biggest ever bring a bike back bonanza”. At Gaelscoil Mhichíl Ciosóg in Ennis, four bike mechanics will be on hand to fix un-used bikes and find new homes for them in auction that takes place at 1pm.

The following day a free bike repair workshop takes place at Teach Ceol in Ennistymon between 2pm and 5pm.

The following Wednesday a series of community cycles will take place in Shannon, Kilrush and Ennis. “Up to 1000 children from fourth, fifth and sixth classes in 20 schools and 300 other members of the community will take part,” says Ms Ní Ghairbhith.

“It’s to show people safe cycling routes available in their home town. They will do Children from all the schools in these 3 towns will be doing a 7km cycle around their town and all staff, parents and members of the community invited to come along and cycle with them on the day,” she adds. A Teens on Wheels event takes place on June 26 – this involves a teenagers cycling a 7km loop form Ennistymon to Lahinch and back, while the following day a Community and Family Cycle from Ennistymon to Lahinch takes place with a starting time of 1pm.

THE numbers signing on in Clare look set to drop below the 10,000 mark for the first time in more than 18 months should the current positive trend continue throughout June.

The number of Clare people on the Live Register has remained well above 10,000 since October of 2009, peaking at just under 11,000 in January of this year.

The last five months have seen consistent month-on-month reductions in the numbers signing on with May’s figures down to 10,286 – a reduction of almost 200 in the the April figures.

Another strong performance coupled with an increase in the numbers returning to seasonal work in the county’s tourism sector should could see the Live Register drop below 10,000 next month.

This reduction in numbers has been largely driven by positive numbers coming from North Clare with the Ennistymon area office reporting a drop of almost 15 per cent in the numbers signing on since January.

A total of 1,535 people signed on the Live Register in Ennistymon last month – down from 1,610 in April and 1,771 in January of this year.

The numbers were also down in Ennis last month where 5,842 people signed on the Live Register last month. This was just 29 people during the month and 150 people since the start of the year.

There were 1,415 people signing on in Kilrush last month, down 29 on the previous month, and 1,494 in Tulla, a reduction of five on the previous month.

CLARE’S flagship beaches were given a clean bill of health last week with the announcement that all of the Blue Flags won by the county in 2010 would be retained in 2011.

The prestigious flags will be flying high in Fanore, Lahinch, White Strand (Miltown Malbay), Kilkee, Cappa beach in Kilrush, White Strand (Doonbeg), Ballycuggeran and Mountshannon this weekend.

The flags are awarded each year after a series of water quality and environmental tests carried out by An Taisce and Clare County Council.

This means that Clare has the fifth highest number of blue flag beaches in the county behind Kerry with 13, Donegal with 12, Mayo with 11 and Cork which won 10 Blue Flags.

“Local beaches and marinas play an important part in the lives of coastal communities and visitors alike, providing opportunities for walking, swimming, water sports and fishing to mention just a few,” said Cllr Joe Arkins (FG), Chairperson of the Strategic Policy Com- mittee for Environmental and Water Services.

“The responsibility is on all of us to keep our beaches litter-free.”

The importance of the Blue Flags in tourism generation is believed to be on the increase as a result of the increased number of Irish people choosing to holiday at home. According to the Mayor of Clare Christy Curtin (IND), the flags are key to the county’s overall tourism product.

“I am delighted that Clare again retained eight blue flags for 2011 and acknowledged the positive contribution that our eight blue flag beaches will make to tourism in the county,” he said. “The Blue Flag flying at any of these beaches indicates that you and your family can expect to find clean and safe environments when visiting these bathing areas.

“As Mayor of Clare, I am very encouraged by the continued assistance given to Clare County Council by local communities across the County to ensure that the high environmental standards are achieved and maintained at our beaches.”

NEW figures show that Ennis Town Council issued 11 fines against people for drinking in public places in 2010.

No fines have been handed out so far this year, while seven were issued in 2009 and 18 were issued in 2008. Town Clerk Eddie Power outlined the figures at last week’s meeting of Ennis Town Council.

Mr Power was responding to a motion tabled by Cllr Mary Howard (FG). Cllr Howard urged the council to compile a report on the amount of convictions under the council’s byelaws, with particular reference to recent difficulties with anti-social behaviour at Tim Smyth Park/Fairgreen.

Cllr Howard explained, “Over the past number of years, there have been problems with daytime and indeed night-time drinking.”

Cllr Howard added that the council erected a sign in the area to highlight the issue.

She said local people were concerned by the behaviour.

She told the meeting that groups of young people had been seen holding “drinking parties at night, sometimes by candlelight” near picnic tables in Tim Smythe Park.

Mr Power said, “The Garda Super- intendent has been contacted in relation to this matter and I will revert to you on receipt of his reply.”

Town Manager Ger Dollard said he had been told by gardaí that people caught drinking in public places have been dealt with under the public order act.

Concerns over anti-social behaviour at a new playground at Tim Smythe Park have led to calls for fencing to be installed.

Local residents say a six-foot fence, CCTV cameras and public lighting are required to prevent teenagers causing disruption.

A CLONLARA couple is this week mourning the loss of their sevenyear-old son, who died suddenly at the weekend.

Patrick (Pat) O’Callaghan, who was the son of the CEO of County Clare VEC George O’Callaghan and his wife Patsy, died suddenly while at school at the Model School in Limerick City on Friday.

The little boy was the only son of the O’Callaghans and had one sister Mary.

George O’Callaghan is well known in teaching circles in Clare and has been the head of the VEC for the past few years. He is a native of Quin and currently lives in Clonlara with his family.

Patrick O’Callaghan’s funeral will take place today (Tuesday) and tomorrow (Wednesday).

He will repose at his home this evening at Clonoughter, Clonlara, from 5pm to 8pm this evening. Requiem mass will take place in the Dominican Church, Limerick, tomorrow at 11.30am, followed by burial at Quin Abbey.

Tributes were paid to the child at a meeting of Clare County Council yesterday. Fine Gael Councillor Joe Arkins said, “The death of a child is a nightmare for parents.”

GARDAÍ are examining footage of drivers on the Clare side of the tunnel who have been caught on camera reversing and even doing u-turns to avoid having to pay a toll.

Cameras at the entrance to the new tunnel toll plaza have nabbed drivers reversing on the hard shoulder of the motorway back on to the roundabout to take an alternative route. Other cameras on the approach to the toll tunnell on the Clare side have cap- tured drivers going as far as doing a u-turn and driving the wrong way up the road.

A spokesman for the Direct Route – the company which operates the tunnel and toll – said that the dangerous behaviour has been filmed on the Clare side of the tunnel with drivers coming from the Shannon direction.

Clare registration plates have been identified in many of the instances, he said, and the footage has been handed over to gardaí and copies sent to the Road Safety Authority.

“This is completely irresponsible and dangerous behaviour,” the spokseman said.

He added that the incidents of reversing and turning are becoming less frequent as drivers become more familiar with the route which brings them to the tunnel.

“If drivers don’t want to pay the toll, there is another route still available and they can take that. But once they are on the mortorway and committed to the tunnel, it’s very dangerous to do anything but drive ahead.”

A 10-YEAR collaboration between local motorbike enthusiasts and Clare VEC has raised an estimated € 70,000 for local and national charities.

‘Wheels within Wheels’ started life as a motorbike restoration project involving students of Adult Education Services in Clare. The project’s aim was to raise money for charity by restoring, in some cases from scrap, vintage motorbikes.

Ennis man Jacko McMahon was the driving force behind the project for many years, helping to highlight various VEC initiatives and raise money for organisations such as St Luke’s Hospital, Dublin, Cahercalla Hospital, Steps youth club and the RNLI lifeboat service.

Since the project’s inception, Clare VEC provided facilities with education officer Dr Sean Conlan helping get the initiative of the ground in the early days.

Members of Clare’s motorcycling fraternity including the Banner Motorcycle Club also pitched in with their expertise over the years.

Jacko still helps out but the baton for Wheels within Wheels has been passed to Joe McConagle, a VEC tutor in motorbike and car mechanics.

For the past four years, Joe, supported by VTOS coordinator Frank Benson, has worked on projects with students at the Adult Education Centre in Kilrush.

Joe explained, “The bike is stripped down completely, rebuilt, finished and then we raffle it.” This year the team intends to fully restore a Suzuki GSX 750F with the aim of raising money for three-year-old Galway girl, Chloe Flaherty. Chloe requires round the clock care after suffering brain damage following complications that arose during surgery last year.

Joe, who is friends with Chloe’s father Patrick Flaherty, said, “She’s in full-time care. Her parents have almost had to stop working to provide care, it’s very specialised.

Work on the latest motorbike project has already begun and is expected to be completed by the end of June.

There are also plans to mark the 10th anniversary of Wheels within Wheels later this year.

Joe added, “The money has gone to different charities, in Clare and around Ireland. We reckon its raised around € 70,000 over 10 years.”

For further information on wheels within wheels contact joe. mcgonagle@yahoo.com.

THE man behind a new multi-million shopping centre in Miltown Malbay believes that a number of businesses have been lost to the town in recent years because of delays in the planning process.

John Jones, whose family have been in business in Miltown for nearly 200 years, gained planning permission for a € 4m supermarket last week – after six years and three different attempts at through the planning process.

According to Mr Jones, the new development could help the town attract other businesses and generate new employment in Miltown Malbay.

“I think this would have made Miltown more attractive for other businesses to come in. Miltown has no factories and it has no large scale employer. It needs something to get more people working and get money generating in the area and that will help the area to prosper. Hopefully this can help kick-start the rest of the town,” he said.

“There should be up to 50 employed in the shop and obviously there would be extra seasonal employment. Miltown hasn’t exactly developed as well as other towns in recent years. What- ever you say about the [planning] objectors, they have definitely put Miltown on the back foot because this project has been held up. Other towns might have factories to provide employment but Miltown doesn’t have that; Miltown has suffered over the last few years.

“I’m delighted to get it finished. I think I always knew that I would get there in the end but some people used the system to hold me up. What we were proposing was always going to go through eventually.

“The last time at we went to Bord Pleanála we were told that we had too much car parking, which was strange in itself. But we decided that we would use that space for an Astro Turf field instead.”

The development consists of a 10,000 square foot supermarket, 150 car parking spaces, a relief road for the town, children’s playground and an Astro-Turf facility with associated dressing rooms and lighting.

Building work is due to begin on the development later this summer and could be completed by Easter of 2012. As well as the 50 full-time jobs, the development will generate as much as 150 new positions during the construction phase.