Category: News

THE loss of Eoin Ryan has left an “indelible mark” on everyone, the Mayor of Clare said yesterday.

Eoin’s uncle-in-law, Cllr Christy Curtin (Independent) made the comment at yesterday’s monthly meeting of Clare County Council, which was adjourned due to a number of bereavements, including the death of Mr Ryan.

“It’s a particularly poignant moment for me,” Cllr Curtin told councillors.

“For me and my family, the loss of Eoin Ryan can never be measured. The tragic circumstances surrounding the death of Eoin Ryan has left an indelible mark on all of us,” he said.

He added that he would convey the support of his fellow councillors to Eoin’s parents Don and Phil, brother Daniel and sister Lisa.

Tributes were also paid to the family of retired Shannon Town Clerk Tomás MacCormaic, who passed away last Tuesday, while the late Frank O’Dea – father of Ennis Town Engineer Eamon O’Dea – was also remembered by councillors.

The family of the Clare VEC CEO George O’Callaghan was also re- membered by the councillors, in the wake of the death of his seven-yearold son Patrick last Friday.

Fine Gael Councillor Joe Arkins said, “The circumstances that are facing us and the issues that have occurred over the last number of days are unprecedented.”

Fianna Fáil Councillor Cathal Crowe said the death of Mr Ryan was “sad and untimely” and said he was saddened to see the loss of such a young life in Master O’Callaghan.

Labour Councillor Pascal Fitzgerald said he was shocked to hear of the death of Patrick O’Callaghan.

The County Manager, Tom Cough- lan also expressed his sympathies with all the families.

The meeting was adjourned for one week.

The co-option of new Fine Gael councillors Seán McLoughlin (Shannon Electoral Area) and Bill Slattery (North Clare Electoral Area), which was due to take place yesterday, was adjourned for one week, due to the adjournment of the meeting.

Cllr McLoughlin will replace Tony Mulcahy, while Cllr Slattery will replace Martin Conway, following the election of both men to the Seanad last month.

CONSIDERATION should be given to a reduction in commercial rates in Ennis, one of the town’s longest serving councillors has said.

Cllr Peter Considine (FF) said that many businesses in Ennis are finding it difficult to pay rates.

He said, “We should be looking at a minor decrease in rates to assist businesses that are struggling.”

Cllr Considine was speaking at the June meeting of Ennis Town Council, where members were presented with the Council’s annual financial statement for 2010.

In his report, Town Manager Ger Dollard states, “2010 resulted in a small positive operating result of € 102,725 on the revenue account. This represents an overall improvement in Ennis Town Council’s revenue account and reverses the negative result of 2009.”

He added, “Overall, it should be noted that the AFS reflects the position at a particular point in time and underlying issues and trends need to be taken into consideration.”

The statement shows that expenditure on the revenue account (excluding transfers) amounted to € 11,867,320 while income on the revenue account (excl transfers) amounted to € 5,214,747.

Mr Dollard explained there were a number of reasons for the principal variances in income and expenditure for 2010.

They included: loan charges under budget mainly due to the fact that an additional loan for section E of the Inner relief road that was budgeted for and not drawn down; income from traffic fines and parking charges being less than expected; the requirement of a higher provision for potential bad debts of commercial rates due to the current economic crisis and additional expenditure (€ 666,594) on Lees Road and other recreational facilities.

The report shows that the figure for irrecoverable rates in 2010 was € 528,930. Cllr Michael Guilfoyle (Ind) urged the Council to get tough with some business people whom he said are “not paying rates and moving from one shop to another”.

HOUSEHOLDERS who had to claimed for repai rs on thei r home insurance after the big freeze last December are in some cases facing a 300 per cent hi ke in t hei r insurance costs.

One householder who made a claim after pipes burst and flooded her West Clare home is now facing a bil l of € 1, 200 to insure her home for the comi ng year.

“Our insurance last year was less than € 400 for the year. I was ab- solutely st unned when they told me how much the renewal would be. And we can’t even shop around because the company still hasn’t paid for all t he work t hat was done,” t he woman, who asked not to be named, told The Clare People .

Having never made a claim on her home insurance before, the householder said she feels it is “ a ver y severe hi ke. They have you over a bar rel because you can’t not insure t he house in case somet hing happens. But I really feel this is excessive when there has never been a clai m before.”

Another home-owner who had to clai m after pipes burst on Christmas Day and flooded his home in East Clare has had a jump in the cost of his renewal to € 1,100.

“There was a lot of damage to put right as there was water flowing for a long ti me because of the day that it was. It was hard to get anyone out. But this just r ubs salt i n the wound. Our yearly premiums were around € 350 before this. They were quick about paying for t he work done but they were quick to put the price of renewal up as well,” he told The Clare People .

Household insurance rates increased by an average of 10 per cent last year and a similar amount the year before.

The last two years had been “heavily loss-making” for the indust r y, a spokesman for the Insurance Federation of Ireland said.

Insurance companies paid out a massive € 10. 573 million in compensation to householders and businesses in Clare whose proper ty was damaged in December’s big freeze.

The Banner count y received the four t h highest amount of insurance money in t he count r y, behind Limerick Galway and Ker r y.

The cost per 1, 000 head of population in the count y was € 95, 295.

And whi le the Munster area accounts for 28 per cent of t he national population, 40 per cent of the claims which insurers paid out were from Munster.

The December severe weather cost insurance companies € 224 million national ly.

A 29-YEAR-OLD man has received a suspended sentence in connection with the possession of almost € 8,000 worth of cannabis.

Maurice Crotty, with an address at 11 Bridge View, Roslevan, appeared at Ennis District Court on Friday.

Garda Alan Kelly told the court that the accused had been charged after Gardaí recovered a large amount of cannabis, a small amount of amphetamine, € 2340 in cash and a weighing scales. Garda Kelly said the value of the cannabis was € 7945.

He said the man had not come to garda attention since the drugs were found and added that he believed the man “had learned from his error”.

Solicitor for the accused, John Casey, said his client had made a full admission to gardaí and had since completely dissociated himself from drug dealing.

He explained that his client had been given drugs to sell along with drugs he had used himself. Mr Casey said this was not meant to act as an excuse, that it had been his client’s decision to do it, adding, “He had to do what he was told”.

He said the man had played hurling at underage level for Clare, had won numerous sports awards and had recently been named badminton player of the year.

He said his client believed that the discovery of the drugs by Gardaí had been ‘the best thing to happen to him.’

“It’s a serious charge. He knows it’s a serious charge”, he added.

Mr Casey said the man, who was previously a factory worker, had stopped taking drugs and was now on a good path.

Asking that a custodial sentence not be imposed, he said that if his client went to prison, “he would meet the people he has been trying to avoid for the past few months”.

Judge Joseph Mangan imposed a four-month prison, suspended on the condition that the man be of good behaviour for two years and that he consented to a community service order of 150 hours. He ordered the man to appear back before court on July 15.

TWO mothers are hitting back against the recession by setting up Ireland’s first ever online craft fair.

Fondelifair.com is the brainchild of Alice Quinlan who decided to set up the website to offer craft-makers in Clare and around Ireland a place to meet, talk and sell directly to customers.

Crafters can sell everything from photographs to jewellery to knitwear.

Originally from Killaloe but now living in Ennis, Michelle Harding is Fondelifair’s creative director.

Michelle, a former Clare FM presenter, said, “We had absolutely no chance of getting a job and, both being keen crafters, we couldn’t find anywhere online where we could sell our crafts. This site is for anybody who would be good enough in their craft that they could sell online. There are people out there who might be at home, feeling down and depressed at the moment because they can’t get work, and this is a great opportunity for crafters to get back to their pas- sion and sell their goods.”

The site provides information on upcoming craft shows and events taking place around the country. Members can also upload images of their products.

Michelle explained that while members to date have enjoyed free membership, following the website’s launch, crafters will pay an annual fee of € 25 and have only to pay Fondelifair.com a five per cent commission on their sales to cover running costs.

Michelle added, “We are averaging approximately three new sign-ups a day since the site went live and that was before we launched officially on Monday. And we haven’t even advertised either. We have had huge interest and we’ve been very busy. It’s going brilliantly so far. We really need to be looking after each other in these tough times and this interactive web community is a great way for people to buy and sell their own unique goods.”

Since going live two weeks ago, the website has so far attracted 177 members.

WHAT we have we hold – that was the message emanating from Shannon that held sway among delegates to last Thursday night’s Fine Gael selection convention in Bunratty to elect a successor to Senator Tony Mulcahy on Clare County Council.

Shannon town councillor Sean McLoughlin secured Senator Mulcahy’s county council seat on a 42-35 vote against Marinella Raftery from Newmarket-on-Fergus – a decision already endorsed by Fine Gael party headquarters that will pave the way for his co-option onto the council at next Monday’s monthly meeting of the local authority in Ennis.

“To keep this council seat in Shannon was important,” said Cllr McLoughlin told The Clare People after his selection convention victory in the Bunratty Manor Hotel. “It was important for me personally, but the entire branch of the Fine Gael branch in Shannon that I was a founder member of in 1994 were adamant that someone from Shannon should get Tony Mulcahy’s seat.

“Outside the Fine Gael Shannon branch, the feeling in the town was that it was Shannon people who elected Tony and that it was still a Shannon seat and that it should be kept within the town limits. That was the overwhelming opinion that I was getting.

“This is something I’ve been working towards for the last 15 years. I have an awful lot of work done for the Fine Gael party for the last 15 years – putting up posters, knocking at doors and dropping off literature. Whatever Fine Gael wanted, I did it. Church Gate collections, organising functions.

“As long as Tony Mulcahy was on the county council, I would never have stood against him. Our vote is very much entwined, but the understanding was always there that if Tony every got further in politics and moved on from Clare County Council that I would be the person to try to step into his shoes and keep the seat in Shannon,” added Cllr McLoughlin.

However, the former Mayor of Shannon has pledged to play his part in working towards securing three Fine Gael seats in the Shannon Electoral Area in the 2014 local elections.

“I have no doubt about it that there are three seats to be got in the Shannon Electoral Area for Fine Gael in the next county council election,” said Cllr McLoughlin, “and I think Marinella Raftery will be there in future.”

A 48-YEAR-OLD man has appeared in Ennis District Court in connection with the alleged possession of child pornography. The man is charged with possession of 641 images of child pornographic material at his home in the South Galway area in March. On Friday, garda John Keating gave evidence of arrest, charge and caution. Insp John Galvin told the court that gardaí had no objection provided certain conditions are met. Insp Galvin said the man must reside at a certain address and sign on once a week at a local Garda station. The man was ordered to notify Gardaí of any intention to move away from the area and to surrender his passport. He was also ordered to stay away from Coole Park and Garryland Woods. Solicitor for the accused consented to the bail conditions. Judge Joseph Mangan remanded the man to appear at Gort District Court on June 28.

MEMBERS at the inaugural meeting of the Shannon Green Party have pledged support to campaign for a light rail link to Shannon Airport and want to see any money collected in water charges reinvested in Shannon to tackle leaking pipes.

The first meeting of the new branch under Shannon representative Gerben Unk discussed the possibility of having the link to make Shannon more acessible by public transport. The members said they also want to see an upgrade to provide safe and continuous cycle paths in the estate. But one of the most pressing issue, Mr Unk said at the meeting, is that of water charges.

“It appears that the present govern- ment is intent on bringing in water charges in advance of the roll out of an effective water metering system. Families may be faced with a flat fee of € 175.

The local Shannon Greens are concerned that this will be inequitable because everyone will pay the same regardless of the amount of water they use and ultimately counter-productive as it gives no incentive to user water wisely. Equally, there was concern among the membership for the prospect of an additional drain on the resources of already struggling families. There are fears that it will be introduced without proper processes in place to deal with those who are on low incomes or social welfare who are simply unable to bear the cost.

Just as important is the upgrading and ring-fencing of water charges for small- and medium-sized businesses who can barely survive in the current economic climate,” he said

On the issue of cycle paths for Shannon, Mr Unk said, “The environmental and health benefits of cycling are well documented and it is eminently feasible to cycle from anywhere in Shannon to work in any of the business parks around the town. Cycle paths should be implemented as much as possible, linking local housing estates to the business parks. This must be coupled with a renewed focus on the Bike to Work Scheme. This renewed focus should target local businesses and the community generally.”

The branch now plans to hold a public meeting focused on the water charges issue.

“We will invite all political representatives in the Shannon area, to attend this meeting.

“We are aware there is a lot of leakage due to insufficient piping in the Shannon area and a lot of water gets wasted and we all experienced the effects of this last winter. Sadly this is not unique to Shannon and affects many parts of the country. The Greens demand the proceeds of these water charges are spent at local level to improve the water infrastructure in local communities, for example waste water treatment systems, upgrading and repair of broken/leaking pipes, and educational initiatives focusing on the need to conserve water,” added Mr Unk.

THERE will be no change in the status of US military flights passing through Shannon in light of the revelations from the whistle-blowing website Wikileaks that successive Fianna Fáil-led governments refused to properly investigate claims that the airport was used by the CIA to illegally transport terror suspects.

The Fine Gael-led government has confirmed that military flights passing through Clare’s international airport will not be inspected, with a spokesperson saying that “no changes are envisaged in relation to inspection of US military flights going through Shannon”.

This announcement comes on the back of the release of diplomatic cables by the Wikileaks which showed that the extent of Fianna Fáil-led government investigations into alleged ‘torture flights’ amounted to then Taoiseach Bertie Ahern asking US Ambassador to Ireland James Kenny, ‘am I alright on this?’.

A cable from Mr Kenny’s successor as ambassador, Thomas Foley, also revealed that within a month of becoming Taoiseach, Brian Cowen confirmed his unwavering support for the use of Shannon.

“Cowen stressed that as long as he is in office, the US can count on continued support for its military activities at Shannon,” Mr Foley said in a confidential cable in June 2008.

Three years on, current Taoiseach Enda Kenny backed this stance after discussing the Shannon issue with President Obama during his one-day visit to Ireland.

“We discussed the relationship between Ireland and the States, the continuing importance of that, and I reiterated the no-change policy in respect of the use of Shannon, in respect of American aircraft serving the UN resolutions, passing through,” he said.

In January, Amnesty International Ireland claimed that the then Government “knew rendition flights transited Ireland and that they knew this breached the legally binding convention on torture”.

In calling for an independent investigation into the use of Shannon, Amnesty Ireland’s executive director Colm O’Gorman said “this stunning disregard for people’s lives and the rule of law is unconscionable”.

The Programme for Government states the Government “will enforce the prohibition on the use of Irish airspace, airports and related facilities for purposes not in line with the dictates of international law”.

“Arrangements for the overflight and landing of US military aircraft have been continuously in place for over 50 years. Civilian aircraft are prohibited from carrying weapons or munitions over Ireland or into Irish airports unless they receive an exemption from the transport minister,” a government spokesperson told The Clare People .

A JUDGE has warned two teenagers involved in a burglary in Kilrush that they must work with the probation services or face prison sentences.

Judge Carroll Moran was speaking at Ennis Circuit Court on Monday (May 30) at the case of Warren O’Donnell (19), of Moore Street, Kilrush,

Mr O’Donnell is charged with aggravated burglary and assault at Kilrush on November 12 2008.

Another teenager, who was 13 when the incident occurred and cannot be named, is also charged in connection with the burglary.

Assault victim, Domingos Semedo, said in a victim impact statement read in court by a Portuguese interpreter that the incident had changed his life and forced him to give up work for a period of four months.

He stated that he had lost out in just over € 17,000 in wages. This figure was disputed by Pat Whyms, Counsel for O’Donnell.

Mr Whyms questioned how Mr Semedo could have lost out on € 17,000 when he had only moved to Kilrush four days prior to the incident.

Mr Semedo, who was not in court, stated that he went through a “very stressful” period, adding, “I still wake up thinking about the incident…I still have nightmares.”

While thanking the gardaí for their support and assistance, Mr Semedo stated that he was “very disappointed with the criminal justice system in Ireland” as he did not think the “aggressors” would be punished.

“It would help to know that the aggressors got a sentence”, he added.

Mr Whyms said his client had got into “more serious difficulties” since 2008 and was currently serving a prison sentence.

He said probation reports had indicated that his client needed ongoing addiction and psychological counseling.

Judge Carroll Moran said he was “very concerned” about Mr O’Donnell’s subsequent offences.

He adjourned the matter for 12 months.

He added that if there isn’t a “glowing report from the probation services”, the accused faced possible three year jail sentences.