Category: News

CLARE will represent Ireland in the hugely prestigious Tall Ships race later this month, with the county flying the Irish flag internationally thanks to Celtic Mist, the yacht formerly belonging to Taoiseach Charles Haughey that’s now the property of the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) that’s headquartered in Kilrush.

IWDG co-ordinator Dr Simon Berrow has revealed that the 17-metre steel-hulled yacht has been given a new home at Kilrush Creek Marina in a berth that has been sponsored by Shannon Development.

In April, the IWDG was offered the yacht as a gift from the Haughey fam- ily to support its work on the study and conservation of whales, dolphins and porpoise in Irish waters.

“It was a very generous offer from the Haughey family, but the IWDG had to explore the condition and feasibility of running such a large vessel,” said Dr Berrow. “We commissioned a number of independent surveys and have thoroughly inspected the yacht and are happy it is in good sea-worthy condition and has been well maintained. We have estimated maintenance and other costs and prepared a business plan. The Celtic Mist is a resource for all those interested in promoting marine research and conservation in Ireland,” he added.

“Celtic Mist is a very suitable ves- sel for the IWDG. It will provide an opportunity to increase the skills of the members so that they can become more effective in their work, be it at an amateur or professional level,” said IWDG director Fiacc Ó Brolacháin. “I am happy that the boat is to be put to good use on a project that was close to my father’s heart,” said Conor Haughey ahead of Celtic Mist’s arrival in Kilrush, the town Charles Haughey was made a freeman of in 1985.

Before coming to Kilrush, the yacht will take part in the Tall Ships Race in Waterford on June 30. After being berthed in Shannon Developmentowned Creek Marina it will be refitted with extra berths and equipped with IWDG research equipment.

RURAL communities in West Clare are being urged to get involved in their local community alert schemes, which were relaunched yesterday.

Several schemes have been up and running for some time and were reignited at a function at Kilrush Garda Station last night.

Schemes have been in existence in several West Clare areas including Labasheeda, Ballynacally, Kildysart, Cranny, Coolmeen, Kilmihil, Knockerra, Cooraclare, Doonbeg, Carrigaholt and Kilkee and a new scheme has been set up in Killimer.

A chairperson and secretary is elected in each scheme and they liaise with local gardaí. District meetings, involving all of the schemes, take place a few times a year, at which any issues in the various areas can be raised.

Garda Eoin Daly, who is responsible for the schemes in the Kilrush Garda District, is encouraging new people to get involved.

“We are continuing with existing schemes and setting up more schemes in villages.

“We want new members. People in the various parishes run them themselves,” he said.

Gardaí liaise with the representatives of the groups and offer advice on such issues as intruder alarms, smoke alarms and general security advice.

They also urge members of the community to contact garda stations with any issues or concerns that they may have.

“Neighbourhood Watch schemes have been ongoing in Kilrush for the past few years. Community Alerts are more for the rural areas,” said Gda Daly.

“People can talk to their representatives and bring an issue to them and this can be passed on to their local gardaí.

“We urge people to be vigilant, for instance documenting registrations of strange vehicles. We stress the importance of making note of anything suspicious and ring us,” added Gda Daly.

Gardaí are keen that similar schemes are set up in every parish and village and anyone interested in getting involved should contact their local garda or Kilrush Garda Station on 065 9051017.

A FORMER teacher in Scariff Community College who passed away last year after a long illness has been honoured in the east Clare school by the creation of a garden in her memory.

Andrea McMahon was a value member of staff at the community college for 30 years, teaching Irish, French and Religious at the school from the time she joined the teaching staff in 1980.

Fr Brendan Quinlivan performed the special blessing and dedication ceremony, while students marked the occasion by publishing a two-page remembrance of Ms McMahon in their annual magazine, Anoir

“I always found her very inspiring as a teacher. As a student I felt that I could talk to Ms McMahon about any problem I might have had. I found her to be a sympathetic person” said Edel Broderick.

Retired principal John S. Kelly contributes a special reflection to the magazine and concludes,

“Isn’t it sad that it is so often in the parting that we finally recognise uniqueness,” said retired principal John S Kelly. “I feel that Andrea, who is surely listening to us now, might be inclined to say, ‘Now continue the good work which you are doing in facilitating the education of our young people in East Clare.

“Continue to work as a close-knit community of teachers, students and parents, always treating each other with dignity and fellowship.’ In that way, perhaps, we best respect and honour her memory.”

PLANS to cut teaching supports to children with special needs have been criticised by parents in Clare.

The Department of Education and Science announced last week that supports to children would be cut by 10 per cent next year.

Schools and parents groups are seeking clarification from the Minister for Education, Ruairí Quinn, on what the impact of the planned cuts will be.

According to Bunratty mother Emer Sherry, parents are “extremely stressed” about the proposed cuts.

Ms Sherry, whose 10-year-old son Jack has cerebral palsy, said, “It appears that children in Clare may be affected by the proposed plan if the withheld 10 per cent of the allocation is needed for unforeseen applications.

“My question to the minister is: can you guarantee that my child, and all other primary and secondary school children with special needs and disabilities in Clare, will have their full complement of resource hours from September on? Resource hours are not inefficiencies that need to be cut; they are essential to ensure full inclusion and access to education for all our children.”

Ms Sherry, who is the Clare representative for the Special Needs Parents Association and the chairperson of Connect Abilities, a parent support group in Southeast Clare, said that the cutbacks “do not make sense”.

“He (Jack) needs five resource hours a week. These cutbacks do not make sense, especially when you think that there are all these inefficiencies in the public service that could be dealt with.”

She added, “It is extremely stressful. It’s going to be the end of September before we know what is going to happen.”

Schools have already submitted applications for next term’s teaching supports. The principal of one of Clare’s largest primary schools said that the implications of the cuts are still being assessed by schools.

Ray McInerney of Ennis National School, added, “One thing is for certain, the people who have the greatest need are going to be hit the hardest.”

John Burns, principal of Barefield national school said the impact of the cutbacks is not yet known.

He added, “Any cutbacks in special needs supports is detrimental. We are still assessing the impact as it relates to Barefield.”

GARDAÍ have warned boat owners to be vigilant after the Killaloe Coast Guard Unit was called out on a major search on foot of an empty boat being spotted adrift on the lake.

The search was stood down after it was established that the boat was one of two which had been reported stolen.

The Coast Guard was tasked on Saturday by Valentia MRSC when a fisherman reported a fishing boat adrift on the lower lake below Killaloe.

There was no-one on board the boat when it was spotted.

The fisherman had seen a person on the same boat an hour and a half beforehand and, as the boat keys and life jacket were still on board, a major search of the area was conducted by the Killaloe Coast Guard Rib “DALTON”, Rescue 115, the Irish Coast Guard Helicopter from Shannon and a land search team from Killaloe Coast Guard.

On investigation, it was discovered that two boats from the local area had been stolen during the previous night and that the boat found adrift was one of these. After 45 minutes, the search was stood down as nothing was found.

Gardaí have advised boat owners to check their vessels and to take precautions to ensure that thieves can’t take boats which are moored on the lake.

The warning comes after a number of thefts of boat engines from vessels in Killaloe. The outboard engines are valuable and are being resold.

Gardai are asking anyone in the boating community who is offered an engine under suspicious circumstances to contact them.

THE Burren is set to become the holiday destination of choice for thousands of Leaving Cert geography students following a new initiative to promote the world-class geology of the North Clare National Heritage Site.

The Burren has already been designated as a special area of study on the Leaving Cert curriculum with dozens of secondary schools already using local businesses such as the Burren Outdoor Activity Centre as part of their study.

It is hoped that a number of new publications on the geology of the Burren, which were launched last week by Clare County Council through the Burren Connect Project, will help drastically increase the numbers coming to the Burren as geological tourists.

“The Burren is one of the main case-study areas on the Leaving Cert geography course and the idea of this is to encourage that and also to encourage more school to visit the Burren as part of their study and to generate a bit of business locally. Quite a number of schools from all over the west already come to the Burren for this and the hope is that we can improve what they get out of the experience and increase the number who visit,” said Ronan Hennessy, geologist with the Burren Connect project.

“We paid a lot of visits to schools which we were putting this together – to test out what the interest was and to see what people knew in the school – and that influenced us greatly in putting together the different publications.”

The booklet will be circulated to school and tourist outlets in the Burren area and will be available for free to everyone on the internet. Geological tourism has been on the increase in the Burren in recent times and is currently seen as a vital part of the area’s new eotourism product.

“This is about raising the profile of the local geology with the businesses who are directly involved with it people like The Cliffs of Moher, the Burren Centre, The Burren Outdoor Education Centre, BurrenBeo, The National Parks and Wildlife Service and the Clare Farm Tourism Co-Op. They were our closest partners on this but the idea is to promote this among all the businesses in the Burren so it becomes a bigger and bigger part of the overall tourism product in Clare,” continued Ronan.

“The hope is to continue to bring businesses together so that when a tourist does come with questions the local people have the knowledge to help them find out the answer. It’s about bringing all the businesses together and having everyone singing off the same hymn sheet,” added Ronan.

These publication have been brought about by the GeoNeed Project, which is an joint Irish, Finish and Icelandic initiative coordinated in Ireland by the Burren Connect Project. For more information or to download a copy of all the publications, visit www.geoneed.org.

HUNDREDS of Clare motorists who commute to Galway each day for work will be forced to pay a toll at Kiltartan, just outside of Gort, as part of a new proposal for the completion of the M18 motorway from Ennis to Galway. The Clare People has learned that a Spanish-based construction company is preparing a bid to complete the motorway which would carry more than 30,000 vehicles between Ennis and Galway City each day.

The new bid follows increasing confusion over the future intentions of the BAM/Balfour Beatty Consortium who were due to begin construction on the € 500 million motorway last November. Fears had been raised that the project was set to be mothballed until news of a possible investment by an unnamed Spanish company emerged last week.

According to Gort businessman Austin McInerney, a toll on the motorway may actually be a boost for some local businesses but would be bad news for the area as a whole.

“When I first heard about the possibility of the toll, I thought that it would be a total disaster for the local businesses. The town has been very busy since the motorway was opened and there is still a great buzz around the place,” he told The Clare People yesterday.

“I think that people will start coming into Gort and some of the surrounding towns to avoid the toll and that will lead to more business for the local shops and restaurants. The completion of this motorway is essential, not just for Gort but for businesses all along the west coast. Big American and German companies expect these sorts of facilities and it is essential for the future of Shannon and Galway airports.

“The future of Shannon is critical – even for us up here in Gort. There may be some benefits for the local shops if there was a toll in Gort but I think most people would prefer if the motorway was there with no toll.”

Should the bid from the Spanish company become a reality, it now also looks likely that a second toll will be placed on the northern end of the motorway at Ballyglunin near Tuam.

It had been expected that the 57kilometre stretch of motorway would be completed in early 2014 but there is no indication yet what impact the recent delays will have on that completion date.

PLANS to begin a commercial commuter ferry service connecting Ballyvaughan and Galway City took its first major step forward last week when Leader granted funding for a feasibility study into the project to take place.

Over the next few weeks, an independent UK agency will compile a report on the proposed link which it is hoped will provide the technical and economic information to allow a private operator to begin the service.

While the campaign is being spearheaded by a Ballyvaughan-based group, the survey team will examine whether an alternative location in Clare could be more suitable for the ferry connection.

The proposed link is being spearheaded by the Ballyvaughan Bay Hop organisation, who believe that a non-subsidised commuter ferry could turn a profit by transporting people to and from Galway each day.

“This is a community-based project so what we want them to do is to see if this will be a feasible service to have in the long term. I live in Ballyvaughan, so I have been coming at this from that point of view but they will examine which are the best places to locate this service from – it could be Ballyvaughan, it could be New Quay or it could be somewhere else,” said Gwen Ryan of the Ballyvaughan Bay Hop group.

“The survey should take about eight week to complete and they will be contacting all the local stakeholders to get their opinions. There will be a report completed by the end of August so we should know by then how this ferry connection could work.”

The ferry connections is envisioned primarily for people living in North Clare but working in Galway, however it could also transport tourists during the summer season. The ferry trip from Ballyvaughan to Galway City will take less than half an hour, shaving more than an hour off a person’s daily commute.

“This would firstly give the people living in North Clare more transport options but it would also give tourists in Galway a different way of getting to the Burren as well. So hopefully it can work both ways,” continued Gwen.

“On a calm day, it will take between 20 minutes and half an hour to get from Ballyvaughan to Galway city. We want to prove that this will be sustainable without subsidies subsidies are not what we are looking for at the moment.”

For more information on the Hop, visit www.ballyvaughanbayhop.com or contact Gwen on gwen@ballyvaughanbayhop.com.

A QUIN man will take on a kayaking challenge of a lifetime in an effort to raise money for the Clare branch of the Alzheimer Society of Ireland.

52-year-old Brendan Cooney is aiming to kayak the 124-kilometre trip from Athlone Weir to Two Mile Gate in Killaloe, between June 23 and 26.

Brendan is taking on the challenge in memory of his mother Nancy who had suffered from Alzheimers prior to her death in 1999.

He is looking forward to the task that lies ahead.

“It is happening at a good time of the year. The days are long and the weather should be good,” he told The Clare People .

“I will do it over four days. I will be calling to various harbours on the way down. It should take me two days to do Lough Derg. I have been doing a bit of training. You just have to play by the weather,” he added.

He has had to prepare carefully, train zealously and embark on a strenuous exercise regime in order to complete this challenge. Throughout the course of the challenge Brendan will be setting up camp each night and surviving cold wilderness of the Irish countryside.

“Down the years I have been doing a bit of canoeing and boating and I thought I would put it to good use,” he said.

He said he has not set any targets in terms of fundraising. “People haven’t the money at the moment. I don’t know how much I will raise. If I make € 100 or € 10,000 I don’t mind as long as I raise something. It is just to raise awareness of the Alzheimer Society. They are always at the end of the phone,” he added.

Brendan has never done anything like this before but is considering doing something similar on an annual basis. “I am hoping if it goes well to make it an annual event,” he said.

To support Brendan in his challenge please contact the Clare branch of The Alzheimer Society of Ireland on 065 6868621.

YOUTHWORKERS have warned that a “high degree of homophobia” still exists in Clare ahead of a meeting to address issues of relevance to gay and lesbian young people in Ennis next week. Hosted by Clare Youth Service (CYS) and County Clare VEC, the event is primarily aimed at parents, young people aged 16 to 25 and those working with young people and families. The meeting will be held at the Temple Gate Hotel on Thursday, June 16 at 8.30pm.

The keynote speaker is Dominic Hannigan TD. The Meath East polltopper, one of two openly gay TDs in the current Dáil, will share the platform with a young person who will talk about their experience of growing up gay in Clare, the parent of a young gay person who will share their story and a CYS youth worker who will outline developments to make mainstream youth provision more welcoming of diversity. There will also be an input from Siobhan Maguire, LGBT Rights Officer with the Union of Students in Ireland (USI).

Brian McManus, CYS youthworker, said the event is the outcome of a series of seminars and focus group meetings that have taken place in Clare over the past year. He said the main issues raised through the meetings involved the availability of information to young gay people and their parents, and the “high degree of homophobic bullying, not just among teenagers but in society”.

Mr McManus explained that young people are often subjected to bullying and physical intimidation “because they are perceived to be gay”. He said, “It ranges from people feeling discomfort, depending on their resilience, to people leaving their own area because they can’t really cope with the problem.” He explained that there had been some instances of suicide “driven by bullying”. He said the CYS had carried out a number of awareness campaigns over the past 12 months aimed at fighting negative attitudes to gay and lesbian people.

Seamus Bane, youth officer with Clare VEC, said he hoped the meeting would help challenge prejudices and stigmas attached to gay and lesbian people. He said while he had not personally come across instances of homophobic bullying, he said there had been reports of “harassment, bullying and physical intimidation”.

He added that there was still a “culture of antipathy towards difference” and that young people were, in some cases, afraid of being “victimised” because of their sexual orientation.

Mr Bane said the work carried out through the Clare Social Inclusion Strategy 2010-12 is helping to challenge old prejudices. But, he added, “It’s hardly surprising, I suppose, that in a small mainly rural community, rapid change can’t be expected. It’s going to be incremental.”