Category: News

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.”

AFTER hours drinking has become an issue in Kilkee pubs, but will no longer be tolerated, gardaí have pledged.

Two pubs were taken to court last week where fines were imposed for allowing people to be on the premises after hours.

Gardaí say that they will not tolerate law breaking and will crack down on after hours drinking in the coming months – as the tourist season reaches its height in the seaside resort.

Superintendent Gerry Wall, who is responsible for policing in the West Clare area, said the issue is particularly prevalent in Kilkee.

“It is more of an issue in Kilkee. Commonly, public order is blamed on late hours and drink being sold late. Exemptions cost around € 400 to serve alcohol for one-and-a-half to two hours outside the normal closing hours. Publicans need to understand that fact. They cannot be expected to be allowed to trade unless they have an exemption,” Supt Wall told The Clare People .

“The message is not one of putting licensees out of business. It is mere- ly to have reasonable compliance with the legislation. People who apply for exemptions will have the full benefit of exemptions,” he said.

Supt Wall also said that underage drinking will be targeted over the forthcoming summer months.

“We will target licensed premises and off-licences for underage drinking and selling to young people. People who complain of public order and disorder should recognise the fact there is huge responsibility on licence holders to sell drink only to people who are entitled to receive it,” he said.

“Adults buying alcohol for underage people is an issue. They do contribute to public order. It is very important in 2011 that businesses are allowed every opportunity to sell their area to prospective businesses. However, these people are damaging the community,” he said.

“Business in Kilkee is seasonal. We don’t want to hammer them, but they must act responsibly,” he added.

“They have my full support in promoting their businesses, events and festivals. Most of the retailers with wine licenses do act responsibly,” he said.

THE first time Don Ryan, from Parteen, travelled to Africa with the Building of Hope project five years ago, it was a last-minute decision.

He had been asked if he would go because the team needed someone with his specialist training in putting down high-tech soft floor covering.

Don came on board just as the team prepared to fly out to South Africa on its first mission.

As it happened, when he got there, the concrete floors had been too recently poured (the entire building went up in less than eight weeks) and he couldn’t use the special flooring. But he was hooked.

Don has travelled with the final finishing team on the Building of Hope ever since and 2013 is no diferent.

And besides, as Don observes, “Olive Halpin (the project organiser) is a hard woman to say no to and every time she gets on to me to see am I coming back!”

On the last two trips, Don was tiling but this time he hopes to be putting down the soft flooring, the team having planned for it with the experience of the first trip behind them.

Don was one of the many volunteers who built a polytechnic in Kenya in Fr Martin Keane’s parish in 2010 and what he saw when he visited the School for the Blind and Visually Impaired would bring him back, even if Olive let him off the hook.

“Conditions were very bad there. I’m glad we’re doing this project for the kids,” he said.

To help raise the € 3,000 he needs to travel to Mombassa again, Don has organised a quiz night in Flashes, the Tailrace Bar in Parteen.

A great night of fun is promised and there will be finger food as well, making the outing great value for € 10 a head.

“We’ll have tables of four so it’s € 40 a table and I’ll have spot prizes on the night,” said Don.

The quiz night takes place on Saturday, July 2, starting at 8.30pm.

Anyone who would like to donate a spot prize should contact the Tailrace Bar after 4pm on 061 451527. Anyone who wants to go along and support Don can pay in on the night.

THE NEW seaplane service, which is about to begin in Mountshannon, aims to bring 100,000 visitors into Clare in the first three years of operation. Having undergone inspections with the Irish Aviation Authority, Harbour Flights Ireland is waiting for approval for the green light to go operational.

It’s envisaged that seaplane flights will be landing on Lough Derg before the high tourism season begins and company Chief Executive, Emelyn Heapes says it is his ambition to see tourist numbers in the area climb from a predicted 10,000 in the first year to a massive 100,000 in three years time.

“That is the potential of this service. We’re talking about bringing a level of business in that would change the face of tourism in this area,” Mr Heapes told The Clare People .

“To bring 100,000 people tourists into East Clare is our mission statement,” he said.

Harbour Flights has been in the process of building a number of links for the seaplane service around the country for the last eighteen months.

It’s understood that the company has so far invested € 1 million in the start-up of the business, which will fly visitors directly into Mountshannon and the Lough Derg area.

The company is also awaiting a decision from Clare County Enterprise Board on a funding application.

It is envisaged that, when fully operational, the company will run daily flights from and to Mountshannon, Galway, Aran Island Inis Mór, and Limerick.

The Harbour Flights Ireland boss said the company intends to start operations with two Cessna aircraft and upgrade them when Dublin, Cork and Waterford become operational.

The only other city in Europe hosting seaplane flights is Glasgow.

“Our mission is to change tourism by being able to offer, for the first time in the history of the state, a seaplane operation linked to existing accommodation and attractions based around Ireland,” Mr Heapes said.

It is intended that the seaplanes will be based in Mountshannon and all operations will start from there on a daily basis.

AN ENNIS woman has been honoured as an Irish Pride Hospice Hero for her work with Cahercalla Community Hospital and Hospice at a ceremony at the Mansion House in Dublin. The award was given at an event to mark the launch of Sunflower Days which takes place throughout Ireland on June 10 and 11.

Mary Guerin was chosen by the Clare Hospice at Cahercalla as their 2011 Hospice Hero as a representative of the entire Guerin family. Mary’s late husband Michael, who passed away in July 2010, was a leading figure back in 1985 when the very first hospice inpatient bed was provided at Cahercalla Community Hospital and Hospice.

Mary Moloney of Cahercalla Hospice paid tribute to Mary’s work. “It was mentioned several times last year, at the time of Michael’s passing, that there were many times when people were looked after by the Guerins when life and coping with its challenges were a struggle. Mary is the kind of person who never says no.”

She continued, “The entire family are stalwarts of the hospice. Mary Guerin is one of the faithful draw promoters and every week, quietly and without any fuss or fanfare, collects funds for our weekly draw. Mary also assists with Sunflower Day by selling merchandise in the family’s shops and by standing in the street at various locations during the two days in June. Any fundraising event that happens at Cahercalla will surely have some member of the Guerins assisting, be it the weekly draw, Sunflower Day or collection boxes.”

Describing her as a “golden nugget of love and compassion and caring”, Mary Moloney sent congratulations to Mary and family saying, “We are sure that Michael is looking on with pride as Mary receives this award.”

On Sunflower Days, the people of Clare will be able to support their local hospice service by buying a sunflower pin or sunflower seeds for € 2 each from collectors on the streets of cities, towns and villages around the country. Sunflower Days, which is sponsored by Irish Pride, is a major source of income for hospices and voluntary hospice groups countrywide. The IHF coordinates the event on behalf of the hospice movement but all of the funds raised locally stay locally.

There is an urgent need for volunteers to sell sunflower pins and anyone who has a few hours to spare on June 10 or 11 is asked to please contact Cahercalla Hospice.

WITH the county struggling to survive this recession a Clare businessman has come up with a novel idea to boost tourism while generating jobs and investment for the region: why not build a casino in Shannon?

Emelyn Heapes claims that a casino in the county could bring untold millions in investment, jobs and tourism to Clare.

“I can think of no better place for Europe’s biggest gambling casino than the Shannon Duty Free Zone. It’s not like we are stuck for space and from a tourist perspective, geographically, it’s in the best location in the world and right alongside an international airport.”

Controversial businessman Mr Heapes told The Clare People that the casino, properly run and legislated for, would attract millions of gamblers and tourists alike into the Shannon Region.

He added that the airport management would be creating a destination that will attract every airline operator to fly into Shannon Airport because they will now have a demand and good reason to come here.

“It will probably fill every hotel room within a fifty mile radius of the place. It will allow every other tourism provider to generate packages to get the ‘gambler’ away from the tables and while here, take in some of the best tourist attractions in the country and it will generate million of euros in tax revenue for the Government, and most importantly, sustainable jobs.”

Clare TD and Fianna Fail spokeman on Tourism Timmy Dooley didn’t dismiss the idea, telling The Clare People :

“While I’d like to hear more about it, any concrete proposal that generates jobs and investment in Clare right now should at the very least be looked at.”