Category: News

THOUSANDS of visitors are set to descend on Lough Derg starting from this weekend, with plans well advanced to make Killaloe the honourary capital of Ireland in 2014.

And the organisers of the Brian Boru 1,000-year commemoration festival are making the strongest bid to have Skyfest held on an inland body of water for the first time that year.

Killaloe businessman, and chairman of the Brian Boru 2014 committee, John O’Shea outlined the plans for the celebrations at a joint meeting of the Killaloe and Tipperary North local authority members last week.

Kicking off the events, it’s planned to have a march of thousands of ‘warriors’ who will walk from Killaloe to Clontarf.

“The march is meant to recreate the march of Brian Boru as he led his warriors off to do battle at Clontarf but these will be modern day warriors – walkers and athletes who will raise money for charity,” said John.

The committee are also well ahead with plans to have Killaloe made the honourary capital of Ireland from Friday, April 25, 2014 until Sunday, April 27 in celebration of the fact that Killaloe was capital for the 12 years of the High King’s reign. The committee hope to hold a Mass in remembrance of Brian Boru that Friday, followed by a Civic Ceremony to possibly unveil a monument or launch a commemorative coin or stamp.

The Saturday would see the cel- ebrations take to the lake with water-based activities and sports and, in the evening, a salute to Brian Boru on the lake with music on a floating stage, Riverdance, Machnas, re-enactments ending with a phantom longboat sailing up Lough Derg, a poignant remembrance as the ghost of Brian Boru makes his final voyage.

The final day, Sunday, April 27, will be a family day with music, parades, re-enactments, sports and lots of fun.

“This weekend should bring the O’Brien clan back to Killaloe to see the birthplace and home of their kinsmen,” John told the joint meeting.

The noble O’Brien clan, direct descendents of Brian Boru, are the third largest Irish clan with an estimated 700,000 members spread throughout the world and the 2014 committee aim to let every one of them know there is a welcome for them in Clare.

“When you live abroad, nothing means more to you than your sense of Irishness, your heritage and a longing to return to the land of your ancestors. 2014 is the time to welcome home the O’Brien clan,” said John. Negotiations are also underway to have the spectacular Skyfest fireworks display come to Killaloe that year. “This would be the first time that Skyfest was held on an inland waterway and I believe we have a very good chance of bringing it here,” John said.

All of the elected members pledged their full support for the celebratory plans.

THE courage of the brave crew of the Kilrush lifeboat was acknowledged at the weekend when the RNLI picked their station to receive a new lifeboat.

And a woman who deeply admired the bravery of lifeboat crews will now always be remembered in the Clare town after the new boat was named for her.

The Edith Louise Eastwick was blessed and launched for her maiden voyage at the weekend having been bought with money left by a Baroness in her will.

Baroness Majorie Von Schlippenbach passed away in April 2003 and left the money with the stipulation that the boat which her legacy bought would be named after her late mother.

As a child, the Baroness lived in Eastbourne, where her mother often told her the story of a lifeboat of the local RNLI, which had been funded by a friend. Whenever she saw the boat Mrs Eastwick would tell her daughter of the life-saving service which the lifeboat crews provided.

Accepting the Atlantic 85 lifeboat in Kilrush, Lifeboat Operations Manager John Lambe said, “We are extremely grateful to the Baroness for her gener- osity in funding our new lifeboat and to Tom MacSweeney for officially naming her. On behalf of our crew, station management and fundraisers here in Kilrush, I offer my sincere thanks. This lifeboat is the vessel that will carry our volunteer crew out to sea and on it they will save lives.”

Speaking to The Clare People , Pauline Dunleavy, Station Officer at Kilrush, said it is “a fantastic vote of confidence in the station here by the RNLI to give us this new boat. We’re just a small station but we’re absolutely thrilled to have the Edith Louise Eastwick.”

RNLI trustee John Coyle said that there is “not a day goes by without our volunteers risking their lives to save others. And let us not forget the sheer hard work and ability of our fundraisers. To raise essential funds in challenging times never ceases to amaze me.”

Maritime journalist Tom McSweeney performed the naming. He told the gathering that “working in the national media, I am aware that not every call for help [at sea] makes headlines but I know that each time a lifeboat launches the crew set out in the knowledge that they may have to use their training to deal with the most challenging of rescues.”

THE quick thinking of one local doctor saved the lives of five elderly women in Kilkee on Sunday evening.

The five women were still being treated at the Mid West Regional Hospital in Ennis yesterday evening following a major gas leak at a house on Railway Road in Kilkee just after 6.30pm on Sunday evening.

Four of the women, whose names have not been released, were found unconscious at the house after the quick thinking of the ShannonDoc doctor on call alerted the emergency services to the potential tragedy.

The five women, who meet each Sunday for a chat and a catch up, were saved after one of the women left the gathering early, complaining of a sickness.

When she returned home, her husband called ShannonDoc, who quickly sent out a doctor to assist the woman.

As soon as the doctor saw the sick woman, he realised that a serious tragedy could be about to take place and raised the alarm.

When the emergency services and the fifth woman’s husband arrived at the house, they found the women unconscious and removed them from the house before bringing them to the Mid Western Regional hospital in Ennis for treatment.

Ambulances from Kilrush and Ennis attended the scene, as well as a rapid response advanced paramedic unit from Ennis. Gardaí cordoned off the area while fire crews, wearing specialist breathing apparatus, searched the house for the source of the leak.

Fire crews established that the gas was leaking from a bulk tank at the rear of the house. They remained at the scene for several hours until technicians made the gas tank safe.

It is not thought that any of the women are seriously ill but it is likely to be later this afternoon (Tuesday) at the earliest before they are discharged from hospital.

DOONBEG will play host this weekend to fundraising efforts which are expected to realise € 50,000 towards educating children in Nepal.

The Clare branch of the international Indreni Children’s Charity will host a series of fundraising events over the weekend, which will culminate with a gala dinner and concert by the Chieftains on Saturday night.

A golf classic will take centre stage on Friday at the golf club, while a si- lent charity auction will run throughout the weekend and a raffle for a BMW will also take place.

Indreni provides a home and private education for 30 previously abandoned street children in Kathmandu, Nepal.

It was founded in 2006 by Ram Hari Khadka and commanded interest in Clare the following year when Keith Molony from Ennis encountered Mr Khadka.

He set up a branch in Clare and todate € 30,000 has been collected in the county for the organisation.

According to one of those involved in this weekend’s events, Pat Connellan, the aim is to raise € 50,000, which will go towards educating the children.

Pending the success of this weekend’s events, there are plans in place to run a similar event on an annual basis.

“Hopefully we will do it every year. This is the first time this has been done anywhere.

There has been good support from the people of Clare,” he said.

He explained the background to the Clare link with this organisation. “Keith met Ram Hari while trekking in Tibet in 2007. From that day on, Keith started funding it himself.

“A few more of us got involved last year. People are paying so much a month.

“We raised money and went over to Nepal in October. A group of us spent time with the children and helped out. It showed us where the money is going,” he added.

“It’s not a case like Chernobyl where the children are brought over here.

“The biggest thing is paying for their education because education is a long term solution to so many problems.

“The initial plan is to make enough money to build a school.

“This weekend we hope to clear € 50,000 and that will go towards sourcing the land,” he said.

For more information on the event, click on www.doonbeggolfclub.com or www.indreni.org.

A NEW tourism publication will be highlighting the attractions of Clare to thousands of potential visitors in what is possibly one of the only home tourism sectors which still enjoys disposable income.

The magazine – which was launched at the weekend – is being produced in co-operation with one of the most influential publications for the over50’s, ‘The Senior Times’.

The 76-page publication will give a unique insight into the many activities and attractions in the Banner County, from a very personal perspective.

Aisling Travers of Shannon Development, who are funding the magazine, explains, “We asked people who are closely involved with various ac- tivities or places to each write a piece from their own personal experiences. For instance, Padraig Giblin who runs the angling school and centre wrote a beautiful piece about growing up on the shores of Lough Derg. Chris O’Neill, the Burren artist, wrote a piece on the experience of painting in the Burren. They’re all wonderful, personal accounts,” said Aisling.

The publication was launched at the Over-50s Show in Cork at the weekend. It will also be distributed at the Over-50s show in Dublin shortly.

“The seniors market is the most resilient in this recession. They still have their disposable income and they have the time and the interest to travel and to take breaks at home. We’re aiming to show seniors how attractive the region is for a home holiday.”

A 36-YEAR-OLD woman lost her life when her car left the road and struck a tree near Shannon in the early hours of Saturday.

Aileen O’Brien, who lived in Raheen, Limerick, and worked at Servisair in Shannon Airport, died when her Peugeot 206 smashed into a tree at Hurler’s Cross, shortly before 5am.

The tragic accident occurred on the main N18 Limerick to Galway road, just a few miles from her place of work.

She was pronounced dead at the scene. A post mortem examination was later carried out at Limerick Regional Hospital.

Gardaí are investigating the possibility that she may have swerved to avoid an animal on the road.

Ms O’Brien is survived by her husband Wayne, parents Stephen and Margaret, her brother Denis and sister Ciara. She will be buried in her native Pallaskenry tomorrow, Wednesday. Ms O’Brien was the first person to die on the county’s roads so far this year. She had recently told her family that she and her husband were expecting their first child.

Gardaí in Shannon are investigating the accident and are appealing for witnesses to contact them on 061 361212.

A NORTH Clare river ran dry in May for the first time in living memory following the unprecedented month-long dry spell experienced by the county.

The Cahir River, which enters the sea at Fanore in North Clare, dried up in late April and has remained dry for the last 10 days. The river drains hundreds of acres of the Cahir Valley, located between Ballyvaughan, Lisdoonvarna and Fanore, and is normally a fast flowing river at this time of the year.

According to Fanore native and local historian, Kevin McCormack, the river has on occasion run dry for a few days during a very hot summer – in late July or early August – but has never before run dry so early in the year.

“It is something that has never happened before at this time of the year. The river ran dry and has stayed dry for the last 10 days. There still is a small bit of water in the river further up in the stream but that has all seeped away before it gets down to the lower parts of the river,” he told The Clare People. Meanwhile fire services across the county have been stretched to breaking point in recent weeks as the recent dry spell has caused an “unprecedented” number of gorse, bog and grass fires across the county.

Clare’s Chief Fire Officer, Adrian Kelly, has condemned anyone who had started a fire deliberately in Clare in recent weeks.

“Such reckless actions have placed the lives of both members of the local community and also firefighters at risk. These fires have also destroyed hundreds of acres of gorse land, forestry and bogs, with negative consequences for property, tourism and wildlife,” he said.

Last month, the highest temperature record anywhere in Ireland was recorded in Clare.

THE business community in North Clare is bucking the national trend with four new businesses in Ennistymon opening their doors to the public over the last number of weeks.

This follows last Friday’s official opening of Banner Books on Parliament Street in the town, an event which comes hot on the heels of the opening of the Twinkle Toes shoe shop, cafe and arts venue The Blue Frog Cafe and the Upstairs Downstairs charity and second-hand shop.

According to Gerry Harrison, owner of Banner Books, the recession can be the perfect time to open a new business.

“There is a saying that there is no better time to start a new business than in a recession because the only way you can go is up.

“I don’t know if that is going to be true for myself or for the other new businesses in town but it is certainly encouraging to me to see that four new businesses have opened in Ennistymon in recent weeks,” said Gerry.

“I like Ennistymon very much and this is the fifth premises that I have looked at in the town. What I found was that, despite the recession, land- lords were extremely unwilling to drop their rents.

“You would assume that, given the recession and the fact that a lot of units are empty, people would be willing to drop their very high rents. It was difficult to find somewhere that was affordable.”

Banner Books will sell a large selection of second-hand books as well as a large selection of new local books and books about the Burren.

“The shop won’t be anything like a high street bookshop. Myself and Marcia, who has a lot of experience selling second-hand books in San Francisco, will not only greet the customers a little bit more warmly [than major high street booksellers] but will also have a large amount of knowledge about all the books which will be on the shelves,” continued Gerry.

“As well as that, we will have jazz playing on the sound system to help make people who want to come in and browse a little bit more comfortable.

“It is something a little bit different for Ennistymon and for County Clare. It is something a bit off-thewall and a bit non-typical.”

Gerry is a former Labour Party politician in London but moved to Clare to open a bookshop with his wife in 2006.

THE hero bus driver who jumped into a Kilnamona river to save a 60-yearold-woman from drowning says that anyone would have done the same thing under the circumstances.

Mike Goggins was taking a busload of American tourists from the Cliffs of Moher to Ennis when he came upon a serious car accident on the N85, at a location which was described yesterday as the “worst stretch of national secondary road in Ireland”.

Mike, who works for Paddywagon Tours, came upon the single-vehicle accident in which a car had left the road and landed, upside down, in the Shallee River. The bus driver leapt from his bus and down a 10-foot incline into the river where he freed the woman who had become trapped in her car, which was taking on water.

“There wasn’t any time to think but when you come across something like this, you don’t need to think, you just go. I was the first one down there but I think that if someone else had been there they would have been straight down there too,” the Kerry based driver told The Clare People yesterday.

“I jumped out and went straight down the bank. I thought the car was a large people carrier – so I was shouting into the car, asking were there any children inside. I could hear muffled sounds from the woman who said that there weren’t any children. The car was wedged perfectly into the river and the woman could not open the doors. I went around the back where the window was smashed, cleaned out some of the glass and went in. She was upside down and wedged in between the two seats and hanging from her seat belt.

“I tried to get her to stop moving because I wasn’t sure if she had a spinal injury but she was struggling and mov- ing a lot so I knew there wasn’t anything wrong with her spine. I got her out of the back seat and out of the back window of the car.”

According to Cllr James Breen (IND), a Kilnamona native, the road where the accident took place will claim a life in the future if safety works are not done.

“This is without doubt the worst stretch of national secondary road in Ireland. This road has been brought to the NRA’s attention in the past and they need to allocate some money for essential safety works before a very serious accident takes place here.” CLARE LADIES football team were resigned to being without star forward Eimear Considine for their Division 3 final against Fermanagh last Saturday as Eimear had exams in the University of Limerick on the morning with the game scheduled for a 1.45pm throw-in. A prolific scorer, the PE and Irish student in UL had played a starring role in Clare’s march to the final. But cometh the hour, cometh the Armada! John Burke of the Armada Hotel came to the rescue, flying Considine from the University of Limerick to Weston Aerodrome via helicopter before she was whisked to Parnell Park in time for the 1.45pm throw-in. It was worth the trip as the Kilmihill star hit 1-1 from play over the hour to more than play her part in Clare’s narrow win. It was a double celebration this weekend as Eimear also turned 20 on Sunday. For confidential enquiries call:

SHANNON Airport chiefs have turned to the business public for ideas and input into the formulation of a new masterplan for the development of the airport over the next decade.

The unprecedented decision to turn to business leaders in Clare in an effort to come up with the best possible plan to drive the airport going forward comes in the wake of the worst passenger figures recorded at Shannon in many years. The Clare People has learned that the new initiative, being spearheaded by Shannon Airport management, with the imprimatur of the DAA that governs the airport, began on April 28 last when business groups in Clare and beyond were invited to a think-tank aimed at kickstarting renewed development at Shannon.

“The new masterplan will provide a framework to ensure timely delivery of infrastructure,” documentation secured by The Clare People this week says.

“The Master Plan is required to enable DAA to provide a clear direction for the Airport to ensure it develops in a strategic way so that the potential of all aspects of the business are optimized,” a Shannon Airport spokesperson said on Monday.

“A key element in drafting such a plan is to elicit the opinions of airport stakeholders,” he added.

The move to plan for Shannon’s future has also been heralded in light of the fact that the current blueprint for the former hub of the aviation world is over a decade old and, in that time, passenger numbers have fallen sharply.

In February, confidential Dublin Airport Authority figures revealed that passenger numbers at Shannon dropped dramatically and were approaching levels not seen since the early 1990s. In January, 92,000 passengers passed through the airport, a 37.4 per cent drop on the same month in 2010.

This figure comes on top of a similarly poor performance at the airport for the full 12 months of 2010 when 1,755,900 passengers used the airport, 37.2 per cent down on the 2,794,563 passengers that used the facility in 2009.

Shannon has experienced a 52 per cent drop since its peak in 2006, when 3,639,046 passengers used the airport, and 2010 passenger numbers were similar to 1996 levels.

The figures also forecast that if the rate of decline experienced in January continued throughout 2011, then the airport will only handle 1.1 million passengers for the year, a figure not experienced in 20 years. The Clare People can reveal that strict criteria have been laid out for the formulation of the new plan. Business groups in Clare have until this Friday to make submissions to the airport authorities.

Under the timeline schedule set down by the airport authorities, the identification of Shannon’s future requirements will be formulated in June in time for the completion of a draft plan in July, while the final masterplan will be completed and published in September.