Category: News

COUNTY Clare has missing out on millions of euro in annual funding allocated by the European Union (EU) because Clare County Council has not had a presence on the Southern and Eastern Regional Authority.

According to Cllr PJ Kelly (FF), more than € 440 million has been allocated to Irish projects over the last three years – but none of that money has come to County Clare.

“Last year Kerry, Cork and Waterford got a huge investment and we got none of it. We don’t seem to at the races for this funding. We need to have people who can see what is coming down the track and see what other people are getting and what we are not getting. We have got to look at this in the future,” said Cllr Kelly.

Speaking on this subject last night, the Mayor of Clare, Christy Curtin (Ind), said that Clare has not got its fair share of money down the years. Cllr Curtin also said that while successive county managers have made sure that the county has done well in terms of funding generally over the years, the employment of a person to directly interact with the Southern and Eastern Regional Authority would help the local authority to get a larger share of funding.

“The manager and his team of directors are very vigilant in terms of the money which is coming down the stream but we need someone who can tap into these organisations directly and see that we get our fair share of funding, which we haven’t got down the years,” he said.

This information came to light following a motion by North Clare Cllr Richard Nagle (FF) in which he asked what was being done to protect the Clare coastline from coastal erosion and in particular a section of road between Lahinch and Liscannor.

“I have a particular concern over a road entering the village of Liscannor. We have a situation now where there are more then 700,000 people visiting the Cliffs of Moher every year on this road and there is a large section of this road which is in danger of disappearing,” he said.

In response to this motion Director of Service for Clare County Council, Nora Kaye, said that a national directive on coastal erosion is expected to be issue in the coming weeks.

GOING back to education has the ability to become a life changing experience and become the agency for new job opportunity in the county, the co-ordinator of the ground-breaking programme training programme that operated throughout the county over the last nine months has claimed.

Speaking to The Clare People ahead of this Thursday’s finale to the 2010/11 Labour Market Activation Programme operated by Clare VEC, Rita McCarthy has said that the continuation of the programme would be a huge boost to providing job opportunities for hundreds of people across the county.

“In the current climate, when you listen to doom and gloom every day, back to education courses are key,” said Ms McCarthy. “The Labour Market Activation Programme covered a wide range of area and at different locations around the county and represented an opportunity for people,” she added.

The courses included outdoor recreation studies, renewable energy, heritage studies, health and community care and the catering and hospitality sector.

“Doing these courses have helped people make changes in their lives. They see a way ahead – this programme has made a difference to a lot of people,” said Ms McCarthy. “If you’re without work, you still have to do something, you still have to get up and get through the day.

“To have programmes like this in place for people is of huge benefit and gives people new hope. It gives structure to their day for a start, while also providing opportunity and ideas for new businesses, for work,” she said.

“We have a government jobs initiative coming out this week and we would hope that there will be funding for the Labour Market Activation Programmes under that. This was a special fund that was put aside for the government to generate training and education opportunities for people. It was strictly for unemployed people.”

CLARE County Council is not yet in a position to provide a date for completion of a contentious housing development in Shannon. That was the message delivered by the town manager at a meeting last week, where councillors expressed concern that the 22-unit development at Cluain Airne is at a standstill, much to the anger of local residents.

Cllr Gerry Flynn (Ind) placed a motion on the issue, in which he sought an update on the project. In a written response from the council, he was told that, following liquidation of the initial contracting com- pany, the process to secure a completion contractor has taken longer than expected.

Cllr Flynn told the meeting: “I’m only looking for two simple questions to be answered. When is the start date and when is the finish date?

“We are talking about a small site – 22 houses. That’s the least the residents of Cluain Airne deserve,” he said. He added that anti-social behaviour was taking place on the unfinished site.

Sinn Féin councillor Cathy McCafferty also raised concerns and said that “kids as young as five and six are swinging off scaffolding. It’s ridiculous the way it’s left at the moment.”

In response to a query she tabled, she was informed that security costs have reached € 15,000, while additional costs of € 75,000 had also been incurred by the council in surveying, site security and consultants fees. These costs are recoupable from the guarantor.

Fine Gael councillor Seán McLoughlin said the houses were started in June 2009 and it was envisaged they would be completed within 12 months. “Nobody seems to know what’s happening since. I’m beginning to wonder is there going to be enough money to finish the site,” he said.

Independent councillor Patricia McCarthy said the situation “has been allowed to drag on far too long. We seem not to be able to give a time limit. We need to get answers. We need to get action; get people on site and get people into the houses.”

Fine Gael councillor Mary Brennan said that the people of Cluain Airne were “living their worst nightmare”.

The Shannon town manager, Bernadette Kinsella, told councillors: “I share your total frustration. Without a doubt, it is a nuisance for the residents in the area. We have a significant level of expressions from people who are looking for a home.”

She said that the completion period from the time the work recommences until completion is 16 weeks, adding, “but what I don’t have is a start date”.

“There were delays in the retendering process. It had been our intention that we were expecting a nomination in January. The whole process is taking longer than anticipated,” she said.

“The funding for the scheme was always through means of department contributions and a council loan which would be funded then by way of sales,” said Ms Kinsella.

She said she hopes the project will be completed as soon as possible.

ONE OF the legends of traditional music in Clare was laid to rest in Doolin on Thursday when “Uncle Jerry” – John Joe Lynch – heard his final tune at the Holy Rosary Cemetery in Doolin.

Jerry, who has been synonymous with the great Kilfenora Céilí Band for more than seven decades, passed away last Tuesday, May 3, on the day before his 77th birthday. Jerry’s father, who was also christened John Joe, was a fiddle player and a founder member of the Kilfenora Céilí Band in 1907. After beginning his musical life on the mouth organ Jerry, influenced by the late great Joe Cooney, took up they accordion in his teenage years, before joining the Kilfenora’s officially in the late 1940s.

He was a member of the band during their famous three-in-a-row AllIreland successes in the 1950s and was the inspiration behind the current band repeating the same feat in the 1990s.

After collecting the third All-Ireland title in Ennis in 1956 Jerry, like so many others of his generation, moved to New York in the early 1960s where he worked on construc tion. He returned home in the 1990s and became the link between the old Kilfenora Céilí band and the modern band.

Jerry’s siblings Noreen and PJ were also in the band over the years as were his nephews Pat and John.

He gained the name “Uncle Jerry” because of his relationship with his nephew and current band leader John Lynch, and also to distinguish him from his nephew, the popular singer also called Jerry Lynch.

“Jerry was a wonderful character but he was also the last link between the great band of the 1950s and the modern band. He was always there to share his knowledge with us and was happy to share tunes with us or with anyone that he played with,” said current band leader John Lynch.

“He played music right through his entire life – he kept playing while he was in New York and was still playing. He started on the mouth organ but switched to the accordion because of the influence of Joe Cooney. This would have been unusual as everyone in the house would have played the fiddle but the band needed an accordion player at that time.”

Jerry’s influence on traditional music in Clare was immense – he helped to preserve the great heritage of tunes from earlier times and also the repertoire he learnt on his travels and from other great musicians such as Jimmy Shand.

He is survived by his wife Betty and daughter Tara as well as his wider family and many friend in Clare and all over the country.

AIR quality in Shannon is clean, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which is monitoring levels on a continuous basis.

The EPA has placed a mobile laboratory in the town and is actively analysing the quality of the air in the town and surrounding areas.

The initiative is set to continue for up to a year.

This is part of a comprehensive assessment of air quality in all major cities and towns in Ireland.

Initial results from the assessment show that levels of all parameters being measured are well below limit values set for the protection of human health, according to the EPA.

An assessment was started in March, on foot of requests from local town councillors. This assessment is done via a trailer, which is located at the rear of the civic offices in Shan- non. Analysers are contained in the trailer and these are read on a regular basis. Concentrations of oxides of nitrogen, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide and benzene and toluene are being measured.

According to Kevin Delaney of the EPA, the readings last month were good. “I have looked at the data for the past month and Shannon is pretty clean. That’s provisional data,” he said.

“We are called in to do assessments on a routine basis around the country. We were required to come down and do an air quality assessment within Shannon.

“We have a number of trailer units that we bring around the country and do assessments. We will be there (in Shannon) for six months; maybe up to a year,” he said. “We are assessing for parameters in accordance with the 2008 Cafe Directive.

“It came up at a councillors’ meeting in Clare and that is why we de- cided to do this,” Mr Delaney said.

At a meeting of Shannon Town Council last week, Independent councillor Gerry Flynn welcomed the news that the EPA was monitoring air quality in Shannon and said that businesses must play a key role in this.

“I’m looking forward to the findings. I’m glad that they are staying for 12 months. If it’s a decision I have to take on health or jobs, it’s health unfortunately. Every business has to make sure the Ts are crossed and the Is dotted. What we need in this town is clean industry,” he said.

Fine Gael councillor Seán McLoughlin said, “I would like to see 24-hour monitoring all the time.”

In addition to the trailers that are moving from one location to another, there is also a fixed network whereby a number of sites nationwide are monitored on a continuous basis. One of those sites is Ennis.

CONSTRUCTION work on a new multi-million euro pier in Doolin will not begin before this summer as had been previously hoped. Works will now not now begin on the pier, which is expected to brings hundreds of tourism and construction related jobs to North Clare, until the end of September at the earliest following a request for planning clarification from An mBord Pleanála.

The national planning authority has been asked to decide whether the Part Eight planning permission, which was granted by Clare County Council in March, will require a Foreshore License to be granted and an Environmental Impact Statement to be carried out.

According to documents lodged with An mBord Pleanála last week a decision on this case will not be made until September 16 of this year – meaning that it now unlikely that any construction work will take place in 2011. The documents also named The West Coast Surf Club as the active applicant in the planning case. The surf club, which is one of Ireland’s oldest surfing organisation, is opposed to the development of the pier in its current location as they believe it will have a negative effect an a number of world class local waves. More than 5,000 people have signed up to an online campaign to “Save the Crab Island and Doolin Point” waves.

The development was granted planning permission after a protracted planning process earlier this year.

Speaking after planing permission was granted, County Engineer Tom Tiernan said that tender process for the development will be started in a matter of weeks with the construc- tion work not likely to be finished until 2012. It is not yet clear how the latest planning delay will effect the overall project or the 2012 date set for having the pier up and running.

The original planning permission for the pier came before last December’s meeting of Clare County Council but a decision on this was deferred by the County Manager, Tom Coughlan, to allow for more public consultation to take place.

THE Office of Public Works (OPW) has been urged to abandon plans to develop river walkways near a housing estate in Ennis.

The OPW has informed Ennis Town Council of its intention to build a new footpath and handrail as part of the River Fergus (lower) certified drainage scheme.

According to the OPW, reinforced concrete floodwalls with natural limestone cladding will be constructed along the visible faces, along the left riverbank in the Fergus Park to Knox’s bridge. Works will also include the reinstatement of surrounding ground, while all existing surface water outfalls are to be fitted with a tidefex valve.

However concerns have been raised over a walkway running so close to houses. Speaking yesterday, Cllr Brian Meaney (GP) said locals were concerned that the walkway could introduce an element of “anti-social behaviour” to the area. He warned that it might make easily for people to “casually stroll into the back of people’s homes”.

“I suggest that we re-think that element of the works,” he added.

Cllr Meaney made the comments at yesterday’s meeting of councillors in the Ennis West Electoral Area, where Cllr Tony Mulqueen (FG) requested a statutory update on the flood relief scheme. He said residents and land owners in Fergus Park and Cappahard were anxious to know when the works will begin.

Eamon O’Dea, Senior Executive Engineer, told the meeting that it was anticipated that work would begin in September.

He said he would organise a system whereby local people could get relevant information from the OPW.

Cllr Mulqueen criticised the fact that there it had been an almost two year delay in starting the works.

“It will almost be the anniversary of the floods in 2009,” he added.

Town manager Ger Dollard said that both the Council and the OPW were anxious to see the project progress as soon as possible.

A QUIN man is spearheading a novel venture aimed at finding the best ideas to create employment.

The Ideas Factory is the brainchild of Niall Chandler (28), a former Ennis-based personal trainer who has turned his hand to trying to find so lutions to Ireland’s jobs crisis.

Niall, who holds a masters in international business, started work on the project last November.

“It started out as a website but that developed into bringing people into one room to focus on ideas,” he said.

The Ideas Factory 100 held their first meeting in Shannon on April 29, bringing together recent graduates from different backgrounds to kick-start the initiative that has been backed by the business network group, Atlantic Way and Westpark, Shannon.

Niall explained that the aim is to gather 100 of Ireland’s graduates and out-of-work professionals from all disciplines to brainstorm, share and generate ideas, with the intention of creating businesses and employment.

The meeting centered on creating a unified vision for the Ideas Factory 100 and proved that there is a definite appetite for this kind of initiative. The graduates from different disciplines came from Mayo, Galway, Clare, Kerry and Tipperary. The next meeting takes place on Friday, May 13 in Westpark Shannon. Niall said there has been an enthusiastic response so far to the project.

He explained. “The first meeting was mainly about trying to create a unified vision for the group. The next meeting will be to figure out how we go about brainstorming. You can’t just look at a blank page. We can take it step by step.”

Niall said the meetings are not just being held for the “craic” and that the aim is generate ideas that will help lead to the creation of jobs within a specific timeframe.

Participants so far have ranged in age from 24 to 42 and according to Niall, come from a variety of academic and professional backgrounds.

“We have engineers, people from agriculture, a couple of business graduates, a woman who was let go from Boston Scientific, so there are a lot of different ideas,” he added.

For further information or to express your interest in coming to the next meeting, contact Niall Chandler – niall.chandler@gmail.com

MORE than 100 people turned out in Scariff last night for a public meeting to debate plans to close the local Teagasc office in East Clare.

The office, which is ear marked for closure later this year or early 2012, is cur rently being used by more than 450 far mers in the East Clare area to process thei r document ation for a large amount of far m schemes and as a venue for t raining courses and other communit y activities.

This latest threat of closure comes after the closure of the local Teagasc office in Ennistymon last year and the relocation of all local Depar tment of Agr icult ure services from Ennis to Limer ick – leaving Clare as the only county in Munster wit hout an office of the Depar tment of Agr iculture. The Clare People underst ands that the majority of the staff currently employed at t he Teagasc office in Scariff will be relocated to Ennis with a new extension planned for the Ennis office to cope with the influx of numbers. “There is a ver y big catchment area for the Scar iff office. Besides all of the schemes that are administered from this office t here is also a number of courses administered from the office as well – some by Teagasc but others from FÁS, Clare Development Agency and the VEC so there is huge amount of activity goi ng on in these offices at the moment,” said East Clare farmer and member of Clare Count y Council, Joe Cooney (FG). “If this office is closed hundred of East Clare farmers will be forced to t ravel to Ennis, Limer ick or to Loughrea to access the services they need.

“This is going to be a big set back to far mers i n t he area – not alone the farmers but the other local people who use the office on a regular basis,” he added.

The Clare and Galway area manager for Teagasc, Brendan Heneghan, at tended t he meeting and it is hoped that he will be influenced into reconsidering t he plan to close the office.

“This is somet hing t hat has been proposed – we have a member from Teagasc coming to the meeting tonight as well as our four Oi reacht as members so we are hoping t hat t his is not set in stone,” conti nued Cl l r Cooney.

“There is suppor t to retain this service. I don’t think it adds up to close this ver y good new office and come into Ennis and have to build extensions in building in t here.”

CLOSE to 550 people turned up in the early hours of Saturday morning to see dawn break over the Lees Road sports and amenity park in Ennis at a walk aimed at raising greater awareness of suicide.

The ‘Darkness into Light’ walk and run, organised by suicide crisis centre Pieta House, got underway at 4.30am with participants following a 5km route through a forest path lit by electronic candles. The walk finished at around 6am as the sun began to rise.

Coordinator Tom McEvoy hailed the walk as a great success and said Pieta House plan to hold the nationwide event on annual basis in Ennis.

He said, “We’re weren’t sure what kind of turnout we would have but it went beyond anything we could have anticipated. No wind, no rain and a fantastic dawn.”

There was an early start for many of those who took part with participants traveling to Ennis from Kilrush, Miltown Malbay and Scariff to make the 4.30am start time. And according to Tom, some of those who walked and ran, did not get any night’s sleep beforehand. “We had people who came straight from night clubs, people who were at the Rose of Clare. We had one man who ran in his suit and black tie. We had a massive cross section of the community taking part.” The opening address was delivered by Tom, while there was also contributions from Pieta House member, Noleen Devlin and Ennis Parish administrator Fr Tom Hogan. One participant described the walk a “very emotional occasion”. Tom, whose brother died as a result of suicide in 2007, said there was a positive response to the event. He said, “The first runner to complete the course, Frank Landy, said he’d done a lot of 5km and 10km runs but that this was the most memorable event he said he’d taken part in. He said normally he’s used to dodging runners but this time he was dodging trees.” Tom also thanked all participants and volounteers.