Category: News

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.

PRESIDENT Barack Obama might not set foot in Clare during his historic whistle-stop visit to Ireland later this month, but Kilrush Town Council could be set to fly the Banner flag when the leader of the free world visits his ancestral home in Moneygall.

It’s all to do with a link between President Obama and the West Clare capital that will be debated at this Thursday’s monthly meeting of Kilrush Town Council as the lo- cal authority moves to celebrate one of its most famous sons during the presidential visit.

President Obama was a member of US Congress for Chicago before becoming president – the first congressman with Irish links since Kilrushman Thomas Cusack represented Chicago in Washington.

Fianna Fáil councillor Tom Prendeville is behind the move for Kilrush Town Council to “gain an audience with President Obama”, while also using the occasion of the presidential visit to honour “a native of Kilrush who lived the American dream and distinguished himself in business and politics”.

Thomas Cusack was born in Kilrush in 1858 and emigrated to America with his family three years later. They settled in New York, but as a five-year-old he was orphaned and moved to live with relatives in Chicago.

It was there that Cusack eventually set up business in advertising, becoming a pioneer and world leader in outdoor billboard advertising, while also immersing himself in Democratic Party politics.

From 1898 to 1901, Cusack served one term as a member of Congress before returning to full-time advertising. Now, 85 years after his death, Kilrush Town Council are finally moving to honour his achievements in time for President Obama’s visit to Ireland.

“This council should honour the fact that the last Congressman with links to Ireland was a Kilrush man,” said Cllr Prendeville. “At a time when Ireland and Moneygall prepares to welcome Barack Obama back to his roots, this council should give public recognition to the fact that Barack Obama was following in the footsteps of Thomas Cusack by his election as Congressman for Chicago, which ultimately paved the way for his subsequent election to the office of the United States of America.

“It’s right to honour him and to do it during President Obama’s visit is appropriate and it would be great if we could mark this man in the presence of President Obama,” he added.

AN ENNIS man has been charged with assault causing harm arising out of an alleged incident in the town last December. Patrick Francis Doherty (32), of Bay 1, Ballaghboy, Quin Road, Ennis, is accused of assault causing harm, at Rocky Road, Ennis, on December 23, 2010. He is further charged with criminal damage at Ashline, Kilrush Road, Ennis, on December 24, 2010. A garda that he arrested the accused that morning at Ennis Court house and charged him. The accused did not reply to charge after caution, the court heard. Defence solicitor Daragh Hassett sought an adjournment until next month. Inspector Michael Gallagher told the court that the DPP has directed that the case be dealt with in the district court. The case was adjourned until next month.

COUNCILLORS in Ennis have backed a proposal that would see the need for specific Traveller accommodation sites removed from the next Ennis and Environs Development Plan.

Under the planning and development act (2000), Clare County Council is legally required to make provision in its 2008-2014 development plan for the provision of Traveller accommodation in the Ennis and Environs plan area. However, with the role of the council’s Traveller Accommodation Advisory Committee (TAAC) coming in for recent strong criticism,, councillors say there is no longer a need to provide specific Traveller accommodation sites in Ennis.

TAAC Chairman, Cllr Brian Meaney (GP) said yesterday that he had thought “long and hard” about his proposal but had concluded that the policy had been a “disaster” for Travellers, local communities and, for financial reasons, Clare County Council. Repeating a view he expressed last week that the committee represented a “fantastic waste of time”, Cllr Meaney said there had been a “complete lack of engagement” from the Traveller community in accommoda- tion policy.

Cllr Meaney had previously told the May meeting of Ennis Town Council that Travellers’ representatives had not attended one TAAC meeting in the last 12 months.

At yesterday’s meeting of councillors in the Ennis West electoral area, Cllr Meaney said Travellers could be accommodated through the provision of social housing stock, a process he described as more “efficient” and “egalitarian”.

Cllr Meaney said that the motion would be sent in as a submission to the Ennis and Environs Development Plan. He said a decision on whether or not to include a provision for Traveller sites would ultimately be made by the County Manager and the council’s planners.

Seconding Cllr Meaney’s motion, Cllr James Breen (Ind) said the council had been to the forefront of providing Traveller accommodation in Ireland. However, he added, “We have done enough for the Traveller community and now it is time to cry stop.”

Cllr Breen said that some sections of the Traveller community did not respect the fact that they are getting accommodation “gratis”.

Cllr Tom McNamara (FF), chairman of the Ennis West electoral area com- mittee, said that there was already an adequate supply of Traveller accommodation sites in the Ennis area. He said that not all of the four sites are currently being used.

Responding to Cllr Meaney’s comments, Colette Bradley, Manager with Ennis Community Development Project (CDP), said two Travellers’ representatives attended TAAC meetings in late 2010.

Ms Bradley said both representatives had “contributed very well” to the meetings and that this had been noted by other committee members. She said she was “surprised” by Cllr Meaney’s comments.

A COURT has heard allegations that a man threatened to kill his brother-in-law at Shannon Airport last week.

Martin Joyce (20), of St Patrick’s Mews, Clarecastle, is accused of threatening to kill Michael Ward, at Shannon Airport, last week.

At Ennis District Court on Friday, Detective Sergeant Kevin O’Hagan applied to remand the accused in custody. He said the alleged incident was of a serious nature and he said that gardaí believed witnesses may be interfered with if bail was granted.

Defence solicitor Tara Godfrey said that her client and his family went to the airport last week by bus en route to a pharmacy in Shannon.

She said he was at the airport with the purpose of getting a cab to the town centre.

The accused told the court that he was talking to another individual at the airport when Michael Ward approached and started “mouthing off”.

He said he did not go to Shannon to cause trouble. He denied making any threat to Michael Ward.

“He’s my brother-in-law,” he told the court.

He denied suggestions that he was acting in an aggressive manner at the airport.

Ms Godfrey applied for bail on behalf of her client.

“My client could not have gone down to Shannon with the expectation of meeting the Wards.

“He was looking for a taxi in the vicinity of the airport,” she said.

She said her client has a constitutional right to bail. However, Judge Joseph Mangan refu

sed bail and remanded the accused in custody for a week. He said he was making this decision based on the State’s evidence and also based on the gravity of the charge before the court.

AN Ennis man who is studying horticulture was un-successful in his attempts to grow a cannabis producing plant, a court has heard.

Rory Mythen (25), with an address at Fergus Manor, Ennis, appeared at Ennis District Court on Friday charged with the cultivation of a cannabis plant.

The court heard that when Gardai entered 18 Fergus Manor in August 2010, they discovered the plant along with a small amount (value € 20) of cannabis.

Solicitor for the accused, Daragh Hassett, told the court that his client and his girlfriend had co-operated fully with Gardaí. He said the canna- bis had been for his client’s personal use. He added that the plant discovered by Gardaí “was on its last legs” and would not have been able to produce cannabis.

He said the “ultimate irony” of the incident was that Mr Mythen’s area of expertise was horticulture.

Mr Hassett told the court that his client, who has no previous convictions, had purchased cannabis seeds over the Internet. He said his client had been accepted to study horticulture at college and that cannabis “no longer plays a part in his life”.

Judge Joseph Mangan ordered that the man and his girlfriend make a donation of € 200 to the court poor box. He dismissed the charges under the probation of offenders act.