Category: News

WHEN Labour’s Michael McNamara was elected to Dáil Éireann in the recent General Election, the spirit of the workers’ revolution was evoked by former party member Christy Curtin when he quoted James Connolly by saying “the cause of Labour in the cause of Ireland”.

The same clarion call was sounded out by Deputy McNamara when giving the keynote address at the 1916 Rising Commemoration in Kilrush on Easter Sunday as he called on “all true Republicans gathered here to renounce murder that so besmirches our tricolour”.

“It is hardly surprising that as a Labour T.D. I propose to focus on one sentence on the Proclamation in particular: ‘The Republic guarantees religious and civil liberty, equal rights and equal opportunities to all its citizens, and declares its resolve to pursue the happiness and prosperity of the whole nation and of all its parts, cherishing all the children of the nation equally…’

“It is also perhaps unsurprising that I would choose wish to focus in particular on the role of James Connolly.

“Connolly wrote: ‘Whenever the clergy succeeded in conquering political power in any country, the result has been disastrous to the interests of religion and inimical to the progress of humanity.

“And indeed the clergy succeeded in conquering political power in the State that followed from 1916, and the consequences, as we can now see, benefited neither the Church nor citizens.

“The religious liberty guaranteed in the Proclamation provides not just for all religions to be able to operate freely, for all parents to be able to bring up their children in a religion of their choice, but also freedom from religion.

“To those parents who wish to have their children educated in a school with a religious ethos, the establishment of a national forum on school patronage which was welcomed ‘very much’ by the Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin, poses no threat,” added the new Labour Party deputy.

A CLARE woman is saving the lives of hundreds of Clare dogs each year by rehousing unwanted Clare animals in Wales. Ennis woman Deirdre Ryan set up Rover Rescue in 2008 and has prevented more then 500 Clare dogs from being destroyed over the last three years.

The charity works by taking in stray Clare dogs, giving them a com- plete medical check, and then transporting them to new homes in Wales or elsewhere in the UK. Stray dogs have virtually been eliminated in the UK over the last ten years meaning that there is now a demand for unwanted Irish dogs.

“These dogs are literally on death row and there is no room for them. Frankie [Cooke, Clare Dog Warden] could have 10 lovely dogs brought into him on one evening and he only has five kennels. So if a home can’t be found quickly for them they will have to be put down. Those are the dogs that I prioritise,” said Deirdre.

“I am doing this in my own home – I live in a terraced house and unfortunately I don’t have lots of room so I depend on a number of dog fosterers who take dogs for days at a time when there is too many. I can keep four or five dogs here and after that I am dependent on help from dog fosterers and from Frankie to hold the dogs until they are ready to be shipped over to the UK.”

Rover Rescue gets a lot of help in preparing animals for transport from Second Chance, Clare Animal Welfare, the Clare SPCA and the Clare branch of the ISPCA.

“I am sending them to quality rescue centres in the UK. If it hasn’t been done already, the dogs will be neutered and will have a full health check before they are placed with a family in the UK. The group will also micro-chip all the animals and will conduct a home check to make sure they are being looked after.”

Deirdre works is the Peter Barks Dog Grooming Parlour and is also the founder of Ennis Dog Club. Anyone who wishes to donate money can lodge funds into the Rover Rescue bank account in Ennis at account number 54547426 and sort code 935387.

Anyone who wishes to help or become a dog fosterer can contact Deirdre on 065 6848684.

RESCUE services have appealed to boat owners and people planning water activities to take precautions, after two weekends of boaters getting into difficulties on Lough Derg.

Five people had to be rescued from the lake near Whitegate last weekend and the previous weekend six people had to be taken off a cruiser which was sinking in Killaloe.

With fine weather bringing heavy traffic out on the water, both the Killaloe/Ballina Search and Rescue (KBSR) service and the Lough Derg RNLI have asked people to check their safety equipment and to make sure that boats which have been tied up over winter haven’t suffered damage.

The RNLI lifeboat was called out on Sunday of last weekend to a 24foot motor cruiser which suffered engine failure off shore at Whitegate. Four adults, a child and two dogs were rescued and the cruiser towed to safe harbour.

The previous weekend, members of the Irish Coastgurad, based in Killaloe, rescued six people and a dog from a hire-cruiser that started to sink after being holed in a collision with the bridge in Killaloe.

A spokesman for the KBSR said that anyone taking to the waters after a winter break should check that lifesaving equipment is in full working order.

“Check that inflatable life-vests are working and that fire extinguishers and equipment on boats is working after being put away for winter,” he said.

Boaters are also advised to be sure that they carry fully charged mobile phones in case they need to call for assistance.

Elanor Hooker, spokeswoman for the Lough Derg RNLI, said that boats which have been overwintered should be checked.

“Just looking out at the lake this weekend, it’s obvious that there is a lot of traffic and we would urge people to check that the inlets and outlets of boats haven’t become clogged with debris. Always let someone know where you are going on the lake and what time you intend to be back and a common problem is that boats run out of fuel. People say ‘it’s a lovely day, we’ll go on a bit further’ and then don’t have enough fuel. Make sure you have fuel for the time you’ll be out.”

A MAN who was involved in a spate of crime in West Clare has been handed a 12-month prison spell.

Stephen Bourke (21), of Moyglass, Crusheen, admitted breaking into two mobile homes and stealing property at Rahona Caravan Park, Carrigaholt, in June 2010.

Kilrush District Court heard that a range of electrical items including a television, DVD player, X-Box and several bottles of alcohol were stolen in the break-ins.

The accused also admitted damaging a car on O’Curry Street, Kilkee, on June 4, 2010.

Garda Ken O’Day told the court that two alloy wheels and spotlights were taken from a car which was parked on O’Curry Street, Kilkee, on the evening in question.

He said that they were later recovered.

“Later the same night, two mobile homes were broken into at a caravan park,” said Gda O’Day.

He said that most of the items were later recovered, except for some of the alcohol.

The court heard that the accused had 80 previous convictions.

Defence solicitor Eugene O’Kelly told the court that his client’s parents had a caravan in the area, but they have been “put out of the caravan park because of the trouble their son has caused”.

He said the accused “has had considerable difficulties with the law over the years. A lot of that has been aligned to addiction and to drink”.

He said that a number of others were in his company on the weekend in question.

“He was not able to resist the promptings of the others to cause trouble,” he said.

Judge Joseph Mangan imposed two six-month jail terms and fixed a bond in the event of an appeal.

GARDAÍ have expressed concerns that an ongoing dispute in Kilrush will escalate.

The comments were made by the head of policing in West Clare, during a court sitting in Kilrush.

Three people are charged under the Public Order Act, arising out of an incident in Kilrush on St Patrick’s Day.

Claire Clancy (45), of Ballynote West, Kilrush; Clare O’Sullivan (23), of O’Gorman Street, Kilrush, and Oliver Dullaghan (19), of Willow Green, John Paul Estate, Kilrush, are all charged with engaging in threatening, abusive or insulting behaviour, at Market Square, Kilrush, on March 17 last.

At Kilrush District Court on Wednesday, Superintendent Gerry Wall said there was an ongoing issue and he was concerned it would escalate.

“The two parties are abusive to each other verbally and are threatening each other. It has history. It’s an ongoing issue.

“I am concerned at the level of the verbals. I have a strong view that these verbals are getting stronger,” said Supt Wall.

He said the allegations concerned “loose talk of a personal nature to each other”.

Judge Joseph Mangan refused free legal aid in the cases of the three accused and adjourned the case for two months.

The court was told that the two females are on one side and the male is on the other.

Supt Wall applied for a bail condition to be attached – that the separate parties stay away from each other.

This was granted by the judge.

A NORTH Clare man has given the Irish film industry a major boost by helping secure the first major international award for Irish documentary The Pipe .

Ennistymon native Eoghan McGuire emigrated from North Clare during the last recession in the 1980s and, after spending some time in America, he went on to live in Würzburg in German.

Once settled in Germany he set up a GAA club, St Kilian’s, and over the past decade a film society has developed in the club during the winter months. In recent years, Eoghan has become very involved in the prestigious Würzburg Film Festival and this year he managed to convince the organisers to bring Irish documentary The Pipe to Germany.

The film was shown at the festival last week and was followed by a talk from director Risteard Ó Domhnaill. The film went down so well that, despite the language barrier, the film was voted Best Documentary by the German audience – the film’s first international award.

“I had heard about The Pipe a long while ago and I managed to get to a screening and to meet the director in Galway. I felt that there was a profound message there and a message that could translated to a German audience,” said Eoghan.

“It is a tale that is definitely worth telling and the theme of a small community up against a big multi-national is something that I though would appeal to the audience over here. This is an audience award, which means it was the film goers and not critics or experts who picked it, so that is important.

“I think that this can be a stepping stone for the film. Once you win an award in one European festival it makes it easier for it to be shown in other film festivals and hopefully that will be the case for The Pipe .

“I normally look for an Irish film that would appeal to the crowd. We like to scout out up and coming Irish films that otherwise might not get the chance to be on the film circuit in Europe. It is as much about encouraging small Irish films into Europe as it is about the festival itself. We don’t have strict criteria; it’s really about bringing quality films over here,” he said. The Pipe beat out competition from a number of German documentaries as well as films from Canada, Switzerland, Finland, Belgium and France to win the award.

SECONDARY school students in Ennis have been learning about the skills needed to succeed in cutting edge world of information technology.

Employees working at Avocent, Shannon, are committing to an initiative which will provide a firsthand insight into the world of work, to senior cycle students from Ennis Community College as part of the Skills @ Work Programme. This programme has been facilitated by the Schools Business Partnership (SBP) and is an initiative of Business in the Community, Ireland (BITC Ireland).

Employees of Avocent will talk to the students about the real-life skills required in the workplace, such as CV writing and interview preparation. They will run ‘A Day in the Life’ session, amongst others, to assist the students in recognising the value of completing the Leaving Certificate and help them explore possible career paths. The students will also be brought on a site visit to the Avocent premises in Shannon and witness the many career opportunities that exist in the industry.

Yvonne Walsh, Leaving Cert Vocational Programme Coordinator (LVCP) at Ennis Community College, explained, “This programme will really help students in fifth year to focus on their strengths and interests and to work towards achieving results that will help them in the next stage of their life whether it is work or further education. We are looking forward to developing the partnership with Avocent over the coming year.”

Barry Healy, HR Manager, Avocent, said, “Avocent are delighted to be partnering with Ennis Community College, to support the students in their final year. Our employees are excited about getting involved and giving the students a taste of our real working lives. It also gives them an opportunity to develop themselves in areas such as team-building, interpersonal and communication skills.”

Dr Eleanor Walsh, Limerick / Clare Regional SPB Co-ordinator added, “In BITC Ireland we are delighted to welcome Avocent to the growing number of companies participating in our programmes and recognise their commitment to the local community. Considering that Avocent is based in Shannon, we are delighted that the students will gain valuable knowledge of the career paths and job opportunities available in their locality.”

Funded under the National Development Plan, The Schools Business Partnership aimed to match 158 post primary schools in Ireland with a local business and achieved that goal in 2009.

CLARE’S chances of securing funding from a € 7 million music education programme, backed by U2, have received a boost with the news that the county’s application has been shortlisted for the prize.

Spearheaded by Clare Vocational Education Committee (VEC), the bid has been included in a list of 23 applications for round one of Music Generation funding.

The money, which has been donated by U2 and The Ireland Fund, will be used to increase music education programmes in counties around Ireland.

If successful, the Clare bid, which is also supported by organisations including Clare County Council and Shannon Development, would see music teachers employed to work in school and out of school settings, teaching music to children and young adults around the county.

Under the initiative, music education programmes could receive a maximum of € 200,000 per annum over a three-year period. Successful applicants will be expected to deliver a matching amount of funding.

Acclaimed musician and scholar Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin has also lent his high profile support to the bid, which is seeking to capitalize on Clare’s strong association with music.

Mr Ó Súilleabhain is Chairman of the Clare Music Education Programme and a founding member of Ennis-based music school Maoin Cheoil an Chláir, whose staff have worked closely with members of Clare VEC in preparing the application.

Dr Sean Conlan, Education Officer with Clare VEC, said that a lot of the work of the Clare bid focused on identifying “gaps in music education” across Clare.

He added, “That was the biggest process, because despite all the music that is being taught all over Clare there is no one organisation or group you can go to get all that information.”

Dr Conlan said that if Clare secured funding then the programme would seek to work alongside and complement the work of existing music schools and groups.

He explained, “We would be careful not to cut across what is already happening in the county or displace what is already being delivered. There are a lot of good music schools out there.”

Round one selection decisions are expected to be announced during May with round two funding announced in the Autumn.

LOCALS and holiday-makers have been warned to be vigilant in the county’s swimming areas this week as no lifeguards will be on duty. As a result of recent good weather and the Easter falling late this year, thousands are expected to take to the county’s beaches in the coming days.

Clare County Council’s Water Safety Development Officer, Liam Griffin, has urged anyone taking to the water to be cautious and to look for advice from the local surf school before swimming at an unfamiliar beach.

“People should be aware if they are thinking about going swimming that while the air temperature may be hot, the water temperature is still very cold. But if people are going swimming, they should swim at a location that they are familiar with,” he said.

“They should swim close to the shore and not over-estimate how powerful a swimmer they are. If people are visiting Clare and want to go for a swim, they should consult with local people to make sure that they are swimming in a safe place.

“Many of our lifeguards work in the the surf schools which are now located at many of the popular beaches so a good thing to do would be to go to a surf school and ask them is it safe to swim.”

The recruitment process for the 30 lifeguards who will patrol Clare beaches this summer will begin on April 30. According or Mr Griffin, Clare’s team of lifeguards are the best trained and most qualified lifeguards in Ireland.

“To apply to be a lifeguard in Clare, you must already have an Irish National Beach Lifeguard Award. Applicants will then be tested in both first aid and CPR and those who are successful will then go forward to the interview stage. We will usually have more than 80 high-quality applicants and from them we will choose the 30 best candidates,” continued Liam.

“We feel that here in Clare we have the highest standard of lifeguards in the country. Someone from Clare generally manages to win the National Surf Lifeguard Competition, which shows the quality of applicants that we get.”

Clare’s four premier beaches at Lahinch, Fanore, Spanish Point and Kilkee will all have a lifeguard presence on the June Bank Holiday Weekend. These beaches, as well as other beaches at Bishops Quarter in Ballyvaughan, Doolin, White Strand (Miltown Malbay), Seafield in Quilty, White Strand in Doonbeg, Cappa Pier in Kilrush and Lough Derg, will have a full-time lifeguard presence throughout July and August.

THE first ever detailed history of the parish of Inagh and Kilnamona has been put into a book by former local school teacher and Mayor of Clare Flan Garvey. The book, which was launched earlier this month, attempts to bring the entire history of the area together – from before the area was settled by man right up to the current day.

The book is the fruit of years of study by Flan in the Tralee Institute of Technology, where he completed a post-graduate degree in history in 2008.

The book was officially launched by the former Bishop of Killaloe, Willie Walsh, and there was a second special guest who travelled all the way from Ennis for the launch.

“We had one very important article present for the book launch. We managed to get what is known as the Inagh Chalice. The chalice is located normally at the Friary in Ennis but we managed to get a loan of it for the day,” said Flan.

“There was a Franciscan Monastery in Inagh back in the seventeenth century and one of the Friars there was a local monk call Mortimus O’Gaoife and the chalice bears his name and the year 1671. Fr Seamus from the Friary came out with the chalice and we are hugely grateful to him for helping us out with that.”

The book bring together many different elements of local history, from the geological history of the Burren and how it was formed, to the many interesting characters who lived in the Inagh and Kilnamona areas over the last few hundred years.

“All the proceeds of the book, every single penny after the printing costs, is going to the parish. I have donated my work as a gift to the parish in my latter years. It will be of great interest to local people, I know, but also to people who don’t live in the area anymore and especially people who have lived abroad.”

The book is available locally from the shops in Inagh and from all members of the local parish council.