Category: News

HUNDREDS of new construction jobs will be created in Clare in the coming week if a number of ambitious new projects are cleared to proceed.

The construction sector in the county is on the verge of a mini-revival with a sharp increase in the number of commercial and residential developments seeking planning permission with Clare County Council.

Over the next three weeks planners at the local authority will decide whether to grant permission for the construction of four major commercial developments and three residential developments in Clare – amounting to almost 250 residential units.

According to estimates from the CSO and the Construction Industry Federation (CIF), more then 4,000 construction jobs have been lost in Clare since 2007.

The CIF yesterday urged Clare County Council to look positively on a number of “very viable” commercial projects in the county.

“There seems to be a number of very viable schemes going before Clare County Council at the moment and we would urge them to look favourable in them,” said Clare CIF spokesperson, Conor O’Connell.

“Despite this we need to see the quick roll out of a number of public schemes such as the Ennis Waste Water Scheme, which would be a help in itself but would also prompt related development in the area.”

A decision will be made this Thursday on the construction of a new supermarket and office development in Miltown Malbay. The proposal, which is being put forward by Michael Gleeson and Jim Shannon, will contain a 4,153 square metre supermarket, a warehouse, three office units and an underground parking facility.

A decision is also due on the construction of a Wellness Centre including 15 tourist accommodation units in Ruan, a medical centre and community pharmacy in Roslevan and a new thrift shop and offices by Clare Care in Killaloe.

On the residential side of the market Jim Woods Building Contractor is awaiting permission to construct 16 houses in Kilkishen, while Allied Irish Bank have applied for the construction of two new houses and the retention of planning for 25 more at Arda na Deirge in Killaloe. A decision is due from Clare County Council on March 31 whether to grant Drumquin Construction Ltd an extension on permission to develop 190 houses at Knockanean in Roslevan.

Meanwhile, a major step towards the construction of a large retail centre by Michael Lynch Ltd on the Tobarteascain Road in Ennis could be made next week. A decision on road and pedestrian access to the development in due next Monday.

RECOGNISE, Respond, Refer. That was the message delivered to employers who have been urged to be proactive in dealing with domestic abuse issues in Clare.

The manager of Clare Haven which provides support for female victims of domestic abuse and their families – Denise Dunne told a conference last week that employers should ask the question: “Are things okay at home?” Speaking at the launch of the employer’s guidelines on domestic abuse in Limerick, Ms Dunne said it can be very difficult for a woman to disclose abuse.

“Employees may not disclose what they are experiencing at once and should be made aware that the manager is available to talk at any time in the future,” said Ms Dunne.

The guidelines were launched amid demand for support provided by Clare Haven rising significantly.

Last year, more than 300 people were housed at a refuge for victims of domestic abuse in Clare, while hundreds of distressed victims of abuse sought help. Requests for support among those suffering domestic abuse increased across the county, particularly in Shannon, where additional support has been provided, in response to demand.

Gerry Harahill, Collector General, who launched the brochure, welcomed the brief reference guide as a support to all employers including small employers and those with human resource managers and line managers. Mr Harahill told the conference that attitudes in society have to change. He suggested that eve- ryone could do something towards opening up the topic by taking away copies of the guidelines and passing them out in their place of work.

“It is often the person who goes to coffee with the woman who finds out first,” he said.

Kieran McSweeney, President of Limerick Chamber of Commerce, highlighted the need for such guidelines from an employer’s point of view. In an increasingly competitive economy and tight labour market, every cost needs to be identified. It was emphasised that the effects of domestic abuse on employees may not only have a significant financial impact on the employer, but may also result in high absenteeism and impact directly on work performance.

Mr McSweeney reminded the audience that research shows that one in five women experience domestic abuse. “This is huge,” he said, adding that the issue is very much a hidden and silent force in Irish society.

Copies of the Employer’s Guidelines on Domestic Abuse are available from Clare Haven Services in Ennis, telephone 065 6822435.

GORT’S Wild Swan Theatre Company are preparing to take to the stage in San Francisco tonight for the first of two sell out performances of their hit production of ‘A wake in the west’.

The group, formed in 1996, have been invited to perform at the 650seater Irish Cultural Centre in San Francisco as part of the city’s St Patrick’s Day celebrations.

Actor Donal Connolly said the group are delighted to be bringing their show Stateside. “It’s great really, but we are a bit bemused by its success,” he said.

Written by Michael Joe Ginelly, ‘A wake in the west’ is set during the wake of Tom Healy who has drank himself to the grave and now wishes his grave to be a watery one by requesting cremation and the scattering of his ashes at sea, the comedy begins when a neighbour decides that Tom is not entitled to take it all with him.

“It is a hilarious comedy about a corpse laid out in the opening scene and the different people that come in and what they do to the corpse,” explained director Imelda Counihan when the play came to Ennis last August.

She continued, “You have an elderly women and her dentures are illfitting so she wonders did the corpse have a spare set. And they haven’t taken them out. They discover that the body is going to be cremated. So she goes investigating and manages to take out the teeth”.

“It’s mad, it’s mad comedy. As a group, they’ve done a great show with it. It was great fun. Donal (Connolly) plays the part of the corpse and of any of the parts to play that are by far and away the most difficult cause he has to lie there and pretend he is dead. They have to take the teeth out. They stuff Donal’s face up with cake. One of the women ties his face up with the tights to keep his mouth closed because rigormortis has set in. He has to lie through it all. He does and absolutely famous job,” Imelda said.

There is a large cast which includes some of the Wild Swan’s most experienced names; Kevin Glynn, Donal Connolly, Jimmy Hannigan, Helen Leech, Kate Sherry, Margaret Divilly, Marion Cahill Collins, Rose Finnegan, Max Lee and Jim Earley.

THE multi-million euro aquarium at Lahinch Seaworld will be forced to close later this month because a lack of funding will prevent it from gaining an operating license. The Clare People understands that the aquarium faces its final license check on March 24 and because of damage to stock levels over the winter months, and a lack of funding, it will not be in a position to have its license renewed.

This comes after Lahinch Seaworld received a negative pre-license audit after an inspection earlier this year. The aquarium will be forced to close its door to customers from March 24th and it is unclear right now when it will be able to reapply for a new license.

Clare County Council, who contribute more than € 60,000 to the running of Lahinch Seaworld each year, have declined to comment on loss of the aquarium license.

“Lahinch Seaworld is a private company. The council contributes annually towards its operational costs.

“It would not be appropriate for the council to comment on the current financial status of the company,” said a spokesperson from the local authority yesterday.

Seaworld Manager Ian Taylor also declined to comment on the financial situation at the facility but did call on all local people to get behind the project.

“We are making changes here and things are slowly improving. We are aiming high, but with little support we will always struggle. What we need now is for all of the people to get behind us.

“We have some great facilities here, a fantastic new restaurant, we have just brought in a new pricing structure which will make it very attractive for people to use our pool, gym other facilities.

“What we really need now is for all the community to get behind us.

“We are getting involved with the local people and inviting them to become a much bigger part of what we do at Seaworld,” he said.

According to the latest annual accounts lodged for Lahinch Seaworld and Leisure Centre PLC, the company made of loss of just over € 97,000 in 2009.

According to these accounts the facility had received € 1,905,000 in government grants up until the end of 2009.

THE Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) discriminates against Shannon Airport and Ryanair in favour of propping up Dublin Airport and the national carrier Aer Lingus.

That’s the claim levelled at the ruling body of Ireland’s three State airports this week by an angry Ryanair boss, Michael O’Leary, after the DAA refused to give the green light for the low-cost carrier’s one million traffic offer for Shannon, in return for a ‘growth incentive scheme’ of € 4.20 per passenger.

“We wrote to them offering to increase our passengers from a base of 300,000, where it is currently, to 1.3 million if they did nothing other than extend the existing transfer incentive scheme, which they admit they have given to Aer Lingus,” said Mr O’Leary.

“The growth would start from November with the introduction of a winter schedule and would grow to 600,000 passengers in year one to a total of a million passengers in year five. I don’t understand why Shannon say it’s unsustainable when it mirrors exactly the deal that the DAA are paying Aer Lingus in Dublin.

“They have this transfer growth incentive scheme they’ve given to Aer Lingus and when we ask for this for Shannon and say we’ll deliver a million additional passengers, they say it’s too expensive. I don’t understand why Shannon say it’s unsustainable when it mirrors exactly the deal that the DAA are paying Aer Lingus in Dublin. The DAA would prefer if Shannon Airport was empty, which it is,” added Mr O’Leary.

Continuing the Ryanair chief said that the DAA was responsible for the collapse in Shannon’s traffic and that his airline was the only one capable of delivering substantial passenger growth at the airport.

“The DAA has overseen the collapse of Shannon traffic from 3.6m passengers in 2007 to just 1.7m passengers in 2010,” he said. “Ryanair is the only airline willing and able to deliver dramatic new route and traffic growth at Shannon and the refusal by the DAA of Ryanair’s one million passenger growth offer proves, yet again, that Dublin Airport has no interest in traffic growth at Shannon.

“If they did, Dublin would not have raised Shannon passenger charges by 33 per cent in November 2010 ( just four months ago) when inflation was 0 per cent and Shannon traffic was collapsing. Furthermore, if the DAA was ‘committed to incentivising growth’ as Declan Collier claims, the DAA would have accepted Ryanair’s offer of 1m growth passengers at Shannon, on similar terms to those currently enjoyed by Aer Lingus at Dublin,” he added.

SHANNON Airport is better off financially by having lower passenger numbers, Dublin Airport Authority chief David Dilger has claimed in rejecting out of hand Ryanair’s proposal to boost passenger numbers at the ailing airport by one million over the next five years.

He made comments when claiming that Ryanair chief Michael O’Leary wanted “hello money” in return for a commitment to boost its services in Shannon back to pre-2009 levels when it operated 53 routes from the airport.

“There isn’t a business in the country that can afford to pay its customers to deal with it,” said David Dilger in rejecting the Ryanair one million offer in return for a ‘growth incentive scheme’ that would see the DAA pay Ryanair € 4.20 for every new passnenger brought through the airport.

“All of us are in business to earn a reasonable profit. I’m afraid Michael’s purported generosity to Shannon is not really sustainable and we are certainly not going to pay him to bring passengers in.

“The fact is the financial situation of Shannon is much better today than it was with a far bigger number of passengers,” said Mr Dilger.

In reference to a previous deal between the DAA and Ryanair at Shannon, Mr Dilger claimed “that deal was never completed by Ryanair.

“The promises that Ryanair made were not delivered to this community and Ryanair paid € 3.7m to the DAA in the High Court in order to reflect their failure to complete the terms of that deal.

“Interestingly, the first part of that deal they want to do now is they want the € 3.7m that was won in the High Court back. So as well as being paid to deliver passengers they want ‘hello money’ as well.”

Mr Dilger’s comments came in the wake of Mr O’Leary’s move to gate-crash the Shannon Chamber of Commerce event in Bunratty Castle Hotel last Wednesday, prior to holding his own press conference in the Clarion Hotel in Limerick later that afternoon.

“ I do not think Shannon will return a profit this year,” said Mr Dilger, “but it is well on the way to becoming sustainable. It’s very important to us that we break even by 2012. That’s the plan and that’s what we will do,” he added.

A FREE alternative heating event organised by local Renewable Energy Consultants Ensoleir will be held on March 10 at Temple Gate Hotel. It is open to the public from 5pm with a seminar-style session for biomass installers beforehand.

The event will be of interest to anyone who wants to reduce their heating bills with the use of a renewable resource like wood and will inform about alternative heating solutions while also launching a new good value multifuel boiler.

Corofin-based company Ensoleir (short for Energy Solutions Ireland), who have recently been a major contributor to the first installation of a Miscanthus-fuelled boiler in Ireland, are now also providing domestic alternative heating solutions fuelled by wood and other solid fuels. In partnership with several wood energy suppliers and supported by Sustainable Energy Authority Ireland (SEAI) and Limerick Clare Energy Agency (LCEA), Ensoleir are offering a free-of-charge informative event on March 10 at the Temple Gate Hotel in Ennis.

“The alternative heating market has been identified as one of rapid growth over the coming years. The Limerick Clare Energy Agency is delighted to support the Getting Renewables Right event organised by local company Ensoleir and partners,” said Pat Stephens, Manager of Limerick Clare Energy Agency.

He welcomed the collaboration between local businesses by saying, “It is great to see local small business in the alternative heating sector coming together and pooling their expertise and resources to make themselves available to the public for questions and advice.”

The afternoon will start with a seminar for biomass installers at 2pm supported by speakers from the Sustainable Energy Authority Ireland (SEAI) and Limerick Clare Energy Agency (LCEA). Throughout the day there will be live demonstrations of a new boiler series in a tailored van that includes the complete heating system.

“In order to provide a good quality product to our customers we believe that we need to go beyond advising them about the benefits of our highquality boilers. We want to provide them with the necessary network to make sure that the installation and maintenance of the boiler as well as the delivery of wood pellets and the pellet quality and availablility are secured from the start,” said Fritz Mohn, founder and CEO of Ensoleir.

AT LEAST one major German tour operator has already signed up to bring a group of eco-tourists to north Clare following the launch of the Burren Eco-tourism Network last week.

The network, which was officially launched by celebrity chef Darina Allen last Thursday, aims to get the tourist community in north Clare working together to offer a more sustainable tourist product to visitors.

The Burren region is now just the second location in Ireland to be granted eco-tourism status by Ecotourism Ireland. Eco-tourism works by offering tourists a more personal and sustainable experience of a location, encouraging smaller scale tours to take more time in an area and in this way gives more benefit to the local economy while reducing any damage to the local environment.

“I’ve already had an enquiry from one major tourist operator in Germany who was looking to organise an eight-day tour around Ireland and to stay in four or five locations. After explaining the concept of eco-tourism and what we had to offer this operator was happy to spend that eightday tour around just two eco-tourism sites in Ireland,” said Edel Hayes of the Burren Connect Project.

“That means that people stay in the area for longer, they have a better experience and the contribute more to the local economy and the local tourist sector while they are here.”

At least one other location in Clare is currently working towards ecotourism status and hopes are high that the county could become the eco-tourism capital of Ireland.

“The people in the network have benefited greatly from getting to know each other and exchanging ideas about how each of them runs their operation but they have also benefited from the knowledge that they have learned from the process of gaining their eco-tourism certificates,” continued Edel.

“We already know of another network who are currently coming together in Clare and are hoping to follow in out footsteps and be accredited by Eco-tourism Ireland. So we are hoping that other networks can come together in Clare and indeed across Ireland and work together.”

More than 20 north Clare businesses have been awarded certificates from Eco-tourism Ireland. The Burren Eco-tourism Network has received support from Clare County Council, Clare Local Development Company, Shannon Development and Fáilte Ireland over the past two years.

COUNCILLORS in Ennis have delayed making a decision on new casual trading byelaws after opposition emerged to a proposal to tow away cars parked in trading bays in the market area of the town.

Under the draft byelaws, it had been proposed to introduce a tow away system for the removal of vehicles in trading bays on casual trading days.

However when the matter was raised at yesterday’s monthly meeting of Ennis Town Council, councillors warned that motorists would be unfairly penalised if the system was introduced.

Describing it as a “very extreme proposal”, Cllr Johnny Flynn (FG) said the system to tow away cars could discourage people from coming to Ennis.

Cllr Mary Howard (FG) said the council would be taking a “retrograde step” if it started to tow away cars, particularly in cases where pub-goers are choosing to leave their cars in the town centre overnight.

Cllr Peter Considine (FF) said he had “serious concerns” over the proposal and added that clear and visible signage would be essential if the amendment to the byelaws was enacted.

Mayor of Ennis Cllr Brennan (Ind) said that he was against towing with Cllr Flynn urging the council not to take a “sledgehammer approach” to enforcing byelaws.

Town clerk Eddie Power defended the proposal saying that the system would be used “sparingly”.

He said towing would be necessary to ensure that trading bays are available to traders on trading days, particularly when traders pay an annual license fee.

“Traders need reassurance that they can trade on the day and that bays will be available to them,” he added.

Mr Power, who also confirmed that towing would be carried out by a private company, said that if the council was serious about redevel- oping the market then a “regime had to be put in place that allows trading to take place”.

Town Manager Ger Dollard said that he understood concerns about the proposal but that cars would only be towed away as a “last resort”.

Cllr Brian Meaney (GP) supported the towing policy, saying it was necessary to effectively ensure trading in the market.

Cllr Frankie Neylon (Ind) strongly criticised the proposal, saying it sent out all the wrong signals about Ennis.

Councillors agreed to defer the matter until next month’s meeting.

Councillors also rejected a proposal to restrict the sale of Christ- mas trees to the Island car park in Cloughleigh.

The new byelaws provide for a new system of payment of the annual license fee and the change in orientation of the market’s 53 stalls. A special event license and fee will also be introduced.

Among the other main amendments proposed for the draft byelaws are setting trading hours from 7am to 7pm, setting the maximum height of stalls to 2.4 metres, prohibiting the sale of alcohol, the removal of three casual trading bays in Summerhill and the restriction of trading at market place car park (bays 43 to 53 inclusive) to 2pm on Saturdays.

OFFICIALS from Ennis Town Council are to hold a meeting with the Chamber of Commerce with the aim of resolving parking issues in Ennis “once and for all”, Town Manager Ger Dollard has said.

Speaking at yesterday’s monthly meeting of Ennis Town Council, Mr Dollard said the meeting was being organised to address “actual or perceived problems” with parking in Ennis.

He said it was necessary to resolve the matter as ongoing criticism of parking policy in Ennis is doing a “great disservice” to the town.

Mr Dollard was speaking during a lengthy debate on new parking byelaws for Ennis, which heard calls for parking concessions to be given to Health Services Executive (HSE) workers in Ennis.

HSE staff have requested parking permits from the council, claiming the reduction in maximum stay car parks from three hours to two hours “would greatly inconvenience staff and patients accessing services at Francis Street and Bindon Street clinics.

Mr Dollard said that any decision to grant preferential treatment to one particular group in Ennis would, in his view, “be inappropriate and pos- sibly illegal”.

Mr Dollard said members of the executive would “strongly advise” against councillors amending the council’s draft parking byelaws to allow for the granting of parking permits to HSE workers.

Mr Dollard said that councillors had been informed of proposed changes to the council’s parking permits policy last November.

This was disputed by councillors who claimed that they had not been made aware that the changes would affect frontline HSE workers.

Cllr Johnny Flynn (FG) said that a concession for HSE workers had been in place since 1996.

Cllr Paul O’Shea (Lab) said the council should be working to support people who are working with the most vulnerable people in society.

The Mayor of Ennis, Cllr Tommy Brennan (Ind), told the meeting that it would be easy for councillors to act in what he called a “populist” fashion to try and secure parking concession for different groups in Ennis.

Cllr Brennan said the issue of parking concessions had been discussed last year during the council’s discussions on the preparation of the 2011 budget.

He asked that if concessions are introduced, “where do we get the money to balance the budget”.

However Cllr Brennan said that solution could be found if council officials entered discussions with the HSE.

Cllr Brian Meaney (GP) said the workers are not “looking for a free pass” and are willing to pay for parking.

He urged the council to deal with cars owned by HSE workers in the same way they deal with ambulances and cars owned by doctors.

Mr Dollard said he would meet with the HSE prior to next month’s council meeting. The byelaws were subsequently passed.