Category: News

ALMOST 40 pubs closed in Clare in the last year, making 2010 one of the worst years on record for pub closures in the county. According to figures released last week a total of 36 pubs closed in Clare over the last 13 months resulting in the loss of more than 100 jobs in the local economy.

The majority of these closures were in rural parts of the county where cheaper alcohol in supermarkets, the smoking ban and the stricter drink driving legislation is driving many rural publicans out of business.

One rural pub which has been hit badly in recent years is Cassidy’s in Carron, where a 60-year-old weekly card game died out last year as a result of the stricter drink driving legislation.

The pub has had to drastically cut back its winter opening hours and according to owner Robert Cassidy, it would not be able to survive it if wasn’t for the summer tourist and food trade.

“One of the big things that effects us here is the drink driving laws. We have only one customer who is close enough to actually walk to the pub. Everyone else has to drive because of the distances involved,” Robert claimed.

“We are in the middle of the Burren so we are talking in a catchment area of nine miles all around us and the people just can’t get here. The peo- ple who are being hurt by this are the older people who might have come up here for a couple of glasses on an evening and they just can’t get here anymore,” said Robert.

“The problem is that we have people up in Dublin making laws for rural people who live out the country where there is no possibility of getting transport. Then there is the same penalty for someone going down the road at 30 miles an hour after drinking two pints as if you were caught on a dual-carriageway doing 70 miles an hour with six or seven pints taken. It is the same penalty for both things which I think is totally wrong. If people are living within a certain distance from the pub and are obeying all the other rules of the road there should be some adjustment made on the penalty.

“The young people are going to the big pubs in the big urban centres and that is where the damage is being done but we are taking the brunt of it. I agree that people should not drink and drive but in circumstances like this there should be some allowance made.”

Carron is located in the centre of the Burren – in a 300 square mile rural area where only 400 people live. The pub has been the traditional meeting place for the local community for more then 100 years and its difficulties are leading to a marked increase in rural isolation in the area.

“We had a game of cards going here for 60 years every Thursday night and it just died away because people could not take a task. This is older people, older bachelors who could come down, have a few glasses, play the cards and have a bit of craic with their mates. If they didn’t meet them for cards, the next time that they would meet them would be mass on Sunday or cards again the following week. This is a big big loss for those people,” continued Robert.

“You can’t make rules and tie the judge’s hands. There should be some discretion and some understanding for the man who is caught driving home at 30 miles an hour, in a rural area with no taxi and no other social outlet. These people should be allowed to make a case. This is not to say that people should be let off with drinking and driving but the guards and the judicial system should have some level of discretion – things shouldn’t be as clear-cut as they are.”

According to Clare TD Joe Carey (FG), the Government has not had the bottle to deal with the problems faced by rural publicans.

“The pub holds a unique place within Irish culture. I am a firm believer in the conscientious publican as a good dispenser of alcohol within tight legal age qualifying regulations. The problem we have now is that you can buy a bottle or can of beer cheaper than a litre of milk or bottle of water and that is killing the pub trade,” he said. “In each of the recent budgets, Government have lost their bottle in this regard and have not tackled this issue. As a result we are seeing good businesses go to the wall and a sig- nificant loss to the Irish tourist product with it.”

NEW anti-bullying legislation was last week enacted in thousands of public schools in Massachusetts, just days before the one year anniversary of the tragic death of Fanore teenager Phoebe Prince.

In total 390 or the state’s 393 public school districts began enforcing the new legislation, known as Phoebe’s Law, in schools when they returned from their Christmas break last week.

Fanore teenager Phoebe Prince took her life on January 14, 2010, after suffering a prolonged period of bullying at the hands of a number of schoolmates at South Hadley High School in Massachusetts.

This new anti-bullying law is designed to protect victims of bullying and will draw a legal link between bullies and the actions carrier out by the people who they bully.

Speaking on American television last week Phoebe’s aunt, Eileen Moore, said the best way to get justice for Phoebe was to speak out against bullying and raise awareness of suicide and suicide prevention.

“We are coping how any family copes when it has been affected by tragedy: You do the best you can as many other people are trying to do in their own life,” she said.

“I think there has been some change in peoples attitudes to bullying [since Phoebe’s death] but it is in people’s awareness of suicide and suicide prevention that people need to be more aware.

“Our children are in desperate pain. The rate of suicide has increased to the point where it’s the second or third highest cause of death among teenagers. We are not listening or we are not hearing their pain. We need to start a conversation.

“I feel that the school has let these kids take full responsibility for their actions – there are many facets to this and need to look at every aspect of this.

“I think that the truest justice for Phoebe is to speak out on her behalf against the despair and the pain that our children are holding inside and to make it better for another child. We need to better.”

Felony charges have been brought against six South Hadley High School students in relation to Phoebe’s death. Separate pre-trial hearings for all six students took place in October and November and full trials are expected to take place in the coming months.

PROJECTS LIKE the € 10.5 million development of specialist health services at the Mid Western Regional Hospital have become possible thanks to the support of the Mid Western Hospitals Development Trust and the assistance of its philanthropists, and the hard work of charities supporting the health services.

Founded in 1986 the trust has raised well in excess of € 16 million for public hospitals in the region. The trust has benefited from the support accrued from the JP McManus Invitational Pro-Am’s since 1990.

Chairperson of the Mid Western Hospitals Development Trust Louis Creavan explained, “This funding makes such a significant impact on developing health services in this region. We also sincerely thank the public for their committed support and tremendous generosity over so many years to the Trust. The money so generously donated has provided specialist equipment and services such as CAT scanners, a radiotherapy centre, Cath laboratory, MRI centre, hydrotherapy centre, urology, renal, endovascular, intensive care, neurology and ophthalmology equipment.”

In addition to the € 16 million already spent on equipment for midwest based public hospitals, the Mid-Western Hospitals Development Trust is now providing a € 4 million construction costs Dermatology Unit and Specialist Breast Unit. This unit, which is part of the € 10.5 million initiative, will dramatically change the way dermatologic and breast care disease services can be delivered to patients in the mid-west region.

“We are delighted to be associated with the Parkinson’s Association of Ireland and Cystic Fibrosis Association – TLC4CF – in setting a new headline for health service development,” aid Mr Creavan.

Una Anderson Ryan, Chairperson of the Parkinson’s Association said, “It is impossible to describe the dif- ference the new Neurological Unit, which includes an Acute Stroke Unit, will make to the lives of so many of our members and their families. A unit like this should be provided in every hospital in the country. Some patients have very difficult symptoms that require privacy and the smaller wards and private rooms will provide this. Overall, the new unit will be an invaluable resource that will make a significant difference in improving patient care and quality of life.”

Owen Kirby, chairperson of TLC4CF, added, “This is a very positive move and a critical next step in TLC4CF’s goal of achieving a world class facility for CF Adults in the Mid Western Regional Hospital. TLC4CF would also like to acknowledge the other very positive fact that the staff complement at MWRH dedicated to CF patients has increased as part of our overall drive.”

“The number of adult CF patients attending MWRH is increasing all the time as people living with CF are surviving longer. There is a dedicated Paediatric CF team at this hospital, but at present the facilities in the mid-west for adults with CF are very basic, which is why this announce- ment is so important.”

IT HAS BEEN hailed as the building that will fill the significant gaps in the mid-west’s health system.

Yesterday (Monday) the HSE unveiled a € 10.5 million development of specialist health services at the Mid Western Regional Hospital.

The development is aimed at filling significant gaps in the provision of specialist services including cystic fibrosis, neurology, stroke, dermatology and symptomatic breast disease.

The purpose built six-storey building on the hospital’s Dooradoyle campus represents a united effort from the Mid Western Hospitals Development Trust, the Parkinson’s Association and the Cystic Fibrosis Association of Ireland.

Planning permission for the development was received on December 23, 2010. Construction is due to begin in June 2011 and the various components of the project are expected to be operational by January 2013.

Construction costs are estimated to be € 10.5 million and additional funding is available for equipment.

Louis Creaven, Chairperson of the Mid Western Hospitals Development Trust, said, “Pressure on public finances means that the work of bodies such as the Parkinson’s Association of Ireland and Cystic Fibrosis Association of Ireland, TLC4CF Mid-West Branch of Cystic Fibrosis Association and the Mid-Western Hospitals Development Trust, is today more important than ever in meeting the gaps in the public health service.”

The much needed development will provide for patients from Clare, Limerick and North Tipperary, and will include a specialised Cystic Fibrosis Out-patients Unit with five treatment rooms and an in-patient unit with nine en suite rooms.

A Neurological Unit to cater for 11 neurological conditions will also be included to cater for the very young with epilepsy, all ages with Parkinson’s Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Motor Neuron Disease and the more common condition of stroke.

Complex technical treatments will be provided in a special six-bed unit. Overall the unit will serve some 5,000 patients.

A Dermatology Outpatient Centre will also be added to bring all dermatology services together at one location and to act as a focus for dramatic improvements in services for dermatology patients throughout the region. As many as 6,280 dermatology patients were seen in the Mid West Regional Hospital in 2010.

A Symptomatic Breast Specialist Unit to consolidate services which are at present fragmented in different areas of the hospital will complete the development.

As many as 5, 500 new patients and return patients were seen in 2009 at

ENNIS STUDENT Katie Drennan knows better than most the importance of the adult Cystic Fibrosis Out Patient Unit which makes up part of the € 10.5 million development unveiled yesterday (Monday).

Twenty-year-old Katie (pictured above), a second year Business Studies student at the University of Limerick, was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) when she was just shy of her third birthday.

Her 19-year-old brother Jordan also has CF.

“The difference this new development will make for my quality of life and for many other CF patients is difficult to summarise,” she explained.

“Over the past 20 years I’ve had a lot of experience of the Irish hospi- tal system, some of it good and some quite difficult. I’ve spent a lot of time as an in-patient in the Mid Western Regional Hospital, in Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin and in St Vincent’s Hospital. This wonderful new facility will improve the lives for all Cystic Fibrosis patients in the mid-west region.

“The benefits of such a unit are many. It means we will not have to travel to other CF centres in Dublin to receive our treatment. We will not have to endure long hospital stays away from home. We will no longer fear the risk of cross-infection when we attend the hospital for treatments.

“Such a unit will also benefit our families, as long-term absence from the home due to frequent hospital stays can sometimes be very diffi- cult, and the absence from our families and friends can sometimes be the hardest to deal with,” she said.

“The importance of an isolation facility cannot be over emphasised enough and the recent appointment of Dr Brian Casserly as the first Adult CF Specialist Consultant in Limerick is a major step forward.

“TLC4CF hopes that this new unit will also mean that CF patients attending the Mid Western Regional Hospital will not have to go through A&E to be admitted to hospital, which has always been detrimental to CF suffers health, due to the high risks of cross-infection.

“With the continuous help of TLC4CF all CF patients attending the hospital won’t have to endure the dangerous and inadequate services that previously existed,” said Katie.

THE development of a hydro-power facility at the Old Mill in Ennis could be used to supply the electricity requirements of recreational facilities and of the wider community in Ennis, a meeting has heard.

Last week local councillors urged Ennis Town Council to consider renewable forms of energy to supply power to the Ennis Leisure Complex and the Lees Road Sports and Amenity Park.

Cllr Brian Meaney (GP) told the January meeting of Ennis Town Council that the “significant infrastructure” in place at the Old Mill could be utilised to generate power, of which the nearby Ennis Leisure Complex “would be a willing customer”.

He said the mill had been identified as a potential source of hydropower in a report carried out by the Limerick Clare Energy Agency.

According to the report, ‘Micro Hydro Electricity Potential in County Clare’, the mill has the potential to produce 259 megawatts per hour.

The report estimates that it would cost € 216,000 to develop suitable turbine facilities at the mill.

The report states, “Because of the central location of the proposed site, and the high volume of traffic that passes through daily, a hydro-power development at this location would give a very strong indication of support for the micro-hydro industry in County Clare. The historical location of the mill reflects the excellent hydro resource at this point, downstream of the confluence of the Claureen and Fergus rivers. The theoretical average power of the river is 240kW.”

Pat Stephens of the Limerick Clare Energy Agency explained, “We looked at six commercial and six domestic micro-hydro projects. There are already one or two projects out there in the county; The Falls Hotel is one. What we looked at, essentially, was if you were to try and re-establish the one in Ennis, what would it cost and how much energy would it generate. There’s potential there for it.”

Cllr Meaney also urged the council to consider the development of a 500-megawatt wind turbine at Lees Road. Noting that the acceptance of such a project would depend on the outcome of a cost-benefit analysis, Cllr Meaney said a wind turbine would meet energy needs at Lees Road and also serve to “landmark the site”.

Cllr Johnny Flynn (FG) told the meeting that 60 per cent of the hot water required at Ennis Leisure Complex could be met by the installation of solar panels in the complex’s south-facing roof. He said the remaining demand could be met through the use of woodchip burners.

THE water supply situation in County Clare has now stabilised and is back to normal, according to Clare County Council.

The local authority said yesterday that as of January 10, 2011, there would be no further planned shut offs of the water supply in any part of the county.

Water tanks are still available at The Promenade in Lahinch and the County Council offices in Ennistymon.

A spokesperson said, “The council would advise persons to remain vigilant in respect of water supplies to vacant properties and land as water demand is still high. As usual, the council appeals to the public to conserve water at all times. The council would like to thank the public for its understanding response to the water supply situation over the last two weeks.”

At yesterday’s monthly meeting of Clare County Council, County Manager Tom Coughlan praised the efforts of council staff, many of whom, he said, had worked for free to repair water supply problems last December.

Mr Coughlan told the meeting that a total of 200 people had been involved in the council’s response to problems that emerged following extreme cold weather conditions. He explained that Clare had experienced three periods of severe weather over the past 14 months and that while some staff were paid for their work, many had responded on a “goodwill basis”.

He said that in a lot of cases, council staff were experiencing their own water supply problems at home while at the same time attempting to alleviate difficulties encountered by the wider public.

Mr Coughlan said someone had remarked to him that a lot of the criti- cism levelled at the public service had “died down” over the last two months.

He added that it appeared to be “open season” on public servants for 10 months of the year, but in periods of water supply shortages and busy accident and emergency units, criticism is far less vocal.

“It’s just a comment that was made to me. I’m not saying I agree with it”, said Mr Coughlan.

He said the council’s response to crisis had been formulated prior to freezing weather, and had been de- livered “on the ground” through local area offices.

There was also unanimous praise for council workers from councilors and officials at the January meeting of Ennis Town Council.

Town Manager Ger Dollard told the meeting that the council’s helpline had logged 500 calls a day since December 20, 2010, and that 360 leaks had been repaired in Ennis since December 26.

Town Engineer Eamon O’Dea said there had been a huge increase in demand for water use in Ennis resulting in production at the Ennis Water Treatment Plant reaching almost 20,000 cubic metres on December 27.

Normal demand in the Ennis area is 15,000 cubic metres. Mr O’Dea said the council had turned off water in almost 70 unoccupied premises and businesses in Ennis.

He said that during the supply shortage period, Clarecastle, including the Roche pharmaceutical plant, received water from Ennis and west Clare.

A SUBMARINE cable which will connect Moneypoint to a new combined-cycle gas turbine power plant on the former ESB station at Tarbert in County Kerry has been granted planning permission by An Bord Pleanála.

The new plant is now likely to be supplied with natural gas from An Bord Gáis through the national gas network, whose nearest connection is just 22 kilometres. This could open the possibility for Moneypoint to converted to a gas burning power station in the future.

The new Tarbert station will be owned and operated Endesa Ireland, part of the Spanish energy company Endesa. The power plant, which will generate up to 450 megawatts by 2016, is to be built within the confines of the existing power-generating plant at Tarbert, which is to be demolished, on the Shannon estuary just opposite Moneypoint.

The more energy efficient plant at Tarbert will occupy 10 hectares of the existing 42-hectare site and be constructed in two phases over four years.

The Endesa application came under the Strategic Infrastructure Act, which provides for planning applications for some major projects to be made directly to An Bord Pleanála, and an oral hearing was held earlier this year.

FROM ensuring medical assistance was provided to vulnerable patients to supplying homes around the county with water, it’s been a busy month for the volunteer members of Clare Civil Defence.

During December when extreme cold weather caused massive disruption to Clare’s road and water network, as many as 25 Civil Defence volounteers were on duty a day in Clare, in what has been described as a “massive volontary effort”.

“We’ve been out since December 17 and we’ve been out every day since”, explained Liam Griffin, Director of Clare Civil Defence.

He continued, “We’re kind of on standby, waiting for isolated calls. Basically what we have been doing, we’ve been transporting public health nurses around to their patients when the roads were in poor conditions with the ice. We have four wheel drive vehicles so we were doing that. As well as that we were also providing water to houses in our tankers and we were also manning standpipes on the Kilrush and Gort Road during the Christmas period, including Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, St Stephen’s Day. Our people were working throughout the Christmas period and throughout the New Year”.

As freezing weather conditions gripped the county in December, Civil Defence tankers transported thousands of gallons of water to affected areas.

Mr Griffin said demand for the service was as great as it had been during the floods crisis in November 2009.

He said, “When the weather turned bad and the pipes started to freeze were supplying water by tanker or by manning standpipes. It was mostly in the mid-Clare area, from Ennis to Cratloe, up to Crusheen out to Clooney, that sort of area. We were every bit as busy as last year”.

Mr Griffin also hailed the dedication and commitment of volounteers who had given up their time during the Christmas period.

“Most of our volunteers would be young people that are in their 20s and it’s a great sign for the future insofar as these people were so willing to give up their time, particularly over the Christmas holiday period. They were out Christmas Day, St Stephen’s Day, New Year’s Day”. he said.

Mr Griffin added, “That’s a massive volountary effort from these people and it should be very much appreciated. Many of the householders that were affected during the period expressed their gratitude to the people involved”.

THE CONSTRUCTION of a new secondary school in Tulla should be given the green light and a firm commitment on the project is essential.

That’s according to Fianna Fáil TD Timmy Dooley, who has highlighted the ongoing difficulties with accommodation at St Joseph’s Secondary School.

The situation has been reviewed by the Department of Education over a number of years, amid concerns that the site is small and does not have a recreational area.

More than half of the schoolrooms are prefabricated, many of which are old and in poor condition.

The issue was raised in the Dáil in December, when Mr Dooley said that an extension had been proposed by the Department of Education some time ago. However, given the increasing population in the area, this is no longer a suitable option, he said.

“Given the population growth in the area and the very small site on which the school is currently housed, it is now clearly recognised that the needs of local children will not be addressed by an extension to the school.

“The Department should finally make a decision that the appropriate solution to this accommodation problem is a new school,” he said.

He said that an appropriate site has been earmarked for a new school and an investment is essential. “Now is the time to invest in a school building in conjunction with the community group (Tulla 2016), thus ensuring a campus-style approach catering for all the needs of the community at the same site,” he said.

“The school accommodation needs have to be addressed because during the exams earlier this year there was not enough room to accommodate the various exam centres that were required, including separate centres for children with special needs,” he added.

“Were it not for the principal (Margaret O’Brien), the board of management and the parents, the place would be falling down. They have put a tremendous amount of effort into maintaining this very poor facility. I have reasonable knowledge of schools throughout the country, and this one is in an exceptionally bad state,” he added.

Environment Minister John Gormley, on behalf of the Minister for Education Mary Coughlan, told Deputy Dooley that while the project is under consideration, “in light of current competing demands on the capital budget of the Department, it is not possible to give an indicative timeframe for the progression of the project at this time”.