Category: News

THE BALLYVAUGHAN Community Development Group says that it will oppose the “wanton destruction of the rural environment” by the National Roads Authority (NRA).

The group is calling for local organisations from all over the county to join them in opposing the NRA’s new signage policy for national roads.

In a statement to The Clare People , the NRA said that they had already consulted with Fáilte Ireland and Clare County Council in relation to the signs and would not be meeting with the north Clare group.

“What this amounts to is the wanton destruction of the rural environment by the NRA without planning permission or any consultation with the local people,” said Patrick O’Donoghue, Chairperson of the Ballyvaughan Community Development Group.

“They are putting these signs in the local flowers beds, they are placing them on private property, and all without any consultation with the local people.

“I think we all agree that the county has been destroyed with signs – I don’t see how the NRA adding to this problem is going to make anything better.

“If the NRA could invest as much money on fixing the roads as they are investing on these signs then the place would be a lot safer and easier to navigate than it is at the moment.”

A spokesperson from the NRA told The Clare People that the organisation had already had a period of public consultation before it began its new programme of signs and would not be meeting with any local groups.

The spokesperson claimed that the NRA had also consulted with Fáilte Ireland before rolling out the new signage scheme and was in ongoing contact with Clare County Council concerning its roll-out in Clare.

“The NRA has worked closely with Clare County Council on these issues and we can’t go back and have different consulting with different people at different times,” said a spokesman.

“We are conscious that existing signage in Clare is not up to scratch, it is a serious problem and has the potential to cause a safety hazard in the county.”

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”.

OPPOSITION politicians in Clare have given a stern thumbs down to former Taoiseach Bertie Ahearn as a possible candidate for the presidency.

Former Labour TD Dr Moosajee Bhamjee and Fine Gael TD, Pat Breen both told The Clare People that they are less than impressed with Bertie’s criticisms of the current Taoiseach.

Dr Bhamjee said, “He has left politicis and he could have offered his support and experience to the current Taoiseach from the back benches. That was the time to make his opinions heard – not now when he has left.”

The Fine Gael Deputy spokesperson on Foreign Affairs, Deputy Breen, had a similar opinion.

“I don’t think he’s being fair to Cowen. After all, he was Taoiseach when the trouble started and to say that as Taoiseach that no-one told him there was a problem with the banks, that’s just unbelievable,” Deputy Breen said.

Dr Bhamjee, who was part of the Rainbow Coalition Government of 1994, said he met with Bertie Ahern at various delegations and found he “had a way of pacifying people. He is a very co-ordinated person. He made social partnerships work by his way of dealing with people.”

But despite this quality, Dr Bhamjee feels it is “time for him to go. I don’t think he is a suitable candidate for the presidency. He has stepped away from politicis and he should just go quietly now and not make the kind of statements he has made over the last few days.”

Deputy Breen accused the former Taoiseach of having “bought his way through every election. He gave everyone what they wanted”.

The Fine Gael Deputy says Bertie’s potential candidacy would do the party no good.

“His work on the peace agreement was fantastic but he has wiped that out. He will be remembered for all the wrong reasons. The Galway tent was born during his era and that’s where many of the problems we know have begun.

“He created so many junior ministries there was nearly one for everyone in the audience. He can’t stand for the presidency, there are too many ‘if’s’ .

He continued, “For a former Taoiseach to take part in an ad where he appears out of a cupboard – he’s just not a creditable candidate for Fianna Fail.”

Deputy Breen said that while Bertie “has a great presence, you’d certainly know that he’s in the room”, his departure from politics should now be swift. “He can’t change his political legacy,” Deputy Breen said.

A TEAM of 120 volunteers maintained the Samaritans 24-hour telephone service in Clare throughout the Christmas period.

The Clare branch recorded almost 25,000 calls in 2010 with many calls relating to stresses and strains caused by the recession. Branch director, Gerry Dobbin, said that Christmas could often be very lonely and difficult time for many people.

“Our branch was open over Christmas and we would’ve been fairly flat out. People who have been bereaved over the years and in recent times, the empty chair at the table. It can be a very sad time and a very lonely time because of the pressures out there. You are expected to be happy and merry and all the rest of it and people feel very separated from that”, he said.

He added, “This year there would have been an increase in calls relating to the economic situation and people would have had a lot of financial worries about what might be coming next year. People who have experienced economic hardship in recent times, people worried about paying bills in January. We’d have noticed an increase in that kind of call. And then people, socially, who would be marginalisied, isolated very lonely people. People who may be in broken relationships who are on their own, possibly single parents or people who are parents but the partner has them (the children). People who are separated and there could be issues around that”.

New figures show that between November 2009 and October 2010, Samaritans Ireland responded to 243,000 calls. This represented a six per cent increase on the previous 12 months; an additional 13,000 calls. “A lot of those would have related to economic worries and financial worries. A sizeable number of those calls would have related to the economic situation. People who would be experiencing depression, people depressed at the thought of insecurity, lack of jobs and little chance of employment”, Mr Dobbin explained.

Despite the difficulties posed by dangerous road and weather conditions, volounteers in Clare ensured there was always someone on hand to provide confidential emotional support to people experiencing feel- ings of distress and despair.

Mr Dobbin said everyone associated with the branch had shown great commitment during Christmas and throughout the past 12 months.

He explained, “They are giving up their time. They do their shifts and because of the weather situation we’ve had volounteers who have done over and above to keep the branch open. People who didn’t have to drive long distances would’ve come in when people who are living out in the country maybe would have had difficulties getting in because of the roads. Other people have taken up the duties.

He added, “They’ve given a big commitment. People from diverse backgrounds, but with the common cause to be there and give a listening ear to other people who are not so fortunate. It’s important to talk about the people who give their time. They come in and so generously give their time for other people”

The Samaritans can be contacted at 1850 60 90 90 or by email jo@samaritans.org.

ALMOST three in four workers at Shannon Aerospace Ltd, have voted in favour of a restructuring programme which will see more than 100 jobs being shed from next month.

Almost one-fifth of full-time workers will face redundancy under the deal.

Shannon Aerospace, a subsidiary of German-based Lufthansa Technik AG, provides airframe maintenance, engineering, painting and technical services for airlines. It is blaming the recession, which has severely affected the aviation industry, for the need to shed jobs.

The company, which currently employs 628 full-time staff and 97 trainees, confirmed in October that it proposed laying off 107 workers, mostly administrative and support staff.

The announcement came as Lufthansa Technic announced losses of almost € 1 million between August and October this year.

After weeks of talks, between management and SIPTU, the union representing staff at Aerospace, workers voted.

After the ballot a company spokesperson said that 71.5 per cent of workers voted in favour of accepting the restructuring moves.

It is understood that workers were offered an improved redundancy package to the one originally proposed, while remaining staff have accepted an 18-month pay freeze and changes to the rostering system at the plant.

When the restructuring is complete, the company will employ more than 540 people.

Shannon Aerospace chief executive Thomas Rückert welcomed the agreement. “In my short time here in Ireland, I have been deeply impressed with the people working for Shannon Aerospace. We asked a lot of our employees and, together with the board, I am grateful for their support, which will allow us to implement our plan and safeguard the maximum number of jobs at the company.”

The original announcement by Aerospace management that jobs were to be cut was the first of three in as many weeks, all from companies who have put down roots in Clare over decades.

Within an hour of the announcement at Aerospace, management at publishing company, Elsevier, announced that it was leting 100 people go. Elsevier, who publish medical journals including the prestigious Lancet , will now have just a handful of staff in Ireland. It is not clear if the few remaining employees will still be based at Shannon.

Then came the Roche announcement that it is to shed 25 jobs at its Clarecastle plant.

The move is part of a wider restructuring programme that will see it axe 4,800 jobs worldwide.

THE SUCCESS of the Northern Irish peace process will be Bertie Ahern’s legacy in years to come and when the current financial troubles are forgotten he will be remembered as a good Taoiseach.

That is the opinion of Kilnamona man Michael McTigue, who got to know the former Taoiseach very well when he served on the National Executive of the Fianna Fáil party for more then a decade.

“I got to know him well enough when he was Minister for Finance and I was on the National Executive of the party and I was there when he was first elected Taoiseach. He was a great man to hang around and chat after a meeting – he always seemed to have time for everybody,” said Mike.

“Mind you he was always a very disheveled looking character when he was Minister for Finance, he was probably one of the worst dressed people going into Dáil Éireann at the time.

“He had an old shinny suit on him with the pockets bulging with notes about different things.

“Nothing was too small for Bertie, he would always make time for people. I used to always get a phone call from him on Christmas Eve, and if he didn’t get me his secretary would arrange another time for him to call.

“But I think the Good Friday Agreement would have to be his greatest achievement as Taoiseach. I remember I was at his mother’s funeral when he was whisked off by helicopter back to Belfast.

“He was knocking heads together up in Northern Ireland while his mother was dying. He came down for his mother’s funeral and at the end he was whisked back over the border again.

“I remember being at his mother’s funeral and in the middle of all of that he remembered everyone’s name – that’s the sort of guy he was,” he added.

“I mean he managed to solve the most intractable political problem in western Europe, something that has been an issue for many centuries, that is some achievement.”

Despite the current economic trouble, Mike believes that Bertie Ahern will be remembered fondly by the people of Ireland.

“Right now he is taking a bit of a beating but in the long term it will have to be seen in a positive light.

“We are in a mess now and people need someone to blame but when all of this is done they will realise that we have a roads’ network now that we never had before and even now there are twice as many people working now as there were in the 1980s,” he added.

TOURISM OF an unprecedented level could be the reward for ongoing efforts to gain Geopark Status for the Burren and to make the Cliffs of Moher into one of the new 7 Wonders of the World.

Last month Clare County Council officially submitted an application to the European Geoparks Network (EGN) for the European and Global Geoparks status for the Burren region of north Clare.

The EGN was founded in 2000 to help protect geodiversity, to promote geological heritage among citizens and to support sustainable economic development of regions through the development of geotourism.

If successful, it is hoped that the Burren and Cliffs of Moher Geopark project will provide the region with an identity as a region for sustainable ecotourism that is recognised across Europe.

European Geopark status is a fundamentally non-legislative designation, and as such it holds no influence on planning issues or land manage- ment practices. The proposed European Geopark in north Clare will comprise a network of managed publicly accessible sites, an established network of education and visitor centres, and the newly accredited Burren Ecotourism Network, as well as the existing Shannon Region Trails and National Walking routes.

Meanwhile, the ongoing campaign to make the Cliffs of Moher one of the New 7 Wonders of the World will come to an end in 2011. An estimated one billion people will have voted for their favourite location before the final round voting comes to an end on November 11, 2011.

The campaign to make the Cliffs of Moher one of the New 7 Wonders of the World has been ongoing for more than two years with the landmark tourist attraction already coming through three different stages of voting.

If the cliffs does make the final list it is estimated that the publicity associated with the event alone could being tens or perhaps hundreds of thousands of extra tourists to north Clare in the coming years.

FEWER debt judgments were served in Clare courts than in almost any other county in Ireland in 2010. A county-by-county breakdown of debt judgments obtained in Irish courts in 2010 has revealed that the Banner was one of Ireland’s three least indebted counties.

Clare finished second only to Kilkenny in the list of court judgments per head of population over the last 12 months with counties Mayo and Donegal also recording low levels of debt.

According to the figures the most indebted county in Ireland was Cavan, while counties Cork, Limerick, Laois and Sligo also recorded high debt levels.

This information was compiled by Dublin-based financial research company BusinessPro.

In a separate survey from earlier this year, BusinessPro also showed that the average debt of Clare people rose from € 6,159 in 2003 to € 20,596 last year – one of the highest levels of debt per person of any county in Ireland.

This would indicate that there are still large levels of personal debt in Clare which is not being seen yet in the amount of debt judgments coming through the local courts.

According to the whose managing director of BusinessPro, James Treacy, the situation is likely to get worse in 2011.

“We estimate an additional € 2 billion of non commercial debt coming down the line next year,” he said last week.

“Most of the consumer debt has yet to hit the courts, but with the end of the one-year moratorium for homeowners and other factors such as the proposed changes to our bankruptcy regime, we expect to see a huge surge in personal insolvencies connected with consumer debt,” he added.

The last 12 months saw the largest ever number of individual and corporate judgments registered in one year in the Irish courts.

While Clare courts dealt with fewer cases per capita that almost every other county in Ireland, the largest single corporate judgment was obtained against Donatex, the company used by Lisdoonvarna developer Bernard McNamara to invest in the Irish Glass Bottle Site in Dublin.

A judgment of more than € 62 million was also obtained against Bernard McNamara personally, arising from the € 412 million purchase of the former toxic dump in 2006 by a consortium of investors.