Category: News

IN ITS last ever meeting on Thursday night, the nine members of Kilrush Town Council merely tied up loose ends before paying tribute to the 129-year history of the local authority and reiterating their belief that the town council would be reinstated.

Signing off on its financial accounts which will be amalgamated with the Clare County Council budget from June 1, the members also agreed to past one unanimous motion calling on “on the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government to establish a commission to bring forward recommendations on meaningful reform of local government at town council level that will eventually lead to the restoration of democratic structures at town council level in the near future”.

In his final mayoral address, the man who will be recorded as the last ever mayor of Kilrush, Paul Moroney (Ind) led tributes to the council staff for their dedication to Kilrush town through the years.

“It is a sad day for all of us,” he told the past members, staff and families who had gathered in Kilrush Court House, “but as I said at he outset we have chosen to celebrate the achievements of the council rather than wallow in regret and tearful recrimination.”

Cllr Ian Lynch (Ind) likened the proceedings to the “wake of a good friend”, while Cllr Mairead O’Brien (Ind) said she would have fond memories of her term on the council.

Meanwhile Cllr Liam Williams (FG) spoke of the short sightedness of the Minister for the Environment Phil Hogan for his decision to dissolve all town councils,. “I hope people will continue to get involved in other projects now to keep the town thriving,” he said.

Cllr Marian McMahon Jones (FG), Cllr Tom Clyne (FF) and Cllr Tom Prendeville (FF) also regretted the passing of the council while Cllr Christy O’Malley (FF) remained hopeful for the future of the town with the words, “I trust our successors will progress our work further.”

For Cllr Liam O’Looney (FF) the end of the council was also the end of a family tradition.

“It was a tradition that went before me,” he said remembering his father William who served on Kilrush Town Council before him, and lamented that fact his daughter and two sons could not follow in his footsteps.

A 22-YEAR-OLD man has received a suspended sentence for his role in a violent burglary at an apartment in Ennis last summer.

Darren Maughan (22) was one of two people who broke into 15 Sandfield Mews between 12.30 and 12.45am on July 23, 2013. He assaulted Declan O’Dea who was asleep in bed at the time.

Mr O’Dea, in a state of fear, jumped from a first floor window to escape Mr Maughan, breaking his ankle when he hit the ground, Ennis Circuit Criminal Court heard yesterday. In March, Mr Maughan, with an address at Stonecourt, Drumbiggle, Ennis, pleaded guilty to entering the apartment as a trespasser and committing an arrestable offence therein, assault causing harm to Declan O’Dea.

Yesterday the court heard Mr Maughan was on bail at the time for another assault he committed in Drumbiggle Drive, on January 20, 2013, to which he also pleaded guilty.

Judge Carroll Moran yesterday gave Mr Maughan an immediate two-year prison sentence for the assault at Drumbiggle and imposed a two year suspended sentence for the offence at Sandfield Mews.

Giving evidence in respect of the burglary at 15 Sandfield Mews, Detective Inspector John Galvin (Ennis Garda Station) told the court Mr Maughan and a companion broke into the apartment after failing to gain entry.

The court heard Mr Maughan went into Mr O’Dea’s room and started to beat him “viciously” around the head. Det Insp Galvin said the victim was so fearful he jumped from the first floor window. The court heard Mr O’Dea broke his ankle and lay in bushes for a period of between 90 minutes and two hours when gardaí were called to the scene.

The court heard both parties had consumed a number of bottles of vodka earlier in the day. Det Insp Galvin agreed with prosecuting counsel Stephen Coughlan’s view that Mr Maughan had consumed a “vast” amount of alcohol.

“Intoxicated beyond comprehension is the best way I could describe it,” added Det Insp Galvin.

The court heard that between 2009 and 2014 Mr Maughan received 53 convictions for offences including assault, public order and criminal damage.

Det Insp Galvin agreed with defence counsel Lorcan Connolly’s assessment that all of Mr Maughan’s past offences arose from problems with drink.

Counsel said, “He’s not a bad lad, save and except when he’s the drink on board.” Mr Connolly said his client wished to apologise for his offence. Counsel said his client had pleaded guilty at an early stage and is undergoing a number of educational programmes in prison.

In the witness box, Mr Maughan Judge Moran “I’m stopping drinking for life when I get out. I want to change my life around.”

Judge Moran said the accused has “clearly a propensity for violence when he is drunk” and has an “appalling record”.

He imposed the two year sentence for assault at Drumbiggle but agreed to suspend a consecutive two year sentence for the offence at Sandfield on condition Mr Maughan abstain from drink and be of good behaviour for five years.

THREE people endured a terrifying ordeal when their car was set upon by an armed gang of teenagers in Ennis earlier this month.

Gardaí are investigating the incident, which occurred on Friday, May 2, in the Showgrounds Road area of Ennis.

Gardaí were called to the scene af- ter receiving a call of a violent disturbance at Showground’s Court on Drumbiggle Court.

The incident is thought to have occurred sometime between 11pm and midnight on the date in question.

It is believed a car parked in the area was set upon by a gang of around seven or eight teenagers.

Bottles of beer were taken from the boot of the car. The driver of the car is also believed to have been struck in the face with a bottle. The keys of the car along with a small sum of cash were also taken. The Clare People understands that one of the young males suspected of being involved in the attack was carrying a kitchen knife.

The three males who were in the car at the time were said to be “terrified” during the ordeal. One Garda source described the attack on the car and it’s occupants as “vicious”.

Gardaí have launched an investigation into the matter. At least one teenager has been arrested and questioned in relation to the incident. He was subsequently released without charge. It is thought that all those suspected of being involved are under the age of 18.

Investigations into the matter are continuing and a file is being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

Mary CARROLL (née Cronin)
, 72 Rossbracken, Shannon. Laid to rest in St Mary’s Church Grounds, Rathkeale. May she rest in peace.

Bernadette (Etta) JONES (née Mc
Namara)

TAOISEACH and Fine Gael Party leader Enda Kenny said this week that Fine Gael would not increase the Local Property Tax if elected to local government.

In a whistle-stop visit to the Banner County just a week after polls indicate a swing towards independent candidates and people’s dissatis- faction with the introduction of the LPT, Mr Kenny admitted that being in Government was not an easy position.

But as the Mayo man kissed babies, high fived teenagers and shook hands with pensioners it quickly became apparent that he was not about to run into the hostility he was met with an hour earlier in Limerick.

Instead, supported by the party faithful, a two person anti-abortion protest outside the Temple Gate all but went unnoticed, while the mother of a disabled child who lost her medical card had her say in a peaceful manner.

Among those waiting to meet the leader of the country was Noel O’Driscoll, originally from O’Callaghans Mills, whose late father became secretary of the local Fine Gael branch in 1922 and was there until he died 56 years later.

Mr O’Driscoll showed the Taoiseach an original Land League membership card owned by his great grandfather.

Flanked by MEP Sean Kelly, local election candidates and the county’s two Fine Gael TDs – Pat Breen and Joe Carey – Mr Kenny was remaining coy on how he believes his 16 local election candidates will fare in Clare come May 23.

“Far be for it me to guess what the good people of Clare are going to do when they go to the polls but I will say this for our party we offer a very strong team of candidates.”

“Whoever the people elect for the county council elections they need to understand that these candidates and these councillors are being given responsibility that has never been handed out before to councillors. They are going to have to make decisions about the expenditure for property charges. The Fine Gael candidates will not be voting to increase them, they will be reducing them where possible. They will have to make decisions about rates and about property charges and development plans for their own areas,” he added.

“It is not about electing people to sound off at council meetings. It is a case of electing people to make decisions, the authority being displaced down to the councils.”

CLARE County Council has been allocated € 368,000 under the Government’s Special Resolution Fund (SRF) for Unfinished Housing Developments.

The Department of Environment, Community and Local Government has approved the council’s application for funding to enable works to be undertaken at two local housing developments, namely the Aisling Estate on the Lahinch Road in Ennis and Bruachlan/An Grianan in Westbury.

Clare County Council says it will now commence a period of engagement with the relevant stakeholders at the locations concerned with a view to commencing works.

Mayor of Clare Councillor Joe Arkins welcomed the funding announcement, adding, “Engagement from all key stakeholders is critical to progressing the proposed resolution of these sites. I believe the funding enables Clare County Council to provide a solution to these unfinished estates which have been deteriorating over the past number of years and impacting negatively on the residents and the landscape in the area.”

Commenting on the background to the funding allocation, Bernadette Haugh, Administrative Officer, Planning & Enterprise, stated, “The successful application is part of the council’s ongoing focus on unfinished estates throughout the county. A team from the Planning & Enterprise section of the council has been focusing on this issue and will continue to work towards solutions on the many developments where difficulties are being experienced throughout the county.”

Ms Haugh explained that Clare County Council will now engage with the Bondholders AIB, NAMA and the owner of the land in relation to the Aisling site to agree how the proposed site resolution will be progressed. Similar discussions will be undertaken with Grant Thornton who are the appointed receivers in relation to the Westbury site.

“The drawdown of approved funding will commence immediately in order to advance the early execution of the works. Once the programme of works has been agreed Clare County Council will organise an information session with residents in the area of these development to outline how the proposed resolution process will proceed. The condition of the funding requires that the proposed works are completed by the end of 2014,” added Ms Haugh.

CLARE will need to provide a thousand new homes over the next four years but there will be no need to build any new houses in Killaloe, Kilkee and Kilrush according to a national report issued by the Housing Agency.

Over the next four years it is projected that the Ennis area will need 534 new houses, Shannon 290, Sixmilebridge 139, Newmarket 55 and Ardnacrusha 44. The number for the other specified towns in the report, Killaloe, Kilrush and Kilkee is zero.

The report was commissioned nationally to assess future housing needs based on population and economic assumptions, with natural growth and migration also factored into the findings.

The Government advisory body on housing is predicting a rise in population in the Ennis area of 4 per cent over the next four years, (rising from 25,326 to 26,360). The report anticipates that the populations of Kilrush and Kilkee will fall slightly by around 1 per cent while Killaloe will actually record a very slight population increase of less than 1 per cent.

Sixmilebridge is expected to record the highest population growth over the coming years – by 2018 the Housing Agency estimates the town will have grown its population by 12 per cent to 2,866.

Shannon is also another town expected to expand considerably over the next few years, the population once again expected to top 10,000. It is currently 9,673. The news that Clare will need over a thousand new houses to be built over the coming four years suggests that the economic recovery is finally underway in the county. Nationally the pick up is centred on the east coast, with the counties of Longford and Leitrim returning a zero number for their entire housing requirements.

URBAN SUPPLEMENTS POPULATION IN

2011 CENSUS PROJECTED POPULATION 2018 MINIMUM HOUSING REQUIREMENT 2014-2018 ARDNACRUSHA (CASTLEBANK) 1,414 1,504 44 ENNIS TOWN AND ENVIRONS 25,360 26,326 534 KILKEE TOWN AND ENVIRONS 1,139 1,101 0 KILLALOE 1,292 1,367 0 KILRUSH AND ITS ENVIRONS 2,695 2,604 0 NEWMARKET ON FERGUS 1,773 1,849 55 SHANNON LEGAL TOWN 9,673 10,071 290 SIXMILEBRIDGE 2,507 2,866 139

ALCOHOL was a contributory factor in the death of a Polish man run over by a car in Ennis last year, an inquest has heard.

The body of 38-year-old Thomas Nowakowski, was found near a speed bump in Tobertascáin on May 15, 2013. The fast food worker had lived in Ireland with his wife for six years.

The inquest, before a jury, into his death was opened at Clare County Coroner’s Court in Ennis on Tuesday.

Coroner Isobel O’Dea said the inquest would hear from State Pathologist, Professor Marie Cassidy and would be adjourned to May 8 to hear from the remaining witnesses.

Ms O’Dea said the deceased’s family were happy for the inquest to proceed in this manner.

Prof Cassidy said she was requested to attend the scene of the incident on May 16, 2013.

She said she found Mr Nowakowski’s body lying across the road; face up with his head facing towards the centre of the road.

Prof Cassisdy said there was a large pool of blood around the decease’s head. His runners were on the road, the inquest heard.

Mr Nowakowski suffered severe injuries to his trunk, fractures to his pelvis, thighbone, ribs and collarbone. Prof Cassidy said there was also extensive damage to the skull. The most significant trauma occurred internally, she said.

Blood and urine analysis showed a considerably high level of alcohol was present in the deceased’s system.

Prof Cassidy said that Mr Nowakowski’s alcohol levels were 375mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood.

Prof Cassidy said the pattern of injuries were wholly consistent with crush trauma.

She said there was as strong smell of alcohol from the deceased. She said he was considerably intoxicated and “likely to be unsteady on his feet”.

She said she was also satisfied Mr Nowakowski suffered no injuries to suggest he was upright at the time of impact

She said the cause of death was crush injuries to chest and pelvis consistent with a crush under the weight of a car.

Acute alcohol intoxication was given as a contributory factor.

CLARE’S 11 bathing areas have got the all clear for the summer season.

This is the first time in a number of years that all of Clare’s bathing areas have got top marks from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

According to the report on Bathing Water Quality each of the areas were deemed to be compliant with manda- tory water quality levels.

Bathing waters were classified into three categories, namely ‘Good’, ‘Sufficient’ and ‘Poor’. The classification system is based on the levels of E. Coli and intestinal enterococci detected in the bathing water during the 2013 bathing season.

All 11 bathing areas around Clare were adjudged to have ‘Good Water Quality’ having complied with EU Guide and Mandatory levels, includ- ing Ballyalla Lake (Ennis) which was deemed to only have ‘Sufficient Water Quality’ in 2012.

The other bathing water areas are White Strand (Milltown Malbay), Ballycuggeran (Lough Derg), Cappa Pier (Kilrush), Bishopsquarter, White Strand (Doonbeg), Kilkee, Spanish Point, Lahinch, Fanore and Mountshannon (Lough Derg).

According to Paul Moroney Senior Engineer, Clare County Council, “In particular, the Council is pleased that Ballyalla Lake had good results in 2013 and it is working to ensure that improved status is maintained this year and for the future.”

Of the 18 Local Authorities who have designated bathing areas, just six, including Clare, achieved ‘good’ water quality status for all of their identified bathing waters.

Dr Matthew Crowe, Director of the EPA’s Office of Environmental Assessment, said, “Irish bathing waters continue to be among the best in northern Europe. By contrast to the 2012 bathing season, the warm dry conditions last year meant that many waters returned to their normal good quality. Our projections show that almost 90 per cent of Ireland’s designated bathing waters should meet the new ‘excellent’ or ‘good’ water quality standards which will come into force from this year.”

A WELL-KNOWN Ennis family business is the latest to fall victim to the recession, with Guerins Foodstore and Newsagent on the corner of Cornmarket Street closing its doors for the final time on Saturday last.

The constant grocer to the people of the area for more than 60 years, and the supplier of the breakfast roll, scone, sandwich and coffee to workers in recent years, this small corner shop was also a centre of news and chat.

The shop building also occupies a special place in the musical history of the town, as it provided the inspiration for ‘The Stone Outside Dan Murphy’s Door’ – a well-known Clare song written by Feakle man Johnny Paterson.

Owned by Clodagh and John Guerin, Guerin’s was the subject of a spate of break-ins in the last three months.

“This has a huge impact on the business too,” said Ms Guerin, adding that robberies during an already difficult time can be the final nail in the coffin for any business.

She said that they were sad to close the shop, but were left with no other option.

In the last number of years a number of businesses closed or “down sized” in the area, which had a huge impact on trade.

“Eircom is gone, the school has moved out and most of the [town] council staff are gone.

“Those companies that are left have less staff and it all has an impact,” added Ms Guerin, a familiar face behind the counter.

“People also don’t have the money any more. They are bringing their lunch to work, and who can blame them. I really noticed it in the last 18 months, and definitely since September. The property tax has had an awful impact too. People just don’t have money,” she said.

While there was no alternative but to close the doors, Ms Guerin admitted some tears were shed.

“I will miss the craic we had here with the customers, but at the end of the day you have to be realistic about things, when it is not paying you have to go. But I will miss it.”

Guerin’s other store in Ennis is to remain open.

TRIBUTES have been paid to the late Ita O’Shea (nee Ryan) a founder member of the Ennis Musical Society who passed away last week.

Ms O’Shea was born in Queen Street, Clonmel, Tipperary in July 1920. She moved to Clare in 1952 after husband Murt O’Shea, a radio officer, secured work in the county.

The couple married in 1944 and had three children.

A talented musician who played organ and piano, Ms O’Shea was a cofounder of the Ennis Musical Society in 1953. She was heavily involved with the Ennis Friary and Cathedral choirs and was also the organist in the Ennis Cathedral for many years.

In 2000 she was the recipient of the prestigious Benemerenti award in recognition of her decades of service to church and community life in Ennis.

Her husband Murt passed away suddenly in 1989. Ms O’Shea’s sister Maureen lives in Dungarvan, Co Waterford.

Ms O’Shea was a grandmother to four grandchildren and had one great grandchild.

Ennis Parish administrator, Fr Tom Hogan yesterday described her as a “lovely woman”.

“She was a genuinely lovely woman. She had real gift for communicating with people. She was delighted when she received the award in 2000 and it was thoroughly well merited”.

Ms O’Shea lived at Dún Mhuire, Clon Road Ennis but was a resident for the last three years of her life at Cahercalla Community Hospital.

In a statement, the committee and members of Ennis Musical Society said they were “saddened to learn of the recent passing of their President and long time member, Ita O’Shea”.

They added, “Ita – through her love of all things musical – gave tremendous service to the Society and the wider community in Ennis. She was a role model to all members and was held in fondness by all who now mourn her passing. Ar dheis Dé go raibh sí.”