Category: News

GARDAÍ in Ennis are investigating the attempted mugging of a 58-yearold woman of her handbag in broad daylight.

The incident occurred across from Steele’s Terrace at around 11.55am on Monday last, when a brazen attempt was made to rob the handbag from the woman as she walked on the footpath almost beside Ennis Courthouse.

The woman was approached from behind by a man who knocked her to the ground and then attempted to steal her handbag.

The victim bravely fought off her attacker and managed to hold onto her bag.

The woman, who lives in the Ennis area, reported the incident to the gardaí and gave a full description of her attacker.

She did not suffer any serious injuries but it is said to have been left badly shaken by the ordeal.

SECURITY measures have been reviewed at Shannon after a drunk man scaled a perimeter fence and gained access to the airside area of the airport.

The alert was raised in the early hours of April 12 after a man was seen in a restricted area outside one of the airport buildings. The man, who had walked towards the airport in the drunken belief he was going towards Limerick, was apprehended and arrested by gardaí.

A senior garda said last week there was nothing sinister about the man’s reason for climbing over the airport fence.

When contacted last week, a spokesman for Shannon Airport said Shannon did not comment on security matters at the international airport.

Details of the incursion at Shannon were outlined at Ennis District Court on Wednesday where a 32-year-old Polish man pleaded guilty to trespassing on the airport in a manner that was likely to cause fear.

He also pleaded guilty to being intoxicated and scaling the airport perimeter fence contrary to airport byelaws under the Air and Transport Navigation Act.

Mr Zareba, with a former address at Cratloe Suites, Two Mile Inn, Ennis Road, Limerick, was celebrating his last day of work as a plane sprayer with a friend at the Shannon Knights, the court heard.

Inspector Tom Kennedy said the accused had drank a bottle of vodka by the time he left the pub and started walking towards Shannon Airport in the belief he was going to Limerick. Insp Kennedy said the man scaled the 3.5 metre palisade fence and was spotted by security staff at around 5am.

“It would appear in his stupor, he was unable to tell if he was inside or outside the fence and was still looking for Limerick,” added Insp Kennedy.

He told the court there was nothing sinister about the incident. However he said Mr Zareba’s incursion did create a “flurry of activity” at the time and led to a review of security arrangements at the airport. Mr Zareba has no previous convictions.

Solicitor Stiofán Fitzpatrick said his client, a married man who lived in Ireland for six years, was genuinely apologetic. “He had no intention of going to the airport. He wanted to go home. He was intoxicated.”

Judge Patrick Durcan said this was a “bizarre case”. Noting the accused’s good record, his guilty plea and the fact that gardaí accepted he had misdirected himself to the airport because he was drunk, Judge Durcan ordered Mr Zareba to pay € 500 to the court poor box meaning he will have no criminal record. The court heard Mr Zareba is to start a new job in the Czech Republic.

THE importance of mental and physical health will be discussed at Ireland’s first Men’s Shed Conference, which takes place in Ennis at the weekend.

‘No man is an island’ is the theme of the conference, which takes place at Treacys West County on April 25 and 26.

The Ennis Men’s Shed was established in Hermitage last year to “enhance or maintain the wellbeing of the participating men”.

Around 20 people regularly attend the shed, which is open three times a week. The shed contains a workshop and offers men a chance to openly discuss issues that maybe affecting them.

The conference will hear from a number of speakers including wellknown West Clare GP, Dr Billy O’Connell and Tom McEvoy, Clare Director of the suicide awareness organisation, Pieta House.

It is hoped the conference will show how the Men’s Shed movement can be used as a tool to enhance men’s mental and physical wellbeing.

Facilitator Frank McNamara explained, “The whole idea of the conference is to get the word out there that it’s okay to be not okay. It’s okay for men to be not okay. The whole ethos of the Men’s Shed movement is to get men to talk. What we’ve decided is to put it out there that it’s okay to be depressed. Its ok to feel wanted and feel needed. Its ok to have mental health issues.”

He continued, “We’re trying to put this stuff out on the table and say it’s okay to talk about it. The whole idea of the conference is men’s mental and physical health; that it’s okay to be not okay. We’re envisioning that guys will take from it what they want. They might not want to put up their hand and ask a question. They might want to ask a question privately or they may gain the information through the speakers. At least they have the information and they can do something with it.

“It’s a risky thing to do because you could actually turn a lot of men away from it. We were all told as kids, if you fell and hurt your knee or whatever, ‘get up be a man, stop crying, be a man’. We’re trying to put it out there that men have feelings too!” he said.

The conference will also see the launch of the Ennis Women’s Shed, which is the first of it’s kind in the Northern Hemisphere.

Folk singer Mary Coughlan will officially launch the Ennis Women’s Shed.

The Ennis Men’s Shed Conference takes place at the West County Hotel in Ennis on April 25 and 26. For further information contact Frank McNamara, facilitator at Ennis Men’s Shed on 085 2119118.

MEMBERS of a children’s choir sang a new verse in Clare music history last week when they became the first group from the Banner County to perform at a U2-funded Music Generation event.

The newly-formed Burren Children’s Choir joined 400 young people from around Ireland to perform at the inaugural Big Sing event in Dublin’s Mansion House.

The event was led by acclaimed US choral conductor Dr Doreen Rao.

This was the first time that Music Generation participants from across Ireland performed together on a national stage and marks the culmination of the Choral Music Education Programme, run in association with Association of Irish Choirs and the Choral Music Experience Institute.

Clare was represented by 10 members of the Burren Children’s Choir. The choir first performed together at Christmas. Parent Diane Hayes says the children thoroughly enjoyed the experience of singing in Dublin.

“It was absolutely lovely. It was a brilliant experience for them. You had about 400 other children performing. It was amazing,” she said.

Music Generation National Director Rosaleen Molloy said, “The Big Sing is the very first time that we have been able to bring so many young people involved in Music Generation together to perform and we are very lucky to have had Dr Doreen Rao here lead us on this momentous occasion.”

The Big Sing was organised by Music Generation, a national music education programme supported by Irish rockers U2 and the Ireland Fund. It was set up in 2009 to increase access to music education.

In January Clare secured € 400,000 in funding from Music Generation.

It is anticipated the programme will see music teachers employed to work in school and out of school settings, teaching music to children and young adults around the county. The overall aim is to provide the first countywide music education service in Clare.

Clare Music Education Partnership will receive close to € 435,000 in seed funding which will enable high quality, accessible music education programmes to be provided for children and young people in their local communities. Clare / Limerick Education and Training Board (formerly Clare VEC) is the lead statutory agency for the programme.

Among the aims for the programme are the establishment of a Clare County Orchestra and Clare Children’s Choir.

It is hoped the funding will create employment opportunities for Clare singers and musicians. It is expected that the programme will start to roll out towards the latter half of 2014.

GREEN shoots of economic recovery are being seen in Kilrush, despite the town being ranked as the place worst hit by the recession in Clare.

According to the Kilrush Chamber of Commerce, the introduction of large international supermarkets has had a negative effect on businesses in the town in recent years but a upturn in the tourism sector over the past 12 months is breathing new life into West Clare.

Kilrush was ranked as the Clare town worst hit by the recession in a new study of both employment levels and emigration carried out by Teagasc. The study, which compares figures from the Central Statistic Office from 2006 and 2011, found that Kilrush was the worst effected Clare town overall even though it did not rank worst in either changes to unemployment or emigration.

According to the Teagasc figures, Ennistymon and Killaloe were the worst hit by unemployment, with Kilrush coming in third. Shannon and Ennis saw the biggest change in emigration, with Kilrush the third worst effected town.

Kilrush, Shannon town and Ennis were given “red” status by Teagasc, indicating that they were among the towns worst hit when both unemployment and emigration.

According to the Kilrush Chamber of Commerce, the arrival of a number of large supermarkets in recent years have had a effect on a number of businesses in the town.

“Retail has suffered everywhere and people have less money in their pockets to spend but the arrival of two international supermarkets has had an effect on a lot of businesses in the town,” said Jack Kelly of the Kilrush Chamber.

“It is very difficult to compete with the scale of the international retailers. This has hit every small business in the town. Initially we though ti would just be the food businesses but these large shops now sell electrical goods, clothes, children goods, book – nearly every business in the town is effected in some way. “The Gathering was a great benefit to us last year. There was a great boost in tourism number because of that and the success of tourism in Loop Head and that has spin offs for all of West Clare. “There are some green shoots emerging, especially in the tourism sectors, and we can grow on that it would be a great step forward. We are hopeful that things like the Wild Atlantic Way and the Ryanair flight in Shannon will help. If number can grow like they did when Ryanair expanded in Shannon in 2003 and 2004 then if will be very positive.”

THE area around Doora, just outside of Ennis, has weathered the recession better than any other part of Clare, according to a new study of Central Statistics Office (CSO) data compiled by the farm research agency Teagasc.

Doora was granted ‘blue’ status in the report, meaning that is one of the towns or places in Ireland least effected by the recession. Doora performed particularly well in main- taining employment levels between 2006 and 2011 but was slightly less successful in minimising emigration, where it was the third best performing in Clare.

Sixmilebridge has given ‘turquoise’ status in the report, meaning that it was only moderately effected by the recession. The rate of unemployment in the town was comparatively low, coming in as the third best in Clare, but the town saw very little emigration between 2006 and 2011, when it the least effected town in Clare and indeed one of the least effected areas in the country.

There were also good showing for Killaloe and Clonlara in East Clare with both places being granted ‘light blue’ status – to signify that they were only somewhat effected by the recession.

Despite having one of the worst comparative records for unemployment, Killaloe managed to gain largely on the back of its low level of emigration, the second lowest in Clare.

In contrast, Clonlara was the second best performing in Clare for lev- els of employment, but suffered more than most when it came to the level of emigration.

Both Newmarket on Fergus and Miltown Malbay were given ‘yellow’ status in the report – to signify that they were town badly effected by the recession. Miltown was comparatively badly hit be unemployment – but has managed to retain its level of population well compared to other towns in Clare. Newmarket was consistent in term of both unemployment and emigration – and was the mid-ranked town in Ireland in both areas.

Ennistymon has suffered worst than any other town in Clare in terms of unemployment levels between 2006 and 2011. The town was given an ‘orange’ ranking to signify that it has been badly effected by the recession.

Shannon, Ennis and Kilrush all received ‘red’ status in the report to signify that the were very badly hit by the recession. Shannon recording the worst comparative level of emigration while Kilrush was the worst effected overall.

SHANNON Chamber of Commerce is “quietly confident” that a number of recent high profile jobs announcement in the Shannon Industrial Zone will lead to an improvement in the retail business in the town.

Shannon town was one of three Clare towns given a ‘red’ designation in a study undertaken by Teagasc into the effects that the recession has had on towns in Ireland between 2006 and 2011.

Shannon was ranked as the town in Clare worst hit by immigration during the recession, and the fifth worst town in terms of increases to the Live Register.

According to Helen Downes, CEO of the Shannon Chamber of Commerce, the Shannon Industrial Zone has seen some positive news in recent times and it is only a matter of time before it filters down and improves the employment situation in Shannon town and helps prevent immigration.

“We have a lot of really positive new in Shannon over the past couple of week and we are very hopeful about what is to come. We have seen a very positive announcement from Pepper in recent weeks. While I wouldn’t like to predict what will happen, there have been positives reports about Element Six in Shannon and Zimmer continues to be a key employer,” she said.

“I think the spin off for the retail section in Shannon will become apparent down the line. We have to be patient and see that the increased in employment in the industrial centres will lead to an increased football for businesses in Shannon. We are quietly confident that we will see an improvement in the months ahead,” she added.

THE three years stalemate on one of the county’s most dangerous road junctions is set to end with the development of Blakes Corner in Ennistymon set to be “kick-started” in the coming weeks, it was confirmed at yesterday’s meeting of Clare County Council.

The local authority confirmed yesterday that consultants have been appointed to undertake the long awaited Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Blakes Corner in Ennistymon and work is set to get underway soon. A total of € 120,000 has also been made available by the National Roads Authority (NRA) to fund the survey, which is expected to begin in a matter of weeks.

The building at Linnane’s and Blake’s are at the centre of a longrunning dispute involving Clare County Council, the NRA and local conservation group Saver Ennistymon’s Heritage.

Plans to demolish the buildings and rebuild their facade a few metres back from their current location, in the process making way for a new road layout, are being opposed by Save Ennistymon’s Heritage.

Progress on the proposed new road junction has been stalled since 2011, with Clare County Council deciding not to progress to the planning stage until funding for an EIS has been made available.

“The fact that an allocation [from the NRA] has been made available to kick start the planning and design process to deal with the ongoing traffic problems in the vicinity of Blake’s Corner is welcome and is a very important step towards achieving the desired objective,” said a council spokesperson.

Clare County Council and the NRA propose building a roundabout at Blake’s Corner to prevent ongoing traffic difficulties in the area and to make the roadway safe. Save Ennistymon’s Heritage would like the local authority to examine other possibilities – such as bypassing Ennistymon.

In recent weeks Clare County Council have commenced repair works on the two listed building – the first works to be carried out on the buildings since they were acquired by the local authority.

This works includes include roof repairs and external painting, with an amount of damaged being done to the building during the recent storms.

A number of windows in both buildings were broken during recent storms and it is understood that a number of skylights in Linnane’s have also been broken, allowing rainwater to flow into the interior of the building.

FOUR people involved in what a Judge described as an “unseemly” pub row in Corofin have been bound to the peace.

Sisters Fiona Concannon (38) and Rebecca Concannon (35) were allegedly involved in an altercation with their uncle, Valentine Bane and his partner Sharon McGrath (41) in Crowley’s Bar, Main Street, Corofin on September 16, 2012.

After hearing evidence in the case, Judge Patrick Durcan said the “most unseemly”, “most appalling” and “most gross” behaviour had occurred in Crowley’s on the night.

Ms McGrath, with an address at Newtown Corofin, denied a charge of assault to Rebecca Concannon.

Fiona Concannon, with addresses at Newtown Corofin and Poulanine, Carron denied assaulting Mr Bane and Ms McGrath.

Judge Durcan dismissed the charge of assault on Mr Bane after saying no evidence had been offered in the prosecution.

Rebecca Concannon, with an address at Radharc an tSeidean, Corofin, denied assaulting Ms McGrath. Mr Bane, who also lives at Newtown Corofin, was not charged with any offence but was bound over to the peace after Judge Durcan said he had played a role in events at Crowley’s.

Sharon McGrath gave evidence that she and Mr Bane were in three pubs prior to going to Crowley’s. She said she was approached by Fiona Concannon. Ms McGrath said Ms Concannon said, “Will you get that boyfriend of yours to stop sticking his tongue out at my 60 year old mother”. The court heard Mr Bane is a brother of Ms Concannon’s mother.

Mr Bane denied making the gestures. He said the row “took off” by the door of the pub after he was “niggled” by another man and got an elbow in the back.

Rebecca Concannon told the court there was a “bit of gregging” in the pub and that Mr Bane shouted “C’mon Shrek” to another man in their company.

At this point in proceedings, Judge Durcan asked Inspector Tom Kennedy who Shrek was and if he could spell it. Insp Kennedy said Shrek was a cartoon character.

Judge Durcan also asked Insp Kennedy, “What’s gregging? Another example of Corofinese?”

Insp Kennedy said that he had never heard the phrase before and that it must only be used in Corofin.

Judge Durcan told solicitors for the parties that in his view these were extremely serious alleged assaults and carried serious penalties on conviction.

He said he was adjourning the case for 25 minutes. He said if parties decided not to go into evidence, he would impose a binding over order.

When the case resumed, solicitor for Ms McGrath, Daragh Hassett said his client was willing to be bound to the peace. Solicitor for the Concannons, Patrick Moylan told Judge Durcan his clients were not.

The case continued and heard from independent witness, publican Colm Carey. He said an incident developed between the Concannons and two people.

Mr Carey said he managed to halt the altercation by managing to get the other two people out the door.

Mr Carey said Fiona Concannon was not present in the pub when the incident developed.

Delivering his verdict, Judge Durcan said, “Nobody comes out of this prosecution smelling of roses other than the publican.”

Judge Durcan said two different versions had been given of events in Crowley’s. He said he had no alternative but to dismiss all outstanding charges against the Concannons and Ms McGrath.

He made an order binding Ms McGrath, Mr Bane and the Concannon sisters to the peace for a period of two years.

The parties were given 14 days to enter into the bond. Recognizance’s were fixed in each case in the event of any appeals.

PAYMENT of close to € 1 million will be made to farmers involved in conservation farming in the Burren this week, but these payments could be just the tip of the iceberg.

The 157 farmers involved in the Burren Farming for Conservation Project (BFCP) will share € 986,000 in funding from the Department of Agriculture. The funding is in payments for monitored works carried out on their farms over the last 12 months, which have resulted in environmental benefits for the region.

Head of the Carron BFCP, Brendan Dunford, said yesterday that his group are pushing strongly for a ma- jor expansion of the programme for 2015, which would see level of farmers involved in the programme quadruple and the funding just around € 4 million per year.

“We’re hopeful that we can secure funding for an expansion of the BFCP across the Burren under the new Rural Development Programme 2015 to 2020,” he said yesterday.

“Our target is for a four-fold expansion which would enable any Burren farmer who wants to farm for conservation access to gain access to the required support. This would be an enormous investment in the local economy, community and heritage of this wonderful place.”

The programme, which is one of the first of its kind in Europe, pays farm- ers to manage their land in a way that promotes biodiversity and sustainability. One of the major successes of the programme to date is the better management of the encroachment of scrub, which had been taking over in many areas of limestone pavement in the Burren in recent decades.

The project works through a meticulous list of on-farm criteria, with each section of land on a farm being assessed for its environmental benefits and farmers receiving payments based on the status of the land and the works carried out.

The Minister for Agriculture, Simon Coveney (FG), yesterday confirmed € 1 million of funding for the project in 2014 but did not comment on the prospect of rolling it out across the entire Burren area.

Over the past four years, farmers in the Burren have received more then € 3.8 million through the project. Over the same period more than 67,000 metres of stone walls have been repaired while 180 hectares of invasive scrub has been removed – mainly by hand – from rare, species-rich grasslands and ancient monuments.

Almost 100 km of paths have been reopened enabling livestock access to under-grazed grasslands which can then be restored. Hundreds of water supplies have been protected by installing new tanks, troughs and pumps, resulting in improved water quality in this very sensitive karst landscape.