Category: News

THE Mayor of Clare has challenged young people in Ennis to have the “courage” to say no to drugs

Cllr Joe Arkins (FG) was speaking to a group of teenagers at the launch of a Drugs Awareness Art Project in the headquarters of Clare County Council earlier this month.

Students attending the Ennis Community Development Project Traveller Education Peer Support Project designed a calendar aimed at highlighting greater awareness of the dangers of drug abuse.

Praising the effort and dedication of the students who all come from a Traveller background in Ennis, Cllr Arkins said it was important they now stand by the work they have done over the past 12 months.

He explained, “People take drugs because they believe they will change their lives. They can be certain about that, it will change their lives but it will change it for the worse. People take drugs because they think it’s going to solve a problem. It doesn’t solve a problem. It creates a problem.

“I salute the wonderful work you have done. But it is important you have the courage to stand by the work you have done and to be peers amongst your own. So when some youngster in school tell you he can get a bit of weed, or he can get this that or the other drug and it will do you no harm…you have to have the courage to stand up and you have to have the courage to say not it isn’t, no it doesn’t, no it won’t.”

Cllr Arkins also praised the work of Ennis CDP and the Mid Western Regional Drugs Taskforce who supported the campaign.

He added, “The most important thing I’ll tell ye lads is have the courage to stand by the work ye have done here. Ye have done absolutely wonderful work but have the courage to bring it forward for the year into the rest of yer lives and into the lives of the people ye come across. Have the courage to stand up and say anyone who takes drugs is a fool.”

A GROUP of traveler students from Ennis can become “role models” for their community and help break down barriers to education.

That’s according to one Ennis man who plays a key role in helping young people from Traveller backgrounds achieve success through education.

Peer support worker David McCarthy worked alongside the group who recently devised a Drugs Awareness Art Project, a campaign supporter by Ennis CDP, the Mid Western Regional Drugs Taskforce, Clare County Council, St Vincent de Paul and the Courts Services.

Mr McCarthy, who works on a weekly basis with 12 secondary school students in Ennis, says an absence of role models is one of the main factors why many young people from a Traveller background fail to complete education.

“Role models is a big one and a lot of them feel that it doesn’t matter if they stay on in school, they won’t get jobs. That’s what we’re trying to challenge. That’s our big challenge at the moment,” he explained.

However he believes certain preconceptions about Travellers are being challenged

He explained, “There still is a taboo around Travellers getting married young and having families and settling down (and not continuing in education). That’s been challenged in Clare over the past few years. In the past five years, we’ve had Paddy McDonagh who has finished his degree course and is teaching in Scariff at the moment. We have a Pa Sherlock who did a Sports and Recreation course in the University of Limerick. Lee Sherlock is studying in UL as well. I’m in college doing youth and community work.”

He continued, “Traveller students are still not finishing school in any way close to their settled peers but we’ve seen an increase in school retention to at least the Junior Cert year. Currently in our group, we have four lads going into fourth year. You can never tell if they are going to stick with it but I believe the lads will push through.”

15-year-old Brian McDonagh is a student at St Flannan’s College in Ennis. He is also a member of the peer support group that devised the drugs awareness campaign.

He said, “It was very enjoyable. Doing this project, it makes more kids aware of what drugs can do to you. This group gives kids a positive message rather than a negative message in life, to go down the right path and not do drugs. It’s really good.”

Brian, a member of Ennis Boxing Club, says he hopes to study sport at third level.

A PROPOSED € 1.75 million facelift of the Ennis market has been given planning approval by members of Ennis Town Council.

The council now intends to “undertake a detailed engagement with users” of the market in Garraunakilla.

The council is proposing to develop a semi-enclosed structure on the existing car park for the purposes of a market and car-parking facilities.

The proposed 608-sqm structure would consist of two adjacent pavil- ions with a Plexiglas roof covering the central corridor.

The redevelopment would also include the upgrading or surrounding streets, lighting, drainage, street furniture and trees.

The plans also include provision for a shared surface area on Market Place from its junction with Barrack Street to its junction with the lower Drumbiggle Road.

According to a planning report presented to members of Ennis Town Council, the proposal “would narrow the existing roadway along Market Place resulting in clearer definition for all road users and provide natural traffic calming and increased pedestrian safety.”

Ennis Town Manager Gerard Dollard told the council’s February meeting a detailed consultation process would first take place.

He said most of the estimated € 1.5 million cost of the proposed redevelopment would be spent on improving facilities in the market.

The structure is expected to cost

€ 500,000. Mr Dollard said, “Our sole objective is to enhance the market. We want to strengthen the market.”

Urging councillors to adopt Mr Dollard’s recommendations, Cllr Brian Meaney (FF) said;

“This is a small step in a very long process but we need to grasp this opportunity with both hands.”

The council received submission from a number of groups and individuals including the Farmer’s Market, Rita McInerney, CEO Ennis Chamber of Commerce, and local businessmen Leo and Gearoid Mannion.

There was a broad welcome for the proposal however some concern has been expressed about the design of the proposed structure and how it would impact on the residential amenity of the area.

Archeological investigation of the site will have to be carried out prior to any development, as recommended by the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and the Clare County Conservation Officer.

It is thought archaeological work could begin within the next fortnight.

Councillors approved the Manager’s Report on Garraunakilla and also a formal application for approval for a loan of € 1.75 million.

THE awards continue to roll in for the Cliffs of Moher Visitors Experience, with the North Clare tourism location involved in the business end of three separate awards over the past week.

This glut of awards and recognition comes in the wake of the best year for tourism number on record at the Cliffs of Moher – with almost 950,000 people visiting the world famous tourism site last year.

Management are hopeful of breaking the one million visitor mark this year – and maybe reclaiming the title of Ireland’s most visited tourism site for the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin.

The website of the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience has just been shortlisted for the Samsung Digital Media Awards in the ‘Best in Travel and Tourism’ category, with the results due to be released later this month. This comes just weeks after the website was shortlisted for the prestigious Eircom Golden Spider Awards, finishing runner-up.

“The website is designed to have a high visual appeal with full screen background images and exciting video and 360 degree image content bringing the site alive. It can be viewed on mobile devices including smartphone and iPad,” said Geraldine Enright of the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience.

“Visitors planning their trip have use of an interactive map with suggested walking routes and can even book their tickets online at a dis counted price. The website is fully integrated with social media including Facebook and Twitter, YouTube, TripAdvisor, Pinterest and Stumble- upon. The story of the Cliffs of Moher is told along a timeline reaching back into the distant past.”

Meanwhile, the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience last week was presented with a Silver Merit Award at the 2014 CIE Awards for Visitor Attractions. The awards are chosen from an independent evaluation of feedback surveys completed by over 17,000 CIE Tours International customers.

DOZENS of Clare people who were the victims of industrial abuse have contacted new state abuse agency Cara Nua during its first three weeks in operation.

Close to 100 people from the county are understood to have contacted the new agency – which has been set up to help connect victims of abuse with a selections of practical services.

The new agency cannot take on any candidates who have not been previously before the Residential Institutions Board or had a successful case before the courts. With the board now closed to new applications, some Clare people who have suffered abuse in an industrial setting may be excluded from the scheme.

Abuse victims can still choose to take a case through the courts, but only if their level of abuse they endured was severe enough to be considered and indictable offense. The statute of limitations for less serious offenses – such as assault (six years), personal injury (two years) and summary offenses (six month) – will have elapsed.

The group currently has a budget of € 74 million funded by the religious institutions but that could swell to € 100 million in the months ahead.

“We can only provide services to people who have actually received an award – either through the Resi- dential Institutions Board or through the courts. We are limited to those people and we can’t deal with people who have spent time in a residential institute but did not take a case or go through the courts,” Fiona Coyne of Cara Nua.

“That said we know of around 400 people who are currently going through redress and we will be able to help them once there cases have been completed. Unfortunately the redress board is closed to applications – they are currently hearing their last 400 cases.”

The scheme is mainly aimed at meeting the needs of the victims of industrial abuse as they enter old age.

“Our focus is on their quality of life now and promoting well being. We’re looking at the issues that they are faced with now, not their time in an institution. These people have already told their story [to the redress board] they don’t need to go into that side of things with us. We are just there to help,” continued Ms Coyne.

“We don’t provide services directly ourselves but if people do need counselling or any kind of physiological support we can put them in touch with people.

“We have a budget of € 74 million and out anticipation is that this money won’t last indefinitely, so we feel we many be able to fund this service for the next three years.”

Contact Cara Nua at 1800 212477.

IT APPEARS that Christianity and paganism coexisted in the Burren for hundreds of years – far longer than than had been previously thought.

Radiocarbondating of three bodies discovered at the Caherconnell Stone Fort in Carron has revealed that the woman and two infant children died somewhere between 535 AD and 649 AD.

The human remains, which were discovered underneath the fort last summer, have given archeologist a new perspective on the relationship between pagan and Christian peoples in the area.

The burial cist was discovered underneath the remains of a stone fort built in the area in the 10th or 11th century. The placing of the cists indicates that the fort was built on top of the ancient burial site, with part of the site actually visible inside the fort.

The current theory is that the people who built the fort were drawing on their connection to this pagan people buried their 500 years earlier to help legitimize their own rule in the area.

It has previously been determined that the fort belonged to a high status local, Christian clan.

“The fort was built on top of the burial site and it must have been done on purpose. By all accounts Christianity should have been fully in at this time, but it seems that the high status people who lived here were happy to keep one foot in each world,” said John Davoran of the Caherconnell Stone Fort.

Testing on the remain has shown that they belonged to a woman who was at least 45 years old, a baby aged between one and two and a very young baby, possibly a newborn or still born child.

The bodies were discovered during annual excavation led by Michelle Comber of NUI, Galway, last summer. There will be further excavation on the site this summer.

“I’d say we will be digging here for another 1,000 years. We have plenty left to discover,” continued Mr Davoran.

“We will be focusing on the fort again this year.

“We’d like to locate the original house of the people who built the fort. We feel that this could unlock a few more of the secrets of the fort.

“But we will be moving from the fort in the years to come.

“There is a large amount of interesting sites in the area and we are very keen to see what they contain.”

AN ATTENDANCE is excess of 10,000 is expected in Cusack Park this Sunday as Clare’s senior hurlers kick off their 2014 Division 1A National Hurling League campaign against Brian Cody’s Kilkenny.

The ground is expected to be able to host the fixture despite the inclement weather forecast for the week, with up to 12mms of rain possible on Friday. Clare come into the game on the back of a fourteen point loss to Tipperary in the Waterford Crystal Final under lights in the Gaelic Gounds on Friday night.

That game highlighted the gap between the All-Ireland champions and the other top hurling counties in terms of preparations according to Banner boss Davy Fitzgerald:

“We are way behind all the other teams in terms of work done. This time last year, going into the league we were eight weeks ahead of where we are this year.

“That’s the price of winning an AllIreland and we’re happy to pay it. It just means we might struggle in the early rounds of the league because we have an awful lot of work to do on catching up with the other teams. But we’ll knuckle down and we’ll get it done,” he told The Clare People this week.

Clare’s team won’t be finalised until closer to the weekend although it is expected to contain a couple of changes from the fifteen that started the All-Ireland final.

Cathal ‘Tots’ O’Connell and Seadna Morey are just two players expected to be pushing for starting places, while Peter Duggan, Shane Golden and Donal Tuohy are also in the reckoning.

Brian Cody is bringing a strong panel to Ennis, with Henry Shefflin expected to start the match. The Cats will be providing a guard of honour for Clare before the game starts.

CLARE farming is on the verge of a civil war, with farmers from the north and west of the county examining the possibility of picketing Clare Marts in Ennis later this week.

A group from the Ennistymon branch of the IFA met last night (Monday, February 10), to discuss a possible picket and boycott of the Ennis Mart. This follows plans announced to sell Ennistymon Mart to supermarket chain Aldi, which prompted more than 450 people to attend a protest meeting in Ennistymon last week.

Ennistymon IFA say they feel “incredibly let down” by members of the board of the Clare Marts, which includes many prominent IFA members. It is not yet clear if a sale has been agreed between Clare Marts and Aldi, with neither organisation willing to comment on the subject.

“We are being totally ignored and left in the dark, and that is adding to the frustration that we are feeling. There are a number of IFA members on the board of Clare Marts – a number of prominent members. We feel that they are selling out farmers in North Clare,” said Pat O’Donoghue from Ennistymon IFA.

“This company [Aldi] were selling sprouts for 9 cent just a month ago. How can something like that be proIrish farming? We feel incredibly let down on what they [the board of Clare Marts] are doing.

“The word had gone out before the meeting that the mart had already been sold and we thought that that might put people off from attending. But in the end we had more than 450 people there from right across the local community.

“We are looking for a meeting with them but we get no answer. We are having a gathering ourselves tonight [Monday, February 10] and the top of the agenda the possibility of picketing the mart.”

Speaking to The Clare People yesterday, Jackie Fitzpatrick of Super- valu in Ennistymon said that, while she recognised the need for competition, jobs would be lost locally if Aldi moves into Ennistymon.

Fitzpatricks currently employ 70 local people, paying out € 1.4 million in wages annually, last year, and spend more than € 400,000 with local suppliers.

“Obliviously I accept the need for competition but if a retail outlet like Aldi were to open a store in Ennistymon there would be consequences for local business. I would anticipate job losses both in my business and in other local business. ” The Clare People contacted Clare Marts yesterday who said they had nothing to say on the proposed sale.

A NIGERIAN born information technology consultant has confirmed his intention to run as a candidate in the 2104 local elections.

George Atijohn (47) intends to seek election in Ennis. The married father of two has lived with his family in the county capital for over 14 years. He has worked as a management and IT consultant. He currently volunteers as computer instructor in Ennis for the Clare/Limerick Education Training Board (ETB).

This is Mr Atijohn’s first time entering the political arena.

He says he wants to help achieve the “unprecedented transformation of County Clare through viable and sustainable economic structures”.

“Economic regeneration at the local level will ultimately improve the economy of the country,” he explained.

He wants to see Shannon Airport as a catalyst for job creation.

Mr Atijohn explained, “There is a new law in aviation (fifth freedom rights) which enables an airline to fly from its home country to a second country for example like Shannon in Ireland, picks up passengers there and fly to a third country for example New York in the USA. Most flights originating from West Africa pass through the European airspace enroute to the USA. Deals can be made with these airlines to make a stopover in Shannon for their passengers to undergo pre-clearance”.

Mr Atijohn said he wants to see greater focus on drugs awareness programmes in Ennis.

He also believes greater encouragement of multiculturalism can boost the local economy in Clare.

“Harnessing human capital resources of the other ethnic nationalities can improve the economic wellbeing of the town/county,” he added.

Mr Atijohn says he supports affordable housing initiatives through the Public Private Partnership approach. He hopes all candidates will be afforded the opportunity to discuss issues at a public debate.

A MAN accused of robbery in Ennis earlier this month as admitted breaching his bail conditions.

Mao Kimbadi (40), with an address at Laurel Lodge, Clare Road, Ennis, was granted bail subject to conditions at Ennis District Court earlier this month.

The accused, who is originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, was ordered to reside at Laurel Lodge, observe a curfew between 10pm and 7am and sign on twice weekly at Ennis Garda Station. The State was granted liberty to re-enter the cases should any breaches arise.

Mr Kimbadi is charged with robbing a handbag and cash from a woman in the Causeway Link Road area of Ennis at around 11.30pm on January 18. He is further charged with possession of a knife at Clon Road, Ennis on January 19.

He appeared before Ennis District Court on Wednesday. Inspector Tom Kennedy said the State were seeking to have the accused’s bail revoked as conditions had not been abided by.

Detective Garda John Casey of Ennis Garda Station told Insp Kennedy he visited Laurel Lodge on January 26 and 27 within the hours of the accused’s curfew.

He said Mr Kimbadi was not present at the address, which provides temporary accommodation to homeless men. Detective Casey said after further enquiries, he was told Mr Kimbadi had not stayed at Laurel Lodge between January 22 and 31.

Detective Casey said the accused had abided by the signing on conditions.Defence solicitor John Casey said his client no longer resided at Laurel Lodge but lived with his sister in Dublin. He said his client was in Dublin when Detective Casey called to Laurel Lodge.

Mr Casey said it had been explained to Mr Kimbadi that he would have to apply to the court to have his bail conditions varied. He said Mr Kimbadi accepts he breached his bail conditions. Judge William Early ordered Mr Kimbadi to abide by bail conditions. He was remanded on continuing bail to appear again at Ennis District Court on March 26.

Mr Kimbadi’s co-accused Clara Chapman (19) is also alleged to have breached the terms of her bail.

Ms Chapman, with an address at Banner Lodge, Ennis, was not present in court when her case was heard on Wednesday. On Wednesday, Detective Casey said he visited Banner Lodge on January 26, 10pm. He said Ms Chapman was not present and he was told by the owner she had not resided there since January 18.

Defence solicitor Tara Godfrey said her client, an unemployed mother of one, had a number of appointments and may not have been unable to attend court. He remanded Ms Chapman on continuing bail to appear again at Ennis District Court on February 12.