Category: News

A CLARE woman who endured a four-year sentence in a € 300,000 ‘debt prison’ has secured a 70-day protection period from her creditors.

The woman, who lives in Shannon, has a mortgage of € 329,000 with a financial institution, the Personal Insolvency Court in Ennis heard on Friday.

The Circuit Court heard the 30year-old secretary took out the mortgage on an investment property with her then boyfriend.

The relationship has since ended and it is thought the man has left the jurisdiction.

The court heard the woman has monthly repayments of € 1,600 and a credit card debt of € 3,600.

She is now living in rented accommodation. Judge Patrick Meaghan was told the investment property cost € 345,000 in 2007 but is now worth € 170,000.

The court heard the property is in poor condition with repair costs estimated at between € 20,000 and € 25,000. Judge Meaghan said he was satisfied to grant the protection certificate, meaning the woman now has 70 days to strike a deal with creditors.

The woman was not in court for the brief hearing, but was represented by Ennis based Personal Insolvency Practitioner (PIP) John Hogan.

Mr Hogan said the court’s decision would come as a relief to his client.

He said, “For 70 days she doesn’t have to worry about court appearances or things like that and just the level of hope that an arrangement can be reached”

Speaking to reporters after the hearing, Mr Hogan said the emotional toll of struggling with debt had been “huge” on his client.

“She has put down four years of virtual trauma from her point of view. She obviously suffered the effect of the break-up of a relationship and then as a consequence of that, to be left holding the proverbial baby with regards the mortgage”.

He said the volountary surrender of the property would have been ideal for the woman but she would have been left with the balance of the mortgage – € 200,000

Mr Hogan added, “It really is a life sentence. Most traumas that people suffer heal in time, but when it comes to finance, you’re getting that letter every week, that phone call.

“There are statements coming in. It never leaves. It’s like a continuous sense of trauma.”

“She really has and people like her have suffered virtually a three year prison sentence”.

Mr Hogan said people he believes the personal insolvency process offers hope to debtors and banks.

“The real hope for people is that they are not expected just to exist. They are expected to be able to live and be socially included.

“What’s actaully happening is that people are trying to pay as much as they conceivably can to satisfy their creditors at the expense of food, light and heat..

“This process actually turns the tables a little bit”

THE Irish Red Cross said it is available to help the people of Clare affected by flooding and storms.

More than a month after the first two storms that destroyed homes, infrastructure and livelihoods on the west coast of Clare and along the Shannon River and estuary, and weeks following the third storm, those affected are still referring to the fallout as an emergency.

In Doonbeg a special group has been set up to lobby for “emergency works” along the coast, while families in Cloughaninchy in Quilty battle with insurance companies as they struggle to repair their homes.

In areas like Loop Head, main roads remain impassable and farmers through out the county struggle to reclaim land in time for spring.

Acknowledging the issues facing people in the county the Red Cross said it is there to help.

James Lafferty, Irish Red Cross Clare Area Treasurer, said anyone in Clare’s affected areas that wish to apply for assistance from the Irish Red Cross should contact Fintan Breen, National Services, to be put in contact with their local Community Welfare Office. His e-mail is f breen@redcross.ie. Meanwhile the Red Cross is under financial pressure to provide such services.

“The Irish Red Cross, Clare Area, wish to make an appeal for funds and over the next few weeks we hope to raise much needed funds through church gate collections all over Clare,” said Mr Lafferty.

THE National Roads Authority (NRA) say that it has introduced a new system of ongoing maintenance on the M18, since the tragic death of 26-year-old student Vicky Courtney on a stretch the of road near Ballyline.

Ms Courtney died when her car veered off the motorway while driving in poor weather on November 18, 2012.

Following her inquest, which took place last September, Clare coroner Isobel O’Dea wrote to the NRA requesting that “a pool of water should not be allowed” to develop on the motorway.

According to an NRA spokesper- son, the organisation only assumed responsibility for maintenance on the M18 last September.

“The National Roads Authority fully agrees with the objective of the coroner’s statement in this regard,” said a spokesperson.

“Since this time, routine maintenance works have been undertaken including road sweeping and cleaning of gullies, slot drains and outfalls in addition to other general maintenance activities which assist with rapid drainage of water from the road surface.

“The NRA monitors and assesses the network under its direct control with a view to carrying out any maintenance or remedial works which might be required to improve road drainage and maintain the de- sign capacity of the drainage system. However, the possibility of the occurrence of surface water due to extreme weather events or other causes cannot be fully eliminated.

“In relation to the specific location on the north-bound carriageway of the M18 at Ballyline, the NRA is ensuring that our service provider is following their maintenance works. The installation of replacement pipework may be undertaken if the ongoing monitoring referred to indicates that this is warranted.

Ms Courtney’s inquest heard that she died when her red Peugeot spun 360 degrees after driving through a 15-metre pool of water lying across the fast lane. The car crashed into a barrier before overturning on the road.

WEST Clare Coastal Windpower has lodged plans for a windfarm to be constructed outside of Doonbeg, months after An Bord Pleanála rejected their previous proposal to build a controversial windfarm in the same area.

Plans were lodged with Clare County Council last week for the construction of nine electricity generating wind turbines at Carrowmore South, Einagh and Shragh – two kilometres south of Doonbeg village.

These wind turbines would have a central stack 85 metres high, with a rotor diameter of 82 metres.

This would give a total height of 126 metres or 413 feet – or well over half the height of the Cliffs of Moher.

Besides the turbines themselves, the new planning permission also includes the construction of hardstandings, a control building, an electrical compound, a permanent meteorological mast as well as associated site roads.

Last July, An Bord Pleanála refused planning permission for what was described as an “industrial scale” € 200 million wind farm in the same location as the current proposal.

This proposal included 45-turbine each of which were in excess of 400 feet.

The proposal caused a rift in the local community with 79 landowners in the area missing out on a significant cash payment to lease their land for the windfarm.

One of the grounds for refusal was the pollution threat the windfarm posed to Doonbeg river that contains 5,000 freshwater pearl mussels – the highest concentration of the species in Clare.

The original decision followed a six-day oral hearing into the wind farm in April of last year, at which the country’s foremost authority on the mussel, Dr Evelyn Moorkens, said that if nothing was done to secure the future of the mussel, the species would become extinct there over time.

A decision on the proposal is not due for some months.

THE cost of the unprecedented run of storms which battered the Clare coast over the past five weeks has grown to a massive € 36.8 million according to new estimates published yesterday by Clare County Council.

This means that more than € 12 million worth of damage was inflicted on the county over the past two weeks – with the giant sea swell and high winds of the St Brigid’s Day storm causing the lion’s share of this new damage.

This, coupled with the € 24 million worth of damage cause during the storm in early January, has left Clare County County with the possibility of a large hole in its budget should central government fail to make sufficient money available.

It was also revealed at last night’s meeting of Clare County Council that the local authority has already spent € 750,000 of its own money on repairs and clean-up operations to date.

County Manager Tom Coughlan admitted yesterday that the local authority has no budget for this € 750,000, admitting that the council was spending money that it did not have.

The council’s Corporate Policy Group (CPG) met before yesterday’s main council meeting and compiled a letter for the Government which stated that the council couldn’t, in good conscience, continue to spend money on repairs without central government giving firm details of the funding that will be made available. The most expensive storm damage was recorded in Lahinch where the council estimates that € 6.064 million will be required to fix damage done to the promenade and surround areas. The cost of repairs at Cloughaninchy in Quilty is now estimated at € 4.716, with the bulk of this going towards the re-construction of more than two kilometres of sea armour. There was also significant damage at Kilbaha in West Clare (€ 3.498 million) and New Quay in north Clare (€ 3.449 million) where roads and sea walls have been destroyed. Other badly damaged areas include Carrowmore (€ 1.628 million), White Strand/Doonmore (€ 1.550 million), Clahane in Liscannor (€ 1.487 million), Kilcredaun Irish College (€ 1.226 million), Carrowdotia, Moneypoint (€ 1.115 million), Doolin (€ 1.025 million) and Liscannor itself (€ 1.011 million). Serious questions have also been raised as to what agency or agencies are responsible for coastal defenses. There are 14 different agencies which have some interest in coastal and river flood defenses. “Until there is some clarity as to who is responsible for these areas this is going to be a very difficult project. We are all talking about providing leadership, but we cannot lead unless we know where we are going,” said county manager Tom Coughlan. “There are a lot of agencies involved, but there is no clarity who is responsible. We need a co-ordinated approach and that has to be led by Government. This is something that is outside the scope of Clare County Council.”

JUST over € 91,000 was paid out to eight of the nine members of Ennis Town Council last year.

The payments were made up of expenses, wages, and the cost of attending conferences and seminars, with the two councillors who served as mayor for six months each during the year accruing the largest payments.

Current mayor Cllr Mary Coote Ryan (FG) and former mayor Cllr Peter Considine (FF) received € 17,166 each.

The sum included the councillors’ taxable salary of € 8,362 as well as mayoral allowance of € 5,750. Cllr Considine’s expenses also included a trip to Charleston, USA, while mayor.

All town councillors are entitled to the taxable salary, with the exception of those who also serve on Clare County Council – Cllr Tommy Brennan (Ind), Cllr Johnny Flynn (FG) and Cllr Brain Meaney (FF).

The deputy mayors also receive a deputy mayoral allowance of € 2,625 for the six months of the year they serve. In 2013 that payment went to Cllr Brennan and Cllr Frankie Neylon (Ind).

Members of Ennis Town Council are also entitled to claim for 50 per cent of vouched mobile phone costs, as well as the cost of a mobile phone and other “IT equipment” and office costs such as printing.

Cllr Flynn was the only councillor not to receive any payment from Ennis Town Council as he did not claim any expenses. He also refused to claim expenses as a member of Clare County Council, receiving only his Clare County Council salary.

When it came to attending town council meetings, including specialised committee meetings, Cllr Mary Howard (FG) was top of the class, having been to 23 meetings.

Two thirds of the councillors however had a full attendance rate for the monthly town council meetings with everyone in attendance at the budget meeting.

THE first step towards what could the formation of the first ever Women’s Shed initiative in Ireland will be taken in Ennis on Thursday.

A meeting will take place at the offices of Clare Women’s Network at the Clonroad business park on February 13, 12 noon.

The proposal to develop a Women’s Shed in Ennis was put forward by local women Paula McNamara and Mary Howard.

It is similar to the Men’s Shed initiative – an international movement that provides opportunities for male volunteers to participate in voluntary community projects e.g planting housing estate green areas with native trees, shrubs and flowers. The ethos of the Men’s Shed is that men talk better shoulder-to-shoulder rather than face-to-face, this activity has many benefits – companionship, nonalcohol social outlet, mental health benefits, and skill development and enhancement.

The Ennis Men’s Shed is based at Centrepoint, Orchard Lane, Ennis. Paula McNamara says the success of the Men’s Shed was the inspiration for the Women’s Shed.

She explained, “We would be swapping skills teaching each other woodwork, crafts, computer, but mainly it’s an excuse to get out of the house, meet other women, and make friends. In this day and age it’s very easy to feel isolated when you become a mum, finish school, if you’re out of work, if your friends have emigrated or if you’ve retired it’s very easy to feel cut off, so the hope is that women of all ages all backgrounds would come together and work projects to help the community and hopefully have fun and make friend in the process”.

She added, “The women’s shed would be using the same facilities as the Ennis Men’s Shed at different days and times. The aim is to promote social interaction and aim to increase the quality of life and help out in the community. Our first meeting is next week and we should be ready to launch the Women’s Shed mid-March and we will be one of the world’s first Women’s Sheds running alongside a men’s shed. The women’s shed would be run on the same principles as the Men’s Sheds as non-profit organisations, to advise and improve the overall well being of all women”.

It is thought this would be the first Women’s Shed in Ireland. Mary Howard, a Fine Gael member of Ennis Town Council, said, “I am delighted to be asked to come on board as an advocate and facilitator with both the Ennis Men’s Shed and the upcoming Ennis Women’s Shed Project. There is a huge need for both of these facilities. The men who have set up the Ennis Men’s Shed are absolute gentlemen who have the most infectious enthusiasm and the biggest hearts. I am thrilled to be on board.”

“WILL the Euro survive?” was one of numerous conferences, foreign trips and “fact finding missions” attended by members of Ennis Town Council during 2013 that cost the tax payer a total of € 18,000 last year.

As many as six councillors – two thirds of the council – went to Langfeld in Germany as part of a town twinning investigation trip in May at a cost of more than € 5,000 to the council coffers.

Three councillors returned in October for the twinning ceremony Mayor Cllr Mary Coote-Ryan (FG), Cllr Mary Howard (FG) and Cllr Tommy Brennan (Ind) at a further cost of € 2,275.

Cllr Michael Guilfoyle (Ind) returned to the German town alone in September as part of a sporting and culture trip. The “sporting councillor” also attended the FAI Stakeholders Conference at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.

The three-day “Will the Euro survive?” conference in Letterkenny, County Donegal, was attended by town mayor Coote-Ryan at a total cost of € 727.58.

In the course of the year the councillor, who was mayor from July to December attended three conferences, two trips to Langfeld in Germany – one as part of a twinning investigation trip and one for a ceremony, and fact-finding trips to markets in County Limerick, Dublin and Mayo.

Three other councillors – Cllr Tommy Brennan (Ind), Cllr Guilfoyle (Ind) and Cllr Peter Considine (FF) – also went on the market fact finding mission.

Among the other foreign trips was the six-day St Patrick’s Day trip to New York, undertaken by Cllr Brian Meaney (FF) at a cost of € 2,242.38 and a trip to Charleston by the then mayor Cllr Considine for the dedication of an Irish memorial. This cost € 1,830. Cllr Considine also attended three other conferences around Ireland during the year.

A MAN who was part of a gang who terrorised an elderly man during a burglary at his home in West Clare has avoided a driving ban.

Noel Garry (20), with a former address at Tullycrine, Kilrush appeared at Ennis District Court on Friday where he pleaded guilty to four road traffic offences.

He admitted having on insurance, no NCT cert and no driver’s license when he was stopped by Garda Eoin O’Donoghue at the Tulla Road, Ennis on September 3, 2013.

Asked by Judge Patrick Durcan if there was anything unusual about the offence, Garda O’Donoghue said there wasn’t.

Mr Garry has one previous conviction under the road traffic act.

Defence solicitor Fiona Hehir said her client bought the car because he lived in a rural area at the time.

She told the court Mr Garry had just purchased the vehicle when he was stopped by the guards.

She said Mr Garry, who suffered from ADHD, fully cooperated with gardaí.

She urged the court not to disqualify her client from holding a driver’s license. She said Mr Garry was a young man who had never had the opportunity to drive.

Judge Durcan fined Mr Garry € 250 for having no driver’s license; € 100 for having not NCT and € 250 for having no insurance.

He said he was not disqualifying the accused from driving for work related reasons.

Mr Garry is currently in custody awaiting sentence for his role in a robbery at the home of a 68 year-old man in Cree on February 25, 2012.

He was one of four people who stole € 3000 from Michael McMahon whose home was targeted in a similar robbery just four days previ- ously.

Mr Garry pleaded guilty to robbery and evidence in the case was heard at Ennis Circuit Criminal Court in January.

The court heard that after the second robbery on February 25, a terrified Mr McMahon gathered his belongings and cycled 30 miles from his home to St Joseph’s nursing home in Ennis.

He had been threatened that his house would be burned down if he contacted gardaí, the court heard.

Mr Garry was one of three men who pleaded guilty. They are due to be sentenced on March 3.

KILKEE Town Council proved to be the most frugal and least expensive in the county in 2013, with its councillors claiming just under € 32,000 in salaries and expenses.

The total bill came in at 31,971.21, € 19,342 shy of Shannon.

It was also over € 40,000 less than Kilrush, which unlike Kilkee is a planning authority, and cost over € 59,000 less than Ennis.

As with all the other local authori- ties, the top earner was the mayor, with Cllr Paddy Collins (FG) who took the chair in June claiming € 4,840.19. Unlike other council’s the mayor in Kilkee does not get a second allowance.

All Kilkee town councillors are entitled to and claimed a taxable salary of € 2,266.88, with an annual allowance of € 1,018 for attending statutory meetings.

As many as five members of Kilkee Town Council did not claim travel expenses for conferences or seminars or any allowance for their mobile phone bills. They received the minimum € 3,284.88 salary and meeting allowance.

Three other councillors claimed mobile phone bill allowance, but did not attend conferences.

The current mayor, Cllr Collins, instead represented the council outside of the town in 2013.

Cllr Collins attended six separate meetings in conference at a total cost of € 1,255.31.

Kilkee Town Council, like Ennis, Kilrush and Shannon is to be abolished this year.