Category: News

THERE have been calls to remove beggars from the streets of Ennis after concern was raised that women are being “trafficked” into the town to beg.

Cllr Paul O’Shea (Ind) has requested the council “work with appropriate authorities such as social welfare inspectors to ascertain if those who continue to beg on the streets of Ennis are in receipt of social welfare payments”.

He called on the council to endeavour to make Ennis a begging free zone n 2014 so as to encourage tourism in the town.

At the council’s January meeting, town clerk Leonard Cleary said the issue of begging was recently discussed at the Ennis Joint Policing Committee on December 16.

He stated, “Ennis Town Council will work with the Gardaí and other agencies in relation to this matter. In addition the JPC discussed the importance of balancing support for local charities with national charity collections visiting Ennis. Again, the council will liaise with the relevant agencies.”

Cllr O’Shea told the meeting he had seen the same people begging on the streets of Clonmel and Ennis.

Cllr Johnny Flynn (FG) said women are “rotated” in and out of the Ennis area. He said some of the women are often forced into “other activities”. Cllr Flynn told the meeting there were reports locally that the women are dropped into Ennis by a man driving a Mercedes car.

“There is abuse of women and children in this,” he added. Cllr Mary Howard (FG) said gardaí believe women are being “trafficked” into Ireland for the purposes of begging. She also criticised the activities of some charity collectors or “chuggers”.

Cllr Howard said some of those collecting money around Dunnes Stores and the Post Office can be “intimidating and abusive”.

THOMAS Burke is fighting for his livelihood and facing the stark possibility that it may no longer sustain him following the storm and sea swells of early January.

The Kilrush farmer is one of just many dependent on the lands of West Clare for survival, now in serious trouble.

The suckler farmer is facing the real possibility of selling a portion of his herd as three quarters of a mile of his land along the coast at Shannakyle in now covered in gravel. More than 100 metres more has been washed into the sea.

Each day more and more land is eroded away as the sea walls he built to protect his land were also victim of the storm and high waves.

Mr Burke’s land is in the form of a mini peninsula that juts out into the sea, across from Scattery Island. As a result his 80-acre farm has been damaged on all sides.

During the height of the bad weather at least 30 acres, more than one third of his land was under water. This land will now have to be reclaimed from the damage of the seawater and all the debris that has been washed up.

He has also suffered thousands of euros of damage at three other points on his farm, including the loss of the sea wall he built.

“A half of mile of fencing was also destroyed and about 100 metres of land sucked out to the sea,” he told The Clare People . “The days that followed the storm caused more problems as the sea continued to erode the land that was no longer protected,” he said. “It will take three weeks with a digger to clean up,” he added explaining that the repair work will then begin. Even when the repair work is complete there will still be under-lying damage that will take years to rectify itself. “I am looking at the possibility of selling stock this year because the land won’t be recovered,” said the worried farmer. “There is no help coming as of now.”

LAST year was a record year for trgan transplants in Ireland, with at least six transplant recipients from Clare. One third of the Clare transplants were from living donors.

Four Clare people received kidney transplants last year while another was the recipient of a kidney and pancreas transplant.

There was at least one lung transplant recipient in the county.

Among the success stories were two living kidney transplant recipients in Clare both of whom received their transplants from family members.

Both transplants were carried out at Beaumount Hospital Dublin and both the donors and recipients have recovered well.

“The gift they have received has given these people a second chance at life as they now have a life free of dialysis. It’s the gift the recipients are so grateful for, as prior to been transplanted they were depending on machines to survive,” said Peggy Eustace of the Clare branch of the Irish Kidney Association.

“Sadly there have also been many donor families in Clare. We thank them for the generosity they have shown in donating their loved ones organs at a very difficult time for themselves.”

In 2013 as many as 293 organs were transplanted in Ireland compared to the previous record of 275 in 2011.

The highlight achievement was the growth in lung transplantation in the Mater Hospital from a record 14 in 2012 to a staggering 32 in 2013.

This is more than the equivalent of the previous four years of lung transplantation from 2009 to 2012, which totalled 31.

The second highlight is the consistently record-breaking living donor kidney transplant programme in Beaumont Hospital, which had 38 living donors and resulting transplants.

It brings the total living donor kidney transplants to 155 since the start of the service seven years ago.

The generosity of the 86 deceased donors and their families in 2013 dramatically altered and saved the lives of 245 people, 10 of whom received two organs.

There were 55 liver transplants performed in St Vincent’s Hospital and 11 heart transplants also conducted in the Mater Hospital.

In Beaumont Hospital a total of 195 transplant operations took place. 185 kidney operations, of which 38 were from living donors and 147 from deceased donors, 10 of the 147 also had simultaneous pancreas transplants.

THE community spirit continued into Carrigaholt as neighbours worked together to ensure people got to work, school and to the shops.

Local postmaster Pat Gavin, whose family was one of six marooned on a temporary island in Kilcredaun as a result of the storm and sea swells also praised the work of Clare County Council.

“Fair play, Clare County Council have done everything they can given their resources, but central Government have let us down,” he told The Clare People . “Part of what happened was due to neglect, even though I accept some flooding would have occurred,” he said.

The postmaster added he was referring to promises from the Government two and a half years ago that work would be completed at the seawall at Kilcredaun Irish College.

This work was estimated at the time at € 90,000. The sea wall was torn away in the storm and the college flooded as the people living there were segregated from the rest of the county by floodwater.

According to a Clare County Council report this week, restoration and reconstruction work on this part of the peninsula will cost € 622,000.

Mr Gavin said the generous spirit of neighbours, who loaned him a four-wheel drive, means he can now get to the post office every day.

Up to 250 yards off the main road remains under water as just 30 per cent of the water has receded. Clare County Council has put gravel on an old track so that the people living in Kilcredaun can now move around again.

Meanwhile farmers are struggling as their land remains under water. Even when the water recedes, they will have to reseed it in a bid to undo the damage of the seawater.

ALLEGATIONS of aggressive and intimidating behaviour by people visiting Drumcliff have emerged amid calls for less restrictive access to the graveyard.

Fears that vehicles would damage graves led to the permanent locking last year of one half of the cemetery’s gates. There have also been reports that groups of people were observed drinking and behaving aggressively in Drumcliff on Christmas Day.

The issues were disclosed at the January meeting of Ennis Town Council as councillors discussed a motion tabled by Cllr Paul O’Shea (Ind).

Cllr O’Shea proposed the gates at Drumcliff be unlocked every second Sunday “to enable loved ones to transport tools, equipment, plants and flowers so as to maintain their loved one’s graves.”

Administrative officer Betty Devanny stated in her response that access to Drumcliff cemetery has been restricted since November 2013, with exception give to undertakers, grave diggers, memorial sculptors, caretaker and those with mobility difficulties.

She continued, “This is necessary to prevent possible damage occurring to the kerbing, grave surrounds, and grave markers from vehicles accessing the cemetery which hap- pened on a regular basis while the gates remained unlocked. It will also provide for better management of the cemetery.”

Ms Devanny said only one side of the double gates are locked so it is possible for people to bring tools and flowers to graves. She states extra staff would be required to facilitate Cllr O’Shea’s request. “In the current economic downturn and a staffing embargo in place, it is not possible to facilitate this request,” she added.

Cllr Michael Guilfoyle (Ind) told the meeting he had witnessed incidents where vehicles drove at speed around the graveyard. “When the gates were left open, it was abused,” he said.

Cllr Mary Howard (FG) said she saw people drive through the graveyard on Christmas Day and park up for 40-50 minutes. “There is no room to maneuver and damage will be done,” she warned.

Cllr Howard told the meeting she also witnessed the same group of people “drinking and being aggressive” on Christmas Day.

Mayor of Ennis, Cllr Mary Coote Ryan (FG) said she recently saw two carloads of people enter the graveyard in a “very intimidating fashion”.

“There are some people who do misbehave and cause trouble for others,” she added.

Town manager Gerard Dollard said the changes at Drumcliff were introduced for the better management of the facility.

IT MAY be one of the worst villages hit by the storm but the high winds and waves did not damage he community spirit in Kilbaha.

On Tuesday three young mothers returning from the early school run decided to begin a tidy up at the year -old playground that had fallen victim to the storm.

Suddenly passers bys joined in and other parents returning home with their children at 3pm joined the group with shovels, wheelbarrows and children willing to give a helping hand.

Farmers and local contractors joined the impromptu clean up with tractors and mini diggers and what could have taken weeks, according to local woman Ailish Connolly, took three hours.

As many as 30 adults and 20 children were involved in the clean up, with council workers and Rural Resource workers staying around to help.

“We are so privileged to be in a community like this where the methil is alive and kicking,” said Ms Connolly adding that there was time for the odd seaweed fight and some merriment.

The mother of three who is part of the playground committee said an engineer is expected next week to access the damage, but she is hopeful that the community will be able to do the repair work themselves.

Already farmers have pulled the buckled fencing into place using their tractors.

As clean ups are planned for neighbouring Ross and Rhinevella on Saturday, the community remain concerned about the impact the storm will have on local tourism.

Many of the roads have been com- promised which is a concern ahead of the launch of the Wild Atlantic Way next month. The Loop Head peninsula has been included in the bus tour of the west coast of Ireland so proper roads are essential.

TWO Clare surfers, who took to the water during the height of the Storm Catherine last week, are in the running for this year’s Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards.

Lahinch surfer Ollie O’Flaherty and Peter Conroy from Miltown Malbay both braved massive swells on Mullaghmore Beach in Sligo last Monday, during the height of the storm.

The waves on the day were between 20 and 30 feet in height but they were also incredibly powerful. Because there was a extended period of time between each wave, a massive volume of water is inside each wave making them incredibly powerful.

“It is kind of an addiction. It’s something you have to build up to over. You can’t just wake up one day and decided to go out and surf 30 of 40 foot waves. You have to build up to it,” said Ollie.

“There were maybe 18 or 20 seconds between each wave, which is unheard of in this part of the world. This means that even if the waves are not 60 foot, they are incredibly powerful and travelling very fast.”

According to Peter, it takes years of experience before surfers can safely take on big waves like those produced during Storm Catherine.

“It is all about stepping stones. You have to comfortable just being in big waters like this never mind surfing. You have to know what the sea is doing. You have to realise that the sea is in charge, not you. We catch the waves, we play on the waves but if the sea wants to catch you, you are dead,” said Peter.

“It [the Billabong nomination] is a list of the best waves that have been surfed in Europe so far this year and mine and Ollie’s are up there. This will be knocked down to a shortlist of five later this year so for the mo- ment this is really a recognition that us Irish guys are putting it on the line for big wave surfing.” A final shortlist of five surfers for this year’s Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards will be announced in March.

HUNDREDS of people descended on Lahinch and Liscannor over the weekend to help in the biggest cleanup operation ever undertaken in the county.

More than 200 people took part in a two-day clean up of the Promenade organised by the West Coast Surf Club on Friday and Saturday. With people travelling from all over Ireland to take part, the club was able to send groups to Liscannor, Kilmacreahy and Cregg to help with the clean-up operations in those locations.

Both the Old Course and the Castle Course at Lahinch reopened for business last Friday following a major clean up by volunteers on Tuesday and Wednesday of last week. As of yesterday, 14 holes are playable on the Old Course with all hole playable, excluding bunkers, on Castle Course.

Two time major winner, Greg Norman, also mentioned the storms impact on Lahinch and Doonbeg on Twitter last week.

“Amazing photo of waves and wind pounding the beautiful town of Lahinch in Ireland last Thurs. My course at Doonbeg is okay,” he said.

Meanwhile, the gym at Lahinch Seaworld reopened for businesses yesterday and management are hoping the the pool facility will be open to the public again from next Monday, January 20.

According to Cliodhna Fawl of the West Coast Surf Club, locals and people from all over the coun- try have been doing their bit to get Lahinch back on its feet.

“People travelled from Dublin and all over Ireland to help with the clean up. We had about 80 people working with us on Friday and another 100 people came on Saturday, so we got a lot of work done,” she said.

“We collected a massive amount of rubbish and debris from Lahinch and we were able to send out groups to other areas on Saturday. A lot of debris and stone was removed from Liscannor, we still have some work to finish in Cregg which we will hopefully get to soon.

“We would like to thank Clare County Council and Clean Coast for providing the gloves and bags and to John and Jessie who drove up from Ennis with lots of food for all the workers.”

Lahinch Seaworld is hopeful of reopening fully from next Monday, but no official date can yet be given as it takes the pool between seven and fourteen days to warm up after a complete shutdown.

“The gym reopened today and we’ve had a great crowd in already this morning. People have been very supportive,” said Joe Garrihy of Lahinch Seaworld.

“We are working on the heating system at the moment and we should be able to turn that on tomorrow with a view to reopening next Monday but we will have to wait how long that will take to heat up the water.

A ROADWAY used by more than a million tourists each year to travel between the Cliffs of Moher and Lahinch will not survive a month, if urgent work is not carried out.

The road, which is located on the Lahinch side of Liscannor village, was badly undermined during last week’s storm and, according to Patrick Blake of the Liscannor Har- bour Committee, will not survive another large swell.

With large sea swells expected in February and March, the road will be lucky to make it to the summer of work is not carried out soon.

“We have a very serious problem with the road which has been completely undermined and the Cliffs of Moher road is in danger of being closed. A stone wall that was protecting the road has been totally wiped out. If I was driving on that road, and a lorry was coming in the other direction, I would not keep going. It is that dangerous. All that is left there is mud holding the road together and it is a drop of 30 or 40 feet. We have a high tide coming in February and a couple in March and that could be the end of it.

“The pier [in Liscannor] itself, which is over 200 years old, has also been badly damaged. The power of the tide also created a couple of very large craters, which will have to be repaired.

“The Clathane Road is also very badly damaged. Farm land is not even flooded, it is covered with stones. The storm came like a Tsunami and wiped everything before it.”

More than 200 people turned out in Liscannor last Saturday to help restore the local pier and harbour following the devastation brought by Storm Catherine.

“It was like a group of locusts moving across the place. They swept across the place going unreal hard work all the way. We have five tractors there and they removed tonnes and tonnes of seaweed out of the way,” continued Patrick.

“The work done was amazing. We had people from the Surf Club in Lahinch and people coming from all over the country to help. It shows how people come together in a crisis. It was an amazing day, the atmosphere was so positive and everyone coming together to help.”

MONITORING of sections of the River Fergus described, as a “concern” will continue in Ennis after the town was spared the worst affects of flooding.

Water levels peaked in the river on Saturday after heavy rainfall on St Stephen’s Day sparked fears of a repeat of the widespread flooding that hit the town in December 2009.

On that occasion residential areas and parts of the town centre suffered major flood damage when the river burst its banks.

Ennis Town Council says that while river levels were “significant” in recent weeks, they were below those recorded during flood events in 1999 and 2009.

Senior executive engineer with Ennis Town Council, Eamon O’Dea explained, “If we have no heavy rainfall over the next two to three days, it will drop off. The Fergus peaked two days ago, but if you look at levels in Ballyalla Lake, it is slowly starting to decline.”

However the council, working alongside Clare County Council and the Office of Public Works are implementing precautionary flood measures along the lower section of the Fergus, below Knox’s Bridge.

“The Ennis area is at a precautionary level. We are implementing measures such as over-pumping at different locations on the lower River Fergus. We have one or two areas of concern along the lower section,” Mr O’Dea said.

Spring tides did result in brief flooding on a section of the old N18 road in Clarecastle on Friday morning.

Work on phase two of the Ennis Flood Relief Scheme between Bank Place Bridge and Doora Bridge is ongoing at locations around Ennis.

It is anticipated that when completed, the works will lead to the protec- tion of 849 residential and 425 nonresidential properties on completion.

Defences including enhanced river walls, pumping stations and new drainage systems are included in the project, which is aimed at protecting Ennis against a 100-year flood event.

Works carried out during phase one at Mill Road and Woodquay are credited with preventing widespread flooding of Ennis town centre in 2009.

Though it is thought the works so far prevented major flooding in the town centre, the exact areas to have directly benefited from the improved defences will not be known until the scheme is certified as completed by the OPW.

Under the latest scheme of works, new ramps and walls are to be constructed at the two entrances to Clare Mart, while a new wall is to be constructed at the rear of properties between Aldi and Clonroad.