Category: News

ENNIS could be set for an employment boost after it was announced that up to 20 new jobs could be created in the town next month. Private bus company Dublin Coach has been granted a license from the National Transport Authority (NTA) to extend its service from Dublin Airport to include Ennis. The company, which is owned by Clare businessman John O’Sullivan, had previously been refused a license to extend its daily Limerick/Dublin service to include Ennis. However a special meeting of Ennis Town Council last month heard the company has been successful in its application following submissions to the NTA from the local authority, councilors and local businesses. In a letter to the council in May, Mr O’Sullivan stated the company was considering using Ennis as tourism “hub” due to the quality of bus parking facilities in the town centre. Last year the council spent € 76,000 on new bus and coach parking spaces and facilities in the Friars Walk area of the town. At the council meeting, Cllr Johnny Flynn (FG) told members that as many as 20 permanent jobs could be created in the town through Dublin Coach’s expansion into Ennis. Cllr Flynn told the meeting Mr O’Sullivan sees Ennis as a potential tourism hub from which to base bus tour services to Clare’s most popular tourist attractions. It is thought that a further 50 jobs could be created next year. In his letter to the council in May, Mr O’Sullivan, a native of Kilrush, indicated the service could boost tourist numbers in the town. “Currently we operate a coach service every hour in both directions between Limerick and Dublin. Having viewed your facility we believe there is real merit in extending this service to Ennis. This could translate into 16 departures and arrivals each day from your coach park to Dublin and Dublin Airport. This provides a real opportunity to attract tourists from Dublin to Ennis with such high frequency, low cost fast and comfortable connections,” he wrote.

ENNIS’ reputation as one of Ireland’s top tourism towns was further enhanced when it was one of the best places to visit.

Fáilte Ireland last week honoured Ennis as one of the top ten towns in Ireland making a difference to tourism, at the 2013 Tourism Towns Awards Ceremony in Dublin. The highest accolade went to Kil kenny who won the national title of Ireland’s Tourism Town 2013. The Medieval town was chosen from a shor tlist of ten top tourism towns including Ennis.

The Fáilte Ireland judging panel praised the town’s “historical, archaeological and cult ure heritage while retaining the best of its nat ural envi ronment”.

They continued, “Shopping in Ennis is a delightful experience and the range and quality of attractions is commendable as is the range of accommodation and food offerings.”

Congratulating Ennis on reaching the top ten, CEO of Fáilte Ireland Shaun Quinn said, “I would li ke to commend the community of Ennis for making the top ten at this year’s Tourism Town Awards. You are a great example of what can be achieved in tourism when all the local elements are aligned with a common pur pose. I hope that the towns and villages recognised today will inspi re other communities across Ireland to take similar steps.”

Speaking about thei r involvement with the award, Teresa McGrath, Ennis Tidy Towns Coordinator, said, “Resulting from our par ticipation in the Fáilte Ireland Tourism Towns competition, various tourism interests have come together to share thei r views, thei r experiences, thei r plans, thei r concerns for the tourism products of the town and its hinterland. There has been lively and valuable discussion on the various tourist products of which Ennis can boast and the way in which these products can be promoted.”

Ms McGrath continued, “The emphasis on sense of place in the competition has shar pened the focus that product providers have of the uniqueness of the Ennis experience, a uniqueness that has a broad appeal, not only to the visitors from across the seas but also to Irish people in Ireland seeking an affordable, safe and fun holiday on the island. The various sections and stages of the competition provide a roadmap for the development of Ennis as a leading Irish tourism town.”

A LARGE search involving dozens of members of the Killaloe Unit of the Irish Coast Guard, the RNLI and members of the Gardaí too place in Scariff, last Friday evening.

The emergency services were tasked to locate a missing male in the Scariff area late on Friday evening. A combined land and water search was undertaken, with a large number of emergency responders focusing their efforts on the area around Scariff Bay.

The water searched was aided by the Irish Coast Guard Helicopter from Shannon, and the Killaloe Ballina Search and Recovery Dive Unit. The missing person turned up distraught but safe after the three hour search.

“On Friday night we responded to a report of a missing person in the Scariff area. It was an extensive search of a relatively small area as the search teams had to focus on both a land and sea search,” said Joe Doolin of the Killaloe Unit of the Irish Coast Guard.

“After a search of about two and a half hours the person was located safe and well. He did not require any major medical attention.”

The Killaloe Unit of the Irish Coast Guard has had one of its most busy years on record so far in 2013. With a month of this year still to go, the unit has already logged more than 229 operational hours so far in 2013 – an increase of 179 per cent on the number of hours of active service in 2012.

The number of incidents responded to has also increased to 39, this represents a 26 per cent year on year increase, while the unit has given aid to 59 individuals – a 52 per cent increase on 2012.

In June of this year the unit undertook one of its largest ever mass rescues when a regatta on Lough Derg descended into chaos following a suddenly deterioration in the weather.

The unit brought more than 40 people ashore in an hour with many of them being treated for hypothermia.

A 20-YEAER-OLD man involved in burglaries in which € 11,000 in cash and jewellery was stolen from homes in Shannon this year has escaped a prison sentence.

Jamie Considine was warned he could be still be sent to jail if he stepped out of line over the next few months. At Ennis District Court on Wednesday, Mr Considine pleaded guilty to his role in eight burglaries that occurred in the Tullyglass, Inis Sioda, Tullyvarraga and Dun Na Óir areas of Shannon between January 11 and March 22.

Mr Considine, with an address at The Magnet, O’Donoghue Avenue, Janesboro, Limerick, was one of a group of people who broke into the unoccupied family homes.

The court heard Mr Considine did not enter all of the houses but acted as a lookout on some occasions. He was paid in drugs for his role in the offences, the court heard.

The court heard the items taken from the houses included large sums of cash, valuable pieces of jewelry and commemorative medals.

Insp Michael Gallagher said the owners returned to find their homes ransacked. Judge Patrick Durcan said he reluctantly accepted jurisdiction.

Defence solicitor Daragh Hassett said his client had indicated he would be pleading guilty at an early stage. He said Mr Considine, who has now moved to Ballybunion, fully cooperated with gardaí and has no previous convictions.

The court heard that at the time the offences were committed, Mr Considine was abusing cannabis, cocaine, heroin and Xanax.

Mr Hassett said his client has abided by strict bail conditions and his efforts and commitment to give up drugs has impressed the Probation Services. Judge Durcan said a 12-month prison sentence would send out the message that burglaries would not be tolerated.

Asked for his views on the crimes, Insp Gallagher said eight families had suffered the ordeal of these burglaries. “I know if it happened to me, I’d hate to see them walk free,” he added. Judge Durcan adjourned sentencing for a brief period. When the case was re-called, Judge Durcan said he was going to remand Mr Considine on continuing bail, subject to conditions outlined by the Probation Services, to appear again in court on March 12, 2014.

The State were granted liberty to re-enter the cases at 24 hours notice.

“If you step out of line between now and March, everything comes back,” Judge Durcan warned. Mr Considine thanked Judge Durcan for giving him a chance.

A SENIOR garda has voiced his concerns after a violent feud flared to life inside an Ennis courtroom last week. Three men from the Ennis area had been ordered to pay compensation to a victim of criminal damage when one of the men demanded to be sent to jail instead.

“You can send me to jail, Judge. I won’t give her 10 cents. You can put me in jail now,” he said.

“She’s only put fuel in the fire. The feud’s only starting now”, he told the female victim.

Judge William Earley was passing sentence at Ennis District Court on Thursday after finding three men guilty of attacking a car while a religious ceremony was underway in Drumcliffe graveyard in March.

Judge Earley said it seemed to be the case that the woman who owned the car was a “victim of one of these wretched family feuds that are all too common in the Traveller community”. The violent attack may have been sparked by an ongoing feud between two Traveller families. The woman was not involved in the dispute, the court was told. Insults and abuse were hurled at the mother of two at the end of the hearing. A 41-year-old woman was arrested and charged for allegedly provoking a breach of the peace. Gardaí also had to be called to deal with disturbances that erupted outside the Courthouse.

Inspector Michael Gallagher, the prosecutor in the case, said he had never witnessed such scenes in a courtroom. Speaking afterwards, he said, “In my 30 years with the gardaí, I’ve never seen anything or heard anything like that. ”

A VICIOUS stabbing that left an Ennis woman in a critical condition has caused “tremendous difficulties” for the young victim, a court has heard.

Nicole Keane (23) was stabbed 22 times by her then friend Charlene Sherlock (23) during a frenzied assault in the grounds of the Holy Family Primary School in Ennis on April 13.

Ms Sherlock, with an address at Dromard, Lahinch Road, Ennis, attacked Ms Keane because she believed Ms Keane had been unfaithful to her then boyfriend Brendan Sherlock (20), who is Ms Sherlock’s brother. Ms Keane suffered slash and stab wounds to her neck, face and torso. She was rushed to hospital and received life-saving treatment in Cork. The horrific attack carried out by Ms Sherlock was captured on CCTV shown at Ennis Circuit Criminal Court last Monday.

Ms Keane was not present in court and declined to give a victim impact statement. Two days later Ms Keane, with an address at Bridge View, Roslevan, appeared at Ennis District Court where her solicitor outlined some of the effect the assault has had.

Ennis-based solicitor William Cahir said, “She was the victim of an unprovoked attack and it has set her back. It has caused tremendous difficulties for her,” he added.

Mr Cahir was speaking in court after Ms Keane pleaded guilty to two public order offences at the Summerhill area of Ennis on September 16, 2013. Inspector Michael Gallagher told the court gardaí received a call to go Summerhill.

He said they found Ms Keane and another person sitting on the ground drunk. The court heard Ms Keane was verbally abusive to gardaí.

Mr Cahir explained his client has been “a very bad alcoholic” since she was a teenager.

“More often than not she has been unable to conquer her demons,” he added. Mr Cahir said he was not offering Ms Keane’s problems as an excuse for her behaviour on September 16. Mr Cahir said his client would be a suitable candidate for community work. Judge Patrick Durcan said he had sympathy for Ms Keane.

He added, “Well done, Ms Keane, that you did live and you didn’t die. That’s the reality, you now know how close it is, the step between living and dying.”

Imposing a 120-hour community service order, Judge Durcan said, “It is not acceptable for someone to sit on the ground and tell gardaí to get lost.”

A DIRECTOR of a Kerry-based bus company has been fined in relation to an oil spill that led to multiple accidents and major tailbacks on the Limerick to Galway motorway earlier this year.

At Ennis District Court on Thursday, Patrick Kennedy, a Director of Kennedy Coaches, Main Street, Annascaul, Kerry, recived a € 250 fine.

Mr Kennedy denied a charge of having his coach in such a condition that would have rendered the vehicle dangerous to the public.

The charge arose from an incident that occurred on the motorway on February 1, 2013.

The driver of a Mercedes Benz bus bringing students from Tralee to Galway pulled over near Hurler’s Cross after noticing the oil spill.

He immediately contacted the owner who contacted Shannon gardaí, the court heard. The two-mile long slick shut the motorway and forced Gardaí to close a 10km stretch of road resulting in massive tailbacks.

There were five accidents as a result with one person injured. The oil slick occurred on the day of the Waterford Crystal hurling match between Clare and Cork. Many of the Cork players were delayed getting to the game in Sixmilebridge. Throw in was delayed by an hour for the match that Clare won.

Judge Earley convicted Mr Kennedy after PSV Inspector Garda Brendan Condon said the coach was not in good overall condition prior to the incident because of a serious defect in relation to its fuel tank that would have rendered the vehicle dangerous to the public.

Garda Condon told the court a bracket used to hold up the one of the fuel tanks had been fractured.

Judge Earley said that he accepts that Mr Kennedy “is a conscientious businessman and did his best to mitigate the difficulties that the defect in his coach caused”.

The judge said that he accepted there were substantial mitigating factors. The court heard the bus passed a safety test nine weeks prior to the incident.

The defect in the fuel tank was also subject of a recall by Mercedes Benz. In evidence Mr Kennedy told the court that he never received the letter informing him of the recall in September 2010.

A PLAY by campaigning Clare author Patricia Burke Brogan received it American’s premier last week.

Burke Brogan has been a leading campaigner in the movement to expose the hidden truth behind the Magdalene Laundries for more than two decades.

The Kildysart native’s 1992 play ‘Eclipse’ is one of the first major times in which the story of the women housed in the Magdalene Laundries was brought to light.

Her 2002 play, ‘Stained Glass at Samhain’, which also deal with the Magdalene Laundries received its American premier at the University of Colorado in Denver last week.

Burke Brogan was a novice, or a trainee nun, at the Galway’s Mercy convent before she decided to leave the Church. During her time at the convent she witnessed first hand the plight of the women housed in the laundries and dedicated much of her life to highlighting their struggle – long before it was common to do so.

‘Stained Glass at Samhain’, which premiered in Ireland in 2002, also deals with the Magdalene Laundries but, in contrast to ‘Eclipse’, it takes the view point of an elderly, compas- sionate nun.

This nun, Sr Luke returns from the dead to visit the site of a former convent and laundry during the Celtic feast of Samhain as the buildings are being demolished to make way for the ‘Celtic Tiger’ boom.

She shares her life story with the audience via a series of monologues, while also interacting with

the Church authorities, the

penitent women and the

young, progressive convent

chaplain.

Over the last 20 years,

‘Eclipsed’ has become

the definitive work on the

Magdelene Laundries and

was a major infleunce for

the 2002 feature film, ‘The

Magdalene Sisters’.

The play has been trans

lated into many languages

from French to Japanese,

and been performed all

over the world, with a new

production scheduled for

Peru next year.

SERIOUS concerns have been expressed over safety measures along the River Fergus.

At yesterday’s monthly meeting of Ennis Town Council, Cllr Mary Howard (FG) said she had been made aware that there was no way for a person who falls into the river to get out.

Cllr Howard said the issue had been highlighted to her on the night of a major search operation around the river earlier this month.

“It was brought to my attention that night, if you fall into the river by accident, you won’t get out of it”, she said.

Cllr Howard raised the issue of safe access in a motion tabled at the meeting. She asked if a health and safety report had been done in relation to current improvement works being carried out on the river between the Maid of Erin and Knox’s Bridge.

“Did this report refer to the safe ac- cess to and from the river at Woodquay / Parnell Street?” queried Cllr Howard. Ennis Town Engineer, Eamon O’Dea said the lower Fergus drainage scheme is an Office of Public Works Project.

Mr O’Dea continued, “An audit was carried out by Irish Water Safety on behalf of Ennis Town Council and this report was forwarded to the OPW in January 2013. Ennis Town Council dealt with all matters raised regarding lifebuoys and items within out control. The OPW design team are assessing the IWS audit.”

“The matter has been raised with the Lower Fergus Certified Drainage Scheme Steering Group in meetings with the Office of Public Works, Ennis Town Council and Clare County Council. I expect that the review of the IWS Audit and recommendations will be forwarded to the Office of Public Works for their consideration early next year,” added Mr O’Dea.

Town Manager Gerard Dollard told the meeting the Council would pursue the issue with the OPW.

Cllr Michael Guilfoyle (Ind) said while there was some merit to the proposal he said safety ladders and chains could be open to abuse and vandalism.

Cllr Johnny Flynn (FG) said the proposal was very timely. “The river is moving at a greater speed since being corralled so there is a risk.”

Cllr Howard said there are serious concerns over safety along the river. “If a child falls in and you go in to save them then you can’t get out,” she said.

LIBRARIAN Seamus Ryan (Lab) has been chosen to contest the Ennis Electoral Area for the Labour party at next year’s local election.

Ryan, who was also re-elected to the National Executive of the Labour party over the weekend saw off the challenge on well-known disability rights campaigner Dermot Hayes to secure the nomination. Ryan, who works at the De Valera Library in Ennis, has identified the conversion of unused local authority properties to community use and funding alcohol-free locations for youth in Ennis as two of his key campaign elements.

“I intend to start campaigning this week,” he said.

“I will be focusing on a number of issues that will impact on familes.

“A number of local authorities properties will soon become available and I would like to see these premises to be put to good use and made available to not-for-profit organisations such as community childcare providers. Seamus secured his second election success of the week on Saturday when he was re-elected to the National Executive of the Labour party during at the Labour National Conference.