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RESIDENTS in the Cronan area of Shannon are calling for a bus shelter to be put in place in their locality. The previous shelter was removed, af- ter local residents complained about anti-social behaviour in its vicinity. Councillor Mike Fleming (FG) called for the shelter to be replaced, but was told — in a written response at this month’s meeting of Shannon Town Council — that “re-erecting a bus shelter at the same location as be-

fore would not be welcomed by local residents and is therefore not recom- mended”’.

Cllr Fleming said he was not happy with the response. “An 18-page peti- tion has been filled out in that area,” he said.

He added that a survey carried out showed that 78 people use the bus Shelter in the area, most of who are old-age pensioners.

Independent Councillor Patricia McCarthy said the shelter cannot be located in the same position as it was

previously.

Cllr Tony Mulcahy (FG) said, “Somebody needs to do foot pa- trol down there and talk to the resi- Clonee

Labour Councillor Tony McMahon said that the bus service in the area is very popular. “There has to be a degree of consultation with all the parties in the area. A solution must be found and a bus shelter must be put there. If that means the council or somebody has to do surveys, that’s what needs to be done. It is the high-

est use of bus service in the town,’ JnTomcte BCG B

His party colleague, Councillor Greg Duff agreed. “I understand there 1s a need for a bus shelter there in the vicinity, not at that exact spot,’ |nTemcteBCG

Sinn Féin Councillor Cathy McCat- ferty said there is a “dire need” for a bus shelter in the Cronan area.

The mayor of Shannon, Council- lor Sean McLoughlin (FG) said he would support the suggestion that a survey be carried out.

A MOTHER and son have pleaded guilty to drug-related charges, arising out of a drugs seizure in Corofin.

Fiona Keane (38) and Stephen Keane (19), of Main Street, Corofin, admitted possession of cannabis in Corofin on November 20, 2008.

Stephen Keane was also convicted of possession of drugs for the pur- pose of sale or supply. Ennis District Court heard that neither had any pre- vious convictions.

Defending solicitor John Casey said that Fiona Keane is a mother- of-four who has lived in Corofin for many years.

“This was an unfortunate incident. It has caused her an amount of dis- Keron OomncT= BLO

Referring to Stephen Keane, the solicitor said, “He will say he would gather money and buy drugs from somebody further up the ladder. He would have it and deal it out to his friends. He never made any money out of it.”

He said his client was an apprentice carpenter, but the business he was working with folded. He then went back to school. “Living in a small village, something like that is going to have an impact on him. This is a very serious conviction for this man

to have against him. was fined €100. The case of her son “It was between him and his was adjourned for two months for friends. He was not out on the street preparation of a probation report. corner selling drugs,” he said. Fiona Keane, who told the court she runs a launderette in Corofin,

CLARE County Council has sought funding for the demolition of the Tradaree Court flats in Shannon and the project will be a priority for next year.

Town councillors were told last week the council is hopeful that the funding application, from the depart- ment, will be successful. Funding has also been sought for site suitabil- ity and feasibility studies.

Sinn Féin Councillor Cathy Mc- Cafferty raised the issue at a meet- ing of Shannon Town Council, where she called for the demolition of the flats to be discussed. “I don’t want

the same situation happening with the Tradaree flats as happened with Cluain Airne in the past,” she said.

“The front areas have overgrown to the extent they are tearing the legs off people passing. I don’t want to see the same going up again,’ she said.

Independent Councillor Gerry Flynn said some of the flats are “old and dilapidated”. He said there are more than 300 houses in that area and he would like to see a green field site there when the flats are demol- ished.

Independent Councillor Patricia McCarthy said, “I don’t know would we want that whole area a green area where we could have anti-social be-

haviour going on.”

Labour Councillor Tony McMa- hon said, “I’d be interested to know what’s the situation around these. I certainly wouldn’t like to see another structure of the same type and in the same place. I think it would be good to look at it and see could a differ- ent type of accommodation be pro- vided.”

“T believe if something gets fund- ing, it should be within an area or within the town,’ he said.

Fine Gael Councillor Mike Flem- ing said, “My biggest fear is the loca- tion where it would be removed to. The last thing I’d like to see going into an area like that would be apart-

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He said the option of building sin- gle houses, rather than apartments, should be considered.

The town manager Bernadette Kin- sella said that discussions on the fu- ture of that area were never brought to aconclusion, “but what is agreed is that they have to be demolished and that is one of our priority projects for next year”.

“What isn’t agreed is where any replacement dwellings would go. We need to carry out site feasibility and suitability studies. Any replacement development would require us to go through a consultation process,’ add- ed Ms Kinsella.

A JUDGE heard that a young wom- an who was found with a quantity of heroin in Killaloe was bringing it to her partner who is a paraplegic.

Annmarie Delahunty (22) of Hen- nessy Avenue in Killeely, Limerick, pleaded guilty to possession of €25 worth of heroin in Killaloe on April 23 of this year.

Her solicitor told Killaloe District Court that Ms Delahunty was “un-

der pressure from her former partner and the father of her child to get the drugs for him. Her partner unfortu- nately became paralysed from the waist down and by his own admis- sion 1s a heroin addict. She got this ‘fix’ and was giving it to him.”

The court heard that Delahunty has a number of previous convictions, in- cluding public order and road traffic offences. Judge Joseph Mangan or- dered that she do 100 hours commu- nity service if she proves suitable.

THE Labour Party in Clare has ex- perienced a resurgence, as those frustrated by the political incumbent flock to the left.

A new branch of the party has been set up in Ennistymon, with the Shan- non branch expanding by 15 new members. The Ennis branch has also seen its numbers multiply.

While Labour is usually associated with the more urban areas of Clare,

rural areas are now developing branches and joining the fold.

Talks are to begin in the com- ing weeks in Kilrush with a view to forming a Labour branch for the west.

In the last number of weeks the branch in Ennis has expanded, with new members joining the party from throughout the county and lapsed members returning to the fold.

Clare County Councillor Paschal FitzGerald attributes the growing

success of the party to its leader, Eamon Gilmore TD, who is consist- ently the most popular party leader HOMO semereleuN Ame

“We plan to make the party bigger in Clare again. It is great to see peo- ple taking the initiative. I am getting calls from people from all over the county, many are interested in join- ing and many more are just interest- ed in helping out,” he said.

Secretary of the Clare Labour Party, Seamus Ryan believes that the

move towards the Labour Party sig- nals disillusionment with society and politics among the general public.

‘People recognise that Fianna Fail has let them down and there is a lack of leadership from that party,’ he Sr ntGe

‘People now feel if ordinary peo- ple don’t come out and make a stand then this cycle is going to continue.”

Labour in Clare is now planning to capitalise on the unpopularity of the Government parties and re-launched its constituency organisation at a meeting in the West County Hotel last week.

Chaired by Limerick TD Jan O’Sullivan, members from through- out the county attended to hear the message that Labour has a his- toric opportunity to make electoral progress in the next general election.

Labour has branches in Ennis, Shannon, Ennistymon and Parteen and members say it is ready to con- test the next election in every district in Clare.

The last Clare Labour TD was Dr Moosajee Bhamjee. The outspoken consultant psychiatrist was elected to the Dail in 1992.

In the local elections last June, the Labour Party retained one county council seat, two seats on Shannon Town Council and secured a seat on Ennis Town Council.

A MAN who upturned a table in a garda station, damaging a computer monitor, was sentenced to ten weeks in jail for his outburst.

Gordon Collins of Cahercallamore, Ennis, appeared before the District Court in Killaloe after spending a week in jail for an outburst in the court the previous week.

Collins pleaded guilty to a number of charges including public order of- fences and criminal damage to the computer at Ennis Garda Station and public order charges.

Judge Joseph Mangan heard, gardai were called to Cahecalla Es- tate, where they found the accused “drunk, extremely abusive and threatening and arguing with neigh- bours”’.

Because of his condition, he was arrested and taken into custody but while in the garda station, he over- turned a table in the custody area causing ©200 worth of damage to the computer monitor.

His solicitor told the court that Mr Collins, who has a number of previ- ous convictions, including some for public order offences, had “been in

jail for the last six days and has seen what lies ahead of him if he doesn’t mend his ways’”’.

The solicitor said that Mr Collins has “considerable difficulties. He has been diagnosed with an anti-social behaviour disorder and was pre- scribed medication. Unfortunately he has developed an addiction to those drugs and he sometimes mixes them with alcohol.”

Judge Mangan sentenced him to jail for the criminal damage charge and set bail at his own bond of €600 with an independent surety of 600 in the event of an appeal.

THOUSANDS of Clare farmers are still unable to make any provisions for 2010 as the future of the REPS scheme remains in doubt.

The Department of Agriculture failed to release any information on the possible restructure of the scheme at last week’s Teagasc REPS conference prompting the IFA to ac- cuse the Government of dragging its feat on the scheme.

The Department of Agriculture has been involved in a consultation proc- ess on the future of the scheme with stakeholders for more than three Tae) el ete

“It is high time the Minister for Agriculture, Brendan Smith, in- structs his department to put in place a meaningful scheme for the 30,000 farmers who will be leaving REPS 3 over the next two years,” said IFA Rural Development Chairman, Tom shitelars

“The allocation of funding indi- cated, over the next four years of the scheme, is woefully inadequate and will translate into payment levels that will make the scheme unattrac- tive to farmers.”

Meanwhile, Minister Smith was talking up the importance of the Irish agri-food sector at last week’s

Ireland the Food Island Awards.

“The Irish food industry is deeply embedded in the Irish economy and is vital to our future. It draws on our natural resources and the expertise of key market players to produce nearly one third of the net export earnings from primary and manufacturing industry which are so vital to our economy,’ he said.

‘‘As a sector where huge investment has been made in high standards of food safety and quality, it is also well placed to continue to contribute to the food security of millions beyond WOT EsDOLem

“Developing strong business rela- tionships through the supply chain, leveraging the capability in food re- search now available in the country and considering strategic consolida- tion can contribute to holding current markets and positioning the industry for growth in the new markets, which will emerge in the upturn.”

Minister Smith said the shape of the CAP post 2013 will also impact on the future of the agri-food industry. Food security and climate change will represent key global challenges requiring a strategic and joined up approach. They will also influence the ongoing work on the 2020 strat- egy for the development of the Irish agri-food sector.

A 29-YEAR-OLD father of three went back to taking drugs after be- ing warned by gardai that his life was in danger because his name was on a ‘hit list’.

Edward McCarthy, of Cliona Park, Limerick pleaded guilty before Kil- laloe District Court to driving while under the influence of drugs.

Judge Joseph Mangan heard that the drug cannabis had been detected in his sytem after he was stopped by exN Oren

The court heard that Mr McCarthy

had previous convictions, some of which had resulted in his serving a long prison sentence.

His solicitor told the court that Mr McCarthy had “not been tak- ing drugs for a considerable period after he came out of prison. He was advised by gardai that his name was on a ‘hit list’ and that his life was in danger. This put him under a lot of pressure and he started smoking cannabis again.”

Judge Mangan fined Mr McCarthy €1,000 and disqualified him from driving for four years.

THE people of Clare are willing to pay for the long-term sustainability of some of the county’s most under threat natural environments.

According to anew survey commis- sioned by the Carron-based Burren- LIFE project, which was presented at the organisation’s seminar in Gort yesterday, it is estimated that the public was willing to pay farmers as much as €842 per hectare if it meant the protection of the biodiversity of the Burren.

“Using internationally recognised researched methods, we have been able to show that the Irish taxpayer

is willing to pay farmers to continue to deliver these services,” said head researcher Tom van Rensburg.

“This is a really interesting find- ing at a time when the national REP Scheme has been closed to new en- Wee D ea

The research also showed that the farming for conservation methods practiced as part of the BurrenLIFE’s method would improve water quality in the area.

The research found that many farm fields in the study did not have nutrient inputs that exceed the re- quirements of the animals and grass erowth. Areas at risk are those sub- ject to point sources of contamina-

tion, such as round feeders for silage, animals having access to streams and springs.

Other findings presented yesterday include those of Dr James Moran of Sligo IT who, together with Teagasc officials, developed a tailored feed- ing system using [rish-sourced GM- free ingredients to sustain cattle on Burren hills over the winter.

BurrenLIFE’s Dr Sharon Parr showcased some of the initial find- ings of the BLP’s ecological moni- toring work. This work indicated that grazing can help increase biodiver- sity of limestone grasslands but that scrub encroachment remains a major problem in the Burren, one that will

require direct intervention.

“Burren farmers are piloting a farm- ing system which has significantly increased their household income level through on-farm conservation measures including the maintenance of dry-stone walls, scrub removal work and the development of ‘con- servation grade’ Burren beef and lamb,’ said Ruairi O Conchuir of the BurrenLIFE Project.

The pilot phase of the EC LIFE Nature funded project is scheduled to finish in January 2010. Funding has been allocated for the roll-out of conservation farming in the area but no additional funding has been al- located as an operational budget for

BurrenLIFE.

“We can show that the Burren- LIFE model of farming can help increase biodiversity on our farms while maintaining animal health, water quality and farmer income,” said BurrenLIFE Project Manager, Brendan Dunford.

“What’s more, we know the costs involved in this and we now know that society is willing to meet these costs as they generate significant public benefits.”

PEOPLE who damage the property of others must pay for it, a judge said yesterday, as he ordered compensa- tion to be paid in a car damage case.

Jim McDonagh (19), of Dun na hInise, Ennis, admitted a charge of criminal damage at Gort Road, En- nis, on October 5 last.

Inspector John Galvin told En- nis District Court that a man called to Ennis Garda Station on October 5 and complained that his jeep had been damaged.

“He was driving along and his jeep was approached by the accused. It is alleged the accused got out with a stick and started breaking windows and damaging the paint work,’ he SrHLOe

He said that the accused admit- ted taking part, in interviews with gardai. The amount of damage caused was €1,920.97.

Defending solicitor Tara Godfrey said that her client had not been fur- nished with details of the amount of the damage until yesterday. “My cli- ent doesn’t have that sort of money in court,” she said. She said there was a background to the case.

“My client was coming along in a car. The injured party made a ges- ture to his own mouth. He was act- ing in a state of heightened emotion. Emotions boiled over,’ she said.

Judge Aeneas McCarthy asked, “Is there some sort of feud going on, be- cause if there is, it’s time the court stepped in before things get out of hand?”

Ms Godfrey replied, “Things seem to have calmed down. It’s hoped that matters will resolve themselves.”

Ms Godfrey said she understood the compensation would be €500 and said her client is on social wel- fare. The judge told her, ““He should have thought of that before he dam- aged somebody’s property.’

The solicitor then asked for an ad-

journment “to accumulate a fraction of the money”. The judge said, “I’m not talking about a fraction. This man (the victim) is out of pocket. Who does he (the accused) expect to pay for this car?

“If people cause damage to other people’s property, they pay for it,” added the judge.

He imposed a six-month detention sentence and suspended it on condi- tion that the cost of the damage be paid within three months.