The Clare People Archive

, the non-consult- ant doctor who was working in the surgery department at Ennis General received the fifth highest payment in overtime last year in the mid-west

region.

The doctor was one of three Clare- based junior doctors in the top twen- ty overtime earners in the mid-west last year.

All in the top 20 were junior doc- tors and the top earner was a registrar at the Ear, Nose and Throat Depart- ment at the Mid-Western Regional Hospital in Limerick who received more than €100,000 in overtime.

The other Clare doctors to feature includes a second registrar at En-

nis General Hospital who received €72,982 and a third doctor working at St Joseph’s Hospital who received €64,081. Four junior doctors re- ceived more than €90,000 in over- time in the region.

The EU Working Time Direc- tive – which seeks to limit the hours worked by junior doctors – is due to come into force next year and it was the basis of the HSE producing the Hanly report in 2003.

Eleven of top twenty overtime earn-

ers are based in Limerick. Last year, the overtime bill for the mid-west region across all sectors in the HSE amounted to €17.35 million while in Clare, the overtime bill last year amounted to €2.938 million.

The overtime bill has been creep- ing up steadily since 2004 when €16 million was paid in the mid-west and €2.696 million was paid in County SEK

The FOI figures also show that the overall wage bill for the HSE in the

mid-west last year was €380 mil- lion- representing an increase of 26 per cent on the wage bill of €300 million in 2004.

The Clare figures show that the HSE wage bill for the county in- creased from €59 million in 2004 to €73 million in 2007 – an increase of 23.7 per cent.

The annual HSE wage bill under- lines the massive contribution the HSE makes to the local and regional economy each year.

THE Clare Youth Service will be vying for the community’s support as the closing date for the Better Ire- land Awards draws closer.

The Kilrush service is one of three from west Clare hoping to secure the €10,000 prize.

The service is being recognised for the support and guidance it provides to young people in the west Clare or TOLD

Overseen by two full-time youth workers, Louise McMahon and Adriona Meere, and one part-time worker, Shane Mulvey, the group is also assisted by staff that help out on AWB UsstAbN ED Oye FS ESe

Kilrush Youth Project has a number of sub projects including The Kil- rush Garda Youth Diversion Project, The Kilrush Youth Project, Kilrush Youth Club, Kilrush Youth Café and the Good Neighbour Project.

The youth project is based around the John Paul Estate and caters for young people between the ages of 12

and 19.

“The types of activities we do are junior and senior boys’ soccer, girls’ soccer and games, fishing, art projects, hip hop dancing and gar- dening projects. We also have the use of a house on the estate where we provide a drop-in-and-chill-out space where young people can go at specific times each week,” said youth worker Louise McMahon.

“The junior boys have recently competed in a soccer tournament hosted by Cloughleigh Youth Club in Ennis in which one of our players won player of the tournament.

“We are currently preparing for our upcoming summer programme of events, including our three-day sum- mer camp to be held in July.

“Two of our young people have progressed through to the final of West Clare’s Got Talent this Satur- day, May 17,” she said.

The Clare Youth Service also pro- vides support for the Kilrush Youth Club and its leaders.

“Volunteers are very important to

the Clare Youth Service and are al- ways welcome.

‘Volunteers receive leader and oth- er types of training from the Clare Youth Service in order to set up and run the youth club programme of events and activities for the year,” added Ms McMahon.

Kilrush Youth Club have seven volunteers in total who organise and run Kilrush Youth Club includ- ing Shirley Gilligan, Paddy Honan, Kathleen Hannon, Caroline Hanra- han, Sue Metham, Mary McInerney and Linda Burke.

Paddy was nominated and won a Volunteer Award this year for “direct work with young people”.

The youth club also organises a number of outings and events every year.

Work is ongoing at the moment at the Kilrush Youth Centre in prepara- tion for the opening of a new youth café in Kilrush.

A group of young people from the area have formed a committee and meet regularly with the Kilrush

Youth Club volunteers and _ local youth workers to plan and prepare for the opening of the space.

The young people have also can- vassed locally for extra funding to complete this project.

The Good Neighbour Project 1s specifically for the younger children on the John Paul Estate from about five years and up.

Clubs are held in the community centre on the estate for them about twice a week.

Those wishing to vote for the Kiul- rush Youth Service can do so by tex- ting KilrushA or KilkeeA to 53099.

aVO MEK) CIB Ree AU oLO MAU UMD Koh IUO LM O mE! donation to the service – even if they don’t win the €10,000 prize.

MUSIC is in the air in Doonbeg as the “Long Village” prepares for the ninth Doonbeg International Jazz Festival which will take place over the Whit-Weekend – May 30 to June 2.

This successful annual festival promises to be better than ever with a line up of nine bands to suit all tastes. All performances throughout the weekend are free of charge.

This year the festival welcomes some new bands as well as some old favourites.

The Streetrats from Switzerland will give spectators a taste of the

music of Louisiana, with a delicious mix of Blues, Zydeco, Cajun, Jazz and Rock and Roll.

The Jazz Freaks, Dublin, will en- tertain the crowds with Dixieland and Swing.

Renowned for hitting the high notes, this band is sure to provide foot-tapping music for all.

If you are partial to lively old style jazz, smooth latin and some blues, then you will enjoy Big Swing – a five-piece band from Dublin.

If Jamaican ska, reggae and latin music are more to your taste, then look no further than Skazz from Clare, who will be sharing the stage with guest stars “The King of Ska”

Rene van der Reijden from Holland, and “Boots” Bernie Weiler from CSeerrene

Molly O’Mahoney and Norman Collins will delight with their set of the best of Bossa Nova, some swing and blues as well as their romantic lyrics and melody.

The Downtown Jazz Band from Limerick will be making their first appearance at the festival this year. A seven-piece band, they play popu- lar dixieland and swing favourites.

The popular Limerick based trio Idol Bones have a wide repertoire that appeals to all, from swing to salsa.

The festival is pleased to welcome

back The East Coast Jazz Band, from Leinster, who will be entertaining the crowds with their mix of popular jazz from dixieland to swing, bossa nova to blues.

The ninth Doonbeg International Jazz festival will get off to a great start on Friday, May 30, with the official opening and wine reception taking place at the Igoe Inn, Doon- beg at 9pm, accompanied by music from Skazz. From 10pm there will be music at all venues in the village, NOLO MO OCMC BA BIO CoML BOU MOON LBD NLEComNalON] non-stop music throughout the week- end. As well as the scheduled gigs there will be “Jazz Jam” sessions on Saturday and Monday.

CITIZENS of Kilrush are being asked to put on their working clothes and even bring a date to this year’s annual spring clean of the west Clare capital.

Kilrush Town Council and the Kil- rush Tidy Towns Committee are or- ganising this year’s major clean up for June.

Although April is designated as the National Spring Clean month the two local organisations are proposing to get everyone out on Wednesday, June 11, in order to maximize the impact

on the adjudication results in the National Tidy Town’s Competition as judging is expected to take place between June and July.

This year’s event will also include a clean up of Brew’s Bridge.

“We hope to encourage people from all aspects of the local community to take part and to take pride in their local town and environment.

“T would like to take this opportu- nity to invite you to join with us and participate in this community initia- tive,’ said the town council’s market- ing and development officer Siobhan Cramer mcelko peleselm

The statement was co-signed by secretary of Kilrush Tidy Town’s Sean Moran.

Those willing to lend a hand are asked to assemble in the Market Square at 5pm. Gloves and bags will be supplied.

Kilrush has a long and distin- guished history in the national tidy town’s competition.

The heritage town celebrated its greatest success to date last year when it received a gold medal in Cat- egory D making it the tidiest town with a population of 2,501 to 5,000 people.

Kilrush scored 290 points, an in- crease of eight points on the previous year when it secured silver for the second year in a row.

It received bronze in 2003 and mauler

The Kilrush Tidy Towns Commit- tee and all its supporters will be go- ing for gold again this year and will be trying to even beat last year’s high score.

Next month it will be asking all the local people to do their part by help- ing with the clean up and maintain- ing the standard so the judges see the town at its full potential.

PATRICK Bourke Menswear was taking a trip down memory lane this week as it celebrated 80 years in business in Kilrush.

As proprietor Patrick Bourke dressed the manikins in clothes from the 1940s and 1970s for the celebrations, he with his aunt Mary Keatinge (nee Bourke) recalled the family’s long history of business in the west Clare capital.

Mary, whose parents Patrick and Johanna (nee O’Dea), opened the shop just days after they married in Summer 1928, has clear memories of early days in the clothes shop.

Her father who originally came from Miltown Malbay, added the letter “o” to the family name when the business opened, because there was a public house in the town also called Burke’s and the invoices were constantly getting confused.

“She was the business woman though. She minded the money and paid the bills,’ said Mary Keating of her mother whose family had a pub- lic house in the town.

Mary herself worked in the shop at lunchtime or when she was needed, but avoided the job as much as pos- sible.

She remembers fondly the people from the peninsula – especially those from Carrigaholt.

‘When the country people came in, they would come in from Carriga- holt on the bus at nine in the morning and we would have the cellar door off Francis Street open. They would come in and have the breakfast.”

“They were great customers back there. The day they came to town was as good as Christmas,” she said.

It was Mary’s brother, the late Michael, that took over the business and from him his son Patrick learnt the trade when he joined in the early 1970s.

Michael was assisted in the shop in the early years by his sister Marga- ret, who previously served as a nurse in World War II.

Today Patrick oversees the shop in Kilrush and the two in Ennis.

Looking back through old ledgers and receipts last week, Patrick found an old list of suit prices. It took three

days for a suit to be ordered, made in Dublin and collected in Kilrush in the 1950s.

During the rationing the clothes shop sold women’s items and any- thing else available reflecting the DU Oee MOTO (oto TLE

In later years the only clothes for women in the outfitters were habits to be laid out in.

As Patrick looked at the old price of habits, one of the photos fell from the ledger book. It was of the first of- ficial employee – Jose McGrath who worked with Patrick’s (Jnr) grandfa- ther.

The shop is full of memories and especially this week as manikins are dressed in clothes from every era.

As well as styles changing so too did the materials used to make the clothes and sizes.

Suits from the 1940s and 50s were made with the purchaser who was more concerned about practicality than style in mind.

“The material on this was almost bullet proof and the waist very high. There was no central heating so they had to be practical and clothes had

to keep them warm. The tempera- tures have since got warmer and the clothes lighter,” said Patrick pointing to an old suit.

The average size of men’s clothes has also changed. According to Patrick when he first started working in 1974 the average size waist in a confirmation suit was 27 inches. To- day the average is 29 to 30 inches.

‘For a man the average size waist in the seventies was 34 inches now it is 36 moving towards 38. The col- lar size in the 1970s was 15.5 inches now it is 16.5 inches,” he said.

The shop in Kilrush now spans three old buildings. The original shop, the old library purchased in the 1960s and a tearoom bought in by Michael Bourke in 1970s.

The business has also expanded into the county town of Ennis.

Today Patrick Bourke still knows his regular customers; a few were even served by his grandfather.

AS MANY as 19 new social and af- fordable houses could be available to Kilrush Town Council if plans for different housing developments in the town go ahead. A total of six

houses have been made available as affordable houses in the west Clare capital during 2007 under part five requirements of planning conditions.

Part five is part of the planning process and is part of the Local Government Planning and Develop-

ment Act 2000. Under this act “no development or any associated works shall take place on foot of this plan- ning permission until an agreement is entered into between the planning authority and the person or persons having sufficient interest in the sub- ject land”.

As many as 445 houses are planned for the town, divided among eight separate developments. A total of 227 of these houses have already got planning permission from the town council with a 218 house develop- ment still awaiting the green light.

“Were these developemnts to pro- ceed, Part five will have to be satis- fied. It is therefore anticipated that further housing units for social and affordable purposes will become available to Kilrush Town Council,’ said town clerk Fiona Mooney.

The town clerk was replying to a question from Kilrush Town Coun- cillor Tom Prendeville (FF) who

asked if the council was satisfying the Affordable Housing Partnership.

“The Minister for Housing, Urban Renewal and Developing Areas, Batt O’Keeffe (now Minister for Educa- tion) published a report of a study commissioned by the Affordable Homes Partnership on increasing affordable housing supply. Inherent in the report was the imperative to increase supply, accelerate delivery, improve access and affordability and deliver value for money for any asso- ciated resources required,” said Cllr Prendevile.

“From a Kilrush Town Council per- spective, the recent AHP report al- lows us the opportunity to take stock of out own situation. A public con- sultation process is underway until the closing date of May 31 and will involve getting the views of the so- cial partners, housing practitioners, financial institutions and the wider public,” he said.

A RECENT visit by ten students from St John Bosco Community College in Kildysart to visit their exchange part- ners from the Ferdinand-Von-Miller Realschule in Furstenfeldbruck near Munich in Southern Germany, from April 15 to 22, proved to be an out- SIPAVILONDARSMSLELCLOCoR ISR

The aim of the visit was primarily to improve the linguistic skills of the Irish pupils who have been study-

ing German for two to three years, but also to experience first hand the sights and culture of Bavaria.

The students were accompanied by their German teacher Josephine Ryan and the school principal Mar- ion Coughlan-Flynn.

For seven days the second and third year students lived with their Ger- man exchange families and attended classes at the school in Furstenfeld- bruck. They also took part in a va- riety of activities, which included a

day trip to the spectacular castles of Neuschwanstein and Linderhof built by King Ludwig II, and a tour of the pretty little village of Oberammer- gau, which has become famous for its passion plays.

The Irish students also found time to explore the city of Munich, re- nowned for its imposing town hall, olympic stadium, markets, festivals and its friendly provincial atmos- phere.

Additionally the famous Kaufinger

Strasse proved to be a popular spot in which to engage 1n some retail thera- py. A further outstanding item on the programme was an official reception in the Landesrat in Furstenbruck held by the mayor and council members in honour of the Irish students.

On returning to school in Kildysart the Irish students had three days to readjust to school life prior to the re- turn visit of the German students to Ireland.

SUN AeerhRodouoNecemlUh IBDN in St John Bosco Community Col- lege and thus were able to engage in an interesting discussion with their Irish counterparts on the merits and disadvantages of both educational systems. The Irish students found the early starting time of school in Germany, 7.50am, difficult to adjust to during their visit to Realschule. However, the Germans advocated in- troducing lpm as a finishing time for school in Kildysart in line with the GCC eeer ema AKoeee

During their visit, the Germans were introduced to the tourist sights of County Clare and enjoyed trips to the Cliffs of Moher visitor centre, the Ailwee Caves and engaged in a surfing lesson at Lahinch. A day trip to Bunratty Castle and Folkpark, as well as subsequent shopping sprees in Ennis, Kilrush and Limerick also proved popular. A farewell party, at- tended by the host families, was held in the school in Kildysart to mark the end of a successful exchange ven- ture, which both schools hope will go from strength to strength and will become an annual event in the school calendar.

CLARE is playing host to two of six centres countrywide which have organised events for Biodiversity Mi (ered @

Seedsavers are hosting a Biodiver- sity open day which is being held in Scariff on Sunday, May 25.

Entry is free and there will be a full range of activities on the day, includ- ing demonstrations on blacksmithing and coppicing as well as activities for children and an organic café, where visitors can sample delicious organic food and wine and live music.

For those interested in seeing the results of Seedsavers’ years of graft- ing and gathering native and rare species, there will be guided walks in the orchard and garden.

There will be a display of rare sheep and poultry breeds and talks on a wide range of biodiversity-re- lated subjects.

There are free shuttle buses to the gardens all day as parking is very limited.

The Centre for Environmental Training and Living (CELT) are or- ganising free nature walks on May 20 and 22.

Evening walks are with Andrew St Ledger of CELT and Woodland League, a trained wood carver and Heritage Council ‘Heritage-in-

Schools’ teacher.

On Tuesday, May 20, participants should meet at 6.45pm at Tuam- graney Heritage Centre. The walk is in Raheen Ancient Oak Wood and

includes Brian Boru Oak said to be 1,000 years old.

On Thursday, participants should meet at 6.45pm, at the shop in Flag- mount, and the walk is in Cahermur-

phy Oak Wood Nature Reserve. ‘Notice Nature’ is the theme of this year’s Biodiversity Week and public and school events are being organ- ised at centres around the country.

CLARE County Council has refused planning permission for the coun- ty’s largest ever residential housing scheme although they approve of the plan in principle.

In March, Ennis-based construction firm, Crystal Partners lodged plans for a €200 million development that would ultimately deliver 700 new homes in the Gaurus area on the eastern outskirts of Ennis. The 471 residential units in the first phase of the development would have almost doubled the current population of the Doora parish to almost 3,000.

The council concluded that while it approved of housing development on the 71 acre site, such a move was pre- mature pending the construction of a new €75 million sewage treatment plan at Clareabbey.

The council does not expect the Clareabbey plant to come on stream for another four years and permission was also refused because of deficien- cies in the public water supply.

The Gaurus plan faced initial op- position from local residents and planning was refused on a number of other grounds apart from the lack of sewage and water supplies.

The council ruled that the mix of

apartment units in large blocks would be inconsistent with the existing char- acter and pattern of development in the area. The planners were also con- cerned about possible negative effects on the existing ecology, habitat value and hydrogeology of the site.

The council also stated that the pro- posed works to Gaurus Bridge, in- cluding the removal of both parapet stone walls and the building of foot- path and cycle paths on each side, would have a direct negative impact on the integrity and amenity of this structure and would be contrary to the Ennis and Environs Plan.

The council also ruled that the pro-

posal would present a serious traffic hazard.

The first phase of the Gaurus Village plan was valued at €125 million by the developers with the overall value of €200 million put on the plan.

Along with the 471 residential units, the planning application also provided for a creche, neighbour- hood centre with shopping facilities and 14 residential serviced sites.

The masterplan also provides for a 16-teacher school and an associated OeNenrteasatellen

CLARE County Council and Ennis Town Council have called a halt to the further expansion of Ennis be- cause the town’s public infrastruc- ture has reached breaking point.

Over the past week, the two local authorities have refused planning permission to three big residential developments valued at a total of €200 million.

As a result, the council will miss out on millions of euro in develop- ment contributions that would have been earmarked for essential capital

HOUSER PMU LCLAUD Ess

In one case, Clare County Coun- cil refused planning permission to Crystal Partners for 471 homes at Gaurus, while Ennis Town Council refused planning for 226 homes at Knockaderry, Tulla Road, and plan- ning for 97 homes on the Galway Road was refused to Luxury Homes (Galway) Ltd.

The primary reason for the refus- als was the inadequacy of the town’s sewage treatment works to accom- modate the developments with a new plant not expected to become operational for another four years.

The planner’s report into the Crys- tal Partners’ application stated that “substantial capital investment is required to upgrade the Clonroad- more treatment plant to facilitate any large-scale residential develop- ments progressing in the catchment. Without these works being finalised, constructed and commissioned, all new large-scale development in the catchment would be premature”’.

In a separate report, Ennis Town Engineer, Tom Tiernan pointed out that “it would be inappropriate to approve any further significant de- velopments which would be depend-

ent on the Clonroadmore plant”.

The first signs of a halt to develop- ment in Ennis came last year when the council only granted permission for a portion of the homes planned by Stephen Finn Properties on the SLUUIE WW Cor-rer

In the medium term, the ban on large-scale developments in Ennis will have an impact on the supply of |nCeyesterme-UeCeMeceleDCCMBKcneDLMBNOME-MNSICOOU0UE cant increase in house prices.

However, the development of homes in the environs of Clarecas- tle are expected to continue as Crys- tal Partners are to provide a sewage

treatment plant that will serve the first stage of a 500 house develop- ment in the area.

The development ban in the En- nis area follows the Health Service Executive calling on the council to give more scrutiny to planning ap- plications because of inadequacy of the Clonroadmore treatment plant.

The Health Service Executive made the call after raw sewage was pumped into the River Fergus from the treatment plant, on the grounds that it “represents a serious public risk and should be treated with the greatest urgency’.