The Clare People Archive

THE primary school in Newmarket- on-Fergus has reduced the amount of waste it sends to the landfill, by more than 95 per cent.

This has been achieved by the staff at Scoil na Maighdine Mhuire en- couraging the pupils to be mindful of the importance of the environment.

A wide range of initiatives have been undertaken by the school, in its ongoing efforts on the environment.

Last week the school’s staff and stu- dents all took part in a green dress- up day, where everybody dressed up in green. This was aimed at honour- ing St Patrick and to highlight green awareness. In the process they raised money to buy a new lawnmower to

keep the school’s newly-seeded grass field in tip top shape.

Each class planted a tree during na- tional tree week earlier this month. The school also hosted Beni Oberu from Trocaire, who highlighted the need for water conservation.

School principal Ann McMahon said a survey carried out late last year showed the reduction in the amount of waste going to the landfill was more than 95 per cent, compared to previous levels.

She said that a number of initia- tives have been carried out by vari- ous classes at the school.

“We had a recycling project earlier in the year where each child used re- cycled materials to create something useful or artistic,” she explained.

‘Each class has planted a variety of seeds in recycled yogurt pots which we hope to transplant to the school garden as soon as they have sprout- ed. Juniors and seniors are sprouting water cress seeds. Third and fourth classes are doing a science experi- ment to determine whether seeds need water to germinate,” she said.

“Sixth class undertook to survey the number of light switches and sockets in the school and have designed an art competition to make reminder signs for switches and sockets.

“Third and fourth classes under- took a survey of toilet cisterns in the school. They have collected 500ml bottles which they will fill and place in every cistern in the school, thereby saving 500ml of water for each flush

of each toilet, which 1s a lot of water saved annually,” she said.

“We are collecting plastic bottle tops for a hospital in Dublin who hope to collect a skip full and raise funds for a wheelchair,” she added..

The school held an exhibition in the school hall last month, which was judged by members of the En- vironment section of Clare County Council.

The winning entries are currently on exhibition in Newmarket-on-Fer- PAU lyeTae

KILRUSH Town Councillors are planning to name and shame town TTRKe)doLerca MAU MOON Kwesleesemmensomlicmey” the council, Cllr Liam Looney (FF) asked that the council put CCTV cameras in the Parc de Plouzane car park to monitor the recycling facility and to curb the continuing dumping OKO )o) ane A suo

“Just a few weeks back, the dumping was so bad, I couldn’t get access my- self,” he told his fellow councillors.

“This 1s a continuous problem and the only solution is to put CCTV there and then name and shame the culprits,” he said. “I think if we caught a few, it would stop.”

Cllr Tom Prendeville (FF) had oth- er ideas to solve the ongoing unsight- ly problem. “My solution is to move the bottle bank out of there. I don’t think it is right to have that particular ley Da Gai alos Rom

‘The only solution to this 1s a civic amenity that is properly managed and monitored like in Lisdeen. Kil-

rush is a big enough town to warrant such a facility.

The schoolteacher told the meeting that serious illegal dumping had also taken place in the local graveyard.

Cllr Looney agreed that a new fa- cility should be built but, in the in- ter1m, he believed that the CCTV suggestion would be cost effective, considering the cost to the council of cleaning up the illegal dumping.

Senior Staff Officer Siobhan O’Keeffe said that, during 2007, quotations were sought from various

companies for the provision and in- stallation of CCTV cameras in Place de Plouzane car park.

“Quotations received and site visits conducted presented technical difficul- ties which made it impossible to pro- ceed at the time. The town engineer has been in contact with another com- pany that could overcome the techni- cal issues and he is awaiting a detailed quotation from them,” she said.

“In the interim, the location of the bottle banks was moved to the centre of the car park and this has resulted

in a notable reduction in the incidents of illegal dumping.

“While incidents of illegal dump- ing are still occurring, every effort is made to tackle the problem. Twice daily inspections are carried out at this location to enable a timely response to incidents of illegal dumping.

‘Where an incident of illegal dump- ing has taken place, an investigation of all contents takes place and action is always taken under the Litter Pol- lution Act where evidence is recov- ered,’ she said.

WOMEN from Clare and the mid- west will not be able to avail of a screening mammography — service until Breastcheck is rolled out in the county. According to Cllr Deirdre Culligan (Ind), that could take an- other year or three, leading the Kil- rush Town Councillor to call for the abolition of the HSE.

Cllr Culligan was speaking on a motion by Cllr Tom Prendeville (FF) who proposed that the council call on the Minister for Health and the HSE to deliver a modern and effec- tive health service to peripheral ar- eas like west Clare.

Cllr Culligan read a statement from the radiology department of the HSE west in the Mid Western Regional Hospital Limerick.

“Limerick Regional Hospital was recently designated as one of the eight regional symptomatic breast units. Following the closure of lo- cal units – Ennis and Barrington’s – there has been a marked increase in the number of imaging requests for symptomatic patients,” it said.

“Consequent to a meeting of the eight breast units with Professor Tom Keane, Director of the National Cancer Control Programme, the des- ignated symptomatic units will no longer provide screening mammog-

raphy. This is to ensure rapid access to imaging for symptomatic patients as outlined in the O’ Higgins report.

“Screening mammography will now fall under the auspices of Breast- check, the National Screening Pro- gramme, with all women between 50 to 65 years old in this region being invited to attend for mammography over the next two years.”

Cllr Culligan said, “The HSE are missing the point by closing Ennis and Barrington’s. They are crowd- ing Limerick and therefore it can no longer be a centre of excellence.”

Mayor of Kilrush Tom Clyne (Ind) said that the HSE was “answerable to no one”.

Cllr Jack Fennell (Ind) believed it was time to get rid of all the execu- tives and bring back the matrons.

“TU fully support getting rid of the HSE on grounds that they are a dis- aster since the day it was formed,” said the veteran councillor.

Cllr Marian McMahon Jones was equally critical of the health serv- ices, believing the Government will continue to run down the services until it no longer works and the only option is a private health service.

The councillors agreed to write to the HSE, raising their concern about the crisis in breast cancer detection and to ask it to outline its plans for remote areas such as west Clare.

in response to a Freedom of Information request to the Depart- ment of Arts, Sport and Tourism.

In an internal department memo of November 2006, a senior official cautioned against State financial aid for Shannon.

“Any plan will have to take into ac- count the full implications of the new

State aid guidelines for regional air- ports. The EU Commission is already scrutinised existing arrangements in Shannon and it is not clear what the outcome of that scrutiny will be,” the official wrote.

“In the meantime, caution 1S fe- quired in relation to the articulation of any public commitments of sup- port to Shannon.”

In a separate email from a senior department official to Failte Ireland in March, 2007, the official states, “One key issue is marketing and airports. There are State guidelines on this. There are Commission en- quiries in relation to Shannon. It is

important that both agencies make it clear that they are not in the busi- ness of marketing airports. They are in the business of exploiting the marketing opportunities that access routes present.”

In the same email the official states, “The new aviation environment, in- cluding the advent of ‘open skies’, presents tremendous opportunities for Shannon airport provided it can break out of its old dependency men- tality, focus on the opportunities and provide the level of economic and ef- ficient service required by both con- sumers and airlines.

“In particular, the airport will need

to look beyond the north Atlantic and look at the opportunities presented by routes to Britain and mainland Europe.

The same official in a separate memo states, “From a tourism per- spective, there is little point in mak- ing a special marketing push in re- lation to an area unless the requisite tourism product is there and at the right quality.

“Tt 18 essential that, in addition to new product development, problems in connection with traditional tour- ism products be resolved .. . It is im- portant to understand that marketing alone will not do the job.”

THERE has been a call for Ennis Town Council to alter proposals for the planned re-development of Fair Green to include a helicopter land- Thohcan oy-1e

An extensive re-development of Tim Smythe Park is being proposed, with consultants already assigned to the project.

The plan would include an enhanced pitch maintenance programme and the improvement of playground fa- cilities with the aim of making the area a more open and family-friendly CIVIC space.

The final stage of redevelopment will involve the upgrading of the pitch adjacent to Steele’s Terrace and the provision of new dressing room ELON D BLA lony

Fine Gael councillor Johnny Flynn is calling for the current plans to be amended to allow for the inclusion of a helicopter landing pad.

There is currently concrete space for helicopters at the Lifford road end of Tim Smythe Park. Cllr Flynn said it was crucial to the health infra- structure of Ennis that a landing pad oem ULEADD NICO

“The current design plans do not make provision for a landing pad.

There is a hard standing area in the northern quarter of the Fair Green where helicopters can land, but I am worried that this will be lost if the plans go ahead as they do now,” he said.

“Particularly with things like spinal injuries, it’s vital we have a helipad close to the hospital that it is easily accessible for ambulances.

‘‘T have asked the town engineer and the consultants to make provision for it in the plans. It’s very important we keep it there. It is a very significant OLSArel Ke) ovaslos sl MM er-lap lowers oelouebNsrcaB bem nsle Fair Green.”

Meanwhile, further developments

are expected at Ennis’s other main sporting facility, Lees Road. The council is currently examining the feasibility of constructing a large indoor facility at Lees Road. Town Manager Tom Coughlan has said that no definite decision has been made on where to locate such a facility. Cllr Tom Glynn (FF) has called for an indoor arena to be built at another location.

Work has already begun on an all-weather running track at Lees Road and it is expected to take three months to complete. Work on a cross- country running track is expected to proceed later this year.

IRELAND’S first regional writing centre has opened in Limerick under the auspices of the newly established Shannon Consortium.

The University of Limerick (UL), Mary Immaculate College (MIC), Limerick Institute of Technology (LIT) and the Institute of Technol- ogy Tralee (ITT) have joined forces under the Shannon Consortium with the establishment of the centre at University of Limerick.

The centre will work with individ- uals and groups of students to help them develop their writing skills.

The centre was set up to meet the need for a coordinated, systematic approach to the development of writ- ing for both academic and profes- sional purposes.

While writing centres flourish in American universities, the concept is a new one in Ireland. The centre can draw on an established academic writing support programme at MIC and the writing centre and writing research forum at UL.

Fintan O’Toole, who officially launched the centre, said, ““We live at a time when the misuse of language is more deliberate, more organised and more professional than it has ever been.

“Whether it is obfuscation at the tribunals, the spinning of the Iraq war, the marketing of so-called “low fat” foods, or the subtler kind of re-branding that led, for example, to ‘global warming’ becoming the much more benign ‘climate change’, the use of words to obscure realities has become a key tool of power.”

‘Attention to structural and stylis- tic features of a text promotes basic literacy skills and with so much writ- ing done on either a word processor or online, writing promotes IT lit- eracy, according to Professor Don Barry, UL President.

The project was financed from over €18.6 million in Strategic Innova- tion Funding granted to the Shannon Consortium over the past two years. It involves collaboration between language specialists and subject spe- EVA

NINE animals at various stages of decay were found in a shed at a west Clare farm when gardai and veteri- nary inspectors visited last summer, a court has heard.

Arising out of the inspection on June 11, 2007, Patrick McCarthy (46), of Cloughauninchy, Quilty, pleaded guilty to two charges.

He admitted permitting carcasses of lifestock to remain unburied in an open shed and also pleaded guilty to

cruelly ill-treating a cow, by allow- ing it to remain in a shed among nine animal carcasses which were at vari- ous stages of decay.

Sergeant Joe Hehir told Miltown Malbay District Court that he went to the accused’s farm accompanied by two veterinary inspectors from the Department of Agriculture.

“We went into a shed at the rear of the house. There were a number of animals in the shed at various stages of decomposition,” he said.

He said there were five animals

dead in one shed and four in anoth- ae

‘There was between four and six inches of slurry in the shed. There was one live cow amongst the other dead animals,” he said.

“It was a very serious matter. The animals were in a very bad state. I think Mr McCarthy let things go,” he said.

He explained to the court that the accused had inherited the farm from his father. He had been transferred to Dublin through work and had got rid

of most of his 100 animals. However he ran into difficulty, said Sgt Hehir.

“His herd started increasing. He was unable to sell them,” he added.

Defending solicitor Grainne Arkins told the court that the only difficulty was with the animals which were housed in a slatted shed.

“It escalated out of my client’s con- trol. He has 10 animals at the mo- ment and doesn’t intend farming in the future,’ she said.

Judge Joseph Mangan fined him €1,200.

A PROSECUTION taken against a couple accused of assaulting their wheelchair-bound children was with- drawn by the State, after some of the case was heard in court last week.

Martin and Mary Browne of Knockbeg, Kilmihil, had denied as- saulting their wheelchair-bound son and daughter, aged 23 and 17, in the carpark of the West County Hotel, Ennis, on July 15, 2007.

Witness Gillian O’Gorman_ told Miltown Malbay District Court that she was sitting in the lobby of the hotel when she saw a family with two young adults who were both in wheelchairs.

She said the family’s car was parked in a disabled zone and the parents were attempting to put the two young adults into the vehicle.

“The girl didn’t have the ability to communicate. They didn’t have full control of themselves,” said Ms O’Gorman. She said the girl seemed “agitated”.

She said she saw the parents slap- ping the young adults while loading them into the vehicle.

“IT thought the force used was exces- Sive,’ she said. She said she took the registration of the vehicle and made a complaint at Ennis Garda Station.

Defending solicitor Bote O’Kelly put it to the witness, “You made assumptions about the treat- ment of them. Why didn’t you go to the hotel manager? If you were that

concerned why didn’t you go out and intervene?”

She replied, “I was one person. I don’t think anything good would have come of that.”

Mr O’Kelly said that the two young people’s conditions are such that “they are subject to spasm and they jerk a lot. They have to be physically restrained.”

The witness replied, ““There’s a ditf- ference between physically restrain- ing and walloping someone. What I saw was not acceptable. Whatever was happening, the force was exces- sive.”

Mary Browne told the court that both of her children were born with a very rare disease. She said on the date in question, her son started laughing and this upset her daughter. She then got agitated and started jerking in her wheelchair at the hotel.

She said she had to move her daugh- ter’s head to get her into the vehicle.

Asked by her solicitor did she slap the children, she replied, “No. I’ve never slapped the children.”

Mr O’Kelly said Ms Browne has been honoured by President Mary McAleese for her care of the chil- Clone

While giving evidence, Ms Browne broke down in tears. Inspector Tom Kennedy said, “In the light of the evidence presented, the State will withdraw the prosecution.”

Judge Mangan pointed out that the witness was “perfectly justified in doing what she did”’.

A COURT has heard that a motor- cyclist is still receiving treatment for injuries sustained in a road collision with a bus last June.

Arising out of the accident on June 30, 2007, bus driver Simon Quinn (51), of St Michael’s Place, Ballya- gran, Limerick, was convicted of

careless driving.

Garda Diarmuid O’Brien told Shannon District Court that a Mr Baker was driving his motorcy- cle and stopped at a stop line at the end of a road at Bothar na Luachra, SJ etbabetoyey ;

He said that a Bus Eireann bus, driven by the defendant, approached from the motorcyclist’s left, indicat-

ed and turned right onto Bothar na BE e Ne

‘The bus cut the corner and collid- ed with Mr Baker,” said the garda.

‘The motorcycle fell to the ground on top of Mr Baker. He received injuries. He is still receiving treat- ment for his injuries,’ said Garda O’Brien.

Defending solicitor Mr Lenihan

said as Mr Quinn was approach- ing the junction, a car was also ap- proaching and he did not see the motorcycle.

He said his client had been driving with Bus Eireann for seven years and previously had driven heavy goods vehicles for 25 years.

Judge Joseph Mangan imposed a fine of €400.

A THREE-year building project to construct a liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal on the Shan- non Estuary is to begin shortly.

The EPA report attached to the €400 million project in Tarbert and Ballylongford states that the danger to the people living nearby and to the environment is very low.

The report said, “The resident im- pact of the proposed development on human beings will be a positive eco- nomic and employment effect.

“Results from the quantitative risk assessment show that the risk to in- dividuals living and working around the facility would be very low when compared with other ‘everyday’ risks.

“The existing residence around the terminal lie outside of the Health and Safety Authority’s respective land use planning zones.”

Once up and running, the natural gas will be pumped from tankers to storage tanks, then converted to natural gas before being piped to end users.

The terminal will include a ma- rine berth, jetty and secure mooring, LNG offloading facilities, storage tanks, and vaporisers to turn LNG from a liquid back into a gas.

The gas will then be connected up to the national gas grid.

The terminal will be built on 281 of the 600-acre land bank owned by the State for large-scale maritime-re- lated industry.

Shannon LNG, which is an Irish subsidiary of Hess LNG, outlined a number of reasons as to why the terminal was first proposed for the

Shannon estury. Among these was the exhaustion of gas fields.

“The Kinsale Head Gas Field is now nearly exhausted” and the “UK North Sea reserves are rapidly de- pleting,” it stated.

In an outlining brochure on its plans, Shannon LNG claimed that its natural gas is one of the safest and least environmentally hazardous en- ergy sources.

“LNG has had an exemplary oper- ating history and all these facilities have been operating without seri- ous public safety incidents, some for

more than 30 years.”

It stated that the construction and operation of the facility would be regulated by Government depart- ments and agencies including Kerry County Council, An Bord Pleanala, the Environment Protection Agency, the Health and Safety Authority, the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources and the Commission for Energy Regula- tion.

“Trish and international regulations and standards will govern the design and operation of the facility.”