The Clare People Archive

NEWQUAY native John Kerin has been promoted to the rank as Garda Chief Superintendent.

He was among a number of Super- intendents included on a list for pro- motion, announced last week. The promotion is not likely to take effect until later this year, when a number of vacancies are due to arise across the country.

He is currently Superintendent at Henry Street Garda Station in Lim- erick, having been transferred there from Ennis last March.

He had been based in Ennis since UithatomA COL 07

He had spent over six years at En- nis, having previously been based at Henry Street, between 1994 and Av ereh

During his career to date, he has been involved in many high-profiled investigations in Limerick, not least

the killing of Detective Garda Jerry McCabe. He was killed during an at- tempted raid on a post office delivery van in Adare, Limerick, in 1996.

Mr Kerin was detective inspector at

Henry Street at the time and headed up the McCabe investigation. He had been a uniformed inspector for two years at the time, but was on his first day as detective inspector on the date of the Garda McCabe killing.

Supt Kerin joined the force in 1978 and spent his first eight years in Mal- low where he was promoted to ser- geant. After a further seven years as detective sergeant in Clonmel, he moved to Limerick.

He has also worked in a new post at the Garda College in Templem- ore, where he co-ordinated specialist training courses in criminal investi- gation.

Policing is poised to continue in the Kerin family for many years to come – his daughter Emma passed out at Templemore almost two years ago. She is currently stationed in Galway.

CLARE builders have called on Bishop of Killaloe, Willie Walsh, to intervene on a disagreement involv- ing the ongoing renovation work on St Flannan’s College in Ennis.

The head of the Clare Plasterers Union, Paddy Kenneally, called on Bishop Walsh to support “social jus- tice” and end a ban on Clare builders from the site.

According to the union, which has more than 600 registered members in the county, St Flannan’s are us- ing non-union builders from outside of Clare and in the process breach-

ing union agreements made with the Construction Industry Federation (CIF).

‘This project has been going on for more than 12 months now and not one of our members are employed. The contractors are completely ig- noring long-standing agreements and keeping Clare working out of the job,” said Mr Kenneally.

“They are bringing in non-union workers from Mayo and Galway while Clare tradespeople are unem- ployed and being forced to immigra- tion.”

The diocese of Killaloe has been in- tegrally connected with St Flannan’s

College since it was first established more than 150 years ago.

Kenneally has called on Bishop Walsh to use his influence to con- vince Flannans President, Fr Joe McMahon, to speak to the contrac- tors on the issue.

“We are calling on the Bishop of Killaloe to make a positive contribu- tion to social justice by raising the matter with the college and urging the employment of Clare plasterers,” he continued.

‘There is a real slowdown in the in- dustry and the college can assist in maintaining local jobs by employing Clare tradesmen on this site.”

ALLEGATIONS were levelled yes- terday that the Ennis Town Manager hid information pertaining to pro- posed development at the Post Office nCOAKG

At Monday’s meeting of Ennis Town Council, Green Party council- lor Donal O’Bearra accused Town Manager, Tom Coughlan of not shar- ing information collected in a report compiled last year.

After Cllr O’Bearra and Fine Gael

councillor, Johnny Flynn co-tabled a motion calling for a cost benefit anal- ysis prior to any development taking place at the field, Mr Coughlan said a study about the viability of such a project had already been completed.

Cllr O’ Bearra said, “I find it bizarre to say the least. What’s the point of me asking for a cost-benefit analysis when the manager has hidden infor- mation? You said you would keep us informed and I think that is relevant information.”

Mr Coughlan replied, “I was going

to bring all the information when a decision had to be made.”

Cllr O’Bearra said, “I consider that bad judgement on your behalf.”

Mr Coughlan rejected the accusa- tion he had withheld the information from the council and said he would forward copies of the report to all councillors.

The independent study, carried out by Hughes and Roll associates, found there were significant obstacles to re- developing the existing site of the De Valera Public library in Ennis.

It also recommended an infill sec- tion of the Post Office field, located between the post office and St Co- lumba’s church, as the most commer- cially viable site for any new library OlAVolley evento

Mr Coughlan stated that without the sale of the De Valera library, it was unlikely a new library would be event

He said, “It’s an unrealistic assump- tion that it could happen elsewhere.”

Following a lengthy and at times intense debate, members proposed that consultants be engaged to draw up a master plan setting out potential OCSAIeA Co) oy ea erslmr-lmm i elomSI COR

Fianna Fail councillor, Joe Reidy said, “As far as I’m concerned, it’s going ahead. It’s a pity people are changing their minds.”

Fine Gael councillor, Johnny Flynn said he had raised concerns when the project was first mooted about the sale of the original library site.

Fine Gael councillor, Mary Coote Ryan called for a report into the potential effect of construction on flooding.

Town Engineer, Tom Tiernan said a previous flooding report had found the proposed infill section of the field had a “miniscule” effect on flood eynlnKeye

Independent councillor Taiwoo Matthew requested more information on the level of funding available.

TALKS over a timetable for pedes- trianisation in Ennis will get under- way at the end of the month.

It follows yesterday’s monthly meet- ing of Ennis Town Council where the results of a survey carried out on December 20, 21 and 22 revealed a largely favourable response to pedes- trianisation in Ennis at Christmas.

The survey, carried out for Ennis Town Council by Amarach research, found that between 79-81 per cent of respondents indicated that pedes- triaisation was a good idea in each

of the four areas surveyed. The four areas surveyed were Abbey Street, O’Connell Street, O’Connell Square and Lower Market Street.

Town Clerk Eddie Power said he expected talks between Ennis Town Council and the local business com- munity would resume at the end of February. “The next stage would be to meet with traders from the areas to see when and what days would be the most suitable. I would suggest a meeting take place in February with a final report to be presented at the March meeting,” he said.

The survey found that the principal

reasons given by those who viewed pedestrianisation positively was that it improved safety (58 per cent), cre- ated a more pleasant atmosphere (38 per cent) and that it would be easier to get around (37 per cent). Some 41 per cent of those surveyed cited this as a reason. 273 people were polled for this section of the survey.

46 per cent respondents felt that parking facilities were conveniently located and facilitate shopping in Ennis. However, this opinion var- ies between drivers and non-drivers, with just 35 per cent of drivers agree- ing with the convenience of parking

facilities.

The key reasons given by those who view pedestrianisation nega- tively were concerns about vehicular access to the streets, concerns about getting around and concerns about access to shops and banks.

96 per cent of respondents felt their frequency of shopping would not de- crease, with 36 per cent indicating they would shop more often in Ennis should the streets be pedestrianised.

SW ilo Kom sku hd ucoeelo NL MBDOMMAOlomeler-Nene ber that the introduction of pedestri- anisation was now a matter of “when’ and not ‘if’.

KILRUSH area councillors have agreed that holiday home owners in Clare should pay for the water sup- as At last night’s (Monday) meeting of the council, Cllr Madeleine Taylor Quinn (FG) said that holiday homes were a commercial interest and as such the owners should have to pay for the water supplied to them.

Under Government policy, all non- domestic water must be paid for but local authorities, such as Clare Coun- ty Council, cannot charge domestic users for their water supply.

As many as 3,092 non-domestic water users in the Kilrush area have been identified but this does not in- clude holiday home schemes.

“People who are trying to make a living in the county are being charged and those making money from the county are not contributing at all,’ said the former TD.

Supporting Clir Taylor Quinn, Cllr Patrick Keane (FF) said, “There is a lot of revenue that can be collected.”

The 3,092 non-domestic water cus- tomers identified by the council in the Kilrush Electoral area includes all non-domestic customers on group schemes supplied with public water.

According to Derek Troy, Execu- tive Engineer with Clare County Council, “The process of surveying, compiling lists of works and meter installation is currently ongoing and the total number of customers may change due to additional connections being made or non-domestic connec- tions being removed.

“This project should be complete over the next number of months.”

Revenue that may accrue from non- domestic connections will depend on total usage. However, current rates are €1.10 per cubic metre for water supply, €2.08 per cubic metre for the consolidated supply (water and

sewerage connections), and a fixed charge of €1.45 per customer,’ he said. Installation of the meters will cost €145.

It was argued at Clare County Council level that the installation of such metre should be borne by cen- tral government.

The cost, however, will have to be paid by the customer. Clare County Council must also find €80 million to upgrade the county’s treatment plants, to maintain water schemes, and to monitor them if it is to reach the targets set in the first report on the Provision and Quality of Drink- ing Water in Ireland, 2006 – 2007.

FAMILIES in Inagh and Gort are returning to their homes this week following a month of intensive flood- ing which trapped a number of peo- ple in their homes for days at a time throughout January.

Pressure 1s mounting on local au- thorities in both Clare and Galway to tackle problem areas such as Drum- cullaun in Inagh and Tierneevan on the outskirts of Gort.

Rising waters cut off two families of Mullins’ in Drumcullaun at vari- ous times throughout January. The area was flooded for a total of 10 days throughout January, with mem-

bers of the Mullins family trapped either inside their home or away from their home for days at a time.

“If they are stuck outside of the house when the flood comes, they have to go and stay with relations or friends, but if they are inside the house when it floods, they’re trapped there, end of story,” said Inagh-based County Councillor Flan Garvey (FP).

“They have just returned to their homes but who knows when the next flood will come. Besides the incon- venience to the families, what if there was an emergency? There would be no way of reaching them.

“They can be trapped there for

three or four days at a time.”

Clare County Council has agreed to examine the situation but warned that a solution to the flooding could be both time-consuming and expen- sive.

“It is an expensive thing but as far as lam concerned the Mullins family are entitled to access to their homes the same as any other family. They pay their taxes the same as anyone else. A solution has to be found,” continued Cllr Garvey.

Meanwhile, Galway County Coun- cil are examining the possibility of opening a relief road to facilitate lo- cal people in the townland of Tiern- eevan near Gort who were marooned

as aresult of the recent flooding.

According to former Fianna Fail councillor, Michael ‘Stroke’ Fahy (IND), a relief road is available to allow families affected by the flood- ing to access Gort, but this cannot be done until insurance issues are sorted out between the landowner and Gal- way County Council.

Cllr Fahy returned to active service for Galway County Council in De- cember after spending seven months in prison after he was found guilty of misappropriating council funds and attempted theft last May in Galway Circuit Criminal Court.

Cllr Fahy (56) is the longest serving member of Galway County Council.

after the meeting, former wa- ter scheme chairman Martin Knox accused Clare County Council of

being disingenuous in offering to help the committee solve the prob- lems which have now arisen with the scheme.

“It 1s hardly necessary for Clare County Council to state that they are not involved in the day-to-day run- ning of the scheme but it needs to be said that they had significant input into the design of the plant.

“When their help was required at the design stage, it was counter-pro- ductive. The process was designed to fail,” he said.

“The plant was designed around a ridiculously low baseline demand of 180 cubic metres a day when the quantity should have been much greater. To future-proof the plant,

our baseline demand estimate was 360 cubic metres a day. The Depart- ment of the Environment, the client’s representative and the county coun- cil ignored our contributions.” ‘Domestic users on the scheme pay for water. This is inequitable as do- mestic users in towns and city areas do not. Even if the plant could deliver the volumes required, the contractor will put a surcharge on every litre consumed above a limit of 288,000 litres a day,’ Mr Knox explained. ‘“Killone group water scheme is run by volunteers and has been run by volunteers for the past 30 years. The Department of the Environment funded the current project under a design, build and operate process.

‘The cost of the project to the tax- payer was almost €900,000 and the Killone group water scheme contrib- uted almost €60,000 in addition to the cost of the site. The executive committee took legal advice and, as a result, refused to sign the contract. We correctly predicted that the vol- umes would be inadequate.

“We eventually signed the contract under duress following a threat from the county council to withdraw fund- ing,” he said.

Calling on the council to clarify the nature of the “help” now being of- fered, Mr Knox said the plant needs further capital expenditure and a new contract to meet the requirements of the community for the next 20 years.

THOUSANDS of Clare farmers have been urged to vote yes on the upcoming Lisbon treaty with IFA President, Padraig Walsh, throwing his lot behind the Government on the TEstS1 OC oe

With as many as 10,000 IFA mem- bers in Clare, the organisations back-

ing for the so-called reform treaty could be one of the main determin- ing factors on how Clare votes.

“IT think that Europe needs to change – European institutions need to change and streamline themselves, become more efficient and respond more rapidly to the realities of the world today,’ he said.

“I think that is one of the things that

will come from the treaty. Obviously there are a lot of people reading into the treaty things that are not there. I would urge people to vote on the treaty for the treaty itself rather than using it as a way of sending a mes- sage to Government.”

According to Walsh, the needs of farmers are best served by a close re- lationship with the rest of Europe.

“Compared to any other country, Ireland participation at the heart of Europe is more important to the economy,” he said.

“The IFA’s interest and the inter- ests of Irish farmers are best served by being at the heart of Europe rather than being on the fringes. At our na- tional AGM last week we had Com- missioner Fisher Boel, who is the Ag-

ricultural Commissioner responsible for farming right across Europe.

‘For two hours she sat and took questions from representatives from Irish farmers from all over the coun- try. It just shows that we can have a major influence on European policy at that level and that our influences are best served by being on the inside rather than on the fringes.”

DOMESTIC violence incidents in Clare have increased substantially over the past two years – and gardai say much of it is linked to alcohol.

143 incidents of domestic violence were reported to gardai in Clare in 2006 and this figure increased sub- stantially last year.

This is a massive rise on the fig- ure of 90 incidents in 2005 and re- flects an overall national trend in this area.

The head of the Clare Garda Divi- sion said gardai are worried about the WKOIIXOD

“We are concerned about the rise. domestic violence is one of our ma- jor concerns and the traumatic effect

it has on individuals and on society as a whole,” said Chief Superintend- ent, Gerry Mahon.

He said that alcohol is a prevalent factor in domestic abuse.

“Certainly alcohol is an issue. We are finding that alcohol is an issue in many of those incidents. Drugs is a factor, but not an overriding factor. Alcohol would be the main factor,” he said.

“There are so many factors in it. Relationships and outside factors like work and other social stresses play a role,” he added.

He said people are more willing to report incidents of domestic violence now than they were in the past.

“We are taking a very proactive stance on domestic violence. Every

garda has received training on do- mestic violence,” he said.

“It 1s one of the priorities for the gardai going forward in 2008,” he Cre HLGm

A spokeswoman for Clare Haven, which provides support to female victims of domestic abuse, said the marked increase was no surprise.

‘There has been a huge increase in the number of helpline calls and new visits, while our outreach centres in Shannon, Scariff, Ennistymon and Kilrush have been extra busy,” said PR co-ordinator Eileen Murphy.

“2007 certainly was a busy year for Clare Haven,” she added.

A HUNGARIAN student who came to Clare to spend the summer with relatives died after he fell from a height during a visit to the Cliffs of Moher.

Tibor Bardos (19) went missing while on a day trip with his aunt and uncle, last June.

Karoly Torok told Ennis Coroner’s Court last Wednesday that Mr Bar- dos – who was his wife’s nephew – was staying at his house in Kilrush

last summer.

He had visited Ireland to work, for the summer period. One June 23, they decided to visit the Cliffs of Moher. They first went to the interpretative centre and then took photographs at the tower.

They arrived at the end of the safe walking area and Tibor wanted to walk further to take photographs. A short time later, they were in contact with him, via phone, and arranged to meet.

“He agreed to meet us in 20 min-

utes,” said Mr Torok.

However, when he did not appear, Mr ‘Torok’s wife tried to phone Mr Bardos, but only got his voicemail.

They eventually went back to their car, but were not “really worried” as they thought he had met someone or was reading a book, as he was inter- ested in history.

However, as time passed, they be- came very worried. Later that night, gardai made them aware that Tibor’s body had been recovered.

Tom Doherty was working as a

ranger at the cliffs that day. He took part in a search for Mr Bardos. It got underway at 9.32pm and a body was spotted just six minutes later in the water at Johnston’s Quarry. The body was taken from the water and taken to the pier at Doolin.

Pathologist Dr Peter Fawl carried out an autopsy on the deceased’s body, at Limerick Regional Hospi- ae

He said Mr Bardos received a lac- eration to the forehead. Death was due to multiple injuries, including

Skull fracture, consistent with the de- ceased having fallen from a height.

Coroner Isobel O’Dea said “one can only presume it was an accident. There was nothing to indicate he was suffering from depression”.

‘There was no direct evidence as to what happened. I’m absolutely satis- fied there was no suspicion of foul play,” she said, and recorded an open verdict.

“T can only imagine how difficult it must be for Mr Bardos’ family, to be so far away,’ added Ms O’Dea.