KILRUSH Town Council has backed the introduction a new rates reduction scheme to breathe new business life into the West Clare capital, but has challenged landlords in the town to play their part by reducing rents.
This twin-track approach to attracting new business to Kilrush is set to form the basis of a new Retail Incentive Scheme being pioneered by town leaders on the back of startling figures revealed by The Clare People
THE man behind a new multi-million shopping centre in Miltown Malbay believes that a number of businesses have been lost to the town in recent years because of delays in the planning process.
John Jones, whose family have been in business in Miltown for nearly 200 years, gained planning permission for a € 4m supermarket last week – after six years and three different attempts at through the planning process.
According to Mr Jones, the new development could help the town attract other businesses and generate new employment in Miltown Malbay.
“I think this would have made Miltown more attractive for other businesses to come in. Miltown has no factories and it has no large scale employer. It needs something to get more people working and get money generating in the area and that will help the area to prosper. Hopefully this can help kick-start the rest of the town,” he said.
“There should be up to 50 employed in the shop and obviously there would be extra seasonal employment. Miltown hasn’t exactly developed as well as other towns in recent years. What- ever you say about the [planning] objectors, they have definitely put Miltown on the back foot because this project has been held up. Other towns might have factories to provide employment but Miltown doesn’t have that; Miltown has suffered over the last few years.
“I’m delighted to get it finished. I think I always knew that I would get there in the end but some people used the system to hold me up. What we were proposing was always going to go through eventually.
“The last time at we went to Bord Pleanála we were told that we had too much car parking, which was strange in itself. But we decided that we would use that space for an Astro Turf field instead.”
The development consists of a 10,000 square foot supermarket, 150 car parking spaces, a relief road for the town, children’s playground and an Astro-Turf facility with associated dressing rooms and lighting.
Building work is due to begin on the development later this summer and could be completed by Easter of 2012. As well as the 50 full-time jobs, the development will generate as much as 150 new positions during the construction phase.
GARDAÍ are examining footage of drivers on the Clare side of the tunnel who have been caught on camera reversing and even doing u-turns to avoid having to pay a toll.
Cameras at the entrance to the new tunnel toll plaza have nabbed drivers reversing on the hard shoulder of the motorway back on to the roundabout to take an alternative route. Other cameras on the approach to the toll tunnell on the Clare side have cap- tured drivers going as far as doing a u-turn and driving the wrong way up the road.
A spokesman for the Direct Route – the company which operates the tunnel and toll – said that the dangerous behaviour has been filmed on the Clare side of the tunnel with drivers coming from the Shannon direction.
Clare registration plates have been identified in many of the instances, he said, and the footage has been handed over to gardaí and copies sent to the Road Safety Authority.
“This is completely irresponsible and dangerous behaviour,” the spokseman said.
He added that the incidents of reversing and turning are becoming less frequent as drivers become more familiar with the route which brings them to the tunnel.
“If drivers don’t want to pay the toll, there is another route still available and they can take that. But once they are on the mortorway and committed to the tunnel, it’s very dangerous to do anything but drive ahead.”
NEW figures show that Ennis Town Council issued 11 fines against people for drinking in public places in 2010.
No fines have been handed out so far this year, while seven were issued in 2009 and 18 were issued in 2008. Town Clerk Eddie Power outlined the figures at last week’s meeting of Ennis Town Council.
Mr Power was responding to a motion tabled by Cllr Mary Howard (FG). Cllr Howard urged the council to compile a report on the amount of convictions under the council’s byelaws, with particular reference to recent difficulties with anti-social behaviour at Tim Smyth Park/Fairgreen.
Cllr Howard explained, “Over the past number of years, there have been problems with daytime and indeed night-time drinking.”
Cllr Howard added that the council erected a sign in the area to highlight the issue.
She said local people were concerned by the behaviour.
She told the meeting that groups of young people had been seen holding “drinking parties at night, sometimes by candlelight” near picnic tables in Tim Smythe Park.
Mr Power said, “The Garda Super- intendent has been contacted in relation to this matter and I will revert to you on receipt of his reply.”
Town Manager Ger Dollard said he had been told by gardaí that people caught drinking in public places have been dealt with under the public order act.
Concerns over anti-social behaviour at a new playground at Tim Smythe Park have led to calls for fencing to be installed.
Local residents say a six-foot fence, CCTV cameras and public lighting are required to prevent teenagers causing disruption.
THE numbers signing on in Clare look set to drop below the 10,000 mark for the first time in more than 18 months should the current positive trend continue throughout June.
The number of Clare people on the Live Register has remained well above 10,000 since October of 2009, peaking at just under 11,000 in January of this year.
The last five months have seen consistent month-on-month reductions in the numbers signing on with May’s figures down to 10,286 – a reduction of almost 200 in the the April figures.
Another strong performance coupled with an increase in the numbers returning to seasonal work in the county’s tourism sector should could see the Live Register drop below 10,000 next month.
This reduction in numbers has been largely driven by positive numbers coming from North Clare with the Ennistymon area office reporting a drop of almost 15 per cent in the numbers signing on since January.
A total of 1,535 people signed on the Live Register in Ennistymon last month – down from 1,610 in April and 1,771 in January of this year.
The numbers were also down in Ennis last month where 5,842 people signed on the Live Register last month. This was just 29 people during the month and 150 people since the start of the year.
There were 1,415 people signing on in Kilrush last month, down 29 on the previous month, and 1,494 in Tulla, a reduction of five on the previous month.
A MAN charged with the murder of a 21-year-old student in Barefield is due to appear again in court next week.
Joe Heffernan (31) with an address at Cappabeg, Barefield, was last week charged with the murder of Eoin Ryan at Cappabeg, Barefield, on June 7.
The accused made an initial court appearance last Wednesday and was remanded in custody to Friday.
At Ennis District Court on Friday, Inspector John Galvin applied to have Mr Heffernan remanded in custody until Friday week.
IT’S GOOD news at last for Clare on the jobs front with confirmation that the county is to be the European base for a massive logistics hub designed to deliver humanitarian aid all over the world from Shannon Airport.
Thousands of jobs could be created, both directly and indirectly, at Shannon and across the county in the coming years as a result a major reinvention of the way business in done at the airport. The Clare People has learned that the ‘Global Aid Shannon’ organisation will be officially listed with the Company Registrations Office in Dublin this week and could be up and running in Shannon before the end of 2012.
The not-for-profit company has been formed by the Atlantic Way group and will create a global centre for the delivery of humanitarian aid in Shannon, while a sister project is also progressing in Jacksonville in Florida.
Atlantic Way have been holding top level meetings all over the world for more than a year and have also received commitments from both Irish and US authorities, major industry players, the EU and the United Nations about the project.
Talks on creating a similar sister- project for cargo shipment and logistics between Shannon and Florida are also well advanced as are plans to strengthen the tourism connections between the two areas.
“This project has involved a lot of astute political footwork not just here in Ireland but also at the EU level and in the US and at the UN.
“We have been working on a number of levels to get this venture going which would utalise all the strategic strengths of Shannon, such as its very large airport system,” said Brian Byrne of Atlantic Way.
Cratloe 2-11 – Shannon Gaels 2-09 at Cusack Park, Ennis
CRATLOE were forced to dig deep to take all two points from a tense and compelling encounter with Shannon Gaels on Saturday.
Michael Coughlan’s 60th minute free looked to have rescued a share of the spoils for the Gaels but Cratloe came again.
Last season’s quarter-finalists forced a free a minute into injury time. The ever-reliable Cathal McInerney converted his eighth placed ball of the evening before Sean Collins slotted over the insurance point a minute later.
It was hard luck on the Gaels who had done enough to earn at least a point.
Carefully guarding possession, they defended with purpose and concentration to restrict Cratloe to just three points from play. John Neylon, Michael O’Donoghue and Michael Coughlan were instrumental throughout while at full-forward John Paul O’Neill caused Barry Duggan plenty of worrying moments before the Clare full-back was withdrawn through injury in the second half.
Still there was greater movement and menace about Cratloe, particularly when Padraic Collins and McInerney had the ball in their hands. And when possession was paramount in those tense final minutes, Conor Ryan manfully stepped up with a couple of important takes in midfield.
Cratloe made the brighter start, edging 0-3 to 0-1 ahead by the tenth minute before some loose defending by both full-back lines allowed for a flurry of goals.
McInerney bisected two Gaels jerseys to find Padraic Collins who drove low to the net in the 14th minute. Seconds later, a weak Cratloe clearance was hacked back towards goal by John Paul O’Neill where Noel Kennedy was left with an easy finish. Cratloe went one better in the 17th minute when Sean Collins’ high ball evaded Tomás Madigan and fell to McInerney who made no mistake from close range. That left Cratloe 2-3 to 1-1 ahead but the Gaels slowly but surely reeled them in. The hard working Coughlan kicked two frees before Cathal O’Neill’s foray forward from corner-back was rewarded with a point. Another Coughlan free levelled the game but McInerney hit back with another placed ball to give Cratloe a slender 2-4 to 1-6 lead at half time. The second half would be an even closer affair. After another McInerney free, John Paul O’Neill applied a goal scoring finish to a well-worked Gaels attack. Coughlan and McInerney continued their private place kicking duel before Cratloe sneaked 2-9 to 2-7 ahead in the 57th minute. Coughlan tied the game again with two more frees, the second of which had its roots in a mighty catch from Kennedy. A draw looked on the cards but Cratloe had other ideas and take their first big step towards reaching the business end of the championship once more.
Kildysart 1-15 – Kilfenora 1-11 at Páirc Naomh Mhuire, Quilty
DESPITE LEADING from start to finish, Kildysart never had it all their own way against Junior A champions Kilfenora. A strong wind blowing in from the sea dominated the game but last year’s semi-finalists arguably played better when facing into the gale for the second period than they did in the first.
Still, while they would be happy by the 1-15 scoreline, they also kicked 13 wides over the hour and had Kilfenora taken their goal opportunities, there might have been a more dramatic finish. However, Kildysart just had the better balance on the day, despite making harder work of the result than they perhaps should have done.
All so different early on as with the aid of the conditions, everything they kicked seemed to go over the crossbar with Ger Kelly and Christy Clancy grabbing a brace each on their way to a 0-5 to 0-0 lead by the eighth minute.
All that early work was almost cancelled out in a three minute period midway through the half when Killian Malone was presented with two glorious goal opportunities. The first one he took with aplomb after receiving an inch perfect pass from James Keane while after a Brian O’Sullivan reply at the other end, Keane again supplied Malone for a second opportunity following the collision of two defenders but he lost possession at the vital time.
How there wasn’t more goals in the remainder of the half came down to the superb goalkeeping of John Murtagh and Liam Keane who both produced breathtaking saves to keep their respective opponents at bay. Kildysart’s Murtagh excellently stopped Aidan Malone’s rasping effort while down the other end, Keane produced a point blank stop to deny Keith Murphy.
Instead, Kildysart wiped their brows and got back on top, and despite eight first half wides, they did manage to score another four points, two from corner-forward Damien Murtagh to hold a 0-10 to 1-02 halftime advantage.
It didn’t seem enough when facing into the breeze for the second half especially when Kilfenora kicked three successive points in as many minutes to bring the lead down to just two. Pat Connole began the rally after only 15 seconds, followed by points from marque forwards Killian and Aidan Malone while the former also had another goal attempt blocked by John Ginnane.
However, Kilfenora never forced home the wind advantage and bizarrely brought back Kevin Theasby as a sweeper, just as they had done against the conditions in the opening half. It allowed Kildysart to hit back through Christy (2) and John Clancy, only to be pegged back by a brace of Killian Malone frees and that was to be the pattern of the game until Kildysart found the net in the 55th minute.
There was an element of fortune about the goal as substitute Eoin Cleary’s shot for a point dropped short and broke to Damien Murtagh who finished at the second attempt to give his side a 1-15 to 1-08 cushion.
Kilfenora never gave up and kicked the last three points but with time against them, they had to settle for second best against a Kildysart side that will harbour ambitions of being in the shake up later in the summer.
Kildysart
John Murtagh (8), John Ginnane (8), Shane McNelis (7), Kieran Leahy (7), Brian Eyres (7), Keith O’Connor (7), Michael Eustace (7), Brian O’Sullivan (7) (0-1), John Clancy (8) (0-1), Damien Hill (6) (0-1), Niall Ginnane (7) (0-1), Christy Clancy (8) (0-4), Ger Kelly (7) (0-5 3f), Keith Murphy (6), Damien Murtagh (7) (1-2 1f)
Sub
Eoin Cleary for Murphy (50 mins)
Kilfenora
LiamKeane (8), Shane Long (7), Dairmuid Nagle (7), Paul Reddan (6), Michael James Malone (6), Cathal Nagle (7), Paudie Ireland (7), Pat Connole (7) (0-1), LiamO’Brien (6), Jason Connole (6), Killian Malone (8) (1-6 3f), James Keane (7) (0-1),Austin Kelly (7) (0-1),Aidan Malone (7) (0-1), KevinTheasby (6)
Sub
Aidan Long (6) (0-1) for J. Connole (39 mins)
Man of the Match
Christy Clancy (Kildysart) Referee John Brew(Kilmurry Ibrickane)
Kilmurry Ibrickane 2-11 – O’Callaghan’s Mills 0-03 at Ballynacally
THE LAST time these sides met in the champonship in August 2009, the Mills won out by two points on their way to the semi-finals and within a point of reaching a county final. Kilmurry Ibrickane meanwhile nosedived in the opposite direction that year and only saved themselves from relegation in a play-off with Michael Cusacks.
Two years on and the football landscape for both sides has altered considerably as Kilmurry Ibrickane, backed by the senior experience of Odran O’Dwyer, Vinnie Talty, Brendan Moloney and Gary Donnellan and the guile of Seamus Lynch, are a much more formidable opposition as demonstrated by their dis- mantling of the Mills on Sunday.
The same passion or interest cannot be attributed to the east Clare side who were without up to eight first team starters, including county senior hurlers Patrick Donnellan and Conor Cooney, the latter of which only made a second half cameo.
Bizarre that the Mills should pass up arguably their best chance of silverware this year but that mattered little to Kilmurry Ibrickane who could only beat what was put in front of them and after a getting-to-knowyou first half, they really opened up on the turnover.
An unanswered 2-7 put paid to any doubts of where the first points were heading, with chief marksmen Odran O’Dwyer and Seamus Lynch deservedly cutting through the heart of the Mills defence for the goals.
It was a much more tentative start however with Kilmurry Ibickane shading the first half efforts at 0-4 to 0-2, with Odran O’Dwyer settling into the new grade with two points. Meanwhile, the Mills had goal chances for Billy Donovan, whose fisted flick was saved by the head of goalkeeper Darren Sexton, and a James Hook punch at the back post that was also twarted by the county minor netminder.
The Mills had relative success in drawing their half-forward line back to crowd out the middle but those tactics quickly went out the window as Kilmurry Ibrickane found their range on the restart.
With Seamus Lynch expertly pulling the strings and picking off four of the first five points, they opened up a 0-9 to 0-2 advantage before the Mills were decisively killed off by Odran O’Dwyer’s 46th minute goal. It was a superb back-to-front move, involving John Sexton, Vinnie Talty and Senan McCarthy whose crossfield pass picked out O’Dwyer to turn his man and head for goal.
The Mills woes worsened when Seamus Lynch weaved through the last line to score a 53rd minute goal, a fitting end to a superb individual display that puts the ‘Bricks in the driving seat in the group and the Mills sinking in the opposite direction.
Kilmurry Ibrickane
Darren Sexton (7), AndrewDarcy (7), John Sexton (7), Eamon Dunne
(7), Gary Donnellan (8), Brendan Moloney (8), Patrick Sexton (7),Thomas O’Connor (7) (0-1), VinnyTalty (7),Thomas Lernihan (7) (0-1), Seamus Lynch (9) (1-6 4f), Brian Callinan (7) (0-1), Senan McCarthy (6), Odran O’Dwyer (8) (1-2), Colm Donnellan (6)
Subs
Thomas Greene (6) for McCarthy (48 mins), Mark Moloney for Callinan (51 mins), John McNamara for O’Dwyer (51 mins), Diarmuid Donnellan for G. Donnellan (54 mins, inj)
O’Callaghan’s Mills
Enda McNamara (6), Gary Neville (7), Niall Donovan (6), Gerry Cooney (6), Jonathan Lyons (6), John Cooney (7), Sean O’Gorman (6), Conor Cooney (8), Bryan Donnellan (7) (0-2 1f), Fergus Donovan (7), Paul Lynch (7) (0-1f), Mickey Madden (7), James Hook (6), Billy Donovan (6), Paul Murphy (6)
Subs
Conor Cooney (7) for Murphy (35 mins), Flannan McMahon (6) for N. Donovan (37 mins), Declan Donovan for Hook (50 mins), Martin McMahon for B. Donovan (51 mins)
Man of the Match
Seamus Lynch (Kilmurry Ibrickane) Referee John Hannon (Michael Cusack’s)