Category: News

A PRIMARY school in Ennis is participating in a major research project aimed at compiling a new database of information for historians.

The Junior Genealogist Initiative has been underway at the Ennis National School for the past month. Under the initiative, students are asked to collect memorial cards of people who were born or died in Clare, and bring them in to school. Cards are then copied and returned safely to their owners.

Over 1,000 cards have been copied so far at Ennis National where students have really embraced the spirit of the initiative.

The purpose of this project is to compile a repository of historical detail and family information for future genealogists and historians.

It is also an objective of this project to use genealogy as a practical learning tool for children to deepen their awareness and appreciation of the origins of their own families, their communities and their broader society.

It is also hoped that the project could be used in the classroom as an interesting, enjoyable and practical addition to the existing curriculum, in which the children themselves would play a leading role.

Clare Education Centre will collect the copies from all Clare schools for presentation to Clare County Library, genealogy section. This will ensure that the memory of all these deceased people will be preserved, and accessible to descendents of Clare families into the future. The Junior Genealogist Initiative will close on January 17.

The project is sponsored by the Department of Tourism, Culture and Sport, and is designed to give children an appreciation of the importance of preserving knowledge of their own community.

The project is also supported by the Clare Roots Society. The Clare Roots Society, brainchild of Ennis man Larry Brennan, was formed in April 2006 as an amateur family history group in Clare.

The society meets once a month in Ennis, and now has over 100 members. The society aims to provide a forum for family history and genealogical research with emphasis on County Clare.

UNPRECEDENTED weather brings once-in-a-lifetime challenges for the small army of workers whose job it is to keeps the counties roads open in all conditionals.

While some roads around the county were blocked by snow and ice in the run up to Christmas, most other were kept open to allow the majority of Clare people to prepare for the holiday.

According to county engineer, Tom Tiernan, the run up to Christmas 2010, was the busiest that Clare County Council has ever had to deal with.

“The road workers were as busy as they have ever been in the run up to Christmas but in a very short time after Christmas Day the roads began to sort themselves out when the thaw happened and the integrity of roads returned again. Of course it went from the roads to another difficulty with the water which other people are dealing with at the moment,” said Tom.

“There was a variety of issues to be dealt with on the roads. As was the case all over the country we had to prioritise keeping the main roads around the county open and opera- tional so we had about 600 kilometres of national routes in Clare which we worked on. We also succeeded in keeping most of the regional routes open and operational other than for a few small sections for short periods of time.

“We had one severe snow storm in a region around Kilrush and that had a severe impact on an area down there around the N68. For the first time ever in the county we had to deploy a snow-plough but that worked well and within a number of hours after that snow fall the Kilrush Road was operational once again, once it got a substantial application of salt following the ploughing.”

Despite the best efforts of Clare County Council, Mr Tiernan is still conscious that some people were not able to reach towns and shops in the way they normally would in the run up to Christmas.

“There is no doubt about it, some areas of the network which were off the main road network were not in good condition through some of the cold snap and that made it difficult not just for our staff who had to spend long hours outside of their normal work time dealing with these roads but we were also conscious of the fact that this upset a significant proportion of the population of the county,” continued Tom.

“We are conscious that this effected some people who were not able to go out to do their shopping and it effected business as well as they had the disappointment of not having the benefit of the level of business that they might normally enjoy at that time of year. So there was a heavy responsibility involved in having the road network in as good a condition as possible.

“We had to prioritise keeping the main road network in a good condition as possible we also had to give a lot of attention to keeping the rest of the network in as good a condition as possible.

“We have almost 4,500 kilometres of roads in the county and it was never going to be easy to insure that the work we did was the greatest benefit to the greatest number of people but I think that we succeeded reasonably well in that.

“It is not possible to get everything right for everyone but we had a number of strategies in place and did as well as we could do.”

THE BALLYVAUGHAN Community Development Group says that it will oppose the “wanton destruction of the rural environment” by the National Roads Authority (NRA).

The group is calling for local organisations from all over the county to join them in opposing the NRA’s new signage policy for national roads.

In a statement to The Clare People , the NRA said that they had already consulted with Fáilte Ireland and Clare County Council in relation to the signs and would not be meeting with the north Clare group.

“What this amounts to is the wanton destruction of the rural environment by the NRA without planning permission or any consultation with the local people,” said Patrick O’Donoghue, Chairperson of the Ballyvaughan Community Development Group.

“They are putting these signs in the local flowers beds, they are placing them on private property, and all without any consultation with the local people.

“I think we all agree that the county has been destroyed with signs – I don’t see how the NRA adding to this problem is going to make anything better.

“If the NRA could invest as much money on fixing the roads as they are investing on these signs then the place would be a lot safer and easier to navigate than it is at the moment.”

A spokesperson from the NRA told The Clare People that the organisation had already had a period of public consultation before it began its new programme of signs and would not be meeting with any local groups.

The spokesperson claimed that the NRA had also consulted with Fáilte Ireland before rolling out the new signage scheme and was in ongoing contact with Clare County Council concerning its roll-out in Clare.

“The NRA has worked closely with Clare County Council on these issues and we can’t go back and have different consulting with different people at different times,” said a spokesman.

“We are conscious that existing signage in Clare is not up to scratch, it is a serious problem and has the potential to cause a safety hazard in the county.”

A SUBMARINE cable which will connect Moneypoint to a new combined-cycle gas turbine power plant on the former ESB station at Tarbert in County Kerry has been granted planning permission by An Bord Pleanála.

The new plant is now likely to be supplied with natural gas from An Bord Gáis through the national gas network, whose nearest connection is just 22 kilometres. This could open the possibility for Moneypoint to converted to a gas burning power station in the future.

The new Tarbert station will be owned and operated Endesa Ireland, part of the Spanish energy company Endesa. The power plant, which will generate up to 450 megawatts by 2016, is to be built within the confines of the existing power-generating plant at Tarbert, which is to be demolished, on the Shannon estuary just opposite Moneypoint.

The more energy efficient plant at Tarbert will occupy 10 hectares of the existing 42-hectare site and be constructed in two phases over four years.

The Endesa application came under the Strategic Infrastructure Act, which provides for planning applications for some major projects to be made directly to An Bord Pleanála, and an oral hearing was held earlier this year.

FROM ensuring medical assistance was provided to vulnerable patients to supplying homes around the county with water, it’s been a busy month for the volunteer members of Clare Civil Defence.

During December when extreme cold weather caused massive disruption to Clare’s road and water network, as many as 25 Civil Defence volounteers were on duty a day in Clare, in what has been described as a “massive volontary effort”.

“We’ve been out since December 17 and we’ve been out every day since”, explained Liam Griffin, Director of Clare Civil Defence.

He continued, “We’re kind of on standby, waiting for isolated calls. Basically what we have been doing, we’ve been transporting public health nurses around to their patients when the roads were in poor conditions with the ice. We have four wheel drive vehicles so we were doing that. As well as that we were also providing water to houses in our tankers and we were also manning standpipes on the Kilrush and Gort Road during the Christmas period, including Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, St Stephen’s Day. Our people were working throughout the Christmas period and throughout the New Year”.

As freezing weather conditions gripped the county in December, Civil Defence tankers transported thousands of gallons of water to affected areas.

Mr Griffin said demand for the service was as great as it had been during the floods crisis in November 2009.

He said, “When the weather turned bad and the pipes started to freeze were supplying water by tanker or by manning standpipes. It was mostly in the mid-Clare area, from Ennis to Cratloe, up to Crusheen out to Clooney, that sort of area. We were every bit as busy as last year”.

Mr Griffin also hailed the dedication and commitment of volounteers who had given up their time during the Christmas period.

“Most of our volunteers would be young people that are in their 20s and it’s a great sign for the future insofar as these people were so willing to give up their time, particularly over the Christmas holiday period. They were out Christmas Day, St Stephen’s Day, New Year’s Day”. he said.

Mr Griffin added, “That’s a massive volountary effort from these people and it should be very much appreciated. Many of the householders that were affected during the period expressed their gratitude to the people involved”.

THE CONSTRUCTION of a new secondary school in Tulla should be given the green light and a firm commitment on the project is essential.

That’s according to Fianna Fáil TD Timmy Dooley, who has highlighted the ongoing difficulties with accommodation at St Joseph’s Secondary School.

The situation has been reviewed by the Department of Education over a number of years, amid concerns that the site is small and does not have a recreational area.

More than half of the schoolrooms are prefabricated, many of which are old and in poor condition.

The issue was raised in the Dáil in December, when Mr Dooley said that an extension had been proposed by the Department of Education some time ago. However, given the increasing population in the area, this is no longer a suitable option, he said.

“Given the population growth in the area and the very small site on which the school is currently housed, it is now clearly recognised that the needs of local children will not be addressed by an extension to the school.

“The Department should finally make a decision that the appropriate solution to this accommodation problem is a new school,” he said.

He said that an appropriate site has been earmarked for a new school and an investment is essential. “Now is the time to invest in a school building in conjunction with the community group (Tulla 2016), thus ensuring a campus-style approach catering for all the needs of the community at the same site,” he said.

“The school accommodation needs have to be addressed because during the exams earlier this year there was not enough room to accommodate the various exam centres that were required, including separate centres for children with special needs,” he added.

“Were it not for the principal (Margaret O’Brien), the board of management and the parents, the place would be falling down. They have put a tremendous amount of effort into maintaining this very poor facility. I have reasonable knowledge of schools throughout the country, and this one is in an exceptionally bad state,” he added.

Environment Minister John Gormley, on behalf of the Minister for Education Mary Coughlan, told Deputy Dooley that while the project is under consideration, “in light of current competing demands on the capital budget of the Department, it is not possible to give an indicative timeframe for the progression of the project at this time”.

OPPOSITION politicians in Clare have given a stern thumbs down to former Taoiseach Bertie Ahearn as a possible candidate for the presidency.

Former Labour TD Dr Moosajee Bhamjee and Fine Gael TD, Pat Breen both told The Clare People that they are less than impressed with Bertie’s criticisms of the current Taoiseach.

Dr Bhamjee said, “He has left politicis and he could have offered his support and experience to the current Taoiseach from the back benches. That was the time to make his opinions heard – not now when he has left.”

The Fine Gael Deputy spokesperson on Foreign Affairs, Deputy Breen, had a similar opinion.

“I don’t think he’s being fair to Cowen. After all, he was Taoiseach when the trouble started and to say that as Taoiseach that no-one told him there was a problem with the banks, that’s just unbelievable,” Deputy Breen said.

Dr Bhamjee, who was part of the Rainbow Coalition Government of 1994, said he met with Bertie Ahern at various delegations and found he “had a way of pacifying people. He is a very co-ordinated person. He made social partnerships work by his way of dealing with people.”

But despite this quality, Dr Bhamjee feels it is “time for him to go. I don’t think he is a suitable candidate for the presidency. He has stepped away from politicis and he should just go quietly now and not make the kind of statements he has made over the last few days.”

Deputy Breen accused the former Taoiseach of having “bought his way through every election. He gave everyone what they wanted”.

The Fine Gael Deputy says Bertie’s potential candidacy would do the party no good.

“His work on the peace agreement was fantastic but he has wiped that out. He will be remembered for all the wrong reasons. The Galway tent was born during his era and that’s where many of the problems we know have begun.

“He created so many junior ministries there was nearly one for everyone in the audience. He can’t stand for the presidency, there are too many ‘if’s’ .

He continued, “For a former Taoiseach to take part in an ad where he appears out of a cupboard – he’s just not a creditable candidate for Fianna Fail.”

Deputy Breen said that while Bertie “has a great presence, you’d certainly know that he’s in the room”, his departure from politics should now be swift. “He can’t change his political legacy,” Deputy Breen said.

A TEAM of 120 volunteers maintained the Samaritans 24-hour telephone service in Clare throughout the Christmas period.

The Clare branch recorded almost 25,000 calls in 2010 with many calls relating to stresses and strains caused by the recession. Branch director, Gerry Dobbin, said that Christmas could often be very lonely and difficult time for many people.

“Our branch was open over Christmas and we would’ve been fairly flat out. People who have been bereaved over the years and in recent times, the empty chair at the table. It can be a very sad time and a very lonely time because of the pressures out there. You are expected to be happy and merry and all the rest of it and people feel very separated from that”, he said.

He added, “This year there would have been an increase in calls relating to the economic situation and people would have had a lot of financial worries about what might be coming next year. People who have experienced economic hardship in recent times, people worried about paying bills in January. We’d have noticed an increase in that kind of call. And then people, socially, who would be marginalisied, isolated very lonely people. People who may be in broken relationships who are on their own, possibly single parents or people who are parents but the partner has them (the children). People who are separated and there could be issues around that”.

New figures show that between November 2009 and October 2010, Samaritans Ireland responded to 243,000 calls. This represented a six per cent increase on the previous 12 months; an additional 13,000 calls. “A lot of those would have related to economic worries and financial worries. A sizeable number of those calls would have related to the economic situation. People who would be experiencing depression, people depressed at the thought of insecurity, lack of jobs and little chance of employment”, Mr Dobbin explained.

Despite the difficulties posed by dangerous road and weather conditions, volounteers in Clare ensured there was always someone on hand to provide confidential emotional support to people experiencing feel- ings of distress and despair.

Mr Dobbin said everyone associated with the branch had shown great commitment during Christmas and throughout the past 12 months.

He explained, “They are giving up their time. They do their shifts and because of the weather situation we’ve had volounteers who have done over and above to keep the branch open. People who didn’t have to drive long distances would’ve come in when people who are living out in the country maybe would have had difficulties getting in because of the roads. Other people have taken up the duties.

He added, “They’ve given a big commitment. People from diverse backgrounds, but with the common cause to be there and give a listening ear to other people who are not so fortunate. It’s important to talk about the people who give their time. They come in and so generously give their time for other people”

The Samaritans can be contacted at 1850 60 90 90 or by email jo@samaritans.org.

ALMOST three in four workers at Shannon Aerospace Ltd, have voted in favour of a restructuring programme which will see more than 100 jobs being shed from next month.

Almost one-fifth of full-time workers will face redundancy under the deal.

Shannon Aerospace, a subsidiary of German-based Lufthansa Technik AG, provides airframe maintenance, engineering, painting and technical services for airlines. It is blaming the recession, which has severely affected the aviation industry, for the need to shed jobs.

The company, which currently employs 628 full-time staff and 97 trainees, confirmed in October that it proposed laying off 107 workers, mostly administrative and support staff.

The announcement came as Lufthansa Technic announced losses of almost € 1 million between August and October this year.

After weeks of talks, between management and SIPTU, the union representing staff at Aerospace, workers voted.

After the ballot a company spokesperson said that 71.5 per cent of workers voted in favour of accepting the restructuring moves.

It is understood that workers were offered an improved redundancy package to the one originally proposed, while remaining staff have accepted an 18-month pay freeze and changes to the rostering system at the plant.

When the restructuring is complete, the company will employ more than 540 people.

Shannon Aerospace chief executive Thomas Rückert welcomed the agreement. “In my short time here in Ireland, I have been deeply impressed with the people working for Shannon Aerospace. We asked a lot of our employees and, together with the board, I am grateful for their support, which will allow us to implement our plan and safeguard the maximum number of jobs at the company.”

The original announcement by Aerospace management that jobs were to be cut was the first of three in as many weeks, all from companies who have put down roots in Clare over decades.

Within an hour of the announcement at Aerospace, management at publishing company, Elsevier, announced that it was leting 100 people go. Elsevier, who publish medical journals including the prestigious Lancet , will now have just a handful of staff in Ireland. It is not clear if the few remaining employees will still be based at Shannon.

Then came the Roche announcement that it is to shed 25 jobs at its Clarecastle plant.

The move is part of a wider restructuring programme that will see it axe 4,800 jobs worldwide.

THE SUCCESS of the Northern Irish peace process will be Bertie Ahern’s legacy in years to come and when the current financial troubles are forgotten he will be remembered as a good Taoiseach.

That is the opinion of Kilnamona man Michael McTigue, who got to know the former Taoiseach very well when he served on the National Executive of the Fianna Fáil party for more then a decade.

“I got to know him well enough when he was Minister for Finance and I was on the National Executive of the party and I was there when he was first elected Taoiseach. He was a great man to hang around and chat after a meeting – he always seemed to have time for everybody,” said Mike.

“Mind you he was always a very disheveled looking character when he was Minister for Finance, he was probably one of the worst dressed people going into Dáil Éireann at the time.

“He had an old shinny suit on him with the pockets bulging with notes about different things.

“Nothing was too small for Bertie, he would always make time for people. I used to always get a phone call from him on Christmas Eve, and if he didn’t get me his secretary would arrange another time for him to call.

“But I think the Good Friday Agreement would have to be his greatest achievement as Taoiseach. I remember I was at his mother’s funeral when he was whisked off by helicopter back to Belfast.

“He was knocking heads together up in Northern Ireland while his mother was dying. He came down for his mother’s funeral and at the end he was whisked back over the border again.

“I remember being at his mother’s funeral and in the middle of all of that he remembered everyone’s name – that’s the sort of guy he was,” he added.

“I mean he managed to solve the most intractable political problem in western Europe, something that has been an issue for many centuries, that is some achievement.”

Despite the current economic trouble, Mike believes that Bertie Ahern will be remembered fondly by the people of Ireland.

“Right now he is taking a bit of a beating but in the long term it will have to be seen in a positive light.

“We are in a mess now and people need someone to blame but when all of this is done they will realise that we have a roads’ network now that we never had before and even now there are twice as many people working now as there were in the 1980s,” he added.