This article is from page 3 of the 2006-02-28 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 3 JPG
THE couple’s home-help loaned them an electric heater to help them to cope with the recent freezing conditions. But James points out that this just heats the area where it is turned on. His wife’s severe medical problems require that she have a warm home.
While other residents living mid-way on the hill have a good water supply, James says he has been told that what is needed is a special pump to keep the pressure on the water as it climbs up the hill.
“When the water does come back, by the time it makes its way up the hill it’s nothing but a dribble. It would take half the day to fill a kettle,” said James.
Last week, the supply was off for so long, said James, that his neighbour “had to call in Dynorod because her toilet had backed up. There wasn’t enough water to flush it properly. I had a doctor’s appointment and had to wash in a kettle of water. I remember having to do that years ago, but I never thought I’d be doing it again at this age.”
A native of Killaloe, James worked for a time in England, but has been home for more than 20 years and living back in his native place.
SPECULATION is mounting
that US President George W
Bush is to make a refuelling stop
at Shannon Airport tomorrow
(Wednesday) morning.
The President is scheduled to
travel to the Middle East, via
Shannon, on Wednesday. While
it has not been confirmed if he
will make a stop, a major secu-
rity operation, involving gardaí,
the Army and the US Secret
Service, has been underway for
some days at the airport.
A similar operation was in
place in May of last year, when “What really worries me is my wife. She has had to use babywipes for the last three days and if this continues, she’ll be back in hospital. Our GP has written to to the county council six weeks ago and our local Councillor, Tony O’Brien is doing everything he can, but still nothing is being done to fix the cause of the problem.”
An angry Cllr O’Brien (FF) told The Clare People that he had “raised this numerous time with the county council. There was a major leak discovered in the area just before Christmas and that was repaired, but that was not the problem. If there’s any water in Convent Hill, there’s none in Newtown. I’m told that what is needed is a new pumping station and I’m calling for it to go ahead now.” Cllr O’Brien said there are 42 new holiday homes being built and planning permission for 85 new houses.
“Up to €600,000 has been collected in development levies – that money has to be re-invested in providing the pumping station. What are they waiting for – for those houses to be occupied and for no-one in Killaloe to have any water?” the President was due to pass through Shannon.
However the President, who was travelling from Tbilisi to Washington, did not land, following much speculation in the area for several days.
On that occasion, 200 troops and at least 100 gardaí from Clare, Galway, Roscommon and Mayo, were on duty at the airport.
There were members of the Garda Air Support Unit and the Garda Mounted Unit on standby.
One of the largest security operations in the history of the State took place when President Bush visited Clare for the EUUS summit at Dromoland Castle in June 2004.
This latest speculation about President Bush making a stop at Shannon this week comes amid ongoing concern that US rendition flights are passing through Shannon.
Anti-war activists claim that CIA aircraft carrying hostages to interrogation camps are refuelling at the airport.
The Government says it accepts repeated assurances from US authorities that nothing untoward is taking place in Shannon. It was revealed in a Council of Europe report last week that gardaí forwarded two files on the matter to the DPP since 2004, but no action was deemed necessary.
Suggestions that President Bush may stop at Shannon follows US Vice President’s passing through the airport last month.
He passed through, on a refuelling stop, while travelling from the US to the Middle East.
Mr Cheney arrived at Shannon at around 7am on Monday, January 16, but did not get out of the plane. He passed through Shannon again later in the week, on his return journey.