Month: March 2006

CAHERCALLA Community Hospital and Hospice has secured planning permission for a €2.3 million upgrade of its hospital in Ennis.

If funding could be secured, it would mean 10 extra hospice beds and 10 nursing home beds at the 10year-old facility.

The hospital will now look to the statutory agencies including the Health Service Executive (HSE) to help fund the expansion of the services provided at Cahercalla, according to the Chairman of the Directors of the hospital, Fr Harry Bohan.

“Cahercalla provides an invaluable service to the community and we would like the State to look at ways it can help us to fund the new hospice,” said Fr Bohan.

“The population is growing at a huge rate and unfortunately terminal illness has taken some grip in the community. We are all the time looking at ways to expand the facility.

He said that he expected work to commence on the project during the year.

Fr Bohan added that Cahercalla was very unique in that it provided three different services under the one roof: nursing home, day surgery unit and a seven bed hospice.

He said that the ground floor of the new unit would be totally dedicated to hospice care and would consist of 10 large private ensuite bedrooms, a medical room, with a medical Jacuzzi bath where the patient could receive treatment, a sitting room and sleeping facilities for relatives who wanted to be near their relative, a number of rooms for patient activities such as music, reading, painting etc., and a conservatory overlooking the gardens.

Profits at the community-owned hospital dropped dramatically last year in the face of rising costs.

According to accounts recently returned to the Companies Office, Cahercalla recorded a profit of €50,147 last year, in contrast to the €200,533 profit achieved in 2003.

However, the facility’s financial position has dramatically improved in recent years with its accumulated debt being reduced from €888,391 in 2002 to the 2004 figure of €536,630. Cahercalla has a capital reserve of €2.539 million and total appeal fund contributions of €2.125 million.

This has left a positive balance sheet balance of €4.127 million. The accounts show that the hospital’s net income was marginally down from €1.056 million to €1.051 million last year.

THE Irish Concrete Federation (ICF) has secured High Court judicial review proceedings against Clare County Council’s contentious Development Contribution Scheme.

As a result, a freeze has been imposed on any development charges that the council has imposed on quarry operators who have secured planning permission since the High Court granted the judicial review.

Last month, the council ordered that Whelan Limestone Quarries Ltd pay €239,000, as a result of securing a large-scale extension to its Fountain operation.

The payment is now frozen, though a final decision has yet to be made on the application as all parties have appealed the decision to An Bord Pleanala.

The chief executive of the ICF, John Maguire, confirmed that the Federation had secured High Court judicial review proceedings.

It is the second challenge to planning related issues against Clare County Council in the space of 12 months. Last year, the Whelan Group was successful in a High Court action to have Cahercon pier de-listed on the Clare County Development Plan.

It is understood that the basis for the ICF action is not charges, but the lack of consultation carried out by Clare County Council in establishing the charges.

The ICF is also taking action against Louth County Council on similar grounds.

Grounding affidavits have been lodged with the High Court and the case is expected to come before the High Court before the Summer.

The ICF is expected to tell the High Court that it wasn’t consulted at all by the council on the charges being set. The practice with other local authorities was to provide for a six week consultation period after setting the charges for each sector.

Mr Maguire said that the charges set by Clare County Council in relation to quarries were higher than average, pointing out that a small number of local authorities set no charges against quarries.

The council’s Director for Planning, Bernadette Kinsella, told The Clare People that she could “confirm that the ICF have initiated High Court judicial review proceedings in relation to our Development Contribution Scheme.”

She declined further comment.

“He has gone through the normal

process. The decision was one of the GARDA Pat Keating, who was last Assistant Commissioner,” he said. month acquitted of threatening his Keating, a father-of-one, had deformer girlfriend, has been reinstatnied, during the Circuit Court trial, ed to his duties at Shannon Garda threatening his ex-girlfriend over the station. phone.

Eavan Drysdale told the jury she The 33-year-old, who hails from

felt her life was in danger due to a west Clare, went on trial at Ennis

threat from him. She said he told her Circuit Court, accused of threaten-

on the phone on August 18, 2004 ing mother-of-two Eavan Drysdale,

that she was the next Geraldine Kisover the phone, in August 2004. He

sane – a woman who was shot dead had been suspended from the force

by her ex-boyfriend in Shannon in since the allegations were made.

2001, before he then turned the gun The decision to reinstate him was

on himself. made last week by the Assistant Garda Commissioner in charge of Ms Drysdale said Garda Keating personnel, Catherine Clancy. It is had also phoned her to say: “I’m understood he will return to his dugoing down and you’re going down ties at Shannon Garda station tomorwith me.” row (Wednesday) evening, where he However Garda Keating said the has been based for most of his 10 allegations were “lies” and shattered years in the force. his career and his life.

A source close to Keating told The “She made a promise, going back Clare People that he was “delighted to day one that she was going to deto be returning to Shannon Garda stroy me. Regardless of what hapstation, having been under suspenpens here in court today or any day, sion for the past 19 months.” my career is in ruins.

His colleagues in the Garda Rep “My life is in ruins. She has been resentative Association (GRA) had successful,” he told the court in evicalled for his return to the force, in dence. the wake of the trial. They said it was Arising out of a separate incident, his right, given that he was acquitted Keating will appear before Ennis of the charge before the court. District Court next month, accused

Clare Chief Superintendent Liam of a public order offence in Shannon, Quinn confirmed to The Clare Peoin March 2004. That is a less serious ple this week that Garda Keating charge than that which he faced in had been reinstated. the Circuit Court.

THE construction arm of controversial US conglomerate, Halliburton, has withdrawn from plans to construct the €375m Shannon tunnel.

Kellogg Brown & Root Limited (KBR) was part of the “Direct Route” consortium that was identified as having “the most economically advantageous tender” to complete the public-private partnership (PPP) project last year.

The National Roads Authority (NRA) yesterday identified “Direct Route” as the “preferred tenderer” for the project.

Construction work on the scheme – which will involve the construction of a €100 million 900-metre tunnel under the River Shannon – is due to start later this year.

In the toll scheme adopted by the NRA for the project, car drivers are to be charged €1.60 to access the tunnel. Truck-drivers will have to pay €5.46.

This is the biggest infrastructural scheme being undertaken by the NRA outside Dublin.

KBR employs 64,000 people in 43 countries around the world and as part of the Direct Route consortium would have received a portion of the estimated €456 million that would be generated in tolls from the tunnel over the first 30 years of its operation.

The other companies involved in the “Direct Route” consortium include the Austrian company, Strabag AG; John Sisk & Son (Holdings) Limited; Lagan Holdings Limited and Roadbridge Ltd.

The Texas-based Halliburton conglomerate is the biggest private contractor for American forces in Iraq and has received contracts worth some $18 billion dollars for its work there.

US Vice-President, Dick Cheney was chief executive of Halliburton in the five years immediately prior to taking office. He earned €45 million during his tenure at the world’s largest oil-and-gasservices company.

One of the many contracts that Halliburton has secured from the US Government is the €37 million deal to build prison camps in Cuba’s Guantánamo Bay for suspected terrorists. The company has had more than 35 of its contractors killed while working in Iraq.

Irish firm Roughan and O’Donovan has replaced KBR in the tunnel consortium. Construction is expected to take four years.

A 30-YEAR-OLD man was arrested in connection with an arson attack on a house near Kilkee in the early hours of Sunday.

A vacant house at Lisdeen, Kilkee, was set alight at around 2am. Substantial damage was caused to the interior of the house, causing damage worth several thousand euro.

A man from west Clare was arrested a short time later. He was detained at Kilrush Garda Station, before being released without charge. A file is being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.

There was no-one in the house at the time. One unit of Kilkee fire brigade attended the scene. It took firefighters almost two hours to quench the blaze.

Gardaí say they are not looking for anyone else in relation to the incident.

“The house was completely destroyed by smoke inside and we are satisfied it was set on fire maliciously,” said a Garda spokesperson.

“The man we arrested is from the area and is known to gardaí,” added the spokesperson.

Gardaí believe that diesel was used to light the premises.

Separately, gardaí are investigating a fire that caused extensive damage to a forest in Lissycasey on Sunday.

The fire broke out at lunchtime and raged for several hours, before being brought under control at around 8pm. Four units of the fire brigade and a water tanker fought the blaze throughout the evening.

Gardaí are appealing for members of the public who may have seen any suspicious activity in the area on Sunday to contact them.

AN East Clare-based woman with the chronic fatigue syndrome, ME, has suffered another setback in her planning troubles with Clare County Council.

Last year, Denise Mitchell of Aughinish, Ogonnelloe, was refused planning permission by the council and An Bord Pleanála to retain her home.

Ms Mitchell chose to live in Ogonelloe due to her hyper-sensitivity to air pollution.

She erected her demountable timberframe house without planning, resulting in the county council serving an enforcement notice on her. Following An Bord Pleanála’s decision to refuse planning permission, Ms Mitchell applied to retain the small demountable home for agricultural and horticultural structures. Now that has been refused as well.

Ms Mitchell’s plight received no sympathy from objector Jim Sheridan of Aughinish, Ogonelloe.

“How many bites at the cherry will the applicant be granted?” his agent asked the council. “The application for retention has no bearing or relevance, whatsoever, in relation to the enforcement obligations of the council. We would submit that the present application, apart from the intended use, is similar in all respects to the earlier opportunities and permission should be refused.”

The council upheld Mr Sheridan’s views, refusing Ms Mitchell on three separate grounds, including scale, visual impact on Lough Derg and traffic.

Ms Mitchell declined to comment on the council’s decision and has until tomorrow (Wednesday) to lodge an appeal.

TWO Clare schools have been selected for inclusion in a new initiative aimed at improving the educational needs of children from disadvantaged communities.

Ennistymon Vocational School and Ennis Community College have both been invited to join the newly-established School Support Programme (SSP).

The programme is being run by the Department of Education under the Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS) initiative.

The decision on whether or not to join the scheme will be made by the boards of management of the schools concerned.

DEIS was launched by the department in 2005 in order to effectively prioritise and address the educational needs of young people in disadvantaged areas.

DEIS has so far been rolled out to 600 primary schools in 300 rural and urban areas and 150 second-level schools. It will be implemented on a phased basis over five years and will involve additional annual investment of some €40 million.

It will also involve the creation of 300 additional posts across the education system.

Addressing the monthly meeting of the board of County Clare VEC, CEO, George O’Callaghan welcomed the news that Clare schools had been invited to participate in the scheme. He added that the invitation might yet be extended to other schools within the county.

“The Department has written to more schools in the county who haven’t been included, to make a case. I know that the schools that have been involved have benefited from the extra resources,” he said.

SHANNON plane spotter and antiwar activist Conor Cregan is to appeal the decision of the Garda Complaints Board not to investigate his claim that he was falsely imprisoned by gardaí during the visit of Taoiseach Bertie Ahern to Clare last month.

Mr Cregan reached national headlines after questioning Mr Ahern on the role of Shannon Airport in transporting prisoners from Iraq during a press conference, which took place in the West County Hotel on February 18.

According to Mr Cregan, when he returned to the press area of the hotel to collect his camera after questioning Mr Ahern, he was followed by a member of the gardaí who closed the door to the room and prevented him from leaving the area.

“I tried to get past him and he wouldn’t let me out,” said Mr Cregan. “He blocked the door and I thought I was going to be beaten up.”

Mr Cregan claimed that he was allowed to leave the room after a few minutes, but was subsequently confronted by a member of the Fianna Fáil party in Clare and a photographer who he believed to be an undercover garda.

“I was accosted by a Fianna Fáil member who demanded my observer pass back and said that I had received it under false pretences – which is untrue,” said Mr Cregan.

“A photographer then grabbed my bag and pulled me over to a security guard and asked him to search it,” he added.

Mr Cregan is to appeal the decision of the Garda Complaints Board and has also written to the Garda Commissioner Noel Conroy. It is Garda policy not to comment on matters which are before the Garda Complaints Board.

A CLARE Fianna Fáil Senator has claimed that those who he described as placing “mis-information” into the public domain about alleged rendition flights at Shannon Airport were also responsible for causing damage there.

Senator Brendan Daly alleged that while perimeter fences and airplanes were damaged, people who were boarding flights were also frightened.

The Senator derided the number who had turned up at a recent protest at Shannon, during a debate on a Labour proposal to establish a Seanad committee to investigate allegations of “rendition” flights landing there.

“As an indication of the public support for their attitude and their unfounded, wild allegations, which have been examined and rejected by the DPP, four people turned up to protest when the President of the United States was going through Shannon recently.

“There has never been any suggestion that prisoners on their way to Guantanamo Bay, or other places of detention, are being transferred through Shannon. There is no evidence of that.”

However, independent senator, David Norris listed three flights that were routed through Shannon in October 2002, October 2003 and January 2003 that came from Tripoli, Islamabad and Marrakesh.

“The sole purpose of these airplanes was rendition of illegally kidnapped victims and we facilitated that by refuelling those airplanes at Shannon,” he said.

After being interrupted by Senator Timmy Dooley (FF), Senator Norris retorted: “The Senator is not in the county council in Ennis now and he never will be, with the help of God and a toothbrush.”

Senator Norris went on: “The Government signally failed in its duty to inspect these planes and that is why this part of its answer is a downright lie and a disgrace to the Irish people.

“The gardaí told me – this is laughable – that they interrogated the cleaners. The cleaners might notice the odd cigarette packet on the ground, but they would not notice the subtle adaptations, so people can be shackled and manacled in the aircraft.”

Asked by Senator Dooley to withdraw his remark that the government’s answer was a lie, Senator Norris responded: “I will not withdraw anything . . . I sincerely hope that the people for whom the Government has been complicit in their kidnap and torture will sue the State.”

However, Senator Dooley described the proposal before the Seanad as “an anti-American sham”.

“The committee is a backdoor way of getting at the flights. It would establish an unhelpful witch-hunt.

The proposal was defeated by 28 votes to 16.

IRISH MEPs will be asked to come to Shannon Airport to protest against the airport’s use by the US military.

Campaigner Roger Cole wants the country’s European parliamentarians to follow the example of a crossparty Oireachtas group, who staged a demonstration at the airport last Wednesday.

Mr Cole of the Peace and Neutrality Alliance, who organised the event, told The Clare People that he was pleased with how it worked out and planned to invite MEPs to take a similar action at a later stage.

Among those who partook in the protest were Labour TDs Joe Costello and Tommy Broughan, Independent TDs Finian McGrath and Tony Gregory, Green Party TD John Gormley, Socialist party leader Joe Higgins, Sinn Féin’s Aengus Ó Snodaigh and Senator David Norris.

They were joined by members of the Peace and Neutrality Alliance. The group unfurled a large banner with the logo “Army out of Shannon”, in the arrivals hall, before leaving the area, on direction from the airport police.

Those involved felt they made their point, but compared their treatment with that of US President George W. Bush, who met with US troops at Shannon during a recent refuelling stop.

“We find it strange that we have been asked to leave. President Bush was welcomed here with open arms. It is quite clear the Irish Government is colluding totally with the US in relation to the war in Iraq,” said John Gormley.

According to Joe Higgins, the reason for the protest was two-fold.

“This is a protest on the war in Iraq and in particular to protest at the fact the Commander-in-Chief of the army of occupation, George Bush, was allowed to have a rally with his troops here on Irish soil which I think is an outrage,” said Joe Higgins.

Meanwhile a group of around 15 protesters gathered at Shannon on Saturday, to coincide with the third anniversary of the invasion of Iraq.

They remained outside the terminal building for up to two hours. According to gardaí there were no arrests and the protest passed off peacefully.