Month: May 2006

PLANS for a fourth quarry to help build the €190 million Ennis by-pass have suffered a setback.

Clare County Council has asked GAMA Construction, the group building the new roadway, to submit a full Environmental Impact Statement on the scheme (EIS).

The new quarry is already facing opposition from a couple of locals.

GAMA is currently working towards having the eastern section of the scheme open by next October. The group has secured planning for three quarries along the route to excavate 900,000 m of rock material, with 480,000 m of the total to be excavated from the largest quarry granted planning at Killow/Kilbreckan on the outskirts of Ennis.

They want to develop a fourth quarry on a site extending to 4.34 hectares with an extraction area of 3.635 hectares.

According to GAMA, “the proposed development is solely for the purpose of the provision of rock to the N18, Ennis bypass, which is presently under-construction immediately to the west of the application site”.

The council states that the EIS should detail cumulative impact of the proposed quarry and a nearby existing quarry.

GAMA has also been asked to submit a detailed assessment of the proposed crushing and processing operation at the identified location on the surrounding environment and include mitigation measures.

In his objection, Pat Hehir of 9 Phoenix Court, Kilrush Road, Ennis states that it “relates primarily to the negative impact of the proposal on the residential amenity value and property value of nearby dwelling owned by Mr Hehir”.

Another local resident, Claire Daly of Kilbreckan, Doora, states that there has been no communication from GAMA over the current proposal.

Ms Daly acknowledged that while there were plenty of safeguards in relation to blasting, “there was inadequate provision for processing of rock in relation to crushing and stockpiling”.

The works on the by-pass are due to end in 12 months time. It is difficult to see how much of a material difference the operation of the quarry will make to the overall project.

The application will become ‘live’ again, when GAMA lodges the required EIS.

CLARE’S first ever suicide awareness walk has been hailed a success by organisers Claire and Sasha O’Brien and Keith Molloy.

The money raised surpassed all expectations, with an amazing €24,000 collected for the Samaritans.

“If we raised €10,000, we would have been over the moon, but we are even more delighted by the awareness we raised,” said Mr Molloy.

More than 300 people turned out on the day for the main event. Further funds were raised through a pub quiz, pub collection on St Patrick’s night and bag packing in Tesco.

The walk, which was held last month, was originally organised in the memory of Claire O’Brien’s brother, Peter.

Aware of the devastation suicide can cause to a family, Ms O’Brien hoped that raising awareness through the walk would help erase the taboo surrounding the subject.

Mr Molloy, who lost seven Clare friends through suicide in the last two years, said the response to the walk gave a small indication of the number of people affected by the issue.

The only 24-hour support for potential suicide victims in Clare is the Samaritans, according to Mr Molloy. This was why all money raised went to the charity.

The organising committee wished to thank the Barge Rooms for providing a venue and refreshments on the day of the walk.

A special thanks also went to Mary Coote, who provided food on the day, and Kevin Cooper and The Banner Motor Club for escorting the walkers.

The group also thanked “Logies Bar” for hosting the quiz and Quiz Master, Slim Corry.

Finally a special word of gratitude was sent to all the walkers and sponsors.

Ennis’s Kilrush Rd. THE Ennis-based Mangan Brothers Wholesalers is Clare’s top locally-owned company, acis Element Six – formerly De Beers – in the cording to a new survey. Shannon Free Zone.

Measured in terms of the size of its business, Mangan’s is one of 24 Clare-based companies manufactures industrial diamonds, recorded a listed in Ireland’s top 1,000 companies, pub-

turnover of €279 million to the end of 2005. It lished by The Irish Times .

employs 533 at its Shannon facility. Recording a turnover of €196.8m to the end of 2005, the locally-owned company – steered

the Shannon Free Zone that feature in the surby chief executive, Terence Mangan – came in

vey, underlining the importance of the zone to at 197 in the list.

the Clare economy. Employing 300 people, Mangan Bros enjoys a comparatively low profile and has outlets in Galway, Tullamore, Sligo and Letterkenny. 45 people in telecommunications and networkENNIS Town Council has refuted suggesment plant at Clonroadmore was capable of tions that a ban is to be placed on the grantsustaining the current level of development in ing of planning permission for future develEnnis town, and that this situation was been opments in the county capital. regularly monitored.

Speculation had grown locally that because Town Engineer, Tom Tiernan told of limits in the capacity of the town’s sewClare People erage and wastewater infrastructure, a cap cerns regarding capacity at a smaller plant at would be placed on new developments for a Clareabbey, but this is being monitored in the period of time. normal way.

A spokesman for the local authority has “No refusals are being issued because of also described as “unlikely” the prospect that this and potential difficulties can, in general any changes would be made to its process of terms, be overcome by the willingness of degranting planning permission to developers velopers to deal appropriately with issues of for future developments in the town. this nature that are brought to their attention

The spokesman said that the sewerage and by the council.” waste water infrastructure at the main treatAsked if there were any future upgradTHE West of Ireland Alzheimer’s Foundation (WIAF) has offered to extend its services into Clare and throughout the Western HSE area.

The organisation’s chief executive, John Grant told this month’s meeting of the HSE Forum West that the voluntary group were willing and prepared to extend the services to all areas of the west.

The non-profit organisation promotes awareness of the nature of Alzheimer’s disease and its impact on families through education, talks, promotional material, and consultation and support group meetings. As well as providing in-home support and respite facilities throughout Mayo, Roscommon and Mayo, it is currently developing a 26-bed unit on the grounds of Merlin Park Hospital, Galway.

It is now prepared to meet the challenge

Its headquarters are located at Ashline, on The top-ranked multinational based in Clare Ranked 140th in the list, Element Six, which Element Six is one of 12 companies based in Enterasys Networks, a company employing The that, “there were some conthat will emerge from the new HSE West nine county region, members of the HSE forum were told.

An estimated 1,043 people in Clare are currently suffering from the disease.

Last week the HSE granted €1 million for a respite centre in Waterman’s Lodge in Killaloe.

Services are also provided at St. Joseph’s Hospital Ennis, the Clarecastle Day-Care Centre and Carrigoran House. With a growing elderly population in the county, more services will be required in the coming years, including the expansion of those currently being provided.

Mr Grant said that an acute bed for an Alzheimer’s patient costs the HSE €450 per annum. The cost of a bed to the WIAF is €40,000.

It costs the WIAF €1.36 million to run 34 beds, while the same number of beds cost the HSE €2.25 million, he said.

ing, which recorded a turnover of €147 million

to the end of 2005, is one of the top five Clare

companies. Avocent, the computer peripherals

manufacturer, is another. The US-owned Avo-

cent recorded a turnover of €137 million to the

end of 2005, making a profit of €36 million,

with 280 employees.

Other companies to feature in the top ten, in-

clude the long-established Roche Ireland with

a turnover of €124 million; Molex Ireland, the

electric component manufacturer, with a turno-

ver of €119 million and Shannon Engine Sup-

port recording a turnover of €83.4 million and

a profit of €39 million.

The top-ranked Clare-based builder on the ing works planned for the town’s sewerage system, Mr. Tiernan replied, “Yes and the council is at present awaiting approval to the preliminary report retaining to the Ennis/Clarecastle main drainage scheme from the Department of Health and Local Government.

“This approval is expected shortly.

“Incorporated in the scheme is a new 50,000-population equivalent treatment plant for Clareabbey.”

“The scheme is incorporated in the current national water services investment programme and at present, I would envisage that the new plant will be operational in about three years from now,” Mr Tiernan said. list is Brian McCarthy Contractors, with a turnover of €82 million. Other builders to feature are M Fitzgibbon Builders and Michael Lynch Ltd, which both generated turnovers of €30m.

Two companies that have come into focus through their dealings with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Schwarz Pharma and Finsa Forest Products also feature in the list. Finsa recorded a turnover of €35.9 million, while Schwarz Pharma’s turnover was €35.5 million. Finsa Forest Products is one of the few rural-based companies featuring in the survey. Another is the east Clare-based Olympus Diagnostica Ireland, which recorded a turnover of €55 million.

OWNERS of the Two Mile Inn Hotel on the Clare/Limerick border have had plans to construct a new phase to the premises turned down by An Bord Pleanála.

The long-established hotel was seeking planning permission to construct a two-storey leisure facility associated with the existing hotel including a swimming pool, beauty facility, fitness suite, games and entertainment centre, six all-weather pitches and car parking spaces.

Last year, Clare County Council refused planning permission for the development and the decision was appealed to An Bord Pleanála.

However, in its decision, the appeals board ruled that “it is considered that the large volume of additional traffic movements likely to be generated by this development, combined with that generated by existing and permitted development on the site, would interfere with the safety and free flow of traffic on this road”.

As the site adjoins the N18 roadway at a point where a speed limit of 100 km/h applies, the board ruled that, “the proposed development would endanger public safety by reason of traffic hazard”.

An Bord Pleanála also ruled that “the design and scale of the proposed development fails to integrate visually with existing development on the site, would appear as an incongruous and discordant element in this rural area and would seriously injure the visual amenities of the area. The proposed development would, therefore, be contrary to the proper planning and sustainable development of the area.”

The board upheld the recommendation of its inspector. The inspector stated, “I consider that the proposed sports, leisure and entertainment facility will depend significantly upon public access and patronage, rather than functioning solely as an ancillary element of the hotel complex.

“In this regard, I have grave concerns that the proposed means of access from the subject site for eastbound traffic, relying upon an unregulated U-turn across the busy N18 corridor, will have a significant and adverse impact upon public safety.

“However, larger-scale and more extensive or visually prominent schemes on the subject site, whether associated with the hotel operation or otherwise, have been consistently refused. There is clearly an onus on the applicant to demonstrate that the reasons for refusal in those previous instances have now been overcome in respect of this instant proposal.”

THE Bishop of Killaloe, Dr Willie Walsh said that he shares the concerns expressed by others over the provision of public and private healthcare side by side in the same hospital or siting a private hospital in close proximity to a public hospital.

At a recent health conference in Ennis, entitled ‘Who Owns Irish Healthcare,’ Bishop Walsh said, “It is obvious that there is need for serious and reasoned discussion on all aspects of our healthcare at this time. Such discussion calls for real generosity and openness of mind on the part of all who are involved in the delivery of our health services.

“The recent discussion on the health system has focused on the A&E crisis, if crisis is the appropriate word. Even to us on the outside, who don’t know the inner workings, there is increasing evidence that this is not going to be cured by money, by putting resources in at that point.

“There are deeper questions to be answered and the crisis is a result of a combination of other factors within the service,” the Bishop said.

Calling the conference a brave attempt to examine the problems bedevilling the healthcare system, Dr Walsh said, “There are serious questions to be asked: Should all major decisions be made at national level, thus negativising what is sometimes dismissed unfairly local, uninformed prejudices?

“What role should local people play in the decision-making in relation to healthcare service?

“These are questions which have significant implications. I believe that discussions like this call for a very generous and open-minded approach.”

He added, “We do live in a society where all of us tend to protect our own interests. In the long-run, one must ask does protecting one’s own interests, whether they be local or political, serve the greater good of our health service? This will scarcely serve their own long-term interests.”

Others speaking at the conference included Dr James Sheehan, the Director of the Blackrock and Galway Clinics and Prof Risteard Mulcahy, Preventative Cardiology Consultant Head of Cardiology.

AFTER centuries of darkness, Pol an Ionain cave was opened up to the public at the weekend to allow visitors view, for the first time, the largest free-hanging stalactite in the world.

The opening of the cave, containing the 23-foot long Great Stal, follows a 16-year struggle by north Clare couple, John and Helen Browne, to develop it as a tourist attraction.

“The Stal is a wonder of nature. The cave is like an underground cathedral and the Stal resembles this great mass of huge organ pipes coming down from the ceiling. Anyone who has seen the Stal is stunned by the sight,” Ms Browne said.

The Brownes secured planning for the project last year, despite opposition from An Taisce and the Pol an Ionain Action Group.

An Bord Pleanála stated that the Great Stal was “a significant part of Ireland’s cultural heritage due to its scientific and aesthetic importance”.

Planning permission was first granted in 1991, but the Brownes became embroiled in a High Court land dispute. By the time the dispute had been resolved, the planning permission had lapsed, forcing the couple to re-apply in 1999.

A scaled down version of the original plan now in place, has a capacity for 55,000 visitors each year.

“There were lots of time when we thought we’ve had enough, especially the trips to the High Court. But we were in so deep, we had to keep going. Our backs were to the wall and we invested all our savings, sold two self-catering homes and some land to keep the project going.”

In all, Ms Browne believes that €1.5 million has been spent on the project to date.

“It is a very good example of lowimpact sustainable tourism and all the monitoring of the cave so far shows that the humidity or temperature have not been affected in any way, which we are delighted with.”

The planning permission ruled out any blasting to access the tunnel, so contractor John O’Connell and his colleagues spent almost nine months hand-tunnelling an access passage to the main chamber.

“The specialised back-breaking work they have done is amazing,” said Ms Browne.

Adults will have to pay €20 each and €12 for children to access the cave.

Ms Browne said that the admission price was due to the limited numbers allowed under the planning permission.

CHILDREN covered by medical cards are not entitled to a free sick cert, it emerged this week.

A spokesperson for the Health Service Executive Mid West confirmed to The Clare People that the medical card did not cover sick certs for school or work. Many GPs waver the cost of the cert, however.

A number of Clare parents, whose children suffer from asthma or diabetes and have a medical card to cover the ongoing medical bills, say they are outraged by the situation.

One parent said she was shocked when she brought her young son to the doctor and was told she would have to pay for the cert for school.

Clare County Councillor Bill Chambers (FF), a former member of the Mid Western Health Board and now member of the HSE forum, said he had never come across this difficulty in all the years he worked with the health services.

He said he would bring the issue up at the next meeting of the HSE regional forum and ask that the situation be changed immediately.

“The school cert should come under the medical card. I feel that parents who have a medical card should get that service free of charge,” he told The Clare People .

Meanwhile at the HSE Regional Forum meeting on Tuesday last, Dr Séan Conroy informed councillors that the present General Medical Scheme contract did not cover screening programmes.

“This is, however, one of the major items being discussed as part of the present negotiations with the IMO,” he said.

Routine investigations deemed clinically necessary are free of charge. It is already agreed that women who are eligible for Breast Check, or cervical screening when they come available in their area, will receive them at no cost.

RESIDENTS in Miltown Malbay have pledged to step up their to fight for the allocation of extra gardaí in the town.

A local petition calling for more gardaí is being circulated and will be sent to Justice Minister, Michael McDowell. To date, more than 150 people have signed their names to the document. One of those behind the drive, Joe Ryan, said the campaign would not end until some progress was made.

“We will wait and see what developments happen and see how we go from there,” he told The Clare People .

A meeting on the issue earlier this month secured cross-party support for the deployment of extra Garda resources for the town.

Meanwhile, independent TD James Breen said the issue must be addressed, as a matter of urgency.

He said the influx of people visiting the town for the Willie Clancy Summer School must prompt immediate action.

“There is an obligation to have the festival properly policed,” he said.

Minister McDowell told the Dáil last week the deployment of gardaí was a matter for Garda management, under the current law.

He was responding to a question from Fine Gael Deputy Pat Breen, who said it was incumbent on the Minister to allocate extra resources to rural areas.

Deputy Breen said he was far from happy with the response.

“It doesn’t answer the question. Having two gardaí in Miltown in this day and age is ridiculous. People are living in fear,” he said.

He said that there was a need for an adequate traffic control system for Miltown Malbay.

“The Minister has to get real to what is happening out there,” said the Fine Gael deputy.

THE new interim water supply for Ennis should be on stream within the next 10 days.

Town Engineer Tom Tiernan told The Clare People that the system was 95 per cent complete.

“There is a delay on the delivery on one component,” he said.

Once the piece is installed within the next ten days, the system will begin working immediately, according to the latest council information.

Initially it was thought that the temporary water filtration plant would be running from May 1. A two-week delay occurred due to the delay in the arrival of pumps.

The temporary system was commissioned following the detection of cryptosporidium in the county town’s water supply.

The parasite, which cannot be killed by disinfectant, resulted in a number of recorded illnesses.

As a result, a boiling notice aimed at the elderly, young children and the sick remains in force, until the new system is up and running.

It is estimated that Ennis residents are spending around €35 a week on water, with nursing homes and health facilities paying a higher price.

Supermarkets and shops in the town have reported a substantial increase in the sale of bottled water.

“We have a large town and we didn’t have adequate treatment, just disinfectant,” County Engineer Tom Carey told the April meeting of Clare County Council.

The interim filtration system is expected to solve that problem, by dealing with cryptosporidium as well as more common water characteristics – bacteriological contamination and colour.

Ennis County Councillor Joe Carey (FG) said that while he welcomed the temporary solution to Ennis’s ongoing water difficulties, he felt it was long overdue.

He has called for a full report on the safety of the system from the county engineer and the Health Service Executive, to reassure the citizens of Ennis that the water will be safe once again.

ENNIS based gay rights organisation, Gay Clare, has called on the Minister for Justice Michael McDowell to go farther than the legislative changes promised last week and introduce full civil unions for homosexual couples in Ireland.

Gay Clare believes that there could be as many as 300 Clare men who are cohabiting in committed relationships and would be in a position to take advantage of civil unions. They estimate there are 3,000 gay men living in the county.

“We believe that gay marriage should be recognised in Ireland. It is an issue of equality and a gay couple should have the same rights and responsibilities as married couples,” said a spokesperson for Gay Clare.

“Minister McDowell is trying to change the legislation, but we do not feel that he is going far enough. We want to have full equality.”

While Gay Clare is committed to the creation of equal status between gay and heterosexual couples, it believes that this can be created whilst maintaining the special status of marriage as set out in the constitution.

“It does not have to be called marriage – it could be a civil union, or a partnership,” continued the Gay Clare spokesperson.

“There is a system like this already in place in at least four other countries and the sky has not fallen down over there.”

Speaking at the Royal College of Physicians in Dublin last week the Minister for Justice, Michael McDowell, outlined a number of legislative changes which he has planned concerning gay couples.

This meeting was interrupted by a group of protesters claiming to represent the Ancient Order of Hibernians who heckled the Minister and held up proceedings for 10 minutes.

“I would consider the Ancient Order of Hibernians to be a homophobic group and I would not like to give them any more publicity by talking about it,” concluded the spokesperson for Gay Clare.