Month: May 2006

ENNIS Town Council is being asked to give the thumbs down to nuclear power as a form of alternative energy.

Today the council is expected to debate a motion tabled by Councillor Donal Ó Béarra calling on Ennis Town Council to become a member of the Nuclear Free Local Authorities Network.

The motion also calls on the authority to underline its opposition to nuclear power and its commitment to safe and clean energy resources.

The network recently voiced its opposition to the establishment of a nuclear power station in Northern Ireland, and Cllr Ó Béarra believes that, given recent debate over the controversial topic, the council should set out its own opposition to the nuclear option.

“I think it is important that the council sends out a clear signal outlining its opposition to nuclear power. There are obvious problems with how to deal with waste. We should make a statement of intent that we would be nuclear free,” he said.

The dangers of nuclear power were highlighted as people throughout Clare commemorated the 20th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster.

A recent TV show depicting the likely consequences of an explosion at Sellafield raised questions about the measures in place to cope with any such accident.

“There does seem to be a debate that has been reintroduced about renewable energy sources. I would hope that the council accept the motion, but the important thing is to raise awareness about the issue.

“It should be seen to be our intention that we are looking at sustainable forms of energy renewable. It is an environmental imperative,” added Cllr Ó Béarra.

ENNIS’ Mayor, Cllr Frankie Neylon this week defended the town council decision to erect a 10 ft high wall between a new council estate and a private housing development in Ennis.

At the April meeting, councillors approved the plan to build a €10 million social and affordable housing scheme on lands formerly owned by the Bishop of Killaloe, Dr Willie Walsh. As part of the development, the local authority has acceded to demands by the residents of the private estate, Bishop’s Court to erect a 10 ft high wall around their estate.

The residents association of Bishop’s Court made the demand “to ensure that our estate is a safe place to live in, and that preventative measures are put in place to reduce the fear of crime”.

However, the National Housing Association, Threshold, expressed concern over the move to erect the 10 ft high wall. A spokesman said: “This should be about building communities, not separating them. This is reminiscent of gated communities you come across in South Africa. The wall itself come become a source of tension. It is seen as a solution to a problem that there isn’t any evidence for.”

However, Cllr Neylon told The Clare People : “The wall is necessary to prevent anti-social behaviour. It is there for the benefit of both residents of the new estate and residents of Bishop’s Court.”

Cllr Neylon praised the contribution of the residents of Bishop’s Court. He said: “We could see the problem for the residents of Bishop’s Court. I met them on a number of occasions and they asked for very little. They also stressed that they supported the council providing social housing in Ennis.

“I believe that the wall is necessary and part of it was already part of plans drawn up by the council.”

The residents also demanded that the boundary wall between their estate and the Bishop’s Westbourne residence be increased to the 10ft height to prevent a growing trespass problem. However, the Diocese refused to sanction the wall. According to a council memo, the Diocesan office said that there isn’t a trespass problem of any significance at present.

The Diocese stated that if in future, trespass becomes a problem, the Diocese would be amenable to revisiting the situation. As the proposed wall lies outside the proposed development site, the Department of the Environment, according to the council, “was very clear” on the issue – “there is no way to justify expenditure in private property outside the site.

In its submission, the Bishop’s Court Residents Association confirmed their support for the provision of social housing in Ennis.

THE Whelan Group has spent almost €7 million on a contentious explosives factory that has yet to be built, according to its accounts.

Seven years have now passed since the group, through a subsidiary, Shannon Explosives, made an unsuccessful planning application for the plant at Cahercon, Kildysart.

An Bord Pleanala rejected the proposal in 2003.

The company is now five months behind schedule in re-lodging a revised planning application.

The accounts state that plans for the contentious factory were due to have been relodged with Clare County Council last December.

The accounts also show that €2.8 million was spent on licensing and planning for the explosives plant in 2003.

This was in addition to the €4 million the company admitted to spending on the plan, at an An Bord Pleanala oral hearing in October 2002.

This included the purchase of a nearby convent.

In relation to the spend of €2.8 million, the company’s accounts state, “The recoverability of this expenditure is subject to obtaining planning permission for the construction of an industrial explosives plant at Kildysart, Co. Clare.”

The €6.8 million total doesn’t include the costs of preparing the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the new application that is shortly to be lodged.

An Bord Pleanala expressed no opposition to the project in principle, but refused planning on the grounds that the extent of proposed filling on the site had not been adequately dealt within the company’s EIS.

The Bord suggested that this would be best dealt with by a new application for planning to the council.

In the accounts, the group expresses confidence that the new application will be successful.

“The company’s planning and legal advisors are of the opinion that planning permission will be forthcoming for a revised planning application accompanied by a revised EIS statement adequately dealing with the filling of the site.”

A spokesman for the Kildysart Explosives Factory Opposition Group (KEFOG) told The Clare People that if any new application was lodged, they would oppose it, saying, “We are ready and willing for battle.”

Earlier this year, Paddy Whelan, Managing Director of the group, said planning for the factory would “not be a major issue.

“I am confident it will get through. The proper planning procedure will have to be gone through, that is it.

“We have done it before and we will do it again. There was a lot of scaremongering over the previous proposal.”

THE Whelan Group has confirmed its status as one of the country’s largest quarry operators by increasing the size of its business by one quarter in 12 months.

The group’s most recent returns to the Companies Office show profits increased from €2.77 million in 2002 to €3.338 million in 2003, resulting in accumulated profits of €12.2 million.

Turnover increased from €46 million in 2002 to €58 million in 2003, making the group one of the most successful home grown businesses in Clare.

In 2001, the size of the company’s business stood at €35 million.

The accounts also show that the numbers employed increased from 289 in 2002 to 305 in 2003, with employee costs going from €6.94 million to €8.13 million.

A recent purchase of Polish quarrying company, PW Properties which owns four Polish companies in the quarrying and construction sector, underlines the expansion.

The Whelan Group has negative goodwill of €8 million, due in part to the the acquisition of PW Properties.

The principal activities are described as “the manufacture of quarried stone, readymix concrete, precast concrete and asphalt products.

“The group is also engaged in road surfacing, road and bridge construction, sewage schemes, landfill construction and other associated civil works.”

In all, the group controls nine separate companies.

These include CW Shipping and Shannon Explosives. Others include Whelan Limestone Quarries, Whelan Limestone Quarries (Contracts) Ltd, Whelan Asphalt Products, Whelan’s Quarries (Carrigtwohill) and Staleen Properties.

The group has €95 million in assets, although the real value of the asset base is probably higher, as the quarries were last valued in 2002.

Some €12 million was spent in 2003 to acquire new assets, while the company’s net debt increased from €38 million at the start of 2003 to €56 million by year end.

The accounts also show that the group’s directors received salaries of €340,000 in 2003, while three directors availed of interest free directors’ loans.

In 2003, Paddy Whelan received an €84,551 loan, Enda Whelan received €90,000 and John McKeogh received €30,000.

A MAN who sexually assaulted a Clare teenager after a St Patrick’s Day drinking session in north Clare has been jailed for seven years.

James Donovan (37), of Fona Glas, Ballybane, Galway pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting the then 16-year-old victim and assault, causing her harm, in March 2004.

Garda Andrew Monahan told the Central Criminal Court that the girl had celebrated St Patrick’s Day with her friends and they arranged to meet again later. She and one other girl left in a car with three men, one of whom was Donovan, the driver. They weren’t acquainted with him previously but one of the other men was known to them.

After they had some drinks, they returned to collect the third girl who wished to join them and resumed celebrating. Some time later, the victim complained of being cold and returned to sit in the car.

Donovan — a married father-of-seven — went with her to let her into the car, where a music tape was played. His suggestion that they should kiss was refused by her but he started kissing her after letting back her seat.

Gda Monahan said Donovan pulled down his trousers and then her lower clothes, leaving her naked from the waist down. She covered her genital area with her arms but he pulled them away and struck her across the face before sexually assaulting her.

Donovan went voluntarily to gardai and made a statement. He acknowledged they were drunk and said they had only kissed consensually. He volunteered to his car being searched and to giving samples which didn’t provide anything of evidential value.

He had no previous convictions and hadn’t ever come to garda notice.

Defence Counsel Martin Giblin said his client “wants it noted that he will never stand in court again for this kind of offence or any form of anti-social behaviour.”

Mr Justice Eamon de Valera certified Donovan as a registered sex offender. He said the victim could not have been mistaken for anything but a 16-year-old girl, which placed the offence at the higher end of the scale.

“He was considerably older than her and was merciless in the way he treated her,” the judge said. He added that Donovan’s wife deserved great credit for sticking by him.

He imposed a seven-year sentence with the final three years suspended on conditions.

GARDAI say they are satisfied that serious head injuries sustained by a man in Lisdoonvarna last week were as a result of a fall.

Jim Kearney (56) was found in an unconscious state on a footpath close to the Square in the town, in the early hours of Monday last. He had been seen leaving a pub in the town a short time earlier.

Mr Kearney, a chef who hails from Wexford, was removed to hospital in Ennis.

He later underwent surgery at Cork University Hospital, where he remained in a critical condition yesterday.

It was initially unclear how he sustained his injuries.

A full garda investigation was conducted last week and a Detective Superintendent was deployed from Galway to work on the investigation.

Clare Chief Superintendent Liam Quinn said it appears Mr Kearney was not the victim of an assault.

“It seems there was nothing to indicate there was any assault. The indications are his injuries were as a result of a fall.

“Our investigations haven’t indicated there was anything suspicious,” he said.

A number of people have been interviewed by gardai, including those who found the Mr Kearney at around 2am, and people who were in his company earlier that night.

THE Mayor of Ennis believes the only thing that will curb serious crime is to increase garda presence on the streets.

Councillor Frankie Neylon said it is not acceptable for someone to take out a knife and stab an innocent passer-by in broad daylight, as happened in the case of David O’Loughlin.

He was jailed for four years at Ennis Circuit Court last week for stabbing Anthony Conlon, at Harmony Row, Ennis, on June 30 last year. The attack occurred a stone’s throw from Ennis Garda Station.

“Anybody who takes it upon themselves to stab someone is just not acceptable,” he said.

“You don’t expect anybody to stab someone outside a garda station, or outside a hotel, or wherever.”

He expressed concern that knives are being carried around town and said this appears to be some people’s “daily routine.”

“When it comes into the town, you have to be able to deal with it. We are very short of gardai on the ground,” he said.

“We should be looking at some way of ensuring visitors to our town would be healthy while they are here and that they leave healthy. If you want to curb this, you have to have gardai on the streets,” he pointed out.

A YOUNG man who was the victim of an unprovoked attack in Ennis has told how he has become a recluse as a result – his attacker was jailed for four years last week.

Anthony Conlon received a threeinch deep wound to the chest, after he accidentally bumped into David O’Loughlin, along a footpath at Harmony Row, Ennis, on June 30, 2005.

O’Loughlin (19), unemployed, of Finian Park, Shannon, was jailed for attacking Mr Conlon, a native of Mayo, after he pleaded guilty.

Detective Sergeant Joe O’Brien told Ennis Circuit Court that Anthony Conlon (who was then 21) and his girlfriend were walking down the street at around 7.30pm.

O’Loughlin and Mr Conlon bumped into each other, along a narrow footpath. Words were exchanged between the two and O’Loughlin stabbed his victim in the chest, just under the ribs.

Mr Conlon sustained a wound, three inches deep and one-and-a-half inches long. O’Loughlin was arrested later that night and the following day he admitted his part in the stabbing.

He said he had thrown the knife into the River Fergus, but it was never recovered.

A consultant surgeon who assessed the victim said he was “lucky to have survived, considering the depth of the wound.”

Dt Sgt O’Brien said there was “absolutely no logic whatsoever” for what had happened, that the victim and his girlfriend were out for a walk, minding their own business.

He said O’Loughlin is a “very volatile individual” who comes from a “dysfunctional” family.

Mr Conlon, an apprentice aeroplane mechanic, was in intensive care for a week after the assault and was unable to work for five weeks.

“I don’t go out anymore. I am basically a recluse… No more walks – I take the car,” he told the court.

He has fully recovered from his injuries, but remains wary of anyone he meets on the footpath.

In court, O’Loughlin apologised. “There is nothing I can say or do to take away the injuries I have done to Anthony Conlon. All I can say is sorry.”

His barrister Brendan Nix said his client has been in foster care since he was 11.

“It is a bad case. It could have been an awful lot worse,” said Mr Nix.

Judge Con Murphy said the offence was “horrendous” he said Mr Conlon “very nearly sustained a fatal injury, given where he was stabbed was very near to his heart.”

He said he accepted O’Loughlin was pleading guilty and that he apologised.

“He came from a dysfunctional background, which is no fault of his own,” he said, imposing a four-year term.

O’Loughlin has already served six months on remand and this was taken into account.

TALKS between the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) and unions on the €30 million “survival plan” for Shannon Airport are to commence at the Labour Relations Commission this Wednesday.

The two sides have been given a two-month deadline in which to resolve issues by the Labour Court, which urged the parties last month, to engage “genuinely and meaningfully” in negotiations.

The talks process commenced last Summer. But there have been no discussions on the substantive issues over the past nine months.

Throughout, SIPTU has maintained its opposition to plans by the DAA to cut the workforce of 520 through 200 voluntary redundancies and by outsourcing a number of areas of work at Shannon, including exiting completely from catering.

Ahead of the talks at the LRC, Clare Senator Timmy Dooley (FF) told the Seanad that the board and management at Shannon, needed to engage more with staff on the issue of outsourcing.

He said that the management had been suggesting, through the board, that outsourcing was the the only solution for catering.

“I disagree. I am not a business expert, but having discussed the matter with a number of people who have an interest in this area, it is clear there is a viable business in the catering section and the management and the board must be more open to ideas on how that business might be part of a restructured operation,” he said.

“Given that there can be no mandatory redundancies the board will have to work with the hand of cards it is dealt.

“I hope that happens without delay. There is a need to look at all the alternatives in this area.”

As part of the “survival plan”, the DAA is offering sums of up to €10,000 for the 300 or so workers that opt to remain, costing the DAA €2 to €3 million. The payments are being made in recognition of changing work practices.

The voluntary redundancy package gives staff with over 24 years experience a €10,000 pay-off, while it also entitles workers to their company pensions at 55.

The Minister for Transport, Martin Cullen, said he acknowledged the efforts going on at Shannon.

“I welcome the fact that the Labour Relations Commission is meeting with people there, which I hope reaches a positive conclusion for all the stakeholders in order that we can move on.

“That will be an important contribution to the success of Shannon Airport,” he said.

THE Minister for Transport, Martin Cullen, has confirmed that Shannon Airport will not have its €70 million debt cleared by the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) when it becomes independent.

The Minister said there was no question of either Shannon or Cork escaping debt.

Mr Cullen’s view, expressed in the Seanad, runs contrary to that expressed by former Transport Minister, Seamus Brennan in July 2004.

Mr Brennan, also speaking in the Seanad, said that under the terms of the restructuring, both airports would commence operations debt free.

Minister Cullen said his job was to ensure that both airports were “set off” with the strongest possible commercial mandate for future development.

“That is the only agenda that the Government and I wish to pursue. Therefore each authority is required to prepare a comprehensive business plan and obtain our approval for these plans before any assets can be transferred.

“The Commissioner for Aviation Regulation made clear that he will not allow a charging regime at Dublin Airport to cover the costs of Cork or any other airport.

“That is the law within which we must operate.”

Senator Timmy Dooley (FF) said the inability of Dublin Airport Authority to “spin off” assets into the two separate companies had created a problem.

“There is no point dwelling on the reason this was allowed to occur or whether better or different advice should have been obtained,” he said.

“The intent at the time was to ensure the airports had sufficient capacity to manage their business, expand their market, generate increased numbers of passengers and provide better facilities for customers.

“A review of the progress achieved in realising the aims set down in the legislation is required. Policy could then be examined in light of the outcome.

“It is possible, for example, that the spin-off of assets to three individual companies will prove unnecessary.

“I propose such a review on the basis of the position at which we have arrived as opposed to the original aim.

“Given the substantial progress achieved to date, perhaps the establishment of three independent, statutorily constituted companies operating under the provisions of company law is no longer required.

“It is this proposal that is causing the problem.

“The airports are working well in the current hiatus.

“While I am not an expert in this area, I suggest that the Dublin Airport Authority be restructured to act as an umbrella encompassing all the State airports,” he said.