Month: May 2006

THE mayor of Ennis said yesterday that the 13member traveller family living on the grounds of the Bishop of Killaloe has done little to gain any sympathy for their plight from the general public.

Last Saturday week, without the permission of Dr Walsh, Tomas and Rosie Molloy and their 11 children pulled their two caravans and one van into the Ennis residence of Dr Walsh. Yesterday, the Molloy family were continuing to defy a request from the Bishop of Killaloe, Dr Willie Walsh, to vacate his Ennis residence.

At the site, Rosie Molloy said that Bishop Walsh has not been in contact since she spoke with him the weekend the family moved onto the site — Dr Walsh was away from his residence the day when the Molloys moved in.

Ms Molloy said she is hoping the council can provide a site for the family. “All we want are facilities to wash the kids and a site.”

Commenting on the situation, Ennis’s mayor, Councillor Frankie Neylon, said, “I don’t know the family but they have done little in the past that would gain them any sympathy.

“The family purchased a house through the shared ownership scheme with the council, but walked away from the council home and went to England so they made themselves homeless.”

Cllr Neylon said that the house the Molloys left remains vacant and boarded up.

He added, “The Town Council can’t consider the Molloys because they left a home even though they purchased it through the shared ownership scheme.”

The Molloys left their shared ownership house in Ennis to go to London 18 months ago. Rosie Molloy is currently seven months pregnant with their 12th child — already, the couple has six girls and five boys.

Dr Walsh has previously allowed the Molloys remain on the diocesan property in the late 1990s for a number of months.

A diocesan spokesman explained that Dr Walsh was unavailable for comment yesterday as he is away and was away for much of last week.

CLIFFS of Moher trader Gerry Cahill has hit out at the Director of Services at Clare County Council, Gerard Dollard, for refusing to meet with traders and buskers about the ongoing situation at the cliffs.

Mr Cahill, who is a spokesperson for their group, told The Clare People that despite a number of attempts to arrange a meeting with Mr Dollard, they received no response.

“The man will never talk to me unless he has to go on the radio,” said Mr Cahill, who is one of the 19 buskers and traders who were served with notices by the council last Thursday.

“I absolutely believe that the way to sort out anything like this is to sit down and talk about it. Every human being should have that right at least, but we have never been given it.”

The Limerick-based trader hand delivered a letter to the offices of Clare County Council, in which he outlined the problems for the buskers and traders at the Cliffs and requested a meeting, but received no response.

“I even made sure that the letter was signed for at the council, but I received no response, never mind a meeting of any kind,” continued Mr Cahill. “There are problems with some of the traders and buskers at the cliffs and that is why we want regulation. We want the highest standard to be set.”

Mr Cahill has also spoken out about what he describes as the “misperception” that the traders and buskers are not willing to accept regulation from Clare County Council.

“We have no problem whatsoever with regulation and standards being set for the quality of produce,” said Mr Cahill.

“Every area of business has to be regulated, but the way to do it is not to go to court and push everyone out.”

CLARE County Council will fail in their legal moves to evict traders and buskers from the Cliffs of Moher, according to Senator Brendan Daly.

He said yesterday that the council had made a “terrible mistake” by going to court to have the traders and musicians expelled from the Cliffs site.

As part of the legal moves by the council, the buskers and traders operating at the Cliffs of Moher face the threat of prison.

“It is unnecessary and an unfair way to treat the buskers and traders, some of whom have been there for 20 years and long before the council came on the scene.

“No one will win by going to court and this move by the council will create a bad reaction amongst the public to the council and will be detrimental to the project in the longer term.

Senator Daly urged officials “to reconsider and sit down with the traders and buskers. They should provide a place for the traders and buskers. No one wants a free for all, but the buskers and traders have been providing a good service at the cliffs for a number of years.”

In all, 19 buskers and traders are facing the injunction proceedings with 14 of the named defendants living in the north and west Clare areas.

Eight of the defendants are buskers at the cliffs.

THE legitimacy of Clare County Council’s decision to instigate legal proceedings to remove 19 buskers and traders from the Cliffs of Moher has been thrown into doubt, with a survey by The Clare People revealing that the majority of county councillors are opposed to legal action being taken.

Of the 32 elected members of the council, sixteen are opposed to legal action, 9 are in favour of it and 7 have declined to comment. The local authority presented the 19 buskers and traders with notice of court proceedings last Thursday.

“Taking legal action without engaging in dialogue is an admission of failure and the opportunity for dialogue has now been lost,” said Cllr PJ Kelly (FF).

“A small bit of dialogue could have saved a lot of trouble, but there was no broker there, no independent person who could have solved the problem. There are two sides to the arguments and the buskers have rights too, and they have precedent on their side.”

West Clare councillor Oliver Garry (FG), also opposed to the instigation of legal proceedings, said the council should not be going to court to settle the dispute.

“They are being too hasty and should be very sensitive in going to the courts with these people, many of which have been operating at the cliffs for years.”

The Director of Service at Clare County Council and head of the Cliffs of Moher Project, Gerard Dollard declined to comment on the results of the survey, but his actions were defended by some elected members of the council.

“I support Ger Dollard 100 per cent at what he is trying to achieve at the Cliffs,” said Kilrush Councillor Tom Prendeville (FF). “The traders have nothing to fear from coming on board with Clare County Council and I think that it is in their own best interests in the long run.”

Another in support was Shannon councillor, Patricia McCarthy (Ind), who said the council had no other choice.

“I think that they are right to go to court at this stage, there has been consultation going on for years and they have exhausted all other options,” she said.

Three locally based councillors, Martin Lafferty (Ind), Christy Curtin (Ind) and Flan Garvey (FF) also suggested that an independent third party should be brought in to resolve the situation rather than pursuing the legal route.

In a separate survey conducted by The Clare People , 25 of the 29 councilors who gave an answer, said that some accommodation should be made for traders and buskers at the Cliffs, in addition to the 6 traders who were to housed in the main visitor complex. In response to this , Gerard Dollard said that some buskers would be issued with licenses from the council.

THE threat of strike action could see taxi services grind to a halt in Ennis next weekend.

Taxi drivers met last night in Ennis to discuss possible strike action over new proposals put forward by the industry regulator, Ger Deering. Members are expected to adopt a motion for strike action which would see taxi services withdrawn from 10am on Saturday, June 3, to 6am Sunday, June 4.

The work stoppage could lead to commuter chaos over the busy bank holiday weekend.

Drivers are unhappy with proposals put forward by Mr Deering that would lead to an extensive overhaul of taxi, hackney and limousine services in Ireland.

There is strong opposition to the introduction of a new standardised fare service and the overhaul of current licensing laws.

Speaking yesterday, Chairman of the Ennis branch of the Taxi Drivers’ Federation, Martin White, said he expected the strike to go ahead.

“It will probably go ahead. The public have nothing to do with this and it is unfortunate that the public has got caught up in the middle. I would hope that we could resolve this without going on strike. It’s bad enough with Iarnród Éireann, but we don’t want to let the public down as well. I’d like to apologise to the public on behalf of all members”.

Mr White added that new centralised licensing proposals could compromise the safety of drivers and passengers.

“He’s (Ger Deering) issued these numbers from 10,000 up and it’s impossible to tell where a taxi is registered. With the old system, there was a single number and if you had a problem with a taxi driver you could easily identify the car. Look at where that woman was attacked by someone posing as a taxi driver. It’s easier for people to pose as taxi drivers,” said White.

The row escalated between unions and the regulator last month when members of the Cork branch of the National Taxi Drivers’ Federation voted for an overnight stoppage. Head of the National Taxi Drivers’ Union, Tommie Gorman, has said that the strike could lead to chaos on the streets.

Other mooted reforms include a new complaints system for customers and extra training.

TRAFFIC gardaí have mistakenly hit a number of Clare motorists with double penalty points.

Gardaí at Ennis have asked any driver caught in the mix-up to write to them to have the extra points deducted.

A Department of Transport spokesman pointed a finger at some gardaí who sent notices of penalty points to two processing centres, instead of one at Garda Fines Office at Capel Street in Dublin.

Since last month, when a new automatic computerised system was introduced, gardaí were to send notices only to the Dublin office, rather than to SWS in Cork, the company responsible for inputting the points electronically. But some continued to send them to both.

Staff at the fines office are meant to notify officials at the Department of Transport of all new points handed out. These are then automatically added on to a driver’s licence.

A spokesperson for the Department of Transport admitted that there was an overlap, in the cases of a number of Clare, Galway and Limerick drivers, and that the issue would be rectified.

“The department became aware of it and got in touch with the gardaí, to ensure that only one notice will be sent,” said the spokesperson.

“It will be rectified soon, between gardaí and the SWS system in Cork,” the spokesperson added.

The Head of the Clare Garda Division Traffic Corps, Inspector Kevin Moynihan, said only a “handful” of drivers in Clare were affected by the mistake.

He urged any drivers affected by the error to contact gardaí and said the extra points would be deducted as soon as possible.

“If someone reports to us that they have got double points, we will write to the Department and get the penalty points taken off. This is only a temporary thing and it shouldn’t happen from now on,” he said.

“It happened before the new computer system was fully operational – between February 20 and April 3. The Department was accepting what they were getting . . . I have come across three or four drivers who were affected,” he added.

Inspector Moynihan has also urged Clare drivers to pay their fines at their local post offices, or to a PO Box address in Kilrush, and not at Garda stations.

“People are supposed to pay them at post offices, as it says on the back of the notice. People are paying them at Garda stations,” he said.

FIANNA FÁIL is expected to add Senator Brendan Daly to the party ticket for the forthcoming General Election, within the coming week. He will join Junior Minister Tony Killeen and Senator Timmy Dooley.

The west Clare senator is expected to agree to run following confirmation last week that €4.5 million of the €20 million outlined to upgrade the Mid Western Regional Hospital, Ennis, is to be spent this year.

Party sources say that the former minister met with Minister for Finance, Brian Cowen, during the week to discuss his future in politics.

While the matter hasn’t been finalised, the likelihood is a decision will be made by the weekend.

Promises of a Catscan for the hospital, coupled with some other visible improvements there, are likely to sway Daly towards running again.

An Oireachtas member with more than 30 years’ experience, he lost out to Senator Dooley and Junior Minister Killeen at the party’s convention in April. Days before the Clare delegates selected their candidates, Fianna Fáil headquarters decided that just two rather than the preferred three would be selected, with HQ to add the third.

After losing out and following weeks of speculation about his political intentions, Daly issued an ultimatum to his party.

The former minister said he would not agree to be added to the party ticket for the next election unless issues such as Ennis General Hospital and the ongoing wait for sewerage schemes were adequately addressed.

“I do not believe in issuing ultimatums, or making unattainable demands, but in the matter of the development of Ennis hospital, unless there is a very clear unambiguous decision, as far as I am concerned, Fianna Fáil will have to seek another candidate other than me to stand in the next election,” he told The Clare People.

“Unless there is a clear understanding that the Ennis hospital project is on track, the political positions is unsustainable,” he added.

“This time last year, I made it clear that I stake my political future on the safeguarding of Ennis General Hospital and was given assurances in that regard.”

Meanwhile, Clare hurler Niall Gilligan has denied that any approaches were made to him about running for Fianna Fáil in the election.

ENNIS has scored a moderate improvement in the latest litter league results compiled by Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL).

The latest IBAL report places Ennis 35th out of 53 areas surveyed and deems the town to be moderately littered.

It represents an improvement on the last survey, in which Ennis was placed 51st and was cited as having a significant litter problem. The findings come as the town prepares to defend its crown as Ireland’s tidiest town, this Summer.

In the executive summary, the report states that there are some excellent sites in Ennis that are litter-free and kept in very good condition. Among the areas singled out for praise are the Mill Road roundabout and the Remembrance Gardens on Cloughleigh Road.

However, IBAL criticised high levels of litter on the N68 Kilrush/ Kilkee approach road and the Limerick approach road. IBAL noted that the condition of the O’Connell monument had improved but that it still had a long way to go and was “clearly an area used for drinking and hanging out”.

Head of IBAL, Dr Tom Cavangah, said greater enforcement of litter laws was needed in Ennis.

“There is still a bit of work to be done.

“It can be done mainly through the local authority enforcing the law. We found that a lot of pubs and fast food restaurants are not cleaning the public areas they operate in.

“The law of the land should be enforced, especially against local businesses. I know a lot of the work is being done by volunteers but I don’t think that can be sustained in the long term.”

Margaret Neylon of the Ennis Tidy Towns Committee dismissed the impact of the report.

“It has been well documented that Ennis has a proven reputation on the national and international stage and we are continuing to work with Ennis Town Council, residents and the Chamber of Commerce to build on last year’s success. It can’t take from Ennis’ success,” she said.

LAHINCH looks set to receive a double funding boost over the next couple of months with the announcement of almost €1 million of grant aid to improve facilities in the town.

Funding of up to €800,000 has been secured from Clare County Council to facilitate the development of toilets, showers and other touristrelated facilities on the town’s seafront promenade.

This funding has been made available as a result of the decision to double the cost of parking on the promenade and Liscannor Road car parks.

The money will go towards developing toilet and shower facilities for visitors and the town’s expanding surfer population, as well as the redevelopment of lifeguard facilities on the beach.

The cost of parking in both locations will increase from €1 to €2 for a three-hour parking disc and from €2.50 to €4 for an eight-hour disc. With tens of thousands of tourists parking on the promenade each Summer, the increase is likely to bring in more than €100,000 extra for the local authority each year.

In addition, the town could also benefit from €100,000 of funding from the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. Clare County Council have put forward funding proposals in the name of Lahinch, Kilrush, Ennis and Shannon, with three of the four Clare proposals likely to get the go-ahead.

“I welcome the decision wholeheartily because the council has always had a great interest in Lahinch,” said Lisdoonvarna County Councillor, Martin Lafferty (Ind).

“It is a mighty plan. They gave us a look at it at the last council meeting and it includes new parking, toilet and shower facilities for the surfers.”

Meanwhile, Lahinch will have to wait until 2007 before it can go ahead with plans to develop a children’s playground alongside the promenade.

Community groups in Corofin and Lisdoonvarna were awarded €57,500 each for the development of playground facilities while proposals from Ennistymon and Lahinch have been deferred until January of 2007.

“It is a wonderful initiative from the council and it is long overdue,” continued Cllr Lafferty.

“I know people from Ennistymon who travel all the way to Loughrea just to use the playground there so there is a major interest in it.”

PLANS to partially destroy an historic ring fort on the route of the new Crusheen to Gort bypass, have been attacked by folklorist and author, Eddie Lenihan.

Galway County Council is proposing to flatten part of a “regionally important” ring fort in the townland of Lurga in south Galway.

“It is crazy that they are going to destroy part of this ring fort. Have they learned anything? They are the ones charged with protecting our heritage. It doesn’t make any sense,” Mr Lenihan said yesterday.

The Department of the Environment shares the concerns expressed by Mr Lenihan, who led a successful campaign to prevent the destruction of a fairy tree when the Newmarketon-Fergus bypass was being built.

In a submission to An Bord Pleanala, the department expresses concern that “the significance of impact on the regionally important ring fort, which was considered minor in the Route Selection Report has now become a substantial impact at Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) stage and part of the outer earthworks will be removed by the road.

“This issue was highlighted in 2002, when we wrote asking the Galway Project Archaeologist for details regarding the proposed impact on this monument. In general, the EIS fails to adequately address reasons for impact on archaeological features.”

Mr Lenihan said that he hoped that National Roads Authority (NRA) would consider changing the scheme to prevent any destruction occurring.

“I hope that they will look at the plans again,” he said.

The Department submission states that the EIS fails to consider the overall ecological value of certain sites, based on the habitats and species present and the condition of the habitats.

In its submission, An Taisce states that the impact of the road on turloughs “is a particular issue unique to this road on which it is submitted that specialist advice should be sought and obtained by An Bord Pleanala”.

Others to make a submission on the scheme’s EIS include the Shannon Regional Fisheries Board (SRFB), the Gort Regional Alliance for Community and Environment (GRACE) and environmental consultant, Peter Sweetman. The scheme will involve the severance of 845 acres of farmland along the route.

Galway County Council is the lead agency in the scheme and is intending to compulsory purchase of almost 500 acres of land contained in 103 farms. Objections have been lodged and an oral hearing is to be held later this year.