Month: June 2006

CLARE County Council and The National University of Ireland, Maynooth, are currently conducting a major study on habitat change and the impact of rising sea levels along the Shannon Estuary and parts of County Clare.

It is hoped that the survey will identify areas where important natural habitats can be restored or enhanced and that it will help form better planning practice as well as contribute to research on climate change and the rise in sea levels in the future.

Earlier this year, the heritage map was commissioned as part of the Clare Heritage Plan Programme. The project was launched in association with the Heritage Council, Clare Biodiversity Group and Rural Resource Development.

The map will cover an area stretching from Ruan to Clooney to Shannon Airport and will include the greater Ennis area and the River Fergus estuary.

The work is being carried out by Mary Tubridy and Associates who were involved in developing an Environmental Education Strategy for the county in 2004.

Dr. Tubridy and Mieke Muyllaert will gather information for the map from aerial photographs and fieldwork.

Congella McGuire, Heritage Officer, Clare County Council, says the new maps will make it possible to learn about the diversity of plants and animals in the areas surveyed.

“A presentation on the work and update of the survey will be made available during Heritage Week from August 26 to September 3 in Ennis,” she said.

THE Diocese of Killaloe confirmed yesterday that it was “quite unlikely” that any man would enter studies for the priesthood next September.

The Diocese’s Director of Vocations, Fr Iggy McCormack told The Clare People THE ENNIS Educate Together school is hopeful that agreement can be reached with Clare County Council over a permanent site for the school.

School officials have also hit back at claims made by the council that the present Gort Road site isn’t large enough to accommodate a permanent building.

The council stated that school management had not sought to renew the lease for the site which ran out eight months ago and that the site is unsuitable for development.

But school principal Sean O’Confhaola has hit back saying the school would be happy to develop the present site.

“The school would be more than happy to obtain a site of 1.86 acres instead of one of 2.5 acres if it would mean building a new school sooner rather than later.

“Many schools have been built on smaller sites in urban areas. In fact, a very small site for the Ranelagh Multi-Denominational National School won an architectural award last year.”

Mr O’Confhaola says the Council has a social responsibility for the school as 165 children were enrolled there. He hoped the Council would consider new school planning measures currently in place in six counties which would allow the local authority reserve a site for the school.

The school has been at loggerheads with the council over a permanent site. School officials have said they may not be able to take new students at the beginning of next term if the issue is not resolved.

THE Clare People has learnt that senior Fine Gael officials visited the county in the last ten days to meet privately with the four candidates from last month’s convention.

The party is now believed to be close to making a decision about who should represent Fine Gael next summer.

It is understood that the party will stick to a promise made by party leader, Enda Kenny, to Cllr. Madeleine Taylor-Quinn, two years ago, offering her a place on the ticket.

Fine Gael General Secretary, Tom Curran, and the National Director of Elections, Frank Flannery, met with the candidates in an attempt to resolve issues to emerge out of the convention fiasco.

It is believed that they held out a Seanad nomination, in a bid to decide which of the candidates outvoted at the convention would be added to the Dáil ticket, for next year’s election.

This offer is thought to have been refused by Cllr Madeleine Taylor Quinn, in light of a previous deal she made with the party leader.

It is believed that Enda Kenny promised the former TD and Opposition front bencher a chance to run in the next general election if she put her name forward for the European election in 2004.

It is understood that having secured 22,000 first preference votes from the county in 2004, Cllr Taylor-Quinn is now insisting that the party adheres to the deal and adds her to the ticket.

Sources say that senior officials have now agreed that the deal was indeed made and should be adhered to.

Fine Gael sources also claim that the son of former TD Dónal Carey, Cllr. Joe Carey has been offered a Seanad nomination, but that there has been no suggestion that he is out of the running for the Fine Gael ticket.

Meanwhile, some members of the party in Clare believe that just two Fine Gael candidates should go forward, while others argue that a third candidate is necessary.

There has also been suggestions that a final decision is unlikely to be made until Fianna Fáil shows its hand.

On Sunday May 14, the Clare Fine Gael delegates elected sitting TD Deputy Pat Breen and Shannon Town Mayor Cllr Tony Mulcahy to represent the party in the next election.

SINN FÉIN is looking to its six cumann in Clare to find a candidate for the next election.

With confidence growing in the party following Pearse Doherty’s large Clare vote in the 2004 European election, the party said it was now preparing to find a candidate in the Banner County.

During his visit to Clare last Friday, the party’s leader in the Dáil, Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin, said it was unlikely that the search would extend beyond the party.

“That isn’t our approach in the norm. We rely on first our own resources and talents,” he said.

When asked if the party would approach a high profile figure in the county to run for it, the Monaghan TD said, “I don’t think it is an approach we would prefer. We would prefer to concentrate on our own members.”

“It would be a requirement obviously to be a member of the party,” he added.

“In the last election (European), Pearse Doherty received 5,000 votes in Clare. That is a measure of the potential in the county.”

Deputy Ó Caoláin was in Clare in his role as Sinn Fein’s Health Spokesperson. Launching the party’s National Healthcare Campaign “Healthcare in an Ireland of Equals”, he visited numerous health facilities around Ennis.

Accompanied by local Sinn Féin activists, he met with Peadar McNamara, Chairman of Ennis General Hospital Development Committee, with whom he said he had a long standing working relationship.

He told The Clare People that he had been involved in a long series of correspondence with the lobby group, and had supported their work not only as a TD, but also as a resident on Monaghan town.

He then paid a visit to the Mid Western Regional Hospital Ennis, where he met with campaigners and staff and had a short walkabout.

Prior to his meeting at the hospital, the Sinn Féin TD visited a number of shopping centres in the town.

He also met with members of Down’s Syndrome Ireland who were having a flag day. The deputy said he was acutely aware of their concerns, as a sibling of a man with Down’s Syndrome.

He then met with the management, staff and service users of the Disabled People of Clare at their offices.

THE Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has tersely dismissed a bid by Clare County Council to have two warning notices issued over the management of its Inagh landfill withdrawn.

In March, the agency served the fifteenth non-compliance notice on the council over the management of the €8m landfill.

The council replied with a lengthy defence. But, after a five-week interlude, the EPA has issued a one-line response.

It states that, “notwithstanding the information submitted by the council, the agency considers that the non-compliances should remain”.

Council officials are currently drafting a response to the EPA letter. Chair of the Special Environment Policy Committee, Cllr Patricia McCarthy (Ind) said it was, “very difficult to comprehend the activities of the EPA at times”.

Accusing the EPA of nitpicking, Cllr McCarthy added that the agency was, “not giving clear directions or clear guidelines to the council. The Inagh site is a very well run site.”

The non-compliance notice centred on the council allegedly felling trees during the nesting seasons and on continuing odour problems caused by the landfill.

However, in a strongly worded five page response, the council formally requested that the agency withdraw the two non-compliance notices and claimed that the agency had acted outside its powers.

The council stated that, “the agency would appear to have arbitrarily issued a non-compliance in relation to tree-felling, which it can be argued is outside the scope of the licence as the issue of tree-felling is defined and protected within other statute.

“In the council’s view, the agency has in effect acted ultra vires in the issue of non-compliance notice as the basis for its issue is held by other authorities.

The council pointed out that the Forestry Service and the National Parks and Wildlife Service had both indicated that they had no reservations in relation to tree felling on this site.

The council also argued that ‘in no way can the tree-felling be considered as environment pollution and as such should not result in the issue of a non-compliance which is specifically linked to the Waste Management Act.”

WORKERS’ representatives at Shannon Development have expressed concern about a new group that has come together to promote the west of Ireland.

The new entity, known as the Atlantic Way Group, includes many well-known names in business, politics, education and public administration.

The role it intends playing has already come under scrutiny in the Dáil.

“There is deep concern amongst staff over the role that the Atlantic Way Group will perform. It appears to have the same policies as Shannon Development,” a workers’ representative spokesman at Shannon Development told The Clare People .

“There would appear to be more than enough organizations doing the work that the Atlantic Way claims it will carry out. Is this just another unnecessary layer of bureaucracy?”

The official launch of the Atlantic Way Group is expected in the near future. Its mission statement says that, “it does not seek to do the work of any other group or organisation whose remit is to achieve stated objectives, but it will assist, profile and work towards supporting their objectives in an overall context”.

The group describes itself as, “a movement comprised of a number of committed people, representative of key private and public sector bodies, which seeks to maximise the development potential of the West by supporting and promoting best practice in every aspect”.

It sets out its principal aim as bringing “coherence, coordination and a sense of urgency to infrastructural development, excellent technological services, quality employment, lifelong education and quality of life.”

Those involved in Atlantic Way include former MEP, Pat Cox; Care County Manager, Alec Fleming; President of UL, Roger Downer; Shannon Development’s Chief Executive, Kevin Thompstone and the development body’s Chairman, Liam McElligott.

The group came under Dáil scrutiny, when Labour’s Ruairi Quinn quizzed Enterprise, Trade and Employment Minister, Micheál Martin, on whether it would receive State funding. He also asked what role it would play and whether this would overlap with Shannon Development.

The Minister said that Shannon Development “facilitates and supports the Atlantic Way initiative, as it is consistent with the company’s focus on balanced regional development.”

He confirmed that this support included “a small financial amount, approved by Shannon Development as a support for the proposed launch of Atlantic Way and a range of practical non-financial supportive actions.”

A TULLA man and his flug-tag crew found on Sunday that Red Bull doesn’t give you wings.

In fact, Emelyn Heaps and his home-built plane were grounded when they tried to take part in the Red Bull Flug Tag event in the River Shannon in Limerick city at the weekend.

An angry Emelyn told The Clare People that after rebuilding parts of his plane three times, when it came his turn to fly, “I was told that the tide had gone out. How hard would it have been to calculate what time the tide goes out?”

With a background in aeronautical engineering, Emelyn currently holds the distance record for the Flug Tag flight, after taking part in the event in Dublin five years ago.

A team of six worked to build his plane “Record Breaker” in a bid to beat Emelyn’s record.

“We arrived with the plane on Saturday, but weren’t told until Sunday that the launch trolley was too heavy. The Clare Scaffolding Company came to our rescue with aluminium poles to make it lighter and we rebuilt it.”

When the carriage was rebuilt, organisers then told the team that the river authority were not allowing trolleys to go into the river. “This despite the fact that there were already trolleys in the river from earlier flights,” said Emelyn.

They re-built their magnificent flying machine’s trolley a third time “but then we were told, sorry lads, the tide is gone out. You can’t go.”

The crew had planned to launch their “Lying Air” flight captained by Michael O’ Query, offering flights to anywhere in the world for €1 plus €300 Government tax.

Emelyn said that he was “bitterly disappointed and very embarrassed. I roped a lot of people into working on this with me and they were expecting a day of great craic. The Red Bull people said they would ‘look after’ us, but the only useful thing they did was to point out where the pub was.”

The plane cost about €1,000 to put together “but it took a lot of time from people who helped. I’m so angry because of them.”

A spokesman for Red Bull said that it was the health and safety team who pulled the plug on the Tulla team.

“It was such a hot day that the water level went right down with the tide. There were two teams left and we pleaded to even let both of them go together, but there was no go. We were gutted for them.”

The spokesman said that Red Bull would be contacting both teams in the coming days to try to find a way to ease the disappointment.

TWO people have been charged as part of an investigation into an attack on two men in Shannon six months ago.

Two Lithuanian brothers – Arturas and Aivaras Segzda – sustained stab wounds in the incident, at Rossbracken, on December 5 last.

David O’Loughlin (19), of Finian Park, Shannon, is facing four charges while Jessica O’Leary, of Cronan Lawn, Shannon, is facing five charges. Both appeared at Ennis District Court last Friday.

Mr O’Loughlin is charged with two counts of assault causing harm; possession of a knife and possession of a knife with intent to cause injury.

Ms O’Leary is accused of two counts of assault causing harm; possession of a screwdriver and possession of a screwdriver with intent to cause injury. She is also accused of obstruction.

Solicitor William Cahir, for David O’Loughlin, said his client is currently serving a sentence and he was remanded in custody.

Ms O’Leary, an unemployed single mother, was released on her own bond of €100 on the application of solicitor, Una Moylan.

The cases were adjourned, for preparation for a Book of Evidence.

PLANS by Ennis developers, McCarthy Brothers, to construct 120 residential units in the Ballybeg area of Ennis have been thrown into question.

Local resident, Jim McEnery, has lodged an appeal against Clare County Council’s decision last month to give the contentious scheme the go-ahead.

The proposed development comprises of 40 three-bedroom homes; 47 two-bedroom homes; five fourbedroomed homes and 28 apartments.

The council granted planning permission on the basis that the proposed development would not seriously injure the amenities of the area.

However, in the comprehensive appeal, Mr McEnery claims that the proposed development would seriously injure the amenities and depreciate the value of property in the vicinity”.

Describing the area as a “rural haven of tranquillity”, he maintains that if permission is granted for the present development, the use, enjoyment and amenity of his property will be irretrievably lost.

The location of an amenity area beside his property could also result in untold sociable behaviour and the diminution of privacy and he claims it is neither fair nor just that the applicant should make substantial financial gain at his expense.

Mr McEnery’s appeal has also raised concerns over the infrastructure serving the development.

He maintains that the Ballybeg Road, as it exists in its present condition, is incapable of accommodating the volumes of traffic that would be generated by the construction of 120 residential units.

The layout of the development also comes in for criticism and Mr McEnery believes that the proposed layout is an attempt to maximise the number of houses within the development and represents an over-intensive use of the site.

On that basis, he believes that permission should therefore be refused.

A decision is due on the appeal in September of this year.

THE seaside village of Liscannor has honoured a local man and maritime legend.

The 125th anniversary of the invention of the world’s first working submarine by the Clare-born John Philip Holland was marked at a ceremony yesterday. Junior Enterprise, Trade and Employment Minister, Tony Killeen, unveiled a bronze sculpture at the site of a new hotel in Holland’s home village of Liscannor. The sculpture is the creation of Clare artist, Shane Gilmore.

The €3.5 million Cliffs of Moher Hotel is located just miles from the world-famous tourist attraction and will lead to the creation of 40 new jobs. The facility features 23 bedrooms, a public bar, 70-seater restaurant and the bronze sculpture commemorating Holland.

It is the second hotel in as many weeks to be opened by The Atlantis Holiday Group. Two weeks ago, the Clare-based tourism body opened the €8 million Tír Gan Éan House Hotel and Holiday Complex in Doolin, leading to the creation of thirty new jobs.

John Philip Holland was born in Liscannor in 1841. His father, John Holland Senior patrolled the headlands of County Clare as a rider with the British Coastguard Service. The young Holland was a teacher in Ireland until 1872, when he emigrated to the USA, where he taught in Paterson, New Jersey, until 1879. He drew up plans of submarines and in 1881, with funds from Irish associates, launched a small submarine called the Fenian Ram. He was later awarded a contract to build a submarine for the US Navy.

In 1900, the Navy bought the Holland VI for $150,000, about half of its design cost, and later renamed it the USS Holland. The vessel could travel 800km on the surface of the sea and 40km submerged. One US newspaper described it as “Uncle Sam’s Devil of the Deep”. Other countries, including Great Britain, Japan and the Netherlands, purchased Holland’s submarine designs. He died in August 1914, just months before a German submarine sank a British vessel at the start of the First World War.

“John P Holland is a figure of pride for many people in County Clare and unveiling a commemoration to this historic figure is our way of ensuring that his contribution to Liscannor and the wider world does not go unrecognised,” said Paddy Maher, of Atlantis Holiday Group.