Month: June 2006

THE Shannon Airport Authority (SAA) is set to lose control of Aer Rianta International in the proposed break-up of the three state airport infrastructure, according to the Chairman of the Dublin Airport Authority.

Gary McGann told an Oireachtas committee that the indications were that Aer Rianta International would “move towards Dublin rather than Shannon.”

“Logic dictates that regardless of what developments take place in regard to Aer Rianta International, its business should not be threatened. There is a general view that it might struggle to survive under the ownership of a separate Shannon Airport Authority, which will not enjoy the same resources as its Dublin counterpart. This discussion is ongoing and has not been finalised because it is part of the final separation discussions.”

Mr McGann said that the viability of Shannon Airport depended predominantly on addressing the cost base and that had been a very difficult and tortuous process over the past year.

“The case is before the Labour Court, which is trying to bring the two sides together. It requires significant cost take-out.

“We have put in place and made available a fairly substantial voluntary severance programme to try to move that forward, especially for people who may want to retire early. Once we have agreed solutions for Cork and Shannon, we will assess the viability of the development plan for Dublin Airport.”

“Issues in regard to Cork and Shannon must be resolved before we can finalise the plan for Dublin. We will then be in a position to submit the three viability plans, which are interconnected. We are working towards this end, but I understand it is frustrating for everybody that we are not there yet. Notwithstanding the many claims on its scarce capital resources, the Dublin Airport Authority has been prepared to support a restructuring programme at Shannon Airport with a generous voluntary severance package,” he said.

AN estimated €100,000 was raised for charities, both local and national, following the Clare 10K race on Saturday.

While over €7,500 was raised for the sponsored charities, Clare Haven Services, Cahercalla Hospice and the Samaritans, from the registration fee alone, a further €90,000 was raised by participants for their own designated charities.

Eileen Murphy of Clare Haven Services, one of the Clare 10k organisers, was delighted with the success of the event. She said that “the original idea was to organise a large local event in which to pool resources and bring all the charities together, but this exceeded all my expectations.”

She went on to thank everyone involved, from those who were there at the beginning to everyone who gave 100 per cent on the day, including the gardaí and marshalls who were on hand to help along the route, and the volunteers and physiotherapists, who were at the Lees Road complex to assist the runners as they crossed the finish line. She said she had received great feedback.

“Many people commented on the chosen route. We tried to make it a mix of country and urban and the runners seemed very happy with it,” she said.

Locals and businesses came out in force to support the event, with people standing along the route to cheer on and motivate the runners. While some local businesses sent messages of support, others donated spot prizes. Local bands and musical societies were positioned along the route, to entertain the spectators and motivate the runners.

James Sexton from the Clare branch of Athletics Ireland said that “this was a very successful event from an athletics point of view. This is the first big sporting event in Clare and it attracted some very good athletes including both the men’s and women’s senior winners, Gerry Ryan from Galway City Harriers and Veronica Colleran from Ennis.”

A total of 737 registered runners, joggers and walkers took part, while there was a further 150 estimated unregistered runners, who came along on the day.

“This was a great number for an inaugural race,” said Eileen, “but let’s hope we have double, or even treble the numbers next year.”

Along with the Clare 10K sponsored charities, some of the 40 charities who benefited from the event were Clare Animal Welfare, ICA, Breast Cancer and the East Clare Chernobyl Project.

A NEW company with a base in Shannon will be dealing with 60 per cent of the country’s hazardous waste and, as fuel prices soar, is planning to setting up a biodiesel plant.

Brian Cowen, Minister for Finance, launched Enva as the new corporate and brand name for the businesses formerly known as Atlas, Envirotech and Shannon Environmental Services.

With 70 per cent of Ireland’s hazardous waste still being exported, Enva, which has facilities in Shannon, Portlaoise, Cork and Dublin will aim to reduce Ireland’s exportation of hazardous waste through alternative waste recovery technologies. This consolidation of former companies Atlas, Envirotech and Shannon Environmental Services means that Enva, amongst other services, is the largest indigenous processor of hazardous waste processing over 75,000 tonnes, or approximately 60 per cent of all hazardous waste that is processed in Ireland.

Delegates present at the launch heard of future developments for Enva including the setting up of a bio-diesel production plant, a new solvent distillation facility and the opening of new facilities in Dublin and Cork.

The company is also planning to expand its in house research and development department.

Declan Ryan, Managing Director, Enva, said, “We are a nation that has some way to go in ensuring that our hazardous waste is not just some other country’s problem. There is often a myth perpetuated that there is no hazardous waste management infrastructure in Ireland, because of a lack of incineration facilities. While incineration may have a role to play within Ireland, our commitment is to more alternative recovery technologies, which are emerging and developing fast.”

Enva is a services company, providing innovative and environmentally better solutions to customers for disposing of a range of wastes. The company employs 203 people across four licensed facilities in the Republic of Ireland and two licensed facilities in Northern Ireland, Drumaness, Down, and Carryduff, Antrim.

At the launch, Finance Minister Brian Cowen, said that “waste sector in Ireland has changed quite dramatically in the last decade. It has rocketed to the top of the environmental agenda, right alongside issues such as climate change and global warming.

This has had enormous implications for all of us, in both the public and the private sectors, and has represented a great opportunity for some of the dynamic private sector participants.

CLARE County Council has hit back at accusations by An Taisce that there was a lack of transparency in the decision to allow a contentious house development, near Lemanagh Castle in the Burren.

Last month, two senior council planning officials ignored professional advice from the area planner and the council’s conservation officer, and granted permission to Anna Maria Murphy to build a house near the 17th century castle.

Senior Executive Planner, Brian McCarthy, overruled the recommendations to refuse permission, after visiting the site at the request of Cllr Richard Nagle (FF) and discussing the application with Senior Planner, Liam Conneally.

In response, An Taisce appealed the decision to An Bord Pleanala, claiming that there was “a lack of transparency in establishing the circumstances in which the recommendations were overturned”.

The organisation claimed that the intervention was “not based on any memo or considered deliberation which is available for consideration on the planning file”.

However, in a five page submission to Bord Pleanala, supporting the granting of permission, the council said that An Taisce was “factually incorrect and disingenuous”, in claiming that the decision lacked transparancy.

In its submission, the council did not refer to the report made by conservation officer Risteard Ua Cronín, who said that the proposal had “the potential to do irreparable damage to the existing monuments and to set an unwelcome precedent for development in the vicinity of Lemanagh Castle and its unique 17th century house”.

Instead, the submission states that the proposal “will not have any adverse effect on the visual setting or appreciation of Lemanagh Castle”.

Pointing out that the site is located almost 500 metres to the east of Lemanagh Castle, the council states that, “the proposal will be functionally, physically and contextually detached from the visual setting of the castle, completely obscured in views by a number of intervening houses. The castle will not be directly visible from the proposed house and viceversa.”

The council pointed to the absence of any objection from the Department of the Environment over the archaeological impact of the proposal and said that Ms Murphy also met the criteria for securing permission under the council’s ‘locals-only’ policy.

“The applicant is the niece of the landowner who was born in the area and has been living with her uncle for the last five-six years and involved in part-time farming on the family landholding . . .”

A decision is due in September of this year.

THE spiteful vandal that put the vehicles available to an emergency medical service out of action knew what they were doing, it was revealed this week.

But it is not clear whether the person, or persons, who slashed all the tyres on the Shannon Doc vehicle parked outside the hospital in Ennis, were acting out of a personal vendetta or just wanton vandalism.

The ruthless slasher cut all the wheels of the Shannon Doc vehicle parked on the grounds on the Mid Western Regional Hospital Ennis, during the last bank holiday weekend, before attacking the on-call doctor’s car.

Not content with putting both cars beyond use, the vandal then slashed the tyres on the private car of Shannon Doc’s designated driver.

During the mindless rampage, single tyres on other cars parked close to the Shannon Doc vehicles were also cut.

Shannon Doc Supervisor for the Clare area, Sean Lyons, said he was not willing to speculate if it was wanton vandalism or a personnel vendetta, but said the incident put lives at risk

“They could even have put one of their own families lives at risk had they needed the emergency service,” he pointed out.

The car was equipped with emergency equipment, including a defibrillator and oxygen.

The staff had to transfer all of the equipment into a taxi when an emergency call came in shortly after the attack, losing vital minutes.

“It was almost like interfering with an ambulance,” said Mr Lyons.

Despite being one of its busiest times, an Ennis taxi service gave priority to Shannon Doc, according to the service’s spokesperson.

“We are very grateful to all the people involved who assisted on the night,” said the Shannon Doc manager based in Limerick, Larry Maher, paying tribute to the taxi firm, the Shannon Doc staff and supervisor.

The doctors beginning the morning shift used their own cars until the emergency vehicle was repaired, ensuring that all calls could be responded to.

Gardaí in Ennis say they are investigating the incident. Shannon Doc have two other units in Clare.

CLARE County Council has again asked the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reconsider two warning notices issued over the council’s management of the Inagh landfill facility.

The environmental agency issued a one-line response to the council’s previous five-page-long request to have the notices withdrawn.

Now, in response to the EPA’s letter, the council has written that, as licensee of the facility, it “requests that the Inspectorate of the Agency reconsider the details of the correspondence, dated April 12 and its subsequent reply”.

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

The notice centred on the council allegedly felling trees during the nesting season and on continuing odour problems caused by the landfill.

However, in a lengthy and strongly-worded response, the council formally requested that the agency withdraw the two non-compliance notices, claiming that it 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 categorically indicated that they had no reservation in relation to tree-felling on this site.

However, in spite of the lengthy arguments put forward by the council, the EPA, after a five-week interlude, issued the one-line reply that “notwithstanding the information submitted by the council, the agency considers that the Non-Compliances should remain”.

In its latest response, the council writes that “as licensee (it) outlined a number of matters in support of the case for the withdrawal of the notification of non-compliances.

“We respectfully request that the rationale forming the basis of the position of the Inspectorate is outlined. A detailed response to all other issues raised would also be appreciated”.

IT is expected that plans will be lodged shortly for a plant that will produce an environmentally-friendly fuel in Shannon.

The plan will lessen the county’s dependence on fossil fuels.

A presentation on Clare’s future energy needs has also been told that wave energy off Clare’s coast has the potential to produce 150 per cent of the county’s current electricity needs and that, by 2015, wind-energy could supply almost 50 per cent of those requirements.

According to the manager of the Limerick Clare Energy Agency, Pat Stephens, it is anticipated that the Shannon-based pilot project will produce 100,000 litres of bio-diesel from pure plant oil each year.

Mr Stephens said that the project had the potential to produce 20 to 40 million litres. The company involved is seeking pre-planning discussions with Clare County Council on the issue.

In a presentation to the council’s Special Policy Committee on the Environment, Mr Stephens pointed out that Clare had no tillage land, nor experience in the tillage of rape seed.

Illustrating Clare’s dependence on fossil fuels, Mr Stephens said that Clare’s motorists consume 210 million litres of petrol and diesel each year. Mr Stephens said that 89 per cent of Clare’s energy needs are met by oil.

“We cannot produce oil, but we can produce electricity from wind, water and solar energy. Clare needs 200MW of electricity for its present needs”.

Mr Stephens said that, by 2015, Clare might have wind-farms producing 87MW of power.

He said that the Clare County Development Plan had targeted to have 20MW of wind-power by 2008.

However, he pointed out that 32MW was already connected through wind-farms at Connolly (19.5MW) and Moanmore, Kilrush (12.6 MW).

Mr Stephens said that 22MW was due to be contracted for connection before the end of 2007. Mr Stephens said that it was estimated that a further 33MW would be connected before 2015.

On the potential for developing electricity from the Atlantic ocean off Clare’s coast, Mr Stephens said that the potential annual output from wave energy was between 30 and 300MW. On the energy that could be developed through energy crops and forestry, Mr Stephens said that Clare had 43,700 hectares of land under forestry, which at 14 per cent was five per cent more than the national average.

SHANNON Airport had never seen anything like this in its storied history and probably never will again. It had all to do with Taoiseach Charles J Haughey, some pomp and plenty of ceremony.

On December 22, 1987, the crown prince of Fianna Fáil took to the microphone on the Rineanna runway and asked for a round of applause.

It wasn’t for a departing Head of State – that came later on in the reign of the self-titled spirit of the nation, when he met the self-titled spirit of Perestroika, Mikhail Gorbachev on a stopover in Shannon.

Instead, it was for an American bald eagle that got lost over the Atlantic and crash landed in Castleisland. A lone eagle, not unlike the pioneer aviator Charles Lindbergh, who came to Rineanna, as the hub of world aviation was been built.

And the applause rang out for what the Taoiseach called “this magnificent young bird”. The brown-plumed eagle was momentarily taken out of its holding box and ceremoniously handed over to a US government representative, on the steps of the Aer Lingus jet, Saint Colmcille.

The bird played to the gallery, flapping his seven-foot wingspan and almost taking flight again. Charlie dived for cover, but remained unflappable as he spoke to reporters about the bird, which he christened ‘Iolar’.

“I think from every point of view, this is a very auspicious occasion. I know you will all join with me in wishing God speed to our young feathered friend and may his life be happy for many a long year in the wilds of Washington. There is an analogy between Fianna Fáil and the eagle. This young bird is full of strength and vigour,” said the Taoiseach.

FROM an office in Brussels, Clare’s youngest county councillor, Cathal Crowe, pays tribute to a man he never met; a man who paved the way for the modern Fianna Fáil without representing its modern ethos.

The complexity of feelings of the new generation of Fianna Fáilers towards the former party leader is mirrored only by the life of the late Charles J Haughey himself.

Cathal Crowe was just 10 when Haughey was forced to resign as Taoiseach following revelations that he was aware of telephone-tapping on two journalists. More than a decade of revelations and scandals were to follow, leaving young Fianna Fáilers with first-hand experience only of the later part of the Haughey years.

“For me, he is a character in history. I have to balance the good, the bad and the ugly as I have heard and read them.

And the Clare councillor believes Haughey will be remembered for how he served the country

“In time, when people look at him

as a character in history, the contro versy of more recent years will fall into background.”

CHARLIE HAUGHEY wasn’t even Taoiseach at the time, but that didn’t stop him being made a freeman of Kilrush in 1985. The man who was born in Mayo, of Derry extraction, raised a Dub and an islander off Kerry, was at once a man of Clare.

Honorary citizenship was conferred upon Haughey as part of the centenary celebrations of Kilrush Urban Council on December 13 that year. To the Fianna Fáil leader, who was out of government office at the time, went the honour of wrapping up the town’s year-long centenary celebrations.

“Your success as a politician needs little comment and your work rate as a public representative has been enormous, since you first held public office in 1953,” said council chairperson, Cissie Roughan, at the ceremony.

Responding, Haughey looked at past and present. “During the 100 years which have passed since the first meeting of the council on July 3, 1885, in John Reidy’s house on Francis Street, one is struck very forcibly by the radical changes, economic and social, that have occurred over the period,” he said.

“Not all of these changes were to the benefit of the area. Traditional industries disappeared, leading to large-scale unemployment and heavy emigration. But the spirit of the people of west Clare was not broken.

“The faith in themselves, which the people of Kilrush have continued against the odds, is now beginning to bear fruit,” he said.