Month: June 2006

PLANS to erect a statue to celebrate the late Hollywood actor, Richard Harris in Kilkee are facing opposition from residents in the west Clare resort.

Earlier this year, the Richard Harris Memorial Committee lodged plans with Clare County Council to erect a statue to celebrate Harris in the Wellington Square area of Kilkee.

The statue is to depict Harris playing racquet ball, in memory of the Limerick man winning a racquet ball competition four years in a row, in Kilkee, where he used spend much of his summer holidays.

The twice-Oscar nominated actor and star of Gladiator and The Field had strong associations with Kilkee. The cost of the project to commemorate him is €40,000.

Project director for the plan, Manuel di Lucia confirmed to The Clare People yesterday that Richard Harris’s three sons had confirmed that they would contribute €21,000 to the project.

Mr di Lucia said that fundraising would raise the remaining €19,000 and that the committee was planning to officially unveil the statue at a major ceremony on September 30.

Mr di Lucia said that proposals to invite Hollywood star, Russell Crowe, were being advanced for the unveiling of the statue by local sculptor, Seamus Connolly.

However, Mr di Lucia yesterday AS the CAO change-of-mind date of July 1 approaches, the IT Tralee have announced the introduction of two new degree programmes commencing this September.

The first of these programmes is a Bachelor of Business (Honours) four-year degree, which has been designed to give students a clearly structured business education that provides a solid foundation for a successful business career.

In years three and four, students can specialise in accounting, marketing or management. This structure allows students to choose specialist disciplines in which they have demonstrated strength in years one and slammed the objectors, claiming that almost all were full-time residents of Limerick city. Four of the five objectors supply Kilkee addresses attached to their objections.

“I can’t understand how these Limerick people could be objecting to a statue to one of their own. It doesn’t make sense. Most of these objectors own holiday homes here and the claims in the objections are ridicutwo of their studies.

As well as offering a wide range of subjects from IT to Interpersonal Communications to Law and European Studies, the course offers students a variety of continuous assessments, with an excellent mix of theory and practical work throughout the programme.

The employment opportunities for graduates vary from career options in accounting/finance, financial services, marketing, business information systems, retail, HR and general management fields.

The second new ITT course is a three-year Bachelor of Arts (Ordinary) in Information Systems Manlous,” said Mr di Lucia – who used to accompany Mr Harris on his trips around Kilkee. Mr di Lucia also stated that it is clear that the ownership of the site in question was with Clare County Council.

In his objection, Kieran Walsh of Bella Vista, West End, Kilkee said: “This statue, while well meaning, will become a focal point for people diverging to three or four different agement. Many Government reports have identified skills shortages and significant employment opportunities in the ICT (Information Communications Technology) sector.

Graduates of this programme can expect to demonstrate a range of technical, business and creative skills and find employment in the areas of administration and business, multi-media and education and MIS and web development. Those who successfully complete the three-year programme are eligible to progress to the Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Information Systems Management.

Graduates from both the Bachelor of Business (Honours) and the Bachresidential areas at night and unruly behaviour is likely to cause severe inconvenience to the local residents.

Arising from the objections, Clare County Council has put on hold plans for the statue. The council has now asked the committee to provide a letter of consent from the owners of the site to lodge the application and also provide details of the height and dimensions of the statue. elor of Arts (Honours) programmes wishing to pursue further studies can then proceed to postgraduate studies at the Institute.

Both courses will be delivered at the IT Tralee North Campus where over €50 million has been invested in state-of-the-art teaching facilities. In addition to academic support services, IT Tralee offers a wide range of additional learner supports including counselling, health, disability support, sport and recreation, chaplaincy, and careers services.

Further details on these course are available at www.ittralee.ie or by contacting the Admissions Office at 066 71 45638.

CLARE County Council has refused plans for a heritage park in Doolin that would celebrate Clare’s mythical legends.

Last January, Joe and Mairead Dalton lodged plans for a visitor centre at Carnaun, Doolin, seeking to transform seven acres of land into a park.

The Daltons anticipated that, by the third year of operation, 32,000 tourists would visit their planned attraction each year.

However, An Taisce lodged a strong objection, stating that, “There is a general principle felt by locals that invasive tourist attractions should not be encouraged in the Burren and we are in the process of having the whole region upgraded into a development-free zone”.

In refusing planning permission, the council stated that the proposed development for a visitor centre detached from the settlement of Cooygulla/Doolin and which did not provide for ancillary accommodation and recreational facilities would be contrary to the proper planning and development of the area.

The council ruled that the proposed development would endanger public safety by reason of traffic hazard because capacity of roads was inadequate to cater for increased traffic movements which would be generated.

The council also ruled that the proposals would be prejudicial to public health due to concerns that the site could not be able to adequately treat and dispose of effluent.

In their submission, the Daltons claim that their park integrates conceptually and physically with the Burren and the Cliffs of Moher, linking with the extraordinary amount of ancient monuments in the area.

They also claim that there is no similar attraction in north Clare, or even Ireland.

They state that the heritage park add another dimension to north Clare tourism.

In their planning application, the Daltons state that visitors would follow an outdoor trail along which would be depicted stories from three prehistoric cycles of legends, including the Tuatha de Danaan, Cúchulainn and the Fianna, as well as information about the historical background of the legends and ancient texts that record them.

Advocating the plan, the Daltons state that the atmosphere of ancient wilderness and forest is impossible to achieve near a town.

The Daltons now have one month in which to appeal the decision to An Bord Pleanála.

POLITICIANS have been grilled by airline and airport workers, at a meeting on privatisation plans for Aer Lingus and changes in the Shannon stopover.

Union representatives said those seeking election should be in no doubt that they would be judged on their actions in relation to these issues.

“Too often politicians say they don’t see something as an issue. This was an opportunity for the people closest to these issues to make their opinions known to the politicians,” said Tony Carroll of SIPTU, the union which called the meeting and invited elected representatives and candidates.

He added that those attending “are close to the issues but they are also voters. And they will be active when it comes to voting.”

There was a good turnout at the Great Southern Hotel in Shannon with representation from both the 200 Aer Lingus members and the 500 Aer Rianta workers.

SIPTU is concerned about jobs, pay and conditions in the event of privatisation and the union argues that selling up is not the only way of accessing cash.

“For instance, there is €20 billion being made available under the Transport 21 initiative. Aer Lingus only needs €400m. We say that a State holding company could be set up to allow the airline to access funds without selling up,” said Carroll.

On the ending of the Shannon stopover, the union wants to Government to abandon interim plans, to reduce the number of landings from the US at Shannon from to one in three.

THE Department of the Environment and Local Government gave strong indications last evening (Monday) that it would sanction new plans for a sewerage scheme for Scariff, Feakle and Quilty.

Responding to a query from Minister for State Tony Killeen, a department official said an informal submission under the controversial Water Pricing Policy for this scheme had been submitted, and showed savings compared to the one refused by the department last December.

The report also showed a marked increase in the number of houses that would require the service.

This reduces the cost per house for this scheme closer to a level which would be acceptable to the department.

This position has been informally communicated to the council and it is now a matter for it to formally submit proposals that would allow the department to approve a budget for the scheme,” the written response stated.

“The department would then be in a position where subject to the submission by the council, of a certificate of completion of planning, it could reach a decision on the council’s Contract Documents.”

Last week, Clare County Council officials told groups from all areas awaiting a sewerage scheme that it would use the Scariff, Feakle, Quilty Scheme as a blueprint for similar schemes throughout the county.

Earlier submissions from the council to the department for the Scariff, Feakle and Quilty Scheme and the Carrigaholt, Labasheeda, Cooraclare Scheme were rejected – on the grounds they were too expensive.

THE Department of Justice has denied reports at the weekend that it is to instruct gardaí and security staff in Shannon to carry out random searches of flights landing in Shannon.

It was reported that the department would take control of random inspections at the Clare airport, responsibility for which it shares equally with the Departments of Tourism and Foreign Affairs.

A spokesperson for the Department of Justice said it would be inappropriate for the department to comment until the Minister for Foreign Affairs makes any decision.

But she said the information that they were preparing to board flights was incorrect.

Last week a convicted US marine was discovered shacked in a civilian plane in Shannon.

The US embassy said that the soldier who had breached a military code was been flown home from Kuwait, but the US authorities had not cleared the transport of the prisoner with the Irish Government.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern described the incident as “unacceptable” and a “matter of grave concern.”

Following a meeting with the US ambassador, James Kenny, the minsister requested a full report on the incident.

Speculation followed this weekend that the incident with the soldier gave both the US and Irish government “a way out of an uncomfortable impasse” over rendition flights, and an excuse to begin the random search of planes under the Air and Transports Acts.

Last week Clare’s TDs and senators, with the exception of Deputy James Breen (Ind), said they did not feel it was necessary for flights to be searched.

CLARE County Council is to press ahead with reducing levy charges on promoters of golf courses, driving ranges and small quarries.

At the Council’s Special Policy Committee (SPCC) in Ennis last week, Clare’s Mayor, Cllr Patrick Keane said that the anomalies in the council’s current scheme needed to be addressed.

“There are owners of small quarries and people who want to develop facilities such as driving ranges that are facing unfair financial penalties under the current Developer Contribution Scheme”.

The move by the SPC to signal an overhaul to parts of the Developer Contribution comes after a decision by two Kilkee businessmen to postpone a driving range in Kilkee.

The council required that the applicants pay €35,000 in development contributions to the local authority.

Initially, the council ordered Kevin Haugh and M Talty to pay €103,000. The council admitted that the figure was wrongly calculated and it was reduced to €83,000.

The council then further reduced the contribution to €35,000 after re-calculating the contribution to be given.

In a letter to the council last year, Mr Haugh wrote that €35,000 was still out of the driving range’s financial reach. We were thinking of contributions between €5,000 and €10,000. We have a young family who has moved home from the US and we are hoping Clare County Council can further reduce the contribution sum so that we can remain there in Kilkee and be part of the community”.

However, the council stated that it could not see how a further response could be justified.

A CLARE man described by his daughter as “a monster who should serve life” has been jailed for seven years for sexually abusing her, her own daughter and her sister.

“I am so glad my daughter was brave enough to come and speak to me about his abuse of her,” the woman told Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

She said she had “buried his abuse” for years until her daughter revealed he had also abused her and, as a result, “everything came back to me.”

She then spoke to her sister who said he also abused her as a child. “It became clear we were living with a monster,” she told Judge Michael White.

She said her teenage years were disturbed as a result of her father abusing her and he had destroyed her opportunities in life. Her own daughter had her innocence taken away by him and was “angry and sad” at learning it had happened to her own mother.

“The effects have been massive. He should be jailed for life because he has hurt so many people,” she said.

The 55-year-old man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to 14 counts of sexual abuse of his daughters on dates in 1981 and 1983, and of his granddaughter in 1995.

Judge White imposed a total of seven years imprisonment in consecutive sentences and directed that he undergo four years post-release supervision. He also placed him on the register of sexual offenders.

Psychologist, Michael O’Toole, said the man had a limited understanding of the impact his offending had on others.

“It is very hard to get any sense of feeling of emotion from him. He appears to be very shut off from emotion,” Mr O’Toole said.

He thought the man was at a medium risk of re-offending while off alcohol, but would be a higher risk if he began drinking again.

Peter Finlay, SC, for the accused, said nothing he could say “could take away from the cruelty” inflicted on the victims by his client who had instructed him to convey his regret and sorrow for his offending.

CLARE writer, Edna O’Brien has been honoured by University College Dublin for her work.

The author of books including The Country Girls and Girl with Green Eyes was awarded a Ulysses Medal, the highest prize UCD can bestow.

The story of The Country Girls is partly based on the author’s own experiences being brought up in a convent.

“The novel is autobiographical insofar as I was born and bred in the west of Ireland, educated at a convent and was full of romantic yearnings, coupled with a sense of outrage,” O’Brien has said.

The Country Girls continued into The Lonely Girl (1962) and Girls in Their Married Bliss (1964).

The Tuamgraney woman has seen her share of controversy during her writing career and, lately, critics have accused her of making money on the back of tragedy.

O’Brien’s novel In the Forest dealt with the murder of Imelda Riney by Brendan O’Donnell and provoked outrage among critics who said that she should not have chosen a tragedy so recent as the basis for her book. between O’Brien and her great inspira-

The Country Girls , her first book, also tion, James Joyce. caused a storm of controversy on its reHe said that, “Like Joyce, she has lived lease in 1960. in exile but never forgot a single thing.

It was banned by the censorship board He is the figure who inspired Caithleen and a copy was burned by the curate in Brady in The Country Girls and he is the her local church. It went on to become a figure to whom Edna O’Brien constantly bestseller. returns.”

Awarding the medal, Professor Declan Accepting the medal, O’Brien said that Kiberd drew a comparison in his citation she was honoured to be the fourth recipient of the award.

“It’s a huge gift and these gifts don’t come often. It means a lot to me.”

Those gathered for the award heard that the author is donating her literary papers to the university.

THE largest increase in malaria cases in the country has been reported in Munster with cases of the deadly disease doubling in a year.

Between 2004 and 2005, recorded cases of the condition increased by 60 per cent, countrywide. But, in Munster, the increase exceeded 100 per cent.

Last year, eleven cases were recorded in Munster, leading the Medical Director of the Tropical Medical Bureau Ireland, Dr Graham Fry, to express concern at the prevalence of the disease, in the region.

The travel medicine expert said, “already in the first 20 weeks of this year, there have been 36 cases of malaria notified nationally. Based on current trends, this is likely to climb to 100 cases or more this year.”

In addition, 75 per cent of travellers leaving Ireland to countries with a known malaria risk had not packed malaria tablets.

“It is worrying that so many travellers visiting malaria areas are either ignorant of the risks, or are content to put their lives in danger,” he said.

A survey conducted among those travelling from Dublin Airport to malaria areas also found that among the reasons given for not taking tablets were that respondents did not see the need to take tablets when there was nothing wrong with them.

ALMOST 60 per cent of Clare farmers cannot make ends meet through their farms, a new survey has revealed.

The survey, which was released today, also revealed that 40 per cent of farmers in the county plan on making major changes to their farms following the introduction of the Single Farm Payment.

The survey, which is entitled , was commissioned by the Agriculture and Rural Development Group of the Clare County Development Board and funded under the Clare LEADER Programme, by Rural Resource Development and by Teagasc.

“The lack of future development plans for farms, coupled with the ongoing decline in the actual number of farmers, is a serious issue for the future viability of farming in the county,” said Doirin Graham, Chairperson of the Agriculture and Rural Development Group.

“The enterprise culture on farms seems to have been stifled, possibly due to the lack of opportunities available under the quota/premium led production era.”

The survey, conducted by Broadmore Research, also revealed that 56 per cent of farming households had at least one other source of income besides the farm. There was a high dependence on construction and driving jobs. The main difficulty stated was time pressure affecting the running of the part-time farm.

“The most alarming finding is that 77 per cent of farmers intend to spend some, or all of their Single Farm Payment, on day-to-day farm costs,” said Pat Bogue of Broadmore Research.

“These farmers will spend an average of 70 per cent of the payment on running the farm. It is costing them money to produce, which is not only inefficient, but unsustainable.”

Those farmers who are forced to take off-farm jobs face hours in commuting time each week, with the majority of jobs centered along the Ennis-Shannon-Limerick axis. Some 59 per cent said they were satisfied following the introduction of the Single Farm Payment, even though only one-in-ten believed that they would be better off following the decoupling of payments.

“We are particularly concerned about the large proportion of the Single Farm Payment being used to support production, even though payments are now decoupled from production, and the level of dependence on off-farm income sources,” continued Ms Graham.

The survey found that half of the farmers were in receipt of a Single Farm Payment of less than €5,000.