Month: July 2006

AS the population of Ennis town has increased by as much as 7.5 per cent in the last four years, its town council is now proposing to extend the town’s boundary.

A management committee has been set up by the local authority to investigate the possibility of extending the boundary of the county town.

Clare County Councillor Tommy Brennan (FF), who is also a member of the town council, proposed that the town be extended to the Ennis by-pass. This would make a natural boundary, he said. Such a move would not affect Clarecastle, which is anxious to hold on to its own identity.

“I proposed the extension because there is no land within the boundary for building on,” he added.

Fine Gael County Councillor Joe Carey said that any proposals to extend the boundary “are at embryonic stage”. The Clarecastle councillor said he understood that there are a number of houses in Bandon Lane that do not have a vote in the town council while their neighbours do. He said that a change might help resolve this situation.

“We don’t know what has been proposed yet. We haven’t been furnished with specific details, but it will be given due and proper consideration when it comes before the area meeting of the council,” he said.

The current town boundary extends as far as the turn for Ballyalla, past the West County on the Clare Road, past the Golf links on the Miltown Malbay Road, beyond O’Sullivan and Hansbury on the Kilrush Road and as far as Hill Crest housing estate on the Tulla Road.

Raising the issue at a meeting of Councillors in the Ennis area, Cllr Brian Meaney (GP) requested a timeframe be put in place to outline when the extension would take place. Director of Services Tom Coughlan informed the meeting that a special internal working committee had been set up.

The committee would prepare a report, he said, and come back to the elected memebers of both Ennis Town Council and Clare County Council. Cllr Joe Carey (FG) said that any proposed extension would have to take into account the “culture of Clarecastle and preserve the village’s identity”

PLANS for a €40 million housing development in Kilkee are facing opposition from across the west Clare resort.

Earlier this year, plans were lodged for 196 homes by Colm Kennedy, Noel Gallivan and James Rael for Kilkee Upper.

The three developers are seeking full planning permission for 116 homes and outline planning permission for 80 homes. The plan also includes the construction of a childcare facility and nursing home.

However, the plan has attracted 24 separate objections. In their objection, Jackie and Joseph Haugh said that: “Were this development to go ahead, it would be a social, environmental and economic disaster of epic proportion for Kilkee.”

In his objection, local businessman, Brian Melican said: “I live on the Dunlicky Road just a few hundred yards away from this development and we can smell the raw sewage from where it is being pumped into the sea.

“Adding more to this will destroy our beach, which is the biggest attraction in Kilkee.

Estimating that there were 1,000 holiday homes in Kilkee, Mr Melican asked “will someone in the council wake up and call a halt. We have a beautiful place but we have to protect it. Enough damage has been done. Leave it at that.

“The heart of our town is dying. Let’s rejuvenate that and don’t mind filling our green fields with houses.”

In her objection, Aida O’Kennedy claims that the proposal will only add to Kilkee’s traffic chaos and result in more sewage going into the bay.

An objection lodged by Daniel Noel Gleeson states that “as the population of Kilkee has been falling, it is clear that there is no market for permanent residences”.

Mr Gleeson said that satisfying the demand for holiday homes and apartments “will ruin this town”.

Mr Gleeson also expressed his fear over the impact that the proposed development could have on Kilkee’s Cliff Walk. He said: “This would be most disadvantageous to Kilkee.”

He added: “The enlargement of Kilkee will overload beyond its capacity, remove the character of the seaside fishing village and proliferation of holiday homes and when the economy hits a troubled spot, will result in attracting a troublesome element to Kilkee.”

A decision is due on the application next month.

AS CLARE’S hurlers shook up Croke Park, they were shaking things up in Clarecastle as well.

The 10th annual Céilí at the Crossroads festival wound down over the weekend as big crowds descended on the village for a feast of music and dance. The highlight of the weekend was undoubtedly Sunday’s showpiece event, the Céili at the Crossroads. Revellers assembled at Kerins Cross for the event, which ran late into the night. Music was supplied by the Four Courts band on a day devoted to set dancing.

Now in its tenth year, the five-day festival of music, song and dance has grown steadily in popularity, becoming one of the most important fixtures in Clare’s traditional music calendar. Visitors from around the county and further afield flocked to Clarecastle for the event.

Set dancing, of course, occupied the main focus of the event but singing and music proved popular mainstays of the week-long celebration of Irish culture. Learning forms a key component of the event and a workshop in set dancing, under the guidance of Michael Mahony, kicked off proceedings last Wednesday in the Abbey Hall.

Thursday night was regarded as one of the festival highlights. The music was in full swing at the John Joe Casey traditional music tribute night in Navan’s public house. This event commemorated the life and times of the late John Joe Casey. Mr Casey was a highly regarded fiddle-player and composer who composed wellknown reels such as ‘The Tiermaclane Fancy’. A native of Island McGrath in Clarecastle, John Joe passed away five years ago in 2001, aged 90.

While past masters were remembered, a new generation were being encouraged at the Junior Traditional Music Workshops that brought Clarecastle School to life throughout the festival. The hugely popular Singers Club, held in Power’s Pub, kicked the weekend off in style, with singers from across Munster performing. After a day of more set dancing, Saturday night concluded with the Céilí Mór and the Donie Neylon Céilí band in the Abbey Hall.

The driving forces behind the festival for the past 10 years have been former Chairman Haulie Kelleher and current Chairman Eugene Brennan. Both, again, were heavily involved in this year’s Céilí at the Crossroads.

CALLS have gone out to stem the population drain from the west of Clare, as census figures show numbers dropping.

Senator Brendan Daly (FF) said that preliminary figures just released from the census taken last April confirm “a trend which we have been aware of for some time. That is the increase in the population of centres such as Ennis and the decrease in the West of Clare.”

The senator said that definitive ac tion is needed if these areas are not to lose people, resources and prosperity.

Kilrush lost 2.6 per cent of its population – 69 people – since the last census was taken in 2002.

But Senator Daly said that he was hoping to see the arrival of 70 civil servants from Revenue Cmmissioners, as part of Government decentralisation in the next few weeks.

“There is an onus on the authorities – especially the government – to deal with the situation”’ the senator said.

He added that it was with this in mind, he campaigned for the decentralisation boost for Kilrush.

“As well as attracting industry, the government needs to train those coming out of agricultural backgrounds in skilled jobs, such as fitting and pipe welding. There are hundreds of opportunities in those areas and I have asked FÁS to examine the prospect of skilling young people in positions we currently have to get non-nationals to fill.”

While inward migration forms a large portion of the 7.3 per cent overall increase in population in the county, Orla Ní Eilí of the Irish Refugee Council said that asylum seekers formed just a small portion of that.

“It is my belief that the majority of migrants are from the accession states and returning Irish with foreign spouses and families”, she said. “One of the aspects of needing workers is that migrants come with their families to live in Ireland, but asylum seekers are not affecting the figures greatly.”

Fine Gael Deputy, Pat Breen described the decrease in the population of some rural towns as “a worrying trend. The Government should put an emphasis on industry and help small companies to keep industry in rural areas.”

THE POPULATION of Clare has increased by 7.3 per cent since the last census in 2002.

That’s an overall increase of 7,523 people, according to the preliminary results of the census of population taken last April.

And analysis of the figures paints a picture of the economic fortunes of the Banner from the depression of the 1950’s when people were leaving in droves, to the explosion of people coming in during the Celtic Tiger and post Celtic Tiger years.

The overall figures puts the county’s population now at 110,800 compared to 103,277 in 2002.

Men outnumber women, with 56,000 males registered in Clare in comparison with 54,800 women.

The first State run census in 1926 recorded 95,064 people living in the county. The lowest population ever recorded here was in 1966 when there were just 73,597 residents.

There was a natural increase due to births and deaths of 3,504 made up of 1,617 more men and 1,887 women.

The records show that between 2002 and 2006, there were 9.4 people coming into the county for every 1,000 people already here.

The largest influx was between 1996 and 2002, when there were 10.4 extra people arriving in Clare for each thousand living here.

Between 1951 and 1956, 15.9 out of every thousand residents were leaving Clare, probably in search of work elsewhere.

There was a slight recovery between 1971 and 1979 – the years which saw massive investment in Shannon – with 7.3 people coming into the county for every thousand already here.

Clare was again haemorrhaging people from 1986 to 1991 when more than 6 in each thousand residents were getting out.

The recovery which is now seeing migrants returning, economic migrants flooding in and refugees and asylum seekers finding a haven here began with an increase of 2.7 people per thousand between 1991 and 1996.

The population of Ennis grew by 7. 5 per cent in the period, with the town now home to 10,305 people, an increase of 1,404.

The areas of Ennis defined as rural also grew, in this case by 9.4 per cent.

Kilrush town lost 2.6 per cent of its population while Ballyvaughan was up by the same amount.

Corofin’s population is up by 7 per cent, Ennistimon by 3.1 per cent, Killadysert by 7.1 per cent and Kilrush by 3.8 per cent. The Meelick area has gained by 10.8 per cent, Scariff by 2 per cent and Tulla by 14.9 per cent.

AS THE new Road Traffic Bill came into effect over the weekend, gardaí in Clare arrested 10 people on suspicion of drinking and driving.

Four drivers were arrested in the Lahinch area, three in the Ennis/Shannon district, two in west Clare and one in Killaloe, over the weekend.

This follows a revelation last week that the number of people arrested for the alleged offence had increased by 60 per cent in Clare Garda Division during the first six-and-a-half months of the year.

The new Road Traffic Bill, which cracks down on the use of mobile phones while driving and allows random breath testing to be carried out, came into effect on Thursday night.

A Garda spokesman confirmed that one driver was arrested in Ennis, under the new legislation, on the night of its introduction.

Meanwhile, eight garda motorcyclists will travel around the county today (Tuesday), advising drivers that the use of mobile phones whilst driving will no longer be tolerated.

“They will travel in pairs to towns throughout the county, and along the N7 and N18, advising people of the new legislation,” said a garda spokesman. “Drivers should be reminded that fixed charge penalty points for using mobile phones while driving will not come into effect until September. People are liable to be summonsed to court for this offence, until September,” added the garda.

Random checkpoints were put in place over the weekend in all of the main traffic locations in the four districts in Clare, to focus on the new legislation.

“It appears from early indications that there is a high level of compliance with the new provisions,” added the spokesman.

Meanwhile, Councillor Madeleine Taylor-Quinn (FG) said further steps must be taken in an effort to deal with drink drivers and other offenders on the roads.

“I welcome the level of detections over the weekend. There is a need for continued patrolling,” she said.

She said gardaí must take tough measures against people who drive whilst under the influence of drugs.

“These people are often more dangerous on the road than those under the influence of alcohol. We cannot choose to ignore this issue,” she said.

She suggested that a new scheme be introduced in an effort to address the high number of drivers arrested in rural areas on suspicion of drink driving.

“A transport initiative should be introduced, late at night. It is regrettable that so many drink drivers are detected in rural areas. Small rural pubs have been adversely affected because of the new laws. It is difficult to balance it,” she said.

CARERS for elderly people in north Clare and south Galway may be in a position to take holidays for the first time in years this summer, following the instigation of respite care services at the Kilcolgan Nursing Home.

The Kilcolgan facility is part of the Mowlam Health Care Group, which is an Irish-owned company with 10 nursing homes situated at various locations around Ireland.

“Everybody is energised and refreshed after the break,” said Patricia Kelly, manager of the Kilcolgan Nursing Home.

“Sometimes people forget that those in need of care also enjoy the change from their normal routine.”

The €5 million Kilcolgan Nursing Home was opened in January of 2005 and has the facilities to cater for more than 50 elderly people.

Its facilities include en-suite amenities, emergency nurse call, 24-hour GP cover, private telephone and television points.

The home now caters for short- and long-term residents and respite residents while convalescent care is also provided for patients recuperating from surgery or illness as well as the visually and physically impaired.

“We have elderly people and those recovering from operations who really get a lot from the respite break,” continued Ms Kelly.

“Those who come to Kilcolgan are in safe, caring and experienced medical hands here.”

The home is fully VHI-approved and wheelchair-friendly.

HOLIDAY-MAKERS and tourists travelling through Shannon Airport will be greeted with a taste of the Burren this month with the installation of the ‘Shannon Portal’ in the duty-free area of the airport.

The Shannon Portal, which is designed in the image of a Dolmen, is an interactive digital installation that will allow passengers create e-cards by uploading their holiday photographs and attaching a message, which then can be emailed for free to anywhere in the world.

Passengers who don’t own a digital camera can also interact with the portal thanks to a catalogue of photographs of Ireland which will be freely available. People can also upload photographs to an interactive gallery projected on a large display which can be browsed through movement.

The project, which has been put in place by the Interaction Design Centre at the University of Limerick and supported by Science Foundation Ireland, will study how interactive technology can enhance public places. A dedicated team led by Dr Luigina Ciolfiwill observe how passengers interact with the portal and the level of usage of the free emailing service.

Speaking from Shannon Airport Dr Ciolfisaid “we design all our technologies after studying in depth the people who will use them and their needs, and the places where they will be located. We studied Shannon airport for approximately a year in order to develop a rationale for this project.”

“It is our hope that as well as providing us with research information in relation to the public and their interaction with technology, the Portal will become an archive of journeys to and from Ireland and an entertaining and informative exhibit at Shannon Airport,” concluded Dr Ciolfi.

The design of the Dolmen which houses the installation, was sculpted by Marcin Ziemnicki and facilitated by the Sculpture Factory in Cork.

CALLS have been made to increase the amount of training offered to receptionists in general practices after an NUI Galway survey revealed that 62 per cent of receptionists have been the victim of physical violence in the workplace.

The survey, which was conducted among 400 receptionists working in the west and north of the country, also revealed that only 13 per cent had received any training in how to deal with difficult patients.

Of those who said that they had been the victim of violence, more than 50 per cent said that they had experienced it on between two and four occasions, while almost 20 per cent reported having been assaulted on more than 10 occasions.

“Perhaps there is room to train staff more in how to deal with aggressive situations and divert potential problems by diffusing the situation,” said Dr Michael Harty, Chairman of the Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP) in Clare. “The figure is very surprising. I would not have thought that it would have been so high as people are generally very supportive.”

In 34 per cent of cases where violence had taken place, no action of any kind was taken, while in 27 per cent of cases assistance was received from a colleague. Gardaí were called in only 16 per cent of cases, while three per cent of receptionists received counselling after an incident.

“I think that it is more of an urban rather than a rural problem,” continued Dr Harty. “In a rural practice, the doctors, receptionists and the patients are all well-known to each other. This doesn’t mean that it doesn’t happen, but not to the same level as it would in urban areas.”

At the time of the survey taking place, 30 per cent of general practices had no policy in place for dealing with problem patients.

However it is believed that this figure is on the decline.

THE Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Michael Martin is due in Shannon this week to announce 350 new jobs for the Shannon Free Zone.

The visit by Minister Martin to Shannon on Thursday will be one year almost to the day since he announced his controversial new mandate to strip Shannon Development of its enterprise functions.

However, due to union opposition to Shannon Development losing control of the Free Zone, the new mandate has hit a major stumbling block and talks on clarifying the mandate continue.

The latest jobs coup by Shannon Development in securing the 350 jobs at Digital River has prompted Clare’s Fianna Fáil senators, Senator Brendan Daly and Senator Timmy Dooley to call for the agency’s new mandate to retain its promotion of the Shannon Free Zone.

The anticipated jobs announcement brings to over 600 the total of new jobs that have been announced for the Shannon Free Zone in the past month and Senator Timmy Dooley said that more jobs from another US company are on the way arising from negotiations with Shannon Development.

“The region would suffer if Shannon Development no longer had an enterprise role in the Shannon Free Zone.

“It has the skills base and the focus to ensure that the Free Zone continues to secure high tech jobs,” said Senator Dooley.

Senator Brendan Daly said that he raised the issue of Shannon Development’s future role at a recent Fianna Fail parliamentary meeting with Minister Martin, at which Taoiseach Bertie Ahern was also in attendance.

“Since 1959, Shannon Development has been very successful in promoting the region and the Shannon Free Zone and in my opinion, it was unwise to change the existing mandate,” said Senator Daly.

A Shannon Development workers representative said yesterday: “It has been a record year for the Shannon Free Zone. There will be a big political fall-out if amendments aren’t made to the mandate.

“We believe that the minister was walked into this with bad information provided by his civil servants. He is a political realist and a practical man and we believe he will make some amendments to the mandate.”