Month: July 2006

A MAN who assaulted his ex-wife’s partner has been jailed for six months.

Michael McNamara (52), of Ballycoree, Gort Road, Ennis, assaulted Wayne King, outside the Auburn Lodge Hotel, Ennis, on September 11, 2005.

He was also convicted of a charge of criminal damage, for which he received a 10month jail sentence, suspended on condition that he pay compensation.

Wayne King, of Charleville, Cork, told the court he lives with the accused’s former wife, Susan. He said he and Susan were to meet the accused outside the Auburn Lodge on September 11.

Mr King said Susan got out of his car and the accused sat in beside him.

“He said, “You f***ing c***. I’ll kill you,” and hit me a slap into the face. He continued to strike me on my head. . . I was covered in blood,” said Mr King in court.

He said the accused then got a hurley and struck the front of his car with it, before striking the wing mirror with his fist. The total damage to the car was €1,120. Mr King said he suffered a broken nose in the assault.

The accused’s solicitor, Tara Godfrey, said while her client was pleading guilty to the assault charge, he was denying the criminal damage charge.

“My client will say you hit him into the face. He then snapped and hit you a couple of slaps,” she said. Mr King denied hitting the accused.

Mr McNamara told the court that Mr King was having a good “skit” at him and he then sat into the car beside him.

“He lashed out at me inside the car and I lashed out at him,” said the accused.

“I didn’t touch the car with the hurley. I got the hurley to protect myself,” he added.

Ms Godfrey said her client acted “completely out of character” on the date in question and had been extremely upset at his marriage breakdown.

Judge Joseph Mangan convicted the accused of two charges and jailed him for six months. He fixed recognisances in the event of an appeal.

IT’S now cheaper to fly one way from Shannon to Dublin than to make the same journey from Clare by rail.

The new Aer Arann fare of €39.99 one-way comes in cheaper than a one-way rail fare of €41.50 from Ennis.

The weekday flight has been in operation since July 3, departing Dublin at 4pm and Shannon at 5.25pm with a flight time of 50 minutes.

Passengers who want to use the new flight are mostly travelling on the Aer Lingus breakfast flight and using the new route in the evening for their return.

A spokeswoman for Aer Arann said that they were using the service as a barometer of demand and the airline would look at putting on more connections if the demand were there.

“Several years ago, we had three connections a day between Shannon and Dublin, but the expected demand didn’t materialise at that time. We will be monitoring the new service and would consider more flights if the numbers are there.”

The CEO of Ennis Chamber of Commerce, Rita McInerney, said that the service “is to be welcomed and we are lucky that we have the option of both the train and flights.”

She added that what many business people would opt for is to use the flight one way and also buy a return train ticket.

“People have time to use the return ticket again, particularly for travellers who go to Dublin regularly. What would be good would be if there were extra flight connections on either airline between Dublin and Shannon, one early in the day and one late so that people could book their travel with one airline. It would be more efficient and economical. The train is also proving very popular, particularly since there were extra connections put on for Ennis,” said McInerney.

The current return fare on the train is €48.50 for a five-day return.

A spokeswoman for Iarnrod Eireann said that the fare represents good value when compared to flying, both in terms of cost and convenience.

“With the train, you are right into the heart of the city. A flight means passengers travelling first to Shannon and then getting into Dublin from the airport. That can take an hour or more with traffic.”

AN Bord Pleanála has upheld the decision of Clare County Council to refuse planning permission for contentious plans to convert the Convent of Mercy in Ennistymon into an apartment complex.

Two Ennistymon schools warned that school-childrens’ health would be put at risk if the plan proceeded. Plans were lodged for the proposal by Tomas Fitzgerald of Banna Developments in 2004.

However, the plan provoked strong opposition from local schools. The boards of management of both Scoil Mhuire, Convent of Mercy and the Ennistymon Convent Primary School told the council if the plan proceeded, it would pose a safety threat to the children attending the schools.

The council refused planning on a number of grounds and in response, Banna Developments lodged an appeal.

In the inspector’s assessment, he said that the “proposed development of apartment units in what effectively comprises a dilapidated though prominent landmark building in the town, and ensuring its rehabilitation and reuse is both appropriate and is to be welcomed . . .

“However, I am extremely concerned with the proposal to access the site via the existing narrow access road, which I consider is of inadequate carriageway width to serve the scheme, and which includes a narrow footpath.”

The inspector found that the pathway was currently inadequate to accommodate the schoolchildren which used this route daily to access the adjacent schools at the western end of the road.

“Moreover, I am not satisfied that the applicant is in a position to upgrade and widen this road, requiring lands outside the area of the subject site – certainly the applicant has not proposed this option, notwithstanding that extensive concerns regarding road access expressed by the Planning Authority during its determination of the application.

The board upheld the recommendation of the inspector and refused planning permission, stating that the proposal “is to be accessed from the Town Centre and the N67 Lahinch Road by a laneway which is considered currently to be of inadequate width and alignment to facilitate the likely additional traffic movements that will be generated by the proposed development”.

The board ruled: “This access road also serves two schools in immediate proximity to the proposed development.

“It is considered, on the basis of the submissions made in connection with the planning application and the appeal, that the applicant is not in a position to ensure the necessary upgrading and widening of this access road to facilitate the proposed development.”

AN Bord Pleanála has announced that an oral hearing into the Crusheen-Gort by-pass is to be staged in Gort later this month.

The hearing will take place at the Lady Gregory Hotel from July 25 to August 4.

On the first day, a sizeable proportion of landowners would be expected to withdraw their objections arising from discussions with Galway County Council in relation to the level of compensation agreed upon.

The scheme – which will see the construction of 22km of new dual carriageway – will also 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 compulsorily purchase almost 500 acres of land contained in 103 farms.

Already, 75 land-owners living along the route of the scheme have lodged objections, while the Department of the Environment has raised concerns over the impact the project could have on an historic ringfort.

The proposal to damage the outer earthworks of the ringfort has already come under fire from folklorist and author, Eddie Lenihan.

Mr Lenihan said yesterday, “It is crazy that they are going to destroy part of this ringfort.

“They are the ones charged with protecting our heritage. It doesn’t make any sense.”

The Department of the Environment shares the concerns expressed by Mr Lenihan. In a submission to An Bord Pleanála, the department states that “it is concerned that the significance of impact on the regionally important ringfort 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.”

The EIS published states that currently 14,000 vehicles a day use the route between Crusheen and Gort and the route “fails to cope with the demand of motorists and residents frequently experiencing delays during periods of peak movement”.

According to the EIS, the construction of the route will lead to a reduction in road injuries on the N18 where, between 1989 and 2002, ten people died as a result of traffic accidents with 126 personal injuries recorded in total.

Farmers living along the route are set for a bonanza. As a result of the CPO of 500 acres of land for the €190 million Ennis by-pass scheme, €22 million was paid to 67 landowners, making instant millionaires out of seven farmers.

A 14-YEAR-OLD boy who broke into several schools and cars in Ennis has pleaded guilty to 32 charges, over a two-month spell.

The boy, who cannot be named because of his age, faced a string of charges, including burglary, theft, criminal damage and public order. The damage amounted to more than €8,500, while €1,000 worth of goods was stolen in the incidents.

Detective Garda Kieran Kelleher told Ennis District Court that all of the incidents occurred within a period of two months and that the accused was not alone.

“There were others with him. He was showing bravado in front of his mates. The schools in the area were targeted as they are used as carparks,” said Det Gda Kelleher.

“It was more for the excitement . . . It came to a head, he got out of control,” he said.

Inspector Tom Kennedy said on one occasion, the boy told a neighbour to f*** off.

“He said he would rape his wife and his daughters and he would break all the windows of his house,” said the inspector.

He said the youth broke into Ennis Community College twice, and caused €1,500 damage on one occasion and €150 on the other. He targeted Ennis Boys’ National School on a number of occasions, where he broke windows.

He also admitted breaking the windows of Cloughleigh National School on January 2 last, causing €1,000 damage.

He broke into a prefab on the grounds of the Holy Family School on January 11 and took a teacher’s mobile phone.

He damaged classroom doors at Coláiste Mhuire in Ennis, in January, valued at €1,000 damage.

He also admitted breaking the windows of six cars parked at the Glór Irish Music Centre; four cars at the Holy Family School and two cars that were parked at Millstream Court.

The court heard that items were taken from some of the cars while nothing was taken from others.

The accused also admitted breaking into the home of one of his neighbours. He jumped onto the counter of Xtra Vision video store and took €50 from the cash register, before escaping, in February.

Judge Leo Malone adjourned the case for three weeks, to allow for updated reports from various institutions to be prepared. He remanded the boy to St Michael’s detention centre in Finglas.

AN POST has further deferred controversial plans to relocate mail sorting services from Sixmilebridge and Newmarket-onFergus post offices to nearby Shannon Town, a move which staff and local politicians are vehemently opposed to.

The company had notified delivery staff at both post offices that they should report for duty in Shannon on February 20 and that they would be operating from that centre in future. That move was later postponed “in the short term” by An Post, without offering any explanation to workers, while a second planned move, which staff were not even informed about, has also been deferred.

An Post now says, “It is expected that this change will be made, in co-operation with our staff, later this year.” Workers claim, however, that they were not notified of the original move. The Communications Workers Union has since become involved and has met with the company but no agreement on a move has been reached.

At present, letter and parcel post for the villages of Newmarket-on-Fergus and Sixmilebridge is sorted on site at the respective post offices. Ten delivery staff are employed between the two offices. Moving them to Shannon would see a doubling of staff at that sorting centre.

Local Councillor John Crowe says he is “totally opposed to any plan which would see a dilution of services in either village. Sixmilebridge and Newmarket are expanding all the time and, if anything, An Post should be upgrading facilities and services here. The population is growing in these areas and what we need are more, not less, services.”

Others have expressed concerns that An Post plans to close the post officers at Sixmilebridge and Newmarket-on-Fergus.

An Post has said that neither post office is at risk of closure.

“Any changes to mail collection and delivery arrangements that may result have no bearing whatsoever on post office operations in those areas,” the company has said.

In a statement this week, An Post confirmed that “in order to improve both our delivery service to business and private customers and our operational efficiency, it is planned to operate delivery services for the Shannon, Newmarket and Sixmilebridge areas out of the Shannon Delivery Services Unit.”

MORE than a year after hundreds of customers signed up for a new broadband service in County Clare, it has emerged that subscribers will now have to wait until next year for the high-speed connection which they should have had last September.

In June 2005, Smart Telecom enticed customers to sign up for their alternative service, offering special deals including free line rental for life. Smart offered the package for just €35 a month including VAT, undercutting Eircom by almost €50. Smart also told those who signed up that they would have their connection by the following September (2005). Ten months later, the company now says that it could be 2007 before they can finally roll out broadband in Ennis but has not offered any explanation for the delay.

Smart continues to blame “unreasonable terms and restrictions imposed by Eircom, including access to its national network” for the delays in its roll-out to new areas.

Eircom has described these claims as “disingenuous” and says, “We have offered broadband to customers in Ennis since spring 2003. Eircom already provides access to our exchange in Ennis to other operators. A number of competitors avail of this access and also offer DSL broadband in Ennis so there is nothing stopping Smart Telecom from offering broadband there.”

According to Smart, “Our roll-out is based around the Government’s

Metropolitan Area Networks pro gramme. The reason the MAN’s came into existence is because Eircom would not offer reasonable terms on its network for national access.”

The government has invested €27m in its MAN’s programme in an effort to address the infrastructure deficit by building high-speed open access networks in 120 towns and cities nationwide, on a phased basis, in association with the local and regional authorities. It has emerged that Ennis is not included in either Phase I or II of the project which means, if Smart Telecom’s roll-out of broadband in Ennis is dependent on MAN’s, the company’s Ennis customers will have to wait until 2007.

According to the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, “We are well aware of the need for MAN’s for some of the larger towns like Ennis. However, the government decision was to target those towns which in 2003 did not have any broadband infrastructure at all. Ennis had DSL at that time.”

A GROUP of 50 very special mums of sick and disabled children converged on the mid-west last week for a relaxing break away organised by the Share a Dream Foundation.

The group included women who lost their children through serious illness and others with children, suffering from chronic and severe illnesses such as leukaemia, muscular dystrophy.

They came to the area from Dublin, Waterford, Cork, Galway, Limerick County, Laois, Wicklow, Wexford, Westmeath, Longford, Roscommon, Monaghan, Tyrone and Down.

The Share a Dream Foundation has been making dreams come true for sick and disabled children from all over Ireland for the past 15 years. During this time, they have helped more than 17,000 children.

The group were accommodated in the lap of luxury in the Clare Inn hotel at Dromoland, courtesy of the Lynch hotel group and enjoyed a night of feasting, fun and song at Bunratty Castle, courtesy of Shannon Heritage.

They also visited a folk park and had dinner and music laid on in The Clare Inn.

Founder and Director, Shay Kinsella, said, “It’s really only when you get to know these children and their families that you begin to understand what amazing people they are.

“The children are battling illness and disability with everything they have and then you meet the parents – they are truly amazing.

“For them it is a 24 hour a day, seven day a week, 52 weeks a year commitment and yet they are full of love and good humour.

“And while Share a Dream Foundation does everything we can to make the very special dreams of the children come true, we couldn’t help but see how their parents never had any time out.

“That’s what made us think of organising a special weekend away for these amazing people – and what better place to bring them than to the beautiful mid-west.

“I know they are really going to enjoy the exciting city of Limerick and the lovely countryside of Co Clare,” he said.

“The people of Limerick and Clare are so welcoming and have always been so supportive of the work of the Foundation.”

THE population of Inagh looks set to double in the next ten years, with a €1million sewerage system upgrade opening the door for the construction of some 150 new houses.

The funding, which was announced last week by Environment Minister Dick Roche, will see his department foot the bill for 40 per cent of the cost of upgrading the existing sewage system.

A number of private and commercial developments have been held up in the area in the last number of years, because of the lack of capacity in the current system.

“It is a fantastic development,” said the newly elected Mayor of Clare, Inagh Councilor, Flan Garvey (FF).

“Houses were being held up in places that have been zoned. €945,000 is a lot of money for a small place like Inagh.

“It is a perfect place for people to come and live because of its proximity to Ennis as well as places like Ennistymon and Lahinch.”

The 2002 census listed the population of the Inagh/Ballyea area at just 617 people, but this new development could see that figure rise dramatically in a relatively short space of time.

“There will be a big increase very quickly as people have been waiting to build for some time,” continued Mr Garvey. “People are ready to go.”

The upgrading works will increase the capacity of the existing wastewater treatment plant in the village and provide sewers to service new residential development. It’s envisaged the scheme will open up 35 acres of land for the development of 146 new houses.

The Minister said that the scheme was very important for the area, as it would provide for Inagh’s development needs for the foreseeable future.

“In particular, by opening up 35 acres of land for 146 new houses, it will allow home ownership in their own locality to become much more accessible and affordable to the local community,” said Minister Roche.

“We will be asking Clare County Council to complete the detailed design work as soon as possible.”

The sewage system currently in operation in Inagh was put in place in 1995 and has been operating at maximum capacity for the last two years.

THE much-anticipated Kilrush Autism Unit is in doubt two months before it is due to open.

The specialised unit planned for the grounds of St Senan’s Primary School in the West Clare capital is currently in the planning process. It was hoped that planning would be received for at least temporary accommodation within the next two months.

But Clare TD Pat Breen has warned that the unit in Kilrush looks very doubtful for this September, because there are no qualified personnel available.

“Meanwhile the establishment of an Ennis-based learning centre of excellence for children with autism has still not been sanctioned by the Department (of education),” he said.

The Fine Gael TD also accused Education Minister Mary Hanafin of disregarding children with autism, following her decision to cut home tuition grants for such cases.

Last week The Clare People highlighted the plight of parents of children with autism who struggle to receive essential services for their children, and the added suffering the removal of this service would have on their children.

One family from Carrigaholt told how the service was withdrawn from their eight-year-old child without any warning. Little Isabelle Séquin is now facing primary school without the extra tuition, having already lost her speech therapy.

Speaking in the Dáil on behalf of Minister Hanafin, Junior Minister Tim O’Malley said the newly established National Council for Special Education was working across the country to ensure that new services were put in place where needed.

“The decision to discontinue the home tuition grant was on the basis that the educational needs of these pupils can be best met in their individual schools,” Minister O’Malley added.

Deputy Breen accused the Minister of having an institutional approach to the issue.

“That family has been in contact with me and it is clear that not all the supports can be provided in a school setting. The schools do an excellent job with their limited resources. But they do not have the specialised personnel to cope with a child with autism in the midst of a classroom of 30 children” he said.

The deputy added it was a disgraceful indictment of the Department’s performance that it had spent €11.7 million on legal costs and settlements relating to educational provision for children with special needs in the three years to 2005.

The vast majority of the cases relate to children with autism.