Month: July 2006

THE Kilrush Spirit was with the 18-man crew on board Clare’s only yacht in the BMW Round Ireland Yacht Race, as they passed Loop Head at 3pm yesterday.

The 18-man crew were in an impressive 4th place overall at time of going press last evening (Monday).

Although the Clare team is in fourth position in what is known as “laps time”, when their handicap is applied they are estimated to be in about 10th position.

The Limerick boat Altana Chieftain was in 5th position in lap time, but 8th when its handicap was applied.

The provisional results which reached The Clare People last evening showed the New Zealand yacht “Konica Minolta Zana” in first position.

While the west Clare crew on board The Spirit of Kilrush are believed to be well, they, like the other contenders, are struggling with a lack of wind.

Starting in Wicklow the 704-mile round Ireland race began on Saturday with the contenders sailing clockwise around Ireland keeping all islands to starboard.

The Spirit of Kilrush is a Volvo 60 yacht.

The Volvo 60 is a 19.5m ocean racing yacht and is capable of 35 knots, which is helped by 5,000 litres of water ballast.

She comes complete with a downwind sail area of some 4,490 square metres, upwind sail area 200 square metres, carbon fibre mast and the famous big boat coffee grinder winches.

All this means that the Spirit of Kilrush is a high performance, light weight and very sophisticated race machine.

Kilrush-based Saint Gobain has sponsored the yacht for the prestigious race.

Saint Gobain Managing Director, Tony Kennedy said the enthusiasm and energy that exists around the Spirit of Kilrush would hopefully translate into a successful weeks sailing and a high finish.

PROFITS at Clare’s best known hotel, Dromoland Castle, increased last year to over €1.2 million, accounts filed to the Companies Office reveal.

According to the accounts lodged by Dromoland Castle Holdings Ltd, the company returned a net profit of €1.24 million – a slight increase on the net profit of €1.18 million in 2004.

Last year, the five-star hotel won the prestigious AA Irish Hotel of the Year Award and recorded gross profits of €10.64 million.

The figures also show that costs increased from €8.67 million in 2004 to €9.13 million last year. The company paid a dividend of €300,000 to its 30 investors in 2005, the same amount that was paid in 2004.

The accounts show that the company now has accumulated profits of €9.9 million.

Underlining the contribution the hotel makes to the local economy, €4.281 million was paid in wages and salaries.

Managing Director of Dromoland Castle, Mark Nolan, said, “All profits at Dromoland are re-invested. The investors just want Dromoland to be the best. They are not in it for any great return.”

Mr Nolan said that the hotel had recently spent €1 million on renovating 20 rooms, €1 million on a new golf academy and would spend €2 million on a new health spa for which a planning application was before Clare County Council.

The accounts value the hotel and conference centre at €11.4 million and the golf course at €1.19 million.

The accounts also reveal that €504,800 was paid to Hallmark Management Ltd in 2005. A total of €305,000 was paid to the company in 2004.

The accounts state that Hallmark Management Ltd is controlled by Mr Nolan and the company is paid a consultancy fee for the management services that it provides.

Mr Nolan has a share of two per cent in the business, while Sir Tony O’Reilly has a share of just under 25 per cent. The remainder of the shareholders are US based.

Room rates at the hotel range from €388 per night to €1,200 for the presidential suite, though discounts are available.

A number of international figures have stayed at Dromoland, including Nelson Mandela and Bill Clinton, along with Hollywood stars Demi Moore, Bruce Willis, Robin Williams and John Travolta.

CAMPAIGNERS opposed to the erection of an ESB telecommunications mast will have to wait a little longer to discover if they can begin their legal battle.

Local residents in Cahercalla More are attempting to take the action against the ESB who have asked that the case to be heard in the High Court be adjourned for two weeks until July 17.

Residents agreed to the request providing no work commences on the proposed site in the meantime. Residents have applied to the High Court to seek leave to appeal a decision by An Bord Pleanála to grant planning permission to the ESB for an 80 foot telecommunications mast. Locals are confident leave of appeal will be granted.

While campaigners await the outcome of the legal battle, attention now turns to mass protest that will take place in Ennis on Saturday, July 8. The protest is being organised under the auspices of the Better Environmental Safer Telecommunications (BEST) group to highlight the concerns of communities throughout Clare. Large numbers are expected for the march which will set of from the Éire Óg clubhouse at 11am. The march will continue down the Kilrush Road, across the Mill road and up Parnell Street. The march will conclude with a rally featuring a number of speakers in O’Connell square.

Leading campaigner Noel Mulhaire said, “We would appeal to people from across Clare to take part on Saturday. This is an issue that has affected many communities and we want to make it clear to the government that it is not okay to put up masts near houses and schools.”

THE top cause of loneliness among the 16,500 seniors living in Clare is a lack of money, a recent nationwide survey has found.

The survey conducted by financial consultants, Seniors Money found that a large portion (33 per cent) of those over 55 years surveyed feared that a lack of money when they retired would lead to a lonely life.

Geraldine Clare, CEO of Aware, a voluntary organisation assisting those affected by depression told The Clare People that “although there are certainly socio-economic factors to consider in retirement, money doesn’t necessarily improve isolation and loneliness. There are a number of other factors which cause isolation and loneliness in later life such as the passing of loved ones and peers.”

The survey also found that almost two thirds of Irish people worry that they will experience loneliness when they retire as a result of not having enough interests. Many fear that they have put so much time and energy into work that they have neglected other aspects of their life such as friends, hobbies and sports, while 53 per cent also felt that poor health contributed to loneliness.

This, according to Ms Clare, does not necessarily have to be the case. She said that, “although depression can be perceived as part and parcel of growing old and elderly people can become more debilitated making them more predisposed to depression, this is very treatable. There are also many activities and facilities now available for the elderly.”

CLARE County Council yesterday said it had no record of a report from the Ombudsman outlining its handling of the administration of named planning applications in 2002.

According to the summary of a response to a complaint brought by David McNamara to the Ombudsman and seen by The Clare People there were a number of errors on the part of the council in its handling of the administration of two specific planning applications.

In the document the Ombudsman said her examination showed there were a number of errors on the part of the council in its handling of the planning applications P02/590 and P02/591 “including the date stamping documents, the handling of the fees in relation to the applications and in particular the information provided to you on April 9 2002 and April 12 2002.’

“The errors which occurred contributed to your sense of grievance and unfair treatment and to your submission being late,” she told Mr McNamara.

“Your late submission was refused by the council and this refusal resulted in your ineligibility to appeal the council’s decision to An Bord Pleanála.

“In light of this, my office asked the council to review its handling of the matter and to advise my office of the steps it has taken to ensure that the errors which occurred in this case do not re-occur and to state the redress it would propose to offer to you,” the document continued.

The Ombudsman also told the Parteen man that, “The council has outlined its current practices regarding the receipting, stamping and validation of applications and the handling of fees for invalid applications. These have been referred to in some detail above. The systemic issues arising in your complaint have been addressed by the council and it is hoped that the event which occurred in you case will not reoccur.”

CLARE Gardaí are encouraging informers to spill the beans on drug dealers operating in Clare, amid a dramatic increase in the amount of drugs being seized.

Thirty nine drug seizures were made in the Clare Garda Division over the past two-and-ahalf weeks, and 45 people were arrested.

In one of the hauls, two men – aged 32 and 27 – were arrested after cannabis resin with a street value of €3,000 was found after their car was stopped and searched on the Limerick road in Ennis, shortly after 8pm on Saturday.

In another incident, a 16-year-old boy was found in possession of cannabis resin, valued at €1,500 and 20g of speed, on Abbey Street, Ennis, in the early hours of Saturday morning. A subsequent search of a house recovered more speed and cannabis resin, which gardaí say was intended for sale.

Last Tuesday night, a man in his 40s was arrested after up to 60 cannabis plants were found at the rear of a house near Crusheen.

Gardaí say the vast majority of drugs being supplied in Clare come from Limerick.

Superintendent John Kerin said an assortment of drugs has been seized. “We are talking about every kind of drug – ecstacy, cannabis resin, heroin and cocaine. The number of seizures is extraordinarily high. We are putting a lot of resources into this. We are asking people who know who is providing these drugs to come forward,” he said.

THE promoters of Ireland’s first full-scale retirement village are to spend €120,000 on ensuring the welfare of 30 tiny bats on the site, it emerged yesterday. This represents a spend of, on average, €4,000 on each bat.

Last December, €70 million plans were announced by the Dublinbased Master Group to transform the 18 century Carnelly House near Clarecastle into a retirement village. The project involves the construction of 120 homes of various sizes, 35 apartments and a 64bed retirement home and will accommodate 300 residents.

However, the developers discovered during an investigation of the site that it was a nationally important maternity roost for the rare and protected Lesser Horseshoe Bat.

As a result, Clare County Council asked the developers to put in place mitigation measures to protect the bats.

Managing Director of Master Group, Ray Kelliher confirmed to The Clare People that €120,000 would be spent on protecting the bats on site.

Elsewhere, GAMA Construction has spent in excess of €100,000 on a bat-house along the route of the Ennis bypass. Businessman Austin Delaney secured planning permission for a bat-house in conjunction with plans to redevelop Ballykilty Manor as a hotel.

The Lesser Horseshoe Bat can be found across northern Europe and Africa and is listed as a vulnerable species as they have become extinct in much of their former range.

“A lot of time has been spent on how we will address the bats issue and the care taken reflects the attention to detail in the overall project which I believe is unequalled inIreland and the UK,” said Mr Kelliher

He said that a storyboard would be put in place for residents and visitors to explain the background to bats at the site.

The spend on the bats will include the refurbishment of the coachhouse at Carnelly and the putting in place of a ‘fly-over’.

The fly-over – which may consist of netting – will be constructed to ensure that the bats can commute up and over the new road without danger of collision with traffic. Lighting and temporary netting is to be also put in place to guide them along the commuting route. It is proposed to dedicate the coachhouse entirely as a maternity roost for the bats, creating a new dormer style home.

A COURT has heard that a west Clare rural community has been left in shock after it emerged that a highly respected man had indecently assaulted a young girl over 30 years ago.

Stephen Hennessy (69), of Shanganagh, Kilkee, admitted indecently assaulting his victim on a number of occasions, between 1968 and 1972. At the time, he was in his 30s and she was aged between 11 and 14.

One of the incidents took place in a parked car and another while he was driving a car.

Garda Marie O’Neill told Ennis Circuit Court that, on one occasion, while the accused was driving, he let his victim change gears and touched her between the legs.

“He was abusing her but, the other side of it, he bought her gifts – sweets, chocolate and a watch,” said Garda O’Neill.

She said the victim, who did not wish to give evidence in court, was devastated by the accused’s actions.

Hennessy, who is not married, has no previous convictions. The court was told he wrote a letter to his victim, apologising for what he did. In that letter, he stated that he would “regret it all his life.”

Judge Carroll Moran asked why there was a delay in the case being brought to court. He was told the injured party made a statement in 2003.

A neighbour of the accused told the court the matter “has come as a shock to the community as he was well respected.”

He described Hennessy as “a very good neighbour,” who was deeply involved in the GAA.

“He was a man I looked up to . . . I still respect him as a man who would never tell a lie,” said the neighbour, who has worked alongside the accused in the RDF.

The accused’s barrister said his client pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and said he had €20,000 compensation in court. However, Counsel for the State, Stephen Coughlan, said the victim was not interested in compensation. The court was told the victim has initiated High Court personal injury proceedings.

Judge Moran said the accused “committed a pretty heinous offence against a very young girl, albeit a long time ago.”

He asked were any other complaints made about the accused and Garda O’Neill said she was not aware of any.

“I am told the injured party doesn’t want compensation. I don’t know how wise that is,” said the judge.

He adjourned sentencing until October.

TWENTY-ONE individuals in Clare made payments to the Revenue Commissioners during the first three months of this year. This included two significant payments by business people.

Figures published last week show that, between them, two Clare people paid in excess of €700,000, while several minor payments were also handed over.

Nationally, 150 payments were made on the list of settlements, which totalled more than €55,000,000.

The two Clare names on the list of settlements are Desmond Haugh, a company director, of Clonmoney, Hurler’s Cross, Newmarket-on-Fergus (€392,250 for under-declaration of income tax, VAT and Capital Gains Tax) and Eileen Healy, of Maryville, Scariff, who paid €313,173, for under-declaration of income tax on rental income.

Fines were imposed on three Clare individuals in respect of misuse of marked mineral oil.

Denis Gould, of Cree, Kilrush, a bookmaker, was fined €3,000, while John Scanlon, of Breaghva, Kilkee, a fisherman and builder, was fined €950, as was Gregory Earls, a digger driver, of Cappa Lodge, Sixmilebridge.

Patrick O’Connor, of Clonnadrum, Mullagh, a commercial operator, was fined €2,850 for sale and delivery or use of laundered oil.

Michael Cahir, of Liscannor Service Station, was fined €1,300 for failure to hold a current mineral oil licence.

One Clare individual, Matthew Griffin, of Bridge House, Ennistymon, was fined €750 in respect of alcohol smuggling.

O’Halloran’s Ltd, of Church Road, Tulla, filling station operators, were fined €632.50, for failure to hold a current liquor licence.

Auctioneer John Vaughan, of Parliament Street, Ennistymon, was fined €200 for failure to hold a current auctioneers and house agents licence.

Eleven businesses in Clare were fined for failing to lodge income tax returns between January 1 and March 31.

They were Patrick Daly Junior, Ballymalone, Ballina, Killaloe, a farmer (€5,700); John O’Reilly, Marina Village, Ballina, a publican and sign erector (€3,800); Gordan Hogan, Erinaghbeg, Fountain, Ennis, a farm buildings constructor (€1,900); Dermot Ryan, Kilbane, Broadford, a plant hire operator (€1,425); Gerard Kilkenny, Ballyhurley, Ogonnelloe, Tuamgraney, a disco operator (€1,425); Michael Moloney, Ballagh East, Ennistymon, a farmer and plumber (€1,425); Marian Jones, Moore Street, Kilrush, a fashion draper (€1,425); Michael Jones, Moore Street, Kilrush, a building contractor (€950); Alan Tubridy, Winter Haven, Mullagh, a shopkeeper (€475); Kevin Sexton, Craggaknock, Mullagh, a farmer (€475); John Breslin, Willow Park, Ennis, a joke shop proprietor (€475).

PLANS by one of Ireland’s best-known writers, Fintan O’Toole, to more than quadruple the size of his second home near the north Clare village of Ballyvaughan, have been described by An Taisce as “criminal”.

An Taisce has lambasted the plans by the Dubliner stating, “We have been requested by the locals to object to the design of the development, which they nd is not in keeping with the landscape and could be likened to an infection on the west coast road and is unacceptable and criminal.”

The Clare Association of An Taisce states that it is objecting to the proposal “as the design and size is not in keeping with the landscape. It lies along a protected coastline within the Burren Complex and along a scenic route and would be visually obtrusive and the density is not in keeping with the original dwelling, nor is its design”.

The O’Tooles purchased the modest two bedroom home overlooking Galway Bay in 2002 and the author does much of his writing there.

The broadcaster and columnist is seeking to increase the oor area from 39 sq metres to 180 sq metres with a split level extension that includes a living room, kitchen and additional bedroom. The plan also includes a rst oor study and a at roof that would include a planted wild Irish ower garden surrounded by wood decking.

The opposition from An Taisce to the proposed development is ironic as Mr O’Toole has supported An Taisce in the past against attacks from politicians.

Mr O’Toole yesterday expressed regret over the language used by An Taisce in its objection.

“I don’t see how the rational discussion of the place of contemporary architecture in sensitive landscapes is furthered by labelling people who try to put forward responsible plans as part of an open and democratic planning process as criminals . . . For more than 20 years now, we’ve spent a great deal of time in Ballyvaughan and hope to live there eventually. The house is not intended primarily as a holiday home, but as a place to write – most of my last book, White Savage, was written there.

Clare County Council has stated that it has a number of concerns over the proposed development. A decision on the application is expected later in the year.