Month: September 2006

LAST week’s torrential rain left a number of families trapped in their homes in the Glasha area of Doolin. Local residents have expressed their anger at the flooding, which they believe is the result of works carried out by Clare County Council more than seven years ago.

According to one family, the problem began when the council carried out works on the main Lisdoonvarna to Doolin road as part of upgrade work to the water system in the late 1990’s.

Glasha resident Treasa Flaherty claims that she has raised this issue several times with a number of local county councilors over the last five years but no action has been taken.

“I’m sick and tired of talking to them about it and nothing seems to happen,” said Ms Flaherty. “The lady next door could not even come out into her driveway last week, the water was right up to the door.

“Once any heavy rains starts at all, there is a flood. I have been talking to local councilors about it for the last five years and I am just sick of it.”

Ms Flaherty claims that works undertaken by Clare County Council have turned the roadway into a funnel, directing floods of rainwater onto her property.

“They did the water works about seven or eight years ago and as part of that they changed the roads outside the front of the house,” continues Ms Flaherty. “It is very high in the middle and very low on side which means that all the water is being directed straight at my house.

“My lawn and garden is getting the full impact of the flooding. It is doing awful damage to the garden and the wall is being totally destroyed.”

The Clare People contacted the county council local area office in Ennistymon in relation to this matter, but no comment was forthcoming at the time of going to press.

THE crew of a transport lorry was left stranded for over six hours after their vehicle became bogged down in flood waters in Clare last Friday.

The driver and his colleague, who were delivering Guinness kegs to pubs and hotels in the north Clare area, were plucked to safety by a good Samaritan truck driver, who steered his heavy vehicle through more than five feet of water. The men jumped onto the front of the second truck which carried them back to dry land.

The drama began at 7am on Friday as the Guinness lorry, operated by a contractor on behalf of the drinks’ company, was making deliveries in the north of the county. Following overnight heavy rain, low lying fields flooded the R476 road at Lemenagh Castle near Kilnaboy.

Truck driver Ray Collins from Limerick explained, “There was a sign back the road which said the road ahead was flooded. When we got there, another truck drove through no problem, but as we were almost through, the truck just stopped”.

Mr Collins and his colleague Gary Shinners, also from Limerick, had to jump onto the rear of their vehicle when the cab began to flood.

“It looked very deceiving. Before we knew it we were in six feet of water. We called the company to let them know what was happening. When the felt the water at our feet in the cab, it was time to get out. We climbed onto the trailer were we stayed. It was too deep to dry and walk out. We weren’t in any danger, but all the time we were there, only one person actually asked if we were alright, or if we needed a phone.”

At around 1.30pm, a passing truck driver offered to help and drove his vehicle into the floodwaters. As his truck came nose-to-nose with the stranded Guinness lorry, Mr Collins and Mr Shinners jumped onto the front of the vehicle and were taken to safety.

“There was no sign of the water going down and if it got any higher, we were going to use the barrels to try and get out,” Mr Collins said.

It was late on Friday evening when the stranded lorry was eventually towed from the flood waters. The Corofin to Lemenagh Castle road remained closed for two days.

A YOUNG woman who stole soothers and false fingernails from a chemist in Ennis has been warned she will face a spell behind bars, if she reoffends.

Judge Angela Ní Chondúin made the comments in the case of an 18-year-old woman who pleaded guilty to stealing the items at Boot’s Chemist, O’Connell Street, Ennis, on September 2 last.

Ann Molloy (18), of Bay 2, Ballaghboy Halting Site, Quin Road, Ennis, pleaded guilty to one offence. The value of the stolen property was €17.40 and it was later recovered.

Garda Regan told Ennis District Court that he arrested the accused shortly after 2.30pm on the date of the offence. She made no reply to charge after caution.

Defending solicitor Siobhán McMahon said her client’s mother was due to have a baby and she was excited at the impending birth of her sibling. The solicitor said the accused’s parents were both unemployed.

Judge Angela Ní Chondúin said, “We are looking at custody.”

She said she would order the accused to carry out 100 hours community service, in lieu of two months in jail.

The judge said she would adjourn the case for three months and warned that the accused must not get into trouble in the interim.

“She is not to come to adverse Garda attention before that. If she does, forget the community service. It will be two months custody,” warned the judge.

THE proposed €1.2 million Shannon Recycling Centre has attracted 12 tenders, Clare County Council has confirmed. Construction work for the centre, which will be operational by the summer of 2007, is expected to commence before the end of the year.

“The project, which involves an investment of some €400,000 from the council’s own resources, was given a significant boost earlier this year when it was allocated €800,000 in funding by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government,” said Ger Dollard, Shannon Town Manager.

“We need to continue to encourage and support all those who are genuinely interested in properly managing waste. This centre will accept the full range of materials including glass, plastic, paper, timber cans, clothes and electrical and electronic wastes. It should significantly improve the already very high recycling rates achieved by householders in the county,” added Councillor Patricia McCarthy (Ind), Chairperson of Environment and Emergency Services and Consumer Protection Strategic Policy Committee.

In addition, the council has announced plans to open up over 100 acres of land for residential and commercial development in the town. The local authority is currently considering six tenders for the construction of a southern primary road in the Tullyvarraga area of the town.

It is anticipated that construction of the new multi-million euro road network project will commence in November 2006.

IF someone behaves like a ‘lout,’ he should accept that a criminal conviction goes with the territory, according to a judge.

Judge Angela Ní Chondúin made the comment in a public order case, before striking out the charge.

Aidan McCarthy (19), of Clarehill, Clarecastle, pleaded guilty to being intoxicated in public, on Abbey Street, on September 1.

Garda Crowley told Ennis District Court that gardaí received a report that a man was walking up O’Connell Street hitting windows and the accused was subsequently arrested.

Defending solicitor Tara Godfrey said the accused, a barman, had no previous convictions and the incident was out of character. She said her client could pay money to the court’s poor box and asked that he be given “one golden opportunity”.

Judge Angela Ní Chondúin said, “I am not mad about the idea of the poor box. I think a criminal record will straighten him up, rather than taking a few hundred euro off him. If you want to behave like a lout and get drunk in public, the criminal conviction comes with the territory. He should know a lot more about drink than others, because he is a barman.”

She then adjourned the case to allow the accused to come up with €300 for the court poor box. The money was later paid in.

“I take it we won’t see him back here again. I am striking it out,” said the judge.

THE chairman of the Regional Health Forum West, made up of local representatives from the west of Ireland, including Clare, will have to elect a new chairman later today when it returns from its summer recess.

In a shock move, chairman of the forum, Sligo councillor Aidan Colleary (FF) resigned the chair, the first ever in the history of the HSE to do so.

The HSE west has a history of firsts. It was also the first of these groups ever to meet in the new look health service.

It is unknown why the Fianna Fáil councillor resigned the position mid-term, but he is to remain part of the forum.

He was supported in his nomination to head up the HSE forum by Clare Councillors Pat Daly (FF) and Bill Chambers (FF).

The deputy chair, Cllr Kieran Walsh from Limerick will lead the meeting today, and his first order of business will be to elect a replacement for Colleary.

The Fianna Fáil/Labour coalition in the HSE forum is likely to return another Fianna Fáil councillor to the chair.

The Regional Health Forum, West meetings take place every two months in Galway.

The meetings are marketed as a way for county and town councillors to bring local health issues to the HSE executive.

The other two Clare representatives on the HSE forum are Fine Gael councillor Joe Cooney and Green Party councillor Brian Meaney.

THE Mayor of Kilrush this week threatened to vacate his office if councillors did not conduct the monthly meeting in an orderly fashion.

In a highly charged meeting, after which one councillor claimed there was “a ploy” to remove the female members from the authority, Mayor Stephen O’ Gorman (FF) told councillors, “If ye don’t follow standards, we won’t have a council or you certainly won’t have me as mayor.”

The mayor made the threat after he refused to allow any further discussion on a proposed amendment to the minutes of the July meeting.

Cllr Marian McMahon Jones (FG) had asked that a heated exchange between herself and Cllr Tom Prendeville (FF) in July be included.

“Cllr Prendeville referred to matters on traffic management that were not even on the agenda. He also made numerous comments which I felt were personal and, on requesting that he return to the agenda, he continued with his badgering,” Cllr McMahon Jones said.

The Fine Gael councillor was also critical

of the mayor’s handing of that meeting, say ing she requested that he would, “not allow such badgering again, and instead of taking control of the situation he actually added his own views.”

Cllr O’Gorman refused to allow other councillors to comment on the minutes, which were proposed and seconded by Cllr Prendeville and Cllr Tom Clyne (Ind).

In a statement afterwards, Cllr Deirdre Culligan (Ind) said “if the badgering that went on at the July meeting is a ploy to get me or Cllr McMahon Jones out of here, you (Cllr Prendeville) are sadly disillusioned.”

“The day of women being full time in the kitchen is gone and, if you can’t take the heat, I recommend that maybe it should be you that gets out of the kitchen, because I am here for the long haul.”

The councillor, who was not at the July meeting, said she made her apologies in advance.

“That was the time for Cllr Prendeville to state if he had a problem with me, but he decided to wait and speak about me in my absence,” she said.

Cllr Prendeville reacted by saying, “This is typical of the negative attitude adopted by Cllr Culligan since she came into the council. In my opinion, she has contributed little or nothing to the positive development in Kilrush Town Council in the last two years.”

SEVEN men charged in connection with a serious disturbance in Ennis last May will face further charges.

The seven – six of them from Limerick and one from Ennis – were charged following a serious public order incident in the town, in the early hours of May 3 last.

The seven are Alan (20) and Luke (22) O’Brien, of Castleview Estate, Newcastlewest; John O’Brien (18) of 13, Ash Crescent, Newcastlewest; Michael Qulligan (21) of Knockane Road, Newcastlewest; William Kavanagh (18) of 12 Castleview, Newcastlewest; and a young person from Newcastlewest.

The seventh accused is Bernie Mongan (18) of Clancy Park, Ennis. All are charged under the Public Order Act.

Inspector Kevin Moynihan told Ennis District Court last Friday that the charges arose out of a serious disturbance on O’Connell Street, Ennis. “Further charges will be brought,” he said, and asked for an adjournment until next month.

Solicitor Daragh Hassett, who represented a number of the accused men, said some time had elapsed since the alleged incident.

Inspector Moynihan said, “This was a very serious disturbance, which requires a lot of Garda investigations. A lot of resources are involved. We are working as fast as we can.”

Judge Angela Ní Chondúin said, “I appreciate that, but I won’t wait forever.”

Mr Hassett asked that any further charges be brought on the next occasion and Inspector Moynihan said he would be confident that they would be.

A 19-YEAR-OLD Ennis man has appeared in court, charged in connection with a robbery of a shop in Liscannor earlier this month.

Christopher Donovan, of Clancy Park, Ennis, appeared before Lisdoonvarna District Court last Wednesday morning, facing two charges.

He is accused of entering Kitty Barry’s shop, Main Street, Liscannor, as a trespasser, and stealing €2,000 in cash, on September 9 last, contrary to the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act. He is also charged with entering Matt O’Dea’s garage, Ennis Road, Ennistymon, as a trespasser, and stealing €300 in cash, on September 5.

Outlining evidence of arrest, charge and caution, Sergeant Michael Gallery told the court that he formally arrested the accused last Tuesday, at Ennistymon Garda Station.

In reply to each charge, the accused said “yes.”

Superintendent Eamon Dolan said the accused was on station bail and applied to have him remanded on continuing bail, to appear in court in Ennistymon later this year.

He sought to impose a number of bail conditions. These include that the accused stay out of the Ennistymon District Court area, that he sign on daily at Ennis Garda Station and that he have no contact with the alleged injured parties in the case before the court.

Solicitor Michael Petty, who acted as agent for the accused’s solicitor Tara Godfrey, said he was consenting to this application.

NATIVE fish stocks in Clare were dealt another blow last week with the first recorded finding of a Roach in any lake west of the River Fergus. The fish was discovered by local angler Michael Quinlivan in Lough Achryane or ‘Crown Lake’ near Lissycasey and is a serious threat to the future viability of trout on the lake.

When Roach enter a new lake they breed very rapidly, destroying the lakes population of zooplankton rendering it uninhabitable for other fish.

“They will actually change the ecology of the lake and magnify the effect of any pollution that is there already,” said Fran Igoe, of the Shannon Regional Fisheries Board. “As their population explodes they decimate the zooplankton in a lake and allow the phytoplankton or algae to take over.”

This change in the lake’s ecology diminishes the food available to the native trout, but also inhibits the lakes ability to process pollution.

“Some people do fish Roach but they are extremely common all over Europe and the UK and they will destroy out native trout,” continued Mr Igoe. “People should be aware that moving fish around will cause serious problems for angling in County Clare. They should be aware of this but they still seem to be moving these fish around.”

This news follows the discovery earlier this month that the Artic Char has now become extinct in lakes in County Clare.