Month: September 2006

A GROUP of volunteers has created a free highspeed WiFi Internet network spanning Clare, Galway and Limerick.

This network, which has been created by the not-for-profit organisation IrishWAN, claims to allow people to use the Internet for free, except for the initial cost of setting up the system.

The company has created the system in response to what it describes as “the inability of local government and commercial wireless Internet operators to provide what is seen as basic infrastructure in the rest of Europe”.

The system works by using readily available and affordable license exempt equipment, such as recycled PCs, to create a series of wireless nodes that people can connect to.

Depending on the type of antenna being used by an individual, a connection can be made up to 10 miles away from the nearest node.

According to IrishWAN, the typical cost of setting up the system is between €200 to €300, and the user would own the equipment following this.

Once you are set up, the system has no running costs because the software used to make the connections is based on the Linux Open Source operating system.

The more people who connect to a network of this kind, the stronger and more reliable it becomes. The areas where people can access the network also increase as new members, especially those located a higher altitudes, join the system.

For more information on this new system check out www.irishwan.ie.

THE case of a man who is accused of exposing himself in front of schoolchildren in Shannon has been adjourned for the 17th time.

The 29-year-old is accused of three charges of indecency, arising out of two alleged incidents outside schools in Shannon and another at a housing estate.

It is alleged he exposed himself in front of primary school students at St Senan’s national school, Shannon, in June 2004.

He is alleged to have exposed himself in front of a nine-year-old girl, at Dún an Óir, Shannon, in June 2005.

He is also accused of exposing himself to a female, at St Tola’s national school in September 2005.

At a court sitting in July, strict bail conditions were imposed.

On that occasion, Judge Joseph Mangan ruled that the accused be confined to his home when he was not working. If he was to leave his home, he must do so with a named member of his family.

Inspector Tom Kennedy told the court last Thursday that the accused had honoured these bail conditions.

Judge Mangan stated that one summons had come to court 15 times and that the case was before the court on 17 occasions in total.

The accused’s solicitor Gearóid Howard sought a change in the bail conditions, which would allow him to leave his home with either a named family member or a named family friend. This was not opposed.

The accused will appear in court again next month.

TWO people have appeared in court in connection with separate seizures of cigarettes by customs officers at Shannon Airport last year.

Sviatlana Usovich (32), of 149 St Brigid’s Grove, Killester, Dublin 5 and who is originally from Belarus, was convicted of evasion of a duty of excise on 14,000 cigarettes, with intent to defraud the State of such duty, on July 18, 2005. The value of the cigarettes was more than €4,000.

Paul Francis Yore (43), of Commons, Dromiskin, Dundalk, Co Louth, was convicted of evasion of a duty of excise, on 20,400 cigarettes, on November 3, 2005. The cigarettes were valued at over €6,000.

State Solicitor for Clare, Martin Linnane, told Shannon District Court last Thursday that Usovich was stopped coming into Shannon from Belarus. She was carrying 14,000 cigarettes and said they were for her own use. Her solicitor said she had come to Ireland six years ago and had since been deserted by her husband.

“She evaded the opportunity on her return. It was a stupid act. She put herself on the line for her children. All her cigarettes were taken by Customs. She has made a net loss,” said the solicitor.

Mr Linnane said Yore arrived into Shannon with 20,400 cigarettes and said he was “only trying to make a few bob”.

His solicitor, Tara Godfrey, said her client had arrived in from Lanzarote and has a problem with alcohol. “He was staggering so much he could hardly carry his suitcase. The decision wasn’t made in a sobering, reasonable moment,” said the solicitor.

Judge Joseph Mangan imposed fines of €1,900 on both accused, mitigated to €950.

PLANS for a €35 million housing development located in close proximity to Ennis Golf Club have been withdrawn.

Earlier this year, developer, Joe McNamara was refused planning permission by An Bord Pleanala to build 159 homes on Golk Links Road.

Clare County Council and Ennis Town Council granted planning permission to Mr McNamara, however the decision was appealed by local residents who claimed that “the established integrity of the golf course would be seriously undermined by the proposed development and its future viability would be uncertain”.

In response to the Board’s decision, Mr McNamara lodged revised plans for a 148 unit development and a decision was expected in the next number of days.

The proposal faced dogged resistance from local objectors, Caroline and Bobby Stack and Eugene and Bernadette Carey, while John Madden of Glencairn House, Hermitage, also voiced his opposition.

In their objection, the Stacks and the Careys stated: “The proposed housing, because of its proximity to the existing golf course, would give rise to mutual conflicts and injury to both the amenities of the golf course users and of any residential properties that would adjoin it.”

In his objection, John Madden stated: “ There has been no detailed and meaningful hydrological study with regard to the flooding impacts of the proposal.”

It is open for Mr McNamara to reapply for a new scheme – in a report to Bord Pleanala by one of its inspectors into the development, it was stated that the scheme “is broadly acceptable in principle”.

PLANS have been lodged by the St Vincent de Paul to convert a former B&B on the Clare Road in Ennis into a hostel for the homeless.

The cost of purchasing Laurel Lodge and refurbishing the home to allow it accommodate 13 men is €2.1 million.

The need for a hostel was identified as far back as 1998 when SVP carried out a survey that showed that over the course of one year, over 200 presented themselves to the Ennis Cathedral presbytery as homeless. Since then, two people have died sleeping rough in Ennis.

The latest statistics from Clare County Council show that there are 16 homeless people being permanently accommodated in hotels or B&Bs, while four people are sleeping rough in Ennis with B&Bs not even an option.

According to the Clare Homeless Forum the numbers of persons accessing the homeless unit and seeking accommodation rose from 267 in 2003 to 544 in 2004. Some 490 people accessed the services of the homeless unit in 2005.

Chair of the Council’s Special Policy Committee for Housing, Cllr Joe Arkins (FG) told The Clare People that he expected the first occupants of the hostel to be in place early in the New Year.

In a statement submitted with the planning application, St Vincent de Paul confirmed that the project would provide emergency accommodation for 13 men and the hostel would act as a centre of care, support, information and advice to those experiencing homelessness. SVP also lay out a number of approaches to ensure that the hostel’s residents don’t have a disruptive impact on the neighbours in the Clare Road area.

CLARE businessman, Paddy Whelan and the Whelan Group are set for an estimated windfall of up to €16 million in a major compensation deal that threatens the viability of Limerick City Council.

This follows an arbitrator ruling that Uniform Construction Ltd was wrongly fired from the city’s main drainage scheme in 2001. Paddy Whelan assumed control of 50 per cent of Uniform Construction following the council’s decision.

Now, the independent arbitrator has told the council to pay €32 million to Uniform Construction. The company has been precluded from tendering for work in the State since being removed from the €140m drainage scheme.

Uniform secured a contract for the work in 2000, but was removed from the works in November 2001, when the council claimed that the project was neither on time nor on budget.

Welcoming the arbitrator’s ruling, Uniform said that its professional competency had been “completely vindicated”. It said that it had encountered site difficulties when car-

rying out the work that had not origi nally been anticipated in the original tender.

Limerick City Council has expressed disappointment at the award, but claimed that its decision to pursue arbitration was vindicated given the claim lodged by the company was €85million.

Uniform maintained its tender was based on incomplete engineering information given by the council on rock types in the river bed. However, the company said it hit rock under the Shannon which it had not been advised of by the council reports.

CLARE businesses are set to reap a massive financial reward during this weeks Ryder Cup as a nationwide survey has positioned the county as the fifth most desirable location for foreign visitors to Ireland this year.

Clare has received six per cent of the total nominations to date for the 2006 Fáilte Ireland Irish Welcome Awards. This competition is voted on by foreign tourists who are asked to select which county best exemplifies the traditional Irish welcome.

Nominations have been received by tourists from 48 countries to date with majority of nominations coming from Ireland’s biggest tourist markets including including the USA, Britain, Germany, Australia and France.

The competition particularly targets guesthouse and bed and breakfast operators as the main point of one-to-one contact between tourists and the Irish public.

“So far, there is a tremendous number of nominations in and with over one month to go before the closing date for entries, so there is still time to tell us about that exceptional holiday experience,” said Shaun Quinn, Chief Executive of Fáilte Ireland.

“The Irish welcome is one of Ireland’s most unique characteristics and with 86 per cent of visitors saying the reason they come to Ireland is because of the friendly people, its importance cannot be stressed enough.”

On the ground, reports from around the county show an upturn in tourists visiting Clare over the last ten days. It is believed that this upturn will continue over the next two weeks if not farther.

“It has already had a massive impact on tourism in Clare,” said Paddy Maher of the Atlantis Holiday Group. “Hotels and guesthouses have been well booked with foreign golfers coming to play Lahinch and Doonbeg.

“We noticed the upturn from last weekend and I think that it will last at least until the end of next week. The real benefit will be felt next year, Ireland Inc is being giving the chance to show itself off and we have already taken a number of bookings for next year.”

Meanwhile, the Green Isle Hotel owned by Clare hoteliers the Lynch Family has been selected as the base for International press covering the Ryder Cup.

CLARE County Council has been asked to commit in the Development Plan to encouraging more businesses and households to use green energy.

Councillor Brian Meaney (GP) said in a motion before last night’s meeting that the local authority should plan for an “uncertain energy future” through measures including encouraging responsible environmental management in building and ensuring high standards of energy efficacy in building developments.

The councillor said that with the cost of home heating increasing considerably, “we have to make serious provision. What I am proposing is something which has been successful in other area plans.”

The was supported by a number of councillors, including Cllr Martin Lafferty (Ind) who said that he could see “nothing wrong with putting an encouragement into the plan so long as it is not mandatory and it is commendable that we should commit to support more sustainable construction methods.”

But councillor PJ Kelly (FF) said that if the measures suggested by the Green Party councillor were implemented “people won’t be building because they would never be able to afford the mortgages.”

PLANS by Swiss-owned multi-national, Roche Ireland, to demolish a derelict house at the site of its Clarecastle plant, have run into trouble.

Clare County Council has refused the company permission to demolish the house, on the basis of tough Government rules in relation to the protected of certain structures.

Earlier this year, Roche Ireland lodged plans to demolish the uninhabited home at the corner of Clarehill and Patrick Street and to replace it with a stone dwarf wall and a galvanised and painted steel fence.

However, in a report to the council’s planning department, Conservation Officer, Risteard Ua Cronín, pointed out that the building was an 18th-century or early-19th century five-bay single-storey gabled dwelling with an iron roof.

Mr Ua Cronín said, “the cottage appears to be of high architectural and heritage interest”, and claimed that the proposed development didn’t comply with the policy relating to demolitions in Architectural Conservation Area (ACA)”.

Mr Ua Cronin said, “The house, uninhabited for some time, is not beyond repair or re-use and by its traditional design and materials makes a significant contribution to the streetscape and the ACA”.

The planner’s report states, “I consider that the form of the existing cottage, together with its location, makes a positive contribution to the ACA, notwithstanding that it is unoccupied and has no windows.

“I do not consider that the existing structure is beyond repair or re-use and in relation to the reasonable infrastructural condition and architectural merit of the existing dwelling and its contribution to the ACA of Clarecastle, the proposed demolition would be unwarranted.”

The planner also stated that the proposed demolition “would seriously injure the amenities of the area and be contrary to the proper planning and development of the policy of the Ennis and Environs Development Plan, which seeks to protect structures that contribute positively to the character or appearance of an ACA and not one beyond repair or reuse”.

Roche Ireland has the option of appealing the decision to An Bord Pleanála.

Roche has invested almost €200 million at its Clarecastle plant in the past 12 years. The company has been successful in securing planning permission for a series of developments at the 80-acre site, where 240 people are employed.

A YOUNG man who was involved in an altercation on a street in Ennis in the early hours of the morning has been jailed for a fortnight.

David Gormley, of Maiville, Kilrush Road, Ennis, appeared before Ennis District Court on Friday, accused of two offences under the Public Order Act.

Garda Albert Hardiman said the accused was involved in an altercation on Abbey Street, at 1.20am on August 20. He said Gormley had suffered an injury but he would not make a complaint to gardaí in relation to it.

“There was a bottle used. He (the accused) had blood coming from a head wound, but he refused to make a complaint,” said the garda.

Defending solicitor John Casey said his client was pleading guilty and that drink was central to his problems.

“He is blaming nobody. He accepts himself what he has done. He is a young man who badly needs help,” said Mr Casey.

“This is a young man who is going to go one of two ways. It is his choice,” he added. “He obviously has a serious problem with drink. He loses track of everything and remembers little of what happens the following day,” he said.

The court heard the accused was fined €250 for an offence under the Public Order Act in July. Judge Joseph Mangan said, “He got an opportunity. That was his first chance.”

Mr Casey replied, “This is his last chance. I ask you what you can do.”

Judge Mangan imposed a 14-day jail term and fixed recognisances in the event of an appeal.