Month: December 2006

CLARE County Council has expressed concerns for the local bird population in the Burren if birds of prey from the proposed falconry centre at the Ailwee Cave escape.

Earlier this year, Aillwee Cave lodged plans for the country’s largest falconry centre to feature a large variety of raptors such as vultures, eagles, falcons, hawks and the country’s only snowy owl.

The applicants point out that the idea of a falconry centre is relatively new in Ireland, but such centres are very popular in Britain.

The application states that, during the summer months, there will be two birds flying at a time, in a very controlled manner and that there will also be flying displays for any school tours that may be visiting the facility.

“None of the birds will make any noise to cause a nuisance. They would make the odd call to each other as they would in the wild.”

In their submission on the proposal, the Clare Association of An Taisce has stated, “We find the idea interesting, but we are uncertain what effect falconry will have on the habitat of the Burren.”

However, putting the plan on hold, the council state that it has concerns that if any of the birds of prey escape, there will be significant implications for the native bird population as a result.

“Please address these concerns by management for the facility to include mitigation measures to counteract same and liaise with the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS),” the council states.

The applicants have also been told to state whether the facility is to operate as a separate entity to the cave, or in conjunction with the cave.

Aillwee Cave is one of the many thousands of ancient caves beneath the Burren with over one kilometre of passages. Its features include an underground river and waterfall, as well as stalactites and stalagmites.

The remains of bears can be seen inside the caves. Unlike many other caves, there is no evidence that the cave has been used by humans. Local man Jacko McGann, who discovered the cave while searching for his dog and explored much of the cave by candlelight, was perhaps the first human who set foot in it.

The cave, which is privately owned by two local families, first opened to the public in 1976.

ENVIRONMENT Minister, Dick Roche, has given the go-ahead for sewerage and water schemes for Kilkee and Broadford.

The minister announced that he had given approval to Clare County Council to invite tenders for a major contract to bring a new water supply to Kilkee from the West Clare Regional Water Scheme.

The works, estimated to cost some €9m, will give Kilkee a new connection to the regional scheme. The town is currently served by a small local source, supplemented by a limited supply from the reservoir serving the regional scheme.

The Minister said that the contract would be for 23km of new watermains to replace the present inadequately-sized connection pipes.

“In particular, it will eliminate the likelihood of water shortages, especially in the busy tourist season. It will also ensure that there is plentiful spare capacity to cater for residential, commercial and tourism development in the town,” he added.

This scheme is one of over 20 water and sewerage schemes in Clare, valued at more than €196m, that have been approved for exchequer funding in the minister’s Water Services Investment Programme for the period 2005-2007.

The Minister also announced yesterday that he had approved exchequer funding of more than €1.3m under his department’s Water Services Investment Programme 2005-2007 for a new sewerage scheme in Broadford.

The Minister said that he had cleared Clare County Council’s revised preliminary report for the scheme and that, “the way is now clear for the council to prepare contract documents and then to invite tenders”.

The minister highlighted the environmental benefits for Broadford, which at present depends mainly on septic tanks.

“The scheme will provide the sewerage infrastructure the village has been waiting for and that is needed to facilitate new development.”

He has confirmed that the €1.5m project includes the construction of a new sewage collection system and wastewater treatment plant that will meet the needs of the village well in to the future.

The Minister said that he would be asking Clare County Council to advance it to tender as quickly as possible.

FOREIGN Affairs Minister, Dermot Ahern, has told the US authorities that no airplanes used for rendition are to be allowed land at Shannon.

The minister was answering questions in a heated session with a committee of MEPs investigating CIA rendition flights.

He told the committee that “we do not want any plane – and we have told that to the Americans bluntly – that is involved in extraordinary rendition entering our country and we have explicit assurances that is the case. They will not use our country in any shape or form for extraordinary rendition.”

Ireland is one of 11 EU countries named and shamed in a report by Italian socialist MEP, Claudio Fava, as allowing CIA ghost flights to stop over.

The report alleges that the CIA flew terrorism suspects to secret prisons around the world with the apparent co-operation of certain EU states.

Earlier this week, MEPs identified 147 landings in Ireland which they considered suspect.

A plane that landed at Shannon is alleged to be the same one that took Obu Amar from Italy to Egypt on February 17, 2003 and delivered him into the hands of interrogators, where he is still being held.

MEP Proinsias De Rossa, who is a member of the committee, said that it was “indisputable” that the plane landed at Shannon en route.

“It is an established fact that Abu Omar was kidnapped in Italy and transferred to Egypt by the CIA and tortured. The plane used in that kidnapping, known as the Guantanamo Express, stopped over at Shannon – presumably to refuel – on February 18, 2003. That clearly makes Ireland an accomplice to that illegal operation,” the Labour MEP said.

But Minister Ahern insisted that the US had given categorical assurances that no plane carrying terrorist suspect prisoners had landed here.

“The United States has stated authoritatively to us that prisoners have not been transferred through Irish territory, nor would they be without our permission,” he said.

The assurances were not legally binding and had not been given in writing.

Minister Ahern said that the Government had no powers to board flights as this was the remit of the Garda. He added that the Garda not only had the power to board planes if they suspected a breach of anyone’s constitutional or human rights, but that they would be expected by the Government to do so.

KILRUSH man Anthony Kelly, who is accused of murdering Limerick bouncer Brian Fitzgerald, will apply for bail in the Supreme Court next week.

Mr Kelly (49), of Cragg House, Kilrush, is accused of the alleged offence at Corbally, Limerick, on November 29, 2002.

He is due to make his fourth appearance before Limerick District Court this morning, where the book of evidence in the case is to be served.

A bail application was refused in the High Court on October 31 last. The Clare People subsequently revealed that he would apply for bail in the Supreme Court. This application is to be heard on Friday week.

When Mr Kelly made his last court appearance at Limerick District Court a fortnight ago, his solicitor Eugene O’Kelly objected to a fourweek adjournment, as had been requested by the State.

Mr O’Kelly said his client was been held in custody on the word of “two convicted crooks”. He said he had been assured during the High Court hearing that the book of evidence would be ready within three weeks.

Detective Sergeant Pat O’Callaghan told the court that the chief state solicitor’s office was “flat out” trying to get the book prepared, given the “sheer volume of the file”.

He said that 44 people had been arrested in connection with the death of Mr Fitzgerald and more than 540 statements had been received by the State.

Mr O’Kelly said the fact that 44 people were arrested was not of concern to his client and that holding him in custody in Limerick prison on the word of “two convicted crooks” was “very unfair”.

A BRAZILIAN man living in Ennis has appeared in court, charged with four counts of indecent exposure – two of which are alleged to have happened outside schools.

Hamilton Abremhofa (29), of 54 Cregaun, Tobartaoscain, Ennis, was arrested at lunchtime last Thursday outside a girls’ school in the town.

The father-of-one was detained at Ennis Garda Station and later that night was charged with one count of indecent exposure. He was charged with three further counts the following day. Two of the alleged offences occurred at Tulla Road, Ennis, one at College Road – close to Coláiste Mhuire girls secondary school – and another at Harmony Row. The alleged offences occurred on four separate dates during November.

Garda Stephen Hession told Ennis District Court last Friday that the accused made no reply to each charge.

Defending solicitor Tara Godfrey applied for bail. However Inspector Michael Gallagher, prosecuting, said he would be seeking to remand him in custody.

“I object to bail based on the seriousness of the charges, that further enquiries have to be carried out and there is a fear he wouldn’t stand trial. We are not sure where he lives.”

Ms Godfrey said her client had lived in Ireland for the past four years, and was married with one child. She said he was a driver and earned €500 per week.

Judge Joseph Mangan remanded the accused in custody for a week, to appear again on Friday. Mr Abremhofa is also charged with failing to inform immigration officials within 48 hours of his arrival in Ennis.

SOPHISTICATED cannabis growing equipment has been found in an apartment in Ennis. It is the first of its kind ever seized by gardaí in the county.

The equipment, along with €1,000 worth of cannabis, was found during a search of an apartment in Ennis last Thursday.

A 23-year-old man, who is from the east of the country and who lives in Ennis, was arrested.

He was questioned at Ennis Garda

Station, before being released with out charge later that evening. A file is being prepared for the DPP.

According to gardaí, the equipment found is a purpose-built selfcontained unit and is heat regulated, with timer switches.

It is made from a canvas type material and contains a transformer, a fan and lights.

It is comparable to a shower unit, size-wise and could grow up to 12 cannabis plants at any one time.

Gardaí say they believe it was in use at the apartment for a number of months.

“It would indicate a substantial amount of cannabis was being grown and processed there,” said a Garda source.

“This type of equipment is suitable for conditions indoors, where the heat is regulated,” added the source.

“This is the first time to find a selfcontained unit, with all the equipment, in Clare. Cannabis has been found growing in attics and plants have been found out of doors in the past, but this is an entirely different operation,” he added.

MORE than 20 plucky souls have volunteered to take a very long dip in a good cause.

The swimmers who are taking on the Shannon Challenge will attempt to swim the length of Ireland’s longest river – 213 miles.

Over five days, starting on December 11, swimmers of various standards will take to the pool in the Shannon Leisure Centre to do the swim in shifts.

The team will swim three sessions a day, making the challenge a “big commitment,” according to Liam Buckley, MD of Molex and co-ordinator of this year’s swim.

“Last year, we raised €18,750 for the St Vincent de Paul and the target this year is to raise €20,000. It’s a charity which is close to home and all the money raised is spent in the Midwest,” said Liam.

The swim team is made up mostly of men and women who either live or work in Shannon.

This is the fifth year of the challenge and, says Liam, the effort “is very well supported locally. There are about twelve companies in Shannon who are represented in the swim, so there’s great local enthusiasm about it.”

Because of the mammoth effort involved over an extended period, participants in the challenge have been training in the pool during their lunch hours or in the evening, whenever they get a chance.

Liam stresses that not all the swimmers are natural mermaids, or men.

“There are some strong swimmers and some not so strong but everyone involved is doing it to raise some money in a good cause,” he said.

While the challenge is well supported in Shannon, the team needs all the help it can get if the ambitious €20,000 target is to be met.

Anyone who would like to splash out can sponsor individual swimmers, or donate money to the St Vincent De Paul account. The appeal account number is 77773059 sort code 935247. The account is based at AIB Bank 106-108 O’Connell St, Limerick.

ENNIS Town Engineer Tom Tiernan last night rejected calls from councillors to place tankers on Ennis’s streets in order to provide clean drinking water.

At the council’s December meeting last night, Mr Tiernan said that the provision of tankers “would send out a terrible message”. In response to a call from Councillor Tommy Brennan (Ind) for Clare County Council to provide tankers until the current boil notice was lifted, Mr Tiernan said, “Logistically, it would be a huge operation to undertake.”

Mr Tiernan told the meeting that tankers would normally be provided where there was no public water supply at all, or where there had been a contamination of the supply.

“In the current situation, boiling the water deals with any possible contamination. Providing tankers would be a detrimental step and send out a terrible message.”

Instead, the councillors agreed on a motion by Cllr Tom Glynn (FF) that Clare County Council would fund the purchase of bottled water while the current boil notice remains in place through a receipt system. The matter is expected to be discussed at next Monday’s county council meeting.

A separate motion by Cllr Johnny Flynn (FG) that the Minister for the Environment, Dick Roche, carry out an independent inquiry to resolve problems with the Ennis water supply fell, as it did not receive a seconder.

Mr Tiernan said that the current boil notice remained in place as a precaution. He said, “There is nothing wrong with the quality of the water.”

Mr Tiernan said that since the first boil notice was put in place 18 months ago, “there hasn’t been a problem with the water except for a period of two to three days.

He added, “I do accept that there has been a lack of confidence in the water supply.”

Mr Tiernan said that the temporary water filtration plant that was put in place to deal with the water supply was back up and running and that council was currently seeking to have further modifications to the plant.

He said, “There is no doubt that the technology works and there wasn’t a problem with it for the first two to three months.”

Cllr Flynn told the meeting that the permanent water filtration plant may not now be in place until the end of 2008 – one year longer than was at first anticipated.

ANNA Prior is the complete antithesis to the majority of our national politicians. She is young, female and softlyspoken with a list of ideologies, the strongest of which is republicanism and her hopes for a united Ireland.

The 22-year-old Ennis woman is hoping that her differences will make her an attractive candidate in the next General Election, as does Sinn Fein who announced the NUI Galway graduate as their candidate in Clare.

Born in England to republican-minded parents Ann and Brian, the family returned home to Ann’s home county when Anna was just nine.

The former student of history, politics and law explains that, while she was always interested in politics, she did not sign up for Sinn Fein until she was in college. Listing her heroes as Nelson Mandela and Fidel Castro, the young woman plans to do a masters in human rights but, for the short term, the general election is to become her life.

As former mayor of Belfast, Alex Maskey, pointed out, “she is engaged to her boyfriend but married to the party” – although, as a member of Sinn Fein himself, fiancé Immanuel is hardly going to mind.

A member of Sinn Fein’s leading Ard Comhairle body, Anna believes that she is ready for the challenge ahead.

She told The Clare People that the party is using a selection of platforms to bring its policies and ideas to Clare.

“This is a long-term project and, in reality, change does not come overnight and especially the change we are looking for – radical progressive change on the ground,” she added.

She outlined health, Shannon Airport and republicanism and human rights issues as some of the issues on which she will build her campaign.

Launching her campaign, Councillor Maskey MLA said the party was conscious of gender balance in the party.

Pointing to Clare’s republican history and Pearce Doherty’s showing in the European election, he was optimistic about the party’s future in the county.

“We have a challenge ahead in Clare, no doubt about that, but politics in this part of the island is evolving as much as anywhere else and we think that there is a clear place in Irish society in Clare as there is anywhere else for us to build an alternative to the more conservative politics of the past,” he said.

“Anna’s strength will be working at grass roots level. She’s a highly intelligent person with a lot of experience for one so young,” he added.

FEARS were expressed yesterday that Clare County Council could be facing massive compensation claims from developers, if a forthcoming study rules out development on commercial-zoned land on the fringes of Ennis.

According to the council, the flood management study, “will have a significant influence as regards what is appropriate and feasible from a development point of view of the lands in the vicinity of the Lower River Fergus”.

The council continues that the flood study’s “conclusions and recommendations may have implications for large areas of land on both sides of the River Fergus”.

The study is expected to be published in the early months of 2007 and, already, three planned multimillion euro developments on the southern fringes of Ennis have been put on hold – in part due to floodingrelated concerns.

In relation to plans by Michael Lynch Ltd to open up lands for development at Clonroadmore, the council, seeking additional information, states, “Whether or not the entire site would be available to facilitate such development is questionable, given that the flood management study which is presently ongoing has not yet reached its conclusions.”

Last year, a 48-acre site zoned commercial was purchased for over €18 million from Clarecastle man, JJ McCabe. Plans have been lodged for a retail park on the site at Skehanagh, Clarecastle. However, the council has put the plan on hold, requesting a flood risk assessment for the entire area.

The council has also put on hold a separate €50 million plan by Ennis businessmen, Sean Lyne and Noel Connellan, stating that the construction of a of a large development in an area that is susceptible to flooding is not in keeping with the proper planning and sustainable development of the area. The council has requested a comprehensive flood risk assessment of the area.

Cllr Brian Meaney (GP) said yesterday, “If the flooding study rules out development in areas zoned for development, the council could be facing massive compensation claims from developers.”

The council’s senior planner, Liam Conneally said, “The purpose of the study is to determine the most appropriate way to minimise the area required to facilitate flood storage requirements. The study will provide necessary supporting data with potential flood relief options, which should have the effect of maximising the extent of low-lying lands in the area which could be safely developed.”