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THE Government has been urged to set up a special tourism marketing budget for the local authorities of counties in the west of Ireland.

The call came from north Clare County Councillor Martin Conway (FG) for a three-day all-island Tourism Conference which took place in Ireland over the weekend.

“This initiative is necessary in order to create a level playing field between urban and rural tourism in Ireland,” said Cllr Conway in Ennistymon over the weekend. “Recent trends have seen a ballooning of tourist numbers traveling to Ireland on short city breaks, particularly Dublin, while growth has not been as dramatic in rural parts of the country.”

Cllr Conway believes that this trend could be targeted at specific markets and could have a significant impact on tourism in Clare and in the western area generally.

“With low-cost airlines such as Ryanair developing new routes, particularly into Shannon, the importance of marketing in regions where Ireland would not have experienced large tourism traffic is becoming increasingly important.

“Markets such as Italy, Spain, Germany and Eastern Europe have significant further growth potential.”

Conway went on to say that this new scheme could be driven by a tourism development officer and that it would support the new culture of balanced regional development with Ireland and the EU in general.

The weekend’s event was the 18th conference hosted by the Clare Tourist Council, in conjunction with Clare County Council. The annual conference is organised for tourism industry officials, along with members of local authorities, county enterprise boards, partnerships and all public and private bodies involved in the promotion of tourism.

This year’s conference was entitled ‘Promoting Co-operative Tourism Marketing’ and was attended by hundreds of delegates from each of the 32 counties.

Junior Minister, Síle De Valera, officially opened the conference in what will be one of her final official engagements before she steps down as Minister of State at the Department of Education and Science on December 8.

Among those addressing the conference were Fáilte Ireland’s Director of Marketing, Paul Keeley; Katherine Webster, Director of the Cliffs of Moher New Visitor Experience; and Eamonn O Neachtain, Bainisteoir Réigiúnach, from an Daingean, who briefed delegates on ‘Cultural Tourism in the Gaeltacht’.

The Clare Tourist Council hosted its first national tourism conference in 1989 and subsequent conferences have addressed a wide range of tourism issues such as tourism and the environment and the role played by local authorities in tourism.

THE Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Michael Martin has brought before the Dáil, legislation that will bring about the transfer of 40 staff from Shannon Development to Enterprise Ireland by January 1 next.

The move will reduce Shannon Development numbers from 175 to 135 and allow the company to concentrate on securing foreign direct investment for the Shannon Free Zone and promoting tourism in the region.

On unveiling the Industrial Development Bill 2006, Minister Martin told the Dáil: “Shannon Development and Enterprise Ireland are well advanced in identifying the number of posts to be transferred. Shannon Development staff and their representatives are engaging positively with the process and I understand that a strong level of interest is being expressed by staff in transferring to Enterprise Ireland.”

Minister Martin said that the bill provided “a statutory guarantee to the staff who are so designated that their pay, conditions of service and pension arrangements shall not be diminished by virtue of the transfer”.

He added: “The specific activities that Shannon Development will undertake will be selected on the basis of its potential to generate significant economic impact locally, regionally and nationally.

With the more focussed remit that it now has, the company will be in a position to meet the new challenges the region faces.”

In response to the bill coming before the Dáil, Pat Breen (FG) confirmed that Fine Gael supported.

He said: “It is unfortunate that so much time has gone by since the Minister originally made the announcement 16 months ago that he was stripping Shannon Development of these traditional enterprise creation functions.

“The original decision was made in July 2005 amid widespread criticism, and last month Deputy Martin chose to do a part u-turn on the issue and decided to allow Shannon Development to retain its enterprise functions within the Shannon Free Zone.

“Not only has none of the enterprise strategy group recommendations been implemented, but it has taken a year for the legislation to catch up. It shows that enterprise creation in Clare is in a mess.”

CLARE hurling star Gerry Quinn has expressed concern for the fate of the rare ‘Yellow Hammer’ bird in an objection to contentious plans by Meteor Communications to erect a 50 ft mast at Rockvale, Tubber.

The objection lodged by the Corofin auctioneer is just one of 23 separate objections against the Meteor plan. One of the objections includes a petition of 75 names.

The Rockvale Action Group, formed in opposition to the mast, has described it as “undesirable and unnecessary”. They say it will devalue houses and land in the area.

“The area between Lough Bunny and Lough Skearden is important for migrating birds. The rarest bird in the area is the Yellow Hammer and is on the amber list of endangered birds,” according to Mr Quinn.

“If such a development was allowed, could the council guarantee the preservation of the natural heritage just listed? Such a development must contravene many conservation acts and cannot be given the goahead.

“I am appealing on both professional and private grounds. I own a site less than 200 metres from the mast. All property in the environs of such a mast would be seriously devalued and therefore would be a serious injustice to all property owners.

“As an auctioneer myself, I believe a figure for this could be up to 30 per cent within 400 metres of the mast, which I note under the development plan this is a non compensatable ground for refusing such structures. Who is liable to compensation the property owners for this devaluation?

“I have serious concerns for the preservation of two significant monuments Cillin and Boston Castle.”

However, in its own submission, Meteor state, “We have purposely chosen a location that will have the least visual or environmental impact by proposing to locate the structure behind existing farm buildings to screen the structure from the surrounding public roads as much as possible.

“The zoning is classified as a ‘vulnerable landscape’ in the Clare County Development Plan. However, none of the named diverse range of important habitats are applicable in this location as it is on ordinary agricultural land and is not an important habitat.”

“In summary, the proposed location provides the optimum location for the site in order to provide a consistent and contiguous level of service to the Aughrim area and R460 road and surrounding roads whilst minimizing the impact on the environment.”

A decision is due on the application next month.

COIS NA hABHNA, the Clare Comhaltas cultural centre in Ennis, will be one of the main beneficiaries of a €65 million development programme being undertaken by Comhaltas which has designated the Clare venue as one of eight regional centres for the promotion of Irish cultural traditions.

The building on the Gort Road in Ennis is at present undergoing major renovation which will be completed in time for Fleadh Nua 2007.

The old church in Kilrush, which has been donated by the Church of Ireland to Comhaltas, will also benefit as an outreach centre under the Development Programme.

The programme, which is being grant-aided by the Government and supported with buildings from a number of sources, will be the most expansive programme ever for the propagation of cultural traditions in the history of the State.

The initial grant-aid for Cois na hAbhna and Kilrush will be in the region of € 2.5m. The other seven regional resource centres will be based in Dundalk, Dublin (Monkstown and Clontarf), Cashel, Gurteen (Co. Sligo), and Mullingar as well as several outreach centres.

The Programme is rooted in the community and will be sustained and developed by a number of imaginative and complementary projects. It will involve the decentralisation of several Comhaltas elements i.e. education, archives, merchandise and performance outlets. It will be driven by regionally based “meitheal” teams.

Cois na hAbhna development board chairman, Frank Whelan, said the programme would enable them to build on the solid foundation bequeathed by the great men and women of the past.

It was good news for the cultural movement and they looked with confidence to the future. Describing the programme as a huge boost for Ireland’s cultural indentity, Comhaltas Director General, Senator Labhrás Ó Murchú said it would empower the meitheal of volunteers to develop cultural potential at community level, which might otherwise remain dormant.

“The result of the new Comhaltas Development Programme will in time impact on every region of Ireland and throughout the Irish Diaspora. This is an official acknowledgement of the successful and valuable work done by the thousands of Comhaltas volunteers at community level for over half a century,” he said.

AN inquest has heard how a man, who had been abused as a child by a priest, wrote ‘goodbye’ notes to his family before he took his own life at his west Clare home.

Peter McCloskey (37), a separated father-of-three, died at Moveen West, Kilkee, on Sunday, April 2 last.

Dr Deirdre Curtin, a counsellor, recalled, in her deposition, that Peter had been referred to her through the Rape Crisis Centre in January of this year. She met him weekly for counselling, over 11 weeks.

She received two text messages from Peter on the evening of April 1, 2006. One of those said, “Thanks for trying to help me. I have to leave you of our contract now. There is nothing more 2 do or say.”

The other message said, “Goodbye millie go Hopper. I have 2 endi.”

Dr Curtin was at a funeral and when she got the messages – which were sent within 100 minutes of each other – she rang Peter’s mobile and left voice messages for him.

“I was concerned for Peter’s safety. The two text messages had alarmed me,” she said.

She rang the psychiatric services in Limerick and then she recalled Peter saying that he liked Kilkee and maybe he was there.

She rang Kilkee garda station and was put through to Kilrush. She was told that two gardaí who were to liaise with Peter were both off duty.

She later spoke to a garda and asked him to check that Peter was okay, given his previous psychiatric history.

Dr Curtin received a phone call later from that garda, to say that Peter had died tragically while he was at home.

The inquest was told he had lived alone in the dormer style two storey house. He was found dead on his couch and a number of goodbye notes, addressed to various family members, were found near his body.

Coroner Isobel O’Dea said, “I’m mindful of the text messages sent by Mr McCloskey. I’m satisfied there was an intent by Mr McCloskey to end his life,” and returned a verdict of suicide.

THE family of Peter McCloskey says it is still suffering as a result of his death, at his west Clare home eight months ago. In the aftermath of the inquest into his death, Peter’s brother Joseph said, “We are still suffering and are grieving at Peter’s loss. It is very difficult to come to terms with it.”

Mr McCloskey had started a course in Liberal Arts at Mary Immaculate College, Limerick, just months before he took his own life.

He had recorded top marks during the first Semester of his course and his family were thrilled with this.

Just weeks before his death, Peter received a letter from Roger Downer, President of University of Limerick, congratulating him on his outstanding academic success in the autumn semester. Peter was awarded a QCA of 3.56 – the maximum is 4 – and he achieved A1 and A2 grades throughout.

He was poet of the week at The White House, Limerick on March 3 2006, with his poem, ‘Would You Like To Be At Sea Tonight?’.He was featured twice on the RTE Radio 1 Sunday morning programme, ‘Sunday Miscellany.’ He read ‘The Walking Machine’ and ‘Corner Boys’, on air.

His brother Joseph said the family was very proud of his achievements.

“We were enormously proud when Peter got a mature students place in Mary Immaculate College,” he added.

Joseph told The Clare People his parents Mary and Aidan are “devastated and grieving at Peter’s loss.”

Mr McCloskey separated from his wife Cathy and moved to west Clare in 2000. He lived there by himself until his death in April.

THE death of Peter McCloskey took place just days after a mediation meeting between himself, representatives of the Clerical sex victims support group One In Four and church representatives.

He was abused while serving as an altar boy at the age of 10 in the Diocese of Limerick by Fr Denis Daly, a priest who had been run out of a parish in Sydney for a ‘moral lapse.’ He had served as a priest in Sydney in the 1950s and 1960s and was a supply priest in Caherdavin in 1981.

Following Peter’s death, a meeting between members of his family and representatives of the Limerick Diocese, including Bishop of Limerick Donal Murray, took place on April 23. The sides later issued a joint statement. It was agreed that the sides would “work together” on the issue. However, no further statements have been issued since then.

In the April statement, the Bishop acknowledged that he accepted the truth of Mr McCloskey’s experience of clerical child sexual abuse. He also acknowledged that there was a failure on the part of the diocese to inform itself as to Fr Daly’s suitability for the ministry.

The diocese accepted that the information available at that time should have prevented Fr Daly from taking up ministry in Limerick.

Peter’s mother Mary called on Dr Murray to resign as Bishop of Limerick over the way in which he and the diocese handled the case.

Peter had been locked in a four-year battle with the Diocese after responding to church calls in 2002 for priests’ victims to come forward and tell their stories. His search for the truth saw him visit Sydney in February 2004, where he demanded to see Fr Daly’s file.

FATIGUE played a part in an incident in which an off-duty Ryanair pilot crashed a helicopter while taking a family on a pleasure trip, an official investigation has found.

The pilot had already flown the chopper on a return trip from Dublin to West Cork earlier in the day and was due to report for duty in Shannon at 6.15am the next morning.

The Irish Aviation Authority made the findings after an investigation into the crash-landing of the Bell 206B helicopter in a cornfield near Inniskeen, County Monaghan on June 13 2004. On the day, the pilot had expected to go home, but had agreed to fly trips for the sports day at Kilanny because there were so many people queuing for the flights.

A female passenger described how she saw warning lights come in the helicopter before two loud siren sounds and then the engine went quiet. The chopper started wobbling and her children became upset.

The craft was badly damaged in the emergency landing but passengers and the pilot escaped injury. The authority heard that the pilot was just short of his annual flying limit of 900 hours at the time of the accident.

“The wisdom of getting involved with further commercial operations is therefore dubious, particularly when this is done without notifying his prime employer,” the report stated.

The accident report found that the amount of fuel in the helicopter during its final flight was below the minimum required level, a fact the pilot could have established if he had made a calculation based on the number of previous flights carried out.

“The investigation is of the opinion that fatigue may well have blurred the pilot’s judgement and airmanship towards the end of the day,” the report continued.

The pilot, who was not named in the official investigation report, has been identified by a media source as being employed by Ryanair at the time of the accident, although the crash-flight itself had nothing to do with the no-frills airline.

UNIONS have welcomed the decision of Aer Lingus worker/shareholders at Shannon and Dublin to reject the Ryanair offer for their shares.

The no-frills airline’s €1.4 billion bid for Aer Lingus is now almost certainly history after 97 per cent of Employee Share Ownership Trust(Esot) members voted against the bid with a turnout of 70 per cent.

The two main unions, SIPTU and IMPACT, have welcomed the employees decision. A statement from Impact said that the employees would not accept a take-over by Ryanair “at any price . . .The bid by Ryanair held nothing for the workers, the consumers or the airline and its defeat is a rejection not only of Ryanair’s employment practices, but it is a victory for common sense and consumer choice.”

Impact, which represents Aer Lingus cabin crew, pilots and middle managers said members were right to reject the take-over. Both IMPACT and SIPTU have nominees on the trust that runs ESOT. The situation could make for uneasy bedfellows in a shareholder relationship. The ESOT will hold a 12 per cent stake while Ryanair will hold a 19.2 per cent stake.

Ryanair has so far made no move to take up the board seats and has said that it will make its views known at annual general meetings. O’Leary’s airline is pressing ahead with its bid, despite the result of the vote. It is planning on convening an extraordinary general meeting on December 14 to get approval for the acquisition. But it is possible that the offer may be withdrawn before that.

THE planned construction of a second entrance into Gort from the proposed Gort/Crusheen bypass has, once again, been thrown into doubt this week as Galway County Council has stated that it does not believe the second junction is necessary.

Following a lengthy campaign by the Gort Regional Alliance for Community and the Environment (GRACE), the National Roads Authority (NRA) had agreed to build and fund the second junction earlier this month.

However, this latest revelation has cast doubt on that commitment as the local authority looks unlikely to upgrade the supporting roads.

In a statement received by The Clare People , a GRACE spokesperson commented that they had been “delighted” to learn that the NRA approved the second junction and they “thought it would be only a matter of course that the county council would be willing to upgrade a local road”.

However, according to GRACE, the road section of the county council does not accept that Gort needs a second entrance, despite all the figures which suggest the contrary, and despite the NRA’s acceptence of those figures.

The key road which needs to be upgraded is the Gort to Tubber road and this was not included on the list for the EU Co-Financed Specific Improvements Grant Scheme sent up by Galway County Council to the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government.

The current argument centres around different interpretations of the current and projected populations for Gort.

The Chief Executive of the NRA, Fred Barry, informed GRACE that Gort has the “potential to increase in population significantly” from its current level of some 3,000 people, which is already well in advance of the 1,500 to 2,000 people required to automatically be entitled to a second entrance.

However, the local authority has refused to recognise these projections.