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A 14-YEAR-OLD boy who broke into several schools and cars in Ennis has pleaded guilty to 32 charges, over a two-month spell.

The boy, who cannot be named because of his age, faced a string of charges, including burglary, theft, criminal damage and public order. The damage amounted to more than €8,500, while €1,000 worth of goods was stolen in the incidents.

Detective Garda Kieran Kelleher told Ennis District Court that all of the incidents occurred within a period of two months and that the accused was not alone.

“There were others with him. He was showing bravado in front of his mates. The schools in the area were targeted as they are used as carparks,” said Det Gda Kelleher.

“It was more for the excitement . . . It came to a head, he got out of control,” he said.

Inspector Tom Kennedy said on one occasion, the boy told a neighbour to f*** off.

“He said he would rape his wife and his daughters and he would break all the windows of his house,” said the inspector.

He said the youth broke into Ennis Community College twice, and caused €1,500 damage on one occasion and €150 on the other. He targeted Ennis Boys’ National School on a number of occasions, where he broke windows.

He also admitted breaking the windows of Cloughleigh National School on January 2 last, causing €1,000 damage.

He broke into a prefab on the grounds of the Holy Family School on January 11 and took a teacher’s mobile phone.

He damaged classroom doors at Coláiste Mhuire in Ennis, in January, valued at €1,000 damage.

He also admitted breaking the windows of six cars parked at the Glór Irish Music Centre; four cars at the Holy Family School and two cars that were parked at Millstream Court.

The court heard that items were taken from some of the cars while nothing was taken from others.

The accused also admitted breaking into the home of one of his neighbours. He jumped onto the counter of Xtra Vision video store and took €50 from the cash register, before escaping, in February.

Judge Leo Malone adjourned the case for three weeks, to allow for updated reports from various institutions to be prepared. He remanded the boy to St Michael’s detention centre in Finglas.

AN Bord Pleanála has announced that an oral hearing into the Crusheen-Gort by-pass is to be staged in Gort later this month.

The hearing will take place at the Lady Gregory Hotel from July 25 to August 4.

On the first day, a sizeable proportion of landowners would be expected to withdraw their objections arising from discussions with Galway County Council in relation to the level of compensation agreed upon.

The scheme – which will see the construction of 22km of new dual carriageway – will also involve the severance of 845 acres of farmland along the route.

Galway County Council is the lead agency in the scheme and is intending to compulsorily purchase almost 500 acres of land contained in 103 farms.

Already, 75 land-owners living along the route of the scheme have lodged objections, while the Department of the Environment has raised concerns over the impact the project could have on an historic ringfort.

The proposal to damage the outer earthworks of the ringfort has already come under fire from folklorist and author, Eddie Lenihan.

Mr Lenihan said yesterday, “It is crazy that they are going to destroy part of this ringfort.

“They are the ones charged with protecting our heritage. It doesn’t make any sense.”

The Department of the Environment shares the concerns expressed by Mr Lenihan. In a submission to An Bord Pleanála, the department states that “it is concerned that the significance of impact on the regionally important ringfort which was considered minor in the Route Selection Report has now become a substantial impact at Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) stage and part of the outer earthworks will be removed by the road.”

The EIS published states that currently 14,000 vehicles a day use the route between Crusheen and Gort and the route “fails to cope with the demand of motorists and residents frequently experiencing delays during periods of peak movement”.

According to the EIS, the construction of the route will lead to a reduction in road injuries on the N18 where, between 1989 and 2002, ten people died as a result of traffic accidents with 126 personal injuries recorded in total.

Farmers living along the route are set for a bonanza. As a result of the CPO of 500 acres of land for the €190 million Ennis by-pass scheme, €22 million was paid to 67 landowners, making instant millionaires out of seven farmers.

AN Bord Pleanála has upheld the decision of Clare County Council to refuse planning permission for contentious plans to convert the Convent of Mercy in Ennistymon into an apartment complex.

Two Ennistymon schools warned that school-childrens’ health would be put at risk if the plan proceeded. Plans were lodged for the proposal by Tomas Fitzgerald of Banna Developments in 2004.

However, the plan provoked strong opposition from local schools. The boards of management of both Scoil Mhuire, Convent of Mercy and the Ennistymon Convent Primary School told the council if the plan proceeded, it would pose a safety threat to the children attending the schools.

The council refused planning on a number of grounds and in response, Banna Developments lodged an appeal.

In the inspector’s assessment, he said that the “proposed development of apartment units in what effectively comprises a dilapidated though prominent landmark building in the town, and ensuring its rehabilitation and reuse is both appropriate and is to be welcomed . . .

“However, I am extremely concerned with the proposal to access the site via the existing narrow access road, which I consider is of inadequate carriageway width to serve the scheme, and which includes a narrow footpath.”

The inspector found that the pathway was currently inadequate to accommodate the schoolchildren which used this route daily to access the adjacent schools at the western end of the road.

“Moreover, I am not satisfied that the applicant is in a position to upgrade and widen this road, requiring lands outside the area of the subject site – certainly the applicant has not proposed this option, notwithstanding that extensive concerns regarding road access expressed by the Planning Authority during its determination of the application.

The board upheld the recommendation of the inspector and refused planning permission, stating that the proposal “is to be accessed from the Town Centre and the N67 Lahinch Road by a laneway which is considered currently to be of inadequate width and alignment to facilitate the likely additional traffic movements that will be generated by the proposed development”.

The board ruled: “This access road also serves two schools in immediate proximity to the proposed development.

“It is considered, on the basis of the submissions made in connection with the planning application and the appeal, that the applicant is not in a position to ensure the necessary upgrading and widening of this access road to facilitate the proposed development.”

IT’S now cheaper to fly one way from Shannon to Dublin than to make the same journey from Clare by rail.

The new Aer Arann fare of €39.99 one-way comes in cheaper than a one-way rail fare of €41.50 from Ennis.

The weekday flight has been in operation since July 3, departing Dublin at 4pm and Shannon at 5.25pm with a flight time of 50 minutes.

Passengers who want to use the new flight are mostly travelling on the Aer Lingus breakfast flight and using the new route in the evening for their return.

A spokeswoman for Aer Arann said that they were using the service as a barometer of demand and the airline would look at putting on more connections if the demand were there.

“Several years ago, we had three connections a day between Shannon and Dublin, but the expected demand didn’t materialise at that time. We will be monitoring the new service and would consider more flights if the numbers are there.”

The CEO of Ennis Chamber of Commerce, Rita McInerney, said that the service “is to be welcomed and we are lucky that we have the option of both the train and flights.”

She added that what many business people would opt for is to use the flight one way and also buy a return train ticket.

“People have time to use the return ticket again, particularly for travellers who go to Dublin regularly. What would be good would be if there were extra flight connections on either airline between Dublin and Shannon, one early in the day and one late so that people could book their travel with one airline. It would be more efficient and economical. The train is also proving very popular, particularly since there were extra connections put on for Ennis,” said McInerney.

The current return fare on the train is €48.50 for a five-day return.

A spokeswoman for Iarnrod Eireann said that the fare represents good value when compared to flying, both in terms of cost and convenience.

“With the train, you are right into the heart of the city. A flight means passengers travelling first to Shannon and then getting into Dublin from the airport. That can take an hour or more with traffic.”

A MAN who assaulted his ex-wife’s partner has been jailed for six months.

Michael McNamara (52), of Ballycoree, Gort Road, Ennis, assaulted Wayne King, outside the Auburn Lodge Hotel, Ennis, on September 11, 2005.

He was also convicted of a charge of criminal damage, for which he received a 10month jail sentence, suspended on condition that he pay compensation.

Wayne King, of Charleville, Cork, told the court he lives with the accused’s former wife, Susan. He said he and Susan were to meet the accused outside the Auburn Lodge on September 11.

Mr King said Susan got out of his car and the accused sat in beside him.

“He said, “You f***ing c***. I’ll kill you,” and hit me a slap into the face. He continued to strike me on my head. . . I was covered in blood,” said Mr King in court.

He said the accused then got a hurley and struck the front of his car with it, before striking the wing mirror with his fist. The total damage to the car was €1,120. Mr King said he suffered a broken nose in the assault.

The accused’s solicitor, Tara Godfrey, said while her client was pleading guilty to the assault charge, he was denying the criminal damage charge.

“My client will say you hit him into the face. He then snapped and hit you a couple of slaps,” she said. Mr King denied hitting the accused.

Mr McNamara told the court that Mr King was having a good “skit” at him and he then sat into the car beside him.

“He lashed out at me inside the car and I lashed out at him,” said the accused.

“I didn’t touch the car with the hurley. I got the hurley to protect myself,” he added.

Ms Godfrey said her client acted “completely out of character” on the date in question and had been extremely upset at his marriage breakdown.

Judge Joseph Mangan convicted the accused of two charges and jailed him for six months. He fixed recognisances in the event of an appeal.

KILFENORA artist and lecturer at the Burren College of Art, Tom Molloy, has been shortlisted for the first-ever Irish-American Arts Awards, which will be presented in New York later this month.

The awards, which were launched by the former US Ambassador to Ireland, Jean Kennedy Smith, in January, are the brainchild of a group of expats currently living in America who are hoping to promote the positive impact that Irish people have had in America in recent times.

Mr Molloy is the Head of Painting at the Burren College of Art in Ballyvaughan and has been teaching at the school for the last 10 years.

“We are delighted for Tom. He is one of the most important artists practicing in Ireland today,” said Professor Timothy Emlyn Jones, Dean of the Burren College.

“He is an artist of considerable standing and I’m not surprised that he was shortlisted. I just hope that he wins it.”

Tom is currently represented by the Rubicon Gallery in Dublin and has exhibited extensively both nationally and internationally. Though he shies away from the spotlight, his work can be found in the collections of the Irish Museum of Modern Art and the Arts Council of Ireland.

“He doesn’t seek attention but he gets it because of the quality of his work,” continued Professor Jones. “It is important that everyone who teaches at the college is a practicing artist with a good reputation. Tom is wellknown in America but he is also very well thought of all across Europe.”

Born in Waterford, Molloy graduated with a BA and a Masters in Fine Art from the National College of Art and Design in Dublin in 1992. He has presented a number of finely conceived and discrete projects at the Rubicon Gallery since 1995 and has exhibited selectively in public spaces in Ireland.

The others to be nominated in the over-35s category are Meg Cranston from Los Angeles, Maud Cotter from Cork, Maureen Gallace from New York and Mary Kelly from Dublin.

THE BANNER is officially booming, with an €80 million offer made for Cusack Park; 300 more jobs to top the 285 just announced in Shannon and hotels worth more than €11 million being opened back-to-back.

The deadline for bids to buy the GAA facility closed last Friday and it is understood that the leading bid, which includes building a state-ofthe-art stadium and training ground, is worth in excess of €80 million.

Clare GAA is sitting on at least three multi-million euro offers for the development of a new playing and administrative headquarters on a greenfield site in the environs of Ennis, in return for Cusack Park.

The top bid is understood to be from a Clare-based consortium. The three proposals will be considered by the board over the coming months, before a final decision is made on what will be the biggest property deal ever in the county.

In February, a special sub-committee of the GAA board was established to examine all proposals after a bidding-war erupted between rival property developers seeking to acquire Cusack Park, in return for building a new stadium in the environs of Ennis.

Meanwhile, Enterprise and Employment Minister, Micheal Martin, is expected in Shannon later this month to announce more than 300 new jobs for the Shannon Free Zone.

The jobs will be created by US ecommerce firm Digital River and come on the heels of last week’s announcement of 285 jobs in existing companies, Halifax Insurance Ireland and SYKES Enterprises Inc.

And Tourism Minister John O’Donoghue has officially opened the new Cliffs of Moher Hotel in Liscannor. The €3.5 million development is the second hotel in as many months to be opened by The Atlantis Holiday Group and will create 40 jobs for the area. Last month, the Clare-based holiday and accommodation body opened the €8 million Tír Gan Éan House Hotel and Holiday Complex in Doolin, leading to the creation of 30 new jobs.

It has also been revealed that house prices in Clare are rocketing, with increases of 253 per cent over the last decade, according to the latest Permanent TSB House Price Index. The average cost of a house in Clare in 1996 was €69,330. Ten years later, this had increased to €244,415.

CLARE councillor, Madeleine Taylor-Quinn (FG), has welcomed reports that Digital River, the US e-commerce firm, plans to create around 300 new jobs at the Shannon Free Zone.

But the former deputy has warned that the good news underlines the danger to the county of stripping Shannon Development of its enterprise creation function.

Cllr Taylor Quinn said that the reduction of Shannon Development was “yet more evidence of the incompetence of the current Government, when it comes to thinking through the consequences of major decisions. There will be fewer positive outcomes for Clare like this one, because job creation will instead reflect the Government’s increasing focus on Dublin.”

Triona Mc Inerney, chief executive of the Shannon and District Chamber of Commerce, warned that given the current state of uncertainty surrounding the roles and responsibilities of the organisations charged with the promotion of the Shannon Free Zone, “it is imperative that a very clear and definite strategy be developed to harness the current growth of the free zone and market it as a location to prospective clients.”

She said that “the two major expansions of international companies in the Shannon Free Zone will have an enormously positive impact on the local economy.

“Shannon continues to be the location of choice of some of the world’s leading businesses, as it offers companies excellent access to an available qualified workforce, and can provide the necessary essential business support services. As a business location, it is difficult to rival, in that it gives employees a tremendous choice of lifestyle options with access to city/country living,” she said.

Clare Fianna Fáil Senator Timmy Dooley said the extra 285 jobs announced last week for the Shannon Free Zone were a huge employment boost for the western region.

He said they “will have an enormously positive impact on the local economy”.

EMPLOYMENT, Trade and Enterprise Minister, Micheal Martin, is expected in Shannon later this month to announce over 300 new jobs for the Shannon Free Zone, The Clare People has learned.

The jobs at US e-commerce firm Digital River follow last week’s announcement of 285 jobs for the free zone in existing companies, Halifax Insurance Ireland and SYKES Enterprises Inc.

A Shannon Development spokesperson confirmed that further significant job announcements “were expected in the near future for the Shannon Free Zone.”

Digital River is currently in temporary accommodation in the free zone. But the company, which builds and manages online businesses for more than 40,000 software manufacturers, distributors and online retailers, has already announced its presence in Shannon on its company Web site. The company is also establishing a European subsidiary in Luxembourg.

“The launch of our European subsidiaries represents an important part of our long-term strategy to extend our global footprint,” said Digital River’s CEO, Joel Ronning, in a statement on the Web site. The company’s senior vice-president of global operations, Tim McCauley said that Shannon Development had been very supportive and had provided “a favourable business climate for us to grow our international operations.”

The triple jobs coup by Shannon Development comes against the background of continuing uncertainty over its future. It is now almost one year since Minister Martin announced that the agency would be stripped of its enterprise functions in the Free Zone. These were to be transferred to the IDA. However, since then, no part of the new mandate has been implemented due to opposition from unions.

Senator Brendan Daly (FF) yesterday called on Minister Martin to allow the status quo remain in place and allow Shannon Development to continue to promote the Shannon Free Zone.

“You don’t change a winning team. The Digital River jobs and the announcements last week underline the success of Shannon Development and their hands-on approach is the secret of their success. It would be unwise to change that,” he said.

The body that is set to assume the enterprise functions for the Free Zone, the IDA has come under repeated criticism in the mid-west over its job creation record in the region in the recent past. Last year, the IDA failed to create any new jobs in new companies in the region. To date this year, the IDA has announced 124 new jobs at Vistakon in Limerick.

EIGHT people were arrested after a “near-riot” broke out in Lahinch on Saturday night, as rocks and bottles were thrown, windows on houses smashed and cars vandalised.

Householders were left in fear during the incident, which began early in the night and culminated at 3am, as revellers poured out of nightclubs.

Gardaí were forced to call reinforcements from Miltown Malbay, as all hell broke loose.

Gardaí say that the panic arose initially when a group attending a birthday party in a holiday home, refused to turn down the music, when ordered to do so by gardaí at 10pm, on foot of complaints from neighbours.

“Gardaí called to the house a number of times, but they did not turn down the music. A group of up to 30 people spilled out on to the street and started obstructing traffic. There was a lot of anger and things got really dirty,” said a Garda source.

The situation became more tense after the nightclubs closed, as groups of youngsters hassled doormen. Bottles were smashed on the street and rocks thrown through windows, while youths taunted each other and yelled obscenities at passers-by.

“People started to joined in. There were plenty of rows going on at the same time. People were frightened. Thankfully the situation was eventually contained. It could have turned into a real battlefield,” said one local.

Locals say the level of noise emanating from house parties is an ongoing problem and is leaving elderly people “intimidated and frightened.”

Two years ago, locals voiced concerns about public disorder in the town and objected to what they said was the high number of nightclub licences being granted.

The local community council says if there is a reoccurrence of incidents such as that on Saturday night, locals will go to court to close nightclubs.

“There are major concerns here with the way our town is going. It is unreal that a near-riot situation broke out at the weekend,” said community council chairman Donogh O’Loghlin.

He said while locals were not blaming disco owners, they must be more selective about who was admitted.

“We are one of the few existing disco towns in Clare. We are not on for closing down discos, but we want people to be more responsible. We are asking the publicans and people who rent houses to be more responsible,” he added.

North Clare Garda Superintendent Eamon Dolan told The Clare People that he was happy that sufficient gardaí were available in the area, at the weekend.