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KILRUSH’S Music and Set Dancing Festival could be in doubt for next year, as it failed to receive any financial support from the Arts Council, but organisers are determined to make this year’s event one of the best ever. The festival, which replaced the Eigse Mrs Crotty festival five years ago, has new competitions added to its listing this year with a focus on encouraging young musicians.

Secretary of the group Anne Hayes said a new under 12-concertina competition will take place for the first time this year, as well as the traditional under-18 competition.

While the Kilrush Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann organised festival has encouraged musicians of all ages from all over Ireland to visit the town during the last five years, it is facing new challenges every time.

This year the direct funding from the Arts Council has been cut, resulting in the group working with € 3,000 less than last year. Determined volunteers have not been deterred by this or the fact they are also competing with other festivals and competitions.

As schools are opening earlier and earlier every year the national fleadh competition has been brought forward to accommodate school going partici- pants. As a result the Kilrush competition also had to be brought forward so as not to clash with the national competition. The West Clare music festival is now competing with the festival in Feakle and over laps with the Rose of Clare just out the road in Cooraclare-Cree. Despite all the hurdles the festival promises to be better than ever, opening tomorrow (Wednesday) with a Sessiun in the Teach Cheoil at 9pm.

The Singers Club will take place in the Haven Arms on Thursday August 8 at 10pm with_music, set dancing and Irish language classes on Friday from 10 am. A unique Musicial Boat Trip to Scattery Island will take place on Friday at 1pm, and an open air ceilí in Kilrush Town Square at 7pm followed by music sessions in the town bars from 10pm.

Classes will take place again on Saturday, as well as concertina competitions followed by open air dancing to Johnny Reidy Ceili Band at 2.30pm and a Gala Concert in the Teach Cheoil at 8pm.

On Sunday the final of the concertina competition is at noon with a monster open air music session at the Vandeleur Walled Gardens with Inis Cathaigh Comhaltas Branch. Open Air Ceili with the Five Counties Ceili Band in the square at 7p.m. with the closing sessions in the town’s bars at 10pm will bring the festival to a close.

THE NUMBER of people signing on the live register in Clare has risen for the second straight month with 9,849 people signing on in the county in July.

This second straight rise comes after an extended period of good news on the live register – with the number signing on in May of this year at its lowest level in almost five years.

This last two months have come as a blow to the county – with hopes having been high that an end to the recession might have been in sight, although seasonal facts may have affected the figures.

The recent increase has been driven largely by increase in the Ennis area where the numbers signing on have risen by almost 250 people since May. Over the same period however, the numbers in the Ennistymon area have continued to drop. A total 1,404 people signed on in Ennistymon in July, the lowest number since June of 2009.

It is unclear whether this two-speed live register in the county is being driven by an increase in employment in the North Clare area as a possible result of a recovery in the tourism industry or by prolonged emigration from the area.

A NEW York woman who spat at a flight on attendant on a transatlantic flight has been ordered to pay a fine of € 500.

The captain of a Delta Airlines flight was forced to divert the plane to Shannon Airport last week after passenger Marianne Thatcher (30) became difficult and aggressive, Ennis District Court was told on Thursday.

Ms Thatcher, with an address at 1257 Park Avenue, Apartment 3, New York City, pleaded guilty to three charges arising out of a drink fuelled incident aboard a Delta Airlines flight in the early hours of August 1.

She pleaded guilty to engaging in behaviour likely to cause annoyance or offence to any person on board the aircraft; being intoxicated to such an extent that might endanger herself or persons on board; engaging in behaviour of threatening and or abusive nature with intent to provoke a breach of the peace.

All offences are contrary to the Air Navigation and Transport Act.

The court heard that Ms Thatcher came to the attention of flight attendants four hours into the flight from New York’s JKF Airport to Athens.

The court heard that Ms Thatcher was drinking wine and became abusive towards staff.

Inspector Tom Kennedy said flight attendants offered Ms Thatcher a glass of water and some food.

“Ms Thatcher reacted badly and effectively demanded more wine,” he added.

The court heard Ms Thatcher was brought to a vacant seat at the rear of the plane.

Insp Kennedy said she spat at a flight attendant after being asked to sit down. She was restrained using plastic handcuffs.

He added, “The State will say she was intoxicated. Her behaviour was very aggressive.”

He said the episode lasted 30 minutes.

A total of 270 passengers and 13 crew were on board at the time.

The court heard the captain made the decision to divert to Shannon when the plane was 250km off the Irish coast.

Ms Thatcher was met by gardai at Shannon Airport and placed into custody. She has no previous convictions.

The court heard Ms Thatcher, who holds dual American and Greek citizenship, comes from a respected family and studied liberal arts and ceramics in college.

She previously worked in a Paris art gallery but returned to New York to care for her sick father.

Defence solicitor Catriona Carmody said her client suffered from depression and developed problems with alcohol following her father’s death.

She said Ms Thatcher was “terrified” to be in court.

Ms Carmody said her client had a drink at the airport and a few more on the plane and doesn’t remember anything about the incident on the flight..

“She is incredibly embarrassed about what happened.

“She feels she has brought terrible shame on herself and her family,” Ms Carmody added.

Passing sentence, Judge Aeneas McCarthy said passengers had been very much inconvenienced by Ms Thatcher’s behaviour.

“This is a clearly a serious matter. This airplane had to be diverted,” he added.

He imposed a € 500 fine with one month to pay and 10 days in prison in default.

Ms Carmody said the fine would be paid within 24 hours.

Recognances were fixed in the event of an appeal.

MORE than 11 per cent of mortgage holders in Clare have defaulted on their payments and many of these cash strapped home owners now face unpaid property tax been taken from their wages or social welfare payments in the coming weeks. Paul Woulfe Development Manager, Citizen Information Clare and MABS has attributed the struggle to stay up with household payments to increasing taxes and bills at a time when working hours are being cut. He told The Clare People that the majority of the people failing to pay their mortgages are not necessarily out of work, but people who have had their working hours or wages cut. “We are seeing this especially in the retail sector which has been badly hit. “People are having their hours and working days cut, with some being made redundant,” he said. “They are going into arrears because of changes in their circumstances. “Then there are extra charges such as the property tax,” he added. The citizen information expert said that at this time of year people are under particular pressure as they face the back to school bills. He was also critical of costs, bills and expenses that target the less well off such as the National Car Test and car tax. The NCT must be carried out in cars over four years old every sec ond year and every year on cars over ten years old. Car tax is also higher on older cars. “People have multiple debts, but we always encourage them to speak to their banks,” he said adding that there is some helpful information on the citizen information and MABS websites. The Ennis based official said there has been a marked improvement in the number of people contacting the office about mortgage payments problems since the introduction of the Central Banks Code of Conduct for banks, but people are still struggling. “There is a way of dealing with banks and the in formations is available on keepingyourhome.ie, citizen information or MABS,” said Mr Woulfe. Meanwhile Insurance company Caledonian Life has warned that the increase in arrears and mortgage restructure arrangements is leading to potential underinsurance issues for Irish households. Tadgh Malone Caledonian Life representative in Clare said; “According to a Moodys report from less than a year ago 11.3 per cent of people in Clare have defaulted on their mortgage and unfortunately it is unlikely that this per centage has decreased with the latest Central Bank figures revealing that arrears are on the up and so too are restructure arrangements for homeloans, with nearly 80,000 mortgage accounts classified as restructured.”

AN Ennis based community group has issued an appeal to raise greater awareness of the issue of suicide amongst Travellers.

The Primary Health Care Programme is urging people struggling with problems to contact them or other services. The programme, which is run by the Ennis commu nity Development Project (CDP), was commenting following the recent death by suicide of a number of young travelers in the Mid West.

Programme coordinator, Dr Siobhan O’Connor, stated that deaths by suicide are “not uncommon in Clare.”

She said, “Ennis Community Development Project and the Clare Primary Health Care Programme for Travellers was saddened to read, once again, of suicides here in the MidWest.

“Our thoughts are with the families of the young people who died in Limerick and Tipperary. Unfortunately dying by suicide is not uncommon here in Clare.

“It breaks our hearts to lose those that died, their unrealised potential and their presence amongst us in our daily lives.

“We are distressed to bear witness to the heartbreak and confusion that is left behind.

“In 2010, the All-Ireland Traveller Health Study, the first study of Traveller health status and health needs that involves all Travellers living on the island of Ireland, was published.

“The study showed the suicide rate in male Travellers is 6.6 times higher than in the general population; and the female suicide rate is also higher than females in the general population”.

Dr O’Connor said suicide is blind to ethnicity, gender or faith. She continued, “Whether you are rich or poor, whether you live in the town or the countryside, it can reach everyone”.

Dr O’Connor said people need to know that help is available and are not alone in their struggle.

She said, “We appeal to anybody who is struggling, or needs to talk, or has a problem, to reach out, to find somebody to talk to before you take that very permanent solution to whatever it is and take advantage of all of the help that is there.

“Here in the Primary Health Care Programme for Travellers our Community Health Workers will listen in confidence. They can be contacted on 065 6823968.

Ennis CDP Primary health Care Programme for Travellers in Clare has a drop-in service every Wednesday from 10am to 1pm for any Traveller that wants to talk or get information on health services in the region.

A WELL-KNOWN garda is swapping the highways and byways of County Clare for a new assignment in Cyprus.

Garda Martin O’Brien, a member of the Clare Garda Traffic Corps, has been chosen to participate in the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP). Garda O’Brien is one of just a handful of Irish gardaí chosen to serve with the UN. His duties will include monitoring a buffer zone between Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities. He departs Clare in August for a 12-month posting in Cyprus.

The father of three has been a member of An Garda Síochána for 31 years in Clare. He has worked for 26 years in the Traffic Corps, serving in Ennis and Killaloe.

Garda O’Brien is well known in Clare soccer circles having refereed in the League of Ireland for 16 years. He still officiates at junior and adult soccer matches in Clare.

Garda O’Brien says he will miss life in Ireland but is looking forward to a new challenge in Cyprus. “Its something new. I’ll miss refereeing in Clare. Its something I really enjoy.”

At Ennis District Court on Friday Judge Patrick Durcan paid tribute to Garda O’Brien. “The fact that Garda O’Brien has been chosen to serve in Cyprus is reflective of his high qualities as a Garda,” he said

Speaking yesterday, Chief Supt of the Clare Garda Division, John Kerin also praised Garda O’Brien’s achievement. He said, “This is a nationwide selection process. The fact that he has been selected shows the high esteem in which Martin is held.”

UNFICYP was originally set up by the Security Council in 1964 to prevent further fighting between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities. After the hostilities of 1974, the council has mandated the Force to perform certain additional functions. In the absence of a political settlement to the Cyprus problem, UNFICYP has remained on the island to supervise ceasefire lines, maintain a buffer zone, undertake humanitarian activities and support the good offices mission of the Secretary-General. In 1989 the Government of the day passed the Garda Síochána Act which permitted for the first time, members of An Garda Síochána to participate with the United Nations Civilian Police Component on Overseas missions.

A SECOND person in a week has been hospitalised by Dusty the Dolphin – who injured a swimmer in Doolin late on Sunday evening, July 28.

Despite repeated warning by local organisations, as well as Clare County Council, a number of people continue to swim close to the 14year-old dolphin who has taken up residence at Doolin Pier.

Clare County Council life guards stationed at Doolin Pier have taken to raising the “red flag” – which indicates that it is not safe to swim when Dusty is in the area. Despite this, people continue to swim close to the dolphin with reports of people even covering Dusty’s blowhole and pulling her fins.

The latest incident took place late on Sunday evening when a female swimmer was charged as she left the water after a swim at about 10pm.

The dolphin is believed to have struck the woman in the kidney, knocking her over and leaving her winded.

The woman received medical treated at the scene by the Doolin Unit of the Irish Coast Guard and was taken by ambulance to the Mid Western Regional Hospital in Limerick for treatment.

Her injuries were not serious but she was described as being badly bruised and shocked by the incident.

The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) have put up post- ers in the area recommending that people do not swim with Dusty. The posters were distribute to premises in Doolin last Thursday and additions posters are also being placed on the Doolin ferries.

“IWDG acknowledges that many people have had a fantastic encounter with Dusty and have built up a personal relationship with the dolphin. However IWDG is very concerned that many visitors, especially in the summer, do not recognise the signals that Dusty sends out when she is not happy with their behaviour,” said a spokesperson.

“Ignoring such signs or behaving inappropriately has led on a number of occasions to aggressive interactions with some people being severly injured. If this continues, it may lead to a fatality and then there will be strong pressure to remove or destroy the dolphin.

“If you really are concerned about Dusty, you will not swim with her or at least if you do will show her the respect a wild dolphin is entitled to.”

CLARE County Council water service staff will continue to be employed by the Clare local authority while acting as an agent for Irish Water.

A spokesperson for the council said that there will be no redundancies among the 113 people employed in the department.

Last week the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government announced that the region’s Irish Water office will be based in Limerick, leaving questions as to what would happen the Clare council’s water section.

A spokesperson for the council confirmed to The Cla re People that Clare County Council staff will act as agents for the new national body, while remaining in the employment of the council under a 12-year service agreement between both parties.

Clare County Council will then be compensated for costs by Irish Water.

It is also expected that some staff from local authorities will move to Irish Water regional offices once the new jobs have been clarified, a process that could take up to 18 months.

Clare County Council will officially sign off as the county’s water utility provider in 2014, and the re- sponsibility passed to Irish Water.

The office servicing Clare will be based in Limerick City and will be one of three southern regional offices with two others being located in Mallow in County Cork and another in Kilkenny City.

Meanwhile the Clare water staff have begun a countywide survey of an estimated 31,000 domestic water connections in the county ahead of the Government’s introduction of water charges.

However a council official said the local authority staff would not require access to private property while conducting their assessment of water connections.

THE family of murdered Clare woman Emer O’Loughlin will take part in a new documentary into her death which will be shown tomorrow evening, July 30.

Hopes are high that an increase in attention for the cold case may lead to fresh information about the whereabouts of John Griffin, who the Gardaí have been tracking for more than eight years.

A number of Emer’s family were interviewed for the ‘Cracking Crime’ programme in April of this year when they came together to mark the eight anniversary of Emer’s tragic death.

It is hoped that a fresh spotlight being shined on the case may lead to new leads emerging for the Gardaí and Interpol. Indeed, there has been a great deal of attention for the case on social media in recent weeks.

A new facebook group entitled “Emer O’Loughlin – Help Catch Her Killer” was established earlier this years. Membership of the group has swelled from 600 people in early June to 2,400 now.

A number of previously unreleased images of John Griffin have also been circulated in recent week – with a particular emphasis on mainland Europe – where Mr Griffin is believed to currently reside.

Ennistymon woman Emer O’Loughlin lost her life in a mobile home in Tubber in April 8, 2005. A number of attempts have been made over the years to track down the chief suspect, John Griffin, with Interpol releasing a photograph and a description him in early 2011.

Despite a number of leads and suspected sighting of Mr Griffin in Europe, the official search has done cold in recent years.

Her body was found in the burnedout neighbouring mobile home and was only identified following DNA testing. The chief suspect in the case, John Griffin, was tracked to the Aran Island where Gardaí believe he tried to fake his own suicide before he fled the country.

Emer’s case will be featured in the first episode of ‘Cracking Crime’, which will be screened on RTÉ 1 on Tuesday, July 30, at 9.35pm.

LATE night beach parties are being blamed for causing the lions share of the littering which has blighted the counties beaches over the past month. Yesterday’s meeting of Clare’s Joint Policing Committee heard that these late night parties have become more common in recent years and are increasingly difficult for Clare County Council and the Gardaí to police.

The meeting also heard that prosecutions for litter offenses are currently difficult to follow up on in Clare, with Clare County Council’s four beach litter wardens currently focused on cautioning and education, rather than bringing prosecutions.

A spokesperson from Clare County Council also highlighted illegal household dumping from people in mobile homes and holiday home as a growing problem.

“The main problem that we are having on the beaches this year is excessive littering. This is a problem not just in Clare but all over the country,” said a spokesperson from Clare County Council.

“We have provided additional resources at all of our beaches. We have provided extra bins at our beaches and promenades and we have a good crew in operation.

“A large source of littering takes place late at night, with late night beach parties and rubbish from fast food outlets. While this behaviour is regrettable, there is little that we can do to stop it. We also have a problem this year with people in holiday homes and caravans who are using the public bins. If you are staying in a holiday home, there should be a facility there for disposing of rubbish.

“We can fine people but the severity of the fine depends on the severity of the offense. But a lot of our focus is on education and caution, and not on fines.”

North Clare senator Martin Conway (FG) called for a name and shame policy to be introduced for serial offenders.

“I have already called for the fines to be increased. I realise that might require a direction from the minister. But I also think that if someone is caught littering more than once, there should be a name and shame policy. I don’t know what it is in our society that makes people do this,” he said.

County manager Tom Coughlan, confirmed that Clare County Council had wanted to introduce a name and shame policy but were instructed by the Department of the Environment not to go ahead with it.