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GARDAÍ in West Clare and the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals are investigating what a dog warden with more than 20 years experience described as “the worse case of animal cruelty ever seen”.

Clare dog warden Frankie Coote said he was shocked at the state of the four-year-old German Sheperd discovered in a yard in West Clare. The animal who was still alive was too weak to move and was being eaten alive by rodents and maggots.

Mr Coote was not expecting the harrowing scenes that were to greet him in West Clare on Monday last, following an anonymous tip to the ISPCA.

“In 23 years I have seen a lot of animals suffering and dying but this was by far the worst. I believe the dog could not have moved from the position in five to six weeks and he was being eaten by maggots and rodents,” he said.

Parts of the young dog’s limbs were dismembered from the rest of his body, Mr Coote recalled, visibly distressed by the incident.

“I thought the dog was dead, and said as much to the guard with me, until I went to take the photo and the dog moved. The flash went off and I couldn’t believe he was still alive,” said the warden who is employed by the ISPCA and works full time with Clare County Council.

In a heartbreaking description of the dog rescue Mr Coote described how despite the agony the dog was in, he lifted his head and licked the warden’s face he lifted him from the yard.

“The dog was so gentle. He was licking my face as I was lifting him out. He could only lift his head. The only muscles still working in his body were in his neck. It was one of the kindest dogs I have ever come across,” he said.

Mr Coote was disappointed the dog had to be humanly destroyed.

“We had to put the dog down. Even examining the dog would have been cruel. I hate even saying this but there were parts of his body left on the ground as we lifted him,” he said, adding the vet was shocked at the state of the animal.

“Many rescue groups offered to take the dog but he was beyond help.”

Gardaí and the ISPCA are investigating and it is understood they are following a definite line of inquiry.

Mr Coote encourages anyone with concerns about an animal’s welfare to contact the ISPCA on 1890 515 515 and support the work of the charity whenever possible.

FAMILLIES of Clare people affected by addiction are increasingly seeking help from one of the midwest’s largest addiction treatment centres.

The Ennis-based Bushypark residential treatment centre has increased the level of services on offer to families to meet a growing demand for their provision.

“There are a number of people trying to access assessments or residential treatment programmes or our outreach services,” explained Mar- garet Nash, manager of Bushypark Treatment Centre.

“There has been an increase in service required for family members affected [by drug alcohol abuse, gambling]. We have a new family support services running, additional ones in Ennis and Limerick.

Ms Nash said it has been an “extremely busy year” for the centre, which provides around the clock addiction treatment and outreach services to people in the mid-west, Galway and Kerry.

“We have developed a number of new services during the year. We’ve set up an outreach project in conjunc- tion with other services in Kilrush for clients in the West Clare are that need to access service in relation to alcohol or drugs,” she added.

Ms Nash was speaking ahead of a major fundraiser in aid of Bushypark. The third annual Bushypark Golf Classic takes place in Ennis Golf Club on Saturday, August 30.

This event is an important fundraiser for the centre. Teams of four are € 120 or € 30 for individuals.

The event can also be supported through tee or green sponsorship. Further information is available from 065 6840944.

Ms Nash said the centre is grate- ful for the support it has received throughout the years.

“We’ve had a lot of loyal supporters throughout the years: People who are grateful; people who have accessed our services. Money has got scarce but people’s goodwill is still good to us. People are delighted with the services we offer them,” she said.

BushyPark Addiction Treatment Centre was founded in 1991 by Clarecare with funding and assistance from the Mid-Western Health Board.

It provides services at 16 locations throughout the country. Ms Nash said a growing number of people are coming forward to seek help with addiction.

“There are more people coming forward in relation to dealing with addiction which is good. I think people are more likely to confront issues. Hopefully the stigma has been reduced. It’s not broken but its reduced. People are starting to come forward. There is a link between mental health and addiction and people are beginning to deal with both issues, which is great,” she said. “We’re finding it a very mixed age. There is no upper limit. That’s good too, that people haven’t decided at 65, ‘I’m too old to deal with this’.”

AS MANY as 11 children under 14 years old were killed or seriously injured on Clare roads during the six years between 2006 and 2012.

New research from the Road Safety Authority (RSA) has revealed that one child was killed and 10 children were seriously injured on the county roads during this period.

The report was published by the RSA along with Electric Ireland as children and teenagers from all over the country prepare to go back to school.

For the fifth year running the two organisations will distribute 85, 500 high visibility vests to every child starting school this year.

The vests will be included in the RSA’s ‘Back to School’ road safety packs which will be sent to primary schools nationwide over the coming months.

The RSA is urging parents, guardians and teachers to make road safety a priority as 13 children under the age of 14 have died in the first eight months of this year on Irish roads.

In 2013, six children lost their lives, meaning the number of child casualties so far this year has already exceeded the total number of child deaths in 2013.

Six of the children who died on our roads this year were pedestrians, six were car passengers and one was a quad bike user.

A report on child casualties between 1997-2012 found that one in three of the child fatalities in this period were not wearing seatbelts or a child restraint.

This report showed that 44 per cent of children who were killed in the 15year period were pedestrians and 42 per cent of children who were killed or seriously injured were passengers in a car.

According to the RSA the peak time for children to be killed on roads is late afternoon/early evening, between 4pm and 5.59pm and during the summer months of April to August.

Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport Paschal Donohoe encouraged parents and teachers to renew their commitment to educating young road users about road safety.

“The increase in child casualties on our roads this year is incredibly worrying, after many years of seeing year-on-year decreases.

“Attitudes to road safety are formed at a young age and we would urge parents and teachers to continue to prioritise teaching our youngest and most vulnerable road-users how to stay safe on the roads.” Monica GALLAGHER(née nee McTague) , Cappahard Cott age, Tulla Road, Ennis. Peacefully at her home. Monica. Laid to rest in Drumcliffe Cemetery. Donations if desired to the National Breast Cancer Research Institute Galway or the Samaritans. May she rest in peace. James J PEARSE , Cappakee, O’Briensbridge. Peacefully at Millbrae Nursing Home Newport. Funeral Mass in Bridgetown today(Tuesday) at 12 noon withburialafterwardsin the church grounds. May he rest in peace.

IN A bid to avoid closing the county’s only Rape Crisis Centre again in 2015, supporters for the charity have begun its biggest fundraiser of the year. The Dainty Daisy Contest, described as the “Lovely Girls competition for Men”, will raise funds for the Rape Crisis Centre in Ennis and all funds raised will stay in the county.

Already 12 men have signed up for the contest in the Treacys West County Hotel on November 1, and the organisation is looking for more men in high heels to take on the challenge.

Rape Crisis Services in the midwest, including Clare, costs an estimated € 570,000 each year. While the Government provide € 450,000 towards the service, manned mostly by volunteers, a shortfall of € 120,000 must be found through fundraising.

This year the shortfall could not be met and the Clare service, which depends 100 per cent on fundraising, has to close for the month of September.

Friends of the charity said raising funds for the charity is difficult, as those that use the service who want to give back by supporting fundraisers often cannot do so publicly.

“Raising funds for the Rape Crisis Centre is a challenge, least of all because those that use the service do so in confidence and often without the knowledge of even their closest friends and family,” explained Cllr Mary Howard, who has been a volunteer fundraiser with the organisation for a number of years.

“That is one of the things we struggle with as a centre because, in the vast majority of cases for organisations that are charities, people would be very open about using something perhaps like a cancer support service or a hospital where perhaps their child was ill or other charities that support illnesses or conditions. The vast majority of our clients and the 85 people that are coming through the mid-west every week, and that does not include those on the phone, the vast majority of these people will not go public and say they were sexually abused as a child or an adult and ‘I am going public to raise money for this organisation’,” added Verena Tarpey from Rape Crisis Centre Mid West.

She said while funds for the centre are being cut, the need for the service is increasing especially since the recession.

“Often a new crisis brings up a sexual abuse as a child and it needs to be dealt with,” she said.

“We are trying to change the public perception of who the rape crisis centre is for an who goes through it. It is for ordinary people who may have been sexually abused or have had some sort of sexual violence in the past.”

This is the third year of the Dainty Daisy competition and it is hoped that it will raise much needed and urgent funds for the Clare Rape Crisis service.

Those wishing to support the fundraiser can do so by sponsoring a “Daisy”, attending the event on November 1 or nominating their own “Dainty Daisy” to take part.

Anyone wishing to support the Rape Crisis Service in Clare can contact Verena at verena. tarpey@rapecrisis.ie or Mary at maryhoward2009@gmail.com or by contacting

LAST week’s opening of a new state-of-the-art rescue centre at Doolin brings to an end almost 20 years of campaigning for proper facilities for the volunteers of the Doolin Unit of the Irish Coast Guard.

For decades, the local volunteers have been forced to work in cramped conditioned and store valuable rescue materials in their own homes because of a lack of space at the old rescue centre. The old station could only accommodate one of the Doolin Unit’s rescue boats and was prone to flooding during the winter months.

Funding for a new station was originally announced by the Department of the Marine and the Office of Public Works (OPW) in the late 1990s but was only forthcoming in recent years. The defects of the old station came to the attention of the public in November of 2005 when a lengthy search operation was undertaken for three Clare men, who tragically lost their lives in the area.

Speaking yesterday, Mattie Shannon of the Doolin Unit said he never doubted that the new state of the art centre would be built.

“We knew that the day would come sometime – but God only knows when. We had been campaigning for it [the new centre] for more than 20 years now. I remember Liam Kirwan [former Director of the Irish Coast Guard] said to me 20 years ago that if we got a location that they’d build the new station,” he said. “It is a great addition and it definitely going to lift the spirits of the unit. It’s a great centre for people to come and see as well. We will try and have people there on Sundays and at the weekend. If people see the doors open then they are more than welcome to come in and have a look around.” Mattie also appealed to the public not to park in front of the new centre as doing so will block the launch of the rescue boats. “We have one issue at the moment and that is parking and I’d like to appeal to the public on that. We need space across the road from the centre to be able to launch the boats. We need the full width of the road in front of the centre for about 25 metres either side of the gate. It may look awful to see that place empty and people struggling to park cars on top of each other but we need it if we have to launch the boat,” he said. “We might only have to launch once a week or once a month but we need [that space] when we have to launch. We know that new parking arrangement are coming from next year and we would urge people to keep the space clear in the mean time. Vehicles will have to be towed away if they are parked in the way. I don’t think anyone would intentionally park in front of the lifeguard station but if someone wasn’t thinking they could obstruct a rescue.”

THE PEOPLE of Liscannor, Doolin and all of North Clare are in mourning today following the tragic death of local man TJ McDonagh.

TJ, who was 38-years old, passed away on Wednesday evening after a tragic accident while working on his family farm in Moher.

This is the third time that tragedy has touched the McDonagh family with TJ’s brother Declan losing his life in a motorcycle accident in Lisdoonvarna in 2002, while his uncle also died in a motorcycle tragedy in the 1960s.

TJ’s funeral took place at St Brigid’s Church Liscannor on Saturday, on the same day that his brothers 12 year anniversary mass was due to take place.

Mr McDonagh, who was an agricultural contractor by trade, was responsible for much of the restoration work which took place in the area following this winter’s devastating storms.

Indeed, TJ cleared the devastated Doolin Pier on three separate occasions in January and February, restoring access for the ferry operators and Doolin Unit of the Irish Coastguard.

TJ was also a great lover of the Aran Island and was planning to visit Inis Oirr for the curragh races this weekend. A number of boats servicing Doolin pier flew at half mast over the weekend in his honour.

“He was a great person and a great friend of everyone on the boats,” said Donnie Garrihy of the Doolin to Aran Ferries.

“He was a great worker, a great businessman and a real man.

“He came to our assistance on three separate times over the winter when the storms hit Doolin. He will be missed.”

TJ passed away while he was fitting a wheel at his family farm on Wednesday evening.

TJ’s father Tommy heard a loud bang just after 7.30pm and ran and discover his son, who had sustained a serious head injury understood to have been caused by the wheel exploding.

An ambulance from Ennistymon along with a second ambulance and rapid response advanced paramedic unit from Ennis were sent to the scene. Gardaí and a local doctor also responded to the emergency call.

He was airlifted to Galway University Hospital where he died shortly afterwards.

He is survived by his mother Mary, father Tommy as well as his brother Brian and sisters Fiona, Stella and Marian.

THE Clare tourism sector is leading the economic recovery in the county with tourism providers from all over the county reporting significant increases in numbers this summer.

The Cliffs of Moher Visitors Experience is set to shatter the 1 million visitor mark in 2014 – recording a nine per cent jump in tourist number so far this year. Coming on the back of a 14 per cent increase last year the North Clare tourist attraction is on course to take in 1,056,150 visitors this year, if current trends continue.

This massive increase could puts the Cliffs of Moher on course to become Ireland’s most popular tourist attraction – with Dublin Zoo and the Guinness Storehouse both likely to record similar visitor numbers for 2014.

Loophead Lighthouse has also seen a five per cent jump in tourism numbers with just under 17,879 people have visited the 19th century lighthouse since it was opened for the summer period in April.

According to figures compiled by Clare County Council, 57 per cent of these visitors were from Ireland, with North America, Germany and the United Kingdom accounting for 10 per cent, 9 per cent and 6 per cent respectively.

The White Tailed Eagle Viewing and Information Point in Mountshannon has also proven a large draw this year with 7,626 tourists visiting the eagles between July 4 and August 21.

This facility is being operated by the Mountshannon Eagle Group, Mountshannon Community Council and the Golden Eagle Trust and was funded by Clare County Council.

Visitor increases at the Cliffs of Moher have been driven in part by the new routes servicing Shannon Airport.

“We noticed an immediate im- pact when the new European routes started to Shannon Airport in April, especially from the German market and additional ferry services from France to Cork have also added to French family self-drive numbers,” said Katherine Webster of the Cliffs of Moher.

“We’re also delighted to see that British holiday makers seem to have rediscovered the west of Ireland and after a lengthy absence are here in numbers. We are confident that the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience will exceed the symbolic one million figure before the end of 2014.”

The Wild Atlantic Way has been credited as one of the driving forces behind the increase.

“The launch of the Wild Atlantic Way, the development of new services at Shannon Airport, and the upgrading of visitor facilities at the lighthouse have been significant contributory factors to the growth in visitors. There is a noticeable increase in visitors from Germany and North America with the French and Italian markets also appearing particularly strong,” said Kathy Lordan of Clare County Council.

“The success of the Loophead Lighthouse visitor project is indicative of the wider Peninsula’s increasing popularity as a sustainable, visitor destination.”

A CLARE actress and student of an Ennis-based acting school has scooped a top award in one of the country’s biggest drama competitions.

West Clare woman Anna Moloney has been honoured with a Leinster School of Music and Drama Excellence Award for her outstanding performance in drama.

Approximately 15,000 students across the country take the Leinster School of Music and Drama exam each year and this excellence award accolade is only bestowed on four students in all of Ireland.

Anna, who is from Miltown Malbay, will be presented with her prize at a Gala Concert in Griffith College, Dublin, in October.

Anna is a student of the School of Speech and Drama, Actors and Reactors in Ennis. The school was founded by Clare sisters Aoibhín and Doireann Garrihy last August.

The sisters have had a hugely successful year. Several of their students were award winners at the world famous famous Feile Luimni.

As well as creative drama and feiseanna, the students participated in the Leinster School of Music and Drama exams in April of this year and each one received first class honours.

“We are extremely proud of all of our students. The standard in Clare and indeed our school is very high and in a time when the importance of self confidence is becoming more and more apparent our focus is on developing crucial skills which we hope will benefit our students greatly,” said Aiobhín of the student’s achievements.

Two students of the Actors and Reactors School of Speech and Drama, Ava Rochford and Anna Moloney, were nominated for an excellence award for their outstanding performance in drama. They performed for a panel of judges in Griffith College, Dublin, on July 5.

Aoibhín is currently playing Jane Bennett in Alan Stanford’s production of Jane Austen’s famous ‘Pride and Prejudice’ in the Gate Theatre Dublin.

THE Cliffs of Moher have been selected as the favourite place in Ireland to bring foreign visitors.

According to the results of the fifth National Heritage sur vey, more than 30 per cent of people say that they would take tourists to see the world famous tour ist at t raction.

Indeed, the Cliffs of Moher would seem to have developed a cer t ai n addictive qualit y for visitors with 22 per cent of those sur veyed saying they visited the Cliffs more than 10 ti mes this year.

The Cliffs of Moher have also been identified as Ireland’s most scar y heritage site with 79 per cent of people admit ting that it is t he heritage site they are most afraid of.

This news comes as t he Cliffs of Moher reveals that it is on course to at tract more than one million tourists to Clare this year – the largest number of visitors since records began.

“It’s great that t he nation are continuing to t ake enor mous pride in our herit age sites and landmarks and enjoying showing these off to overseas visitors. Our heritage sites are vital to the tourism industr y in Ireland but also in defining where we have come from and t he r ich legacy we hold i n Ireland,” said David Lane of Ecclesiastical Ireland.

“The research highlights the need for heritage proper t y owners to continue to protect the sites to ensure t hese remain prominent in t he lives of Irish people.”

Newgrange in County Meat h was voted as Ireland’s favourite heritage site, while al most all of those sur veyed, 99 per cent, rate Ireland’s heritage as ver y impor tant to the tourism indust ry.

A tot al of 46 per cent of people believe t here should be st ricter laws gover ning the protection of heritage sites, while 98 per cent of people thi nk t he Gover nment needs to conti nue to provide tax incentives to heritage proper ty owners regarding the maintenance and upkeep of t hei r heritage proper ty.

THE Employments Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has found that a council foreman who allegedly threatened to set himself alight in a work van four years ago was unfairly dismissed.

Awarding Joseph Floyd Snr, Lower Main Street, Tulla, € 30,000 for unfair dismissal, the EAT also found that the Clare County Council employee was not given sufficient notice of his dismissal and awarded him just over € 4,000.

Clare County Council can appeal the finding to the Circuit Court.

While the EAT ordered the council to pay Mr Floyd compensation it ruled out his reinstatement.

On May 13, 2010, local gardaí assisted by the armed Garda Emergency Response Unit, and the Fire Service were called to the incident at Feakle during which Mr Floyd had a petrol can and lighter with him in his van, while he protested against the outsourcing of council work to sub-contractors.

In the course of the hearing, the council gave evidence that the fore- man threatened to set himself and council property alight, leading to a lot of concern for his, and others’, safety.

Mr Floyd challenged this later claim in the tribunal.

The tribunal also heard that a letter was given to Mr Floyd during the stand off ass“uring him his job was safe.

Clare County Council official Leonard Cleary said he issued a letter “under duress” and “this formula of words used worked to save a life”.

He added that a union official on site during the “difficult and volatile situation” had seen the letter and was aware of the situation.

The day after the incident Joseph Floyd presented to work at Clare County Council, but was placed on administrative leave “for health and safety reasons and for his own well being”.

Mr Floyd then spoke to the local radio station Clare FM. Later that day Mr Floyd was informed by letter that he was suspended from work and an internal council investigation got underway.

In September 2011, the council told Mr Floyd that he was dismissed after finding him guilty of three charges of gross misconduct.

Mr Floyd appealed the findings and an unfair dismissal hearing as well as a hearing into failure to give minimum notice was heard over four days during dates on June 2013, October 2013, February 2014 and May 2014.

The tribunal satisfied itself that the claimant’s employment ended on 6 September, 2011, when he was dismissed without notice but the tribunal was not satisfied that a dismissal without notice was justified.

“The claimant had more than the 15 years’ service required to seek the maximum minimum notice award of eight weeks’ gross pay,” the three-person tribunal found.

The tribunal also found it unfair that the council found Mr Floyd guilty of serious insubordination, as he had not been charged with that.

“There was a lack of evidence to substantiate the charge of bringing the name of the council into disrepute. The tribunal was not satisfied that this charge was sufficiently proven to warrant dismissal.”