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TWO sisters charged offences allegedly committed outside an Ennis primary school are expected to be sentenced in January.

Rose Mahon (22) and Laura Molloy (21) are charged in relation to an incident at the Holy Family School, Station Road on March 20. Rose Mahon, with an address at Bay 3 Ballaghboy, Quin Road, Ennis, is alleged to have caused € 1500 worth of damage to a car. Laura Molloy, with an address at Bay 3 Ballaghboy Halting Site, Quin Road, Ennis, is alleged to have provoked a breach of the peace. Defence solicitor for both accused, Daragh Hassett, told the court that the cases are remaining in the district court. He said his clients would not be contesting the charges.

Mr Hassett said he was requesting an adjournment of the cases to allow him to prepare detailed pleas in mitigation in respect of his clients.

Judge Patrick Durcan noted guilty pleas in respect of both accused. He remanded both women on continuing bail to appear again at Ennis District Court on January 9 for sentence.

A WOMAN has apologised after pleading guilty to a breach of the peace at Ennis Courthouse earlier this year.

Nora Maughan (24), with addresses at 20 Stonecourt, Drumbiggle, Ennis and Brayton Park, Kilcock, Kildare, appeared at Ennis District Court on Wednesday.

Inspector Tom Kennedy said the accused was charged following a commotion that developed in the foyer of the courthouse on September 25.

He told the court that gardaí found Ms Maughan with another woman. Insp Kennedy said Ms Maughan was not the only person involved in the incident.

She has no previous convictions. Defence solicitor William Cahir told the court that his client was extremely anxious to deal with the matter.

He added, “She holds her hands up and admitted it was out of order.” Mr Cahir told the court that Ms Maughan’s involvement in the melee was “not of her character or nature.”

Ms Maughan told the court that she was “very, very sorry for what happened.”

She said she had never been in such a situation before.

Judge Patrick Durcan the public had been discommoded by what had occurred in the courthouse on the day. He added, “This court discharged its functions in discomfort.”

He ordered Ms Maughan to pay € 100 to the court poor box. He also struck out the charges against her.

Judge Durcan said, “Whenever you go to courthouses in the future, behave yourself in the future.”

A 14-YEAR-old boy has appeared in court charged with offences in connection with an alleged violent incident at a primary school in Ennis.

The teenager was before Ennis District Court on Friday. He is charged with violent disorder at the Holy Family Primary School on March 20, 2012.

He is also charged with the production of a machete contrary to the firearms and offensive weapons act on the same date and location.

The court heard that jurisdiction of the case had previously been refused. Inspector Tom Kennedy requested an extension of time for the service of the book of evidence.

The teenager was remanded on continuing bail to appear again at Ennis District Court on December 19.

Another man charged in connection with the same incident is also due to appear in court on that date.

Conor Mahon (21), with an address at Ballaghboy Halting Site, Quin Road, Ennis, is alleged to have committed violent disorder at the Holy Family School, Station Road, Ennis on March 3.

He is also charged with unlawful production of an article contrary to the firearms and offensive weapons act at the same date and location.

Mr Mahon appeared at Ennis District Court on Wednesday. Inspector Kennedy said State were seeking an extension of time to allow for the service of the book of evidence.

Defence solicitor Daragh Hassett said he would consent to December 19.

Mr Mahon was remanded on continuing bail to appear at Ennis District Court on December 19.

CLARE tourism will be damaged internationally, while both private and State-run tourism operators will be the big losers if Clare County Council gives the green light for the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) to develop car park facilities near Mullaghmore.

This claim is a major plank of the Burren Action Group (BAG) submis- sion to the planning authority, opposing the controversial NPWS application, that has been secured by The Clare People this week.

In a hard-hitting submission, BAG says that the car park proposal “makes no consideration of tourism practice in the area and does not appear to inform itself as to the policies of other statutory agencies or of the objectives of the County Development Plan”.

According to the BAG submission, permission for the car park facility would “endanger the reputation of the Burren” and “poses a risk to investments of other tourism operators” throughout North Clare.

“Substantial inter-agency efforts helped secure Geopark status for the Burren and efforts are ongoing to achieve a UNESCO World Heritage Site listing,” says the BAG submission.

“Smaller operators have undertaken international marketing activities through the Burren Ecotourism Network and have developed an accreditation scheme for green tourism that has been adopted as the Irish standard and has been approved by Fáilte Ireland.

“News of the existence of a statemanaged facility that is operating contrary to the precautionary and sustainability principles will harm the area’s reputation and the international perception that it is a prime ecotourism destination.

“The application runs counter to the objectives and principles of ecotourism, is contrary to the objectives of the County Development Plan and will endanger the tourism investments of both private and statutory tourism providers.

“It is not compatible with the area’s reputation for ecotourism and thus poses a threat to tourism operators in the wider Burren,” the submission to the Clare County Council planners adds.

A PROPOSAL by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) to build a car park on the edge of the site earmarked for the controversial Mullaghmore Interpretative Centre is “part of a process” that will eventually lead to the building of a visitor facility in the area.

This warning has been sounded out by the Burren Action Group (BAG) this week as part of its detailed submission to Clare County Council planners opposing the NPWS plans for the car park at Knockaunroe in the Burren National Park.

The 15-page document was lodged with the planning authority on Friday ahead of this Monday’s closing date for submissions. It has warned that the car park will “create a new set of risks” in the Burren – chief among these a covert plan of “induced development” designed to eventually bring about the building of visitor facilities at Gortalecka, the original site earmarked for the Mullaghmore Interpretative Centre.

The BAG submission highlights what it calls the “danger of incremental development at the core of the (National) Park”, saying that the planning application was the “thin end of the wedge” and precursor for further development.

“The proposal excludes the provision of toilet facilities, picnic tables etc., it is inevitable that a demand will be created for these facilities on the site in the near future,” the BAG submission states. “Consequently, future applications for extension of the car park and provision of such facilities are to be expected. The initial choice of this site for a car park may be seen as the ‘thin end of the wedge’ for future provision of visitor facilities on the Gortlecka site. It will inevitably create demand for further development at the core of the park,” it adds.

The proposed car park facility is on the proposed site for the overflow car park that was originally included in the ‘Gortlecka’ application, a move that has prompted the BAG to claim that the NPWS application is going against decisions handed down by An Bord Pleanála and Supreme Court.

“The NPWS were obliged, by Bord Pleanála and Court decisions, to restore and rehabilitate the Gortlecka site at very considerable cost to the NPWS and the taxpayer,” says the BAG submission. “Consequently, the current application seems contrary to the intent of previous An Bord Pleanála and court decisions,” it adds.

A FINAL decision on whether fracking will be allowed to take place in the West Clare Basin will not be made until 2014 at the earlier, it was revealed yesterday. The terms of reference for a major Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report on the viability of fracking are currently being drawn up and the report will not be completed until 2014.

The Minister for Energy, Pat Rabbitte (LAB), has confirmed that no decision on whether to grant a licence for commercial fracking will not be taken until after the EPA report in completed.

British-based company, Enigi Oil, was granted limited exploration right in an area around Doonbeg earlier this year and provisional data indicates that a commercial fracking operation could be sustained in the area. This prompted a large anti-fracking campaign locally which resulted in councillors at Clare County Council voting to change the County Development Plan to ban fracking earlier this year. This move is of little legal value however, as the power to grant a license for fracking lies solely with the Minister for Energy.

The EPA produced an initial study on fracking earlier this year but Minister Rabbitte requested that a second, more detailed, study be produced. The steering group for this research was announced last week and will include representatives from the EPA, Department of Environment, the Department of Environment, in Northern Ireland, the Commission for Energy Regulation, An Bord Pleanála and the Department of Energy.

The Clare Basin is one of two locations in Ireland where the possibility of commercial fracking has been identified. Fracking involves drilling large vertical tunnels deep underground and then using pressurised water and other material to crack and shatter the shale rock located there and release the natural gas trapped inside. The technique has been blamed for causing earthquakes in some parts of the world and has also be sighted a possible major pollutant to local water system.

PUTTING car park facilities in place at Mullaghmore is a case of the National Parks and Wildlife Service putting the cart before the horse, the Burren Action Group’s 15-page document against the controversial development proposal has claimed.

BAG, which campaigned successfully against the Office of Public Works proposal to build an interpretative centre at Mullaghmore, has blasted the planning application as it comes ahead of a commitment to deliver the Burren Management Plan.

This management plan is now in its third draft, but the feeling on the ground locally in North Clare is that it will never see the light of day, with the NPWS instead pressing ahead with its car park proposal adjacent to the original Mullaghmore Interpretative Centre location.

In its submission, BAG says it shares the NPWS objective of “alleviating the problems associated with random car parking on the Crag Road and at the crossroads between the Crag Road and the Green Road”, but that the application is premature as it comes in advance of an agreed National Park Management Plan.

“Three draft versions of a Plan (Burren Management Plan 2011 – 2018) have been produced but none have been published and none have benefitted from the input of the public, tourism operators or adjoining landowners,” says BAG.

“There is no indication when this Plan will seek the views of the public nor is there any proposed deadline for its completion. The application, therefore, is not in a position to avail of any agreed or finalised management proposals,” the submission adds.

In a further indictment of the NPWS proposal, the BAG submission says that the application, which was lodged with Clare County Council on October 22 is “incoherent”, “uncoordinated” and “missing significant data”.

“The application lacks the coherence that might be provided by a Management Plan and, in the single instance where its impacts in combination with other practices are acknowledged, no data is offered, even in relation to the applicant’s own services and facilties,” the BAG submission says.

“There is considerable potential for successful dialogue that can result in a Management Plan that respects and promotes the needs of the host people, local environment and those wishing to engage in sustainable low impact tourism in and around the National Park.

“There are alternative sites that can accommodate parking in the ownership of the applicant. There are also options for more multifaceted management practices available that can contribute to better visitor management in the park.

“A process to explore these options should precede a grant of permission to return to a site that has already failed the test of one of the longest and most comprehensive planning processes in the history of the state,” the submission adds.

, said he regarded the Mid West Business magazine as a rival for advertising revenue to The Cla re People . He said, “There was a fundamental breakdown in the office and he (Mr Collison) was the root cause of it.” Mr Moloney said there had been an “acrimonious relationship” between he, the shareholders and Mr Collison. Mr Moloney said he had never seen the agreement entered into between the company and the NUJ. He told the court that the paper had gone though a difficult period but that circulation is now growing. Judge Patrick Durcan said it was his view that Mr Collison was not in breach of the agreement. Judge Durcan added that he could not see how the reputation of the paper had been damaged when circulation had gone up in the context of Mr Collison leaving. He described Mr O’Rourke as “obviously a talented man” but someone who may have been “naive”. He said that in engaging Mr O’Rourke, Mr Collison’s behaviour was “despicable and manipulative”. He described Mr Moloney’s evidence as “honest, professional and refreshing”. Judge Durcan awarded Mr Collison € 4,700 but said he was making no order for costs “by virtue of his (Mr Collison’s) behaviour”. Judge Durcan dismissed the counter claim, making no order for costs.

THE possibility of a hurley shortage has been averted, at least for now, as Coillte have agreed to bring forward the harvesting of 40,000 hurley planks to meet the demand of manufacturers.

The state sponsored company agreed to a mass felling of ash on Friday after fears that Irish hurley manufacturers would run out of wood in the new year as a result of regulations brought in to prevent the spread of ash die-back disease or Chalara fraxineaposes.

The news will come as a relief to Clare’s hurley manufacturers – who between them produce around 25 per cent of the 360,000 hurleys made in Ireland each year.

The commitment from Coillte should provide hurley makers with an extra four to six weeks of raw material.

If the import restriction are not lifted at that stage, and no further new Irish ash supply has be located, hurley shortages could still be in place by the middle of next year.

“Coillte is very keen to play its part in helping the hurley manufacturing industry in Ireland cope with the current supply challenge. We are already harvesting ash in one of our forests in County Westmeath and have identified a number of other locations where we will harvest material in the coming months,” said Gerard Murphy of Coillte.

“We have committed to supplying 40,000 ash planks to the hurley making industry in the coming months to ensure the ongoing survival of this important part of our social and sporting heritage.”

The issue was also discussed in the Dáil last week with Clare TD, Michael McNamara (Lab).

“One hurley maker in Clare employs six people and makes between 60,000 to 70,000 hurleys per year. There are several other hurley makers across County Clare from Tuamgraney, Ogonnelloe, Broadford, Kilmurry, Kilkishen and Tubber,” he said.

Ash die-back disease has now be confirmed in Galway, Tipperary, Meath, Leitrim and a number of locations in Northern Ireland. The disease has devastated ash forests in central Europe and is very difficult to contain.

Ireland currently imports more than 10 per cent of all the ash used in the country but current targets suggest that it will become self-sufficient for ash by 2020.

A NEW community group that has been established in Broadford has pledged to fight the decision by An Post to close the local post office overnight without giving any advance notice to any of its customers.

This campaign cranked to life at a public meeting in the village on Thursday night last that saw the formation of the Broadford Post Office Action Group that as a first step has demanded a meeting with An Post officials.

“People want their post office back,” the action group chairman PJ Mason told The Clare People . “This post office has been in Broadford for as long as there have been rural post offices in Ireland.

“We want an urgent meeting with An Post about this. An issue arose a couple of weeks ago, which we are not privy to. Suddenly when people turned up for their pensions and welfare a few weeks ago the office was closed and they were directed to go to Tulla.

“That’s a big problem for some people, who haven’t got transport. Tulla is about ten miles from Broadford, while some people would be 20 miles away from Tulla. It’s not good enough that they should have to go all the way to Tulla,” added Mr Mason.

The public meeting was attended by over 150 people, among them officers and members of all the local organisations including, the ICMSA, IFA, local hurling and camogie clubs, ICA Guilds, the local development association, community alert groups, gun clubs, parents groups, as well as members of the boards of management of the local schools.

Local councillors present were Michael Begley (Ind), Joe Cooney (FG), Cathal Crowe (FF) and Pat Hayes (FF), while Martin O’Loghlen represented Deputy Timmy Dooley (FF).

“The post office serves a large population in a wide catchment area that includes all of the parish of Broadford, an area of Bridgetown, O’Callaghan’s Mills and Bodyke,” revealed Mr Mason, who was elected chairman of the action group on the night.

“The closure of the post office has caused people severe hardship and disruption, as the Christmas period and beyond rapidly approaches. Some people have been unable to get to Tulla, others have had to get the assistance of neighbours and friends to get them to there. We want our post office re-opened as quickly as possible,” he added.