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CHANGES in the school transport policy system allied to the increase in charges could have the most impact on families in South East Clare.

The Department of Education and Skills provides subsidised school transport for post-primary pupils who live more than 4.8 kilometres away from the appropriate school.

Responsibility for post-primary school transport was transferred from VECs to Bus Éireann in January.

According to Bus Éireann, from the commencement of the 2012/13 school year, the use of the Catchment Boundary Area (CB) System, as a means of determining eligibility, will cease for all pupils newly entering post-primary school.

From the 2012/13 school year, school transport eligibility for all pupils newly entering a post-primary school will be determined by the distance students reside from their nearest post-primary education centre, having regard to ethos and language.

According to one primary school teacher, the changes will start to effect families in the coming weeks.

Fianna Fáíl councillor Cathal Crowe, who teaches in Parteen National School, said he has already been approached by parents concerned over the potential cost implications of the new school transport policy.

He said, “I think in the next couple of weeks its going to be a big issue for parents when they start getting the paperwork. I’ve had one or two enquires so far but I think there’s going to be more.

“It’s probably going to affect students in the South East of the county more than other others. I know from talking to people in parts of East Clare, it doesn’t seem like it’s going to affect them too much. In South East Clare, you have a lot of students going to Limerick City and the spread of schools is massive. The enrollment system is also different in the sense that is more like the CAO, you have to give a list of preferences.”

He added, “Areas like Parteen, Meelick, Clonlara and even Sixmilebridge could be caught up by this. Some families could end up paying double what they normally pay.”

To be considered eligible for school transport, pupils must reside 4.8 kilometres or more from and be attend- ing their nearest post-primary education centre, as determined by the department and Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language.

Bus Éireann state that pupils who are not eligible for school transport, under the above criteria, may apply for concessionary transport subject to a number of terms and conditions. These concessionary pupils will not be exempt from paying the annual charge nor will they count for the establishment or retention of a service, the company says.

Speaking last month, George O’Callaghan, CEO of Clare VEC, told a meeting that a significant number of school goers could be affected by the changes to school transport policy.

Remote area grants are payable by the department as a contribution towards private transport arrangements for eligible pupils for whom no transport service is available. These grants may also be paid for eligible pupils who live 3.2 kilometres or more from the nearest pick-up point for school transport.

The single annual charge has also been raised to € 350 per pupil. The maximum amount for a family is € 650 per year.

COMMUNITY groups in Ennis, Sixmilebridge and Gort have put together a list of proposals which they feel could increase the traffic on the Western Rail Corridor. The West on Track organisation have compiled the suggestions of community representatives at every stop along the Western Rail Corridor and are currently in negotiations with Iarnród Éireann about implementing some of the new ideas.

West On Track spokesperson Colmán Ó Raghallaigh confirmed yesterday that a working document had been completed but would not reveal details of any of the suggestions at this time. The Clare People understands that a number of initiatives, includ- ing five-day student commuter tickets from Ennis to Galway and Limerick, are currently being examined.

Other possible ideas on the table include the creation of commuter zones between Ennis and Limerick and Gort and Galway where reduced commuter fairs could be introduced.

This news comes following figures released last week which show a continued poor performance of the route between Ennis and Athenry. The significance of these figures has been questioned by West on Track, who say that figures have been presented selectively to undermine the project.

“We refute the notion that the Western Rail Corridor consists of a piece of track between Ennis and Athenry. Some elements of the corridor have been hugely successful and there are parts which do have room for improvement,” said Colmán Ó Raghallaigh from West on Track.

“We set up a working group this spring involving people from all communities along the route and they have put together a report and, using that report, we are working with Iarnród Éireann to see where improvements can be made.

“We have representatives from Ennis, Gort, Sixmilebridge and Athenry involved in putting this report together. We have met Iarnród Éireann to discuss it and we will be meeting them again very soon.

“We believe that Iarnród Éireann is now intent in getting the very best out of the railway. It is a matter of great regret that this wasn’t there from day one but it is better late than never.

“An example of this was seen recently when Iarnród Éireann ran extra rail services on the line for the Galway Races and the Volvo Ocean Race and they also operated services late at night – this was very successful. This was one of the proposals which was put to Iarnród Éireann, they did it, and it was a great success.”

RESCUE services in Kilkee had a busy afternoon on Saturday when two separate serious incidents took place in the village.

A woman in her 60s fell from the pier wall in the village just after 1pm on Saturday afternoon, while three divers also required urgent medical attention at the same time after a suspected case of the bends, also known as Decompression Sickness or Caisson Disease.

The woman, who was walking along Kilkee pier when the incident took place, is understood to have missed a step and fallen more than 10 feet to the rocky base of the pier. Her fall was partly broken by moss and seaweed at the pier base but she still sustained a number of broken bones in the incident as well as injuries to her head.

At the same time, three divers raised the alarm with the emergency services when they reported feeling sick after aborting a dive unexpectedly following a malfunction in their equipment.

Both the Kilkee Unit of the Irish Coast Guard and the Kilkee Marine Rescue Service responded to the incidents, while the HSE ambulance was also diverted to the scene.

The woman was treated at the scene but her injuries were serious enough to require the Shannon-based coast guard helicopter to be scrambled to Kilkee to airlift her to hospital in Galway.

The three divers, who were all members of a Limerick-based subaqua club, had returned to shore and changed out of their equipment when one reported feeling unwell. One of the divers had suffered an equipment malfunction and had been forced to resurface quickly.

For safety reasons, he was accompanied by two other divers while he resurfaced. Divers who are forced to resurface too quickly can suffer from the bends, because of the quick change in water pressure. This can lead to serious injury and even death and cause an embolism or a bleed in the brain.

All four injured parties were airlifted in the same helicopter to University College Hospital in Galway where they were treated for their injuries.

A NEW constitution has been drafted for the people of the Burren – a document which, it is hoped, will help preserve the environment and way of life of the area for future generations. After more than two years of consultation with the local people, the first draft of the Burren Charter was released last week. The charter contains a set of aims for all sections of the community involved in the area and the hope is that the entire local population will sign up to uphold it.

The draft document was compiled by the BurrenBeo Trust, The Burren Farming for Conservation Group, Burren Connect, Burren IFA and both Clare and Galway County Councils.

“This has been developed through contact with the local community and it is about the people who live here deciding what they want for the future and what they can do to make this happen,” said Áine Bird of the Burrenbeo Trust.

“This is a draft charter at the moment and a lot of research has gone into it. But it is still a working document and we really want to the local people to get stuck into the document and tell us if they think we are going in the right direction.

“We need to get the community’s input into this and for them to tell us if we are going in the right direction with this or not.”

It is unclear at present whether members of the general public in the Burren will be asked to physically sign up to the Burren Charter once it is completed but the charter will have no legal standing.

“We are already working on different projects that have come about through the work already done on the charter.

“One of these is a community festival for the Burren which will take place in October and should be a great event but we are also working on a series of recordings of the farm- ing tradition with the Cuimhneamh an Chláir,” said Áine. “We are also looking at creating a one-stop-shop resource centre for the people of the Burren and also an audit of the heritage courses which are available in the Burren to see is there a gap in the market. This isn’t just a book exercise, things are going to happen ot of this.”

Anyone who wants to comment on the Burren Charter can download it at Burrenbeo.com or in the North Clare libraries.

ONE million euro has been donated to the Diocese of Killaloe to promote vocations and to help fund the training of new priests in the diocese.

The money was a bequest to the diocese in the will of an unknown local person, on the condition that it only be used to promote new priests entering the ministry.

The cash windfall was yesterday described by diocesan spokesperson, Fr Brendan Quinlivan, as a sign of “new hope” for vocations in the diocese.

The Killaloe diocese currently has one person studying to become a priest, while a number of other men are currently considering entering formal studies.

“This is a sign of great hope for the diocese. The person who made this donation must have been someone whose life was greatly impacted on by the priesthood,” said Fr Quinlivan.

“The money will be used for the promotion of vocations and also to help fund the studies of anyone from the diocese who decides to study to become a priest. Between accommodation and the cost of studies it can cost between € 15,000 and € 20,000 a year for a person to train to become a priest and this could take between five and seven years.”

According to Fr Quinlivan, the type of people who decide to join the priesthood these days are very different from the people who joined in the past. New entrants are generally older, and must undertake psychological testing as well as a period of deep reflection before they are allowed to begin their studies.

“We had two ordinations in the parish this year, we currently have one person in studies and we have a number of people who have expressed an interest in becoming a priest and are currently in a period of discernment,” continued Fr Quinlivan.

“It is different from how it was in my day when people came straight from school. These days we are finding a lot of older men, who have lived through the Celtic Tiger and have come to the conclusion that there is something different out there for them.

“Many of these people may have to give up jobs to begin their studies so it is a total change of life for them.”

The diocese will receive the € 1 million in three different payments over three years. Pic kin g u p to wa rd s th e we e ke n d bu t e a rly in d ic a t io n s a re n o t gre a t , m o re c lo u d wit h o n ly spo ra d ic su n sh in e .

AN ENNIS resident who has been a victim of recent anti-social behaviour says he will drive to the office of the Minister for Justice, Alan Shatter, and complain to him in person if action is not taken to improve the service being offered to the public by gardaí in Clare.

The Glenina resident, who asked not to be identified, says he is only raising the issue with Minister Shat- ter in the hope that it will spark a change in the way anti-social, violent and intimidating behaviour is treated by the gardaí.

“I don’t have anything against any garda, but I think the people have just lost faith in them.

“I know their resources have been stretched but that makes it all the more important to engage with the local people,” he said.

“All I want is for this to spark a change. It is no good for the gardaí to sit there and wait for the people to come to them – they have to part of some sort of community approach to solving this problem.

“Until they do that, nothing is going to change – it will only get worse. When I was at school, everyone knew the local policeman.

“He was part of the community. It is not about driving up and down the Gort Road. It is about getting out of the car and actually talking to people. It is an old fashioned idea but it will work. What is happening in Ennis is bad but it is nothing compared to situations which have happening in other places.

“So it can be fixed. But if something is not put in place to fix this then it will get worse.

“We cannot bury our heads in the sand any longer. I’m not interested in Dublin or Limerick, if something is not done in County Clare soon then it will only get worse.

“If I don’t get a reply from Alan Shatter I will get into the car and go and visit him in his constituency office,” he added.

A FORMER Clare County Council worker who was found dead at his home in Kilrush last May died as a result of misadventure, an inquest has heard.

The body of Michael Noel Blunnie (61) was discovered by gardaí at his home at 2 O’Gorman Street on May 1, 2011.

An inquest into his death heard that Mr Blunnie died from positional asphyxiation, with alcohol intoxication and heart disease as contributory factors.

County Coroner Isobel O’Dea ruled that Mr Blunnie died by misadventure.

Door-to-door enquires were car- ried out in the area following the death and CCTV footage was also obtained.

Supt Gerry Wall of Kilrush Garda Station told Clare Coroner’s Court on Friday that “no evidence of criminality was established from these lines of enquiry”.

The inquest heard that an ambulance was called to the house on April 30 after Mr Blunnie complained of stomach and chest pains. Mr Blunnie refused to get into the ambulance. A friend, Paul O’Connor, said he placed a blanket over Mr Blunnie when he fell asleep that evening. When he left, he also placed a rag in the front door to jam it shut because there was no lock.

Mr O’Connor said, “He drank a naggin of whiskey while I was there.”

The inquest heard that Mr Blunnie’s house was in poor condition, with no electricity, heating or running water.

Michael Sweeney told the inquest that he had left his family home in Kilrush at around 6am to look for a lighter. After trying a number of houses, Mr Sweeney called to Mr Blunnie’s house. He told the inquest that he had known the deceased for a number of years. Mr Sweeney walked in, took the lighter and noticed Mr Blunnie lying down. He added, “I did not stay there. I panicked and left. I hate dead bodies.”

After calling to his brother’s house, Mr Sweeney phoned the gardaí, the inquest heard.

Of Mr Sweeney’s demeanor, Garda Gander said, “He appeared to be distressed and upset and struggled to get across what happened at 2 O’Gorman Street….He was very forthcoming.”

Deputy State Pathologist Dr Kahlid Jaber told the court that blood and urine analyses showed that Mr Blunnie “was drinking heavily at the time he passed away”.

He said the primary cause of death was positional asphyxiation with acute alcohol intoxication and hyper cardio-vascular disease as contributory factors.

Ms O’Dea said, “It is quite clear from the evidence there was no suspicion of foul play.” She paid her condolences to the deceased’s family and friends.

Retired garda Michael Ryan also paid his condolences to the Blunnie family. He said, “Mick Noel was nice, gentle man.”

CLARE County Council received complaints against 60 of its tenants last year in relation to anti-social behaviour.

According to figures received from the local authority, complaints were made against 60 of the council estimated 1,500 tenants in 2012.

It is unclear, however, how often each of these 60 tenants were complained, with some people complained on several or even dozens of occasions.

According to Liam O’Connor of the Housing Section at Clare County Council, the complaints are evenly distributed around the council’s properties and there are no anti-social blackspots.

Mr O’Connor also said that the local authority takes a proactive approach to dealing with anti-social behaviour by any of its tenants.

“A small proportion, approximately four per cent, of all tenancies would be reported during any one year as creating a problem in their neighbourhood,” he said.

“The council investigates in each case and works to resolve the issues. In very serious cases, where there is no improvement in the situation following the council’s intervention, eviction proceedings are taken by the council. One or two such proceedings would be underway during the course of any year.

“The council has formed a network of residents’ associations in which there are now 46 residents associations participating. Periodic network meetings are arranged with training and help being provided to the associations, whose voluntary work in their neighbourhoods is highly valued by the council.

“There is also active participation in the council’s ‘best kept estates’ awards each year, with 25 groups receiving awards at various levels last year.

“Notwithstanding this preventative and positive work with residents which contributes to a higher quality of life in those estates, the council also takes an active role in addressing tenancy breaches where those are reported. The council also liaises with statutory organisations including An Garda Siochána and the Health Service Executive on a regular basis, with regard to anti-social behaviour and related issues.”

CLARE will now have two respesentatives at this year’s Rose of Tralee Festival – and both of them will be named Flanagan.

Despite Clare Rose, Orla McDonagh, not making it through to this year’s final, the county will be represented by London Rose, Nóra Ní Fhlannagáin, who hails from Corofin, and also the New Zealand Rose, Alana Marshall, whose family comes from Ennis.

Alana, whose great-great-grandfather, Michael Flanagan, left Ennis for New Zealand in 1864, was among 15 overseas Roses who gathered in Dublin yesterday to be presented with a certificate of her Irish heritage.

Sporting the Clare jersey, Alana was presented with her certificate by leading Kerryman, Dick Spring. The Certificate of Irish Heritage is a Government document, signed by the Tánaiste, Eamon Gilmore, as an official recognition of a person’s Irish ancestry by the Government of Ireland.

“From a young age, I was very aware and proud of my Flanagan Irish connection. My parents took me to Clare when I was 11 and I returned again when I was 18, during my gap year.

“I felt an amazing sense of belonging and felt so at home. I am delighted to honour my ancestors and the sacrifices they made through the Certificate of Irish Heritage,” she said yesterday.

Each Certificate of Irish Heritage is a personal record of the recipient’s Irish roots, showing the name of their Irish ancestor and the town or parish in Ireland from which they came.

It is as yet unclear whether Clare’s two Flanagan representatives are in any way related to each other but they will be able to assess their family histories when the Rose of Tralee festival gets underway later this week.

Nóra Ní Fhlannagáin is an Oxfordbased PHd student but her roots are very much in County Clare, with her father, John Flanagan, living on the main street in Corofin and a collection of cousins and friends all over the county.

Indeed, Nóra even has a connection to this year’s Clare Rose as her uncle, Tom Flanagan, is a next-door neighbour of Orla McDonagh in Clouna.

FORGET Katie Taylor, a woman from Miltown Malbay may have the most recognisable Irish female face on the planet.

For the last six months, Lourda Sexton, from Ahey Bridge in Miltown, has been broadcasting to hundreds of millions of people on the Chinese television network CCTV.

The Chinese state broadcaster has a potential reach of more than half a billion people in China, but also broadcasts internationally on a number of cable television platforms. Based in Dubai, Lourda has been back home for the last four weeks, compiling a number of broadcasts from Ireland, including one from the Willie Clancy Summer School.

“I worked in TV and radio in Dubai for a number of years and I was delighted to get this chance to work for CCTV. China Central Television is like the BBC or the RTÉ of China – it has 13 channels and I work for the news channel, which is an Englishlanguage channel,” said Lourda.

“I’m normally in Dubai and I cover a mixture of stories but I’m spending the summer in Ireland covering a lot of different stories from here. It’s exciting work, I get to go to a lot of interesting places and meet a lot of different people.”

After the visit of Chinese VicePresident, Xi Jinping, to a Clare farm and the Cliffs of Moher earlier this year, hopes are high that agricultural and tourism links can be forged between the Banner county and China.

“I’ve already covered the Volvo Ocean Race in Galway and the Willie Clancy Week in Miltown and I’d hope to do a few more stories from this side of the country. It really is a mixture of trying to show off Ireland, and what it can offer, and the links between China and Ireland,” said Lourda.

“In China, they do have an interest in Ireland. They have an interest in everywhere. There are around 60,000 Chinese in Ireland for one, so they do want to know what is going on here.”

Lourda will remain in Ireland until September and is on the look-out for any local stories which may have an interest for a Chinese audience. Anyone who thinks they may have an interesting story can contact Lourda on lourdasexton@gmail.com.

Anyone who wants to see Lourda in action can locate her on channel 510 on SKY.