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WIND energy has a key part in the future of the Electric Ireland’s Moneypoint operation, the station manag- er at the Killimer power station has told The Clare People this week. In the week that the ESB celebrates its 85th anniversary, Moneypoint manager Glenn Pope has backed plans for wind to become a key com- ponent of the ESB operation in West Clare that went into full commission 25 years ago this summer. “Wind energy is still on the cards,” says Pope. “We lodged a planning application and we still hope to press ahead and develop a wind farm on the site. “The electrical infrastructure in terms of connection to the grid is already here, and we have the space (the site extends to about 550 acres). These are all positive factors for the development of wind farms. “If all goes well with the planning application, we would hope to press ahead with this project over the next couple of years,” he adds. Plans for the € 30 million wind farm were lodged with Clare County Council earlier this year – the development would include five turbines, at 154m (506ft). The wind farm is part of Electric Ireland’s plans to deliver a third of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020, which will include more than 1,400MW of wind generation. In the early 2000s Electric Ireland, secured planning permission for a 110m (360ft) nine-turbine wind farm at Moneypoint, but never pursued the project and instead embarked on a € 368m retro-fit project that has secured the station’s future well into the next decade. The 250-page environmental impact statement submitted with the planning application says “the wind farm will have no impact on the operation of Moneypoint or levels of employment there”, where there are 230 full-time staff and a further 100 contracts workers on site.

IT’S as you were for Shannon Development as the agency that has been the economic driver for the mid-west region since 1959 prepares for the future, despite the uncertainty surrounding its role in the wake of the Government decision to change the company’s remit as part of creating a new model for Shannon Airport.

Chief executive Dr Vincent Cunnane has spoken confidently about the company carving a new niche for itself in the region, but has admitted to “uncertainty” about what its new remit will be over the next year.

“It is a period of uncertainty for Shannon Development, but in a way, we always have had uncertainty”, admitted Dr Cunnane. “Uncertainty is not a good environment in which to work but it’s business as usual as much as we can. That’s our mantra since these announcements.

“It’s business as usual until something officially changes. Nothing has been officially changed, nothing is before the Government and we will continue to do our job in the professional manner we have always done it and yield good results in difficult times,” he added.

In June this year a steering group was appointed to oversee the Government decision to merge Shannon Airport with Shannon Development to form a new entity with a commercial mandate in public ownership.

As part of this, Shannon Development’s functions in relation to indigenous enterprise, foreign direct investment and tourism are to transfer to the national agencies.

Commenting further, the Shannon Development chief said, “Shannon Development staff will continue to provide a range of services to all their clients. We are in touch with our clients to assure them that our service levels will be unaffected during the interim period and that staff will continue to deliver the high level of service that clients have come to expect.”

“Shannon Development is working closely with the Government steering group and is represented on the working groups of the two task forces set up to look at the aviation development and the change management dimensions of the decision,” said Shannon Development chairman John Brassil.

“A successful Shannon Airport is vital to secure the future economic success of the region. Therefore it is crucial that the blueprint being developed for it is fit for purpose and utilises the unique experience and skills set of Shannon Development and Shannon Airport staff to plot its course and deliver the next generation of world firsts,” he added.

ALMOST 7,000 visitors have passed through the doors of the recently renovated historic Ennis Friary since the building re-opened to the public in June.

The 13th century Franciscan Friary has been closed for three years to facilitate major renovation and conservation works.

The purpose of the estimated € 100,000 works project is to provide protection for the collection of carved features which survive at Ennis Friary.

A roof has been installed over the 18th century church in order to provide protection for the collection. The OPW also plans to improve visitor access at the site.

Authorities on medieval sculpture have highlighted the importance of the Friary’s unique collection, which contain a complete set of panels representing the 12 apostles and stages of the Passion of Christ.

Ennis Friary holds a rich collection of carved stone including the Creagh Tomb, Ecce Homo and Royal Tomb Canopy and also has remains of wall paintings.

A conservation plan prepared in 2001 identified the need to protect these and other elements of the Friary. Conservation works are still ongoing at the site.

According to figures from the Office of Public Works (OPW), 6,913 people visited the Friary between June 18 and July 29.

Ennis Friary is open daily from 10am to 6pm up to October 31. The last admission is 45 minutes before closing. Public car and coach parking facilities are provided close to the site. A visitor leaflet providing background to the Friary has been translated from English into Irish, French, German, Italian and Spanish and is available on site. Admission is free until the end of October.

Guided tours of Franciscan Friary in Ennis will take place on Sunday August 12 (2pm-5pm) and Sunday August 26 (2pm-5pm). Entrance to Ennis Friary is free all through Heritage Week and until the end of 2012. For further details of National Heritage Week Events in County Clare, please see www.heritageweek.ie.

A MAN with a Crusheen address, facing charges of allegedly having cannabis for sale or supply is due to appear in court again later this month.

Simon Bracken (45) Cappamore, Crusheen, appeared at a sitting of Ennis District Court on Monday.

Mr Bracken is charged with having cannabis for sale or supply at Ardrahan, Galway on June 13.

Inspector John Galvin made an ap- plication to strike out a new charge brought against Mr Bracken. Judge John O’Neill struck out the new charge.

Inspector Galvin sought a further application to have the existing charge brought against Mr Bracken under the misuse of drugs act adjourned until August 20.

He requested that the accused be remanded to appear again at Ennis District Court on August 20.

Defence solicitor Tara Godfrey told the court that this was her cli- ent’s sixth appearance in court in relation to this charge.

She said the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had not issued directions.

Ms Godfrey said her client would consent to a further remand but that an application may be made if directions are not known by August 20.

Inspector Galvin confirmed that the DPP had not yet issued directions in respect of the case.

Asked by Ms Godfrey if the file had been sent to the DPP’s office, Inspector Galvin said he was not in a position to answer as he himself had not been dealing directly with the case.

Judge O’Neill adjourned the case and ordered Mr Bracken to appear again at Ennis District Court on August 20.

He noted that Ms Godfrey had consented to the adjournment and that the defence had forewarned the State that an application might be made if the DPP’s directions are not known by August 20.

KILRUSH’S most senior garda has reassured those who may be the victim of illegal loan sharks that they can meet his colleagues in the strictest confidence. At Thursday morning’s meeting of the Kilrush Joint Policing Committee (JPC), Superintendent Gerry Wall said he was aware of the is- sue of illegal money-lending in the town, but he needed people to come forward and make a statement if an arrest was to be made. He told the committee members that there are two ways open to the Gardaí to tackle the issue – firstly through direct reporting, and secondly throgh the assistance of specialst gardaí based in Dublin. “I have as much access to these specialist gardaí as any of my colleagues. “They are not a million miles away just because they are based in Dublin,” he said. The most direct route to an arrest is through victims and witnesses coming forward. “We are drawing a blank on people reporting this,” he added. The superintendent said he would encourage people affected to come forward and speak to Gardaí in strict confidence. During the last few months, problems associated with illegal moneylending have come to the fore in the West Clare town, with reports of lenders standing outside the post office waiting for payment as borrowers collect social welfare payments. There are also reports of lenders holding on to people’s social welfare cards to ensure payment. Those at the mercy of the moneylenders have said they are not willing to talk about their situation as they are afraid of reprisals. Many who signed up for these exorbitant loans fear the unscrupulous lenders too much to even tell the Gardaí. Gardaí in Kilrush have reassured people, however, that they will meet them in confidence.

SHANNON Development’s work as a driver for tourism in the mid-west is being rewarded with the results of increased numbers into region over the past year.

That’s the message delivered by Shannon Development chief executive Dr Vincent Cunnane following the publication of the company’s annual report last week.

Preliminary tourism figures from Fáilte Ireland for 2011 indicate that the Shannon region was one of Ire- land’s top performing areas in terms of the growth of international visitor numbers.

The region recorded 850,000 overseas visitors in 2011, an 11.7 per cent increase over the previous year, with Dr Cunnane highlighting Shannon Development key role in this upsured. “We are delighted with these preliminary results which clearly reflect the hard work that is being done on the ground and internationally to promote this region as a premier tourist destination,” he told The Clare People .

“While these figures are encouraging, we would acknowledge that not all businesses would have benefited equally. To support tourism businesses in the Shannon region, Shannon Development undertook a series of its own strategic tourism initiatives in 2011,” he said.

“These delivered 155,000 extra visitors, 310,000 bednights and an additional € 30 million in revenue. Over the past four years, tourism initiatives undertaken directly by the company have delivered a direct economic benefit of almost € 160 million for the region’s tourism industry.”

Tourism continues to be one of the key economic drivers in the Shannon region’s economy, employing more than 25,000 people in over 1,000 tourism businesses and attracting over 1.8 million visitors in 2011.

The continued success of Shannon Development subsidiary, Shannon Heritage, in this tourist drive was highlighted in the figures that show it recorded a five per cent growth in 2011 with 436,300 visitors across the board at all its tourist sites.

“The Shannon Heritage operation continues to be an economic driver by contributing an estimated € 15 million in revenue for the local economy,” said Dr Cunnane

“The Shannon region boasts a superb range of tourist attractions and Shannon Development’s Product Development team is constantly working to help the tourism trade devise new visitor attractions to entice the next generation of visitors.

“We want to ensure that this region is a ‘must visit’ destination.

“Our team is currently working on over € 22 million worth of tourism projects. A particular area of concentration for the company in 2011 was the development of sports tourism and conference business in the Shannon region,” added Dr Cunnane.

AN ENNIS man is beginning a massive drive throughout Ireland this week, something he’s undertaking to raise awareness of the Samaritans. Peadar White is about to re-enact the 1901 Motor Tour of Ireland, an event that took some three weeks to complete 111 years back.

It’s kicking off on Wednesday in Dublin and from there he will head for Waterford. After overnighting there he will be on the road again, travelling via Cork City on to the Kenmare Pass and Killarney and Tralee. On day three, he will head from Tralee to Ennis.

This Saturday morning he will set out from the Halfway on the Limerick Road and following the route of the rally to places like Kilbaha, Kilrush, Kilkee and on to Ballyvaughan. After leaving Clare it will be on to Galway, Maam Cross and Leenane. Sunday will see him go from Leenane to Sligo and on next Monday he will travel from Sligo to Enniskillen and back to Dublin. He is hopeful that some vintage enthusiasts from Clare will join him for part of the journey on this Saturday, August 11.

NOT one patient has been treated in the new multi-million euro unit at Ennis General Hospital one month after it was due to open.

It is understood that issues relating to staffing and more minor concerns about equipment are the latest obstacles holding up the process.

At the beginning of July, the HSE outlined a plan to move patients into the unit on a phased basis.

It stated that the first round of patients would be transferred to the 50-bed unit from the second week in July.

This was to be followed by reconfiguration works connecting the existing hospital and the new ward block in late July, a project that was to take approximately six weeks to complete. Once these works are completed, the transfer of patients to the first floor of the new unit was to take place.

It is now one month on from when the first patient was to be moved to the new state-of-the-art wards and there is still no life in the new hospital unit.

The HSE now say, “The 50-bedded unit in Ennis will be opening shortly on a phased basis. The ground floor will be occupied first, which will enable the first floor of the old part of the building to be vacated to facilitate the joining of the new building with the old building. Once this is complete, the first floor of the new building will be occupied.

“We are currently finalising human resource arrangements and awaiting the final pieces of equipment to be delivered to facilitate the opening of the ground floor,” it said.

Clare member of the HSE West Forum, Cllr Tom McNamara (FF) said he was disappointed that the hospital unit was still closed almost 10 months after the builders had handed over the keys to the health authority.

He accused the HSE of “dragging its heels” on the issue.

“I am absolutely amazed that all staffing issues and problems hadn’t been negotiated before this,” he said.

“We need this unit open because we need to bring confidence back to the service and give proper service to the people of Clare,” he added.

CLARE businesspeople living abroad are among the international investors who have expressed an interest in buying the West County Hotel. The Ennis hotel was listed for sale in July for between € 2.5 million to € 3 million.

Formerly the flagship hotel within the Lynch group of hotels, the West County was placed into receivership in February.

According to CBRE, the property firm handling the sale, “there has been a lot of interest” in the West County Hotel.

Dermot Curtin of CBRE explained, “We’ve had interest from all over the world and from people in Ireland. There has been international interest in the property. A lot of Clare people are living abroad.”

He continued, “It is more difficult to sell properties than it was in the good old days. Obviously the big thing that has changed is that is more difficult for investors to get finance from financial institutions. But are finding that there is still a good deal still in the country.

“There have been a few more sales in recent months. We’re seeing a small lift in the market. € 2.5 million to € 3 million is the guide price but we’ll listen to the market,” he said.

Formerly the flagship hotel within the Lynch group of hotels, the West County was placed into receivership in February.

It sits on a high-profile six-acre site on the southern approach road to Ennis town centre and its accommodation includes 152 en-suite bedrooms, eight separate and inter-connecting conference/banqueting suites that can cater for up to 1,650 delegates, a modern leisure centre with a 20metre heated indoor pool, jacuzzi, steam room and sauna.

The leisure club includes a gym with more than 1,000 local members. The Boru’s Porterhouse bar and lounge has a capacity for around 500 people, and the hotel also has two restaurants. The site can accommodate 450 parking spaces.

Its arrival on the market follows the recent sale of the Clare Inn, which was also part of the Lynch group of hotels that went into receivership in January of last year.

This freehold and fully-licensed hotel property is only 20km from Shannon International Airport and the Shannon Free Zone, the manufacturing and logistics centre for the Shannon region.

The hotel has been a regular venue for the All Ireland and International Irish Dancing Championships and has also hosted the All Ireland Pool Championships.

Last year the West County hosted the AGM of the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) and the SIPTU annual conference.

THE East Clare community of Ogonnelloe will say a final farewell this morning (Tuesday) to a father of three who drowned following a boating accident on Lough Derg.

Pat Danaher lost his life in the picturesque lake after his 20-foot speedboat capsized on Thursday. It is understood that the boat ran aground after hitting rocks.

It was later found upturned and a search of the waters was immediately carried out. The massive search involved volunteer members of the RNLI, Coast Guard, Civil Defence, Mountshannon Search and Rescue and Killaloe/Ballina Search and Recovery Unit.

Divers from the Killaloe/Ballina Search and Recovery Unit recovered the 44-year-old’s body on Friday.

His death has been described as a tragedy by Parish Priest Donagh O’Meara, who said the whole community was still in shock.

“Pat’s tragic death is an awful loss to his family and the local community. Pat was a great character, larger than life, and the community is still in shock at the news. It’s a terrible tragedy.”

Fr O’Meara was confident that the community would provide support to his widow Pauline and their three young children, Rachel, Laura and Leo.

“There is a fantastic community here in Ogonnelloe and people are great. I know they will all rally around Pauline and the children and Pat’s own family at this terrible time. Many from the community were down in Garrykennedy during the search to show their support for the family,” he said.

Mr Danaher was originally from Ballinacurra Gardens in Limerick, but the painting contractor had set- tled with his young family in Nancy’s Well, Ogonnelloe.

Gardaí and the Marine Casualty Investigation Board are continuing to conduct separate inquiries into his untimely death. Gardaí have confirmed that they are treating the death as a tragic accident.

Requiem Mass will take place this morning in St Mary’s Old Church, Ogonolloe at 11am followed by a private cremation.

Mr Danaher is survived by his wife Pauline and three children Rachel, Laura and Leo, his parents Bridie and Tony, and sisters Monique, Samantha, Sonia and Natasha.