Author: admin

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 importance of Clare to the late Maeve Binchy through her unstinting support of the Merriman Summer School for over four decades has been recalled in North Clare this week as the final touches are being put to preparations for the 45th annual event that takes place in Lisdoonvarna from August 15 to 19.

Ms Binchy, who died last week, has a special place in Merriman history, having attended the first ever event in 1968 and, more recently, in 2005, by being commissioned to write a short story to commmemorate the bicentenary of Brian Merriman’s death.

“She wrote a short story called ‘A Week in Summer’. It was about people returning, discovering family connections, after being asked by the Merriman School director, Bob Collins,” revealed Marian O’Callaghan of this year’s organising committee.

“Maeve read the story and we did a live recording of her reading the story and the response to it.

“Brian Farrell wrote the introduction and introduced her on the night in question. It was very special and she had a captive audience in the Spa Wells. She was thrilled with it.

“We got the boolet published and we had a CD of the recording with it. It was brilliant, because it was the very fact that Maeve wrote it especially for the Merriman School and she read it at the school and we recorded it,” added Ms O’Callaghan.

“It’s very, very funny,” recalled Merriman School chairman, Liam Ó Dochartaigh. “It was published in The Irish Times , but then Marian O’Callaghan and Mary O’Flaherty published it along with a CD of Maeve reading it that was recorded by Sean Jordan, who is our sound man,” he added.

“The following year when the book and CD was launched,” recalled Ms O’Callaghan. “Maeve came down and spoke about how thrilled she was to have ‘a Maeve Binchy CD’. It meant a lot to her, because this was her writing her own story, then reading at the Merriman School which she loved,” she added.

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.

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.

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.

IT IS waves of a different type that will be emulating from Loophead Lighthouse later this month, as radio enthusiasts broadcast through the local airwaves.

The newly promoted tourist attraction will be amongst hundreds of lighthouses and lightships worldwide to participate in a unique event aimed at promoting public awareness of lighthouses and lightships.

The Limerick Radio Club, comprising members from Clare, Limerick, Kerry and Tipperary, will broadcast non-stop for 48 hours from the West Clare lighthouse on August 18 and 19 as part of the 15th International Lighthouse /Lightship Weekend (ILLW).

During the broadcast, visitors to the lighthouse will be able to listen into communications with some of the other participating ham radio operators broadcasting from 400 other lighthouses and lightships in 50 countries.

The annual event, which is conducted under the sponsorship of the Ayr Amateur Radio Group (AARG) in Scotland, is always held on the third full weekend in August starting at 0001 UTC on Saturday and finishing at 2359 UTC on Sunday.

It also coincides with International Lighthouse Day on the Sunday, an event organised by the Association of Lighthouse Keepers whereby many world lighthouses are open to the public for the day.

Since last year however Loophead Lighthouse has opened its doors to thousands of visitors throughout the summer. Simon Kenny, Chairperson of Limerick Radio Club, said the club was privileged to be allowed to operate from Loophead this year for the very first time.

“We hope to open long distance communications with regions in Asia, through Europe, North and South America, Australia and New Zealand. A special QSL Card (confirmation of communication) has been designed to mark the event. Club membership is open to individuals from all walks of life who are interested in radio communications, electronic construction and antenna design. The club will operate two stations, one of which will be at the entrance to the lighthouse so members of the public can listen to some of the transmissions.”

Director of Services for Clare County Council Ger Dollard is responsible for tourism in the county and believes participation in this initiative will help promote Loophead Lighthouse across the world, “while at the same time helps to promote amateur radio and to foster international goodwill”.

EMPLOYMENT numbers at the Shannon Development managed Free Zone dropped by three per cent in 2011 as the company grappled with the demands of the economic recession, but there are still over 7,700 working in the industrial estate.

The Shannon Development annual report shows that employment numbers were boosted by 406 over the past year, which when measured against job losses of 580 over the same period meant that there was a net loss of 174 for the year.

“Shannon Free Zone is home to over 100 companies and generating almost € 3 billion in annual sales, more than 90 per cent of which are to export markets.

“Despite the economic downturn, Shannon Free Zone continues to be a strong revenue generator for the local economy.

Companies based at the Free Zone collectively contribute over € 600 million to the Irish and Shannon region economies annually in areas such as staff payroll, materials and services.

“While overall employment at the Zone fell 3 per cent year on year, it should be noted that almost 90 per cent of these job losses were the result of downsizing and not closures, enabling Shannon Development to continue working with these companies to identify new market opportunities. The company is encouraged by the slowdown in job losses, reporting a net loss of 174 jobs during the year. Jobs in indigenous companies at Shannon Free Zone continued to grow in 2011, in the past two years indigenous jobs have increased by over 10 per cent from 949 to 1,045,” the annual report adds.

Among the job highlights in 2011 was the announcement by Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton of 170 new jobs to be created through a joint partnership between US company ZAGG International Distribution Ltd and Irish company CREGG Logistics.

The jobs are supported by Shannon Development and ZAGG is confident of creating a further 130 jobs over the next four years.

In addition, Bustec, the Shannon Free Zone-based technology firm, announced a $21 million (€ 15 million) contract with US technology firm Lockheed Martin to supply data capture and testing equipment which will be used by the US Navy.

“Considerable progress was made on marketing the Free Zone to potential overseas investors in 2011,” says the annual report.

During the year, Shannon Development succeeded in securing 19 itineraries from prospective new clients for the Shannon Free Zone, seven of which were generated in partnership with IDA Ireland.

“Shannon Development approved financial supports to Shannon Free Zone companies in 2011, which leveraged investments of € 13 million by these companies. A total of 20 Shannon Free Zone companies received Shannon Development support packages across key areas such as R&D, employment, management development, international marketing supports and training.

“These supports illustrate Shannon Development’s commitment to enable Free Zone companies maintain market leadership and underpins their future growth and success,” the reports adds.

PARTS of the mid-west experienced twice the amount of average rainfall during June and July, according to Met Eireann.

Figures for July recorded at Met Eireann’s station at Shannon Airport was 140 per cent of average in July.

Temperatures were also 1.4 per cent lower than average. The highest mean temperature, however, was recorded at Shannon Airport at 14.9 degrees. Met Eireann spokesman Hugh Daly explained that the rainfall for June and July was significantly higher than normal.

He said, “After a wet June and a wet July, we’ve had two pretty bad months. Not record-breaking bad or out of the ordinary like we’ve previously had. In June and July, rainfall recorded at Shannon was 240 per cent of average, which is significant. That’s twice the normal amount of rainfall for the two months.”

Mr Daly continued, “Having one bad month on top of another has really compounded the situation. A constant period of heavy rainfall meant the saturated soils did not have the time to recover. We had low pressure and northerly winds keeping temperatures down and rainfall high.”

“We had no string of pleasant days, it was constantly interrupted by rain. I was looking through the charts there and I couldn’t find one day in where it wasn’t raining in any part of the country. It was always raining somewhere,” he added.

Apart from being bad news for farmers, the poor weather is also contributing to a decline in domestic tourism in the west.

According to Eugene Maher, CEO of Shannon Ferries, the near constant bad weather is convincing many families to cancel short breaks and day trips.

He explained, “The biggest decline has been in domestic traffic. People just can’t afford to go anywhere anymore. People are not taking long journeys, long trips. That’s a consequence of both domestic economic woes, less money in the pocket, as much as it due to the weather. In tandem with the economic downturn, Ireland has probably experienced five of the worst summers in history that has had a huge damaging effect on domestic tourism.”

THE Chairman of the Clare Branch of the Irish College of General Practitioners has acknowledged that changes are required to the issuing of sick certificates.

Dr Fergus Glynn was speaking following comments made by Judge Patrick Durcan at Ennis District Court on Wednesday.

Judge Durcan has commented in recent weeks about the number of people in Clare who fail to show up for scheduled court appearances.

He has also remarked on the types of letters written by doctors in support of the medical reasons offered by people in explanation for their non-attendance.

On Wednesday, Judge Durcan read out the contents of a letter written by a doctor explaining why his patient could not attend court. Judge Durcan also named the doctor and the address of his practice.

Judge Durcan told the court that the letter stated, “This man has attended my surgery. He has problems with alcohol. He has been vomiting. He tells me he is not feeling well.”

Judge Durcan said, “I don’t want letters from doctors telling me what their patients think. I want letters with their (the doctor’s) opinions.”

Judge Durcan requested a copy of the letter, humorously remarking that he is collecting all doctors’ letters handed to him for inclusion in a book about the subject.

Speaking yesterday, Dr Glynn said, “The current system of sick certs is in need of an overhaul. We recognise that it is imperfect and it is open to abuse by patients.”

However, the Corofin-based doctor said GPs are often placed in “impossible positions” by patients seeking sick certificates.

He said there had been a lot of discussion recently around the issue of sick certificates.

Dr Glynn continued, “We are only acting in good faith on what the patient and client has told us. Very often, doctors are put in difficult if not impossible positions. It is an imperfect system, one that unscrupulous people will try to abuse.”

THERE have been calls for the Garda helicopter to be deployed in the skies over South East Clare to aid crime prevention in the area.

The suggestion was put forward by local councillor Cathal Crowe (FF) at yesterday’s meeting of the Clare Joint Policing Committee.

According to Cllr Crowe, the banks of the River Shannon are the setting for criminal acts including drinking, drug taking and some sexual activity. He also cited recent incidents of “disgusting” vandalism at a graveyard in southeast Clare.

He said the helicopter has already been deployed over parts of Limerick City “100 yards” from the border with Clare.

Cllr Pascal Fitzgerald (Lab) said that for the cost of deploying the helicopter, two more gardaí could probably be put on patrol in the area.

Chief Supt John Kerin said the helicopter is only deployed for “serious and specific” reasons. He said there is some merit in the proposal and that he would raise it with his colleagues in Limerick.

The issue of underage drinking in public places was also discussed at the meeting. Cllr Fitzgerald said drink bylaws must be enforced par ticularly in residential areas.

JPC Chairman, Clr Joe Arkins (FG) said people are making “regular deliveries” of alcohol are providing drink for profit to youngsters.

Cllr Oliver Garry (FG) said parents must take responsibility for their children.

He said, “A lot of them don’t know where their kids are, what they’re doing, what they’re drinking and what they’re smoking.”

Chief Supt John Kerin said there isn’t a massive problem with “bush drinking” in Clare.

In relation to drinking in public places, Chief Supt Kerin said, “There are many estates and villages where it is not illegal for people to drink in public.”