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TWO Kilkee community groups were prevented from providing 20 nights of local entertainment due to what has been described as “exorbitant” costs charged by the theatre at Cultúrlann Sweeney. According to Kilkee town councillor Paddy Collins (FG), Kilkee Amphitheatre was quoted € 4,200 to stage 10 shows at the Clare County Council-run theatre. They would also be required to pay up to seven per cent of ticket charges. “They usually make € 1,000 to € 1, 500 when they were in the community centre,” he said.

Likewise the Kilkee Civic Trust was prevented from using the theatre for its popular summer talks due to high costs. Cllr Collins said the voluntary group that hosts the talks free of charge were asked to pay € 1,500 for the use of the theatre.

“The two groups wanted to use the theatre for 20 out of the 60 nights in July and August,” he said. “Both had to pull out. There are now just four nights booked for the remainder of July and August.”

He said that Kilkee National School also wished to hold a presentation night at the theatre but could not afford to, due to costs.

The Kilkee councillor told a meet- ing of the West Clare County Councillors last evening (Monday) that there are now fears that the theatre, which was opened in February, will be “moth balled”.

“The theatre is state of the art but it is not being used due to the exorbitant cost.”

He said it was being run as a commercial business rather than a community facility. “I don’t feel that Clare County Council and the Arts Council are suitable to run this,” he added calling for a board of management to take over the role.

Since the library and theatre opened five months ago it has been run by Clare County Council.

Director of Services Anne Haugh said that the last meeting of Kilkee Town Council was advised that the local authority would review the rates at the end of the season. She added that it is being operated on a full cost basis.

Cllr Collins argues however that as the theatre and library was funded by donations from a Kilkee emigrant the building also belongs to Kilkee.

It was agreed that he would meet with the Director of Services responsible for Cultúrlann Sweeney Bernadette Kinsella, mayor Claire Haugh (FF), and local county councillors Pat Keane (FF) and Gabriel Keating (FG) in a bid to find a resolution.

A LIMERICK teenager who engaged in “blaggardly behaviour” in Killaloe and Clonlara has been sentenced to eights months detention for theft and criminal damage offences.

Thomas Kiely (19), with an address at Barnakyle, Patrickswell, Limerick, pleaded guilty to the theft of a car stereo at Twomilegate, a popular viewing spot, on May 27. He also pleaded guilty to a charge of criminal damage arising out the same incident.

Mr Kiely also pleaded guilty to stealing € 50 of diesel from a farmer at Kildooras, Clonlara in the early hours of July 20.

Inspector Tom Kennedy said the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had directed summary disposal of the matter.

After hearing a brief outline of the facts, Judge Patrick Durcan accepted jurisdiction.

Insp Kennedy told the court that Mr Kiely had driven to the farm at 1.50am and started to fill his car with diesel. He said the farmer saw the accused from his house.

The court heard that the man and his son, who is a member of the gardaí, tackled Mr Kiely and prevented him from leaving the scene.

Insp Kennedy told the court that Mr Kiely had broken into a car at Twomilegate, near Killaloe, and taken a car stereo valued at € 250.

He said Mr Kiely, whose fingerprints were found at the scene, was arrested and subsequently made admissions.

Solicitor Shiofra Hassett said her client had made full admissions in respect of both incidents. She said, “He is not trying to hide. He is extremely apologetic”.

Ms Hassett said her client is living at home with his family and is aware of the negative influence he is having on his younger siblings. The court heard that Mr Kiely has 11 previous convictions.

Judge Patrick Durcan said that the accused had broken into a car while “some innocent citizen went for a leisurely stroll.” He said, “This is blag- gardly behaviour of the worst kind, breaking into this car.”

In relation to what he called the “more serious incident”, Judge Durcan said a farmer “had the misfortune to look out the window and see, in a blaggardly fashion, his diesel being stolen.”

He continued, “Someone who violates someone’s private property commits a most serious offence”.

He said, “I regard this as one of the most serious offences I have adjudicated.”

Judge Durcan imposed a threemonth sentence for the theft of the stereo and three months for criminal damage, to be served concurrently.

He imposed a five-month sentence for the theft of diesel, to be served consecutive to the three- month sentence.

He also disqualified Mr Kiely from driving for a period of two years. Judge Durcan warned that offenders who attack the farming community or violate the domestic privacy of a home would be dealt with in the most forceful fashion by the court.

A CLARE teenager could be on the way to becoming the next Mark Zuckerberg through his creation of PearUp – a new social network based on sports.

Bunratty youngster, Tiernan Kennedy, is currently in New York where he and two of his classmates from Trinity College Dublin have been accepted into a prestigious incubator programme organised by American conglomerate General Electric.

The intensive 10-week incubator course is intended to bring the best and the brightest of young technical stars – in an effort to further their business start-ups. Tiernan, along with his co-company founders Alex Mann and Dermot Markey are the only non-American students accepted to the Manhattan course.

PearUp is a new form of social network which aims to link together people with different sporting interests in different parts of the world. It is operational as a mobile app for smart-phones and works by allowing strangers to meet and play in sporting events together.

While the application is aimed at individuals looking for people to play sports with, it is primarily aimed at sports clubs who can use its software as a virtual booking agency.

When the programme comes to an end of August 17, Tiernan and the rest of the PearUp founders will get a chance to pitch to General Electric executive for the chance to win € 10,000 in start-up capital.

Tiernan nearly missed out on taking part in competition as the PearUp’s entry to the event was only confirmed weeks before the start of the incubator programme – leaving them without enough time to obtain visas to travel to America.

However, after letters were written on their behalf by former Tánaiste, Dick Spring (Lab) as well as US Congressman Todd Akin and highprofile venture capitalist, Will Porteous, they were able to process their visas in just two and a half weeks.

Despite missing out on the first eight days of the programme, Tiernan and the rest of the PearUp team are reported to be competing well with their American counterparts.

For more information on the PearUp website visit www.pearup. tumblr.com.

Kat hl een McMAHON (nee
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A CLARE-BASED national organization that looks after the interests of over 100 carers groups around the country has rowed in with its support for a new strategy that has been devised by the Government and launched by Taoiseach Enda Kenny.

Caring for Carers Ireland has said that the new strategy called ‘The National Carers Strategy: Recognised, Supported, Empowered’, included commitments from all Government Departments to meet the demands and needs of Ireland’s growing number of family carers of all ages

“As far back as 1988, the Department of Health expressed its desire to enable older people to live with dignity and to be cared for as long as possible in their own homes,” said Mary McMahon, CEO of Caring for Carers Ireland. “24 years on, the Government has produced a strategy that we feel provides the framework that will guide the future of caring in the community and help to support a fair and equitable system for family carers in challenging times.

“There are over 74,000 males and 113,000 females registered as family carers in Ireland, including 4,288 carers under the age of 15, who collectively contribute € 2.5 billion to the national economy each year.”

The new strategy was produced by the Minister For Disability, Equality, Mental Health and Older People, Kathleen Lynch.

Brigid Barron, Innovation and Programme Manager, Caring for Carers Ireland, noted that the publication of the strategy is “timely” as the pressures faced by family carers through- out Ireland have never been greater.

She continued: “The demand for support mechanisms to be put in place for family carers are increasing on a daily basis as a result of early discharges from hospitals, the growing need for long-term care for Ireland’s ageing population and the increase in the numbers of people with complex health issues being cared for in their home by family members. This strategy is geared toward including family carers in care planning and decision making for those that they care for, and the promotion of supports and services to protect the physical, mental and emotional health and wellbeing of carers.

“Caring for Carers Ireland, on behalf of its members, now looks forward to a speedy implementation of the proposals outlined in the Strategy,” Ms Barron concluded.

ORGANISERS appear intent on pressing ahead with plans for an impromptu Project X style party in Ennis despite Garda concerns.

Invitations have been issued on the social networking site Facebook for people to come to the unlicensed party planned for Ennis on Saturday, August 4.

The event was advertised for Tim Smyth Park in the centre of Ennis on a Facebook events page over the past two weeks with 2,600 people indicating that they would come.

The site attracted thousands of comments as well as the attention of local Gardaí who visited the Ennis teenager believed to be responsible for posting the invitation online.

The invitation encouraged people to bring as much alcohol as possible and to ignore the concerns of emergency services. There was also reference to bonfires being lit.

Speaking last week, a Garda spokesman said the person was “inviting people to infringe on the law”. “It isn’t on and it’s something that we would take a very stern view on.”

He added, “The Fair Green had been put forward as one location and there was some talk of it going on in the GAA field in Lissycasey. We know who the individual is. We will be visiting that person in relation to what is being planned.”

The original Facebook page appears to have been taken down from the website.

However a different Facebook page – titled Project X Clare – seen yesterday by

A PLAN for the development of the mid-west region for the next 20 years has been branded a “complete waste of money”.

The € 1.2 million Mid West Area Strategic Plan (MWASP) will cost Clare County Council € 184,000, yet local county councillors claim that its main concern is furthering the development of Limerick City at the expense of Clare.

Cllr PJ Kelly (FF), who is a member of the Mid West Regional Authority, is particularly critical of the plan stating, “It is a document that serves no purpose other than to further the needs of Limerick City.”

The plan is described as a “Planning Land Use and Transportation Strategy” that covers North Tipperary, Limerick City and Limerick County and County Clare.

However following the next local elections in 2014 Tipperary North will cease to exist, as it will be amalgamated with Tipperary South.

Cllr Kelly has now called for the plan to be reviewed if there is any “territorial change”.

Following the local authority changes in Tipperary, the Clare county councillor believes Tipperary North will have to be omitted or the South included making the current plan, which is in its final draft stage, nul and void.

Senior Planner with Clare County Council Gordon Daly told The Clare People that the MWASP was similar to strategies that have been prepared in other parts of the country.

Asked about the costings he explained, “The overall cost of the strategy over a four to five year period is € 1.2m. A grant of € 600,000 was received from the Department of Transport, primarily focused on the transportation and smarter travel assessments of the plan. This would have involved a substantial amount of survey work and traffic counts. The balance of the funding (€ 600,000) is shared between the four local authorities in the region on the basis of population. The overall cost to Clare County Council over the four to five year period is approximately € 184,000,” he said.

“Also, one of the main benefits of MWASP has been the development of an overall transport model which is available to the local authority for future traffic assessments and the model is available to Clare County Council and can be used by the council in the future,” added the senior planner.

SAINT Joseph’s Education Centre in Ennis was the scene of a new programme for Channel 5 shortly before the unit closed last month under Government financial restrictions.

Staff and students were chuffed to be hosts for the television crew along with Paddy Doherty, celebrity Big Brother winner, and Sally Bercow, wife of the Speaker of the House of Commons, who are central characters in the production. It is being filmed also in Hungary, Spain and Malaysia.

Paddy and the entire company visited other parts of Ireland meet- ing Travellers and researching his heritage in the course of filming. In the Ennis centre, which has been for many years a dedicated facility for Traveller training and education, there were takes such as showing his culinary art in the kitchen.

Paddy and his wife of 34 years, Roseanne, live in England. They have five children and fifteen grandchildren. He says his Irish roots are part of him. The centres in Ireland for Traveller education intrigued him, arousing a desire to get involved with some of the classes.

It was an exciting day at St. Joseph’s and Paddy was very popular among staff and students.

The Channel 5 programme will be screened in September, looking at Traveller and gypsy community life. Last August, Paddy was the third person to enter the ‘Celebrity Big Brother 2011’ house. He made it to the final and was crowned winner, beating Kerry Katona.

In January of this year he appeared in a two-part Channel 5 documen tary, ‘When Paddy met Sally,’ with former Big Brother housemate Sally Bercow.

The Ennis Traveller’s Training Centre was the first in the country. It started as part of a Combat Poverty Programme in 1974. At that time, it was located in the grounds of the Holy Family School, Ennis. In 1982 the centre moved to new building at the Gort road industrial estate.

St Joseph’s, which is located in the Gort Road industrial estate, will close as a traveler only training centre on June 29. The building closed as a traveler only training centre in May.

It is intended that the building will become the first all-purpose skills unit in Ennis.

THE Banner County’s multicultural community will be celebrated on Saturday at the eighth annual Clare Intercultural Festival.

The festival, which takes place at St Flannan’s College is organised in collaboration with the Clare Women’s Network, Ennis Community Development Project, Clarecare and the Clare Immigrant Support Centre.

The festival’s showpiece event is an intercultural seven-a-side soccer tournament that brings together people from all communities living in Clare.

Gaelic football, hurling, camogie, handball and cricket also for part of a busy sporting programme.

Workshops will include drumming, fun yoga, laughter yoga, qigong and Louise L Hay’s positive thinking, zumba and set dancing.

Fun for children will include an art workshop, drama workshop, face painting, hair braiding and a special visit from Elmo the Clown.

There will be music and poetry from many countries. Mayor of Clare, councillor Pat Daly (FF) will be guest of honour on the day and will present the winning trophies.

Alphonse Basogomba from Clare Intercultural Network said, “Since the festival began in 2005, it has be come a popular gathering of people coming from many different countries and backgrounds and celebrates the enormous diversity of nationalities living in Clare and truly reflects Clare for the global village which it has become.” He added, “Last year the festival attracted people from more than fifty countries including Ireland. This year promises to be an even greater and more popular event. Treat yourself and come along with your friends and families.”

This event is free of charge.

IN THE last year Clare Suicide Bereavement Support has received more calls than ever before.

Spokesperson for the voluntary group Owen O’Mahony cannot be sure however if the increase in numbers can be attributed to an increase in deaths or the change in the group’s name from Living Links in the past 12 months.

Either way the organisation is proving a necessary support in County Clare as more people seek out its service.

The group is run completely by volunteers and provides one to one befriending at home or at an agreed location, family support and a healing programme. A monthly group support meeting is also held.

“We don’t approach people we feel that is intrusive. We wait for people to contact us,” explained Mr O’Mahony, adding it was essential that the bereaved know this help was available.

He said while people eventually learn to go on and live their lives the most difficult issues to resolve for most is the question “why”.

“They really don’t find an answer to it but they learn to take up activities and live again,” he added.

As many as eight volunteers work for the service which now has a premises in the Roslevan Shopping Centre, Ennis.

Mr O’Mahony stresses that the volunteers are not councillors but will help someone find such support if it is required.

Mostly people get a lot off their chest through the service and begin a healing process.

“People find if they can talk and realise what they are feeling is normal it helps,” explained Mr O’Mahony.

Those wishing to contact Clare Suicide Bereavement Support can do so by calling 086 0565373 or 087 3698315 or get further information on www.claresuicidebereavementsupport.com.