Author: admin

GRAFFITI artists in Ennis could have a wall to call their own if plans put forward by a local councillor get the go-ahead.

At yesterday’s meeting of Clare County Council, Councillor James Breen (Ind) renewed his calls for a graffiti wall to be developed in Ennis.

Cllr Breen, who first proposed the wall last January, told the meeting that graffiti can be a healthy form of therapy for young people.

He said that while he is no expert in the matter, some graffiti could be a “beautiful thing”.

He said that by developing a dedi cated facility for graffiti in Ennis, young people wouldn’t have to be worried about being “hunted away” from other locations.

Cllr Gerry Flynn (Ind) proposed that primary and secondary school make walls available for graffiti.

He said, “We’ve actually left some of the graffiti in place (in Shannon) because it is of such a high standard.”

Cllr Cathal Crowe said it had been shown that there are therapeutic benefits to be derived from graffiti. He said a graffiti wall would help alleviate distasteful graffiti in other parts of Ennis. Cllr Breen told the meeting that he wasn’t trying to foist a graffiti wall on communities in Ennis.

He added, “I think Lees Road would be a good facility for a graffiti wall.”

The Director of Services, Gerard Dollard, stated that Lees Road had previously been forward as a location for the wall.

He explained, “The Management Committee of the Lees Road facil ity was subsequently requested to consider the provision of a graffiti wall. The matter was discussed at a meeting of Ennis Town Council’s Leisure Facilities Committee. It was agreed by the committee that the matter would be reconsidered in 12 months.”

The proposal was due to be discussed at yesterday’s committee meeting.

“It should be noted that no funding source has been identified for such a project and, in the event that the provision of such a facility was considered more appropriate for the Lees Road facility, such a funding source would have to be identified. The proposer of the motion may wish to suggest other possible locations that could be considered if a funding source was available,” he said.

SINN Féin leader, Gerry Adams, has left the door open for a number of former party members in Clare to return to fold, but has closed the door on expelled members such as Shannon Cllr Cathy McCafferty (Ind), saying she was expelled for a “good reason”. The Louth TD, who was in Ennis last week to campaign for a ‘No’ vote in the upcoming European Fiscal Treaty, refused to give a reason why the Shannon councillor was expelled from the Sinn Féin party earlier this year.

“After the last election we initiated a review right across the island of Ireland, looking at where we need to shape our organisation – looking at where we were strong and how we could change things where we were weak. We did this in Clare and some local people objected to what was brought forward,” said Deputy Adams.

“It was all done democratically. Some people left and some people were dismissed. We are in a new era. We have a sizable vote in the county, I think that is seen in European elections, it is seen when Martin McGuinness stands, but we have no local representative and we have to crack that. It isn’t a matter of cracking that for a ego trip, it is a matter of correcting things so we can start to serve people in a matter that we think is best for the people of this county.

“I am very hopeful and very confident that the changes that we have made [in Clare], which have been done in consultation with local people, will lead to greater traction to the party in Clare.

“All parties have their democratic process and their disciplinary process. The fact is that a small number of people who were expelled, were expelled for a good reason. We don’t want to end up being complicated for all or any of that. It has happened, people part company in every organisation and every political party. It is done, it’s dusted, it is regrettable, but sin é, that’s it, we move on.

“Those who have not been expelled, there is a process for anyone who wants to come back into the party. There is a process in place for those people. That is a decision for them, it isn’t a decision for us. We can’t altogether blind ourselves to the fact that part of the lack of the development of the party [in Clare] is the refusal of some to go with the way that the party is building itself across the island. If it works in County Antrim, if it work in Kerry and in Donegal, it can also work in Clare. But it needs a full hearted involvement by the local members. A political party, at least one like the one we want to build, can only be built from the bottom up.”

LIFE IS returning to normal today for the family of an East Clare farmer who, after becoming trapped in his own slurry tank on Saturday, was rescued without suffering serious injury.

The man, who is in his 40s, was cleaning the slatted house on his farm in Aughrim, just outside Scariff, on Saturday when a manhole cover gave way.

The man fell into the 10-foot-deep slurry tank which, luckily for him, was only half-full at the time. The man was discovered by his mother when she heard him shouting and contacted the emergency services.

Two neighbours were able to res- cue the man before the arrival of the emergency services, lowering a ladder into the pit and allowing the man to climb free. The fire service’s first responders assessed the man in his home and established that he did not require hospitalisation.

According to East Clare farmer and Clare President of the ICMSA, Martin McMahon, it will take the man and his family some time to get over this traumatic experience.

“It is a big shock to the whole community. When you hear about an incident like this, with a man falling into a slurry pit, well my sympathies do go out to the man and his family,” said Martin.

“I am sure they are all overjoyed that he was able to come out of this alive but his confidence will have taken a knock.

“The biggest problem for farm safety in Clare now is farmers work ing on their own. Too many farmers have no choice but to be alone. They could be out of contact with anyone for six or eight hours at a stretch and, no matter how good or how careful you are, something can always go wrong.

“There is always a risk, you can always slip. That’s why it is so important for farmers to keep their mobile phones with them at all time. A lot of farmers in Clare are part-time farmers at the moment, so there may not even be a neighbour in the vicinity to hear you. You could be working three or four miles from the nearest other person, and that is dangerous.”

CLARE County Council yesterday put itself forward to play a major role in the steering group which will implement the separation of Shannon Airport from the Dublin Airport Authority.

County Manager, Tom Coughlan, yesterday outlined the local authority’s plan for influencing the restructuring the management of the airport, but said that the steering group must be established immediately if it going to succeed.

Speaking at yesterday’s May meeting of Clare County Council, Mr Coughlan put forward a timeline for change to take place at the airport saying that the steering group should be up and running, and making reports to government before the end of the year.

“The steering group must be established immediately and must include representatives from the local authorities,” said Mr Coughlan.

“The terms of reference of the steering group must be concise and a clear time line must be set, within the current year, for the reporting of the steering group, for decisions by government, for legislative change and for the implementation of Government decisions.

“The steering group must focus on achieving an increase in passen- ger traffic and a mechanism must be identified to achieve this objective in the short, medium and long term.”

The county manager also poised a number of questions that needed to be clarified before the proposed reorganising of Shannon Airport can be completed. These include some uncertainty about the workers at Shannon Airport, will the airport remain an “international” airport or will it be re-designated as a regional airport and will Clare County Council have a role to plan in the plans being drawn up by organisations such as the IDA and Fáilte Ireland.

VICTIMS of clerical child sex abuse or those with knowledge of abuse that has been perpetrated against children in Clare have this week been urged to step forward and alert the relevant authorities of these crimes.

The move that has been signalled as part of a new clerical child sex abuse awareness campaign being mounted by the Diocese of Killaloe throughout the county during the month of May.

This campaign was launched in the past week, just as the Catholic hierarchy was rocked by fresh abuse allegations surrrounding the investigation of notorious paedophile priest, Fr Brendan Smyth, that has left future of Cardinal Sean Brady as primate of all Ireland hanging in the balance.

As part of what the diocese has called “the importance of safeguarding children”, those who have suffered abuse in Clare have been urged to alert the Garda Siochána, the Health Services Executive or the Killaloe Diocese directly.

Throughout Clare those “concerned that someone you know is at risk in relation to a child safeguarding concern, or you wish to raise a matter from the past” have been told to come forward immediately.

“If you have grounds for concern about the welfare of a child you must act immediately to the statutory authorities and/or diocesan designated persons as soon as possible,” the Diocese of Killaloe has said.

“The designated persons will liaise with the statutory authorities – the Gardai the HSE and also the Bishop and the National Board for safeguarding children,” the diocese has added.

Since 2003, over € 2m has been paid out to victims of clerical child sex abuse in the Diocese of Killaloe. Money given victims are labelled as ‘Special Payments’ in the annual diocesan accounts published every year.

THE number of people born on Clare soil swelled by one in the early hours of Friday morning when baby Eirinn Christina Robbins Logue came into the world on the side of the road in Corofin. Eirinn’s parents, Caralyn Robbins and Phil Logue, were about to drop their two older children at their aunt’s house at Laghtagoona in Corofin before carrying on to hospital in Galway, when Eirinn decided that her big moment had arrived.

The momentous birth took plance on the road outside Caralyn’s sister Crystel’s house, with dad Phil acting as a more than capable midwife.

CLARE County Council is demanding representation of the government appointed steering committee that will be charged with implementation of Shannon’s new status as a stand alone semi-state airport independent of the Dublin Airport Authority.

And the council is also demanding a seat on the board of the new Shan- non Airport management company that’s put in place by this steering committee as the final piece of the independence jigsaw.

This wish list of Clare’s premier decision making body was aired at a meeting of the local authority’s Strategic Policy Committee for Community and Enterprise, Tourism and Emergency Services in Áras an Chláir on Monday morning.

“We should write to Minister Var- adkar, impressing on him the need to put that steering committee in place as soon as is possible,” said Cllr Joe Arkins (FG), “and

We want representation on that committee and have to demand it”.

Expanding on Clare County Council’s demands, former Mayor of Clare, Cllr Tommy Brennan (Ind) called on the Minister for Transport, Leo Varadkar, to “set up the new board and Clare County Council should have proper representation on it”.

“Before the new board is put in place the DAA still have control of Shannon and they aren’t going to spend a great deal of time focusing on Shannon,” warned Cllr Richard Nagle.

“It won’t be a priority, so it is imperative for the well-being of the airport that this steering committee is put in place very quickly and that it has very clear and focused objec- tives and a very aggressive marketing strategy because that’s the only way the airport is going to be turned around,” he added.

Members of the SPC resolved to write to Minister Varadkar seeking a meeting over the next couple of weeks, with a deputation of councillors, business and tourism interests in the region airing their views and vision for an independent Shannon Airport.

THERE are more questions than answers surrounding the future of Shannon Development and the exact role it is going to play in the new “Shannon entity”. Even the company itself is taking time to see what the future holds, as the briefest of outlines of its future was announced last week.

Shannon Development welcomed the separation of Shannon Airport from the Dublin Authority.

“There is still a lot of detail to be worked out around the new structure and operation of the new entity, but today’s announcement is undoubtedly a major step towards creating a new entity which will act as a catalyst for growth for the wider region in the years to come,” a spokesperson for the state company said.

She admitted, however, that it was difficult for Shannon Development to comment fully as it was still unsure of the details. “There are implications for Shannon Development’s longstanding economic development operations, but at this early stage it is difficult to assess the implications of the proposed restructuring, and the company will be taking time to reflect on the announcement. To this end, Shannon Development will work closely with the various Government departments concerned to get clarification for staff and clients around the decision as soon as possible,” she said.

There was little of a fully-formed plan evident in the Government’s announcement on Wednesday, which said the company would be brought together with the independent airport “to form a new entity with a commercial mandate in public ownership.”

“This decision represents a new beginning for the Shannon region, involving a drive to develop a worldclass aviation industry in Shannon, and a restructuring of tourism and enterprise support agencies in the region to support this goal,” the government statement said.

“The new entity will have a clear mandate, working closely with the IDA and Enterprise Ireland to develop the potential of the aviation sector, and will explore other opportunities with those agencies for further prospective investments in the region.”

As stated in the Clare People last week, the Government confirmed that Shannon Development’s functions in relation to indigenous enterprise and foreign direct investment would transfer to Enterprise Ireland and IDA respectively, and the tourism functions of Shannon Development, including Regional Tourism Offices, will transfer to Fáilte Ireland.

“This new entity will continue to support the property needs of IDA/ EI clients in the area,” the statement said.

The only specific information revealed stated that the Ministers would establish a Steering Group “to determine the most effective organisational structure of the new entity, develop an implementation strategy for the new body and a plan setting out how the entity will help to achieve strong regional development, while ensuring the highest standard of support for enterprises in the region. The Group’s guiding principle will be the future development of the Shannon area.”

“The Steering Group will in particular assess the feasibility of creating an international aviation centre of excellence centred on Shannon Airport. The Steering Group may establish expert sub groups to assist in this work. The best positioning of the successful Shannon Heritage operation within the State sector will also be considered as part of the deliberations in the months ahead,” it stated.

A FORMER worker with Clare County Council who sexually assaulted young boys over a 27-year period has been sentenced to six years in prison.

Sean Leamy (61) with an address at Main Street, Tulla was convicted yesterday at Ennis Circuit Criminal Court.

He had pleaded guilty to 21 counts of sexual / indecent assault. The offences took place in areas, including courthouses in Tulla and Sixmilebridge from 1978 to 2005.

The court heard that Mr Leamy, a secretary and former member of the Tulla Pipe Band, worked for Clare County Council for over 30 years.

The victims were aged between seven and 14.

The court heard that Mr Leamy would strike up a relationship with boys by asking them about horse riding. During the assaults he would ask them to strike him with a jockey’s whip.

Statements from the five victims were read out in court. One man said that he had battled with alcohol and depression in his adult life.

Another of the injured parties said, “As a result of the abuse I suffered from Sean Leamy, my innocence was lost.”

One man said in his statement that he had given up playing rugby and hurling after the abuse. He said the accused had killed his love of music.

“I tried to kill myself,” he added.

Detective Garda Stephen Ryan of Shannon Garda Station led the investigation into Sean Leamy.

He said the accused had fully cooperated with gardaí and made a full admission.

Counsel for Mr Leamy, Mark Ni- cholas, said his client unreservedly apologised to all the victims.

He said from a position where he enjoyed some standing, his client had become a “social pariah” in his community. He said, “He is not welcome, ignored and despised. His reputation is in tatters and rightly so.”

The court heard that Mr Leamy has no previous convictions.

Judge Carol Moran said the accused had been an active member of the community in Tulla. He said the abuse in some cases was “regular and continuous”.

He added, “What’s really scandalous about it is that it took place over a period of 27 years. This is a bad case.”

Noting the accused’s early plea of guilty and the isolation he has experienced in his own community, Judge Moran imposed sentences totaling six years.

AFTER A year of strictly balancing the books, Kilrush Town Council has a surplus fund to support two local projects and pay off an old debt.

According to the council’s Annual Financial Statement, the savings were achieved through cuts in expenditure during the year across most services divisions, strict budgetary controls and prudent financial management. This all resulted in an overall surplus of € 2,165 for the year 2011.

In light of the results, the council agreed to set aside € 40,000 for development works at the proposed Cooraclare Road Sports Development and € 12,000 for the recently adopted shop front grant scheme.

A further € 20,000 is to be used to pay off the terminating contract for the controversial superloo.

Welcoming the outcome of the fiscal report for 2011, Cllr Liam Wil- liams (FG) said that every effort must be made to ensure that the Cooraclare Sports Facility remains top of the town council’s agenda.

“We must make every effort to get grants for the facility. It has to be a priority for this year,” he said.

Cllr Paul Moroney (Ind) agreed that € 20,000 towards riding the town of the superloo was money well spent.

It was not easy for the council’s financial department, led by Colette Costello, to balance the 2011 budget however as the “percentage yields from rates and housing rents are a reflection of the difficult financial situation business and house holds presently find themselves in.”

Town Clerk John Corry told council members, however, that the rate collection “compares favourably to the towns and is the largest collection rate in the county.” He said legal proceedings would be a last resort in an effort to secure money owed from rents and rates, as the council tries to “focus on people who are in difficulty” and try to facilitate tenants.

To date, 76 per cent of commercial rates have been collected, the same amount as 2010, while 90 per cent of rents have been paid, down three per cent on the previous year. There was also a sharp reduction in income relating to Development Contributions in 2011, which according to council officials reflects the current economic climate. The development income for 2011 had fallen to € 3,397 from a high of € 273,096 in 2007.

Mayor of Kilrush, Cllr Ian Lynch (FG) told the members it was a challenge at the beginning of 2011 to work out how the ever-decreasing budget would provide services for the town and its citizens.

Having achieved that with a surplus, the mayor said he hoped that Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government would consider such achievements of town councils as he considers their fate.