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TWO Clare towns are set to benefit from improved broadband services following a multi-million euro joint venture between the ESB and telecommuncations giant Vodafone.

ESB and Vodafone have signed an agreement to invest € 450 million in building a 100 per cent fibre-to-thebuilding broadband network offering speeds from 200 Mbps to 1000 Mbps.

Ireland will also become the first country in Europe to utilise existing electricity infrastructure on a nationwide basis to deploy fibre directly into homes and businesses, initially reaching 500,000 premises in 50 towns.

The broadband scheme is expected to be rolled out in Ennis and Shannon. The fibre will be deployed on ESB’s existing overhead and underground infrastructure.

The ESB and Vodafone say that direct access to 100 per cent fibre broadband of up to one gigabit per second will transform the internet experience of small and medium businesses (SME), remote workers and consumers.

Subject to European Commission approval, the 50:50 joint venture will begin rolling-out the new network across Ireland in the coming months, with the first customers able to avail of 100 per cent fibre broadband from the start of 2015. The initial phase of the project is expected to be fully rolled-out by the end of 2018.

Pat O’Doherty, Chief Executive of ESB, said, “This innovative ESB-led initiative is a major milestone for Ireland as the fibre broadband network will be a key enabler for a knowledge-based, services-led economy that will help to attract investment to Ireland. This fibre infrastructure will use ESB’s existing electricity infrastructure, maximising the use of state assets to the benefit of Irish society.”

According to Fine Gael Deputy, Joe Carey, the investment will “help to both attract new investment and sustain existing businesses, as well as improving the quality of broadband available in people’s homes”.

THE auction of the year was to have been the sale of the correspondence between Jackie Kennedy and a priest in All Hallows College in Dublin, but they were withdrawn at the 11th hour because a dispute over their ownership.

Now, the seminary which is closing has come back for more with another auction that will take place over three days, with one of the lots providing an historic link with Clare.

It’s contained the collection of art that will go under the hammer at Sheppards Auctioneers from Durrow in Laois – a portrait of the Clareborn Archbishop of Perth Patrick Joseph Clune.

Archbishop Clune was born in Ruan in 1864, educated at St Flannan’s College and All Hallows College. He was ordained a priest in 1886 before his first appointment was to St Patrick’s College in New South Wales.

From there he rose through the ranks of the Church and became Bishop of Perth in 1911 before being elevated to archbishopric in 1913, a position he held until his death in 1935.

Though he lived nearly all of his adult life in Australia, Archbishop Clune was given a key part to play in War of Independence in Ireland when British Prime Minister, Lloyd George turned to the Ruan man to act as a mediator with Irish leaders to secure a cessation of violence.

This was despite the fact that at the time Archbishop Clune made no secret of the fact that he was a keen supporter of the Sinn Féin movement. “I admire their gallantry. When Mr Lloyd George termed them assassins I was content to reply to him: ‘No not murderers but the cream of their race’,” he said.

Archbishop Clune’s portrait is one of 14 ecclesiastical paintings that will go under the hammer in the highly anticipated auction and could fetch up to € 2, 500.

THE first in a series of controlled explosions at the site of the new Doolin Pier took place last Wednesday, without any significant harm coming to local sea mammals, including Dusty the Dolphin.

The blasting, which is being carried out by Clare contractors, L&M Keating Ltd, had been scheduled to take place on a number of occasion earlier this month but had been delayed because of weather.

The explosions took place just after 9.10pm last Thursday evening. A number of members of the Clare based, Irish Whale and Dolphin [IWDG] were in the area to over see the explosions.

With Dusty basing herself on the Aran Islands for the last number of months, no sea mammals were harmed in the explosions – with a small number of fish the only reported casualties.

“The Marine Mammal Mitigation Plan was successfully delivered by IWDG and no marine mammals were affected. Despite heavy rain, sea conditions were very favourable,” said a spokesperson from the IWDG.

“Visual and acoustic monitoring 60 to 150 minutes pre-blast detected no marine mammals or otters and blasting went ahead. Post-blast monitoring recovered two dying pollack which were thought to have been killed by the shock wave but no other affected marine life was observed.”

More blasting in expected to take place in Doolin later this week provided that weather conditions are suitable. The blasting is to clear rock for the construction of a new start of the art pier at Doolin and an exclusion zone will also be put in place on land to ensure that no humans stray too close to the blast site.

During Wednesday’s scheduled explosion, a number of volunteers were also with Dusty the Dolphin on the Aran Islands, ensuring that the bottle nose dolphin did not stray too close to Doolin or be effected as a result of the shock wave.

A MAN is recovering in hospital today after being involved in the latest of a spate of serious accidents involving motorcyclists in Clare.

The German tourist sustained multiple injuries when his motorcycle collided with a car at Mountrivers Bridge on the outskirts of Doonbeg on Wednesday afternoon. A second motorcyclists was also hurt in the incident but her injuries are understood to be less serious.

The car, which was being driven by an American tourist, is though to have clipped another vehicle, before colliding with the bridge itself and then the two motorcycles.

The motorcycle being driven by the male tourist became embedded in the front of the car during the crash, while the second motorcycle was thrown over the car. Both of the motorcyclists were taken by ambulance to University Hospital Limerick for treatment.

This incident comes just weeks after a two motorcyclists died in a horrific collision just outside Lisdoonvarna. That incident saw the sad deaths of Ferdinand “Ferdi” Waidel, a 55-year-old German national who had been living in Clare for more than a decade and Ricardo ‘Ricky’ Godoy, a Chilean television presenter and motorcycle enthusiast.

CRATLOE Post Office Action Group have been given two weeks to put forward a plan to improve business at the post office or face possible closure.

The group met with senior officials from An Post in East Clare last Friday, in an effort to convince the postal company to retain the local service.

The meeting, which was described as “positive” by Jim Enright of the action group, was also attended by three Clare TDs as well as Mayor of Clare, John Crowe (FG).

The future of Cratloe Post Office came into doubt two week ago when an An Post review of operations found that the post offices was not generating enough income to justify keeping it open.

The Cratloe Post Office Action Group has gathered more than 1,000 signatures locally from people and businesses who are pledging to use the post office more often.

The action group have proposed a five-year trial period with An Post, to allow local people to support their post office and increase usage numbers.

“It was a good worthwhile meeting. We have until Friday week (July 11) to put in our submission on behalf of the action group and we have asked all the local organisation to support the submission. We need to put forward as strong a case as we can,” said Jim Enright.

“We need more business to take place at the post office to make it viable from An Post’s point of view. A lot of people live in the parish but work in Limerick or Shannon and they use the post offices in these towns. We need people to change their habits and support their local post office.

“We asked An Post to give the post office a five-year trial provided there was a concerted effort by the local community.”

The Cratloe Post Office Action Group say they will take to the streets if necessary to protest for the retention of their post office.

“We would protest if that is neces sary – whether to the GPO or wherever. We will do it but hopefully we won’t need to,” said Jim.

“I am hopeful that we might be a five year reprieve.”

The mid-west representative of the Irish Postmasters’ Union, Kildysart native Tom O’Callaghan, has called on the Government to allocate more services to post offices in a bid to maintain their viability in a time of increased pressure.

YOUNG disabled people in Clare have been ignored for nearly 18 months as a result of government inaction, according to local campaigners.

The government backed down on a decision to scrap both the Mobility Allowance and Motorised Transport Grant in March of last year, follow intense local media attention. At that time the Department of Health decided to conduct a review of both grants and produce a workable solution which would meet the needs of disabled people.

While the review is taking place, no new Clare applicants have been granted access to either scheme – resulting in a number of disabled Clare people being left without a suitable transport options. According to local campaigner Ann Marie Flanaghan, who herself was able to take up employment as a result of the schemes, if a person took a suit against the Government under the Equal Status Act, they would most likely win.

“A number of people who were in the process of applying for the schemes and that has been stalled and their application have not been processed. There is a whole other group of people, who have no other means of transport, and cannot apply for any scheme at the moment,” she said.

“There is a whole group of people, with quite significant disabilities, who are not being provided with help while others are. The government promised that this review would be a fast turnaround, but as we know there has been no news and there is no prospect of news.”

At present there are more than 300 disabled Clare people in receipt of the Mobility Allowance or the Motorised Transport Grant Scheme. While there is currently no figures of how many Clare people have been prevented from entering the scheme over the past 18 months – it is though that the number could be between 10 and 20.

“In my opinion the Government are abusing their position and not supporting a vulnerable group of people. Those who are accessing those schemes are the people with the most significant disabilities and are also unfortunately the poorest in society, as the financial cut off point was very low to begin with,” continued Ms Flanaghan.

“People are always using the expression ‘prisoners in their own home’. In 2014 is is sickening to have to use that expression but that is the reality.”

A MAJORITY of students in the classroom of a now retired teacher accused of indecently assaulting young school girls would say he was a “good teacher”, a court has heard.

The statement by defence counsel Roderick O’Hanlon SC was put to a woman who alleges the man indecently assaulted her on a weekly basis when she was in fourth, fifth and sixth class.

The woman was giving evidence on the second day of the trial of the 80year-old man who is charged with 67 counts of indecent assault at a Clare primary school between 1964 and 1985. He denies all charges.

The 48 year-old woman told prosecuting counsel Anthony Sammon the accused had “good days and bad days” as a teacher.

She said if the man was having a bad day, “somebody usually got hit really hard”. The woman said she recalled the man sitting down beside her and putting his arm around her.

She said the man would touch her breast area, thigh and inner thigh and genital area. She said all touching took place outside the clothes.

She said on more than one occasion she was brought to the front of the classroom where the man held her between his legs as he sat on a high stool. Under cross-examination from defence counsel Roderick O’Hanlon SC, the woman denied her recollection of the accused as violent man was “incorrect and untrue”.

Counsel put to it to the woman that the man “ran a classroom where the vast majority of students, their recollection is a good teacher”.

“It is an untrue account that you were ever sexually assaulted in this fashion”, he said.

“I was”, the woman replied.

When Mr O’Hanlon put it to the woman that the “atmosphere in the classroom was one of a normal happy classroom”, the woman said this was not true.

The accused, an 80-year-old man who cannot be named for legal reasons, replied not guilty to each of the 67 counts when they were put to him at Ennis Circuit Criminal Court on Tuesday. A jury of seven women and five men has been sworn to hear the trial, which is expected to last between two and three weeks.

PLANNING permission for the construction of a park and ride service to the Cliffs of Moher has been refused by Clare County Council.

The application, which sought to retain a planning permission granted to Atlantis Development in 2009, was submitted earlier this year by a new company, Lazarus Investments.

According to documents lodged with the Company Registration Office (CRO), both Atlantis Development and Lazarus Investments list Clare businessman John Declan Flanaghan as their director.

The proposed retention of planning permission was refused by planners on Friday, with changes to the Clare County Development Plan cited as the main reason for the decision.

Lazarus Investment are currently objecting to upgrade work planned by Clare County Council on the parking facilities at the Cliffs of Moher. The objection states that according to the original planning permission granted for the Cliffs of Moher Visitors Experience, a park and ride service and not a permanent car park should be provided.

In recent weeks, Lazarus Investments have also lodged a number of planning applications with Clare County Council in relation to properties connected to the Atlantis Development.

An application, which would have involved a major redevelopment to Egan’s and McHugh’s in Liscannor, including the construction of a seven-bedroom hostel, has also been refused by Clare County Council, while a proposal to construct a 11 houses at Teergonean in Doolin has been given the go ahead.

There are decisions pending on a number of other projects including the construction of a supermarket, crèche, medical centre and a chemist at Killilagh in Doolin.

Meanwhile, a Liscannor hotel, which once formed part of the Atlantis Development collection of properties in North Clare, has been offered for sale with a price tag of € 550,000.

The Cliffs of Moher Hotel, which was built in 2006, is being offered for sale by receiver Michael O’Regan of PriceWaterhouseCooper. The hotel, which is located a stone’s throw from Liscannor Bay, sleeps 22 and includes a fully-fitted out bar and restaurant.

A LEADING security analyst has described Shannon Airport as a “tempting” target for terrorists.

Dr Tom Clonan, a retired Irish army captain, was giving evidence at the case of two peace activists at Ennis District Court on Tuesday.

Dr Clonan, who is a security analyst with the Irish Times, said that 2.25 million US troops have passed through Shannon since 2002 “making it the largest invading force to have ever passed through Ireland in its history”.

He said 70,000 US troops transited through Shannon Airport in 2013. In evidence, Dr Clonan recalled a conversation he had with a senior politician with Hezbollah – an Islamic militant group based in Lebanon.

He told the court he was attempting to speak about the situation in Syria to Dr Ali el Mekdad. He said Dr Mektad told him that he did not want to talk about Syria but about “your airport over there in County Clare. You should be ashamed of yourselves.”

Dr Clonan said it would be a concern to him that one of the most high profile Islamic resistance groups knows about the use of Shannon Airport by the US military.

He said it could subject Irish troops serving in the Golan Heights and other areas to “hostile scrutiny”.

Later in his evidence, Dr Clonan said the fact that Hezbollah are referring to Shannon mean Irish people abroad could be subject to hostile scrutiny. He said the airport could be seen as “soft” or “tempting” target for Jihadists returning from Syria. He said this was an increasing cause for concern in the Irish intelligence community and among senior gardaí he had spoken to.

Dr Clonan was asked about the term ‘Teeth to Tail’, which refers to the ratio of logistics support to the front line. He said, “Shannon is an integral part of that teeth to tail ratio.”

He described how Shannon has entered the aural culture of the US military. Dr Clonan said US soldiers refer to trips to hostile environments as “a pint of Guinness in Shannon” followed by a “wake up”.

Dr Clonan was giving evidence on behalf Margaretta D’Arcy (80), with an address Woodquay, Galway.

Ms D’Arcy and co-accused Niall Farrell (60), with an address at Ballynacloghy, Maree, Oranmore, Galway, were convicted September 1 (2013) of interfering with the proper use of Shannon Airport by going on the runway without permission on September 1, 2013. The pair denied the charge. After a lengthy hearing, Judge Durcan found Ms D’Arcy and Mr Farrell guilty. He imposed a two-week prison sentence on each accused; suspended on condition they refrain from entering unauthorized areas of the airport.

ILLEGAL hunters, using high powered rifles capable of firing bullets for more than a quarter of a mile, could pose a serious risk to public health.

Gardaí in East Clare are investigating an incident in which a horse was shot dead on private property near Whitegate earlier this month.

The animal, an Irish Draft Yearling, was shot at night with a high pow- ered gun, with the bullet travelling so fast that it passed clean through the animal. The owners believe that their horse was shot accidentally by hunters at night, who were in the area shooting deer.

With deer shooting season over until the autumn, local landowner Geraldine Jones believes her animal was killed by ‘lampers’ or hunter operating at night using flashlight.

“There has been incidents here before of cattle being shot. There are houses in the area but there is also deer, and when there is deer there are hunters. We’re out of pocket [because of the shooting] but that isn’t the point really, we have more horses down there and we don’t want to go down there and find them shot – or worse still, see someone walking on the road get shot, she told The Clare People .

“These weapons are very powerful and some people just seem to shoot and not worry about where [the bullet] is going to end up. I’m not antihunting or anything like that, but they [high powered rifles] should not be in the hands of careless people.

“The animal was shot on the [Sunday, June 15] evening or later that night – we can’t pinpoint the exact time. He was our animal but to others he was only a horse. We don’t think that it suffered.

“There was no marks on the ground where the animal might have scratched if it was in pain, but it looks like it was dead before it hit the ground.

“It is distressing. I go down there now and if I see one of them [the horses] lying down I automatically think that they are dead.

“The worst we thought would happen was the horses getting frightened and maybe breaking out onto the road. We never expected to find one with a bullet in it.”

Clare dog warden Frankie Coote says that the rifles used by some of these hunters are very powerful.

“It has happened but not at this time of year. These are people who are lamping and shooting deer out of season.

“A bullet shot from one of those rifles could travel up to a quarter of a mile and kill whatever it meets.

“They are so powerful that the bullet will keep travelling until it hits a target. We have had similar cases in this area in the past and it is a real problem,” he said.

Margaret (Olive) CULLINAN (née
Tuohy) , 77Turnpike Road, Ennis. Funeral Mass Tuesday, July 1, at 11amat Ennis Cathedral, followed by private cremation. Family flowers only, donations if desired to Milford Hospice, Limerick. May she rest in peace.

Kevin MALONE
, 3 Aiden Park, Shannon. Late of Burnham, Dingle Co Kerry. Funeral Mass onTuesday at 12 noon at St John and Paul’s Church, Shannon. Burial afterwards in Lemenagh Cemetery. May he rest in peace.

John (Jack) MCINERNEY
, Scart, Kilkishen. Laid to rest in Clonlea Cemetery. May he rest in peace.

Aine FITZGERALD (née Fennell)
, Renton, Washington, USA, and formerly of Henry Street, Kilrush. Laid to rest in All Saints Cemetery, Shanakyle. May she rest in peace.

Robert GODZISZ
, 15 Ard Caoin Gort Road, Ennis. Laid to rest in Cork. May he rest in peace.

Denis JONES
, Clonloum, O’Callaghans Mills. Peacefully at the Mid-Western Regional Hospital. Laid to rest in Clonlea cemetery. May he rest in peace.

John (Johnny) MALONE
, Clareview, Ballybeg, Ennis. Peacefully at the Galway Clinic. Laid to rest in Clareabbey. Donations, if desired, to Slainte an Clair. May he rest in peace.

Derek (Dobber) O’BRIEN
, Rivendell, Pass Road, Meelick. Peacefully at his residence. Laid to rest in Ballycannon Cemetery, Meelick. Donations, if desired to the Oncology Department, of Limerick University Hospital. May he rest in peace.

Patrick (Pa) O’SHAUGHNESSY
, Knockdonagh, Kilmore. Laid to rest inTruagh Cemetery. May he rest in peace.

Patrick BUCKLEY
, 126Tradaree Court, Shannon. Laid to rest in Illaunamanagh Cemetery. May he rest in peace.

Sister Baptiste CASEY
, Kilkenny/Ruan. Late of Rinneen, Ruan. Laid to rest in Foulkstown Cemetery, Kilkenny. May she rest in peace.

Mary DONNELLY (née Burke)
, Kilmacduane, Cooraclare. Laid to rest in Kilmacduane cemetry. Donations if desired to Milford Hospice. May she rest in peace.