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THE contribution of the Glynn family in Kilrush to Clare life will be celebrated this week thanks to the Clare Roots Society, which will host its first meeting of 2012 at the Civic Rooms in Drumbiggle this Thursday night.

The role played by one of the west Clare’s best known families to business in the county will form the basis of a talk to be delivered by Paul O’Brien that has been entitled ‘The Family Papers of the Glynns of West Clare 1790-1980.’

“The Glynn archive is an example of the many family archives probably still in private hands around the county, which contain vital clues for researching not only the family history of the compilers of the archive, but also that of their employees and other associated families, and local history generally,” a spokesperson for the Clare Roots Society said this week.

Paul O’Brien did his BA (History & Philosophy) in Mary Immaculate College, Limerick. He graduated in 2010 and commenced a research Masters in History. However, due to the large amount of primary source documents, he successfully transferred to the PhD programme in March 2011.

O’Brien is employed as a history tutor at Mary Immaculate College. He is the chairperson of the Mary Immaculate College History Society, an active member of the Kilrush Local History Group and also works as a docent at the Hunt Museum, Limerick.

The Glynn family archive consists of approx. 20,000 documents. The main body of the records relate to the operational and administrative processes of M. Glynn & Sons.

The documents take the form of leases, contracts, accounts, insurance certificates, commercial and private correspondence, legal and court documents and photographs. The date range is c. 1790 – 1980. O’Brien was given access to the archive by Mr. Charlie Glynn, in 2009.

The physical condition of the material was in good although some of the documents were in a fragile state and this has resulted in some being illegible owing to exposure to moist and damp conditions, which has resulted in moulding and foxing.

Following professional consultation the entire archive has been removed from its original boxes and is now locked in a dry and safe environment. Most of the records survive in their original form, others are in transcript form. The transcripts are handwritten, printed and typed.

The is a cover charge of € 5 for nonmembers.

FURTHER confirmation that local authorities like Kilrush Town Council must answer to the European Union and International Monetary Fund as much as, if not more than, they do to national government was hammered home at last Thursday’s monthly meeting of the local authority. That’s because a new stringent timetable has been laid down by the Department of the Environment for receipt of the town council’s financial statement – all at the behest of the new criteria that has been handed down as part of the EU/IMF bailout deal for the country’s economy.

Kilrush Town Clerk John Corry revealed that the new guidelines that will be imposed means that the financial statement is set to be delivered up to four months ahead of previous years.

“We are required to prepare our annual financial statement by April 1 and has to be published by July 1,” said Mr Corry, “but we received a circular from the Department of the Environment in the middle of December advising us about the financial statement – it’s all to do with the reporting of the EU/IMF arrangements and the quarterly report that we do in tandem with that.

“They set a very difficult thing to deal with. They’re suggesting that our annual financial statement would be prepared by the February 24, along with our quarterly returns,” he added.

News of the strict new guidelines come only two months after it was first revealed that the management of Kilrush Town Council finances now come under the microscope of Eurocrats in Brussels and the IMF.

This prompted Cllr Tom Clyne (Ind) to say “the long arm of the EU is extending all the way to Kilrush,” while Cllr Tom Prendeville (FF) said “little did I think that Kilrush Town Council would be responsible to the bureaucrats in Brussels”.

However, in facing up to new financial realities, the town clerk revealed that the local authority was “working towards” adhering to the new deadlines.

“The statutory dates still exist – that’s April 1,” said Mr Corry, “but there’s a sort of a strong encouragement that’s being advised to us that we’d have the statement ready by the February date.

“I’m seeking advice with regard to the formal adoption of it. The February meeting is fixed for the 9th and there’s no way that we’ll have it completed by then, so what I’m seeking advice on is whether or not we will be able to present it to members at the March meeting.

“To achieve that will be an onerous task, because normally we don’t present it to the members until the May meeting – it was even June last year. I’m hoping that we will,” added Mr Corry.

KILRUSH Town Council are set to press ahead with developing the € 1.3m sports facility earmarked for the Cooraclare Road in the West Clare capital – whether they get government funding for the ambitious project or not.

That was the message delivered at the January meeting of the local authority in Kilrush Town Hall on Thursday night last as councillors gave their unanimous approval for a proposal to press ahead with the project regardless of whether the 90 per cent funding they missed out on in 2011 is forthcoming this year.

“If we don’t get the government funding, we should have an alternative plan that will kick in straight away,” said Mayor of Kilrush, Cllr Ian Lynch (FG) in kickstarting a move for work on the project to begin in 2011.

“The ten per cent that Clare County Council and Kilrush Town Council have to invest between them, we can match that with Leader funding to provided some of the facilities, not all of them, but some of them. That’s what we should do. If we don’t get the 90 per cent, we should go with the ten per cent and then get as much as we can from Leader,” Mayor Lynch added.

Last October the council made an application for funding from the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport for the first phase of the integrated sports facility on lands owned by the ESB and Department of Education.

The first phase of the development will include an artificial surface facility, a full-size playing pitch and two full-size training pitches, fencing, lighting and associated works at the cost of € 500,000. The second phase of the project will include the development of dressing rooms, car parking, footpaths and associated works.

“The Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport has advised that it hopes to announce a Sports Capital Programme in the first quarter of 2012,” revealed town clerk John Corry.

“In anticipation of the announcement of a grant scheme in 2012, Kilrush Town Council together with Clare County Council will be in a position to make an early application for grant assistance and if approved, would be hopeful of receiving grant approval of 90 per cent of the cost of the scheme,” he added.

The matter was raised before the council by Cllr Liam Williams (FG), who called on the council to “prioritise the sports complex and make sure that funding is accessed for it”.

“It is a community effort,” responded town manager Nora Kaye. “It is a community project and if Kilrush Town Council is the vehicle through which we can make it happen, we’re all singing from the same hymn sheet and we will work hard to bring it about,” she added.

THE Ennis Access Programme has raised a total € 711 for Clare Haven Services. A raffle of a handmade quilt created by participants on the programme took place on the January 13. The lucky winner was Rita Egan, Ennistymon.

The Ennis Access Programme, which is a FÁS Local Training Ini- tiative sponsored by the Clare Local Development Company, decided to raise funds for Clare Haven Services, who provide a vital service to those suffering from domestic violence in the community.

They made their decision after attending several workshops funded by the HSE which highlighted the increasing numbers of domestic violence in the community, locally, nationally and internationally.

The learners on the Ennis Access Programme created a handmade patchwork quilt from natural fabrics and recycled materials.

The quilt is constructed in the form of patchwork and applique in rainbow colours with a black background.

The rainbow colours signify hope, and the hearts and doves symbolise love and peace.

Sue Considine, who is the Ennis Access Programme Co-ordinator, explained, “For most of us, home is a place of respect, love and safety. However, for some women, home means violence, fear and terror. Maybe it is your sister, your friend, your workmate, your mother or maybe you yourself are living with domestic violence.

“Without exception, a woman’s greatest risk of violence is from someone she knows.”

Sharon O’Mahony, the Assistant Co-ordinator, said, “Everyone has the right to safety and freedom from violence. Domestic violence is not acceptable and we stand in solidarity with abused women and those services that provide vital support in our communities.

“It is important that women are made aware of the vital services that are available to those living in our communities.”

INCREASED “out-of-hours” inspections will take place in Ennis to curb the sale of smoky coal in the town, a meeting has heard.

Clare County Council is seeking to halt the sale in the town of the fuel, which is banned under regulations introduced last year.

Independent councillor and Ennisbased fuel merchant Frankie Neylon raised the matter at last week’s meeting of Ennis Town Council.

Cllr Neylon told the meeting that fuel merchants in Ennis had recent- ly met with local TDs.

He described coal sellers in Ennis as being in “dire straits”, adding that the “problem of emissions had not been solved in Ennis”.

Cllr Neylon said the activities of unregulated coal sellers operating in “Limerick, Tubber and an area outside Tulla” are driving customers away from sellers in Ennis who are subject to the new smoky coal regulations.

“We have been insulted and abused by people who have been buying coal off us for the past 20 years because we won’t sell them Polish coal,” he said.

Cllr Neylon said fuel merchants had requested that Clare’s Dáí l members ask Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Phil Hogan, to suspend the legislation for two years so customers can be educated about the benefits of smokeless coal.

Emphasising that fuel merchants are not against smokeless coal, Cllr Neylon said the new legislation does nothing to stop customers burning smoky coal or prevent the sale of smoky coal in nearby Kilmaley, Clarecastle and Newmarket-on-Fergus.

He added, “If the government are serious about smoky coal, they can ban it at source.”

Last June, Minister Hogan announced that Ennis would be added to the list of towns and cities covered by the ‘Smoky Coal Ban’, under which it is illegal to market, sell or distribute bituminous or “smoky” coal.

Under the air pollution act, sellers found in breach of the ban could face fines of up to € 5,000.

The restricted area of Ennis includes Ennis and environs, comprising the following electoral divisions: Ennis Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 4 Urban; Clareabbey; Doora; Ennis Rural; and Spancilhill.

Town Manager Ger Dollard said Clare County Council have constantly engaged with local coal sellers.

He said that “out-of-hours” inspections would take place to curb the sale of smoky coal in banned areas. He said a public awareness campaign would be launched to highlight the law on smoky coal.

He said air quality data would also be sought from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Cllr Johnny Flynn (FG) described the restriction as “a bad law that is encouraging the black economy”.

KILRUSH Town Council has the ability to lead the way for local authorities around the country in their efforts to extricate themselves from contracts with private companies that have been described as “crazy” by former mayor Cllr Liam O’Looney (FF).

Cllr O’Looney, who spearheaded the local authority’s move to extri- cate itself from the provisions of a 20-year agreement with a private company for the public toilet on Martyr’s Square in the town, has said that a coalition of forces among local authorities should be established.

“The Municipal Authorities Association of Ireland has a role to play in this,” said Cllr O’Looney, “because since this council made the decision to give a 12-month notice about the public toilet in Kilrush, a number of councillors from other local authori- ties have been on to me. They want to do the same.

“Kilrush Town Council has shown the way and now through coordinating things at Municipal Authorities Association of Ireland level, if other councils did the same, these company who charged outlandish prices for the provision of services will have to deal with the council,” he added.

Earlier this month, Kilrush Town Council issued formal notice that it is to extricate itself from a 20-year agreement for the public toilet that was put in place in the town centre, by terminating the contract for the facility with JCDecaux Street Furniture Limited.

The public toilet will still be in operation in 2012 at a rental cost of € 35,910, but to terminate the contract later in the year the local authority must pay € 60,382 to Street Furniture Limited.

At the September meeting of Kilrush Town Council it was revealed that the town authorities were tied to a 20-year contract for provision of the toilet that was signed in 1999 and doesn’t run out until 2019.

“I must commend the management on what they’ve done,” Cllr Paul Moroney (Ind) told last Thursday’s Kilrush Town Council meeting. “Other councils were told in no uncertain terms that there was no opt out clause, but that’s not the case. This council has shown that it can be done,” he added.

MUHAMMAD Ali was overwhelmed by the reaction to his ‘homecoming’ and now Ennis should seek to position itself as Ireland’s greatest town of Cead Míle Fáilte.

Thousands lined the streets for the former world champion’s visit in 2009.

A year later, Lonnie Ali said she had never experienced anything like the large crowds that turned out to welcome her husband to Ennis.

Speaking at the time, she said, “All the people in Ennis that came out and welcomed us, all the people that came out and supported us. There were so many people there and Muhammad was so excited, he’s still excited when he thinks back to that day.”

Now there are calls for Ennis to cap- italise on its reputation as a welcoming town. Councillor Johnny Flynn (FG) told last week’s meeting of Ennis Town Council that Ali’s family had remarked that the welcome he received in Ennis “meant more to him than his Olympic medals”.

He said this image should be used to promote Ennis abroad.

Cllr Flynn was speaking as members backed a proposed to make Ali the first recipient of a County Clare passport.

The proposal was made by Cllr Paul O’Shea (Lab) to conincide with Ali’s 70th birthday this Tuesday In a motion submitted to the meeting, Cllr O’Shea called on the council to offer a Clare passport to visitors.

He said holders would be entitled to discounts at major tourism attractions, shops and restaurants.

In his response, Town Clerk Leonard Cleary, stated that the council works closely with the tourism industry on initiatives to promote Ennis.

He added, “The development of an incentivised pricing discount structure for visitor attractions would need to be led by the tourism industry and supported based on available resources by the local authority.”

Mr Cleary said the proposal could be further discussed at the next meeting of the Ennis Municipal Policy Committee (MPC)

FIFTY Clare housing developments, which were classified as ‘ghost estates’ by the Department of the Environment in November of 2010, will have to pay the controversial € 100 household tax – despite the residents of 23 other Clare estates being given an exemption.

Indeed, the residents of one Clare housing development, the Cluainn Aoibheann estate at Ballycaseymore in Shannon, have been granted an exemption from the tax even though they were not classified as a ghost estate by the Department of the Environment.

This information has come to light following a Cla re People investigation into the reasons why some estates were made exempt by the Department of the Environment and others were not.

In November of 2010, the Department of the Environment classified 72 housing estates in Clare as ghost estates. The make-up of these estates varied drastically, with some being structurally unfinished and developer-abandoned, while others were nearing completion with a developer on site.

This list, which was later removed from the Department of the Environment website, gave a detailed classification of each of the 72 developments in Clare and showed what work was left to be done in each of the named estates.

According to this list, the Aisling housing development in Shannon, for example, which has been exempted from the € 100 household tax, was complete in every category except that 11 of the 103 apartment in the complex were vacant.

In contrast to this, the Acha Bhille housing estate in Ennis, whose residents will have to pay the € 100 charge, was reported by the Department of the Environment as having 20 units which were built to wall plate level and four units built to foundation level – but had no building activity on site at the time.

Speaking last night, Shannon Counillor Gerry Flynn (IND), who has been critical of both Clare County Council’s and the Department of the Environment’s handling of the tax, said he will “stand by” any Clare home owners in unfinished estates who will still be forced to pay the tax. For more, including the full list of housing esta tes in Cla re tha t ha ve been exempted from the € 100 cha rge a nd the list of developments tha t ha ve been cla ssified a s ‘ghost esta tes’ by the Depa r tment of the Envir onment but will still ha ve to pa y the ta x, tur n to page 21.

ENNIS Town Council has not ruled out the possibility of turning Ennis’ oldest inhabited house into a museum at some point in the future.

Recent tests have shown that Ms Irene Clune’s house, known as McParland’s on Parnell Street, is one of the oldest timber frame houses in Ireland, dating back to the 16th century.

The building’s triple diamond stone Jacobean chimney has been an icon of medieval Ennis for centuries. The house has undergone necessary structural repair work in recent months.

At last week’s meeting of Ennis Town Council, Councillor Paul O’Shea (Lab) called for the council to seek funding to open a medieval museum at McParland’s.

In his reply to Cllr O’Shea’s motion, Town Manager Ger Dollard stated that conservation works at the site are progressing well and should be completed by February. He confirmed that the council has received a grant of € 85,000 from the Department to part-fund the work.

Mr Dollard said, “Arrangements need to be made to cover the balance of the overall cost (€ 170,000) arising on the present contract.”

He continued, “The council is conscious that the house does represent the home of an elderly lady who has an expectation of returning to the property when the works have been completed. The property is not owned by Ennis Town Council.

“In addition, the structure is a very confined structure and it is difficult to see how it could operate as a visitor facility.

“It should also be noted that the County Museum is currently funded on a joint basis by Ennis Town Council and Clare County Council and the council would not have the resources to commit to the management of a separate and further museum.”

Mr Dollard continued, “However, the council is conscious of the importance of the building and this will remain a consideration for the council in any future discussions in relation to the property.

“The suggestion contained in the motion will be borne in mind in any discussion on future use of the property.”

BYELAWS with real teeth are required to prevent the “intimidation” of staff at Ennis’ main sports and recreation amenity.

Mayor of Ennis, Cllr Michael Guilfoyle (Ind) made the call to highlight what he said is the growing problem of dogs being let off leads at Lees Road.

Last April, the issue of dogs being let run off leads in Drumcliffe graveyard was highlighted by local clergy. The problem prompted Fr John McGovern to issue a notice calling on pet-owners to respect graves.

At last week’s meeting of Ennis Council, Cllr Guilfoyle said stronger byelaws are also required to stop illegal parking and driving.

Cllr Guilfoyle said some drivers are ignoring the one-way system in place at Lees Road. He said that staff attempting to enforce the existing laws regarding parking and pets have been “intimidated”.

“This is wrong and we have to give them real powers,” he added.

Cllr Guilfoyle said problems have also arisen where people paying to use the synthetic running track have been “pushed off” the facility by non-payers.

Commenting on proposed new equipment at Lees Road, Cllr Guilfoyle said, “It’s a wonderful place and we have to protect it.”

The council has announced plans to install new facilities at Lees Road. The council has received funding of € 34,000 from the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport for the provision of outdoor gym equipment at Lees Road.

Active trail equipment – which includes a trail crossing, rope post crossing, crossbeam crossing, rope crossing and hand-over-hand ladder will be installed as part of the project. This equipment will incorporate new elements for children, teenagers and adults.