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AN IRISH singer who took Britain’s Got Talent by storm will be the headline act at the second Switch concert in Ennis next month.

Dubliner Ryan O’Shaughnessy reached the final of the talent show two years ago and is currently working on his debut album.

He will perform at the Switch concert in Ennis on Friday, July 4.

The concert, billed as Ennis’ answer to the hugely popular Other Voices show in Dingle, will take place at St Columba’s Church of Ireland on Bindon Street.

O’Shaughnessy, who learned guitar by watching footage of Eric Clapton, is the headline act that features up and coming bands from Clare, Limerick and Galway.

In 2012 he signed a record deal with Sony records. Sean Griffin says the Ennis Music Project, who run Switch, are delighted to have secured O’Shaughnessy for their second show. “One of the lads had done a bit of work with him in a studio before.

“We were looking for someone to play for the show. He asked Ryan and he said he’d be happy to do it which is great for us”, he explains. O’Shaughnessy is joined on the bill be Juhn Echo – a three-piece band whose members come from Clare, Limerick and Galway.

The trad folk band will launch their debut EP in Cruises bar in Ennis on Wednesday.

Also performing on the night will be local instrumental outfit, The Guy Montag. Switch is the brainchild of the Ennis Music Project. Committee members Shane Killowry, Robin Fitzpatrick, Sam Lavery, David Naughton and Sean Griffin wanted to try something different – present live music in a alcohol free setting.

A Clare Youth Service initiative, Switch aims to showcase old and new music talent from all over Ireland in unexpected locations around Clare.

The group of volunteers involved promise a “unique live music experience” and is aimed at 18 – 25 yr olds in the Clare area.

Further concert details are available on the Ennis Music Project Facebook page.

MORE than 90 per cent of staff at Ennis General Hospital have voted to begin industrial action which could begin in as little as seven days.

The IMPACT trade union held the ballot at Ennis and other hospitals in the Limerick Hospital Group on Friday in response to the revelation that the HSE paid one of its local managers € 258,000, on a contract bases over a 13-month period.

The union claims that this role was previously carried out by a salaried staff member in the HSE who earning about € 80,000 per annum.

IMPACT will now bring the results of the ballot to the HSE and will begin industrial action within seven days if no agreement can be reached.

The industrial action will include a suspension of all contact between members of the IMPACT union and the manager in question but will not at this time include any withdrawal of work.

“The ballot was passed by about 90 per cent. I’m not surprised, I’ve rarely seen people this annoyed about a local issue within the hospital group,” said Andy Pike, IMPACT rep for Ennis General Hospital.

“Once notice of industrial action is served, no union member will taking instruction from that persons [the contracted manager], we wont be providing any information to that person or we wont be reporting to him.

“We are concerned that any form of industrial action that we undertake would not detrimentally effect patient services so this will be an inconvenience for people in the hospital group but it will not effect hospital services. “We plan to contact the HSE at national level and give them another chance to tell us when the contact with the individual will end. “If we get a satisfactory response to that engagement then the prob- lem can be solved. But if they still refuse to even inform staff when the contract is due to end then we will serve notice and the action will begin within seven days. “We think it is responsible to give the HSE another chance.” The contractor is paid in the region of € 700 a day – which amount to more than the total yearly salary paid to HSE secretary general Tony O’Brien.

CLARE’S water safety officer has urged people using the county’s beaches to be extra vigilant until full time lifeguards are deployed, starting from this weekend.

The recent warm spell has seen thousands of people visiting Lahinch, Kilkee, Fanore and other popular beaches – with early season bumper crowd reported on many coastal locations.

Clare Council Council will commence it’s full-time, seven day a week, lifeguard service at a number of beaches from this weekend and people are urged to be extra vigilant while swimming on unguarded beaches for the next four days.

Despite the large crowds, there has been no reports of any serious incidents on the county’s beaches over the past two weeks.

Clare’s newly appointed water safety officer, Claire McGrath, has asked that people continue to be extra cautious while swimming on unguarded beaches.

“The lifeguards will be on seven days a week from June 28, they have been on weekends for June and will be on at the weekends for the first two weeks of September,” she said.

“People should swim parallel to the shore, swim where you can stand and don’t head off for a marathon across the bay.

“People should also supervise their children at all times and always have with you. “Never swim alone,” Ms McGrath added.

So far there have been no major incidents on the county’s beaches this Summer.

“The beaches have been busy, when the sun comes out people flock to the water. We have had no major incidents on the beaches so far, thank God. Just the usual minor cuts and bruises but nothing major,” she continued.

“People need to know the locations of the life guards and swim in life-guarded areas, stay within the flagged areas that the lifeguards set out and follow the rules that the lifeguards put in place.”

Clare County Council have also issued advice for people planning to use leisure crafts and boats on Clare waterways in the coming days.

People are advised to check local weather conditions, wear correctly maintained and fitting lifejackets and not to consumed alcohol prior to entering the water.

The appearance of full time lifeguards at the busiest Clare beaches this weekend coincides with the primary school holidays which begin nationally this week.

Despite the various warnings there are still a number of people who are swimming in local lakes and rivers with no supervision, often late in the evening.

The water safety authorities have been very strong in their pleas to young people in particular to think safety first when contemplating swimming in locations that do not have any lifeguard coverage.

FOLLOWING an exhaustive eighteen month campaign Clonlara mother Noreen Keane has had her son Ronan’s medical card returned.

Ronan, who suffers from Downs Syndrome, lost his medical card in early 2012. His mother Noreen has battled since to have it restored and this included protests at the Fine Gael Árd Dheis. “We managed to take on the government, take on the system and win. “The amount of people who contacted me who said they were not able to stand up and fight or where notable to have their voices heard.

This was never just about Ronan, for me it was about all of the kids in that same situation. To take cards from severally ill children and give them to well children is just not fair.”

CLARE County Council will spend more on average on road maintenance and business and tourism development than most other counties in Irelan but less, per person, on housing in 2014 than any other county in Munster.

According to figures obtained by from local authority watchdog, Public Policy.ie, Clare County Council will spend just over € 91 per person on housing this year, compared to € 387 per person in Dublin, and the national average which stand at just over € 160.

In contrast to housing however, the local authority will spend more on average on road maintenance and business and tourism development than most other counties in Ireland.

A new analysis of spending trends across all local authorities in Ireland has revealed that Clare County Council will spend a total of € 98.4 million on services in the county this year, or roughly € 840 per person in Clare.

The councils spend on housing for 2014 will amount to just over 10 per cent of its entire budget for services. The lions share of the housing budget will be used to fund rentals accommodation schemes or leasing programmes. This will amount to more than 30 per cent of the housing budget or 3.5 per cent of the overall services budget.

The smallest slice of the housing budget will be spent on the administration of services for the homeless in Clare which will account for approximately 0.4 per cent of the overall housing budget or € 400,000.

Clare is one of highest spending local authorities in Ireland when it comes to development management – which includes, heritage, tourism and the development of the local economy.

Clare will invest near € 95 per Clare person on development management this year – nearly twice the national overage of just € 59.

The lions share of this budget will be spend on tourism development and promotions with more than € 5 million, or 5.1 per cent of the entire budget, earmarked for this area in 2014.

Clare County Council will spend less than the national average on both environmental services and recreational space in 2014. A to tal of € 12.78 million will be spend on environmental services in Clare this years with the largest section of this being on fire services as well ad street cleaning and aftercare for the Central Waste Management Facility at Ballyduff beg.

The majority of the county’s recreation and amenity’s budget will be spent on the library services in 2014 – which will cost almost four per cent of entire services budget.

HUNDREDS of Clare people may be buried in a series of unmarked graves located close to Cree village in West Clare. Local historian, Batt Crowley, has been investigating a small site close to the Cree River for a number of months and now believes it be the site of an unofficial burial ground.

While no headstones or grave markers are visible at the site, the ground works and layout are similar to those seen in children’s graveyards in the 18th and 19th centuries. Mr Crowley has also discovered a map from the 1840’s in which the area is described as the Kilroe burial ground.

There is currently no way on knowing who was buried at the site but Mr Crowley believes that the site may have been used for unbaptised, stillborn and murdered children, “unchurched” mothers, beggars or people who took their own life. It is also possible that Kilroe may have been the site of a mass grave used during the famine or during the outbreak of plagues.

“I heard about this place when I was a child. I knew about it but I would say that most of the people who have heard about it are probably dead now,” said Batt. “You can see ridges at the site where the graves would have been. These are consistent with other graves of this type. I know from the people I spoke to when I was a child, that this is a burial ground. It all the markings of one. This whole area around here would have been filled with houses as one stage but things have changed over the years. Who knows who could be buried there.

“These people are human beings like you and me. They probably suffered more then any of us. No one can say that they don’t have relatives inside in it, we just don’t know. We are all survivors of the famine.” Mr Crowley is hoping to have a special mass said at the site in the weeks ahead but there is currently no plan to exhume any bodies that might be buried at the site for reburial in consecrated grounds.

“There is also no evidence to suggest that this burial ground was used by religious or other authorities such as the Clare County Nursery in Kilrush, which had a child mortality rate of nearly 50 per cent between 1922 and 1932.

THE NEWLY elcted chair of the East Clare Municipal District, Joe Cooney (FG) has admitted that councillors will face a major challenge to meet the need of the people living in the newly redrawn constituency.

Cllr Cooney, who was elected after the first count of last months local election with a massive 2,843 first preference votes, also said that making due with the council’s tight budget for works will not be easy.

“My priority is to try and make sure that people in the new Killaloe district get proper representation on Clare County Council. It is a massive big area – from Clonlara back to New Quay, to Whitegate and up to the Galway border.

“It is not going to be easy to make sure that all areas are well covered and people are property looked after and the right services are there in communities and in villages,” he said.

“It wont be easy but it is important that all areas are looked after.

“With funds limited, as they are at the moment, it is also important that everything is kept to a proper standard.”

While all of the councillors elected in the area are based in the eastern section of the constituency, Cllr Cooney insists that they people of North Clare will be represented.

“They do have councillors. There are six councillors nominated to represent that area.

“I will be representing the people up there [North Clare] and if there are any issues there, I will be there,” he said.

“Unfortunately, it is badly balances, there are six councillors in the east side of the area and none in the north side – but it our jobs to represent those people.

“I definitely see that as my job and I will be doing that for the next five years.”

Cllr Pat Hayes (FF) will serve as Cllr Cooney’s deputy for the next 12 months.

A MAN has appeared in court charged in connection with a string of burglaries at businesses in Ennis in recent weeks.

Brendan Sherlock (21) was brought before a special sitting of Ennis District Court on Saturday morning.

Mr Sherlock, with an address at Dromard, Lahinch Road, Ennis, is charged with six offences allegedly committed between May 31 and June 12.

The charges concern four burglaries and criminal damage and theft offences.

It is alleged on dates unknown between May 31 and June 3, Mr Sherlock entered Delia Keane’s coffee shop on O’Connell Street on as trespasser and stole € 300.

Mr Sherlock is charged with trespass and criminal damage at Mocha Coffee, Arthur’s Row, Ennis on June 5; trespass and theft of € 50 in coins at The Tan Lab, Barrack Street, Ennis on June 11 and trespass and theft of € 70 in coins at D’Barber Shop, Francis Street, Ennis on dates un known between June 10 and June 11.

Mr Sherlock is further charged with the theft of € 120 from Enzo’s Fast Food on Abbey Street on June 12.

It is also alleged that on June 7 at Taste of the Sea, Market Place, Ennis, Mr Sherlock did without lawful excuse damage a wooden door. It is alleged the cost of the damage is € 50. In court on Saturday, Detective Garda Michael Kelly of Ennis Garda Station gave evidence of arrest, charge and caution in respect of five of the charges.

Garda David Hannon of Ennis Garda Station gave evidence of arrest, charge and caution in respect of the other charge.

The court heard Mr Sherlock made no reply to any of the charges after caution.

Judge Mary Larkin granted legal aid following an application from solicitor John Casey.

Mr Casey said legal aid was appropriate in the case and the State had no objections to his application.

Mr Casey’s application for bail on his client’s behalf was opposed by the State.

Detective Garda John Casey of Ennis Garda Station outlined the objections to bail. The court heard gardaí would say they have strong evidence against Mr Sherlock in respect of the charges.

Mr Casey said his client was born and bred in Ennis and would live with his girlfriend at her home in the town. He said Mr Sherlock was willing to sign on daily at Ennis Garda Station and observe any curfew conditions set down by the court.

Judge Mary Larkin said she would only consider granting bail on the basis of a substantial cash bond from the accused or from an independent surety.

Mr Casey said the money is not available and Mr Sherlock did not have anyone to stand as independent surety for him at the moment.

Judge Larkin refused bail. However she said it was open to Mr Casey to raise the issue of bail again if his client could meet the strict bail terms sought by the court.

Judge Larkin remanded Mr Sherlock in custody to appear again at Ennis District Court on June 18.

THE Ombudsman for Children is to be asked to investigate a case where children in State care in Clare were unallocated a social care worker for more than three months.

Judge Alan Mitchell directed that the children’s Guardian Ad Litem also refer the matter to the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA).

The children, who were found to have been neglected by their mother, have since been allocated a social care worker.

Figures supplied to the Clare People yesterday by the Child and Family Agency (CFA) show that there are currently 10 childcare cases unallocated in Clare.

The Children in Care team in Clare (CIC) is currently providing services to approximately 160 children in Clare.

The order that HIQA and the Ombudsman for Children consider a particular case involving social care services in Clare formed part of an extensive written judgment delivered at a sitting of the Family Law (District) Court on Tuesday.

Judge Mitchell was told by senior social worker Tina Wiseman that due to staffing difficulties, a “con- siderable case load” of the CIC team in Clare had been unallocated since November 2012.

The Judge said, “That’s a source of serious concern to me”. He said the un-allocation of childcare cases is something that the CEO of the CFA, Gordon Jeyes could hardly condone. He asked Ms Wiseman if it was worth highlighting these deficiencies both locally and nationally. She said, “I’m in total agreement with you. It is scandalous”. Ms Wiseman said, “I can’t stand over what has happened and at the end of the day, the children are in state care.” Judge Mitchell granted a full child care order on application from the CFA in respect of a number of children. The children’s parents were not present or legally represented in court. The children were represented by their Guardian Ad Litem. Judge Mitchell commended Ms Wiseman “for not trying to defend the indefensible”. After hearing the case Judge Mitchell ruled that the Court was satisfied the children “have been neglected that their health, development, welfare has been and is likely to be avoidably impaired or neglected and the child requires care or protection….” He ordered that the Guardian Ad Litem “refer this case to the Ombudsman for Children to request her to carry out a preliminary investigation under Section 8 of the Ombudsman for Children Act 2002 and to HIQA to consider the non allocation of a social worker to the child in excess of three months, without sufficient reason being acceptable to the Court and the Court finds this practice was not in the best interests of the child and may have adversely affected the child”. The court was told that Clare CFA social workers have written to Gordon Jeyes, and the Minister for Children to express their concerns over resource concerns. Judge Mitchell adjourned the case for review to October.

THE NUMBER of Clare women travelling to the UK for abortions dropped by 14 per cent last year, however more than one woman from Clare every week makes this journey according to British Department of Health figures.

Reasons given for the decrease in the number travelling for the 12th consecutive year vary from better sex education to the availability of the morning after pill, and post abortion remorse to the cost of the procedure.

While “Pro-Life” and “Pro-Choice” groups disagree about the reason for the fewer abortions, both agree that the number of Clare women andgirls travelling is higher than the 55 officially recorded in notification forms returned to the Chief Medical Officers of England and Wales.

They also agree that the overall number opting for abortion is de- creasing. CEO of the Irish Family Planning Association Niall Behan said that for certain more than 55 women from Clare travelled for an abortion last year.

Many of these women did not register their address with the clinic or gave an English address.

Others travelled from Clare to the Netherlands.

According to the HSE’s Crisis Pregnancy Programme 1,503 more women present to them for post abortion care following a termination in the Netherlands between 2005 and 2011.

This number too is expected to be higher in reality.

In 2013, 3,679 Irish women in total travelled to England and Wales for abortions, down from 3,982 in 2012, a 7.6 per cent decrease.

The number of women who travelled from Clare for an abortion has decreased by 14 per cent from 64 to 55 in the same period.

In a statement welcoming the con- tinuing reduction in the number of Irish women travelling to Britain for abortion, Cora Sherlock of the Pro Life Campaign said;

“While it is difficult to draw firm conclusions, a recent report from the HSE/Crisis Pregnancy Programme showed an increase in the number of women expressing abortion regret.

“In that study, 44 per cent of women expressed varying degrees of regret about their abortions up from 33 per cent in a similar HSE study in 2003,” she said.

Speaking to The Clare People the IFPA said it could not say for certain why the number of recorded Irish abortions abroad had decreased but there was evidence to suggest that better sex education and a change in attitude to sex and contraception played a major role.

Welcoming the reduction in numbers Mr Behan said a decrease in the number of new teenage mothers in Ireland also pointed to better sex education in Ireland.

The availability of contraception, especially emergency contraception such as the morning after pill, as well as the establishment of the Crisis Pregnancy Programme by the HSE in 2001 also played a role, he said.

He raised concerns for women living in the county who could not travel for a termination for reason of expense, lack of a visa or women with a disability that made it difficult to exercise this option.

“So what happens theses women with an unwanted pregnancies? Many resort to buying medication on line, which is unsupervised and very dangerous,” he said.

The cost of an abortion in England and Wales is estimated between € 600 and € 2,000 – depending on the clinic cost, travel cost, procedure cost and accommodation.

During recession many women cannot find such money and resort to finding cheap and medically unspervised solutions online, according to the IFPA.