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DRIVERS in Clare are clocking up penalty points for speeding at a faster pace than their counterparts in any other county.

Three Clare drivers have received driving bans, having accumulated 12 penalty points. Another two drivers have received 11 points, with 22 on 10 points.

The numbers of drivers who received penalty points in Clare during the first six months of this year exceeded figures for the whole of last year.

The biggest increase of any county was in Clare where more than 3,700 drivers were penalised up to the end of June. This compares with around 2,800 during the whole of last year.

THE HEAD OF the Clare Garda Division has expressed concern at the high rate of retirements from the force, which will result in dwindling numbers involved in policing across the county. More than 20 gardaí in the Clare Garda Division – where the force had stood at around 320 – retired last year and at least 12 are expected to leave the force this year. A recruitment embargo means that no new gardaí will be trained in the next few years. Chief Supt John Kerin is very much in favour of community policing and ensuring significant numbers of gardaí are visible on the streets. Yet, some decisions will have to be taken in an effort to cope with the decreased numbers.

THE new € 2 million Killaloe Canal Improvement Works project that was officially opened last week can be the spark for an upsurge in tourist traffic and activity along the Shannon navigation system.

That’s according to the coalition of forces that brought the ambitious project to fruition over the past year – Fáilte Ireland and Waterways Ireland, who spearheaded the key improvement works in Killaloe as part of a Lough Derg initiative also involving Shannon Development as well as Clare and Tipperary county councils.

The project involved the laying of 755 metres of moorings, the underpinning of the old Killaloe canal wall, the installation of the flood control gates and the creation of a looped walk along the shore and canal wall.

“Killaloe is a key destination and gateway in the lakelands and inland waterways area for domestic and internaitonal visitors,” said the Chief Executive of Waterways Ireland.

“The development here in Killaloe is a key part of our strategy in Waterways Ireland and is key in encouraging further economic activity in the town and indeed the wider Lough Derg area,” he added.

“The Killaloe canal signifies Fáilte Ireland’s commitment, as the national tourism development authority, to ensuring that there are plenty of reasons for visitors to come and indeed return to Clare, this year and into the future,” said Fáilte Ireland’s Fiona Monaghan.

“The improvement works undertaken in Killaloe have been extensive and will prove important in increasing visitor numbers to this very scenic area of the mid west,” said the Minister for the Arts Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Jimmy Deenihan in officially opening the new facility.

“This project funding jointly by Fáilte Ireland and Waterways Ireland, will make an excellent facility for walkers, tourists and those who enjoy waterway activities. This development will only add to this region’s reputation as one of Ireland’s most attractive and enjoyable destinations for visitors, from home and abroad,” he added.

The project was underataken as part of the wider development of the inland waterways system from Fermanagh as far as Limerick under the working title of Product Development Studies for the Lakelands and Inlands Waterways area.

The studies chart the future development of tourism and recreation in the inland waterways, with the new Killaloe facility being held up as a prime example of the development of top-class facilities.

THE Clare home which was once owned by Lady Gregory and where WB Yeats was a regular visitor has been put up for sale.

The 18th-century Mount Vernon is situated close to the dramatic shoreline of the Atlantic Coast, near New Quay, and overlooks the cliffs of Aughinish. It was once the summer home of art collector Hugh Lane and later passed to Lady Augusta Gregory of Coole Park.

The house was originally built for Sir William Peerse of Roxboro, a friend of George Washington and a soldier who served in the US War of Independence.

The three tall cyprus trees in the garden of the house are believed to have been a gift from George Washington and the house itself was named after Washington’s residence in Virginia.

After the property passed to Lady Gregory, it saw as guests many of the artists and writers who were the force behind the Celtic revival. WB Yeats, AE (George Russell) Synge, Sean O’Casey and George Bernard Shaw all stayed and worked at Mount Vernon after it passed from Hugh Lane to his aunt, Lady Gregory.

The house boasts fireplaces designed and painted by pre-Raphelite painter Augustus John, as well as other period items.

The reception rooms feature painted panels from Sir William Gregory’s time as Governer of Ceylon.

The five-bed property is on sale, along with walled gardens and six acres of land.

There are also separate servant or guest quarters.

However, for those interested in buying a slice of history, the details of the asking price have not been disclosed, with prospective buyers advised to contact the auctioneers, Premier Property Ireland, to know more.

THE MONTHLY Killaloe court sittings are on the move again – less than a year after a new venue was secured.

The district court sittings moved to the Kincora Hotel last September, after months of searching for a venue by The Courts Service. At the time, the move was described by the Courts Service as a “temporary measure”. It came after it emerged that The Lakeside Hotel – where the court had sat for a number of years – would not be an option in the long-term.

However, the Kincora Hotel has now gone into receivership and the position regarding the availability for future court sittings is still unclear.

The hotel will not be available in September and a decision has now been taken to move the September and October sittings of the court to Ennis Courthouse.

The old courthouse in Killaloe is in a state of disrepair and funding is not available to renovate it.

The regional manager of the Courts Service, Brendan McDonald told The Clare People last night that a permanent venue is still being sought.

“The court will be moved to Ennis for the months of September and October on a temporary basis while we look to see can we remain in Killaloe. We will explore all options. We are committed to staying there in the short to medium term, provided we can get accommodation,” he said.

One of the more senior solicitors in the east Clare area, Billy Loughnane, expressed hope that the court will sit in Killaloe in the future.

“It is very important for a number of reasons that the court is held in Killaloe. We have Scariff close and Tulla close. The natural orientation of people from Killaloe would not be towards Ennis. It would be towards Limerick,” he said.

“Hopefully this is only a temporary glitch. A permanent move to Ennis isn’t something that should be contemplated,” he said.

THE dream by those involved in Clare camogie to have a headquarters for the game in the county have taken a giant step forward in the last week, with the news that Clare County Council has given the go-ahead for the Camogie Board’s ambitious development plans for a three-acre site just outside Ennis.

Local authority planners have given permission for a range of developments on the site at Gaurus on the Doora Road, that will transform the Clare County Council owned property into a new home for Clare camogie that will be the envy of other camogie associations around the country.

The development includes two pitches, while the planning permission granted by the council last week is for the construction of a carpark, the installation of dressing rooms, the erection of retractable netting system behind each goal on the premier playing pitch and for floodlights on the second pitch.

The granting of planning permission for these phases of the project has been held up as “the final piece of the jigsaw” in what has been a long-running campaign waged by the Clare Camogie Board to get proper facilities.

“Camogie in the county has been crying out for proper facilities for many years,” says Clare Camogie Board chairperson, Orla Considine.

“As far back as 1988 there was a commitment from Clare County Council to provide playing facilities for camogie, so that now it’s finally happening is great. It’s been a long road.

“Nothing was done about it for many years but two years ago the campaign was started up again and this is the result of it.

“We have had many meetings with council officials over the past couple of years and the granting of the planning permission for these developments is a huge step,” Considine said.

As recently as June, prior to the lodging of the planning permission by camogie board treasurer, Michael Maher, a development committee was established to spearhead the fuding and delivery of the project.

This committee is made up of chairperson Orla Considine, treasurer Mick Maher, county councilors Joe Cooney, Patricia McCarthy and Pat Hayes as well Dr Pádraig Quinn, Kevin Kennedy and Eamon Fennessey.

LARGE crowds are expected in Sixmilebridge tomorrow for a Better Farm event run by Teagasc.

The O’Reilly family farm at Rathmore will be the focus of attention for the estimated 1,000 beef farmers expected to visit Sixmilebridge.

Tours of the 96-hectare farm, which consists of land at Kilmurry and Drumullan, will take place at 2pm and 6pm.

The event, which has been organised as part of Teagasc’s Better Farm beef programme, will focus on different areas of farming including grassland management, breeding performance, animal health and farm planning.

At the beginning of the Teagasc/ Farmers Journal Programme in 2008, Pat O’Reilly and his mother Mary had 103 suckler cows split into two calving periods with 75 cows calving in the spring and 28 in the autumn.

Shane McHugh, Better Farm advisor with Teagasc explained, “As is the case on many farms, there was no distinct start or end to either spring or autumn calving and in effect they were calving cows for 11 months of the year.” He continued, “With good limestone ground, the farm offered great potential to drive more production from grass. Pat started to measure grass weekly in the spring of 2009 and quickly realised what needed to be done. Extra money was spent on fertiliser addressing any P&K imbalances.

“The grass measuring showed up paddocks that were not performing and, in 2010, eight hectares were reseeded and a further eight hectares is targeted for 2011.”

Shane explained, “The other major development is that this year, in the outside farm in Kilmurry, the farm has been paddocked to give more control and flexibility in manag ing grass.” Shane added, “The extra output achieved in 2010, coupled with controlling of variables, has increased gross margin by 59 per cent over the 2008 figure and it now stands at € 668/HA. In real terms, gross margin has improved by € 248/ ha since 2008 which on a whole farm basis leaves the O’Reilly’s with an extra € 23,800 which can go to towards fixed costs and ultimately net profit. With such a high level of output on the farm, the improved beef price this year should leave the farm well positioned to further increase gross margin in 2011.”

Visitors will get an opportunity to discuss the issues with the management team and Pat himself.

MACRA NA Feirme has initiated a campaign aimed at setting up a string of new clubs across Clare.

Macra, a voluntary youth organisation for those aged between 17 and 35, has a number of clubs in the county and is aiming to set up others.

A development plan has been put in place for the county, in an effort to increase the number of clubs. The first two areas targeted are Sixmilebridge and Kilrush, where information evenings will take place over the coming weeks.

The first will take place on Friday, August 19, at the Mill Bar, Sixmilebridge, while another event will take place in Kilrush the following Friday.

“Clare was a county that had several clubs before and every now and then a club would go so we are trying to get new clubs in the county. The Macra year starts in September,” said the training and development officer with Macra, Theresa O’Leary.

“A lot of them have dwindled. In recessionary times, Macra does well. It did well in the ‘80s,” she said.

She said that while the focus will be initially on setting up two clubs, there are plans to start up several others across the county.

“Our hope would be to get as many people involved as we can. The events are about telling people what it’s about,” she said.

Traditionally, Macra was geared towards rural areas. However, it has become hugely popular in urban areas in recent years.

“Years ago, when it started, it was for farming and rural areas. Now it has become a social outlet. There is one in Galway city,” she said.

“In Galway, there are nine or 10 clubs and the same in Roscommon. Cork would be very strong also,” she said.

“People involved in sports often join. It is a voluntary organisation. People can do as much or as little as they want. It is wide-ranging. Membership is only € 20 for the first year,” said Ms O’Leary.

Anyone interested should phone 087 6257152 or check out Clare Macra on Facebook.

MANY tributes have been paid this week to the late Mary Bredin, who was Ennis’ link to the silver screen thanks to her name appearing on the credits of a string of major Hollywood films in the 1960s and ‘70s.

This brush with fame and celebrity has been recalled by members of the wider Bredin family following her sudden death at the age of 72.

Ms Bredin trained as a hairdresser in the 1950s, serving her apprenticeship with Kay O’Grady on Parnell Street, before opening up her own salon above Moloney’s shop on the same street.

However, it was her move to London in 1959 that launched her career as the ‘hairstylist to the stars’, as her niece Shirley Bredin told The Cla re People this week.

“She was itching to go travelling and she was only around 20 when she went to London, working in the West End. She got work with the British film industry and through this she met Raquel Welch,” she revealed.

“She always wanted to go to America, but it was hard to get a visa, but was able to go over when Raquel hired her as her own personal hair stylist. She travelled everywhere with Raquel and worked on a number of films with her,” she added.

Her first break in Hollywood came with the 1968 film, Ina dmissa ble Evidence that starred James Coburn, James Mason, Ian McShane and Raquel Welch.

Bredin was also associated with Welch in a host of other films, working with her as lead hair stylist and supervisor in films such as Ha nnie Ca ulder

THE areas of children’s rights and children’s education will dominate discussion at the 2011 Merriman Summer School, which begins in Lisdoonvarna next week.

Directed this year by Prof Nóirín Hayes of DIT, an expert in early childood education and children’s rights, it will address issues relating to Irish childhood past and present and consider a vision for the future. ‘Changing Irish Childhoods’ is the title and the school will run from August 17-21.

The school will be opened in the Pavillion Theatre, Lisdoonvarna by the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Frances Fitzgerald TD. Speakers and panellists include Fintan O’Toole, Mary O’ Rourke, Joseph Dunne, Maria Corbett, Carl O’Brien, Fergus Ryan, Sheila Greene, Dympna Devine, Brian O’Neill, and Siobhán Parkinson. The closing lecture will be given by the Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Michael D Higgins. Topics will range from exploring the boundaries between childhood and adulthood, to children and the new media.

There will be daily lunchtime poetry readings during Cúirt an Mheán Lae, with one of Ireland’s most distinguished poets, Eavan Boland, reading on August 18, followed by readings by Gabriel Rosenstock and Peter Sirr.

Morning seminars in Irish and English delivered by a range of experts will deal with subjects as diverse as Naonrai Gaelacha, assisited immigration to New Zealand for workhouse girls in the 1870s and debutantes in 18th-century Limerick.

A special session on youth mental health and well-being will include a presentation on a collaborative project by artist Seamus McGuinness and psychiatrist Kevin Malone, and a dramatic presentation from Jigsaw, a Youth Mental Health group from Galway.

There will be walking tours of Lisdoonvarna, book launches and, of course, the perennially popular Club Merriman in the evenings.

Full details of the programme, including information on the morning seminars, as well as information on the speakers, registration and accommodation are on www.merriman.ie.