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A GOOD Samaritan who slowed down when he saw what he believed to be a late night traffic accident was robbed for his trouble near Ardnacrusha recently. The driver saw a car across the road and a man limping towards the front of the car. There were two other men lying on the grass at the side of the road.

As he slowed down the ‘injured men’ got up and attacked the driver of the car, forcing him to open his door, threatened him with a knife and robbed him of € 400. He was saved possible further injury and loss when an oncoming car prompted the thieves to make their getaway. Gardaí are appealing for potential witnesses or anyone who may have seen the thieves on the morning of June 25th at Carmody’s Cross.

CLARE’S newest sporting heroes will return to Shannon, Sixmilebridge and to Inagh later this evening for a homecoming which should rival anything seen in the county for the last decade. Double Special Olympic silver medal winner, Ciara O’Loughlin, and silver medal winner Michael Neville will touch down in Dublin with the rest of the Irish team just before 1pm today.

Ciara won the silver medal in the shot putt and the 4×100 metre relay while Michael, from Sixmilebridge, was part of Ireland silver medal winning soccer team.

“We’re just so proud,” Ciara’s father Malachy told The Clare People

ICARUS will not be swooping down to settle in Clarecastle despite a late bid to have the well known piece of sculpture moved to a new home.

In a motion submitted to yesterday’s meeting of Ennis Town Council, Cllr Mary Howard (FG) called on the Council to “consider relocating the Icarus sculpture to the centre of the Clareabbey roundabout”.

Cllr Howard told the meeting that the statue would be a “lovely gateway” to Ennis if it was moved to Clareabbey.

Mayor of Ennis, Cllr Michael Guilfoyle (Ind) said he would like to see the 11-tonne statue brought back to the centre of Ennis rather than Clarecastle.

Cllr Paul O’Shea (Lab) called for a vote on the matter, urging the Council to install the statue at the Clareabbey roundabout.

However, in his response, town clerk Eddie Power stated that a site on the N85 western relief road had been chosen as a new location. He explained that design work on a new base for the statue had already started at the Rocky Road roundabout. He told the meeting that € 20,000 has already been committed to the project.

Town manager Ger Dollard said the Council was involved in three major sculpture projects – the Information Age Sculpture at Clon Road; Icarus and its replacement piece in the Market – a sculpture of two farmers and a cow.

He said it was “too late in the day” for a new location for Icarus. “The horse has already bolted in that re- spect,” he added.

The Icarus statue was designed by the renowned Irish sculptor John Behan. It was gifted to Ennis Town Council by the former Shannonbased company Guinness Peat Aviation in 1990 to mark the town’s 750 year anniversary.

Behan titled his work Daedalus though it became known locally as Icarus.

The sculpture had occupied a place on the roundabout at the heart of the market area of the town prior to its removal in December 2006.

MEMBERS of the public in Ennis support pedestrianisation “in some sort or other” a new report about the future development of the town has found.

The findings of Ennis 20/20 – People, Place, Potential – A report on the Community Visioning Exercise – was presented by Dr Chris McInerney of the University of Limerick at yesterday’s monthly meeting of Ennis Town Council.

The main objective of the project was to support the development of a participatory plan for Ennis as a hub town in line with the National Spatial Strategy. The project was supported by the University of Limerick, Ennis Town Council and the Clare Active Citizenship Network.

The opinions of over 300 people were canvassed including those of 30 young people and the opinions of 180 people in Dunnes Stores on a Thursday evening and Saturday morning.

The report presents perspectives on what local people think Ennis will look and feel like in 2020; the strengths and assets on which it can build; how the image of Ennis might be improved and how Ennis might be developed further as an inclusive town. The report found that there is a “strong emphasis on pedestrianisation” with people also wanting an “enhanced relationship between the town and the River Fergus”.

In a section focusing on how improved infrastructure can enhance Ennis, the report found, “The related theme of pedestrianisation was undoubtedly one of the most prominent issues to be raised with all of those mentioned it advocating pedestrianisation of some sort or other, ranging from gradual or partial pedestrianisation to an all out approach taking in all of the town centre.”

Parking also emerged as a key concern for people in Ennis. The report states, “The suggestions ranged from reducing parking charges to designating certain days for free parking to help to stimulate retail sales.”

In a section on Ennis’ Economic Development, “reducing costs to business was also cited as an important factor in stimulating economic activity”.

Dr McInerney told the meeting that there was “divergence of views” on how retail development should proceed in Ennis.

The report states, “On one hand some participants favoured the introduction of large retails outlets as a means of preventing leakage of spending to Limerick and Galway. By contrast, other participants favoured the prioritisation of support for locally-owned specialty shops that would have a capacity to sell local produce, including the development of the town’s market area.”

The public also suggested “friendlier traffic wardens” and “street ambassadors and volountary town guides to assist tourists”.

In the area of ‘Building Cooperation’, the report found that some people are in favour of a “conscious effort” to support integration.

The report adds, “However, for others, further integration was not a priority, emphasis being placed instead on adjusting/improving behaviour, both amongst newly arriving groups and amongst the town’s Traveller population.”

NEW casual trading byelaws aimed at improving the operation of the Ennis market were last night adopted by members of Ennis Town Council after councillors voted unanimously to remove plans for a controversial tow away system.

As part of the byelaws, the Council had proposed introducing a system that would have seen cars parked in market trading bays on trading days, towed away.

That, along with plans to limit the sale of Christmas trees to the Cornmarket area of the town, were strongly opposed by all elected representatives present at yesterday’s Council meeting.

Despite sparking confusion, another proposal to prevent the further reduction of parking spaces in favour of trading bays in Guaranakilla, as set out in the byelaws, did make the final draft, despite criticisms from Cllr Johnny Flynn (FG).

Councillors Flynn, Paul O’Shea (Lab) and Frankie Neylon (Ind) proposed that the byelaws be passed subject to three conditions.

Members voted unanimously to re- move the tow away system and the restriction of the sale of Christmas trees from the byelaws.

However, following a warning from town manager Ger Dollard that a proposal to designate a section of Guaranakilla strictly for parking would have “serious implications” for trading in the market, a majority of councillors present voted 4-3 against the amendment.

Cllr Flynn said he was against the further reduction of parking in the interests of ratepayers in the area. Town clerk Eddie Power said effective byelaws were needed to manage the market in the interests of safety and of traders who pay to operate in the area.

Mr Dollard told the meeting that signs warning that cars may be towed away could still be put up in the market. He said the penalty would not be part of the byelaws, adding that Gardaí could still decide to tow cars away if they are found to be impeding trading.

Cllr Flynn described the tow away system as using a “sledgehammer to crack a nutshell”. Cllr Neylon said the proposal could cost affected car owners € 200 to remedy.

SHANNON’S mounting losses in recent years means that the airport won’t be granted its independence in the short-term, even though a 2011 deadline had been put in place to determine if it would be broken away from Dublin Airport Authority control and given its wings as a standalone entity.

AIRLINES and passengers will have to rally behind Shannon Airport before the Minister reinstates the controversial travel tax if the airport is to make any kind of recovery, according to the airport pressure group Give Shannon Wings.

Ennis businessman Brian O’Neill was reacting to the Tanaiste’s warning at last week’s mid-west aviation conference, where he stated that the tax will be reintroduced if the airlines cut numbers.

And O’Neill added that whatever negotiations the various government departments are currently having with the airlines, they should be more transparent so that people in Clare know what is being planned.

“The airlines have the break they asked for and now they have to bring greater numbers into Shannon. And the travelling public have to support the airport and plan trips as much as possible to use the routes that are already there,” he said.

An Tanaiste Eamon Gilmore, said last week that the Government will “have to look at what Shannon Airport is doing and what role it plays in the overall picture of things. The objective of removing the travel tax, which was at the request of the airlines, was to increase the numbers and if we find that some airlines, instead of increasing numbers, are cutting back on routes and cutting back on activity, then we would have to revisit the issue of travel tax.”

O’Neill, of the Rowan Tree hostel and restaurant in Ennis joined forces with John O’Conner of Custy’s music shop and David Woodford from the Irish Shop came together to form the Give Shannon Wings and an online petition in support of the airport late last year. The petition which contained more than 13,000 signatures was presented to the the Minister for Tourism along with ten ‘demandments’ on what is needed to resurrect business at the aiport.

“The development of the Lynx Cargo Hub is to be welcomed but the airlines have to take advantage of this break. At the same time routes have to be encouraged and supported and there needs to be a targeted package put in place to promote the airport and let people know what routes are available.”

The other key to Shannons recovery lies with the travelling public, he said. “We need to support the routes that are there and plan to use them whenever possible and make a determined effort to see can we get where we’re going by using Shannon?

“We don’t know what the Minister is saying to the airlines or what he is saying to Michael O’Leary. It has been put about that Ryanair have been offered incentives. If that’s the case, then let people in the mid-west know what is being said and what we can expect.”

TWO new wastewater treatment plants for Kilrush and Kilkee – at a combined cost of € 17 million – have been given the green light, after a long wait.

The Government is to today announce the construction of the treatment plants in the two West Clare areas, along with the upgrade of the existing network collection system in the area.

The projects have been mooted for several years and the work is poised to be of a huge benefit to tourism in the West Clare area. € 10.5 million will be spent on the Kilkee project and € 6.7 million on the Kilrush project.

It will lead to job creation in the area when the work is ongoing, after contract documents are prepared for the project which will go to tender.

Fine Gael Deputy Pat Breen told The Clare People last night, “This has been with the Department of the Environment for many years and it is a significant development in progressing the two schemes. I would like to see these projects progressing with the minimum of delay, through to the preparation of contract and tender documents, so that the schemes could go to construction some time in 2013.”

“These schemes are very important to these two West Clare towns particularly given the importance of tourism to their local economies,” he added.

‘‘This contract is included in the Department’s Water Services Investment Programme 2010-2012 as a scheme at planning,’’ he said.

The schemes will be funded by the Department, in conjunction with Clare County Councils. The final de tails have yet to be worked out, according to Deputy Breen.

Local hotelier John Redmond said, “The sewage treatment project is something that needs to be done. Protecting the environment is such a high profile thing, especially in West Clare. It is a good thing for the town and the environment.”

Mr Redmond said this announcement is a significant boost to the local area, in the wake of grants being awarded for new lights at the Prom.

Every boost is essential, given that the tourist season hasn’t yet shown great results in the seaside resort.

“Even when people are around, the spend is not there. It has been fairly quiet. It is similar to last year. It’s not as busy as it should be. Everybody is trying their best,” said Mr Redmond.

REMEMBERING the late town clerk in Shannon was one of the new town mayor’s priorities immediately after she was elected last week.

Fine Gael councillor Mary Brennan paid tribute to Tomás MacCormaic, who died suddenly on June 7. He had been the town clerk for 27 years prior to his retirement two years ago and was highly regarded in the town.

A golf classic was held last week to raise funds for the senior citizens club in the town last Monday and the new mayor was one of those involved. “It was dedicated to Tomás,” she said.

“Tomás was a gentleman and was very much part of the community in Shannon. Young and old loved him. Nothing was too little or too big for him. I felt it was a nice gesture to dedicate the golf to him. He was involved with the senior citizens club.”

Cllr Brennan was elected as mayor two weeks earlier, to replace Tony Mulcahy who left the council to take up a place in the Seanad. Her fellow councillors opted to re-elect her to the position for a 12-month term. She has been a town councillor for the past two years.

She told The Clare People she enjoyed the fortnight as chairperson of the council and is look- ing forward to the year ahead. “It has been very enjoyable. I am excited about it,” said Cllr Brennan, who has worked as the caretaker in the town’s health centre for the past 23 years.

A number of priorities are on her mind for the year ahead, not least a focus on the local airport.

“I’d hope we could facilitate more work at the airport and lobby Richard Bruton. It is such a shame to see the airport being used for the wrong reasons; our children leaving due to lack of jobs,” she said.

She knows at first hand the circumstances surrounding the recession, as one of her sons has emigrated to Canada, while another will move to Australia in the coming weeks.

“I will be working with the community. I would be quite open to taking on board any ideas people would offer me for the betterment of Shannon,” she said. “I’d know a lot of people in Shannon through working in the health centre. People know they can come up to me and I will point them in the right direction,” said the mother-of-three, who is a native of Mayo. My eldest is 30 and my youngest is 23. I would be very well known in that age group. I work with vast age groups. The elderly enjoy coming in and having the banter in the health centre.”

THREE international high rollers are set to battle it out for the chance to buy their very own piece of the Banner County as interest hots-up on the 180-acre Mutton Island.

The island, which is located just half a mile from the Clare coast, has been owned by a number of high profile people since the departure of its last inhabitants in the 1950s and was even subject to a bid from The Beatle’s John Lennon in 1967. The Clare People understands that interest in the island is high with a number of solid enquiries coming from America and the Middle East. The island, which is home to a number of derelict building and a herd of wild goats, is likely to sell for less than the € 500,000 guide price.

The sale of the island is being managed by Philip O’Reilly Auctioneers in Ennis, who believes that it will take a person with “a lot of money and balls” to buy the island.

“We’ve had a lot of interest in the island. We’ve had a lot of interest from America, mostly from expats but we’ve also had interest from people in the Middle East,” Philip told The Clare People .

“At the moment there is nothing at all on the island but a herd of wild goats. But it is perfectly located, just a half a mile from the coast. You can see the island when you are teeing off of a lot of the holes down in Doonbeg and whenever I play down there people are always asking me what it is.

“It would take a person with a lot of money and balls to buy the island and at the moment there doesn’t seem to be someone like that in Ireland. But it is a great opportunity for someone – this is a 180-acre island which is likely to be sold for less than the asking price of € 500,000.”

While no official bid has been made for the island, The Clare People understands the there are currently three very interested enquires and a large number of others who have yet to show a formal interest in the property.

Planning permission for a tourism development on the island has been turned down in the past so and, according to Mr O’Reilly, the island is likely to be bought for a home rather than a commercial development.