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THE CREATION of hundreds of jobs in the north Clare and south Galway area have been put on hold following the news that construction work on the € 300 million Gort to Tuam motorway is to be delayed.

Work on the Public Private Partnership (PPP) was due to commence earlier this month but the National Roads Authority (NRA) have confirmed this the project has experienced difficulties due to problems obtaining funding from supporting banks.

This is the second delay which has struck the motorway, which will be used by hundreds of Clare commuters each day when completed, following a four month delay in signing contracts with the projects main contractors, the the BAM/Balfour Beatty Consortium, last September.

This delay in signing the contracts caused the construction start-time for the motorway to be put back from November of 2010 to January of 2011.

In October of 2010 a spokesperson from the NRA confirmed to the Clare People that “despite rumours to the contrary” construction work on the motorway would begin in early 2011. Despite these reassurances NRA spokesperson, Sean O’Neill, confirmed over the weekend that construction work would be delayed on the project. Mr O’Neill also said that the NRA was still committed to the 57-kilometre project and hoped that that matter would be resolved soon.

“This delay has arisen due to concerns on the part of the funding banks relating to the sovereign debt situation in Ireland, and these concerns have impacted on the timing of progressing to financial close,” he said.

It had been expected that work on the project, which would complete the Ennis to Galway motorway, will be completed by 2014 however, it is not clear when construction work on the motorway will now be able to begin.

The delay comes as a blow to the business community in north Clare and south Galway with a number of local companies expected to act as suppliers and sub contractors to the main development team.

It is also expected that the influx of workers would give a boost to the local economy.

Once completed the motorway will connect the Gort/Crusheen bypass to the M6 motorway east of Oranmore – bypassing Ardrahan, Kilcolgan and Clarinbridge. It is expected to reduce the commute time between Ennis and Galway by 15 minutes.

THERE’S a line of traffic up College Road towards the imposing old convent building that stands sentinel over what could be described as the leafy Ennis suburb just after you cross the Rhine into the Lifford are of Ennis.

Erasmus House dates from the 1770s and was originally a private residence before became a convent, but more recently housed both Maoin Cheoil and Chláir and the Ennis Language School.

In their own way both the Maoin Cheoil and language school hit at the source of all the activity. There’s both music and language, albeit it’s more England than Ennis, cockney not Clare.

Adults and children alike snake around the back of the building to a small church hall that’s hidden away. And, in a way it’s appropriate that this is the new rehearsal venue for the society – an old religious house for the society that came to Ennis thanks to the oldest established residents in Ennis, the Franciscans.

It was in 1953 that the society, then called the ‘Friary Choral’ under the direction of Fr Eunan had its maiden voyage with ‘The Country Girl’ in the New Hall on Station Road.

It was six more years before the society set sail again with the production of ‘Wild Violets’, but since then the Ennis Musical Society has become one of the staples of the performing arts in Ennis and wider Clare.

And the last 50-plus years reads like an eclectic what’s what of the genre – ‘Calamity Jane’, ‘My Fair Lady’, ‘La Belle Helene’, ‘Orpheus in the Underworld’, ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ and many more.

This year it’s ‘Oliver’. Bill Sikes stomps on stage; the Dodger dances; Fagin figures his next move; Oliver sits at the workhouse table, takes his deepest breath and plucks up the courage from somewhere to say he wants more.

Anyone who saw Carol Reed’s film starring Ron Moody, Oliver Reed and Mark Lester – we all did as a rite of passage – knows the lines by heart, simply by opening the trapdoor of the mind.

‘Oliver, Oliver, never before has a boy wanted more…..’

Yes, Charles Dickens’ victorian classic has always been a winner with the crowds – makes it long over due another ride on the Ennis Musical Society’s carousel. “Oliver never loses its appeal,” says society chairman Jonathon Hopper, “and it’s great to put it on again,” he adds trawling through the online archives to when it was last brought to an Ennis stage.

It was 1990 when the Ennis Musical Society contended for the industry’s Oscars – the Association of Irish Musical Societies awards – when Cecil McDonagh was runner-up in the Best Actor category and Padraig O’Reilly was runner-up in the Supporting Actor role.

“This year we decided we wanted to have something that had children involved,” said musical society chairperson Jonathon Hopper. “The kids loved being involved in shows and ‘Oliver’ is just one of the classic shows that’s brilliant for children. The response we got was absolutely brilliant. We had 80 children audition. Beforehand we were slightly worried whether we’d have enough children turn up. We needed 20 but got 80. People want to see ‘Oliver’ and the kids want to be involved with it. It’s as popular as ever.”

The work on the 2011 production is almost done with now. The sets are built, costumes made, rehearsals ramped up in frequency over the last while as everyone involved close in on showtime in Glór from March 8 to 12.

“It’s a big undertaking every year,” says Hopper, “but a big budget needed to bring everything together, so there’s fundraising involved, people helping out with the sets and the background stuff. There are a lot of people involved and I’d say that the musical society is a family.

“I’m Australian and I decided to come to do the Europe thing for a year and I came to Ireland. I’ve been five years. I was around town, wondering what I’d get involved in and I had the idea ‘what about getting involved in musicals’.

“I had done some in high school. I was working in Shannon at the time and a friend was telling me he was involved in a musical and I said to myself ‘I can do that’. I just turned up and got involved and have been involved ever since.

“It has had a huge impact on myself. I would say that almost everyone I know in Ennis is someone I know through the musical society. To be honest it’s one of the reasons why I ended up staying in the country. It’s a huge part of my life.”

The society itself has been a huge part of Ennis life for countless generations of performers.

Expected Glór to be play to full houses between March 8 and 12.

MULLAGH Entire Drama Group is celebrating a decade of bringing fun, thought and entertainment to the people of west Clare.

The amateur dramatic society is marking its 10th anniversary by entering its latest play in competition for the very first time, when it takes part in the Doonbeg Drama Festival early next month.

The group will perform ‘A Wake in the West’ written by playwright Michael Joe Ginnelly.

Set in the 1960s in a rural village in the west of Ireland the play explores drink, relationships, the role of the clergy and poverty.

“It is a comedy with a twist,” explained actor Anthony Morrissey.

And while the group will be entering a competition for the first time, the area has a long tradition of drama and plays.

The people of Mullagh took to the stage long before this relatively new group was formed by the ICA a decade ago. Back then the first play was written and directed by Eilis Merriman. The drama group has expanded and developed since then, and now boasts up to 25 members.

“The goal has been to bring a play to Doonbeg and take the group to the next level,” said Mr Morrissey.

Those wishing for a sneak preview of the play before it enters it first competition can see it in Mullagh Hall on Friday next, February 25, or Sunday February 27. The play will also take to the stage in Mullagh on March 20. Doors will open at 7.30pm with curtin at 8.30pm.

THE war of the posters in Clare continued this week and this time within Fine Gael.

A directive was issued on February 11 from National Fine Gael director of elections Phil Hogan TD stating that canvassing in the Shannon Electoral area was to be left solely to local candidate and mayor of Shannon Cllr Tony Mulcahy.

However supporters of the mayor claim that his colleague Deputy Pat Breen (FG) continued to erect posters in the area well after the directive was given.

They pointed to a large poster declaring Deputy Breen’s support for the airport which they say was placed over a poster of the three Fine Gael Candidates in Clare – Deputy Breen, Deputy Joe Carey and Cllr Mulcahy. It also showed no preferences for the other candidates.

Speaking last night Deputy Breen said he took all of his posters out of the area after the directive was issued, and moved them to Ennis and the surrounding areas.

“We were told not to go into Shannon and I won’t go into Shannon,” he said.

Cllr Mulcahy said he was extremely disappointed by the issue.

“It wouldn’t be the Fine Gael way and it wouldn’t be my way. My reputation has always been as a team player within the party.”

When asked by The Clare People if he was canvassing the Shannon Electoral Area, Deputy Joe Carey (FG) said he did not want to comment.

In the 2007 General Elections Fine Gael returned two candidates in Clare having run four candidates.

The breakdown of the vote in the Shannon Electoral Area, which includes Kilkishen, Sixmilebridge and Meelick as well as Shannon town, saw Cllr Mulcahy taking the majority of the vote when the town of Shannon was included.

Eliminating the town however saw a vote of more than 700 for Deputy Breen, just under 600 for Deputy Carey, more than 400 for Cllr Mulcahy and 200 for fellow candidate Madeleine Taylor Quinn.

Posters have also proved problematic for two of Clare’s Independent candidates who were forced to take them back down from polls and lampposts around the county last month under the threat of a litter fine.

Both James Breen and Jim Connolly were told at the time that they were in breech of the litter act, as the election had not been officially called.

Last week Fianna Fáil candidates Timmy Dooley TD and Dr John Hillery reported to Gardaí that more than a thousand of their posters had been removed.

THE Burren will be officially named as Ireland’s second ever ecotourism destination at a ceremony in Ballyvaughan next month.

This designation is the culmination of more then two years of work by the Burren Ecotourism Network – a host of local businesses and organisations in the area.

Ecotourism involved a move away from traditional mass-tourism and towards providing visitors with a more individual, more person tourist experience in Clare.

The classification of the Burren as an official ecotourism destination could become a major long-term driver for the local tourism industry. It is predicted that the ecotourism movement will become one of the primary drivers if tourism in Ireland in the coming years.

The Burren Ecotourism Network hope that this brand of tourism will encourage visitors to stay for longer in the county, spend more money in the area and cause less impact on the environmental and social make-up of the Burren.

Co-ordinated by the Burren Connect Project in Ennistymon, the network has seen a wide variety of north Clarebased businesses coming together for a series of mentoring days, local cleanups and education events designed to improve the tourism product offered in the Burren region. The group has been working to gain accreditation from Ecotourism Ireland and in piloting Ireland’s first ecotourism certification programme. A number of local businesses are due to receive their own individual accreditation from Ecotourism Ireland this month.

“The network is offering visitors opportunities to engage with the protected landscape of the Burren in a manner which is sustainable both in terms of the environment as well as the community,” said Edel Hayes of the Burren Connect Project.

“Accommodation, food, farming, outdoor activities, culture and heritage are all part of the network, which has woven together all the elements that make the area attractive to visitors looking for authentic tourism experiences. Tourism businesses involved in the network are committed to local produce, conservation and the community, as well as to continuing high standards in sustainability.”

The Burren Ecotourism Network elected its first committee last year with Joanna McInerney of the Burren Outdoor Education Centre elected as chairperson; Marie Neylon of Corofin Camping and Hostel elected as secretary and Orla Vaughan of Kilfenora Hostel and Chris O’Neill of Burren Painting Centre elected as joint treasurers. The network will be officially launched at Gregans Castle Hotel in Ballyvaughan on March 3.

HOSPITALS like Ennis General Hospital will always be an election issue. This was one of the many statements by Fianna Fáil leader Michéal Martin during his visit to the county town. What the former Minister for Health failed to realise or at least mention was that the issues around the hospital are the same before every election, the same issues that five years on from the last set of promises still have not been resolved. This time around a colonoscopy unit has been promised for the hospital that will be part of a pilot cancer-screening programme. That coupled with a € 15 million extension should give people some hope of a healthy service, but experience leaves everyone with doubts. Before the 2007 General Election the extension promised was an almost € 50 million development. All forms of promises were given about the future of the hospital, including the commitment from former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern that the county hospital would not be downgraded. Five years prior to that, Independent candidate James Breen was elected to the Dáil when fears for the hospital’s future first surfaced. Nine years on and Breen is back in the ring, supported by the chairman of the hospital committee hoping to secure the seat he lost in 2007. Since he first entered the Dáil, the hospital has lost its 24-hour accident and emergency service as well as some acute services. There are still more acute services to be centralised to the Mid Western Regional Hospital Limerick and the people are meeting again ahead of the election to raise concerns and the issue is back on the table. When he came to Ennis, Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny gave his party’s commitment that the reconfiguration of hospital services in the mid-west would cease until such time better replacement services were in place. “As I move around the country I am being asked by so many hospitals, can you restore facilities that have been taken away here and my honest an- swer is I can’t.” He said however services as they are in Ennis General Hospital would be retained until such time something better was proposed. Deputy Martin was more supportive of HSE policy. “Health is complex. We have to pull together in my view the critical mass of professional people and sufficient volume of patients to make sure we get best practice. I believe in that. I am not going to pretend to people that I don’t. I am not going to be dishonest with people and say we can do everything on every hospital site. There has been a bit of dishonesty on that debate along the way.”

CLARE County Council is to write to the President of the America, Barack Obama, officially inviting him to visit the county and use Shannon Airport in the coming months.

The motion, which was put forward by Cllr James Breen (Ind), came about following a discussion on the future commitments of Aer Lingus to Shannon Airport. On the foot of the motion the local authority will now write to President Obama, officially inviting him to visit Clare.

While Massachusetts Congressman Richard Neal confirmed last year the US President would pay a visit to Ireland during his first term in office no official confirmation has come from the White House.

It is also unclear what impact, if any, the invitation from Clare County Council will have on shaping the possible itinerary that the US Presi- dent would have on the proposed state visit.

The invitation arose following a motion on Shannon Airport put forward by Cllr PJ Ryan (Ind).

According to Cllr Ryan, the decision by Aer Lingus not to operate a transatlantic service into Shannon Airport at certain times of the years is having a negative impact on tourism in the county, especially around St Patrick’s Day.

“This council needs to make representations to Aer Lingus to establish their long-term commitment to Shannon Airport in view of the fact that they have suspended their transatlantic flights for the early part of 2011, which includes the St Patrick’s Day period,” he said.

“I feel that this situation need to be highlighted. Our former national airline has taken it upon itself to discontinue service into Shannon for the early months of the year. This is unbecoming of a company which is still party owned by the State. Aer Lingus’ commitment to Shannon is very poor and we would like to know what there plans are for the airport in the coming years.”

According to Shannon-based Cllr Patricia McCarthy (Ind), the loss of the year-round transatlantic services is doing long-term damage to the region.

“This is not just doing damage to the airport, it is damaging all the businesses in the area,” she said.

“This is doing long-term damage to the airport when the so called national carried is just coming in during the summer months and cherry picking during the busy months.”

Speaking on the motion, Cllr Johnny Flynn (FG) said that Shannon Airport must feel like the “jilted partner” as a result of Aer Lingus’ new found affection for Dublin Airport and Terminal 2.

MORE THAN 1,000 Clare homes could face repossession once the Government’s stay on house repossessions is lifted.

According to figures released by the Irish Central Bank, more then 70,000 Irish homeowners are struggling to pay their mortgages with more than 30,000 currently making interest only payments.

It is also estimated that no payment has been made on more than 100 Clare mortgages for 12 months or over. The Clare Citizens Information Service and the Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS) have organised a special public seminar for people in mortgage difficulty, which will take place at in Ennis this Thursday.

Despite new mortgage arrears measures introduced by the Central Bank last December, there has still been an increase in the number of homes being repossessed.

“The rise in possession actions underscores the need for a non-judicial, national debt settlement office,” said Paul Joyce, senior policy researcher on consumer credit law for the Free legal Advice Centres (FLAC), who will speak at the event.

“The EU/IMF deal had set a March 2012 deadline for a new law to create an out-of-court system to deal with personal debt. We cannot wait that long.”

The seminar will focus on mortgage debt and the impact it is having on people in Clare.

According to Paul Woulfe, Manager with the Citizens Information Service (CIS), more and more people are contacting CIS with difficulties keeping a roof over their heads.

“Recent data provided by MABS indicates that the number of mortgage arrears cases has increased by 57 percent between 2009 and 2010,” he said.

“Responding to this situation the seminar will address some of the issues with a expert panel of speaker in the areas of the revised Code of Conduct on Mortgage Arrears and dealing with mortgage debt.”

The seminar will take place at the Temple Gate Hotel, Ennis, Thursday, February 17, from 10am to 1pm.

Meanwhile, the Citizens Information Mobile Unit will be in Sixmilebridge on Friday, February 18; in Tulla on Monday, February 21; and in Ballyvaughan on Tuesday, February 22. It will also be in Miltown Malbay on Wednesday, February 23, and Lisdoonvarna on Thursday, February 24.

TOURISM could be catalyst which brings about economic recovery in County Clare with a number of new projects announced this week.

More then 20,000 bed nights are expected to be sold in Clare as a result of ‘Lord of the Dance’ coming to the Cliffs Of Moher this September, which, according to the management at the iconic tourism location, could be the first of a number of high profile events to come to Clare in the coming year.

“This is a really big announcement and it is welcomed by everyone here at the Cliffs. It is a great event but it will also give people nationally the chance to witness what we have her in Clare,” said Geraldine Enright, Sales and Marketing Manager for the Cliffs of Moher.

“This event will have a massive spin off for business around north Clare but also for the county as a whole. We had a lot of local businesses here for the launch and they can all look forward to being booked out for the first week in September.

“We don’t have any solid plans for future event that might take place but we will wait and see how this one takes place and then see what we can do into the future.”

Tickets for the event, which is being organised by MPO Promotions Limited, will go on sale at Ticketmaster outlets today, September 15. Tickets can also be purchased in person from the Cliffs of Moher Centre.

Michael Flatley’s ‘Lord of the Dance’ will be performed at the world famous Cliffs of Moher in Clare on September 1 and 2.

The show features 40 precision dancers acting out the mythical Irish folk story of a battle between Don Dorcha, the Lord of Darkness, and the Lord of Light, also known as the ‘Lord of the Dance’.

Local musicians Michael O’Connell, Hugh Healy and friends with special guest folk legend Finbar Furey and the world famous Kilfenora Céilí Band, will share the finale with the ‘Lord of the Dance’ troupe at the top of the Cliffs of Moher.

The performances will coincide with the tourist attraction’s campaign to be selected as one of the ‘New7Wonders of Nature’. The results of the four-year campaign, which will be decided through a worldwide poll, will announced on November 11 of this year.