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WHILE the majority of the Clare electorate have 16 candidates to consider during this General Election, 4,200 people from the east of the county will be looking to the 13 candidates in the new constituency of Limerick City.

Almost five per cent of the 88,474 Clare residents registered to vote will have their say in the democratic process outside the county choosing between two Fine Gael candidates, two Fianna Fáil, two Labour, three Independents, a Green Party candidate, a candidate from Sinn Féin and a member of the Christian Solidarity and the Socialist Party.

The candidate line up in this constituency differs greatly from the Clare constituency, but commentators maintain the election will be fought between seven main contenders.

For the first time ever Michael Noonan (FG) is being favoured by some bookies to top the poll ahead of Fianna Fáil’s Willie O’Dea who is expected to lose up to 4, 500 votes due to the constituency re-draw.

With both men expected to make it past the finishing post early, it is their running mates Kieran O’Donnell (FG) and Peter Power (FF) that will be under pressure to return to the Dáil.

As Fine Gael traditionally manages the vote better than Fianna Fáil in this area, most pundits expect two Fine Gael seats when the last vote is counted in this four-seat constituency. Sitting TD and candidate Jan O’Sullivan is one of the candidates closely associated with Clare, draw- ing a lot of support from Clare county councillor Pascal Fitzgerald (Lab).

However, many fear that the Labour Party, who at one time had ambitions of two seats in the constituency, could fall between two political stools as the vote is split between the poll topper in the local election and former mayor Joe Leddin and Deputy O’Sullivan.

The voters in east Clare will also have an option not available to the rest of the county, as there will be a Sinn Fein candidate on the Limerick City ballot paper.

Cllr Maurice Quinlivan has a growing support in the city.

With expected transfers from the left from such candidates as former Fine Gael mayor and now Independent candidate Kevin Anthony Kiely and Socialist Party candidate Cian Prendiville he is expected to put in a challenge for the fourth and final seat.

The remaining candidates include Conor O’Donoghue, Christian Solidarity; Sheila Cahill, Green Party; Matt Larkin, Non Party and Denis Riordan, Non Party.

A COROFIN company has made a major breakthrough for renewable energy in Ireland by successfully installing the first small-scale miscanthus burner in Ireland.

Miscanthus, which is also known as elephant grass, has up until now proved impossible to burn in smaller burners, which are not designed specifically for large-scale power generation.

Corofin company Ensoleir has just completed the installation of a small scale miscanthus burner on a farm in Cork. This breakthrough means that tens of thousands of Irish businesses can now use miscanthus as a heating source – which is both cheaper and more environmentally friendly that burning fossil fuels.

The results of this could revolutionise the energy market in Ireland and create large business opportunities not just for Ensoleir but for other spin-off industries in the county.

“Ireland is one of the largest miscanthus growers in Europe but up until now it could not been used for smaller burners because the proper technology did not exist. But we have found a way around this problem,” said Fritz Mohn of Ensoleir.

“The boiler heats water so it can be used for the central heating systems for public building, school and large office blocks. It also useful in conjunction with a heat exchanger for powering dryers in the agri-food sector.”

Beside being an environmentally friendly energy solution, miscanthus is also a cheaper long-term option to fossil fuels.

“The miscanthus is much cheaper than fossil fuels at the moment. In place’s like large green houses or leasure centres, where hot water is needed all year round, they will make back their investment very quickly,” continued Fritz.

“The boiler that we installed in Cork will save the user 40 per cent on his heating bill each year and he will be able to pay back for the installation costs in just four years. We are in talks at the moment with a large green house grower in the south of the country and he will save between € 30,000 and € 40,000 each year with miscanthus.

“We are working with local companies for the accessories needed to install the boiler so this technology should be good news for the wider community.”

For more visit www.ensoleir.com.

A WAR of words has erupted between rival General Election candidates over Dáil expenses, after Cllr Tony Mulcahy accused Cllr James Breen of using a call to abolish Dáil expenses as a “cynical exercise” to get elected.

Fine Gael candidate, Cllr Mulcahy, launched a scathing attack on the move made by Cllr Breen when he said, “We should reduce Dáil expenses and abolish them altogether and oblige TDs to live on their salary with no expenses.”

“Saying he wants expenses abolished is rich,” blasted Mulcahy to The Clare People this week. “It’s cynical exercise in self-promotion in the run up to the election from a man who had no difficulty in collecting almost € 1 million during the lifetime of the last Dáil between his TD’s salary, his expenses, his independent TD’s allowance, his council expenses and council severance payments. This is like St Paul on the road to Damascus,” added Cllr Mulcahy.

However, an unrepentant Cllr Breen has reiterated his call for an overhaul of the expenses structure, even going to far as to say, “I am pre- pared to forego expenses.”

Continuing, Cllr Breen said, “I will campaign for the abolition of expenses if I am elected to the Dáil.

“There are genuine out of pocket expenses that you would have to claim for always. I will be campaigning for a reduction in expenses for everyone

and a reduction in

TDs’ salaries.”

Figures secured

by The Clare Peo

ple show that Cllr

Breen received

nearly € 400,000

in expenses during

the lifetime of the

29th Dáil between

2002 to 2007. This

included payments

for six years, with

figures showing that

he received € 71,868 (2003), € 62,539 (2004), € 75,122 (2005), € 70,947 (2006) and € 48,000 (2007).

However, Cllr Breen has defended these claims and said, “When I was a TD I had three people working for me and my expenses went towards employing three people. I had one person employed part-time in Dublin, I had an IT advisor in Clare and a girl worked two days a week in my office in Clare.

“It’s about reforming for the future, not the past,” he added.

GARDAÍ HAVE submitted a file for the DPP in connection wit h an att ack on a baby in Shannon in which a burn mark, broken l imbs and multiple br uising were sustained.

Last mont h, a 10-mont h-old baby boy was taken to hospital with serious injuries, including two broken arms – one of which was broken in three places – and a broken leg. He had also sustained br uising to several par ts of his body.

A Garda investigation swung into action and two people were questioned as par t of t he enqui r y. Gardaí then prepared a file on the matter and t his has been sent to the DPP, who wi ll decide whether charges are to be brought in relation to the case.

The Healt h Service Executive is also investigating the mat ter. Last mont h, an emergency care order was t aken out by the HSE in the distr ict cour t in relation to the baby boy.

MAYOR of Clare Cllr Christy Curtin (Ind) is to pick up the bill for his mayoral trip to New York this St Patrick’s Day.

The mayor’s council expenses usually cover the official trip by Clare’s first citizen to the Big Apple, but this year the man from Miltown Malbay said he would be covering his own costs.

“I will be paying for it myself. I think it is only right and fitting,” he told The Clare People .

Each year the mayor of the day travels to America to promote Clare from both a tourism and enterprise point of view.

The first citizen also takes part in the St Patrick’s Day parade.

“The purpose is to promote Clare and meet with the diaspora,” said Cllr Curtin.

“I will be there to show that Clare is a county worth coming back to, especially for anyone with entrepreneurial and enterprise skills,” he added.

The agenda for the visit to New York by Cllr Curtin has yet to be finalised but it is expected he will be there for March 17.

Meanwhile the mayor of Kilrush has been invited to New York to promote the town and area for the first time ever.

No decision has been made yet as to whether the current mayor Cllr Liam Williams (FG) will travel.

Ennis Town Council will not be represented at the annual St Patrick’s Day in New York, after councillors declined an invitation to attend the event at this month’s meeting.

Mayor of Ennis Cllr Tommy Brennan (Ind) turned down the invitation, saying the mayor’s place on St Patrick’s Day should be in Ennis.

Members of the Ennis/Phoenix twinning delegation will be in Arizona however for St Patrick’s Day.

Cllr Brian Meaney (GP); Cllr Johnny Flynn (FG) and Cllr Michael Guilfoyle (Ind), who as deputy mayor represented Ennis at last year’s parade in New York all turned down proposals that they should attend the parade in the Big Apple in place of the mayor.

It is not known if Shannon Town Council is to send a representative abroad this St Patrick’s Day at time of press.

BUSINESSES around Clare are acknowledging the county’s volountary sector with the launch yesterday of the volounteer discount card.

The initiative, which is jointly supported by the Clare Volounteer Centre, Ennis Town Council, Clare County Council, Ennis chamber and the Clare Local Development Company, is aimed at recognising the work of all volounteers in Clare.

The volounteers discount card enables volounteers to access a range of discounts and special offers from over 120 businesses across Clare in 2011 – the European Year of the Volounteer.

The scheme is the first of its kind in the country and, according to Sharon Meaney, Development Co-ordinator with the Clare Volounteer Centre, it is hoped that Clare can be showcased as county who recognises and acknowledges the valuable contribution that all volounteers bring.

Sharon said, “You are inspired everyday by people’s stories of volounteering. Volounteers do make a difference. It’s important to say thanks. Without volounteers, the fabric if Irish life would be dull.”

Melissa Healy is a volounteer with Special Olympics Ireland and the Brothers of Charity. She urged people to volounteer, describing it as a worthwhile experience.

“When it came to the games [Special Olympics] and it all came together, the joy your work brings to the athletes and their famillies make it all worthwhile. I knew straight away it was something I was going to stay involved in.”

Melissa is a student on a community care course who started volounteering for Special Olympics Ireland last year for the summer games.

Asked what advice would she offer to anyone thinking of volounteering, she said, “I would definitely tell them to do it. You get a great feeling of self worth from taking time out of your day to help people who maybe would not receive help if it wasn’t for volounteers.”

The Clare Volunteer Centre is part of the national network of volunteer centres, supported by Volunteer Centres Ireland. The Clare Volunteer Centre opened its doors in Ennis in 2008.

Last year 256 people registered with the centre, an increase of 25 per cent from 2009, bringing the total number of volounteers registered at the centre to 496.