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FIRE personnel from Kilrush came under attack from youths throwing stones while carrying out their duty on Halloween night.

The fire unit was called to an illegal bonfire in the town by concerned residents who feared it would get out of control.

While the reserve members of the fire service were dealing with the flames, four to five youths threw stones in their direction, hitting the fire engine.

No firefighters were injured in the incident.

Denis O’Connell, Senior Assistant Fire Officer with the Clare Fire Service, said that almost every year the members of the fire service face some aggravation when they are called to control bonfires.

“This was not very serious as no one got hit, but no one should have to put up with that when they go to do their day’s work,” he said.

The assistant fire chief explained that bogus calls were as frustrating to the fire service as these senseless attacks.

“If we get a call we have to take it serious. If there is a unit in an area on a call, we then have to take a unit from another area if there is a second call in that area. This affects the call out time to an incident,” he said.

“It is very serious on a busy night to get a bogus call,” added Mr O’Connell referring to a bogus call out in Shannon on Thursday night last – Halloween night.

Thursday proved particularly busy for the Clare Fire Service with 10 call outs in total.

Four of the call outs were to bonfires, in Kilrush, Kilkee, Shannon and Ennis, and one was the bogus call out.

“Ten calls is a lot in one day for seven brigades,” explained Mr O’Connell.

Last year there were 10 bonfire call outs in the county.

Mr O’Connell attributes the drop in bonfire call outs to just four this year to the strong public campaign by Clare County Council last week. Members of the public reporting any waste being gathered for potential bonfires and the weather. He said the rain quite literally dampened plans for the Halloween tradition this year.

FINE Gael selected two further candidates for 2014 Local Elections last night (Monday), as the two nominees from the Shannon area were added to the ticket.

There are just two nominees for the Shannon Selection Convention as Clare county councillors John Crowe and Sean McLoughlin were both nominated and selected without the need for an election.

It is now understood that the Fine Gael executive will add at least one if not two more candidates to contest the six-seat election.

On Friday night the party will select candidates for the new eight-seat West Clare constituency, with the Killaloe convention taking place on Monday next.

Fine Gael is the first of the political parties in Clare to select candidates for the local elections next May, with Labour stating it will hold its conventions by the end of the month.

Sinn Fein said that it is in the process of selecting candidates but has no dates or names as yet.

Fianna Fáil is expected to select its candidates between the end of November and the first week in January, beginning in the Shannon Municipal Area.

It is understood that the three councillors from the area will be nominated alongside newcomer Louise McNamara. Candidates will have until two weeks before the convention to put forward any nominees.

To be nominated for convention the candidate must have the support of one cumann or five individual members of the party.

In Ennis there are already up to 10 names being suggested as possible contenders for the party in the eightseat constituency, with a new look Killaloe area opening up possibilities for former councillors to return.

In West Clare the executive has suggested that the convention be divided into two separate district selection process to avoid the majority of the candidates coming from either the old Kilrush Electoral Area or Ennistymon Electoral Area.

Once again there is much speculation as to who will be put forward for convention.

The father of the council PJ Kelly has yet to decide if he will go before convention in a bid to serve for a fifth decade on the council. New names such as former GAA county board chairman Michael O’Neill and Ennis Chamber of Commerce CEO Rita McInerney are also been spoken about as possible contenders in West Clare for the party.

THE noxious smell that has plagued the residents of Shannon has made it all the way to Dáil Eireann.

The foul odour was the subject of a question to the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government by Sinn Fein’s Deputy Brian Stanley on the request of his Shannon party colleague Mike McKee, when he asked for an update on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) investigation into the stench.

The EPA advised the minister that investigations to date indicate that the source of the odour appears to be the sewer network in Shannon.

“Investigative efforts will be focused on the sewer collection net- work including all discharges to the network and improvements that may be beneficial at Shannon town’s wastewater treatment plant. The EPA and Clare County Council, with the assistance of the HSE, have put in place an action programme for further monitoring and investigation,” said the minister.

The Government bodies will continue to monitor the smell as well as any unusual patterns of illness in the local population.

“The odour problem remains under active and detailed investigation by the EPA and Clare County Council. The EPA has been liaising with local public representatives as well as local media to disseminate information to the public and will continue to do so while the investigation is ongoing and until the situation is remedied.

“The EPA has also informed my department that it monitored air quality in Shannon between March 2012 and June 2013, measuring a range of pollutants that are the most important indicators for assessing impact on human health. All measured pollutant levels were found to be below EU limit values,” explained the minister.

THE cases of two people charged with illegally entering the runway of Shannon Airport have been adjourned to next month.

It is alleged peace activists Niall Farrell (60) and Margaretta Darcy (79) on October 7 (2012) and September 1 (2013) interfered with the proper use of Shannon Airport by going on the runway without permission.

The alleged offences are contrary to the Air Navigation and Transport Act.

Earlier this month Mr Farrell, with an address at Ballynacloghy, Maree, Galway, pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Ms Darcy, with an address at St Bridget’s Place, Woodquay, Galway, has also pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Their cases were listed at Ennis District Court on Wednesday to fix a date for hearing.

The cases were further adjourned after it emerged in court that Ms Darcy is in hospital receiving treatment.

Mr Farrell, who wore an orange Guantanamo Bay style prison jumpsuit, handed in a letter from the Galway Hospital to the court confirming Ms Darcy’s absence.

In a previous hearing related to the case Judge Durcan issued a warning that he would not tolerate his court being used as a platform for press conferences or political purposes. As well as Guantanamo style jumpsuits, activists have appeared in court wearing ‘Obama facemasks.’

Inspector Tom Kennedy said he had been notified Ms Darcy was in hospital.

“I have no reason to doubt that,” he added. Judge Patrick Durcan adjourned the cases to November 6.

RYANAIR has set a target of bringing one million new passengers into Shannon as it gears up to reach 2007 levels when its traffic numbers through Clare’s international airport reached a record 1.9m.

This vision and commitment of the low-cost airline for Shannon was sounded out at the airport on Thursday by deputy chief executive Michael Cawley, at the announcement of eight new Ryanair flights out of Shannon that will commence in April 2014.

“My ambition for Shannon,” said Mr Cawley, “we talked about one million passengers. I wouldn’t lessen that in any way. We can move on. 300,000 is a very good start – this is a very significant step, almost doubling our business,” he added.

In 2011, Ryanair pledged to grow traffic numbers in Shannon by one million, provided it secured the same incentive deal that was being afforded to Aer Lingus by the Dublin Airport Authority at Dublin Airport.

Now the commitment of delivering 300,000 new passengers to Shannon as early as 2014 comes on the back of the announcement of new routes to Berlin, Munich, Krakow, Paris, Nice Fuerteventura, Warsaw and Faro as well as increased frequency on the Stansted route.

“I think we have to walk before we run. I would characterise the announcement as running fairly fast,” said Mr Cawley. “As the economy grows from a very low level, we would see great opportunity as well as putting new spots on the map. It provides us with a platform. “Once these can be bedded down and successful we can grow more. We take one step at a time. That is critical in our business too. We bed down what we have and we move on. This is a very big step,” he added. The Ryanair deputy chief refused to disclose the terms of the new deal, but said “Shannon wouldn’t be doing it if it wasn’t good for them, Ryanair wouldn’t be doing it if it wasn’t good for us. All we want is Shannon to be competitive and they have been competitive on this issue and we have a very good understanding. We have met on the middle on that – the tax has been a critical ingredient in making it happen. We are committed for a good number of years under this deal – so is the airport. “We have 30m more passengers that we want to allocate to airports over the next six/seven years – we want to be with people we can ring up and say ‘are the terms the same as the last time’, ‘can we extend it further’. “I would be very disappointed, now that the shackles of the Travel Tax are removed, that Shannon doesn’t participate, at least pro-rata or possibly more so, in that 30m expansion. We are here to stay, we are here to grow,” he added.

A BURREN based political artist staged a public art demonstration in Ennistymon last week which she hopes will help end the process of fluoridation of water in Ireland.

Doolin-based artist Marianne Slevin staged the public art event outside the Ennistymon Library, which involved arranging a number of leaves with messages on them concerning the process of water fluoridation.

The issue of fluoridation of Irish water has become contentions in recent months with a bill to end the practice due to come before Dáil Éireann later this year.

“It is certainly a political activity. I think art can be very transformative, and sometimes issues that can be difficult to talk about or can cause conflict are best approached from an artistic medium,” said Marianne.

“I think this is a way that people can hear about an issue and approach it in own way. People can come to the subject in their own way. I mean, I hate confrontation, I’d do anything to avoid confrontation, so this a way of talking about an issue without forcing my views on them.

“I had brought leaves with some writing on them with me, and after that I started to improvise. I set myself up outside the library and built a place to work there. When I was finished I just walked away and let people discover the leaves and the messages themselves.”

Marianne has also been interacting with people on the streets Ennis and Ennistymon in recent week asking people to pretend that they are asleep or hypnotized. Marianne’s husband, professional photographer James Slevin, then takes picture of the scene which will become part of a future exhibition.

“We talk about it [water fluoridation] if people are interested to talk about it, or we just take pictures with them if that is what they are comfortable with. Later we do hope to have an exhibition of this when it is finished,” continued Marianne.

Marianne and James operate the Secret Gallery in Doolin. The gallery, which is located in their own home, is open to members of the public who happen to find it.

CILLIAN Griffey is the youngest candidate in the country so far nominated to contest the local elections.

The Fine Gael young gun will run for the first time ever in the Ennis Municipal Area alongside four more seasoned campaigners.

Putting his name forward to seek a place on the Fine Gael ticket did not come easy for the 23 year-old from Ballymaley.

“It wasn’t an easy decision to make but I am passionate about the party and about the community I want to represent,” he said.

“Recent events have shown us all that we need to fight for our nation’s future. I, like you all, am angered and sickened by the plight of unemployment and emigration. My single resolve is to contribute to the re-energising of the values and passion for public service that our party stands for.

“I joined the party in 2005 when I thought we needed a change. The Government was getting stale. I felt there were not enough young people in politics. By me doing this I hope to encourage more young people,” he told The Clare People .

From a farming family he was instrumental in setting up the Ennis Macra na Feirme branch, as well as extending the Young Fine Gael East Clare Branch to include the whole county.

The business support manager at HR Locker in Lahinch has no illusions about how difficult it will be to complete in an election as the new kid on the block.

“I am realistic. As I am not as well known I need a bit of a head start,” he said.

The Doora Barefield clubman is also secretary of the Ballyalla Lake Working Group and has volunteered with the Clarecare Homework Club.

TOURISM and business interests from along the western corridor from Limerick as far as Galway hailed the announced of eight new Ryanair routes out of Shannon to begin in 2014 as a huge boost to the west of Ireland.

The four chambers of commerce along the Atlantic Technology Corridor – Ennis, Limerick, Galway and Shannon – have said the new routes that will operational in April 2014 represent a huge shot in the arm to nearly 1,500 business in the catchment area. “The increased frequency to Lon don Stansted and the additional destinations offered to Central and Eastern Europe will greatly benefit the 1,355 businesses which form the membership of the four Chambers, and the 45,700 people employed by them,” they said. “Shannon Airport is the critical gateway to west and eastbound business and tourist traffic, which feeds the growth of so many businesses in this part of the west of Ireland. The four Chambers therefore regard Shannon as the airport for business in their sphere of influence. “Ryanair has demonstrated its be- lief in and commitment to Shannon; the onus is now on all stakeholders along the west coast to ensure that economical load levels are attained. Full aircraft demonstrate demand, and increased demand will lead to additional capacity being delivered in the future.”

Meanwhile, the Clare Tourism Forum has said the Ryanair expansion will help to sustain thousands of jobs in the local tourism and hospitality sector.

“The provision of direct services to French and German destinations in particular is a significant moment,” said forum chairperson Donnagh Gregson, “not only for Shannon Air port but tourism in this region as it will enable operators here to capitalise on the recent growth we have seen in the number of continental tourists visiting the county.

“Furthermore, this announcement will help to sustain existing jobs and create new opportunities for development amongst tourism operators in the wider region.

Ms Gregson confirmed that the Forum would now begin to refocus its marketing efforts to ensure that the new markets being opened up by Ryanair are targeted in the coming months. “Our members are particularly de lighted with the addition of services to Paris, Nice, Berlin and Munich which are key markets for the local tourism sector. “The commencement of these new routes in April 2014 will complement a comprehensive schedule of transatlantic services next year, which bodes well for tourism in County Clare and the west of Ireland. We are committed to supporting Shannon Airport by promoting all of these routes as well as playing our part in attracting additional routes and airline operators to the airport in the coming months and years,” she added.

DURING the Fine Gael selection convention for the Ennis Municipal Area at the Auburn Lodge Hotel, a councillor of almost three decades retired, leaving way on the ticket for the youngest local election candidate to date.

Five Fine Gael candidates in total were selected to contest the eightseater constituency in the 2014 Local Elections, with no decision yet if another candidate is to be added.

Former Deputy Mayor Cllr Sonny Scanlon announced his retirement from the council and withdrew his nomination at the convention, as three other sitting county council- lors were returned to contest the first ever election for the new look local authority.

Cllr Paul Murphy, Cllr Johnny Flynn, and Cllr Tony Mulqueen were nominated and selected, along with Ennis town councillor Mary Howard and newcomer to elected politics 23year-old Cillian Griffey.

The Michael Howard Ennis Branch of Fine Gael nominated Cllr Johnny Flynn, Cllr Tony Mulqueen and Cllr Mary Howard. Cllr Paul Murphy was nominated by the Clarecastle/Ballyea branch and election newcomer, Cillian Griffey was nominated by the Barefield and Quin Fine Gael Branches as well as the Clare Young Fine Gael branch.

There were no other nominations on the night. Fine Gael Party Headquarters had directed that five candidates would be selected for the Ennis area which meant no vote would have to take place and all five remaining nominees were selected to run in the new Ennis area.

The guest chairperson for the Ennis convention was Senator Hildegarde Naughton from Galway.

INDEPENDENCE has been the key in sparking a huge upturn in the fortunes of Shannon Airport over the past year, with the freedom of being allowed to chart its own future ensuring that it is “first out of the blocks” when it comes to attracting new business.

That was the message sounded out by airport chairperson Rose Hynes and chief executive Neil Pakey on Thursday last as Ryanair announced details of its 2014 operation that will see budget airling operate 18 routes out of Shannon.

“It demonstrates the benefits of Shannon being an independent airport,” said Neil Pakey. “The focus on route development is evident, and decisions are being made decisively and speedily.

“The new routes will increase both inbound and outbound footfall and revenue to the airport and the region; Irish leisure travellers will benefit from greater destination choice, while the business traveller, particularly at sub-supply level, can access new markets in Central and Eastern Europe,” he added.

“I thought that Shannon had the potential to do this all along,” said Rose Hynes.

“We said it in the Task Force Report. We are doing exactly what we said we would be doing; we said we would deal with passengers as a priority and we are doing that.

“We are doing exactly everything we said we’d do and we are doing it on time as I see it. We were in recovery mode, but we are now in growth mode as I see it. We have stablised the airport and are now in growth.

“We are first out of the blocks to avail of Ryanair’s response to the Government. This is a major boost to the passenger numbers in Shannon, but not alone that it is also a major boost to business and tourism interests in the region,” she added.

“The airport is now free to set its own price and its own business plan and that’s hugely important,” said Michael Cawley.

“We pulled back from Shannon before because Dublin changed the rules. Dublin increased our price by seven and a half times.

“I don’t expect that type of interference again. This is an independent board. Ryanair is in the business of growing airline passengers and we want to do it. Shannon’s destiny is in the hands of people locally and that is critically important. It wasn’t in the previous time,” he added.

“We have a very good relationship with Ryanair and we intend to develop that,” continued Rose Hynes. “We intend to collaborate with all the stakeholders in the region. This brings to 18 the number of Ryanair destinations from Shannon – that’s significant. We want to collaborate with our stakeholders to make those routes a success,” she added.