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THE Irish asylum system treats emigrants like “prisoners” and is need of urgent reform. That is the opinion of North Clare Senator and Fine Gael spokesperson on Justice in the Seanad, Martin Conway, who visited two direct provision centres last week. Conway, who is also heading up Seanad group of reform of the Irish asylum system, believes that delays in the speed at which applications are processed is creating major difficulties for asylum seekers and increasing costs for the State. “I found that the management in the centres were doing their best to deal with problems as they arose and the residents said that they felt like they were in jail. There could be six residents in one room in these facilities and eventually, living like that, they become worn down,” he said. “Their big issue is that they don’t know the length of time they will spend in the facility. Some of them could be there waiting for 10 years before their cases to be heard and that is not acceptable.” The cost of providing direct provision centres for asylum seekers in Ireland is drastically higher than in it in many of our EU neighbours. The Portuguese system costs just over € 1 million to run each year compared to € 55 million in Ireland. “While the Portuguese system is not perfect, the big difference between here [Ireland] and Portugal is that the most a person will be kept is a centre over there is six to 12 months, while in Ireland people are kept for anything up to ten years before their case is heard. “We need to get our act together on this issue. Million of Irish people have emigrated over the years, some were treated appallingly and other were treated very well. As a country with this history we need to do the right thing for the people who come into this country, especially asylum seekers. “If the system worked better and quicker it would certainly be cheaper. No one seems to be happy with the system. There is a better way of managing this situation and I think we have a duty of care to people which is not being met in this system.”

FIFTY five years after Aer Lingus first launched its transatlantic service from Shannon, 87 jobs are to be axed at Clare’s international airport. The refusal of cabin staff based in Shanon to fly new transatlantic routes using smaller planes with lower staffing levels has been held up by Aer Lingus management as the reason for the axe falling on the jobs.

The airline wrote to staff explaining that the base is no longer viable after failing to reach agreement with the Impact union, but there will be no reduction to the Shannon schedule or fleet.

In a statement issued on Thursday, Aer Lingus confirmed that it was entering into a 30-day consultation period with union representatives to explore the options which may be available for the affected staff.

The announcement came on the same day that Ryanair announced eight new routes out of Shannon beginning next year that will boost its passenger numbers by 300,000 from its current level of 450,000 to 750,00.

It is understood Aer Lingus staff will be offered the options of redeployment to Dublin or Cork, voluntary severance, or possibly redundancy.

Last July, Aer Lingus announced it was increasing its transatlantic services from Shannon and was leasing planes from ASL Aviation/Air Contractors Limited.

Serving Aer Lingus pilots agreed to fly the new smaller planes, but the cabin crew union Impact said it would not operate the flights with the four-member staff complement sought by the company.

Aer Lingus warned unions in recent weeks that if they did not accept the new staffing levels, they would instruct ACL to recruit the staff themselves and operate the services, which commence in January.

The company had said that if the new staffing levels were accepted, they would create 40 jobs.

Impact has condemned the move and described it as an act of “wanton destruction” on the livelihoods of loyal workers.

The union said its members will fight the decision and said the action of Aer Lingus management was entirely unnecessary.

It said cabin crew are balloting for industrial action, with the ballot due to be completed on October 30. In a memo to staff, Aer Lingus chief executive Christoph Mueller said that it was not a commercially viable option to retain a single short-haul crew base in Shannon.

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.

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.

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.

LOCAL representatives are blaming companies in Shannon for causing the foul smell which has been present in the town for the last four weeks. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which have been testing in Shannon for the last three weeks, briefed local representatives last Wednesday and concluded that the Shannon sewage treatment and local sewage system was the source of the odour. The sewage plant, which will cost in excess of € 20 million to upgrade, services local residences as well as a number of large businesses in the Shannon area. A number of local representatives, including Fine Gael councillor Sean McLoughlin, believe that the run off from some local businesses may be to blame. “The Shannon treatment plant is similar to treatment plants in towns of a similar size all around Ireland and they don’t have a problem like this smell,” he told The Clare People yesterday. “The EPA are saying that the treat ment plant is not up to scratch, but what a number of us are questioning is the different materials which are going into the treatment system. The people of Shannon produce as much waste as the people any where else in the country so you have to look at the common denominator, which is the industries in Shannon.” Cllr McLoughlin said that the smell has been like receiving as “punch in the nose” each morning. “The smell has been very bad in Shannon for the past four weeks but it has been an ongoing problem for a long time. People describe in in different ways but to me it is like a very intense sulfur smell. I walked out of my house one morning last week and it was like getting a punch in the nose,” he said. “It will cost a lot of money to upgrade the treatment plant but something has to be done. The people of Shannon cannot continue to live with this smell.” The Environmental Protection Agency were called into investigate the odour in early October. The agency have concluded that while the smell is of public annoyance, it does not at present poise any immediate threat to people’s well being.

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.

HALLOWEEN bonfires should not be seen as a novel way of disposing of waste, and Clare’s local authorities have warned that unauthorized bonfires are illegal.

Clare County Fire and Rescue Service said that last year it attended 10 bonfires at a cost of € 11,826 to the taxpayer.

Substantial costs are incurred each Halloween in responding to bonfirerelated incidents, as well as cleaning up after bonfires have taken place.

In the run up to this Halloween, Clare Local Authorities incorporating Clare County Council, Ennis Town Council, Kilrush Town Council, Kilkee Town Council and Shan- non Town Council are urging members of the public not to supply any waste material to persons who do not hold a valid waste collection permit.

The Environment Section of Clare County Council has warned that uncontrolled burning of waste, particularly in bonfires, is illegal under the Air Pollution Act, 1987, and The Waste Management Act, 1996, as amended.

A spokesperson said the burning of waste also releases toxic pollutants into the air which are known to be damaging to public health and the environment.

Anne Haugh, Director of Services, Clare County Council, appealed to the public to work with council staff during the forthcoming festivities.

“I wish to remind the public that there are significant risks arising from bonfires, including the illegal nature of the activity, the adverse effects on the local community and the negative impact on the general environment.”

“Bonfires are an illegal, dangerous and costly tradition,” added Adrian Kelly, Clare Chief Fire Officer.

“Bonfires are often built close to houses and other property presenting risks to personal safety and property. Halloween is one the busiest times of the year for the fire services and responding to bonfire call outs creates a strain on existing resources. I would like people to be aware of the fire safety hazards that arise from illegal bonfires, where the burning of highly combustible materials may lead to serious injuries or death,” ex- plained the fire chief.

Meanwhile, the Fire Service is also advising members of public not to buy, use or supply fireworks.

Mr Kelly noted that illegal fireworks may be manufactured without safety standards and can cause serious damage to users, particularly children.

“Parents should monitor their children and ensure they do not play with fireworks. Throughout the country, every year children end up tragically injured and often scarred for life, after using illegal fireworks.

“In the period before and during Halloween, Clare County Fire and Rescue Service will be assisted by an Garda Síochána to closely monitor the situation around the county,” Mr Kelly said.

THE proposal to build a primary retail park on the grounds of the former Ennis National School site has met with more objections.

Local residents to the site on the Kilrush road have already raised concerns a potential shopping park would have on traffic and parking and now a potential local election candidate said he also objects to such a development.

Eoin Neylon is a member of the Fianna Fáil National Executive and possible candidate for Ennis in the next local election.

This week he said he would oppose the development describing it as “short-sighted, unsustainable development”.

“Already in Ennis we see vacant retail space on almost every street in the town centre. The short-term job boost during the construction phase of any proposed retail outlet would be counter-balanced in job loses in the retail sector in the heart of the town and would ultimately lead to stagnation in the development of our high streets. This exact series of events has played out in several towns across the country over the past 15 years and we should not aim to add Ennis to that list,” he said.

He said the business owners in the town centre are being given very little support whilst being asked to pay “a massive price on the road to recovery”.

“The last thing they now need is a white elephant retail development in the town which would be the death knell for many shops. What these shops need is financial certainty going forward and a commitment from incoming councillors after the May elections that the rates will not be increased. If the bureaucratic boot is taken off their neck, and the uncertainty removed, some of these businesses will have the space to thrive and could in fact increase their staffing levels, which would be a further boost to the local economy.”

He suggested the site be used to provide a car park for the town.

“What shoppers need is a greater number of parking spaces to shop in the town centre and this site may be ideal for this purpose. There’s also a need for a more central people’s park where people can go and sit out when looking for a break. The good weather this summer highlighted the lack of such a facility and either the Ennis National School site or the Post Office field could be very useful in this regard,” he said.

Ennis Town Council has already had discussions with landowners so “a master plan can be prepared for its development with the objective of completing the planning process at an early stage to ensure that the redevelopment of the site as a primary retail area can be progressed immediately on the relocation”.

Ennis Parish is among the bodies that have shown its support for a project and even suggested extending the town boundary to take in the Kilrush Road site.

A LIMERICK man has received a 12-month prison sentence for his role in a spate of burglaries in Shannon earlier this year.

Joseph Mulcahy (21) broke into six homes in the Shannon area between January 11 and March 24 stealing items including cash and jewellery, while ransacking homes.

Mr Mulcahy pleaded guilty to burglaries at Tullyvarraga, Tullyglass Hill, Inis Sioda, Tullyglass Crescent and Dun na Óir, at Ennis District Court on Wednesday.

The court heard Mr Mulcahy, with an address at Riverview, Ballyhahill, Limerick, was visiting friends in Shannon when he and a group of others broke into and ransacked the houses.

Detective Garda Andrew Hayes of Shannon Garda Station told the court that in many instances the houses burgled belonged to elderly and retired people.

Jewellery valued at € 5800 was stolen from one house.

In another case, a retired couple re- turned home to find their savings of € 3200 had been stolen.

Mr Mulcahy told gardaí he was not involved in that theft.

The accused also pleaded guilty to two public order offences at Topaz petrol station, Shannon on September 20 (2012).

The man’s solicitor said his client, a father of one, was dependent on alcohol and drugs when the offences were committed.

He said Mr Mulcahy’s early plea obviated the need for a detailed forensic investigation into the spate of Shannon crime scenes.

Judge Patrick Durcan said he felt sorry for Mr Mulcahy, as his difficulties had affected his life.

He said he had sympathies for the victims who had their homes violated.

“I absolutely detest this type of carry on”, Judge Durcan added.

He imposed sentences totaling 12 months.

“The message must go out that anybody who breaks into a house will face lengthy sentences,” Judge Durcan said.