Category: News

THE validity of the scientific research used by Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) in its application for a large fish farm of the North Clare coast has been cast in further doubt this week with a number of international scientists stating their opposition to the Marine Institutes research, especially the conclusions drawn about the impact of sea lice.

This has prompted a number of organisations opposed to the construction of the fish farm – which would be the largest ever built in Europe if it gets the go ahead – to call on the Minister for Agriculture, Simon Coveney (FG), to reject the licence application right away.

No Salmon Farms At Sea (NSFAS) has called for the fish farm to be shelved until an “independent scientific examination” of the possible impact of the farm can be completed.

Research carried out by the Marine Institute, which was key to the application, was last week challenged by a team of researchers, led by Dr M Krkosek of the University of Toronto. This follows a similar conclusion being reached by Dr Mark Costello of University of Auckland earlier this month.

“The [Marine Institute] research incorrectly leads the reader to a conclusion that sea lice play a minor, perhaps even negligible, role in salmon survival. Such a conclusion can be supported only if one is prepared to accept at least three fundamental methodological errors,” said Dr Krkosek.

Indeed, new research produced by the University of Toronto concludes that the impact of sea lice on the wild fish stock in Galway Bay will actual- ly be 30 times higher than indicated by the Marine Institute study.

“This proves what we have been saying all along. BIM and the minister have stated that they are relying on the science to justify the salmon farm proposal, despite counter arguments from scientists at Inland Fisheries Ireland, Canada and New Zealand,” said Paddy Keenan of NSFAS.

“This work by Dr Krkosek completely demolishes the scientific basis for the proposal and indeed calls either the motives or the capabilities of the Marine Institute into question.”

FAMILY and friends gathered on Sunday to say goodbye to Seamus Higgins whose body was found in the Claureen area of Ennis last week.

The 22 year-old had been missing from the home of his foster family in Ennis since Saturday, August 10.

His funeral took place at Ennis Cathedral on Sunday. He was last seen jumping a wall after leaving the house at Dun Na hInse on the Lahinch Road. He was wearing jeans, new navy and white, laceless, Nike runners and a grey jumper. His body was discovered in the River Claureen at around 3.45pm on Thursday.

Gardaí had issued a renewed appeal for information on Seamus’ whereabouts. Gardaí had expressed concern for his wellbeing as Seamus left the house without his phone and wallet. Appeals for information were also issued through social media websites such as Twitter and Facebook.

His foster mother Tina Whelan had also sought for a photo of Seamus to be shown at Croke Park during half time of Sunday’s All Ireland hurling semi-final between Clare and Limerick. Friends posted messages of sympathy on a special Facebook page. One poster wrote, “No words can bring solace to your feeling now. But Seamus is at peace and will be your guiding light forever.”

The discovery of Seamus brought to an end a major search opera- tion carried out around Ennis since last Saturday. Extensive searches of the River Fergus and woodlands areas around the town were carried out by members of Clare Civil Defence. Volunteers had just concluded a search of woods in Ballybeg prior to making the discovery in Claureen. Up to 12 and 14 volunteers took part in the search on a daily basis.

Head of Clare Civil Defence Liam Griffin paid tribute to all those who took park in the search. He said, “These people give freely of their time and take time off work to do it. We have some guys who are firemen, paramedics and advance paramedics. They are fantastic people. They do a wonderful job and I know it is appreciated.”

A GROUP of Clare artists beat off competition from the giants of the comic industry at the weekend when their digital publication became one of the top-selling comics online.

Acclaimed comic, ‘Blackstar’, the latest from the Banner County’s vibrant comic book scene, is now number one on the Top Paid Comics Chart on iTunes.

‘Black Star’ is a collaboration between Ennis writer Mike Lynch and artists Dwayne Moloney and Trystan Mitchell. Released through Abandoned Comics press, ‘Black Star’ is an Irish-based superhero sci-fi adventure for all ages.

‘Blackstar Book One’ has already earned rave reviews and has now gone toe-to-toe and won in a sales battle against the world’s top comicbook publishers.

Mike Lynch said the team behind ‘Blackstar’ are delighted with it’s success.

“It’s a big step forward for us. It’s our first digital comic and for it to reach number one is a big achievement, especially when we are up against the big guys like Marvel and DC,” he said. Clare artists have made a big splash in the comic book world over the past few years.

Former CBS and St Flannan’s student Declan Shalvey is currently working with Marvel and has earned acclaim for his work on titles such as ‘Venom’ and ‘Dark Avengers’.

Ennis writer Mike Lynch is among a talented crop of comic publishers following the trial blazed by Shalvey.

Dwayne Moloney is an Ennis born Limerick-based cartoon artist who has done work for ‘Coimicí Gael’ and ‘Ríra’. Trystan Mitchell is a Cornwall based freelance illustrator who has provided work for the likes of Macmillan and Oxford University Press.

Lynch set up Abandoned Comics with fellow Clare man Martin Greene last year. Lynch supplies the words with Greene adding the visuals. Their first publication – Nestor, a vampire inspired tale – earned wide acclaim, winning two awards from Irish Comic News.

GARDAÍ are investigating the circumstances of a suspicious fire that broke out at a former Traveller accommodation site in Ennis at the weekend.

The incident occurred at around 1.50am on Saturday, August 17, when a vacant house at the Ashline site on Kilrush Road caught fire in what Gardaí have described as “suspicious circumstances”.

The fire service attended the scene and the Gardaí in Ennis are investigating the circumstances of the fire. This is the second time this year that fire has broken out at the Ashline site, which cost € 1.7 million to build.

In February a fire caused an estimated € 200,000 worth of damage to two units which rendered the development unhabitable. Ashline is currently unoccupied and Clare County Council have previously stated that it does not have any plans to refurbish or rebuild the houses.

The Ashline Traveller housing unit was vacated in November 2012 fol- lowing an arson attack that damaged the last occupied unit in the group scheme. In total five units at Ashline have been the subject of arson attacks and the development of now vacant and closed. According to figures from Clare County Council, up to 14 per cent of all Traveller accommodation units built by the local authority in recent years have been destroyed by arson attacks with nine houses damaged beyond repair.

Seperately, Gardaí in Ennis are also investigating an incident in which a children’s playground was damaged. The incident occurred between 6pm n Friday, August 16, and 11am on Saturday, August 17, in the Cloughleigh area of the town. The surface of the playground was damaged.

TWO young Clare musicians will make their big-time radio debut on BBC Radio 4 later this week. Kilfenora youngster Jessica Nea and Fergal Breen from Doora-Barefield will both feature on ‘The Fleadh goes North’ radio show on BBC Radio 4 this Friday morning, August 23.

The show has been put together by the BBC to make the All Ireland Fleadh taking place in Derry this year, the first time that it has ever been hosted in Northern Ireland.

Jessica Nea is a talented multi-instrumentalist who competed in the the All Ireland Fleadh in the under 12 piano accompaniment and fiddle and was in both the Inis Óg Céilí Band and music group. Jessica will be joined on the show by Fergal Breen who competed in the under 18 flute, uilleann pipes and piano at the All Ireland Fleadh.

As it happens, it was a very successful week for both Jessica and Fergal in Derry as Jessica came second in under 12 accompaniment piano and the fiddle slow airs while Fergal came second in under 18 flute.

Both the Clare musicians will be interviewed as part of the show and millions listeners from all over the UK and Ireland will also have a chance to hear them play.

The show will be presented by Peter Curan, believes the Fleadh is one of the most important events ever staged in Derry.

“The 10-day spectacle, which combines performance with competition, is the biggest traditional music festival in the world and is the embodiment of Irish cultural identity. Seventy per cent of participants are young people, who come to compete in numerous fields from fiddle and accordion to banjo and harp,” he said.

The Fleadh Goes North will be broadcast this Friday, August 23, from 11am to 11.30am on BBC Radio 4. Radio 4 can be heard in Ireland online through the internet or via most digital television services.

FIFTY years of second level education will be celebrated in Kildysart on Saturday, August 31.

The golden anniversary celebration will pay special tribute to the Salesian Education brought to the area five decades ago and its remaining influence.

In 1963 two second-level schools opened in the area, which have since merged to create St John Bosco Community College.

An all-girls secondary school was opened at Cahercon and at the same time the long-awaited vocational school opened its doors for the first time in Kildysart Village.

Prior to this, only students whose parents could afford to send them to secondary schools in Ennis or Kilrush received a second level education.

In 1970, seven years after opening, it was decided that the school in Cahercon would go co-educational.

This saw the arrival of five boys across the threshold of this hitherto all female establishment. In the years that followed, the school went from strength to strength reaching an attendance of 250 pupils, 50 of whom were boarders. In 1979 a new school was even built in Cahercon.

In the early nineties a sports hall was added to the facility.

In 2000 more changes came about as the school merged with the vocational school in the village.

By then most of the teaching staff were lay teachers as the numbers of Salesian Sisters had diminished.

A new school was built on the grounds of the original vocational school in Kildysart Village called St John Bosco’s Community College.

The property that was the Salesian Convent and Secondary School was sold marking the end of an era and the reign of the Salesian Sisters in the area.

Many of the current teachers at St John Bosco Community College, including principal Marian CoughlanFlynn, taught at Cahercon or are past pupils of the school.

On August 31 an invitation is being extended to all past pupils, parents, teachers and friends to join in the celebration of the Golden Jubilee of Salesian Education in County Clare.

A Mass will be celebrated at St John Bosco Community College, Kildysart, at 7pm by Father Michael Casey Provincial of Salesians in Ireland from Labasheeda and a past pupil of Cahercon.

THE Clare public’s need for information and assistance on legal matters continues to rise across the county, according to Clare Citizens Information Service’s annual report for 2012.

As many as 769 people attended the free legal advice clinics at the citizen’s information centres in County Clare last year.

While the report showed a slight decrease in the number of people requiring free legal assistance with financial matters, it also pointed not just a fundamental need in Irish society for accessible legal information and advice for individuals, but also for fairer systems that allow people to access their rights across a wide range of issues.

The Legal Advice Clinic’s statistics indicate that family issues, employment problems and money worries continue to dominate the agenda, constituting about half of all of its enquiries.

However, some areas of law have seen increased queries, such as housing/landlord and tenant law.

“The phenomenon of the ‘accidental landlord’ has been noted by FLAC – people who have had to rent out their homes to meet rising mortgage payments or invested as pension provision. They do not have the same resources as ‘professional’ landlords nor the funds to get necessary legal information and advice,” pointed out Paul Woulfe, Manager with the Clare Citizens information Service.

The report also recognises the work of volunteer lawyers in offering legal advice in free and confidential centres in Clare, in partnership with Citizens Information Centres.

Mr Woulfe said the centres provide an essential service for people who require legal advice to address a problem that they are facing, but who do not have the resources to pay for a consultation with a private solicitor

He said that most people only become aware of the law when they are in trouble but at that time, they need to be able to use it.

“For many, the law is confusing and intimidating. Alongside the dedicated management and staff of the Citizens Information Service in Clare, local volunteers solicitors provide a bridge between people and the law, so that they can understand their own situations better and can address the problems that they are facing, with dignity.

THE next step towards developing a new civic and arts centre in Shannon will be taken a step further when a public forum takes place in the airport town early next month.

The proposal by The Shannon Venue Ltd., to develop a new iconic, debtfree, multifunctional civic and arts centre for Shannon will be outlined at a meeting in the Oakwood Arms Hotel on Wednesday, September 4.

Shannon residents, civic and arts groups, and all interested parties are invited to use this opportunity to share their views, make suggestions or ask questions about the proposed community and not-for profit venture.

A one-acre site in Shannon town centre has been secured from Shannon Development for the proposed project subject to planning permission being granted.

Commenting on the project David Neylon, Property Executive, Shannon Development, said “Shannon Development is delighted to have been able to assist with this worthwhile endeavour which will have a positive benefit for the people of Shannon by providing a home for the arts, culture and many other community activities. We wish The Shannon Venue Ltd every success with the project.”

Project team member Derek Barrett says the proposed centre is a new opportunity for Shannon.

“We believe this facility will help make Shannon a better place to live, work and do business in. It will become a focal social and cultural point for residents, employees, industry and visitors alike. It will give a renewed sense of place, purpose and community,” he said.

“With a strong focus on being multifunctional, we are confident that we can meet and exceed the expectations of most, if not all the community groups that exist within the town.

“Having already received positive feedback and support from the town council, town manager, the county council, Shannon Chamber of Commerce and a range of large community groups that would consider using the facility, such as: Shannon Musical Society, Muse Productions, Eclipse, Shannon Gospel Choir, Christian Church and both secondary schools (St Patrick’s & St Caimin’s), we are now at the stage where we would like additional input from every other group within Shannon, together with residents and employees who may consider using this centre.”

THE true identity of the € 6 million Lahinch lotto winner has yet to be confirmed – with speculation centering on an eight-person syndicate including staff from Flanagan’s bar in the village.

The winning ticket, a € 4 quickpick, was purchased in Kennedy’s Centra in Lahinch on Friday evening last, but no one has yet contacted the National Lottery in relation to the win, and neither staff nor shop owner Robert Kennedy have any idea who the lucky millionaires might be.

An image of staff at Flanagan’s bar celebrating an “anonymous syndicate” win emerged online on Sunday and yesterday bar manager Shane Keane was hopeful that he still might be a winner.

“We all put money in on Friday evenings for the weekend lotto there is a few different syndicates going. Then on Sunday we got a call from two of the lads in Dublin saying that we had won. Their phone ran out of batteries and we haven’t been able to contact them since,” said Shane.

“We were trying to get them all day Sunday and they weren’t on the busses back from the match. So one of the lads, Thomas Finnucane, has gone up to Dublin to try and find them.

“Honestly, I don’t know if I’ve won our not. I came in to work today in case I didn’t win. I just don’t know.”

Shop owner Robert Kennedy said yesterday that no matter who receives the money, the lotto win has given a boost to the whole village.

“There is huge excitement in Lahinch after this. The lotto was last won in the area about 25 years ago and it was an aunt of mine that won it, would you believe – she shared it with six people – but it has not been won since,” said Robert.

“Six million is a huge amount of money and no one really knows who is involved. There are so many tourists in Lahinch this time of year that there is no way of knowing if it was a local or a tourist. I’m thrilled for whoever won it.

“I’d be delighted if it was a local who won it but the truth is that we might never know. It’s been a great pick-me-up or the village no matter who has won it.

“I was talking to Olan [owner of Flanagan’s bar] there a few minutes ago and he was giving nothing away. He wasn’t confirming of denying anything and good luck to them if it turns out to be them.”

The winning numbers were: 4 11 16 33 43 45 and bonus 10 and the jackpot was a tidy € 6,158,375.

TRIBUTES have been paid to the late Gerry Gilligan who passed away in Ennis last week.

Hundreds of friends and neighbours joined with the Gilligan fam ily as they said the final goodbye to Gerry who was well known in sporting circles in Ennis.

Mr Gilligan (61), who lived in the Golf Links Road area of the town, played soccer for Hermitage and was a member of Ennis Golf Club, where he was a former and recent winner of the Captain’s Prize.

At his funeral mass in Ennis on Tuesday, Mr Gilligan was recalled as role model and someone whose life was “filled with love”.

Fr Tom Hogan told mourners, “Gerry in his life was blessed, blessed by a great interest in sport. He was very successful in soccer and hurling. He had loads of photographs and memorabilia including winning the Captain’s Prize at Ennis Golf Club. I understand he broke the course records with the highest score at the time. But above all else he has been blessed by love.” Mr Gilligan passed away peacefully last week. He will be sadly missed by his loving wife Bernadette, daughter Louise, sons Damien and Brian extended family and many friends.