Category: News

BALLYVAUGHAN grandmother and symphysiotomy survivor, Ellen Moore, says she will not accept the redress scheme proposed by the Minister for Health, James Reilly (FG), during their face-to-face meet- ing last week.

Ellen was one of a small group of symphysiotomy survivor who met with the health minister in Dublin on Thursday.

The meeting was originally organised by the Survivors of Symphysiotomy (SOS) group because of fears that the government was preparing to renege on promises made to wave the statue of limitations for symphysiotomy sufferers earlier this year.

It know looks likely that the government is indeed looking to perform a you-turn on their promise to lift the statue for women who were given symphysiotomy without consent.

Minister Reilly instead proposed a Magdalene style redress scheme for Ellen and the other symphysiotomy survivor.

This deal would see the women receive some level of compensation from the state but there would be no admission of fault and no apology.

This proposal was rejected by Ellen and the other representatives of SOS.

“We were there to talk about the statute of limitations and he [Minister O’Reilly] said that there was some issue with that and it was still with the Attorney General,” said Ellen.

“He did seem to be effected by our stories – he and his advisors. But his proposal would mean that there would be no apology and no admission of liability, and that is something that we cannot accept.

“It seems to us that he is trying to divide and conquer [using the redress system].

“Time is on their side. We are all older women and the longer this goes on the fewer of us there is.”

Hundreds of symphysiotomies were performed on women without their consent in Irish hospitals in the 1960 and 1970.

The controvertial operations involved breaking of a women’s pelvic bone during labour – which resulted in a litany of medical complications and complications.

Ellen has undergone more than 20 operations over the last two decades and is now in near constant pain.

PLANS for a multi-million euro wave energy plant off the Clare coast could soon be sunk as the government appears to be dragging its feet in legislating for the project.

It was announced earlier this year that a license for the project, which has been earmarked for White Strand in Miltown Malbay, had been authorised by the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources however, The Clare People has learned that this license has yet to be issued.

In addition, the legislation necessary to allow for a private company to “lease” a section a Irish water from the state has not even been drafted.

According to Kieran O’Brien, Executive Director of Carnegie Wave Energy and former Managing Director the ESB National Grid, the Clare site has fallen behind rival locations in Scotland and England – and if a decision was being made today, the Clare site would not even be in the running.

“The Minister has announced that we are to be granted a license, we haven’t actually got it yet, it is still in the legal process,” said Kieran.

“After we actually get the license we have a lot of technical survey work to undertake and once those surveys are completed we would have to secure a lease for the ground. The legislation that will grant us a lease is not even in place in Ireland at the moment. So, even if we were ready right now, we couldn’t do anything in Clare.

“To be frank, I’m going to spend the first two weeks of September in the UK – I’ll be talking to people in Scotland and down in Cornwall and in London. These people have all this stuff in place.

“In Scotland, they have one agency who looks after all of this. If you want to talk to fishermen, you talk to Joe; if you want to talk about a lease, talk to Mike; if you want support from the Scottish universities, you talk to someone else.

“They are extremely well organised and funding – they have the administrative organisation that investors who want to spend million like. The Irish authorities have a long way to go before they are in that area.”

If successful, the project would see a large spherical wave buoys being built to harvest the power of the sea. The movement of the buoy would be used to turn turbines which would in turn create electricity. The buoys which will be used off the Clare coast would be of full commercial size, have a diameter of between 16 and 20 metres and produce up to 1.5 megawatts a day.

A number of Irish companies are currently developing wave energy generators but none have yet progressed past the prototype stage of development.

A STAND-OFF between Iarnród Éireann and the Department of Transport has resulted in the shelving of planned Crusheen rail stop on the Western Rail Corridor.

Construction work on the Crusheen station, which has been the subject of the major local campaign for almost 10 years, was due to begin this year but works will now not get going until 2014 at the earliest. The stand-off centres around the € 2.1 million price tag for the station with the Minister for Transport, Leo Varadkar (FG), insisting that Iarnród Éireann find a way of cutting the construction costs.

The rail company insist that a full € 2.1 million will be needed to complete the long awaited project – resulting in a stand off.

In a written Dáil reply to Clare Fianna Fáil’s transport spokesman Timmy Dooley, Minister Varadkar said there was no money at present to fund the station.

“My department’s capital funding for rail infrastructure was reduced last year in order to support the emergency funding required for the CIE Group.

“As a result of the reduced capital funding, Irish Rail have had to reevaluate their planned capital programme to 2016, with the priority being to protect existing assets and to maintain safety standards,” he said.

“In the context of this, I have asked Irish Rail to revisit their current proposals for Crusheen rail stop which have a construction cost of in the order of € 2m and see if a lower cost alternative is feasible.

“It is my intention to provide for a rail stop at Crusheen.”

Earlier this year Clare County Council granted planning permission for the long awaited station at Crusheen. While overall passengers on the Western Rail Corridor have been slightly below projects – the number of people using the commuter sections of the line – such as between Ennis and Limerick and Athenry and Galway have exceeded all expectation.

It has been projected that a strong commuter demand between Cursheen and Ennis will help make this station a success.

An Iarnród Éireann spokesperson said there was “limited scope” to reduce the cost of the Crusheen Station.

KILRUSH’S Music and Set Dancing Festival could be in doubt for next year, as it failed to receive any financial support from the Arts Council, but organisers are determined to make this year’s event one of the best ever. The festival, which replaced the Eigse Mrs Crotty festival five years ago, has new competitions added to its listing this year with a focus on encouraging young musicians.

Secretary of the group Anne Hayes said a new under 12-concertina competition will take place for the first time this year, as well as the traditional under-18 competition.

While the Kilrush Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann organised festival has encouraged musicians of all ages from all over Ireland to visit the town during the last five years, it is facing new challenges every time.

This year the direct funding from the Arts Council has been cut, resulting in the group working with € 3,000 less than last year. Determined volunteers have not been deterred by this or the fact they are also competing with other festivals and competitions.

As schools are opening earlier and earlier every year the national fleadh competition has been brought forward to accommodate school going partici- pants. As a result the Kilrush competition also had to be brought forward so as not to clash with the national competition. The West Clare music festival is now competing with the festival in Feakle and over laps with the Rose of Clare just out the road in Cooraclare-Cree. Despite all the hurdles the festival promises to be better than ever, opening tomorrow (Wednesday) with a Sessiun in the Teach Cheoil at 9pm.

The Singers Club will take place in the Haven Arms on Thursday August 8 at 10pm with_music, set dancing and Irish language classes on Friday from 10 am. A unique Musicial Boat Trip to Scattery Island will take place on Friday at 1pm, and an open air ceilí in Kilrush Town Square at 7pm followed by music sessions in the town bars from 10pm.

Classes will take place again on Saturday, as well as concertina competitions followed by open air dancing to Johnny Reidy Ceili Band at 2.30pm and a Gala Concert in the Teach Cheoil at 8pm.

On Sunday the final of the concertina competition is at noon with a monster open air music session at the Vandeleur Walled Gardens with Inis Cathaigh Comhaltas Branch. Open Air Ceili with the Five Counties Ceili Band in the square at 7p.m. with the closing sessions in the town’s bars at 10pm will bring the festival to a close.

CASH strapped parents in Clare who are facing back to school bills of more than € 700 per child are being forced to turn to moneylenders and charities such as the St Vincent de Paul in desperation.

The Clare Citizen Information Office surveyed stressed parents who sought their advice and assistance and discovered that the cost of one second level student starting school in Clare has reached almost € 800.

The € 200 Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance (BSFCA) grant is not taking the pressure off parents, said Clare’s Citizen Information Development Manager Paul Woulfe and he has raised concerns that the financial pressure is forcing people to turn to “legal and illegal money lenders in desperation”, who charge exorbitant interest rates and in the case of illegal money lenders can resort to threatening and abusive behaviour when collecting a debt.

Parents are also finding some sol- ace in organisations such as the St Vincent de Paul.

“It is easy to see how the costs add up. Shoes cost about € 250 because you need runners and sports shoes too, € 200 for school uniforms and tracksuits, books cost anything between € 200 and € 250 with miscellaneous classroom costs at least € 50.

“The voluntary contribution to schools is usually between € 100 to € 125,” explained Mr Woulfe.

The Citizen Information development manager said many parents find themselves in debt at the start of the school year, especially as the BSCFA and children’s allowance is reduced as costs increase. The cost of school tours and extra-curricular activities or tuition can also be very high.

“Though not compulsory, such activities are often essential with regard to social and educational inclusion,” said Mr Woulfe.

“Children from lower-income families are likely to benefit most and yet be most at risk of exclusion from costly extra-curricular activities and supports. Additionally, a child who has to opt out of school tours or outings is likely to experience social stigma,” he said.

“Evidence from MABS suggests that parents may opt to ensure that their children do continue to participate in extra-curricular activities, school tours etcetera, but that this brings with it the risk of deepening household poverty, which carries with it not only health risks associated with food and fuel poverty but also the stress of household indebtedness and social exclusion of the parents and family within the broader community or socio-economic context.”

“They have so many costs it is crippling and they face a great burden,” said Mr Woulfe.

Families on certain social welfare payments and some low income working families are this week applying for the back to school grant.

The grant for second level students is € 200 down from € 305, while € 100 is granted towards primary school children.

THE family of murdered Clare woman Emer O’Loughlin will take part in a new documentary into her death which will be shown tomorrow evening, July 30.

Hopes are high that an increase in attention for the cold case may lead to fresh information about the whereabouts of John Griffin, who the Gardaí have been tracking for more than eight years.

A number of Emer’s family were interviewed for the ‘Cracking Crime’ programme in April of this year when they came together to mark the eight anniversary of Emer’s tragic death.

It is hoped that a fresh spotlight being shined on the case may lead to new leads emerging for the Gardaí and Interpol. Indeed, there has been a great deal of attention for the case on social media in recent weeks.

A new facebook group entitled “Emer O’Loughlin – Help Catch Her Killer” was established earlier this years. Membership of the group has swelled from 600 people in early June to 2,400 now.

A number of previously unreleased images of John Griffin have also been circulated in recent week – with a particular emphasis on mainland Europe – where Mr Griffin is believed to currently reside.

Ennistymon woman Emer O’Loughlin lost her life in a mobile home in Tubber in April 8, 2005. A number of attempts have been made over the years to track down the chief suspect, John Griffin, with Interpol releasing a photograph and a description him in early 2011.

Despite a number of leads and suspected sighting of Mr Griffin in Europe, the official search has done cold in recent years.

Her body was found in the burnedout neighbouring mobile home and was only identified following DNA testing. The chief suspect in the case, John Griffin, was tracked to the Aran Island where Gardaí believe he tried to fake his own suicide before he fled the country.

Emer’s case will be featured in the first episode of ‘Cracking Crime’, which will be screened on RTÉ 1 on Tuesday, July 30, at 9.35pm.

A SECOND person in a week has been hospitalised by Dusty the Dolphin – who injured a swimmer in Doolin late on Sunday evening, July 28.

Despite repeated warning by local organisations, as well as Clare County Council, a number of people continue to swim close to the 14year-old dolphin who has taken up residence at Doolin Pier.

Clare County Council life guards stationed at Doolin Pier have taken to raising the “red flag” – which indicates that it is not safe to swim when Dusty is in the area. Despite this, people continue to swim close to the dolphin with reports of people even covering Dusty’s blowhole and pulling her fins.

The latest incident took place late on Sunday evening when a female swimmer was charged as she left the water after a swim at about 10pm.

The dolphin is believed to have struck the woman in the kidney, knocking her over and leaving her winded.

The woman received medical treated at the scene by the Doolin Unit of the Irish Coast Guard and was taken by ambulance to the Mid Western Regional Hospital in Limerick for treatment.

Her injuries were not serious but she was described as being badly bruised and shocked by the incident.

The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) have put up post- ers in the area recommending that people do not swim with Dusty. The posters were distribute to premises in Doolin last Thursday and additions posters are also being placed on the Doolin ferries.

“IWDG acknowledges that many people have had a fantastic encounter with Dusty and have built up a personal relationship with the dolphin. However IWDG is very concerned that many visitors, especially in the summer, do not recognise the signals that Dusty sends out when she is not happy with their behaviour,” said a spokesperson.

“Ignoring such signs or behaving inappropriately has led on a number of occasions to aggressive interactions with some people being severly injured. If this continues, it may lead to a fatality and then there will be strong pressure to remove or destroy the dolphin.

“If you really are concerned about Dusty, you will not swim with her or at least if you do will show her the respect a wild dolphin is entitled to.”

GARDAÍ have issued a renewed appeal for information following the death of a Polish man in alleged violent circumstances in Ennis last week.

It comes as two brothers charged in connection with the incident appeared in court for a third time yesterday.

Michael and Darren Maughan, both with addresses at 20 Stonecourt, Ennis, were remanded in custody to appear again at Ennis District Court next month.

Michael Maughan (39) is charged with the murder of Piotr Nowakowski (31) at 15 Sandfield Mews, Ennis on July 23. Darren Maughan (21) is charged with assault causing harm to Declan O’Dea at the same location and date. Mr O’Dea is currently recovering in hospital.

The brothers first appeared in court on Wednesday. Garda Nadine Keane of Ennis Garda Station gave evidence of arrest, charge and caution in respect of Michael Maughan. She said Michael Maughan made no reply to charge after caution on July 24.

Garda John Moore gave evidence of arrest, charge and caution on Darren Maughan.

The court heard Darren Maughan made no reply when charged after caution at Shannon Garda Station on July 24.

Separately, Darren Maughan is charged with assault and two public order offences at The Height, Ennis on July 22.

Both men were remanded in custody to appear in court on Friday where they were remanded to Ennis District Court yesterday.

On Monday, Inspector Michael Gallagher said the State were seeking a further two-week remand in custody.

Solicitor for both accused, William Cahir, consented to the application. The men, who have been supported in court by family members, will appear again at Ennis District Court on August 12.

Yesterday Gardaí in Ennis also re- newed an appeal for information on the incident.

Sgt Joe Downey stated, “The Gardaí in Ennis are investigating this incident and are currently engaged in collecting and collating all available evidence.

“We are appealing for anyone who may have witnessed this incident, or who may have information concerning this incident, to come forward and make themselves known to the gardaí in Ennis”.

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who have helped in any way so far in this investigation as without their help our investigations would be made much more difficult,” he added.

CLIFFS of Moher Visitor Experience is t he thi rd most popular fee-payi ng tourist att raction in the count r y, sur passed only by t he Guinness Store House and Dublin Zoo.

Fáilte Ireland, the national tour- ism aut hority, published its listing of Ireland’s top visitor att ractions for 2012 and the iconic Clare tourist att raction is among t he list of top fee-charging att ractions growing by eight per cent to 873,988.

Bunrat ty Castle and Fol k Park, wit h 286, 270 visitors, was up four per cent, according to the figures released dur ing the week.

Fiona Monaghan, Fáilte Ireland’s Head of Operations, said, “This list always makes fascinating reading, but it’s also a good reminder of the huge range of visitor att ractions that we have in Ireland. People visit this countr y for many reasons, but they always expect a high st andard of things to see and do, which is why we see Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience and the Bunratt y Castle and Fol k Park make t he list.

“Our visitor att ractions are a big par t of the tourism offering and with the increase in visitor numbers to Ireland, it is no sur prise that our top att ractions have also enjoyed a busy year. I have no doubt that t he recent good weather will have encouraged many Irish people to get out and about and discover what is on t hei r doorstep – next year we may be quoting even bigger numbers.

“Tourism is in a good place compared to five years ago but we can’t become complacent,” she added.

There were no Clare destinations on the list of Top 10 Free Tourist Att ractions.

AFTER more than two decades of local campaigning and action, construction work on a new state-of-theart rescue centre for the Doolin Unit of the Irish Coast Guard will being later this week.

The new € 2 million centre, which is expected to be operational by the summer of 2014, will revolutionise the way in which the Doolin Unit can operate – and may, in time, save lives.

Even though the Doolin Unit of the Irish Coast Guard is one of the busiest coast guard units in the country, it does not currently have the ability to store all of its equipment at the current site at Doolin Pier.

This means that important equipment has to be stored at different locations around North Clare, meaning making rescue operations more complicated. The new facilities will include a garage area for the storage of boats, equipment and transport as well as changing facilities and an operations room.

“Ultimately this will make our work more efficient because we will be able to keep everything in the one place. The team will all have one place to assemble; there will be no confusion over where different teams should go in an emergency,” said Mattie Shannon of the Doolin Unit of the Irish Coastguard earlier this year. “Also, when you put a piece of equipment down you will where it is going to be when you need it again. That was a big problem. We had to store so much equipment in so many different places that it was very difficult to keep track of everything.

“This is going to make our job a lot more easy and they will make us better able to save leaves. We will be able to assemble at the one place and leave as a block.”

The news was welcomed yesterday by Clare Senator, Martin Conway (FG).

“The building in which the volunteers have worked in for the last 20 years was not fit for purpose and I have no doubt that the new facility will greatly assist the volunteers in their tireless work on behalf of the community, carrying out search, rescue and recovery operations off the coast of County Clare,” he said.