Category: News

A DISTRICT court judge labelled the atmosphere in a small West Clare community “septic”, as he fined a father of two € 750 for assaulting and injuring the local school principal.

Martin Tubridy (55), Quarry Vale, Mounthshannon, Labasheeda, had been found guilty of assault causing harm to Liam Woulfe at Labasheeda National School on December 9, 2011, during a court hearing on January 20, 2013.

School principal Mr Woulfe suffered a bloodied nose, black eye and dislodged tooth during the after school attack.

At Kilrush District Court Judge Patrick Durcan said evidence had been given that Mr Tubridy had driven to the school on the afternoon in question.

Mr Woulfe was meeting with another parent, when Mr Tubridy walked up the steps of the school to deal with a matter regarding his eight-year-old son.

Mr Woulfe told the accused that he would speak to him later as he was dealing with another parent, and Mr Tubridy struck him in the face.

Caroline O’Shea the parent, who had been in the classroom meeting Mr Woulfe, had told the court the Mr Woulfe recoiled back over the door in shock. Mr Tubridy then left.

Mr Tubridy’s solicitor had challenged Ms O’Shea and said could not have seen the assault from where she was.

Mr Woulfe, who has been principal at the school for 17 years, said that he had never had to deal with a parent in such an aggressive manner.

At Tuesday’s sitting of the court solicitor for the defence Fiona Hehir said that the publicity of the case had taken its toll on her client and that he had left employment due to depression.

“He fears the publicity on this court will affect his chances of getting work,” she said.

Ms Hehir handed in character references from Thomas Linnane, the charity Second Chance Rescue, Shannon Gael’s GAA Ladies Club and a private reference from parish priest Fr John Kelly. Fr Kelly’s reference was not on behalf of the board of management, the court was told.

A list of charity work carried out by Mr Tubridy was also submitted.

“I am satisfied on review of evidence as I was on January 20, 2013, that Mr Martin James Tubridy assaulted Liam Woulfe,” said Judge Durcan.

He said that he had adjourned the case for a lengthy period aware of the impact the case could have on a small community like Labasheeda.

He said he was conscious that this was a special community, where resources were scarce and small schools, like the two-teacher school in Labasheeda, are under threat.

He then referenced a Department of Education report carried out on June 30, 2012, that showed 89 per cent of parents said their children felt safe in the school.

He said he was not satisfied that any steps had been taken however to rectify the issue outside of the court.

“There is a septic atmosphere out in Labasheeda that needs to be addressed,” he said.

“I am dealing with what happened on December 9, 2011.”

He said he was satisfied that the references showed Mr Tubridy was a “committed” man that did work for charity.

The judge added that this did not get away from the fact that the defendant walked into the school and hit the school principal.

“The assault on a school principal in a small community is a very serious matter,” he said, describing the school principal as a leader in the community.

He sentenced Mr Tubridy, who had no previous convictions to pay a fine of € 750.

Mr Tubridy had previously been ordered to pay € 400 compensation to Mr Woulfe and Ms O’Shea.

TARGETTING cargo traffic through Shannon is set to be a major plank of the new chief executive blueprint for Clare’s international airport, once he takes up his piovital post in early June.

That’s the view of a number of aviation commentators this week as Shannon celebrates what has been described as a “coup appointment” of Scottish-born Neil Pakey to the post of chief executive of the newly independent airport.

The potential of cargo services through Shannon, which could be developed as a European hub operation was highlighted in the Booz and Company consultants report on Ireland’s three state-run airports in 2011.

Now, Mr Pakey’s appointment is seen as a huge step forward in maximizing Shannon strategic location as a freight and cargo nerve centre, because of his track record in doing business with one of the major freight operators in Europe.

“While he was in Liverpool one of his major coups, not just with EasyJet and Ryanair, was to bring KLM in,” revealed aviation commentator Joe Downes.

“KLM are one of the world’s biggest cargo carriers.

“The Shannon board has said that that freight is one of the targets of the new airport – to turn it into a hub for freight cargo. Mr Pakey has the experience to do this,” he added.

The Booz report, which was published last year, said that “the viability of (Shannon) business cannot be justified through passenger growth only”.

“New sources of revenue should be explored including exploitation of land banks, exploration of cargo business potential and improved leverage and expansion of the US preclearance facilities to include cargo.

“Shannon Airport is widely viewed as having the opportunity to transform itself into a major cargo hub in Europe, particularly should the Irish Government negotiate cargo preclearance with the US,” the report added.

“My aim is to build the business and lead a team dedicated to achieving operational excellence, superior customer service, efficiency in all functions and with full support for our airlines, partners and stakeholders,” said Mr Pakey on his appointment.

From 2002 to 2010, Neil was managing director of Liverpool John Lennon Airport, one of Europe’s fastest growing airports, where he led the growth in passenger numbers from 867,000 passengers per year to 5.5 million passengers per year.

Since 2010 he has been the senior director network marketing of the Vantage Airports Group with responsibility for 18 airports worldwide, including airports in Canada, Cyprus, the Caribbean and the UK.

A native of Troon in Scotland, Mr Packey is aged 52 and initially joins Shannon on a three year contract.

ENNIS Town Council says it has “serious concerns” that development bonds valued at € 1.5 million have been left unsecured following the Government’s decision to wind up the former Anglo Irish Bank.

A report on unfinished estates in Ennis states that the council “could not afford the cost of completing estates which are the responsibility of the developer or financial institution (or their successor) that hold the bond commitments”.

A full team of three staff has been allocated by the council to deal with the issue of unfinished estates in Ennis.

In a report to councillors, Town Clerk Leonard Cleary says the issues relating to unfinished estates is “absorbing significant local authority management time”.

The report acknowledges that many homeowners “experience frustration and disappointment” when estates are not complete.

Mr Cleary states, “In many instances, developers are still in a position to trade, but have been slow to fulfill their responsibilities to complete their estates. This is unacceptable.

The report states that there are currently 27 developments that remain incomplete within the urban area of Ennis.

Category 1 developments are those with bonds with held by IBRC and Ulster Bank and / or referred to the council’s legal team; Category 2 developments are progressing in conjunction with developer or bondholder; Category 3 developments are not progressing with little or no activity on site.

Since 2010, Ennis Town Council has taken in charge 11 housing developments including three – Glean na Coille, Claureen, Drumbiggle Drive and An tSean Dún, Tulla Road – in 2013. Eight category 2 developments are proceeding satisfactorily and are on target for taking in charge by either the council or management company.

Mr Cleary states that the pursuit of uncooperative developers through legal channels is required in several situations.

He adds, “The council is cognisant of the public purse when pursuing a legal course of action in an unfinished estate. The view from operations experiences is that if appropriate the best first action of the council to achieve a satisfactory resolution for residents and citizens of Ennis is with the active assistance and cooperation of the developer or those now responsible for the development in the absence of developer fulfilling his/ her responsibilities. The presence of receivers, liquidators NAMA etc has complicated matters even further but is a reality of the current economic circumstances of the building industry. When the above approach does not receive the required response in terms of estate completion, the council has no hesitation in discharging its regulatory role through Court proceedings.”

DISABLED people in Clare believe that they are being lined up for major funding cuts in this year’s budget – and that a survey commissioned by the Department of Health will be used to justify these cuts.

The survey, which was commissioned by the Department of Health as part of the public consultation into the future Mobility Allowance and Motorised Transport Grant, has been completed by scores of disabled people in Clare over the past two weeks.

According to disabled campaigner Dermot Hayes, the survey has been designed in such a way as will help the Department of Health justify future cuts to disabled people.

“The question which concerned us most was in relation to the mobility allowance. It seemed like the survey was guiding people to a particular answer, and it seems to me that that answer could be used to justify taking the allowance off us down the line,” he said.

“We were asked a lot of questions about public transport but many of the disabled [Clare] people taking this survey are living in an area where they would never see a bus. That’s the reality for a lot of these people.

“I thought that the whole way that the survey was concocted was outlandish – it is like they were trying to trick people into answering questions in a way that suits themselves. We are really worried about how this survey will be used down the line and how the responses will be analyses and presented.

“At the moment I think [disabled] people are scared. They don’t want to complain for fear of what might happen to them if they do. People are just about surviving and it seems that more cuts are being lined up.”

The survey also asks people to rate what level of disability is most de- serving of the transportation grants. This could be used by the department to divide the disabled community in Clare – and justify the removal of the transportation grants from people with less profound disabilities.

A public meeting for disabled people and their family will take place at the West County in Clare this Friday, May 24 from 10.30am to 1pm.

Guest speaker for the event will be Martin Naughton, activist and member of the Motorised Grant Department Review Group, disabled campaigner Leigh Gath and local disabled campaigners Thomas Connole and Ann Marie Flanagan.

THE homeless Czech national who has been described as “a real legend of a man” who died on the streets of Ennis after living in a public toilet in the town is finally being laid to rest this week. Fifty-two-year-old Josef Pavelka is to be buried in Drumcliffe Cemetery this Tuesday, following the removal of his remains to Ennis Cathedral on Monday evening where he was received by Fr Ger Fitzgerald. This final resting place for Mr Pavelka comes over two weeks after he died after efforts to repatriate the man’s body to his native country failed. With the help of the Czech Embassy in Dublin and Interpol, contact was made with a daughter and sister of Mr Pavelka concerning the repa- triation of the body.

However, his family members confirmed that they did not want his remains returned.

The remains of Mr Pavelka have remained at the morgue at the Midwest Regional Hospital in Limerick since his death on May 4 in a laneway just off O’Connell Street in Ennis.

“The people of Ennis will be delighted to hear they will be able to pay their respects to Josef as we have had numerous requests from people over the last 10 days asking will he be laid to rest here,” said Administrator of Ennis Parish.

“Josef was a believer and a churchgoer and he probably knew more people in Ennis than he did in his na- tive place,” he added.

Along with his friend, 35-year-old Polish national Piotr Baram, Mr Pavelka’s plight received national attention when district court judge, Patrick Durkan, said it was a scandal that he was living in a public toilet in the Market area of Ennis.

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THE upgrade and facelift of Francis Street in Kilrush in time for the National Famine Commemoration cost the local town council € 109,000.

Kilrush Town Clerk John Corry explained that the funding was setaside in this year’s budget and the upgrade was to take place as part of the 2013 road works.

“I had heard figures bandied about that it cost the council € 200,000 to upgrade Francis Street. It cost € 109,000,” he said.

Council workers ensured that the work was completed in time for the Famine Commemoration on May 12.

The total budget for the road’s programme for this year is € 115,000.

Each year a substantial amount of the funding goes to one particular project.

The council decided that the town’s widest street would be upgraded for 2013.

Reservations have been raised however that the council will leave itself short for any remedial or repair works it may have to carry out in the town as a result of another bad winter.

Mr Corry said the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government has already given the local authority permission to use development contributions if such a case arises.

Complaints about the layout of parking on the street have also been made.

New white lines drawn up as part of the upgrade make for very tight parking spaces according to motorists.

Cllr Liam Williams (FG) said that the spaces at the top of Francis Street, from the post office towards the marina, are particularly tight.

Cllr Tom Prendeville (FF) said he witnessed a situation where a woman could not get out of her car when it was parked outside the bank.

She was parked correctly as were the drivers in neighbouring spaces but the markings were too close together to allow people to exit their cars.

A NORTH Clare committee has been set up to organise local opposition to the construction of massive twin fish farms off the Fanore coast. This follows a meeting in Ballyvaughan last Friday night, which attracted more than 100 concerned locals as well as people from as far away as Cork.

Details of the local committee will be formalised in the coming week an organised opposition to the fish farm is likely to intensify this month. Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM), the state agency who are behind the development, were invited to send a representative to the meeting but were unable to do so.

Representatives of Clare TD’s Pat Breen (FG) and Michael McNamara (LAB) attended the meeting but the North Clare group expressed its dis- appointment that none of the county Dáil representatives were there in person.

“We are setting up a local committee later this week and we will be following up on everything that was said at the meeting. Pat Breen and Michael McNamara both sent representatives to the meeting. Many of the politicians in Galway, including the mayor, have come out publicly against the farm, so it was a shame that none of our local representative could be there in person. But maybe they can come on board in the future,” said a North Clare committee spokesperson.

“There was more than 100 people there at the meeting and not one them was in favour of the fish farm. There was a lot from North Clare but we had people from all over the west coast. There is now an issue for anyone along the western seaboard.

“This concerns everyone involved in who lives along the coast. It is not just the commercial fishermen, it’s people who are involved in the tourist industry – it’s all of us really.

“We invited the BIM and it was a shame that they could not get a representative there. They contact us at the eleventh hour and said that they would meet us if we cancelled the meeting and held it again on another day.”

CLARE County Manager, Tom Coughlan, has been appointed to the board of the new Shannon Airport Authority. Mr Coughlan is one of two new appointments to the SAA board, the move coming on the back of Clare County Council being a staunch supporter of the airport being given its independence from the Dublin Airport Authority.

Mr Coughlan’s appointment to the board, along with that of Tony Brazil of Limerick Travel, came into effect this Tuesday and completed the new SAA board.

“I welcome these appointments as they bring additional and relevant experience and expertise to the board,” said chairman of the SAA, Rose Hynes.

“Tony Brazil’s knowledge of all aspects of the tourism industry will be extremely valuable as we continue to grow passenger services at Shannon Airport. Tom Coughlan’s dynamism and energy as manager of Clare County Council, and his focus in that role on regional development and promotion, will also be a very positive addition to the board.

“I look forward to working with both of them towards delivering further on Shannon’s potential as a key economic driver for the wider region,” she added.

Mr Coughlan’s appointment honours a commitment given by Minister for Transport, Leo Varadkar that there would be local authority involvement in the new Shannon Airport. As county manager, he as been in the vanguard of Clare County Council’s support of Shannon during and after the process that brought about its independence from the DAA.

“We are ready, willing and able to work with NEWCO and work with whoever we have to work with to try and make this a success,” he said when independence was finaly granted last December. “I think it can be the new start for Shannon – I think it has to be the new start because we cannot stay where we are. We have to make a new start, we have to move on from where we are. I very much echo the sentiment that doing nothing was not an option,” he added.

A NUMBER of events are planned in Clare to celebrate Africa Day, which takes place On May 25.

‘A Taste of Africa’ will take place in Clare County Council foyer, New Road, Ennis, from 12.30pm to 12.30pm on Wednesday, May 22, to mark Africa Day.

This community event will share some aspects of the rich heritage of various African countries and will create an opportunity for both African and non African Clare residents to enjoy some time together on this special occasion.

The event will include food tasting with explanations of the origins and recipes of the dishes and a display of African traditional attire. The mayor of Clare, Cllr Pat Daly, will also be in attendence.

Africa Day this year marks 50 years of the African Union and Afri- can Independence. It provides an opportunity for all Africans, including those who have made Ireland their home and non Africans to celebrate Africa, its people and their potential at a time of great opportunity for the continent.

The 50th anniversary of the African Union is an occasion to underline the change in the general narrative on Africa from despair and hopelessness to the potential of inclusive economic growth and the building of democratic institutions.

Abiodun Ladigbolu of the Association of Nigerians in County Clare (ANCC) said, “The ANCC, Clare Immigrant Support Centre, Ghanian Irish Friendship Society and Moroccan Irish Friendship Association are delighted to be working in cooperation with Clare County Council in bringing a Taste of Africa to Ennis on Wednesday. We hope we will be joined by many people on the day.”

Throughout Clare events are being organised in schools and libraries to mark Africa Day.

Africa Day on May 25 marks the 50th anniversary of Africa Day and African unity. Events are happening throughout Clare and Ireland until May 26.

The events include a showcase of African writers at Clare libraries; activities at Clare Youth Service and A Flavour of Africa experience at Little Hippies Childcare Centre.

THE DATA Protection Commissioner has written to a Clare school demanding that it turn off CCTV cameras in operation in a classroom in the school.

The school installed the CCTV system recently and within days of installation a complaint was received by the Data Protection Commissioner (DPC). Within the complaint it is alleged that the school in question installed the CCTV cameras in classrooms without consulting parents of children in the school.

In a letter sent by the DPC to the Chairperson of the Board of Management of the school, which has been seen by The Clare People , the officer stated the DPC “will not tolerate the use of CCTV cameras in the classroom”. The letter stated that an investigation of the complaint is underway.

The school have been given two weeks to respond to the letter, which lists four areas of concern, one of which is why the cameras were installed. The letter does not identify the complainant who brought the matter to the attention of the DPC.