Category: News

ELDERLY people in West Clare are living in fear of robberies, so much so that one pensioner has taken to sleeping by day so that he is awake by night.

Older people who live alone have become even more fearful following the robbery of a pensioner in his own home in Kilmhil two week ago.

During the malicious attack, the man was tied up by his assailants.

The incident occurred just 20 months after a spate of attacks and robberies of older people in rural West Clare area.

Clare county councillor Ian Lynch (Ind) says more Gardaí visible in these areas would allay a lot of fears and give a life back to people who are now prisoners in their own homes.

The Kilrush-based councillor has hit out at government decisions to close rural Garda stations and poli cies that have resulted in a significant reduction in the number of gardaí.

Cllr Lynch described the decision to close rural stations as “premature, wreckless and showed blatant disregard for rural Ireland”.

“Long before the decision was made we had been warning the then Minister, Alan Shatter, that any reduction in force numbers and closure of local rural stations would have detrimental consequences for the most vulnerable in our rural societies.

“Despite our pleads he went ahead and cut resources and stations, going completely against proven international research which proves that drop in policing numbers sees an increase in crime,” said the new councillor.

“It’s quite evident that this research was correct and now our elderly pensioners are living in fear. The situation has become so worrying that one pensioner has taken to sleeping by day to stay awake by night in fear and to protect his property.

“Our gardaí on the ground are doing a tremendous job and their detection rate is increasing two fold, but this recent crime has shown us that criminals are adopting and are well aware that Garda resources have been stretched. They are now committing malicious crimes in broad daylight because they know the chances of a patrol been in the are slim,” he said.

“Minister Shatter promised in March to replenish rural Garda stations with new mobile Garda offices, a step that would give piece of mind to the most vulnerable. In October he slashed those hopes and cancelled the tender.”

IT HAS been billed in the national media as the Irish celebrity wedding of the year, but the people of Kilrush were not allowed into their own church during the cermony.

One hundred plus people gathered in Kilrush to see Xposé presenter and former model Glinda Gilson marry Rob McNaughton on Saturday afternoon.

The group of onlookers were just as interested in the guests as they were the blushing bride.

While there was excitement as the celebrity guests gathered, some local people were annoyed that they were not permitted to enter their own parish church by private security guards during the wedding.

Two men wearing black suits and earpieces were on hand to stop photographers and locals stepping inside the gates.

However those gathered made the most of the celeb spotting.

A firm favourite among a group of women that gathered outside St Senan’s Church in Kilrush was X-Factor judge Louis Walsh.

The Mayo man posed happily with his west Clare fans ahead of the nuptials of the 33-year-old television presenter to her partner of three years, Dublin businessman Mr McNaughton.

Wearing an ivory € 10,000 Vera Wang dress with a sweetheartshaped bodice and layers of silk, Ms Gilson was 36 minutes late for the ceremony.

The local crowd were happy enough to wait however spotting celebrities such as Boyzone member and actor Keith Duffy and his wife Lisa, actor Liam Cunningham, models Alison Canavan and Gail Kaneswaran, model and actress Vivienne Connolly, TV presenter Louise Loughman, and celebrity chef Dylan McGrath arriving at the church.

The Xposé presenter finally arrived and posed for photographs inside a car before stepping out to cheers and whistles

The happy couple and guests later travelled to Donald Trump’s Doonbeg resort for their reception.

Ms Gilson is not the first celebrity to be married in Clare in recent times.

Last December, Sterephonics lead singer Kelly Jones wed MTV Journalist Jakki Healy in the same church and also held their reception at Doonbeg.

Meanwhile, in August 2009, Andrea Corr married Brett Desmond in Miltown Malbay. They also had their reception in Doonbeg.

A LOCAL man who advocates for one of the country’s largest suicide prevention services has paid tribute to the generosity of Clare people.

Tom McEvoy said support given by people in the Banner County is a key reason why Pieta House has been able to expand its services in the West and throughout Ireland.

“Clare people are unbelievable at supporting Pieta,” he said.

Mr McEvoy continued, “We had a great darts night there recently in the Grove Bar in Roslevan, run by Kieran Reidy. I’d like to publicly thank him very much for doing that for his huge efforts. It was huge success. There was nearly € 2,300 raised. For Pieta, that will go straight into therapeutic hours in Limerick. They are helping fellow Clare people down the line.”

Mr McEvoy said the support shown by Clare people to helping Pieta House provide support and coun seling to services to vulnerable people.

“The vision for Pieta is that we are looking to have a Pieta House within 100km of every person in the country. We opened four new centres last year: Roscrea, Cork, Galway, Tuam and Castleisland,” he said.

“That opened a huge part of the country to Pieta. What we are after now is to cover the North West, Donegal. We’re actually calling to people up there. I’m doing a lot of work up there. We’re also talking actively in Waterford where those areas are devoid of any help that we can offer. We’re planning to have those centres up and running. They are fantastic goals and achievable because of the community following we have.”

Mr McEvoy was speaking as new figures show a 44 per cent rise in the number of Clare people that sought help from the Pieta House centre in Limerick during the first six months of 2014, compared to the same period last year. He said greater awareness of suicide and the issues around is enabling more and more people to come forward to seek help for their problems.

“That can be down to people’s confidence and confidentiality. There can be a sense of pride as well; sometimes they wish to remain anonymous in the area where they come. We’re obviously trying to lift the stigma of suicide. Hopefully in time to come people will attend from the localities along with the surrounding areas,” he said.

Pieta House provides a professional, one-to-one therapeutic service for those who are experiencing suicidal ideation or engaging in self-harm.

A GROUP of Clare festival-goers had a lucky escape at the weekend when their tent was almost set ablaze.

The incident occurred at the Electric Picnic music festival in Stradbally in Laois in the early hours of Saturday morning.

The four friends, who are all from Ennis, were staying right beside the tent that burst into flames at around 5am in the Pink Moon campsite.

They were rushed from the tent by other festival goers as the flames threatened to set it alight.

A couple asleep in the tent were hospitalised after suffering serious burn injuries as a result of the blaze.

None of the four Clare people – Ross Finn, Grainne Fitzpatrick, Laura Conlon and Alan Costin were injured. It is understood the fire was started by a candle, which was knocked over inside the tent. Some aerosol cans in the tent exploded causing some panic in the immediate vicinity. Gardaí were not treating the fire as suspicious.

THE amount of Government money allocated to Clare County Council for social housing has nosedived in recent years – at the same time as the need for that social housing has soared in the county, with Ennis worst hit. According to figures obtained by The Clare People , the Department of the Environment allocated just € 6.7 million to social housing projects in Clare in the four years from 2010 to 2013.

This represents a drop of more than 85 per cent on the € 46.9 million allocated by the department in the four previous years – between 2006 and 2009. While the county was in the middle of an economic boom in 2007, the Government allocated € 11.5m to build social housing in Clare. However, in 2012 when the construction and property markets in Clare were at the lowest ebb Clare County Council received just € 839,925 to provide social housing for the needy.

The number of people on the social housing waiting list in Clare has grown from 2,312 in October of 2012 to 3,066 in July 2014.

This housing crisis has meant dramatically rising rents are forcing low income families to the brink – with rent allowance no longer enough to cover rent.

According to the Clare Citizens Information Centre, the organisation has dealt with at least two Clare people in recent months who have been made homeless because their rent allowance does not cover rising rents. As of September 1, there were only 48 properties for rent in Ennis – with 400 the number needed in an area the size of Ennis.

A THIEF got more than he bargained for when he was caught breaking into a home in Ennis last week.

A brave homeowner was just returning to his house in Drumcliff when he discovered the person on the premises.

He managed to prevent the thief from getting away with some of his property by challenging him as he left the house.

The gardaí were called, promptly arrived on the scene and a person was arrested shortly afterwards and the property returned to the owner.

The break-in occurred at around 6.30pm on Friday, August 29, in the Drumcliff area of the town.

The suspect had initially gained access to the house by forcing in a rear window at the back of the house.

It was the second time in two days that a break-in was foiled by the occupant of a house.

Gardaí in Shannon are investigating a separate burglary that occurred at around 10.40am on Thursday, August 28.

This time a property in the Dernish Lawn area of the town was targeted by a young male who broke in through the front window.

However the culprit was forced to flee at speed from the property after he was disturbed by the occupant as he sought to steal various items from the home.

Gardaí have released a description of the culprit and are appealing for anyone with information to contact them. He is described as 5’4” possibly a teenager with dark clothing and blonde hair.

A dark coloured car was seen near the scene picking up three young males. Nothing was reported stolen from the Shannon house on this occasion.

A NEW Clare feature film, which is set for a nationwide release later this month, was saved by Northern Ireland Screen after both the Irish Film Board (IFB) and the Irish Arts Council refused to to give it any funding.

The film, which is entitled ‘A Nightingale Falling’, is based on a novel of the same name by Kilnaboy broadcaster and writer, PJ Curtis.

The production company behind the film, Mixed Bag Media, made five separate funding applications in the Republic of Ireland and were rejected on each occasion.

These application included a request to the Irish Film Board for just € 2,000, which was turned down earlier this year.

Had this request been granted it would have given the film official IFB accreditation – allowing it to be screened at the Cannes Film Festival as well as allowing it to access the IFB’s own distribution supports.

Instead, the film, which is set in North Clare during the Irish War of Independence, was saved by unexpected funding from north of the border, and the IMC group of cinemas, who agreed to screen the film nationwide.

“We applied to the Arts Council two years in a row and applied to the Irish Film Board on a number of occasions.

“We never at any stage set up to be an independent film.

“We actively engaged and asked for help all the time,” said Garret Daly of Mixed Bag Media.

“We applied to the Irish Film Board on three separate occasions, the last time being the cost of the print that we showed at the Galway Film Fleadh.

“It became apparent to us as we were making the film that the IFB have their own distribution support fund, and if you don’t have IFB money in your project, you’re not entitled to apply for it.

“That was staring us in the face as we were completing the film – if we didn’t have IFB money in the film then realistically, no-one would be able to see it, because we would not be able to get it distributed.”

With funding for the production running out, Northern Ireland Screen stepped in to fund the recording of the films score by the Ulster Orchestra while, following rave reviews at the Galway Film Fleadh, the IMC independent group of cinemas came on board to ensure screening the film nationwide.

“The Irish Film Board have to make decisions on films every day. It’s hard to know how to react [to being rejected for funding]. It’s a subjective medium.

“All we can do is try and make it as successful as possible,” said Garret.

A spokesperson from the IFB yes- terday claimed that the organisation had received two, and not three, applications in relation to ‘A Nightingale Falling’.

“Whilst we can’t comment on the funding decisions of other funding bodies, I can confirm that all applications received by the IFB go through a rigorous assessment process and final funding decisions are made by the IFB board,” said a spokesperson.

“There is very strong competition for IFB development funding awards. In 2013 the IFB received 329 applications of which only 168 awards were made. Completion funding is even more competitive with much less funding awards available, with only three completion funding awards made in 2013. It is important to note that final funding decisions are and must be made on the strength of the application, the script and the specific film project involved and not on the amount of funding requested, no matter how small.

“We would like to wish the team behind ‘A Nightingale Falling’ every success with the exploitation of this film. Our production and development department is already in discussion with the team behind ‘A Nightingale Falling’ on a separate project.”

‘A Nightingale Falling’ will be screened in the Ennis cinema and 13 other cinema’s nationwide for a week from September 12. ENNIS native Eoin Doohan will be leading 50 cyclists from Dundalk to Liscannor this week in aid of cancer charities, with Cahercalla Hospice just one of the worthy causes set to benefit from the fundraising event. Eoin and his group are hoping to raise € 75,000 this week. “We will be stopping in Ennis Golf Club on Friday morning around 11am and that is almost the last leg of the cycle. “Hopefully there will be a good local turnout to welcome us and maybe throw a few euros into the bucket,” reports Eoin, who has undertaken a strict training regime to prepare for the 350km trip. The idea for the cycle came after Eoin lost a close friend Stephen Carroll last November. “Unfortunately in November 2013 a close friend of mine, Stephen Carroll, lost his year-long struggle against cancer. Stephen was just 38 and left a wife and three young kids behind him,” he said. “Stephen, among many things, was a wonderful cyclist and in the weeks before he passed away I told him of my intention to raise money for a number of cancer charities by undertaking a fundraising cycle from Dundalk to Liscannor in 2014. “The charities to benefit are The Irish Cancer Society, The North Louth Hospice and The Clare Hos

pice at Cahercalla.

“The help and support provided by the various cancer charities proved invaluable throughout Stephen’s fight against cancer and while it is impossible to repay the palliative care team and night nurses for how they cared for Stephen and his family I hope to raise funds in his name to ensure the amazing work these charities do continues,” said Eoin, who added, “I can still remember the look on Stephen’s face when I told him what we were planning.

“He got a good laugh out of it. Stephen was a great guy. It will be very emotional when we start, during and on the finish of the cycle.”

The cycle begins this Wednesday from from Stephen’s house in Dundalk this Wednesday and the group intend to finish in Liscannor on Friday evening.

Anyone who wants to contribute to such a worthy cause can click onto www.mycharity.ie and click on Sponsor a Friend and type in Eoin Doohan, or make their way to Ennis Golf Club on Friday morning and greet the cyclists and maybe contribute there.

AROUND 150 Irish people will soon be offered the chance of receiving a unique “Burren transplant” of orchid rich Burren land, thanks to a groundbreaking new conservation scheme.

Acres of orchid rich Burren habitat will be destroyed in the months ahead to make way for the extension of the M-18 motorway. Two local conservation groups, the BurrenBeo Trust and Conservation Volunteers Galway, have come up with an ambitious plan to transplant large sections of this land to public and private gardens all over the country.

The Burren is one of the world’s leading habitats for orchids. Twenty four of the twenty eight species of Irish orchids are all grow within the Burren, making it, by far, Ireland’s richest habitat for the rare flowers.

The two group are inviting appli cations from members of the public who wish to receive a free transplant of this unique Burren land. The groups are also in negotiation with a number of local authorities with a view to transplanting larger sections of the habitat into public land.

“The road is being built and all the compulsory purchase has already been done, so there is nothing to be lost from trying to preserve as much of this unique habitat as we can,” said Brigid Barry of the BurrenBeo Trust.

“The Burren is such an amazing habitat for orchids. It contains 24 of the 28 Irish orchids and we know that the land marked for transplant con- tains at least 15 species, but I would suspect that there are more.

“There are basically no orchids in Irish grasslands. There may be swamps in parts of the country where you might find two or three species or orchids, but noting like we have in the Burren.”

In order to obtain a free four foot squared Burren transplant, landowners much have a suitable, free draining limestone area when the land can be transplanted to.

“Orchids just don’t exist outside the Burren, they just don’t, it is such an important habitat for orchids in Ireland,” said Peter Butler of Conservation Volunteers.

“They will not survive the construction of the motorway, that’s for sure, so this is about conserving as much as we can. But we’re not giving it away for people to put in a pot in their garden. They will need to have suitable, free-draining, limestone ground.”

Anyone interested in obtaining a free Burren orchid transplant should email volunteer@burrenbeo.com.

A GARDA investigation is continuing following a “sinister” attempt to set fire to Ennis Courthouse last week. A homemade petrol bomb was fired through a window of a downstairs courtroom at the rear of the building in the early hours of Thursday morning.

The break in activated an alarm and gardaí and a unit of Ennis Fire Brigade arrived at the scene at 3.45am.

Only minor property damage was caused to the courtroom, which is home to the Family Law Court.

The courts were on the August holiday break and no disruption was caused to administrative court business.

A bottle containing a cloth and traces of an accelerant were discov- ered in the room.

Gardaí have commenced an extensive investigation.

The scene was the subject of a forensic examination on Thursday and gardaí have carried out door-to-door enquiries in the immediate area.

Gardaí are also trawling through CCTV footage from the grounds of the Courthouse and from Newbridge Road, New Road, Lifford Road and parts of the town centre.

They are also appealing for anyone who may have been in the area on the night to contact them.

Detective Inspector John Galvin from Ennis Garda Station, who is leading the investigation, says there were an “unusually high number of people” in the town at the time attending a debs ball.

“There were a lot of people and cars in the area because of the debs. There were quite a number of cars tipping about.

“You would have had parents collecting their children.

“We can see it on the CCTV, people in tuxedos and dresses going along the road.

“If this was two weeks ago there would not have been a sinner on the street.

“We would ask that anyone who did see anything unusual to contact us at Ennis Garda Station,” he explained.

Det Insp Galvin said the incident is being treated as “arson”.

Gardaí have yet to establish any motive for the crime.

Among their avenues of investigation is whether there is any significance in the bottle being thrown through the window of the Family Law Court.

“We’re looking at that but we don’t know yet if that is of any significance,” Det Insp Galvin said,

He continued, “We’re keeping it in mind during our investigations but the reality is we don’t yet know. We don’t what the motive was.

“An incident like this has never happened at a courthouse in my lifetime. It’s a most unusual sort of offence and at the moment we do not have a motive. I find it quite sinister.

“This is the seat of justice in Clare and for the people in Ennis, it is an iconic and historic building.

“There was relatively minor property damage but it’s the sinister aspect to this that makes it quite serious,” Det Insp Galvin added.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Ennis Garda Station at 065 6848100.

The normal court schedule returns this week at Ennis.

PLANS to construct a massive € 5 million graveyard and crematorium in Ennis have risen from the ashes with developers, Fenloe Property Development, appealing a decision made by Clare County Council last July to An mBord Pleanála.

The developers have lodged an appeal with the national planning authority which, if successful, could see the creation of a 4,000 plot large graveyard, as well as a crematorium just outside of Ennis.

The site, which is located at Ballaghfadda between Ennis and Clarecastle, is currently zoned residential and a material contravention of the Clare County Development Plan was required in order for the planning to go ahead through the normal planning process.

However, a planning application for the facility was already at an advanced stage when the matter went before the July meeting of Clare County Council, and the CEO of Clare County Council, Tom Coughlan, stated before the debate that planing would almost certainly be granted if the councillors had voted for the re-zoning.

A number of issues were raised in relation to the proposed Clarecastle site including the potential for pollution reaching the local water system, the traffic management of the site and a previous planning application for 250 houses on the site.

A number of procedural issues were also raised in relation to the proposal, including the proposal being advertised in the national and not the local media – with some claiming that more locals would would have made submissions on the proposal if it had been advertised locally.

The matter was put to a vote with 11 councillors voting to grant the material contravention and 15 voting against it.

The planned crematorium would see the construction of a a gated entrance, car park, chapel, offices, store, crematorium unit and furnace, memorial gardens and a large cemetery. The case is due to be decided by December of this year.