Category: News

THE Lahinch-based West Coast Surf Club (WCSC) say that they still have “serious reservation” about the impact that the constr uction of a new pier at Doolin will have on the local surfing waves around Crab Island.

The group, who along with the Irish Surfing Association (ISA) and a number of individual surfers, compelled Clare County Council to lodge a full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) with an Bord Pleanála, say they are still available to consult with the design team for the pier on ways that the impact on the waves could be minimised.

In a joint statement, the WCSC and the ISA also said that they had serious questions over safe access for surfers to the water once the new pier is completed.

“The WCSC and the ISA welcome the conclusion of the review by An Bord Pleanala which will now allow the pier development to proceed. However, serious reservations remain regarding the decision and it is unfor tunate that the board in finalising their decision have not taken on board the serious concerns and recommendations set out in sections 7.1, 9.7 and 11.0 of the An Bord Pleanala Inspector’s Report,” read the statement.

“The pier development will impact on the surf environment in the area with the wave at Ballaghaline Point destroyed and a potentially significant impact on the world famous Crab Island wave.

“The WCSC and ISA again reconfirm their availability and that of their exper t advisors to meet with Clare County Council to ensure that the impact of any design and constr uction works car ried out for the new pier facilities on the waves at Doolin can be minimised. The WCSC and the ISA further note that significant concerns remain regarding the surfer’s access as proposed.”

CLARE Youth Service’s Shannon film project hit the big screen last week with their double entry in the Fresh Film Festival at the Lime Tree theatre in Limerick. Their short film entitled ‘Dairy Milk’, a remake of the peculiar Cadbury’s Dairy Milk advert where two school children show off their amazing eyebrow gymnastics, impressed “Fresh” judges and was put through to the finals which will be held on March 20 in the Odeon Theatre Limerick. Resident filmmaker to the project Emma Sams remarked, “All the young people involved with the project are delighted with the result. Fresh Film Festival is one of the larger film festivals for young film makers in the region so it’s a great feeling to see your film go through to the final stages.” The remake was originally made as an advert to go with the main film, which was also entered into the festival called ‘Drug Love Dealers’. The film followed a young couple through the possible pressures of teenage life and the choices they make in dealing with them. Project participant Nicole McKee said, “While we are a little disappointed that our main film did not get through, we are delighted that the ad did. It took a long time to make and it was very tricky to get some of the camera angles right so we learned quite a bit about film making just from doing it. The group are delighted to be returning to Limerick for the second round in March and also hope to start on their next project soon. Anyone 14 to 17 years of age interested in getting involved with the film project in Shannon can contact the youth worker in Shannon, Thomas O’Hara, on 085 8019666 or email tohara@clareyouthservice.org.

A CIRCUIT Court judge has expressed concern over the shortage of treatment facilities for people seeking help with drug addiction.

Judge Gerard Keyes was speaking at Ennis Circuit Court on Friday where he presided over three sepa- rate cases where the absence of residential treatment facilities emerged as an issue in sentencing.

In all cases, the accused had suffered or are suffering from serious drug addictions. The men are all aged between 20 and 24.

Sentencing was adjourned in all cases pending reports on the availability of places at residential drug treatment centres.

Judge Keyes said greater availability of drug treatment and rehabilitation facilities would save money for the State in the long term. In the case of one West Clare man described as having a chronic heroin addiction, Judge Keyes said that if the accused went back on the streets without access to appropriate services, “the chances of re-offending because of drug use would be high.”

A letter of support from homeless campaigner Fr Peter McVerry was given to the court in the case of another man who developed an addiction to heroin at the age of 15.

He said, “Fr McVerry is doing what the State should be doing and that is what concerns me.”

Judge Keyes said that the absence of suitable facilities for people seeking to break their addiction to drugs is making difficult for judges to structure sentences appropriately.

He said in one case there was no place to go after prison for one 24year-old man who had benefitted from addiction counselling services in prison.

MORE than 2,000 anglers and environmentalists took to the street on Sunday to protest against a proposed organic fish farm to be situated off the Fanore coast. The farm, which will be the largest fish farm in Ireland if the Department of Agriculture decided to grant it a license, is being proposed by government agency Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM).

A number of groups, including government agency Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) are against the proposed farm – claiming that it will result in pollution and an infestation of sea lice.

A lone piper led anglers and environmentalists from Clare, Galway, Mayo, Dublin and Donegal through the streets of Galway yesterday in the largest gathering against a fish farm ever to take place in Ireland.

BIM claim that the fish farm would be a major employment boost in the North Clare area and could create as many as 500 local jobs. These claims have been contested by organisations such as IFI, who say that the likely number of jobs created will be closer to 40.

In a meeting last Friday, BIM chair man Kieran Calnan, reiterated the organisation’s claims about the fish farm. “The benefits that would come from such a development, including 500 jobs and an increase in seafood exports by € 100 million per annum are very significant,” he said.

“As a responsible State agency in existence for more than 50 years, we have planned this project while adhering to the strictest environmental standards and we are certain that there will be no negative impacts on the marine environment, or the inter- ests of other stake holders.

“We believe that the environmental investigations, which we have carried out supported by scientific input from the Marine Institute, clearly show that a large scale organic certified salmon farm could be developed in Galway Bay.”

BIM also claim that they have a list of international companies which have already expressed an interest in operating the fish farm if it is given the green light.

“We are hugely encouraged by the level of support for this project that we are receiving from the seafood and associated industries on the west and north west coasts,” continued Mr Calnan. “These rural regions have few economic alternatives and it is essential that a project like this sustainable deep sea project proceeds if we are to stem the flow of emigration from our coastal communities.”

THE Garda hierarchy in Clare are in favour of proposals that would see two of the county’s largest Garda stations be closed at night.

Clare’s most senior Garda, Chief Superintendent John Kerin, said that he is 100 per cent behind closing Garda stations in Ennistymon and Killaloe between the hours of 9pm and 7am.

Speaking at last night’s meeting of the Joint Policing Committee (JPC), Chief Supt Kerin said he would rather have a garda out on the beat at night than sitting at a desk.

“I am strongly in favour of Ennistymon and Killaloe being closed to the public between 9pm and 7am. We have a modern communication system in place and at present all 999 calls come into Ennis Garda Station,” he said.

“I don’t want a garda in Ennisty- mon doing paper work at night when he could on a motorbike or in a squad car protecting the area. These closures will put an extra garda on the streets protecting their community at night. I am hoping this will come into place later this year but it won’t come in until April 22 at the earliest.”

Chief Supt Kerin also confirmed that it may take some time for a new inspector to be appointed to Ennistymon.

“I have asked that an inspector be placed in Ennistymon but that cannot be done until people are promoted on the inspectors list,” he said. “I am not very happy that the amalgamation will take place without there being an inspector in Ennistymon. I don’t believe that a superintendent in Kilrush can cover everything in North Clare.”

Following recent comments in the media which likened Ennistymon to a “holiday camp” for gardaí, Chief Supt Kerin said that such comments were not helpful and untrue.

“The people in Ennistymon have dealt with three of four serious murders over the last number of years. They are dealing with people taking their lives at the Cliffs of Moher all the time. There are a series of burglaries and breaking all the time,” he said. “I’m not saying that Ennistymon is any better or worse than other areas but it is certainly not a holiday camp as was suggested by one person in the media recently.”

CLARE people commuting by train to and from Galway will be able to purchase tickets online before the end of April.

The lack of an online booking option has been identified as one of the main reasons why the numbers using the service have not met expectations since the Ennis to Athenry section of the Western Rail Corridor was reopened in 2009.

There was more good news for the service as new figures reveal that passenger numbers on the route jumped by almost 5 per cent in 2011. The total number using the rail service between Galway and Limerick rose from 224,166 to 235,555 in 2012.

Figures provided by Irish Rail for the Ennis to Athenry section of the track showed that just 34,235 used the midsection service in 2012.

This figure is a slight reduction on 2011 with the growth in passenger numbers being largely driven by passengers travelling from Ennis to Limerick and from Athenry to Galway.

A spokesperson for Irish Rail acknowledged that the majority of the growth in 2012 was generated in commuter journeys between Ennis and Limerick and Athenry and Galway, but insisted that the midsection of the track will be strengthened by the advent of online booking.

“We have been working ourselves and with stakeholders to grow demand on the route, and undertook a number of initiatives in the final third of last year which have yielded improvements, including free car parking at Gort and Ardrahan and targeted promotion of student commuter tickets and adult taxsaver tickets. We will ensure that there is continued targeted promotion of the service as part of our commercial plan,” said an Irish Rail spokesperson.

“We have committed to extending the online system to this route as soon as possible. Currently, our online system supports bookings only where the train has an electronic reservation system on board.

“We are currently working to modify this to support all trains on all routes, and we expect this to be completed in the next two months,” they added.”

AMONG the many targets set out by the HSE West in its blueprint and budget for health services in the region is the target of providing 3.1 million hours of home help to 13,460 people in the HSE West area. Closer examination of the figures, which depend on assumptions and optimistic predictions, shows that this is just an average of 4.4 hours per person per week. A total of 846,780 hours of home help service are to be provided to 3,601 people, resulting in a breakdown of 4.5 hours per week. For many dependents on this service, it will mean fewer hours; for others a little more. The HSE West Service Plan 2013 has a number of targets set out in its plan for the year ahead, including cutting waiting times in the region’s hospitals to six hours, at which point 95 per cent should be discharged or admitted. It also states that no adult will wait more than eight months for an elective procedure, in-patient or day case, and no child will wait more than 20 weeks. It has set the waiting time for Out Patient Department appointments as no longer than one year, while it aims to cut the maximum wait for an “urgent colonoscopy” to four weeks. “No person will wait more than 13 weeks following a referral for routine colonoscopy,” it stated. It also outlines plans to provide 2,238 home care packages; support over 5,000 people with NHSS (Fair Deal) residential care places and provide for a minimum of 589,889 hours of personal assistant and home support services. And while the service must cut its staffing numbers by 4 per cent it has promised to prioritise the recruitment of frontline Primary Care and Mental Health posts and Integrated Care Diabetes Nurse Specialists across the region. The implementation of the Newborn Hearing Screening Programme and preparation of three sites for the National Cancer Control Programme Colorectal Screening initiative is also on the wish list.

AS MANY as 1,000 jobs could be created in the North Clare/South Galway areas in the coming years, following news that Government funding has been secured to extend the M18 from Gort to Galway City.

A total of € 20 million has been secured for the project, with the National Roads Authority (NRA) now set to re-enter negotiations with the preferred private sector bidders.

There will be no tolls on the new motorway, with the Government instead paying the operators a set amount each year.

The entire project is expected to cost in the region of € 400 million over a period of approximately 30 years.

Besides creating construction jobs in the area, this news has also been welcomed by the Shannon Airport Authority (SAA) who believe that a finished M18 could have major repercussions for the airport.

The Director of Shannon Airport, Mary Considine, said that the confir- mation that Government funding is now committed to the project means that negotiations with a view to commencing the works can get underway with the private investors who successfully tendered for the project initially.

“The confirmation that the Government seed funding is now available is hugely welcome and our hope is, of course, that the private investor commitment will follow and pave the way for this project to commence without delay,” she said.

“Shannon is the only airport on the entire western seaboard with transatlantic services and connectivity into one of the five major European hubs. This is a unique strength on top of the services we have elsewhere into UK and Europe.

“The extension of the motorway would make the airport and these services far more accessible to passengers into the wider west of Ireland region, offering passengers much greater choice to this catchment and amounting to a significant opportunity for Shannon to grow its passenger numbers in the process.”

AN ENNIS hotel sold for € 90,000 over it’s reserve at an auction in Dublin on Friday to a Clare businessperson; while a west Clare hotel failed to attract a buyer. The Ashford Court Hotel was sold for € 305,000, with a lot of bidders attracted by the basement bargain reserve of € 215,000.

The distressed property on the Old Mill Road in Ennis was put up for auction by receiver Kieran Wallace of KPMG at the Allsop Space auction. Associate Director of Allsop Space, Robert Hoban, told The Clare People that there was a lot of interest in the 27-bed hotel, set on 0.072 hectares, with “several bidders” taking part in the auction.

All contents were included in the sale of the hotel building, which included a restaurant, bar area and an- cillary accommodation.

A second Clare hotel, The Kilkee Bay Hotel, failed to reach its reserve. The hotel on the Kilrush road has a reserve of € 315,000, and was put up for sale by private citizen.

Mr Hoban said he did not know if there would be a second attempt to sell the property, and he was awaiting instructions from his client.

“Some clients take it off the market, and some times it is re-offered at a lower reserve price,” he said.

The familiar landmark hotel on the Kilrush road into the seaside town has 41-bedrooms together with bar and function room facilities that extend to 18,910.45 square feet.

The two-storey hotel neighbours The Kilkee Bay Leisure Centre, a basketball court, and several rows of apartments/holiday homes.

There is extensive car parking to the front of the property.

A VISUALLY-IMPAIRED Ennisman is terrified that he will effectively be a prisoner in his own home in four months time, as he faces the loss of his Mobility Allowance.

Thomas Connole believes that the loss of this monthly grant that allows him limited independence and dignity is very likely, as the Government has failed to guarantee an alternative fund.

The 45-year-old depends on the funding system to provide for taxi trips so that he can attend social outings and be free to leave and return from his own home at will.

There is not sufficient public transport to meet with Mr Connole’s needs, and as he is blind, driving is not an option. This grant provides for his only form of transport, and now he fears it will be taken from him, and more people in the county who are highly dependent on it.

“If this goes it means I cannot get out,” he said.

Mr Connole is supported by a personal assistance for a few hours every day, but as he pointed out they are not always available.

He then uses his mobility allowance to attend his horse ridding classes or to socialise.

“I am a huge music fan and there are a lot of dances at a local hotel and I like to go there,” he said.

“This allowance will go, and I am worried I am going to be housebound. I will effectively be trapped in my own home. I also fear I will have to stop horse ridding if it is taken away.”

The music enthusiast is most fearful of the isolation of being restricted to his own home, an isolation that could impact on the mental well being of many people reliant on the payment for their independence.

“That is what the Government don’t think of. They think of the overall picture and not of how it impacts on those involved. There are talks that they are going to give the money to organisations and that won’t work for the individual. No one person has the same needs, or have the same appointments,” he said anxiously.

The Mobility Allowance was a means-tested monthly payment payable by the Health Service Executive (HSE) to people aged between 16 and 66 years who have a disability and are unable to walk or use pub- lic transport and who would benefit from a change in surroundings.

The Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly repeatedly warned the Government that by putting an age limit on the scheme it was in contravention of equality legislation.

Last week the Department of Health axed this payment and the Motorised Transport Grant stating the two schemes would be a burden on the exchequer if they were to operate in accordance with Equal Status Acts. The Government has failed to guarantee that an alternate fund- ing stream will be in place for people with disability next July, when payments of existing mobility support ceases.

The Department of Health has set up a review of the schemes, with the review group instructed that any solution to the mobility needs of those affected must be devised within a funding limit of € 10.6m.

The Minister for Health James Reilly maintains that extending the schemes along with Ms O’Reilly’s recommendations would cost approximately € 170m per annum.

Dermot Hayes, Disable People of Clare, criticised the Government as they had been aware of the Ombudsman’s concerns about this payment for a long time, but failed to act or put an alternative in place before axing the current payments.

“This is a huge cop out. They can sort the banks with an overnight sitting of the Dáil. I cannot understand why they cannot change this quickly,” he said.