Category: News

THREE well-known Ennis landmarks will be illuminated in green light during St Patrick’s Week, Ennis Town Council has confirmed.

St Flannan’s College, the Daniel O’Connell monument and Ennis Courthouse will be joining the Pyramids of Giza, the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Sydney Opera House, and dozens of other landmarks and iconic sites around the world as part of Tourism Ireland’s annual ‘global greening’ initiative.

According to Ger Dollard, Ennis Town Manager, “Clare Local Authorities are delighted to able to support Tourism Ireland’s annual ‘global greening’ initiative, particularly during the year of the Gathering and as a tourism promotional tool to attract visitors to Ireland and particularly through Shannon International Airport.”

Meanwhile, St Patrick’s Day 2013 in Ennis promises to be a major cel- ebration this year with large crowds expected on the streets of the county capital.

The centrepiece of the day’s festivities will be the annual parade, the theme of which is ‘Ennis – A Musical Town’. The parade commences at 11am and will proceed through Club Bridge, Abbey Street, O’Connell Square, O’Connell Street, Barrack Street and terminating in the Market.

The Mayor of Ennis will lead the parade in a horse-drawn carriage, which will be followed by 50 groups representing the many aspects of life in Ennis and County Clare. This year’s parade will also feature the 50-strong St Mary’s Catholic School Marching Band from Phoenix who are travelling to the Clare County capital as part of the 25th anniversary celebration of Ennis’ twinning relationship with the Arizona state capital.

The Mayor of Langenfeld, Frank Schneider, will lead a delegation from Germany to Ennis following on from the establishment of links between Ennis and the German town, which lies between Düsseldorf and Cologne.

Special traffic management arrangements will be in place involving road/street closures, restricted access to the parade route and traffic diversions. Gardaí will be on point duty on the day. The co-operation of the public is requested and vehicle owners are asked to observe the road/street closures which will be in place from 8am to 2.30pm.

A TATTOO artist has received a six month suspended sentence for his role in an incident that saw a car set ablaze outside an unoccupied house in Ennis three years ago.

Siegfried Avenstrup (23) acted as lookout when the grey Suzuki car was damaged by fire at 6 St Anne’s Terrace, Clon Road, Ennis on December 9, 2009.

Mr Avenstrup, with former addresses at Lios an Cnoic, Barnaderg, Tuam, Galway and Laurel Lodge, Ennis, pleaded guilty last month to a charge of criminal damage.

A jury last month unanimously found Mr Avenstrup not guilty of a charge of damaging the house by arson.

He was one of three people who were on the premises when the incident occurred.

Garda Emmet Roche of Ennis Garda Station told the court that Mr Avenstrup and two others had come to the house with the intention of stealing the car.

When they discovered the car was incapable of being stolen, the court heard, a decision was made to set the car on fire.

There was no engine in the car, which was valued at € 500.

The court heard that Mr Avenstrup was part of the decision to set the car on fire.

The court heard that the car had been parked at the house to give the impression the premises was occupied as homeless people had been entering the house.

Garda Roche said the accused was subsequently arrested and made full admissions.

The court heard Mr Avesntrup is originally from South Africa and had lived in Sixmilebridge. He is currently leasing a tattoo parlour.

Counsel for Mr Avesntrup, Pat Whyms BL, said his client had not wanted any part in stealing the car.

He said his client acted as lookout while other people set fire to the car.

Mr Whyms said his client “strongly apologises” to the owner of the car that was damaged.

He added, “He greatly regrets his involvement in this activity on that night.”

Judge Gerard Keyes said Mr Avenstrup had shown a “complete lack of respect” to the owner’s property.

Judge Keyes said that while the accused was not involved in the burning of the car, he participated in an important aspect of the offence, that of lookout.

He said the law regards a person who acts as lookout to be as important as the person who burns the property.

He imposed a six-month sentence, suspending it for one year.

Mr Avenstrup was also ordered by the judge to pay compensation of € 200 to the car owner within six months.

A NORTH Clare cheese producer claims that they have been placed “under the microscope” by the authorities because they continue to use non-pasteurised milk in their cheese.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) issued a warning last Friday that E.coli had been found in a block of Kilshanny Cheese. Traces of E.coli O157 were found to be present in a block of Gouda Herb Cheese produced by the company.

A spokesperson from the North Clare company told The Clare People yesterday that Kilshanny Cheese has been targeted because they refuse to use pasteurised cheese.

“We are under the microscope all the time.

“They want us to use pasteurised milk and they are making it as difficult as possible for us to continue to operate. I am still eating the cheese, I know many of our customers are still eating the cheese and they are fine.

“Cheese was made without being pasteurised for hundreds and hundreds of years. I have been operating here for 30 years and I have never once had an issue,” said a spokesperson for Kilshanny Cheese.

“The milk is all sourced from my neighbour who runs a fantastic operation.

“I can literally push the tank over to collect the milk so there are no food miles or anything like that.

“I was producing cheese here for 10 years before I saw anybody [inspectors]. Now they are here every month.”

According to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, the bacteria was found in a batch of cheese which was produced in September of last year and which has been sold by retailers in Clare and in Limerick Milk Market. Kilshanny Farmhouse Cheese has been ordered by the Department of Agriculture to withhold placing any further batches on the market and the FSAI has warned consumers not to eat the implicated cheese due to the possible presence of E.coli

Tests continue to be carried out on the entire stock of Kilshanny Cheese and a company spokesperson hopes that the cheese will be back on the market again soon.

A DUBLIN man who demanded money from a pregnant woman during a shop robbery in Ennis last January has been sentenced to 16 months in prison.

Joshua Brophy (23) had consumed cocaine and alcohol prior to stealing € 325 from Liddy’s Costcutter, Mill Road, Ennis, on January 12 (2012).

Mr Brophy, with an address at Flat 1397, South Circular Road, Rialto, Dublin, was sentenced at a sitting of Ennis Circuit Criminal Court on Friday.

The court heard the heavily pregnant woman believed the man used a knife like instrument when he de- manded the money from her.

No weapon was recovered and CCTV footage indicated that the man did not know the woman was pregnant, the court heard.

Judge Gerard Keyes said the incident had a traumatic effect on the woman who he said was extremely anxious for the welfare of her unborn child.

“This was a serious offence and one that had a very traumatic effect on the victim,” he added.

Judge Keyes said Mr Brophy had been under the influence of drugs and alcohol having partied all night in Ennis.

He said cocaine had given the accused the “courage” to commit the offence.

Mr Brophy has 86 previous convictions, the court heard.

Judge Keyes said he had been told that Mr Brophy had incurred a drug debt of € 36,000 at the time of the robbery.

He said the accused had offered his apologies to the victim.

The court heard Mr Brophy comes from a difficult family background. He had been homeless for a period as a teenager and become addicted to heroin aged 15.

Mr Brophy is currently clean of all substances and has requested a place in the Cuan Mhuire residential treatment centre.

Judge Keyes said he had been told the accused is very anxious to remain drug free and is eager to rehabilitate himself.

A letter of support from homeless campaigner, Fr Peter McVerry was handed into court.

Judge Keyes said he wanted treatment to be an aspect of the sentence imposed on Mr Brophy but that there are a lack of residential treatment places available.

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

Mr Brophy was sentenced to three years in prison, with the final 14 months suspended.

The sentence was backdated to February 5. A direction was also issued for Mr Brophy to come under the care of the Probation Services on release. T W O MEN charged with smashing up a van in an Ennis estate last year have had their cases adjourned until April. Dylan Dinan (20), with an address at 6Water Park Court, Ennis and MartinWard (25), with an address at 17 Main Street, Gort are charged with the criminal damage of the windscreen and bodywork of a van at Maiville, Ennis on October 11 (2012). Inspector TomKennedy told Ennis District Court onWednesday that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had directed summary disposal of the case. He said it would be alleged that the accused went to Maiville at around 8.30pmand damaged the van belonging to a woman with a baseball bat. He said the cost of the damage has been estimated at €4767. Judge Patrick Durcan accepted jurisdiction. Solicitor for Mr Dinan,Tara Godfrey, said she would be seeking disclosure fromthe State. Mr Ward was not present in court for proceedings. His solicitor, Daragh Hassett, told the court that his client had been advised by gardaí not to come to court because of the presence of certain individuals. Both men were remanded on bail to appear again at Ennis District Court on April 3. A MA N has appeared in court charged in connection with a public order incident on the Kilrush Road in Ennis last month. Anthony McDonagh (26) is charged with engaging in threatening, abusive or insulting behaviour with intent to provoke a breach of the peace at Maiville, Kilrush Road Ennis on February 28 (2013). Mr McDonagh, with an address at 37 Maiville, Kilrush Road, Ennis is also facing a charge of being intoxicated in a public place. Inspector TomKennedy said the matter is to be referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). Solicitor Tara Godfrey requested that the case be adjourned to April 10. Legal aid was approved for Ms Godfrey. A MA N allegedly found in possession of cannabis and ecstasy at an Ennis address has appeared in court. Sean Slattery (23), with an address at 39 Park Avenue, Clon Road, appeared at Ennis District Court onWednesday. He is charged with the unlawful possession of ecstasy and cannabis herb at 39 Park Avenue, Clon Road on February 17 (2013). He is further charged with having cannabis for sale or supply at the same location and same date. Inspector TomKennedy said the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had yet to issue directions in the case. He requested a two-week adjournment. Defence Solicitor Daragh Hassett consented to the adjournment on behalf of his client.The case was adjourned until March 13. T W O MEN

TOMMY Hayes has been at the forefront of traditional lrish music for more than three decades, and now the popular percussionist is leading the way in music therapy.

The founding member of Stockton’s Wing is not only working in the field of music therapy but he is also a special guest lecturer at the MA Music Therapy Programme in the Irish World Academy University of Limerick.

This is the first programme of its kind in Ireland and the only degree in the country leading to a professional qualification in music therapy.

Now the Clare composer and musician is working almost full time as a music therapist in carious settings including medical and educational.

He works as a freelance music therapist with a number of clients on a private basis and has extensive experience of working in the areas of autism, mental health, physical disability and adolescence and has a particular interest in guided imagery and music practice.

Tommy also supervises trainee therapists in the Limerick and Clare areas.

He qualified as a

music therapist in

2002 having com

pleted the MA Mu

sic Therapy pro

gramme.

Qualified music

therapists use the

unique character

istics of music in

musical interaction

to support people

who have additional

needs because of

medical, psychologi

cal, physical or emo

tional issues.

The course requires

a high level of music

skill on entry.

Experience in paid or volunteer work with people who have a disability or experience some sort of social disadvantage/exclusion is required.

A KILRUSH man in “dire need of help” to fight a heroin addiction has had his case adjourned until April.

Grave concern was expressed for the health of Anthony Sweeney (20) at Ennis Circuit Criminal Court on Friday.

Mr Sweeney was in court having pleaded guilty to a charge of burglary at Dysart, Kilrush on June 26 (2012).

The court heard that the accused and another man were seen searching a car outside a house in a rural are of West Clare.

The court heard a set of keys had been taken from the house.

The offenders fled on bikes to a wooded area after being disturbed and the gardaí were called.

Mr Sweeney, with an address at 13 Wood Road, Kilrush, was subsequently arrested and made admissions to gardaí.

Detective Garda Donal Corkery of Kilrush Garda Station gave evidence in the case.

The court heard Det Corkery has taken an active interest in the welfare of Mr Sweeney by regularly liaising with the Sweeney family.

He said the accused suffers from a chronic addiction to heroin. Det Corkery told the court he had “grave concerns” for the health and wellbeing of Mr Sweeney due to his drug addiction.

He said he would consent to an adjournment of the case on the basis that Mr Sweeney was remanded in custody.

Det Corkery said, “I believe he is in dire need of help in terms of his drug addiction and he won’t get it himself.”

The court heard Mr Sweeney’s family have been left “very, very drained” by the impact of drug abuse.

Counsel for Mr Sweeney, Mark Nicholas BL, told the court that heroin abuse is an “awful course to be afflicted with.”

Judge Gerard Keyes remarked that this was the third case that day he had dealt with where a lack of residential treatment places for drug users had emerged as an issue in sentencing.

Mr Nicholas said, “They (addicts) are a voiceless people who cannot march on the Dáil Éireann (to be heard).”

Judge Keyes said greater availability of drug treatment and rehabilitation facilities would save money for the State in the long term.

Judge Keyes said that if Mr Sweeney went back on the streets without access to appropriate services, “the chances of re-offending because of drug use would be high.”

Judge Keyes said that irrespective of there being no violence involved, he regarded Mr Sweeney’s offence as a serious one.

“People are entitled to reside safe in bed at night,” he added.

Sentencing was adjourned until April 16, pending involvement from the Probation Services. Mr Sweeney was remanded in custody.

IF A large lump of whale vomit found on the beach at Lahinch is authenticated by whale experts, the seaside town could end up attracting a whole new type of tourist.

Because if there is whale vomit on “them thar beaches”, it could be worth more than gold dust to those who find it, as Alan Davey from Ennis is hoping.

The 38-year-old found what he believes is the rare whale ambergris on the beach while getting a surfing lesson from his friend, Brian Miller from Cratloe.

The Ennis man became aware of the value of the waste product of the sperm whale’s digestive system when one found in the UK recently made headlines after it was sold for £100,000 sterling. It is estimated that the 20cm-diameter ambergris found by Alan could make between € 10,000 and € 50,000.

Ambergris is used mostly in highend perfumes, and its rarity adds to its value. Since discovering the “floating gold”, so-called because it can float for years in the sea before being discovered, Alan and Brian have been making national headlines and taking to the national airwaves.

In order to protect their potential loot, they have now left it with a mutual friend for safekeeping until an expert can confirm whether or not it is the coveted whale bile.

The potentially precious substance is securely wrapped in a cotton bag as directed by Alan’s online research.

The Jersey native has said that while he is trying not to get too excited about the possible value of his find, the money will come in handy.

He has also promised to split any profits with his friend and surf teacher Brian.

THE mystery artists who spraypainted a large mural on the side of the Cliffs of Moher have been identified as members of a Paris-based art collective known as the Dirty EST.

A short film, depicting two people journeying through Ireland on a graffiti rampage, was released last Wednesday evening on file-sharing website Vimeo.

The video depicts one male and one female graffiti artist, named as Dirty Edoir and Mama respectively, as they journeyed from Dublin to Galway and onto Clare, completing graffiti along the way.

The video depicts a mural being completed by Dirty Edoir at an unidentified derelict site in Dublin, as well as on a railway bridge in Galway.

The largest section of the video, however, shows the couple travelling from Galway to the Cliffs of Moher where Dirty Edoir can be seen completing the controversial mural.

The video closes with a shot of the pair looking out over the Atlantic Ocean from the Lahinch Promenade.

After going live late on Wednesday evening, the video received a slew of negative comments through social media about the graffiti on the Cliffs of Moher.

The video was removed from the Vimeo website early on Thursday morning.

A number of attempts to contact members of the Dirty EST collective have failed. Indeed, the Paris-based group have taken both their Facebook and Vimeo accounts off-line over the weekend.

It now appears that the pair may have also entered the derelict Corrib Great Southern Hotel in Galway City during their rampage across Ireland.

The Cliffs of Moher also appeared on a French blog operated by Dirty Edoir and Mama, before it was removed over the weekend.

The blog, which is located at mexplo.blogspot.ie, also includes a series of pictures taken from inside the hotel. The images, which were posted by ‘Mama’ depict the interior of the hotel, including the emptied swimming pool and several images of rooms in a state of disrepair.

The hotel, which is located beside the Galway Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT), is owned by Barrett’s Property Holdings, but has been empty for some time. GMIT had reportedly been interested in turning the former hotel into a cookery school but no firm plans have been announced to date.

Meanwhile, Limerick cleaners from Premier Industrial Cleaning and Maintenance successfully removed the graffiti from the Cliffs of Moher, in what has been dubbed as “comando cleaning”.

The group worked in harnasses above the 600-feet-high cliff for more then eight hours until the offending mural was removed.

“It is a shame that such vandalism has taken place on one of Ireland’s most famous tourist attractions. Severe penalties should be handed out through the courts for such actions. Onlookers who watched us from a distance were shocked that someone had taken such a risk to vandalise such a spot of beauty,” said Billy Marshall of the company.

“In my 21 years in business, this was the most daunting task we have had to carry out.”

THE establishment of a new neighbourhood watch scheme for the Hermitage area of Ennis will be discussed at a meeting in the town next Monday.

The meeting, which will be attended by crime prevention officer Sgt Joe Downey, will take place at the Junction, Cloughleigh Road, at 7pm.

All residents in the Hermitage area are invited to attend.

Local councillor Tony Mulqueen (FG) said the meeting is aimed at tapping into the strong sense of community spirit that exists in Hermitage. He said residents are taking a proactive approach to any issues around crime that might arise in the area.

He said, “There have been a couple of break ins in the area. Hermitage is not unique in that respect; there have been break ins at houses in other parts of the town as well. The one thing that does exist in the area is a strong community of friends and neighbours. Some of the families in Hermitage have been living in the area for 40 or 50 years so it makes it easier to set up a Neighbourhood Watch Scheme than say in an area where you have a lot of rented houses.”

He added, “It also gives the Guards a means of liaising with the community on issues that arise. There hasn’t been any serious escalation of crime. Instead of reacting its about taking steps before it gets out of control.” Cllr Mulqueen said all resident are welcome to attend.

Cllr Michael Guilfoyle (Ind) welcomed the scheme, saying it had been a success in the Turnpike.

FOURTEEN people will be employed after car firm Renault announced details of a new dealership in Ennis.

The Gort Road based Hogan Motors in Ennis will run the new Renault dealership.

The well-known car dealer has been in the business for over 37 years. Dealer principal Paul Hogan and his wife Mary will run the dealership which will employ 14 people. Renault Ireland’s latest dealership will retail Renault passenger and commercial vehicles and facilitate Renault after sales and servicing, and will service Clare and neighbouring counties.

Hogan Motors Renault is open for business and Renault Open Week until March 9. Duncan Minto, Managing Director, Renault Ireland said, “We are delighted to announce that Hogan Motors is on board as our new dealer in County Clare and look forward to working closely with Paul and Mary Hogan. The Hogan family have worked in the motor industry for over three decades so are well served to offer great customer service and assistance.”

Paul Hogan said, “We are delighted to be given the opportunity to represent Renault in County Clare. The Renault range delivers ‘desirability with affordability’ and this, we feel, is exactly what the motoring public are looking for right now. We look forward to welcoming all our customers new and old to our premises on the Gort Road, Ennis, for the Renault open week from March 4 to 9.”