Category: News

THE construction of the remaining section of the M18 north of Gort has hit a fresh snag and the National Roads Authority (NRA) are unable to sign contracts for the motorway, despite a preferred contractor being chosen.

It had been hoped that work on the € 530 million project might start early in 2013, but this now seem unlikely unless funding can be found in the coming weeks.

The Government announced in July that works on the motorway were back on track and the Gort to Tuam section was one of the only roads projects signalled to go ahead as part of the national stimulus package.

At the time, the Government announced that the Direct Route consortium had been awarded the contract to build the Public Private Partnership (PPP), but a contract still has not been signed as no Government funding has been put in place.

It had been thought that the Government would source funding from the European Investment Bank for states share of the PPP funding, but this has not happened to date.

It is understood that more than € 150 million has already been spent on the project – with the vast majority of this money spent on the acquisition of lands through compulsory purchase orders.

This is the second time that the Government has been unable to sign contracts with a consortium to complete the M18. In November of 2009, the BAM Balfour Beatty consortium declined to sign the contract for the M18 because they were themselves unable to secure funding for the construction work.

It is understood that the economic situation of Ireland at that time made many European banks unwilling to invest in the project.

The motorway will provide a major boost for the thousands of Clare people who commute to Galway for work and college every day. When built it is also expected to provide a major boost for Shannon Airport, with sections of Galway and Mayo provided with easy access to the airport.

CLARE County Council is not so much wishing for a white as much as a green Christmas this year.

The local authority is urging members of the public to “think green” and spare a thought for the environment in the run-up to Christmas this year.

The council will launch its annual Green Christmas campaign at a special event in Áras Contae an Chláir on Thursday, November 22, during which food and crafts producers will illustrate the importance of purchasing goods locally and the knock-on positive effects for the environment. Talks on upcycling will also demonstrate to members of the public who attend the many benefits by providing new ideas for customised, sustainable Christmas gifts.”

The council’s Environment Section will also host an information stand promoting the importance of upcycling, recycling and waste prevention during the festive period.

The event coincides with European Week for Waste Reduction (EWWR), a European-wide project aimed at promoting sustainable waste reduction actions in Member States.

Mayor of Clare Cllr Pat Daly (FF) said the upcoming event will help to raise awareness about the benefits of supporting local producers for both the economy and the environment.

He said, “By shopping for locallyproduced food or fair trade labels, the people of Clare will be helping the environment by reducing the air miles required in sourcing such products.

“There are also many ways in which the public can help protect the environment in the lead up to, during and after Christmas. Each December and January the council sees a huge increase in activity at its recycling facilities and bring banks, which is testament to the public’s heightened awareness of the importance of protecting the environment around them. “This year, I would appeal to everyone to take heed of the ‘green’ tips being provided by the council to help reduce the amount of waste we produce.”

Pre-Christmas tips from the local authority include buying presents that do not require excessive packaging, wrapping presents with recycled paper, sending festive e-cards to cut down on packaging, supporting local and fair trade producers, recycling shopping bags and composting food waste. Householders are also being urged to recycle all packaging, and take empty bottles and tins to one of Clare’s many bring banks.

According to Joan Tarmey, Clare’s Environmental Awareness Officer, “One of the main objectives of the campaign is to inspire people to add a twist to their Christmas gifts this year by upcycling. Upcycling is the latest trend, and it’s all about being creative and reusing everyday items to make creative and truly original items. We all love customised gifts, so if you’re looking for original gift ideas, drop into the 30 minute upcycling talks starting at 1pm in Aras Contae an Chláir in Ennis. There will be some sample ideas there to inspire you.”

SIX water and sewage projects have ended up costing Clare County Council almost € 8 million more than the tender price – according to figures release at last night’s meeting of Clare County Council.

Councillors last night agreed to allow a loan to be taken out by the local authority to cover the costs of price increases to projects which were carried out by contractors. These price increases brought about as a result of “extras” – or unforeseen elements which were discovered during the process of the six developments.

According to County Manager Tom Coughlan, these discrepancies in the final cost of projects were brought about under an old contract system, which allowed developers to charge more than the tender prices for reasons such as an increased cost of labour and materials.

The total price discrepancy for the six projects amounted to € 7.7 million which represented € 2,325,000 for the Feakle/Scariff/Quilty Sewage Schemes, € 1.5 million for the Newmarket on Fergus Scheme, € 1.3 million for a scheme at Gillogue, € 1 million for the Ennis Water Treatment Scheme, € 848,000 for the Lisdoonvarna/Ballyvaughan Waste Water Scheme and € 627,000 for the Clareville Scheme.

“The balances are for work which have already been done. The problem is that the tender which was accepted was substantially lower than the final price of the projects,” said County Manager Tom Coughlan.

“This happens especially where there are conditions which were not anticipated at the planning stage such as ground conditions.”

A number of councillors raised concerns over why these projects cost more than the original tender.

“People will be asking questions why these contracts were not scrutinised better to make sure that there were no holes in them for this sort of thing. We need to look at contracts in the future to make sure that this does not happen again. There must be a way to ensure that contracts cannot be hiked up after the fact like this,” said Cllr Michael Kelly (FF).

County Manager Tom Coughlan reiterated that the overspend was for six historic projects which were entered into under an old system of contracts which is no longer used.

AMERICAN football is being credited as the unlikely saviour of the tourism season in Clare this year, with the recent Notre Dame versus Navy Homecoming Game providing a much-needed visitors boost for the county.

This year’s London Olympics had a negative effect on the number of foreign tourists numbers visiting Clare, contrary to what many tourism organisations had predicted before the games.

According to year-to-date visitor numbers recorded at the Cliffs of Moher Visitors Centre, the Olympics and Euro 2012 dampened down the number of individual tourists, both from Ireland and abroad, coming to the Cliffs.

According to Katherine Webster, Director of the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience, package or bus tours have saved the Cliffs from a large slump in individual tourists brought about by the large numbers visiting London for the Olympics and the number of Irish people who travelled to Poland for the Euro 2012.

The visitors centre, which is by far Clare’s most visited tourist site, is used by many in the industry as a barometer for the overall health of the tourism sector in county.

Year-to-date visitor numbers for the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience are slightly ahead of 2011 figures.

Group tours have been performing well this year, especially in the autumn period, but individual visitors have not been quite as strong, according to Ms Webster.

“The Notre Dame versus Navy American football match at the start of September really helped pull up the numbers after a pretty poor summer. We saw a decline in numbers around the time of the Euro 2012 campaign and the Olympics.”

An estimated 35,000 American football fans travelled to Ireland for the Homecoming Game which took place in early September, a massive increase on the 10,000 who travelled to Ireland the last time a seasoned American football game was staged here.

The estimated boost to the country from the match was estimated at around € 70 million. The event was also seen as a major point to advertise The Gathering to Americans who may decide to visit Ireland in 2013.

THE number of call outs to the fire service on Halloween night was down slightly on last year, however the figure was up by 57 per cent when week-long celebrations were included.

This weekend the celebrations took a sinister turn when illegal fireworks were set off close to a fire officer who was controlling a chimney fire with colleagues at the time. Gardaí are investigating the incident that took place in the Ennis area.

The county’s fire service was called to six bonfires in total on Wednesday night, one less than last year.

Denis O’Connell, Senior Fire Officer, explained however that the fire services were called to four bonfires the previous weekend as the partying began early in Shannon, Ennis and Kilrush.

The Halloween night call outs were restricted to Ennis and the Ennistymon area.

On Thursday night there was one more call out as the celebrations began to wind down.

Mr O’Connell explained that in his experience when Halloween night falls mid-week the festivities are often drawn out over the week.

While these call outs are costly and a nuisance to a service that must contend with cut backs and austerity, the fires the service attended this year were smaller than previous years.

“The big, big fires seem to have died off because if material is seen by the Environment Section (of the County Council) it is removed because it is considered waste,” said Mr O’Connell.

He added however that Halloween bonfires waste the fire services resources, not just financially but it also uses up manpower that could be required else where at an emergency.

Early estimates put the cost to the fire service at € 20,000, although the full cost will not be known for a number of weeks. However Mr O’Connell said the message and warnings about bonfires seems to be getting through in Clare.

“We are not finding fires under wires or tress anymore. The locations seem to be better,” he said.

A crackdown on removing waste gathered for bonfires has also paid off.

Robert Burns, Executive Engineer with the Environment Section of Clare County Council, the body charged with the clean up following illegal bonfires, said the council was busy in the run up to Halloween night making people aware and gathering waste.

He said the council had a number of complaints prior to Halloween night from the West Clare and Shannon area. The council removed bonfire material from the Kilrush, Kilkee and Ennistymon area. Among the biggest hauls was one in Kilrush and a more worrying potential fire on the beach in Kilkee that consisted of tires. This would have proved a huge environmental hazard according to Mr Burns.

The council must now set about cleaning up the site of bonfires that have not been dealt with by the community. Each clean up will cost between € 500 and € 1,000, and the total cost to the council will not be known for weeks.

Mr Burns was also content that the bonfire issue was not as big as other years.

“To be fair I think most people did heed the message. It is not as big an issue as in the cities,” he said.

A MAN alleged to have sexually assaulted a woman in his car during a Valentine’s Day journey last year has had the charge against him dismissed.

The man, with an address in Clare, had been accused of assaulting the woman who was a passenger in his car on a country road of the main N18 between Ennis and Limerick on February 14 (2011).

The man denied the charge, saying that what he happened between them was consensual.

At the end of a near five hour hearing, Judge Aeneas McCarthy said that he had to be satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that the woman did not consent to the overall activity.

He said, “I have a doubt and I have to give that doubt to the accused, accordingly I dismiss.” Details of the case were heard during an in-camera sitting of Ennis District Court on Tuesday.

The court heard that the woman travelled to Limerick and back in the defendant’s car.

She said that on the journey back, the driver told her she was a “stunning looking woman.” She said that he kissed her and put his hand up her top.

She said, “I was in dread of my life. I was never in a situation like this before in my life.”

The woman, who is in her forties, said that just before they arrived back in Shannon, the driver pulled off the main road.

She alleged that the man started “mauling” her when the car stopped. “He was doing his best to get into my pants,” she added.

The woman said she resisted his efforts and told him she would meet him the following week as a way of stopping the ordeal.

The woman, who cried during her evidence, said, “I thought he was going to kill me down there.”

Asked about the effect the incident has had on her life, the woman said, “This has turned my whole life upside down.

“I’m not the same person I was. My marriage is nearly over.” The court heard that moments after being dropped back to her car, the woman phoned her boss and her husband to tell them what happened.

Defence solicitor Patrick Moylan put it to the woman that her evidence in court was “completely at odds” to the statement she had made to gardaí at the time.

He said what had between both parties was consensual.

The parties did not know each other before meeting on the day, the court heard.

The man, who is in his fifties, told the court that the conversation between the pair had “got very flirty” on the journey back to Clare. He said they had shown each other “saucy” text messages and ringtones. The man said they held hands.

He admitted kissing the woman and putting his hand on her breast. “I assumed everything was consensual at that stage,” he added. He said, “She wasn’t terrified. She was laughing and joking all the way.”

Garda Donna Egan of Shannon Garda Station said the woman was “extremely distressed” when she spoke to gardaí.

The man was subsequently interviewed by gardaí. He said he asked the woman’s permission before kissing her.

He told gardaí that he hadn’t stopped on the N18 because someone he knew could have seen him.

Under cross examination from Mr Moylan, Garda Egan said there were some variances in the woman’s evidence in court and her original statement to gardaí. Inspector Tom Kennedy said the State conceded that there were “inconsistencies” in the woman’s evidence.

Mr Moylan said, “This is a case of consent.”

Judge McCarthy said it was “very evident” that there was some sort of sexual activity between these two individuals.

He said it was for him to decide if what had happened had been consensual. He dismissed the charge.

A MAN who used a hammer to bang on the door of an Ennis pub in protest over noise has been fined € 200.

Patrick Cunningham (49) used to hammer to strike a door near Kelly’s Bar on Carmody Street, Ennis on November 14 (2011).

Mr Cunningham, with an address at 3 Carmody Street, Ennis, denied charges of criminal damage and provoking a breach of the peace at Ennis District Court on Friday.

The court heard that two witnesses observed Mr Cunningham striking the door with the hammer.

John Kelly, who was working in the bar at the time, was outside the premises, when he saw Mr Cunningham leave his house on 3 Carmody Street.

He told the court that the accused came out onto the street with a hammer and struck an adjoining door of the bar. Mr Kelly said that Mr Cunningham then turned around and walked back into his house.

Veronica Cassidy, Mr Kelly’s girlfriend, was also on Carmody Street when she saw Mr Cunningham strike the door with the hammer.

Garda Colin Egan, of Ennis Garda Station, said that at the time of the incident, CCTV cameras in the area were pointed in a different direction.

Garda Egan told the court that a slight mark had been left on the door but there was no “substantial damage.”

Mr Cunningham admitted that he had struck the door lightly with the side of a hammer.

Asked by defence solicitor Tara Godfrey why had he acted in such a fashion, Mr Cunningham said, “It was noisy and it was driving me mad at the time.”

Inspector Tom Kennedy put to the accused that he had walked onto the street at 9.30pm with a hammer in his hand.

Mr Cunningham said, ‘I was made at the flipping noise.”

Mr Kelly told the court that he had not received any complaint from the accused regarding noise from the pub.

Judge Aeneas McCarthy struck out the public order charge against Mr Cunningham following an application from Ms Godfrey. He convicted the accused of criminal damage and imposed a € 200 fine.

Ms Godfrey told the court that her client, originally from Dublin, had battled problems with alcohol.

She said Mr Cunningham apologised for any inconvenience and distress caused.

A MAN has received a suspended sentence for a “road rage” type incident in Ennis earlier this year.

Wayne Donnellan (31) struck Denis McElligott (53) during an altercation at Carmody Street, Ennis, on January 3. Mr McElligott said that Mr Donnellan had cut him off at high speed when driving through the Maid of Erin Roundabout.

The court heard that Mr McElligott got out to talk to Mr Donnellan after both cars were stopped at traffic lights near the old ESB offices on Carmody Street.

Mr Donnellan, with an address at Fiach Rua, Connolly, denied the charge of assault causing harm at Ennis District Court on Wednesday.

Mr McElligott told the court that he got out of his car to tell Mr Donnellan to slow down. He said, “All I remember is getting a belt of fist. He was dragging me to the other side of the road.” A witness, whose car was stopped behind, told the court that he saw Mr Donnellan strike Mr McElligott and drag him across the road.

Both parties made statements to gardaí on the same day. Mr Donnellan told the court that his pregnant girlfriend and two other children were in the car with him.

He denied cutting Mr McElligott off, saying that his car had not en- tered the roundabout when Mr Donnellan drove through. Mr Donnellan said that when he stopped on Carmody Street he could see Mr McElligott gesturing at him.

He said, “He was yelling, screaming. He wasn’t in a good state of mind to talk about anything.” He told the court he got out to talk to Mr McElligott to “protect his family”. Mr Donnellan denied punching the victim but admitted slapping him in the ear. He said that he dragged Mr McElligott to the other side of the road for his own safety. “I was just worried about getting my family home,” he added. Insp Tom Kennedy put it to Mr Donnellan that he had “behaved in a road rage type manner”.

Mr Casey said there was a conflict between the evidence of State’s witnesses. Judge Aeneas McCarthy said he was satisfied, based on medical evidence handed into the court, that Mr Donnellan had assaulted Mr McElligott. The court heard Mr Donnellan has a previous conviction for assault. Mr Casey said his client had not initiated the contact.

“He is stronger, younger and he hit the man,” he added. Mr Casey described it as an “extremely unfortunate incident.” Judge McCarthy imposed a 10-month sentence. He suspended it for a period of two years on condition Mr Donnellan be of good beahviour.

THE Killaloe Diocese is facing a “crisis” of holy orders, with the Association of Catholic Priests (ACP) predicting that the entire diocese will be serviced by a handful of “ShannonDoc priests” in as little as a decades time.

The organisation, which now represents more than 1,000 parish priests in Ireland, says that massive changes are required by all the Irish Bishops and the Vatican if this doomsday scenario is to be avoided.

According to Fr Tony Flannery of the ACP, the priesthood is set to become a transient profession in Ire- land, with a much reduced number of priest delivering sacrament across many parishes – without having the time to be based in any individual community.

A spokesperson from the Killaloe Diocese told The Clare People yesterday, that there have been active moves to engage with lay community in the diocese over the last 12 months – there are some issues which can only be changed at Vatican level.

“Priests in the Killaloe Diocese are already doing the work that three priests would have been doing ten years ago, and this is going to get much worse, very quickly. This is a crisis, no questions about it. In 10 or 20 years time there will be only a handful of priests and they will be just saying mass in an area and moving on – they will be like ShannonDoc priests,” said Fr Tony Flannery.

“The ACP now have more than 1,000 priests in our organisation and it is growing all the time. This is in spite the feeling that priests are being actively discouraged by the powers that be to join. So it shows you that there is a real desire among the priests for change.”

According to Fr Brendan Quinlavin, spokesperson for the Killaloe Diocese, Bishop Kieran O’Reilly has been engaged in a “listening” process over the last 12 months designed to allow lay people to have more say in the diocese.

“The ACP is concerned that there is not a proper dialogue between lay people and the church hierarchy but that has been happening in this diocese for more than a year. The Bishop [O’Reilly] has been fully involved in this process so I would reject any suggestion that we are not interested in taking the opinions of the people of the parish on board.

“There are issues of Church doctrine that cannot be dealt with at a diocesan level and would need the input of the Vatican, the Curia and indeed the Pope to change. But that is not to say that we in the Killaloe Diocese can not do everything we can to empower people to become active members of the Church.” Wh ile t h e re wo n’t b e t o o m u c h ra in t h is we e k (3/ 4 m m s), it w ill b e c h illy, g e t t in g w in t e r c o ld by t h e we e ke n d , wra p u p !

ENNIS Town Council needs to work towards a long-term policy of increased pedestrianisation in Ennis, a meeting has heard.

The message came as the council announced details of its Christmas pedestrianisation programme.

O’Connell Street and the lower part of O’Connell Square will be closed to traffic from 12 noon to 6pm on December 15, 22, 23 and 24.

Abbey Street and the upper part of O’Connell Square will remain open to traffic during the festival period.

In a report, Town Clerk Leonard Cleary said the council must consider “the signal that these intermittent pedestrianisation pilot periods are sending to customers and visitors to Ennis”.

Mr Cleary stated that while there are “historical objections to full pedestrianisation of Abbey Street, The Square and O’Connell Street are acknowledged, the feedback from customers is that pedestrianisation is a preferable experience in some new areas of the town.”

He added, “Ennis Town Council needs to be working towards a longterm solution regarding some increased level of pedestrianisation or indeed a compromise that presents a continuous trial in at least one of the three additional proposed areas.”

Mr Cleary stated that pedestriani- sation remains an objective of the Ennis and Environs Development Plan.

Mr Cleary stated that imminent opening of the Inner Relief Road would offer improved access to a town centre pedestrianised area.

Town Manager Ger Dollard said the road is expected to open in November.

Mr Dollard said the council’s place names committee would bring for ward suggestions for the name of the road next month.

Cllr Frankie Neylon (Ind) said ‘Bothar na Rince’ had been suggested as one possible name.

Free parking will be in place during December up to 12 noon daily as part of the Christmas Pedestrianisation Initiative.

Mayor of Ennis Peter Considine (FF) said it was important that staff of shops are encouraged to free up parking spaces for shoppers.

Cllr Johnny Flynn (FG) said every space taken up a staff member represents a loss to business of € 250 per space.

Mr Cleary said the council had received a submission on pedestrianisation from Ennis Chamber of Commerce. He said Gardaí had no objection to pedestrianisation.

Cllr Tommy Brennan (Ind) urged the council to write to businesses in Abbey Street and Parnell Street as historically they had not been represented by the Chamber.