Category: News

THE book launched last week, The Ennis Atlas has been hailed as an “impressive monument” to the history of the town.

The book was written by local man Brian O Dálaigh as part of the Royal Irish Academy’s series of historic town’s publications.

It was officially launched at a civic reception in Waterpark House, Ennis on Friday night.

According to Professor Howard Clark, joint Chairman of the Historic Town Atlas Project, the comprehensive level of information provided in the book will provide a “reliable baseline” for future historical studies of Ennis.

He said, “Brian O Dálaigh proved himself to be an energetic researcher. This is an impressive monument to the history of Ennis.”

Prof Clark said the Atlas could not have been completed without the support of Clare County Library Services, Ennis Town Council and staff at the Royal Irish Academy.

He also commented on the high level of interest in the history of Ennis, saying,

“The general interest and pride of the townspeople is evident in this room tonight.”

County Librarian Helen Walsh said the value of the Atlas to the history of Ennis is “substantial.”

Tom Brassil, secretary of the Royal Irish Academy, said the project could not have been brought to realisation without the support of local authorities and library services.

He added, “This kind of local support is crucial to these projects.”

Brian O Dálaigh, who edited the Corporation Book of Ennis, told the launch that he had been first ap- proached to compile the Atlas in 1990 but had been unable to do so due to work commitments.

He started researching the Atlas in 2007, adding that the project had reignited memories of his childhood growing up in Carmody Street.

Mr Ó Dálaigh, whose father worked as a cooper, recalled many of the tradesmen who worked in Ennis at the time including Jack Darcy (forge), Frank Malone (farrier) and Tom Clohessy (stone cutter).

He added, “My research has brought me back into an Ennis that has unfortunately disappeared.”

Mayor of Clare, Cllr Pat Daly (FF), who grew up in Parnell Street, said the Atlas was a “very impressive project” that would help to keep alive memories of “old Ennis.” Mayor of Ennis, Cllr Peter Considine (FF) said the Atlas shows the extent of interest that exists in the history of Ennis.

He added, “It is broad on reach and depth and will be of invaluable assistance to people who plan the town in future.”

Cllr Considine said the Atlas would provide a use reference point for Ennis Town Council, who had recently initiated the Ennis 2020 public consultation visioning process.

THE retention and preservation of old buildings in Ennis must play a role in the future development of the town, according to a leading local historian.

Ennis man Brian Ó Dálaigh, a former director of the Merriman summer school, says too many buildings of historical interest have been lost to demolition in the past.

He was speaking in Ennis on Friday night at the launch of his latest publication, the Ennis Atlas. Published by the Royal Irish Academy, the Atlas traces the urban development of Ennis from 1200 to 1900.

Mr Ó Dálaigh says the future of Ennis can be influenced by the how the town developed in the past.

He said, “From my point of view I think they should try and keep as much of the old character of the town as possible, particularly from a tourist point of view. Now that’s not always possible. But in Ennis I get the impression they have resorted to demolition too quickly in the past. There are other options for old buildings besides demolition. That’s would I would be inclined to say, to keep as much of the character within reason.”

He also welcomed recent renovations to the historic 13th century Ennis Friary.

He says, “I like it. It’s a pity they didn’t roof the chancel as well. I think it needs it because a whole lot of the carved stone has been weathered. It’s a good move in the long term but it means all the stone carvings will be displayed out of context because its been taken out of the chancel and into the nave. But it’s the better of two evils at this stage to keep it out of the weather.”

Mr Ó Dálaigh, a Dublin based school principle, grew up the Carmody Street area of Ennis where his father worked as a cooper. He said he was proud to have written a history of his native town.

The Atlas also explores how the famine devastated the population of the town.

Mr Ó Dálaigh explains, “Ennis grew up until the famine period, 1845-46. At that time it had a population of over 9000 people. It was the largest population recorded for the town under the 1832 boundary. After the famine, there was a collapse practically in the population of the town so between 1845 and 1901 the town lost almost half its population. It fell from just over 9000 to about 5000. The poverty in Ennis was endemic, a very impoverished town.

“Emigration took hold particularly to Australia. With the coming of the railways to Ennis in 1859, it practically emptied the back lanes of the town.”

RURAL communities in Clare are playing their part in preventing crime in their midst, but can’t be expected to do the work of the Garda Siochána who are being forced out of the countryside because of government cutbacks.

That’s the verdict that has been delivered by community leaders in Labasheeda this week as fears grow that garda services that were already cut back following the retirement of local garda, Michael Ryan, two years ago are to set to be scaled down even further.

“There is nothing more important in a rural community than a Garda Station,” community activist Mike Cassidy told The Clare People .

“We play our part in crime prevention and we take our role seriously, but we need the powers to play their part by having a presence on the ground. A garda is a vital part of the community.

“The idea of presence prevents things from happening – the fact that a person is there or the community knows that there’s someone there who can respond quickly,” he added.

Concerns about a further diminution of Garda services in the village have escalated this week on the back of the Crime and Victimisation Survey conducted by the Central Statistics Office.

In Labasheeda, only five offences came to light in 2011 – they were one threat/harassment, two burglary related offences, one drug offence and one case of damage to property.

“In a community like ours, the population has diminished over the years, but we have people here who live a good distance from the next house or the next farm. We’re on the edge of a peninsula and in place like this, I won’t say they’re in danger, but if someone was looking to do something it might be a prime place to do it if there was no garda presence,” said Mr Cassidy.

“We have a lot of older people in the community and I think the security of knowing that somebody is there – even if it’s only for a few hours or a few days – the presence is reasuring, and is prevention for anything that might happen.

“The analogy is with all the speed cameras. The beauty of that is people know that they’re there and it forces them to have the cameras on their mind and makes sure they obey the law.

“The physical presence prevents things from happening, but the prevention doesn’t get into the statistics, but is as real as the actual events themselves. It’s two parts of the process. Everything from Neighbourhood Watch to neighbours being more aware of anything unusual in the community, but we also need that garda presence,” he added.

THE war on crime is being won by the gardaí, or else the numbers of incidents of crime-related activity being reported to the force has decreased dramatically over the last 12 months.

These are the two contrasting scenarios that have emerged out of the publication of a Central Statistics Office report on crime figures in the county that give a detailed breakdown of offences/incidents reported and dealt with at 26 Garda stations around the county.

All because the CSO report carried out by the All-Island Research Observatory has shown that the county’s five primary towns, form the county capital of Ennis outwards to the main towns in West, North, South and East Clare have all shown a dramatic deccrease in the number of cases that were on the Garda books in 2011.

This drop is most pronounced in Ennis, the largest centre of Garda operations in Clare where the numbers of incidents under investigation by the force in 2011 plummetted by 14.4 per cent when compared with the previous year.

This slide has been mirrored in the West Clare capital of Kilrush, the second largest centre of population Shannon, the North Clare capital of Ennistymon and East Clare’s main town Killaloe.

In 2010 there were 2044 different crime related cases on the books of Ennis Garda station, but the drop of 294 to 1750 represents the biggest of any individual station in the county, a figure that has been brought about by a sharp decrease in a number of frontline crime activities such as drugs offences, assaults, weapons cases and burglaries.

There is anecdotal evidence to suggest that the Ennis’ problem drug has significantly increased over the last number of years, with Class A substances like heroin and cocaine freely available in the county capital, but the CSO figures have painted a different picture where drug activity in the town is concerned as it relates to cases that were under investigation by the local gardaí.

Drugs offences in Ennis decreased from 215 in 2010 to 139 in 2011, a trend that was mirrored in Shannon, Ennistymon, Kilrush and Killaloe.

Elsewhere in Ennis, assaults and harrassments dropped from 152 to 120, while burglary and related offences declined to 108 as against 147 for the previous year. Weapons offences in Ennis also saw a sharp decline in the number of incidents, from 46 to 20 over the space of 12 months.

Shannon also experienced a dramatic decline in the numbers of offences, with the statistics again showing up a big drop in the number of drugs related incidents over 12 months, dropping by over 50 per cent from 62 to 28 as overall figures for all crime in the airport town were down by 220 from 754 to 534. Theft related offences, public order issues and damage to property was also down considerably in Shannon.

The overall crime figures for Kilrush saw a drop from 448 to 357, in Killaloe from 317 to 270, while the number of incidents in Ennistymon dropped by just over 50 per cent from 146 to 72.

DEEP sea drilling at the Spanish Point oil and gas well will begin in September of next year, provided the Government gives a final green light for the project. Providence Resources have confirmed that work on creating an initial well, or “spud” work, is to start in the third quarter of next year, providing a rig is available to undertake the work and the Irish government gives its approval. The Spanish Point and Burren oil and gas wells are located in the Porcupine Basin, some 200 miles off the Clare coast. Tests have indicated a large deposit on oil and gas in the area with one early map estimating that the wells contain enough natural gas to meet Ireland’s entire gas need for more than 70 years. “We are delighted to confirm that the pre-drill activities for the Spanish Point appraisal well have commenced and that a spud date has been scheduled. Next year should prove to be pivotal in assessing the exploration and development potential of hydrocarbons in the Porcupine Basin, with drilling now planned at Spanish Point, as well as at the Dunquin exploration prospect to the south,” said Tony O’Reilly, Chief Executive of Providence Resources. “Similar to our recent success at Barryroe, we believe that the application of modern well completion technologies, driven by the state of the art 3D seismic data can unlock material value at Spanish Point. We look forward to finally returning to Spanish Point to turn the drill bit after a 30-year absence.” The deposits in the Porcupine Basic were discovered in 1981 but they were considered too removed at that time to be extracted. Providence Resources currently own a stake of the oil and gas in the basic alongside partners Sosina Exploration Ltd and Chrysaor E&P Ireland Ltd. The Department of Transport have confirmed that Chrysaor is due to commence vessel-based geotechnical and environmental survey work in the area this week.

THE engine sounds that echoed through Ennis at the weekend and were met with curiosity, speculation and, in some cases, annoyance, were the result of one of Ireland’s most popular motorsports among the under-25s.

The drifting competition took place on the grounds of the mart, with the sounds vibrating around the area.

Drifting, which originated in Japan and then grew in popularity in America and Europe, is a regulated motorsport that is judged on the driver’s control of the car rather than speed.

The sporting event in Ennis was organised by Driftfest, with 38 participants coming from all over the country, including Clare.

Owner of Driftfest, Robert Roshu, said the sport is not just popular among young people, but has also received the approval of the gardaí as it has encouraged young men to take their fast cars off the road and onto an organised track.

“A lot of these lads are building their own cars, some on a very small budget.

“They are taking their fast cars off the road and using them for drifting and getting small diesel vans to use every day,” he explained.

Mr Roshu said the sport is governed by strict health and safety rules, with cars checked before the event begins, and ambulances and the fire service are on stand by during the event.

The recession has impacted on this motor sport in the last year, however.

“I was disappointed that the crowd was way down yesterday (Sunday), but no one got hurt so that is the most important thing,” said Driftfast owner.

The economic downturn has also meant there are fewer drivers as many have emigrated, with more opting to double drive – buy one car between two and enter it in two separate competitions.

He also said he “was disappointed that some people found it loud”.

“It was my first time in Ennis and I hope the next time to have more to offer,” he said.

PLANNING permission has been approved for the construction of new parish offices in Ennis.

St Flannan’s (Killaloe) Diocesan Trust had applied to Ennis Town Council for planning permission to demolish part of the Maria Assumpta Hall and to construct new parish offices with meeting rooms and ancillary facilities including site works and to carry out alterations to the retained portion of the Maria Assumpta Hall, Station Road, Ennis. The proposed developments are within the curtilage of the protected structures of Ss. Peter and Paul’s Cathedral and the Presbytery.

In granting permission, the council stated that the proposed development “would not seriously injure the amenities of the area or of the property in the vicinity and will be in accordance with the proper planning and sustainable development of the area.”

Planning permission was granted subject to a number of conditions :

The roof must be finished in natural quarry slate or natural slate effect to be dark grey, or blue black in colour. The colour of the ridge tile must also match the colour of the roof;

No changes are permitted to agreed window sizes or the agreed external wall finishes;

No floodlighting of the development is permitted while any stone facing shall be of local natural stone.

The council adds, “Prior to the commencement of the development, the developer shall submit to the planning authority for agreement, full details of construction and demolition waste management plan.”

The developer must provide details on how all materials will be removed from the site; proposals to mimimise the environmental impacts of the demolition work such as dust, noise and flying debris.

Adequate temporary car parking must be provided on the site for employees engaged in construction work. The council states that facilities must be in place to avoid the parking of vehicles on road fronting the site and in the interest of safety.

All surface water generated within the site boundaries must be collected and disposed of within the curtilage of the site. It is also a condition that no works shall take place to the existing front boundary wall onto Station Road without the prior approval of the planning authority.

In his report, Conservation Officer, Risteard Ua Cróinín stated, “The proposed new build elements appear to respect the existing buildings in scale and proportion and are considered appropriate in materials and design in the context of adjacent protected structures. This office does not intend to object to the proposed development.”

Mr Ua Cróinín states that the existing Maria Assumpta Hall, which dates back to the 1950s-60s, is “of little architectural or historic merit.” PREPARATIONS are well underway for the 68th annual Scariff Show, which will be held on Saturday, September 1, in the Showgrounds Scariff. With numerous exciting and entertaining events promised, including a range of horse classes from show/ working hunter pony classes, Connemara, show-jumping, sportsman classes, as well as a sheep section and a dog section. The highlight this year is the Yearling Filly All-Ireland Championship, jointly sponsored by Horse Sport Ireland and Scariff Show. But the Scariff Show is not just an event for farmers and horse breeders. There are contests for the best in home-baking, arts and crafts, roots and vegetables, flowers and amateur photography and numerous children’s competitions including the ever popular bonny baby competition. Due to the cancellation of shows this year – Scariff Show are delighted to accommodate the Irish Shows Association by hosting the All Ireland Gain Dog Food Championship in Scariff also. This year’s show sees the reintroduction of cattle classes, with exhibits from some of the leading dairy and beef herds in the country on display.

Scariff Show attributes its longevity to the fact that it is rooted in the community and all the committee work is done on a voluntary basis.

Scariff Show schedule is available to download from www.scariffshow. com.

Scariff Show is fortunate to always have been able to count on the support of business in the community for the last 68 years said a show spokesperson this week.

Closing date for entries is this weekend. Please contact Show Secretary Joanne Allen 087 366771 or visit our website www.scariffshow.com.

COMMUNITY groups in Ennis, Sixmilebridge and Gort have put together a list of proposals which they feel could increase the traffic on the Western Rail Corridor. The West on Track organisation have compiled the suggestions of community representatives at every stop along the Western Rail Corridor and are currently in negotiations with Iarnród Éireann about implementing some of the new ideas.

West On Track spokesperson Colmán Ó Raghallaigh confirmed yesterday that a working document had been completed but would not reveal details of any of the suggestions at this time. The Clare People understands that a number of initiatives, includ- ing five-day student commuter tickets from Ennis to Galway and Limerick, are currently being examined.

Other possible ideas on the table include the creation of commuter zones between Ennis and Limerick and Gort and Galway where reduced commuter fairs could be introduced.

This news comes following figures released last week which show a continued poor performance of the route between Ennis and Athenry. The significance of these figures has been questioned by West on Track, who say that figures have been presented selectively to undermine the project.

“We refute the notion that the Western Rail Corridor consists of a piece of track between Ennis and Athenry. Some elements of the corridor have been hugely successful and there are parts which do have room for improvement,” said Colmán Ó Raghallaigh from West on Track.

“We set up a working group this spring involving people from all communities along the route and they have put together a report and, using that report, we are working with Iarnród Éireann to see where improvements can be made.

“We have representatives from Ennis, Gort, Sixmilebridge and Athenry involved in putting this report together. We have met Iarnród Éireann to discuss it and we will be meeting them again very soon.

“We believe that Iarnród Éireann is now intent in getting the very best out of the railway. It is a matter of great regret that this wasn’t there from day one but it is better late than never.

“An example of this was seen recently when Iarnród Éireann ran extra rail services on the line for the Galway Races and the Volvo Ocean Race and they also operated services late at night – this was very successful. This was one of the proposals which was put to Iarnród Éireann, they did it, and it was a great success.”

STUDENTS assessing their options after the first round of offers for places in third level colleges have been urged not to panic.

Thousands of Clare students yesterday discovered if they had secured a college place as the Central Applications Office (CAO) released details of the points required for courses in Universities and Institutes of Technology.

It is a record year for the CAO with 49,862 applicants receiving an offer yesterday.

And students who do not receive their first preference have been urged to consider all of their options.

John Burns, Vice Principal of Rice College, Ennis, said students should not feel too disappointed of they do get the points for their first choice courses.

He said, “They need to consider all of their options and review their second and third choices. If they do not get what they want for their first choice, the important thing is not to panic. What I would say is that students should seek the help of guidance counsellors and teachers. The main thing is not to panic. There are helplines like the National Parent’s Council and other supports out there.”

He continued, “If any student is upset all they have to do is call into the school and someone will be here that they can talk to.”

Mr Burns said students at Rice College were in the main happy with their results, with a number scoring over 600 points.

He continued, “We had 92 kids doing the Leaving Certificate this year. A number of students scored over the 600 points mark. The rest of the kids got what they wanted. Everyone was in good form. There was a good atmosphere around the school on the day. Career guidance teachers, the chaplain and the principal were on hand.

“The kids were very happy. Some scored very high. The paper seemed quite fair this year. The students definitely benefited from high attendance throughout the year. They put in the work and we’re very proud of them,” he added.

CHANGES in the school transport policy system allied to the increase in charges could have the most impact on families in South East Clare.

The Department of Education and Skills provides subsidised school transport for post-primary pupils who live more than 4.8 kilometres away from the appropriate school.

Responsibility for post-primary school transport was transferred from VECs to Bus Éireann in January.

According to Bus Éireann, from the commencement of the 2012/13 school year, the use of the Catchment Boundary Area (CB) System, as a means of determining eligibility, will cease for all pupils newly entering post-primary school.

From the 2012/13 school year, school transport eligibility for all pupils newly entering a post-primary school will be determined by the distance students reside from their nearest post-primary education centre, having regard to ethos and language.

According to one primary school teacher, the changes will start to effect families in the coming weeks.

Fianna Fáíl councillor Cathal Crowe, who teaches in Parteen National School, said he has already been approached by parents concerned over the potential cost implications of the new school transport policy.

He said, “I think in the next couple of weeks its going to be a big issue for parents when they start getting the paperwork. I’ve had one or two enquires so far but I think there’s going to be more.

“It’s probably going to affect students in the South East of the county more than other others. I know from talking to people in parts of East Clare, it doesn’t seem like it’s going to affect them too much. In South East Clare, you have a lot of students going to Limerick City and the spread of schools is massive. The enrollment system is also different in the sense that is more like the CAO, you have to give a list of preferences.”

He added, “Areas like Parteen, Meelick, Clonlara and even Sixmilebridge could be caught up by this. Some families could end up paying double what they normally pay.”

To be considered eligible for school transport, pupils must reside 4.8 kilometres or more from and be attend- ing their nearest post-primary education centre, as determined by the department and Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language.

Bus Éireann state that pupils who are not eligible for school transport, under the above criteria, may apply for concessionary transport subject to a number of terms and conditions. These concessionary pupils will not be exempt from paying the annual charge nor will they count for the establishment or retention of a service, the company says.

Speaking last month, George O’Callaghan, CEO of Clare VEC, told a meeting that a significant number of school goers could be affected by the changes to school transport policy.

Remote area grants are payable by the department as a contribution towards private transport arrangements for eligible pupils for whom no transport service is available. These grants may also be paid for eligible pupils who live 3.2 kilometres or more from the nearest pick-up point for school transport.

The single annual charge has also been raised to € 350 per pupil. The maximum amount for a family is € 650 per year.