Category: News

LOCAL services across the county are set to be slashed because of Clare’s response to the government demand for householders to pay the € 100 household charge.

Figures secured by The Cla re People this week have shown that less than 15,000 of those liable to pay the controversial property tax have done so.

This means that there are over 20,000 property owners in the county who have failed to register with Clare County Council or the Local Government Management Agency to pay the levy introduced by the Minister for the Environment, Phil Hogan.

These figures have come to light, after a leading member of Clare County Council released countywide payment figures for the household charge to members of Kilrush Town Council on Thursday night last.

“The most recent information available indicates that circa 37 per cent (leaving a shortfall of 63 per cent) of the estimated properties liable to the household charge in Clare have paid,” revealed Seamus Halpin, nearly two weeks after the government deadline for the payment of the charge passed.

“The department have yet to indicate the reduction if any in the Local Government Fund arising form the collection rate, however, if the household charge payments are not received the government will have less money to allocate for the delivery of local services,” Clare County Council’s administrative officer for finance added.

Mr Halpin made his comments in response to a notice of motion tabled by former Mayor of Kilrush, Cllr Tom Prendeville (FF) at the monthly meeting of Kilrush Town Council at which it was claimed that those who paid the € 100 charge are now being targetted for a raft of other payments.

“It is being used to get more money out of people,” said Cllr Paul Moroney (Ind).

“I met a woman in Knockerra, who told me she registered early for the charge and within a month had a number of visits to her house which is in off the road and very hard to find.

“The TV licence person came around, someone came to inspect her septic tank and she had a water metre put outside her door. They called because they now have her details,” he added.

PLANS to development a major new visitor attraction at the Vandeleur Walled Garden in Kilrush has now gone to “part-eight planning”, Kilrush Town Council has revealed.

The move comes only five months after ambitious plans for a redevelopment of the visitor facility on the old landlord estate were unveiled by Clare Council architect Ruth Hurley at a meeting of Kilrush Town Council that took place at the Vandeleur Walled Garden.

The news was relayed to members of the local authority on Thursday night, in tandem with a confirmation that Kilrush Amenity Trust which oversees the management of the Vandeleur Walled Garden has voted to allowed free access to visitors for the rest of the year.

Plans to develop enhanced visitor facilities at the Walled Garden, which was opened to the public in 2001, hinge on a successful application to the Clare Local Development Company for Leader funding.

“An application has made to Leader to seek funding,” said Town Clerk, John Corry, “and it is something that we’re excited about as we’re hopeful that our application to Leader for funding will be successful,” he added.

“We have to a little bit of work on the theme of the project,” said Town Manager, Nora Kaye. “We got an informal response from Leader that we have to develop the theme of what we’re trying to do at the Vandeleur Garden. Leader need to see the planning application before they can consider funding,” she added.

“They are very exciting plans and every effort should be made to secure the funding”, said Cllr Liam Williams (FG), who as a member of Kilrush Amenity Trust proposed that free access be given to visitors to the Vandeleur Walled Garden for the rest of 2012.

“We had free entry into the Vandeleur Garden last August and it proved very successful in what ever money we lost from ticket sales, we generated extra money in sales in the coffee shop,” revealed Town Clerk, John Corry.

“It was decided by the board to extend the option during the off-season, when traditionally the numbers of visitors to the facility would have been minimal and then at our meeting in March it was decided to offer free entry to the Garden until the end of the year.

“You are losing out on ticket sales but the wider picture is that you are providing access to the facility and we’re hoping that the people visiting will bring along friends and neighbours and will spend money at the centre. We will take it on a trial basis until the end of the year to see how it progresses,” he added.

DETAILS of two new teaching and coordinator appointments in Ennis and Scariff have been announced by Clare Vocational Education Committee (VEC).

John Cooke has been appointed Principal of Ennis Community College.

John is a native of Thurles and a graduate of Trinity College Dublin and is currently Principal of Scoil Phobail Mhic Dara in the Galway Gaelteacht.

John replaces outgoing principal, Matt Power. A spokesperson for Clare VEC thanked Mr Power for his decades of service to education in Clare. “We thank Matt most sincerely for the energy, enthusiasm, commitment and long and dedicated service, not only to Ennis Community College but also as a Senior Manager with County Clare VEC. We wish Matt every contentment and happiness in his retirement.”

Vivienne Hogan has been appointed Deputy Principal Ennis Community College.

Vivienne is a graduate of University of Limerick, currently teaches in Ennis Community College and has acted on two occasions as Duty Principal.

Vivienne replaces outgoing Deputy Principal Angela Mc Namara, who has been appointed Principal in Scariff Community College.

Ms McNamara is replacing Sean Daly as principal of Scariff Community College

Meanwhile, Triona Lynch has been appointed coordinator of the Scariff VTOS Programme and will take up this new role effective from September l, 2012.

Originally from Corrovorrin, Ennis, Ms Lynch now lives in Maurice’s Mills with her husband and family.

A spokesperson explained that the appointment is in line with an agreement with the Department of Education and Skills and Unions in relation to the redeployment of Directors of Traveller Training Centres

Triona replaces the outgoing coordinator, Brian Crossan, who has been appointed Deputy Principal in Scariff Community College.

Mr Crossan replaces retiring deputy principal John O’Donovan. Mr Crossan is a former director of St. Joseph’s Training Centre, Ennis.

A spokesperson for Clare VEC wished both Triona and Brian every success in their new roles.

A MAN has appeared in court charged in connection with an alleged burglary at a pub in Kilmaley earlier this year.

Jamie Brohan (29), with an address at 142 Hermitage, Ennis, is charged with entering the Kilmaley Inn as a trespasser and committing an arrestable offence, to wit, theft of a Samsung cash register valued at € 1, 200.

Inspector Tom Kennedy outlined details of the alleged offence at Ennis District Court on Wednesday.

He told the court that it would be alleged that Mr Brohan committed a burglary at the Kilmaley Inn on Februray 13, taking a cash register that contained € 15.

Insp Kennedy said that it would be further alleged that the accused was then found in possession of the cash register in the Hermitage area of Ennis on February 16.

He said Mr Brohan was subsequently arrested and charged.

He told the court that the cash register was valued at € 1,200. He said that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had directed summary disposal of the case.

Judge Patrick Durcan said that he was “reluctantly” accepting jurisdiction, noting that “burglary matters are very serious matters.”

Mr Brohan elected to have the case dealt with in the district court. His solicitor Daragh Hassett told the court that he would be writing to the State seeking disclosure. Judge Durcan remanded the accused to appear again at Ennis District Court on April 25.

CLARE’S reputation for producing talented young musicians has been further enhanced after two local primary schools were selected for the final of the € 10,000 Walton’s Music in Schools Competition. Both Knockanean National School and Holy Family Senior Primary School in Ennis have been shortlisted alongside four other schools from around Ireland.

Students from both schools will perform at the competition’s final in the National Concert Hall in Dublin on Monday, April 16. The annual Waltons Music for Schools Competition is a national event and a celebration of music in Irish schools. The competition awards a total of € 10,000 worth of vouchers for musical instruments, accessories or technology from Waltons Music, to be divided among six winning primary and post-primary schools, including two first prizes of € 3,000 vouchers.

Both Holy Family and Knockanean had to submit a recording of a piece of music based around the theme of ‘Why Music?’ They will face competition from schools from Tipperary and Cork in the competition final.

Music is alive and well in both schools. In addition to a 120-strong choir and an 80-strong chamber choir, tuition in several instruments and a newly introduced violin-teaching programme, Holy Family Senior Primary School has taken a highly creative approach to developing music in the school. These include a daily listening programme in which children speak through their PA system and announce a featured ‘composer of the week’ and a ‘mobile singing squad’ of children who visit each class to help teach new songs. The school would use the prize to get a range of instruments and replace their keyboard. Their entry is ‘One Small Voice’ from Sesame Street, performed by the 80strong Holy Family Chamber Choir.

Knockanean National School has a vibrant 85-member ‘Music Club’ that takes place once a week. Students participate in the Music Club at no cost, and the only requirement is full attendance of all sessions. Knockanean NS would use the prize to get a digital piano as well as other instruments. Their entry is ‘Unfinished Seasons’, performed by Cnoc An Éin, a 56-strong group of instrumentalists and singers.

To watch videos of both school’s entries log onto www.newschool.ie and follow the links.

CLARE’S connection to one of the most well-known English-language poets of the modern era will be celebrated in a new literary weekend which will take place in Ennistymon next month.

The Dylan Thomas Literary Weekend will mark the Welsh poet’s connection to the Falls Hotel, where his wife Caitlin MacNamara was born and raised. Caitlin was the youngest daughter of Francis MacNamara, who transformed Ennistymon House into the Falls Hotel.

The keynote lecture for the threeday festival will be delivered by Dylan Thomas’ biographer and journalist Andrew Lycett, who will join a host of national and international writers and poets at the festival.

Other contributors include John F. Dean, the founder of Poetry Ireland; the co-founder of the Irish Writers Co-operative Fred Johnson; award- winning Welsh essayist and poet Robert Minhinnick; freelance writer and editor Diarmuid Johnson; poet and painter Jo Slade; fiction writer Claire O’Connor; Crusheen-based folklorist and author Eddie Lenihan; and poet Paul O’Mahony.

The festival, which will run from Friday, May 18, to Sunday, May 20, will feature lectures, poetry recitals, a documentary screening and a history tour outlining Ennistymon’s connections to the Welsh literary legend and other poets, including Brian Merriman.

“This literary weekend focuses not only on Dylan Thomas’ inspiring work, but that of his contemporaries and those who continue to be inspired by him. The festival will enable fans of Dylan Thomas to celebrate his connections with Ennistymon, and to learn more about the man who is known the world over for the passion and love of life he infused in his poetry and prose,” said organiser Joanne Clancy of the Falls Hotel and Spa.

“The Dylan Thomas link with the hotel is that the original Ennistymon House was owned by the MacNamara family. Thomas himself did not live in Ennistymon at any stage but his wife Caitlin did. Her father Francis was the person responsible for transforming the manor house into a commercial property, what we know today as the Falls Hotel and Spa.”

Acclaimed as one of the bestknown and important poets of the twentieth century, Thomas’ most popular works include his play for voices ‘Under Milk Wood’ and his poems ‘And Death Shall Have No Dominion’ and ‘Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night’. He died at the age of just 39 in 1953 but his wife Caitlin survived until 1994.

For more information, visit www. fallshotel.ie.

THE mystery of the Arctic Narwhal, who somehow made his way to the coast of County Clare, looks set to remain a mystery after the remains of the stranded mammal were destroyed last week.

A carcass, believed to be that of a Narwhal, was spotted by a member of the public at Clahane near Liscannor on March 25. The Narwhal, which is easily recognisable because of its single, two-metre-long, ivory tusk, is a cold-loving Arctic mammal and rarely ventures further south than sections of Greenland.

Indeed, had the carcass been confirmed as a Narwhal, it would have been the first documented finding of a Narwhal in Ireland.

On hearing of the carcass, the Kilrush-based Irish Whale and Dolphin Group set about confirming the find, but could not locate the animals carcass.

The Narwhal hunt came to an end last Wednesday, when Clare County Council confirmed that they had removed the animal carcass.

In a statement the local authority confirmed that the partial remains of the decomposing mammal were discovered by a member of the pub- lic on a beach near Liscannor and reported to the Ennistymon Area Office on March 27.

“An investigation was immediately carried out by council officials who determined that the mammal had been in situ for at least several weeks. The mammal was found to be in an advanced state of decomposition and, as a result, the identity of the species could not be determined,” said the statement.

“Due to the serious public health concerns surrounding the presence of a rotting carcass in a public amenity area, Clare County Council engaged the services of an animal disposal contractor, licensed by the Department of Agriculture under EU legislation, to remove the carcass.

“The contractor took the decision to immediately render the carcass, due to its advanced decomposed state.”

The Environment section of Clare County Council also noted that they had not been contacted by the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group regarding the matter.

The waters on the Irish Atlantic coast have seen some unusual activity in recent months with a large increase in unexplained whale beachings and the unexplained deaths of a numbers of dolphins.

A PUBLIC meeting to outline the potential dangers of hydraulic fracturing or fracking, will take place in Ennis this Sunday, April 15. The meeting will be addressed by NUI, Galway hydro-geologist Tiernan Henry, who will outline the possible dangers to the environment of West Clare should the Clare Basin be opened up to fracking.

Earlier this year, Clare County Council voted unanimously to amend the county development plan to prohibit fracking in the Clare basin. In practice, however, this decision had little beyond a moral boost for the Clare anti-fracking campaign, as any decision on granting a licence for fracking to take place will be taken by the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Pat Rabbitte (LAB).

“Local government just does not have that power. Anyone who becomes informed of the controversial method of fracking knows it would be a criminal undertaking to let it happen in County Clare and the other areas of the West of Ireland where it is being proposed,” said Clare Fracking Concerned spokesperson, Róisín Ní Gháirbhith.

“It is important that people who are genuinely concerned about the threat of fracking attend this event. We need to keep this issue on our local politicians’ agenda and they need to know that we, the people, do not, under any circumstances, want this in our county or, indeed, Ireland.”

The meeting will be followed by a panel discussion which will be chaired by Lorna Siggins, Western Correspondent with The Irish Times .

“We have invited representatives from every sector of society, including farmers, politicians, tourism operators, business people, hoteliers, publicans and geologists, as well as Enegi Oil, the company that is interested in fracking in Clare, to take part in a panel discussion,” continued Sinead.

Enegi Oil has a licence for a 500km2 area known as the Clare Basin, which covers a large part of West Clare, as well as parts of Kerry and Limerick. The company has stated, “The Clare Basin area has great potential” and that it is “a new exciting lead”.

Enegi is currently proceeding with phase two of its exploration process, taking more detailed samples of what it describes as “an organically rich source rock that may contain shale gas”. It can then proceed to apply for a drilling licence.

The Clare Fracking Concerned event will take place at Glór in Ennis on Sunday, April 15, at 7pm.

A MAN allegedly sent a series of “nasty and offensive” text messages to a woman in Ennis, including one that stated she “should pick out a headstone” for herself, a court has heard.

Colm Quigley (39), with an address at 1 Steeles Terrace, Ennis, appeared at Ennis District Court on Wednesday.

He is charged with persistently making use of a telecom system by a licensed operator for the purposes of causing, annoyance, inconvenience and needless anxiety to another, contrary to the Postal and Telecommunications Act.

Evidence of arrest, charge and caution was given by schedule. Inspector Tom Kennedy told the court that it would be alleged that Mr Quigley sent text messages of an offensive and threatening nature to Carmel Corbett.

He explained that Ms Corbett had rented accommodation to Mr Quigley who had now left. Insp Kennedy said there was some dispute as to whether this was amicable or not.

He told the court that the accused sent eight different text messages to Ms Corbett on October 17 (2011). He continued, “They were all quite nasty and offensive.”

Insp Kennedy said five of the eight text messages would be considered to be of an offensive, threatening and abusive nature.

The court heard that one of the text messages read, “You should pick out a headstone” for yourself.

Insp Kennedy said the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had directed summary disposal of the matter.

Judge Patrick Durcan accepted jurisdiction of the case. Solicitor Daragh Hassett said he would be writing to the State seeking full disclosure.

Judge Durcan remanded the man on continuing bail to appear at Ennis District Court on May 9.

SINCE Scariff Community College has new personnel in its two most senior posts, it was thought appropriate to mark their arrival by planting commemorative trees.

The idea emanated from the Green Flag Committee, which has already put in place many commendable initiatives in the realm of ecology.

Oaks were chosen for the occasion honouring the start of tenures of Angela McNamara as college principal and Brian Crossan as deputy principal.

Green Flag Committee member Frank Blake, who is no stranger to public appearances – he was one of the stars of last December’s ‘All Shook Up’ staged in the college hall by East Clare Musical Society – was chosen to set the tree-planting in motion and in a brief address explained the purpose of the occasion after formally welcoming the new appointees on behalf of staff and student cohort.

Representing the Parents Council was Regina Roskam while Mary Cassidy and Liam Furlong were there to show the appreciation of Tuamgraney Development Association which works on ecological matters with the Green Flag Committee.

One of the latter initiatives is the restoration of a row boat to be installed in the village as a garden fea- ture. Soon the college’s Green Flag Committee will be the subject of a documentary in the Ear to the Ground television series. The RTÉ One programme is being devoted to the rainwater conservation scheme installed in the college through the committee’s research and planning.