Category: News

THERE is a lively readership in West Clare. That is how one county councillor put it when he learnt that the number of people using their local library service has increased.

The membership of the five branches serving west and mid Clare increased by 125 in 2011, but the number needing the internet service at the local library has decreased.

County librarian Helen Walsh said this may be due to more home usage as lines become faster and less costly.

There was a drop of 346 members of the Kilkee library in 2011 however, with the number of books issued dropping by 6,210. There is an explanation for the drop however from the county library offices.

“During this time Kilkee library dropped membership, issues and internet usage due to the building works associate with the new Cultúrlann Sweeney,” said Ms Walsh.

The largest number of new readers was recorded in the Kilrush library, with an increase of 74.

Miltown Malbay increased its membership by 47 in 2011 while Kildysart went from 311 members in 2010 to 315 members in 2011.

Kilmihil showed a decrease in its membership of 78.

The five libraries continue to provide services despite cuts to their budgets and staffing levels within Clare County Council.

Ms Walsh explained that all development at the libraries is on a phased basis over a five-year period and according to the priorities and objectives laid out in the Library Development Plan 2010 to 2014.

“All objectives are budget and staff dependent and there is a real challenge in maintaining present stand- ards whilst striving to improve services in the present climate. The book fund has decreased from € 279,600 in 2009 to € 257,160 in 2010 to € 217,160 in 2011 at a time when the county population is increasing,” she said.

“Demand for other formats of book provision, downloadable and foreign language, also results in a further stretch on an ever decreasing book budget. The non-replacement of staff retiring or availing of various kinds of leave entitlement puts further stresses on the services regarding maintaining opening hours. An audit of opening hours in all branches will be undertaken this year,” said the county librarian.

“It is imperative that we keep these services. What is good we hold,” said Cllr Christy Curtin (Ind).

“The statistics are telling us of a very lively readership in Clare, “ he said.

RYANAIR wanted to pay out just € 1 per passenger it brought into Shannon in return for maintaining a low-cost hub at Clare’s international airport, a leading travel agent has claimed ahead of this Friday’s visit to Shannon by Minister for Transport, Leo Varadkar.

The claim was made by Tony Brazil of the Irish Travel Agents Association at an economic and policy meeting of Limerick City Council last week as he revealed how Shannon Airport chiefs refused to bow to Ryanair pressure on landing fees, despite the fact that the decision has resulted in a meltdown of traffic at the airport over the past four years.

“Ryanair did a deal with Shannon to land passengers for € 2 each when the norm was € 8 per passenger,” said Mr Brazil. “They landed 1.8m passengers when the deal was they should have landed two million. When the deal came up for renewal, they wanted this reduced to € 1, but they were only bringing in 400,000 passengers,” he added.

Ryanair spokesperson Stephen McNamara has said that the reason for the collapse of Shannon’s traffic of over 55 per cent from 3.6m passengers in 2007 to 1.6m last year was down to “the DAA’s refusal to extend Ryanair’s low cost base at Shannon, the Government travel tax and a 33 per cent increase in passenger fees at Shannon last November, even as the DAA’s traffic was collapsing”.

“It is the high DAA monopoly costs at Shannon Airport that have ‘driven out’ these lusted-after “foreign carriers” from Shannon and it is these same high costs that keep them out of Shannon.

“Maybe Shannon should start this process by addressing their high costs, facing up to the mistakes they have made and looking forward for a solution to the traffic collapse at Shannon, instead of backwards with the sole purpose of trying to blame others for their failure,” he added.

THREE people are due to appear in court in Ennis tomorrow in relation to their alleged roles in an incident at a primary school in the town last Tuesday.

Conor Mahon (21), Rose Mahon (22) and Laura Molloy (21) are charged with alleged offences arising out of an incident at the Holy Family Junior School, Station Road, Ennis on March 20.

All three appeared before Ennis District Court last Wednesday.

Conor Mahon, of Ballaghboy, Quin Road, Ennis, is charged with possession of a slash hook at the school contrary to the firearms and offensive weapons act and with engaging in threatening and, or, abusive behaviour.

Conor Mahon’s wife, Rose Mahon, a mother of two, also of Ballaghboy, Quin Road, Ennis, is charged with causing € 1, 500 worth of damage to the windows of a vehicle belonging to Thomas Sherlock on Station Road.

Her sister, Laura Molloy, of 21 An Pairc, Bruach na hAbhainn, Ennis, is also charged with causing € 1, 500 worth of damage to the windows of a vehicle belonging to Thomas Sherlock on Station Road.

Both sisters are also charged with provoking a breach of the peace.

Garda Trevor Shannon gave evi- dence of arrest, charge and caution in respect of Conor and Rose Mahon. Garda Bríd Troy gave evidence of arrest, charge and caution in respect of Laura Molloy.

Inspector Tom Kennedy told the court that the State were objecting to bail for all three accused on a number of grounds.

Judge Patrick Durcan refused bail applications for Conor Mahon and Laura Molloy.

They were remanded in custody to appear at Ennis District Court on March 28.

He granted bail to Rose Mahon subject to a number of conditions. She was ordered not to have any direct or indirect contact with a named family; to stay away from the Holy Family School, environs, staff and students; stay away from certain housing estates in Ennis; reside at Ballaghboy, Quin Road, Ennis; observe a curfew from 9pm to 7am and to sign on twice weekly at Ennis Garda Station.

Judge Durcan remanded Rose Mahon on bail to appear in Ennis District Court on March 28.

A DOOLIN ferry owner charged with passenger “overloading” has been told to pay a contribution to the Royal Lifeboat National Institution (RNLI).

The charges were brought against Bill O’Brien of Lickeen, Kilfenora, by the Department of Transport at Ennis District Court on Friday.

Mr O’Brien, who has operated a ferry business in Doolin since 1970, was charged in relation to two passenger vessels in his ownership, ‘The Queen of Aran’ and ‘Tranquility’.

The charges state that in failing to comply with the conditions and re- quirements of the Merchant Shipping Act, the owner did cause the vessel to contain a number of passengers exceeding the maximum number as required.

Captain Neil Forde, a nautical surveyor with the Department of Transport, told the court that a colleague had observed “overloading” on ‘The Queen of Aran’ and ‘Tranquility’ on August 18, 2011.

Capt Forde explained that 101 people were on a ship that had a maximum capacity of 96. In the other incident, Capt Forde explained, 103 passengers boarded a ship with a maximum capacity of 93. The court was told that Mr O’Brien has no pre- vious convictions.

The court was told that Mr O’Brien and his crew operated a clicker system to record the number of passengers that board ships. Under questioning from solicitor John Callinan, Capt Forde agreed that the overloading occurred as result of a breakdown in the clicker system.

The court heard that the business has now moved to a position of issuing individual boarding cards rather than group boarding cards.

Capt Forde told the court that both boats had sufficient lifesaving equipment and lifeboats on board. He explained that one of the dangers of overloading was that, in the event of an emergency at sea, rescue crews might not take into account extra passengers.

Mr Callinan said Mr O’Brien had operated a “very significant” familyrun business in West Clare for over 40 years.

Judge Patrick Durcan said that overloading could lead to a “tremendous tragedy”. Noting Mr O’Brien’s guilty plea, his good record and his prescience along with that of his crew in court, Judge Durcan ordered him to pay a sum of € 1, 500 to the RNLI. He also ordered him to pay costs to the Department of Transport, bringing the total to € 1,855. No conviction was recorded against Mr O’Brien.

EVERY morning Agnieszka Abramczyk goes to work at 8am in the Holy Family School, Ennis.

The dinner lady loves her job, especially working with the children.

Very few people are aware however that the jolly mother of two is one of the 35 people awaiting a kidney transplant in Clare.

Mrs Abramczyk has been on dialysis since March 2006. This is a date she is not likely to forget, as her life changed forever.

Since then she travels to the Mid Western Regional Hospital Limerick four times a week for dialysis, which takes up to four and a half hours.

Three of the sessions are at night and one in the afternoon.

The most difficult part of the process for the young woman is the tiredness.

Most weeks she finishes her dialysis at 5.30am, comes home to Ennis and then gets ready for work at 8am.

“I sleep when I get home at 2pm,” she told The Clare People .

She loves her job though as it allows her to escape from her thoughts about her illness.

“When I was diagnosed first I was waiting every day to hear the phone ring from the transplant team. Now I just forget about it and think about living,” she said.

Agnieszka is on the transplant list for two years, but with many waiting for up to three years she is not waiting on tender hooks for the allimportant call any time soon.

Her family are very supportive of the lady that made Ireland her home seven years ago.

Husband Piotr was willing to give the love of his life one of his kidneys. However when he was tested it was discovered that their blood was not compatible and the transplant could not go ahead.

Her 18-year-old son Adrian has already signed up as an organ donor and carries a card everywhere.

Daughter Natalia is just 14 but she tells The Clare People that she cannot wait to turn 18 so she too can sign up to be an organ donor.

While she does not know the day or the hour she will receive a new kidney, Agnieszka is hoping that in the interim she can go on home dialysis.

This would mean that she would not have to leave home for her weekly treatment.

The Polish native is also full of praise for the medical staff who have been treating her for the last six years.

CLARE will have a huge say on whether disgraced Fianna Fáil politicians will remain within the party following the findings of the Mahon tribunal, as three of the members of the party’s Special Ard Chomhairle hail from the Banner county.

Party Vice-President Timmy Dooley TD and Gareth Greene, one of the Committee of Twenty, said they would have voted to expel former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and former minister Padraig Flynn had they not resigned, and will be supporting the motions to throw the other disgraced members out.

The third Clare man on the party’s national executive secretary of Clare’s Fianna Fáil Comhairle Dáil Cheantair Gerry Reidy said he would be follow- ing the direction of the leadership and the committee on the motions.

Of Mr Ahern, Mr Reidy said, “What he has done (in resigning) is a very honourable thing as it allows the party to move on without any divisions. He was very well received in Clare and did a lot for the county while he was Taoiseach.”

Mr Greene said that he feels his association with the party has tainted him after the findings of Mahon.

“It is that that informed our determination to put a clear distance between those people and ourselves,” he said, referring to those to come before the Ard Comhairle for expulsion. “There isn’t a doubt in the world that the reputation of the Fianna Fáil party has been prejudiced by a small number of people. There is a sense of hurt and pain to thousands of good and decent members who are struggling to man- age household budgets.”

Deputy Dooley described the findings of Mahon as a “bitter pill to swallow”. He said, “While all the evidence was coming out, you always had a view there was something else there to mitigate against them.

“I am disappointed with the facts throughout all of this. I had assumed there would be an explanation but obviously the judge who heard all the evidence found Bertie Ahern untruthful.”

The Clare TD said there was no doubt that the former Taoiseach had to be expelled from the party.

He maintains, however, that while Fianna Fáil has been damaged by the revelations of the Mahon Report, history will provide a kinder report. He said he believes history will point to a lot of good the party has done, while mentioning the corruption.

CLARE patients are now waiting up to three years for life saving organ transplants.

The Irish Kidney Association (IKA) are hopeful however that this timeline will shorten as the number of people carrying organ donor cards has started to increase.

Peggy Eustace, treasure of the Clare branch of the Irish Kidney Association said, “We had a big increase in the numbers of people opting to carry the organ donor card following last year’s campaign. There was also an increase in the numbers of transplants carried out in 2011.”

This year the IKA’s Donor Awareness Week will take place from March 31 to April 7.

“This annual life saving awareness campaign highlights to the general public the plight of people with organ failure and the on going need for organ donation,” she said.

As many as 35 patients from Clare are receiving dialysis treatment at two dialysis facilities in Limerick the Mid Western Regional hospital dialysis unit and Riverside Park on the Dock Road, while some others attend unit 7-dialysis unit in Merlin Park Galway.

A number of Clare patients are also on the home dialysis programme.

“There are almost 600 patients on the transplant pool at present some of which are from Clare. The waiting time for a kidney transplant for some is now up to three years,” said Ms Eustace.

“We are forever grateful to the donor families who, at a very difficult time for themselves, thought of those who were ill. In donating there loved ones organs they have given the gift of new life to so many.”

The Clare IKA branch members and volunteers will be promoting the donor card and fundraising for the Irish Kidney Association on Saturday, March 3, in Ennis, Kilrush and Tulla.

They will be in Shannon and Ennis again on April 7.

This year’s Clare donor week will be launched in the West County Ho- tel on March 27. Guest speakers on the night will include Dr Ahda Ali, Renal Registrar; Dialysis Nurse, Helen Kennedy and pharmacist Paul Lohan and Mike Kelly co-ordinator of counselling services at Donor House will also be in attendance.

Those wishing to help with the campaign are asked to call 087 9849004. The organ Donor Card can be obtained by free text the word DONOR to 50050, at pharmacies or doctor’s surgery.

Free Organ Donor e-cards are also available for smart phone.

FIANNA Fáil members of Clare County Council mirrored the feelings of the rank and file of the soldiers of destiny when it emerged that the one-time popular general was to face a dishonourable discharge.

The majority said he had to go, more refused to comment publicly and more said he should remain, as he was not proven guilty of any crime in a court of law.

One of Clare’s most experienced county councillors, Cllr Bill Chambers (FF), said that nothing has been proven against the former Taoiseach yet. “If it is proved then fair enough, but all that there is is allegations.”

Describing the fallout of the Mahon Report as a media witch hunt against Bertie Ahern, the Cooraclare man said he “should be innocent until proven guilty”.

Prior to the former Fianna Fáil leader’s announcement that he was to resign from the party, Cllr Michael Hillery (FF) said, “If the information is correct and stands up with the DPP, he should be expelled. Anyone who has broken the law of the land should be expelled.”

For Cllr Pat Keane (FF), the decision was even more clear-cut: “He should (be expelled) when he has been found to lie to the tribunal. It is unbecoming of the party.”

“The leadership had to take a stand,” according to Cllr Pat Daly (FF).

For young councillor Cathal Crowe, who Bertie Ahern once described as the future of the party in Clare, there was no decision to be made – the former Taoiseach had to be removed from the party.

“It beholds someone in high elected office to be truthful to his job. We have to have high standards in office,” he said.

Cllr Pat McMahon said “absolutely” damage had been done and Bertie Ahern could no longer be a member of the Fianna Fáil party.

Cllr Tom McNamara (FF) was in agreement saying, “This type of politics is gone and it is no harm to see the back of it”. Councillors PJ Kelly (FF) and Michael Kelly (FF) were less forward with their opinions. Michael said he would not be commenting on the issue, while PJ had a slightly more colourful answer – “judge not and ye shall not be judged.” The Clare People was unable to make contact with councillors Richard Nagle and Pat Hayes (mayor) on the subject.

Almost all agreed the outcome of Mahon had a negative affect on the party in general, but Cllr Daly maintained that the outcome “had cleared the air. We can move on now”.

“It also damages the whole system. It shows corruption among officials, councillors and right up to Leinster House. Fianna Fáil damaged again. It is a setback for the party’s fight back,” said Cllr Crowe.

“We were damaged before this. Even though we were damaged, I think we can recover,” said a slightly more optimistic Cllr McNamara.

“There are a lot of good people in Fianna Fáil. The majority of people are disgusted. There is some shortterm damage to the party but the party will rise again,” said Cllr Keane.

A YOUNG driver who admitted speeding in the Gallows Hill area of Ennis last summer has been ordered to pay money to the disabled driver’s association.

At Ennis District Court on Wednesday, Daniel Nesbitt (19) with an address at 15 Old Military Barracks, Kilrush Road, Ennis, pleaded guilty to a charge of driving a vehicle without due care or attention.

Inspector Tom Kennedy told the court that a resident in the Gallows Hill area of Ennis observed Nesbitt driving in the area on August 15, 2011.

Insp Kennedy said a complaint was made regarding speeding, breaking and handbrake turns. He said the accused was subsequently interviewed and admitted his wrongdoing to Gardaí.

The court heard that Nesbitt has no previous convictions.

Solicitor Tara Godfrey described her client as someone who is easily impressed by people performing stunts in cars.

She said Nesbitt had been advised that he could lose his license as a result.

Ms Godfrey said her client is a “high-spirited car enthusiasts who didn’t realise the full implications of his actions”.

Judge Patrick Durcan described Nesbitt as being “all gearbox and no brain box”.

“He needs to wake up quickly,” he added.

Judge Durcan ordered Nesbitt to pay € 350 to the disabled driver’s association by May 2.

He added, “He better wake up quickly. This kind of carry on will not be tolerated.”

UP TO 100 jobs, including work in construction, are to be created in the West Clare town of Miltown Malbay in the coming weeks.

Within a six-week timeframe, ground will be broken on the Ennis Road to build the € 4 million SuperValu supermarket and community development for the town.

Included in the development will be the town’s first ever playground.

The much-needed community facility will be provided by the new supermarket owners, John and Claire Jones, as well as a commercial astroturf pitch.

In addition to the 50 to 60 permanent jobs created by the supermarket, further construction jobs will also be created in the next few weeks.

The new development will consist of a 10,000 square supermarket, 140-space car park, relief road for the town, a children’s playground and an astro-turf facility with associated dressing rooms and lighting.

The family behind the plans have 175 years of business experience in the West Clare town.

The Joneses, who currently operates a Centra supermarket at Church Street, Miltown Malbay, are the seventh successive generation of the family to operate a business in the town since 1838.

The new SuperValu supermarket is expected to be open by the end of the year.

Yesterday (Monday), SuperValu announced that it would add approximately 400 jobs over the next year nationally, as five new stores are added to its network over the next 12 months.

The stores will be opened as part of a € 20 million investment programme, which includes the refurbishment and revamping of 30 further stores.

“Despite a tough trading environment, 2011 was a good year for SuperValu, with two billion in retail sales and achieving market share of almost 20 per cent. We serve over two million customers per week and we believe it is our value proposition, our Irish sourcing policy and shoppers’ desire to shop locally in order to support their local communities and local jobs that are driving this success,” said Martin Kelleher, Managing Director, SuperValu.

“SuperValu has 195 stores and is the only retailer with a store in every county. SuperValu remains committed to local employment and sourcing from Irish producers.

“In 2011, the total purchases of Irish goods and services made by SuperValu was worth over € 1.5 billion to the Irish economy, serving to both create and protect almost 30,000 Irish jobs in the farm, food and retail sector,” he said.