Category: News

MANAGEMENT at Ennis Golf Club have moved to further improve security measures after a spate of recent break-ins.

The club, which has around 1,300 members, has been the target of three break-ins in recent months.

On Wednesday, February 22, the club was broken into by breaking a window. Nothing was stolen on that occasion.

On February 12 the cash register was stolen from the club shop when a person gained access to the premises by breaking the side window.

Damage has been repeatedly caused to windows at the club shop, a situation one committee member has described as “very annoying and frustrating”.

The premises is covered by CCTV and now management at the club have improved lighting at the front and rear of the club in an attempt to ward off intruders.

Honourary secretary John Cullinane said, “We have had three at least since last December. We don’t keep cash in the bar, the restaurant or the golf shop. Recently the breakins have been at the golf shop. The policy there is that we leave the till open so people can see that there is no money in it.”

Last year the club installed a new security system aimed at ensuring greater protection for staff and members. Members must now type in an access code at the main entrance door in order to gain access to the clubhouse at night. The measures were introduced last summer following incidents where intruders broke into the golf club.

Mr Cullinane continued, “10 days ago some guy broke the window but the alarm went off and he ran away. The guards told us that he faced into one of the cameras so they got him on CCTV. We’re looking at what else we can do in terms of security. The CCTV has been fairly good but when they get to the building they are ducking and diving trying to avoid it.”

He added, “There is a cost to the club every time that something happens. There is replacement cost to replace a window every time they break it. It’s very frustrating and annoying. We’ve had to replace the window several times.”

CLARE County Council won’t have to come up with funding to run the day-to-day operations of Shannon, because the local authority won’t be given responsibility for running affairs of Clare’s international airport.

That’s the message from the Minister for Transport, Leo Varadkar, as he has moved to clarify what Clare County Council’s involvement in Shannon could be when the Cabinet decides on a new airport blueprint.

“Local authorities may have a role to play in ensuring the future of Shannon Airport,” Minister Varadkar told Dáil Éireann, “but I do not believe it will be their role to subvent or run it,” he added.

“They do not have the skills to do this and it is not what was intended. When the consultants (Booz & Company) were examining this issue, they might have been thinking more of Manchester and Leeds-Bradford airports, but they are within the remit of very different local authorities for areas of population of one to four millon people,” continued Minister Varadkar.

This move, which effectively pours cold water on Clare County Council being a key driver in the new Shannon Airport, comes in the wake of concerns raised by a number of councillors last week that the local authority could be lumbered with responsibility for the airport without having the financial means.

“One cannot expect local authorities to find a fanciful pool of money in the current climate,” local TD and Fianna Fáil spokesperson on transport, Timmy Dooley said.

“The Minister is well aware that local authorities do not have the money required, neither does Shannon Development,” he added.

Responding Minister Varadkar said that “we can all agree that the status quo at Shannon Airport is not working well and that this year its passenger numbers continue to fall, particularly as a result of the reduction in the number of military flights.

“Two models have been put forward for Shannon,” continued Minister Varadkar. “One of these is the CIE model which is an option, but I am not yet satisfied it would result in sufficient change because an independent subsidiarity which requires another for subvention is not really independent.

“The other option is full independence, the detail of which must be figured out because I can only recommend it to the Government if I believe it will be financially viable. I am not willing to do anything that I do not believe in my heart will be a success.

“The whole point of the process is to make a success of an airport which has been in decline for some time. Whatever happens I assure anyone with concerns that the airport will stay open,” he added.

THE campaign by Clare turfcutters to continue what they say is their “age-old right” to cut turf at Tullaher Lough Bog in West Clare now moves to Brussels and will be won.

That’s the battlecry from chairman of the Clare branch of the Turfcutters and Contractors Association, Padraig Haugh, following last Thursday’s march on Leinster House and the passage of a private members motion in the Dáil in support of turfcutters in Special Areas of Conservation.

“I was up in Dublin,” said Mr Haugh, “and people were saying to me that I was hitting my head off a stone wall and there was no point going to Dublin marching and protesting, but we have achieved a lot.

“We have climbed the first hurdle against the directive from Europe which says that we cannot cut turf on Tullaher Lough Bog anymore. There are about 50 people who cut turf there,” he added.

Mr Haugh became chairman of the local branch of the Turfcutters and Contractors Association after a public meeting was staged in Garrihy’s of Moyasta last November and since then has taken the campaign to keep Tullaher Lough Bog open to turf cutters in west Clare.

“There is a high bog area and it’s very small and we are very happy to keep that preserved,” said Mr Haugh, “but there was another portion added into the Special Area of Conservation that’s 1400 hectares and there was no necessity to do that, because the EU is denying people a right to do what families have been doing for hundreds of years there.

“As turf cutters we are determined to fight for the right to cut turf. I’ve cut turf every year since 1948 and we are hopeful that these people in Brussels will see that what we’re looking for is only a small thing.

“We’ve already got concessions from the Government in that they are giving another € 1,000 onto the € 1,000 and a new top up payment of € 500. That’s down to the campaign and we won’t stop until we are allowed cut turf on Tullaher Lough again,” he added.

A GERMAN woman who developed a heroin addiction after moving to Ireland has been sentenced to 14 months in prison for drugs offences.

Imposing the sentence at Ennis District Court on Wednesday, Judge Aeneas McCarthy described Annette Hausmann (34) as a “dealer in heroin”.

Hausmann, with an address at Clare Villas, Clare Road, Ennis, pleaded guilty to having heroin for sale or supply in Ennis on August 12 (2011) and possession of heroin on November 4 (2011).

Insp John Galvin said gardaí carried out a search of the accused’s apartment under warrant last August. He explained that they discovered 36 deals of heroin with an estimated value of € 1,128. He said the accused was also found in possession of heroin during a Garda search of her home in November. Insp Galvin said Hausmann had previous convictions for drugs offences.

Solicitor Tara Godfrey said that it appeared that Hausmann had been sharing heroin with serious heroin addicts. She said that on none of the occasions had her client been found with a weighing scales or a tick list.

She added, “My client did not appear to be enriching herself at all from the sale of heroin”.

The court heard that Hausmann had moved to Ennis with a good work ethic and clean of drugs. Ms Godfrey explained that her client appeared to have “acquired a very serious habit in Ireland”. She said Hausmann had made every effort “to rid herself of this pernicious addiction”.

She added, “Her family have become exhausted by her addiction and appear to have distanced themselves from her”.

Ms Godfrey said that in attempting to distance herself from other heroin users, Hausmann had seen her property damaged and suffered offensive graffiti near her home. Judge McCarthy said, “This is a serious matter. This lady is dealing in heroin”.

He imposed two sentences of seven months to be served consecutively. Recognances were fixed in the event of an appeal.

CLARE faces an uphill battle if it is to regain the international tourists that have been lost to the county over the last 10 years. According to the Lahinch hotelier Michael Vaughan, who was elected national president of the Irish Hotel Federation last week, a new cooperative approach to tourism in Clare will need to take place before we start winning back the international tourists. “Tourism has been declining in Clare for seven or eight years now. This decline has been masked a bit by the buoyant domestic market but the flight situation has really made the situation worse,” said Michael. “We need to link our walkways, our cycling routes, our surfing holidays and package them more so that when people come into the county, they can get a real sense of the different touring loops that offer the tourists a whole package for the area.” Fáilte Ireland is currently piloting a project entitled ‘The Wild Atlantic Ways’, which Michael Vaughan hopes could be a major benefit to Clare once it is rolled out. “This is a series of iconic road-trips all along the west coast that will tie into festivals and other things happening in a locality. “The idea is to map out a few iconic routes through the county and provide people with a plan that tourists could follow. “So if a tourist was to base himself in Doolin, let’s say, he could see very quickly that there were two more days of activities for him to do in the area and plan like that,” continued Michael. “It is that type of awareness of product that we need to get better at in Clare. This is about tying together what we already have in the county. It’s about looking at things and packaging them in a different way. “Tourists in Germany plan in this way but they won’t go to a place until they know that there is an experience to be had in that area. We need to give them that information about Clare. “Fáilte Ireland are rolling this plan out on a pilot basis in Connemara next year but I know that Clare is being looked at very closely by them and is prime for this sort of investment.”

NO PAIN. No gain. That was certainly the case for one Ennis schoolboy who was the centre of attention yesterday as he proudly showed off a rugby ball signed by Irish international Ronan O’Gara. The ball was an unexpected souvenir from eight-yearold Oliver Cassidy’s first visit to an Ireland rugby match.

The Clarecastle National School student was with his father David, cousin Damien Reidy and uncle Peter Reidy for Ireland’s victory over Scotland in the Six Nations Championship in Dublin on Saturday.

The group were sitting behind the goals at the Aviva Stadium watching the teams go through their pre-match warm-up when Oliver was struck in the nose by a ball kicked by Irish flyhalf O’Gara. Oliver was brought across the pitch to the medical centre for treatment. His nose was bloodied but not broken.

Afterwards, as Oliver and his family celebrated Ireland’s 18-point victory, they were informed by a match stew ard that Oliver would be receiving the match ball signed by Munster legend O’Gara.

Oliver was presented with the ball after the game. It was signed ‘To Ollie, Best Wishes, Ronan O’Gara’. Dad David said Oliver, who plays for Ennis Rugby Club’s under-9s team, was over the moon with the gift.

“He brought it up to rugby training and soccer training. He brought it into school today to show it off. It was his first International game. He’s been to a few Munster games.”

Oliver’s brush with kicking king O’Gara was even recognised by the visiting Scottish fans as he walked to the medical centre at the Aviva Stadium. Mum Edel explained, “He was walking across the pitch after he was hit and one of the Scottish fans spotted him with the blood on his face. He said to him, ‘Here’s a fiver for being so brave’.”

A sports enthusiast, Oliver plays for Ennis Rugby Club and Ennis Town Soccer Club.

BRITAIN’S newest GAA club is looking for Clare footballers who are emigrating to London this year to join the growing list of Banner players at Éire Óg in London.

The club, which was founded last year, has become a haven for the Banner abroad, with Ballyvaughan man Martin Nilan now in service as club chairman and assistant manag- er while Kilnaboy man Paul Maher is coaching the team this year.

Éire Óg London will this year field a Junior B team but they are hoping that an influx of Clare talent may help them to gain promotion.

“The club was just set up last year and it is going very well so far. We train in Finsbury up in North London and we will be fielding a Junior B team once the competitions get started over here in two weeks time,” said Martin Nilan.

“There are a lot of jobs going in London at the moment so we are seeing lots of lads from Clare coming over. We are trying to catch them and to let them know that there is a club for them over here.

“We get people from all over Ireland joining up to the club – there are lads from Sligo, lads from Dublin, everywhere – but there is a big Clare focus to the club.

“We have been really getting going over the last 12 months. We have been training for a few weeks now and we think we are ahead of most of the clubs in the area.”

With the Olympics coming up this summer, London has become the destination of choice for many Clare people leaving Ireland to work.

“There has been a big influx of Irish people over the last 12 months so the club teams are getting more and more competitive. Once people arrive, there is a rush to sign them up to a club and, once they are signed, it is very difficult to move. We like to let people come and have a look around, and to train with us before they commit to anything.

“I’ve been here 28 years now and Paul has been here for 10. There’s never been so much interest in playing football in London as there is now.”

Anyone interesting in becoming part of the Banner brigade at Éire Óg London can contact Martin on 07541374766 or email him on mjnilan@hotmail.co.uk.

A POPULAR car mechanic, who lost his life in a work place accident, was laid to rest on Friday, after one of the largest funerals Sixmilebridge has ever seen. Jim Millane from Corlea, Sixmilebridge, died from severe injuries he received while he was working on a car at his garage near his home on Tuesday morning last. It is understood that the father of four was working under a car when the vehicle collapsed, trapping him underneath.

His wife Jacqueline called emergency services, but the father of four was pronounced dead at the scene.

His body was removed to the MidWestern Regional Hospital Limerick for a post-mortem.

While the 54-year-old was originally from Sixmilebridge, he had lived in the Doora area of Ennis until five years ago. A keen motorcycle and rally enthusiast, he was described locally as a “decent and kind man”.

Hundreds of moaners turned out for his funeral service at St Finnachta’s Church, Sixmilebridge, and up to 50 members of the Banner and West Coast Motorcycle Clubs provided an escort for the funeral cortège.

He was laid to rest in Lemanagh Cemetry, Newmarket-on-Fergus.

Mr Millane is survived by his wife Jacqueline, his daughters Dawn, Laura, Caitriona and Joanna and his mother Jo.

A DATE for the opening of the € 15 million, 50-bed development at Ennis General Hospital still has not been set.

Work on the unit began in November 2010.

Yesterday (Monday) management was still unable to give an opening date for the unit, as all of the equipment is not in place.

The HSE lodged a planning application for the hospital extension with Ennis Town Council in August 2010.

The project includes a two-storey ward building including bedrooms, associated treatment rooms and staff facilities, connecting into the existing two-storey hospital at ground and first floor level.

A new landscaping, parking and realignment of internal roadway and paths; alterations to the internal layout of the south east wings of the existing hospital and temporary egress from the hospital during construction to Highfield Park was also included in the planning.

The new unit is not only to provide modern wards and isolation rooms but the vacated space in the existing building is to be “gradually refurbished”.

The existing hospital building is a protected structure.

The HSE has promised that the hospital would offer “general medicine including cardiovascular support, day surgery, plastic surgery, geriatric medicine, acute adult emergency medicine and minor injuries care.”

AN unemployed stonemason was in a “very bad place” and in debt when he was found by gardaí in possession of cannabis, a court has heard.

At Ennis District Court on Wednesday, Eddie Leahy (34), with address at 58 Ardnaculla, Ennistymon, was ordered to engage with the probation and welfare services.

The court heard that the father of four had already pleaded guilty to charges of having cannabis for the purposes of sale or supply.

Garda Stephen Hession of Ennis Garda Station told the court that gardaí stopped a car driven by Leahy at Cloongowna, Kilnamona on De- cember 10 (2010).

He said cannabis was discovered in the car.

The court heard that Leahy was interviewed at Ennis Garda Station.

Garda Hession said that a search of 58 Ardnaculla, Ennistymon, carried out on the same day, uncovered three small bags of cannabis and weighing scales.

He said the estimated total value of the drugs found in both searches was € 2702.

He said Leahy had been “extremely co-operative and at no point did he hinder the investigation”.

Solicitor John Casey said his client; previously “a heavy cannabis user” had worked as stonemason but had been forced to stop because of an accident. He said he had personal debts of around € 50,000 at the time he was stopped by gardaí.

Asked by Mr Casey about his client’s circumstances at the time, Garda Hession said, “He was in a very bad place….You could tell he was a man in a vulnerable position”.

Garda Hession added, “I can say that he broke away from the scene he was in and is not smoking cannabis anymore”.

Judge Aeneas McCarthy ordered the preparation of a report by the probation and welfare services. He remanded the accused on continuing bail to appear again at Ennis District Court in May.