Category: News

FIANNA Fáil’s Timmy Dooley TD was elected to the position of vice president of the party at this weekend’s Ard Fheis.

The man from Tulla was all but assured the position when former minister Éamonn Ó Cuiv TD pulled out of the race following his resignation from the deputy leadership of Fianna Fáil and his withdrawl from the front bench.

Deputy Dooley is currently Fianna Fáil’s frontbench spokesperson on Transport, Tourism and Sport, and he also serves as a member of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Transport, Culture and the Gaeltacht.

This is his second term as a TD for Clare and he previously served as a senator.

“The position of vice president will be a very challenging role but one which I am relishing. I will embrace the role and help in rebuilding the party and rejuvenating it across the country,” he said.

“Every member of the party will now have a say in the future of Fianna Fáil and it is vitally important that we reinstate the party back to being a strong and vibrant force in Irish politics. I would also like to congratulate Gareth on being elected to the Committee of 20.

“The positive atmosphere and the energy we saw this weekend is testament to the fact that Fianna Fáil has a strong and vital role to play in the future of Irish politics. I want to thank all of those from Dublin who attended the ard f heis and made their voices heard about the future of the party,” he added.

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin TD said, “The positive atmosphere and the energy we saw this weekend is testament to the fact that Fianna Fáil has a strong and vital role to play in the future of Irish politics. I want to thank all of those from across County Clare who travelled up to the ard f heis and made their voices heard about the future of the party.”

THE creation of a new independent Shannon run by a holding company that’s fully separated from Dublin Airport Authority influence while still under State ownership is the best way forward for Clare’s international airport.

That’s the view of Booz and Company – the consultants hired by the Government to come up with a new roadmap to secure the future of the 75-year-old airport.

The consultants said that this model of governance “provides the best ap- proach to balancing the stakeholder objectives with the viable operation of the airport”.

In backing what’s termed “a concession model”, which would pave the way for the holding company to lease out the airport for up to 35 years, the consultants have warned that “the current state of affairs at Shannon has resulted in demand levels that are not sustainable for the airport”.

Continuing Booz and Company says “Shannon Airport is faced with a significant threat to its viability under current ownership arrangements and further separation from the DAA would offer greater opportunities for setting policies that encourage route development and traffic growth and for the development of niche business opportunities.

“Under this approach, the competition of the local authority holding entity could include Clare and Limerick county councils.

“The holding company could also include Shannon Development, as part of a move to integrate the airport with the nearby industrial land, as well as input from relevant commercial interests and public bodies.

“In addition, the local concession model is the preferred model of local stakeholders since it provides an opportunity for them to take greater involvement in the operation of the airport and in the development of the surrounding land.

Creating a separate entity at Shannon, if well managed, is unlikely to significantly affect the DAA’s relationship with its financiers,” the report adds.

However, Booz and Company have warned that “creating a viable airport business under separate ownership” at Shannon “requires the new airport operate to significantly improve financial performance and to be able to access sufficient funds to maintain and invest in the airport over a longer term”.

To ensure this, Booz and Company say “the Government may need to consider appropriate mechanisms for ongoing support”.

This, the consultants say, could be done by way of “integrating the airport with adjoining industrial developments (Shannon Free Zone, supported by the inclusion of Shannon Development in the new holding company structure) and appointing a concessionaire that is experienced in developing successful aero-industrial airport businesses, could better ensure sustainability of the airport and surrounding areas”.

A WOMAN “feared for her life” when she caused € 800 worth of damage to a car in Ennis, a court has heard.

At Ennis District Court on Tuesday, Caroline Nolan (38) with an address at 9 Gus Murphy’s Flats, Mill Road, Ennis and 5 Lios na Rí Oranmore, Co Galway pleaded guilty to charges of theft and criminal damage.

The court heard that Gardaí received a report on February 27 (2012) that both the front and rear windscreen had been damaged on the Mill Road, Ennis.

Solicitor John Casey explained that her client had believed that the car belonged to another person.

He said that on the night in question, Nolan had been chased by a person carrying a knife.

He said, “She thought the car belonged to him. She was in fear of her life”.

Garda Michael Daniels, who gave evidence of arrest, charge and caution, acknowledged that the accused had feared for her life. He said the damage caused to the car amounted to € 812 euros.

Nolan also pleaded guilty to stealing a full keg of Tuborg Beer from Considine’s Bar, Parnell Street, Ennis on March 20 (2011). The keg was valued at € 110. The court heard that Gardaí found Nolan rolling the keg along the street.

Mr Casey said his client had been homeless at the time and could only sleep by drinking alcohol. “It was a foolish thing to do”, he added.

He said that drink was an escape for his client and that while she has made positive strides in addressing her problems, “she still battles with drink”.

He told the court that an involvement with the probation and welfare services would be of benefit to her. Mr Casey said Nolan, who is in receipt of social welfare, would need “considerable time” to pay back the cost of damage to the car. The court was told that the accused has two previous convictions including a fine imposed for cruelty to children.

Judge Aeneas McCarthy ordered the preparation of a report by the probation and welfare services. He remanded Nolan on continuing bail to appear again in court on May 2. He fixed bail at 200 euros.

HE MAY be just 37 years old but Clare’s newly elected member to Fianna Fáil’s national executive considers himself among the older members of a new-look Committee of Twenty.

Ennis man Garrett Greene was one of the 20 that were elected to the Ard Chomhairle at the Ard Fheis this weekend, which represents a huge change in the age demographic of the party.

Eight of those elected were in the 20 to 30 age group, with many more in their 30s.

This new blood has given Mr Greene great hope for a party that was decimated last year at the General Election.

In the run up to the hotly contested election, the former local election candidate travelled the length and breadth of the country campaigning.

“It was a great opportunity to listen. While it is important for a candidate to bring his message, it is also important to listen,” he said.

“At party meetings nationwide, I was struck by the pain and hurt felt by grassroots members at how neighbours, friends and communities that had lost trust in Fianna Fáil. We must regain that trust by once again becoming a party of values and vision, underpinned by sound and practical policy,” he said.

Mr Greene, who was elected to the Committee of Twenty on the first count, said he felt that the weekend’s Ard Fheis addressed a lot of those issues.

It was a weekend when the mem- bership reclaimed the party, be said.

He said he hopes the new members will help to build a party that is policy-driven and that will be better connected to the members.

The Committee of Twenty work on a voluntary basis with no expenses for the good of the membership, he said.

Asked if he now has plans for elected office, he said he would first have to wait to see what the Minister for Environment and Local Government, Phil Hogan, will decide about the shape of local authorities.

While he would like to contest an election again, this son of a former councillor said it would also depend on his personal circumstances at the time.

Having graduated with an honours law degree last year, Mr Greene is now taking time out to consider undertaking a PhD or studying to become a barrister at Kings Inn.

He also has a BA Public Administration from the University of Limerick.

The Ennis man currently works with a private management consultancy firm, having previously worked in the area of public administration with the Competition Authority and the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment.

A member of Fianna Fáil since he was 15, he was a founding member of UL Ógra Con Colbert Cumann in 1993 and is currently vice chairperson of Clare CDC.

PLACING the control of Shannon in the hands of people at local level is the best way forward for the airport, the local chamber of commerce has said in reaction to the publication of Booz and Company report.

However, that control must be handed over with the debts at the airport – currently standing at around € 100m – cleared by the Government as Shannon gears up for a new future where cargo traffic is a key driver in boosting lagging fortunes.

“The scenario whereby Shannon moves to a concessionaire model which would see the airport operated by a third party specialist airport operator giving a stewardship role to the local authorities in Clare and Limerick, to local commercial interests and to Shannon Development in a holding company, offers the most potential for Shannon’s future development,” Shannon Chamber of Commerce president, Damian Gleeson.

“It places decision making for the airport’s future at a local level.

As long as this proposed autonomous structure comes without debt, Shannon could look forward to a new future, whereby every avenue for its development could be examined for its innovativeness and its ability to add value, traffic and revenue to Shannon. Harnessing the support of all stakeholders in the Mid-West would lead to energised thinking and a new impetus for taking the airport in a new direction.

“Cutting ties from a national structure is going to be challenging. Harnessing the airport’s viability will require support from all stakeholders in the mid-west. However, Shannon has a history of innovativeness and for facing adversity with courage and determination,” added Mr Gleeson.

A FORMER primary school teacher used a suitcase lined with tinfoil in an attempt to steal goods from a supermarket in Ennis, a court has heard. Security staff at Dunnes Stores called gardaí after Mao Kimbadi was caught in possession of the suitcase on December 4 (2011).

Ennis District Court was told that the suitcase had been lined with tinfoil in an attempt to avoid the detection of security devices in the store.

On Tuesday, Kimbadi (39), with an address 12 Linnane’s Terrace, Kilrush Road, Ennis, pleaded guilty to having the suitcase with the intention that it could be used in the course of or in connection with a theft.

Kimbadi, whom the court heard was previously a primary school teacher in the Democratic Republic (DR) of the Congo, also pleaded guilty to charges of theft and handling stolen property.

Insp John Galvin told the court that two men were seen breaking into cars in the College Green area of Ennis on November 13 (2011).

He said when gardai arrived they found Kimbadi and another man outside 86 College Green in possession of a gold pocket watch and 50 US dollars that had been taken from a car. Insp Galvin said gardaí were making enquires at Ennis National school on November 14 (2011) when they noticed two men acting suspiciously in the bushes backing onto Linnane’s Terrace on Kilrush Road.

When gardaí approached the area they discovered a Packard Bell computer monitor, a Compaq hard drive and keyboard, a Sony Playstation 2 and controls, 30 Playstation 2 games and a black bomber jacket with the Audi insignia.

Insp Galvin told the court that Kimbadi admitted to gardai that he knew the goods had been stolen.

Kimbadi was also charged with stealing a bottle of Cercutti 1881 Perfume from Boots Chemist on December 10 (2011).

Solicitor Tara Godfrey said her client, a father of two, moved to Ennis from DR Congo 10 years ago to seek political asylum. She said he worked in a number of jobs including as a chef’s assistant before becoming unemployed when the recession hit two years ago.

Ms Godfrey said the loss of his job coupled with a period of homelessness saw her client engage in heroin use and “petty theft”. She asked the court that if her client was sent to prison a requirement to receive residential treatment should be included as part the sentence.

Judge Aeneas McCarthy imposed consecutive sentences totalling 14 months. He backdated all sentences to January 11, 2012.

A COVERED market and the possible use of NAMA-owned properties for community spaces are among the proposals put forward in the latest phase of the Ennis 2020 initiative.

The community visioning exercise is the product of a partnership between Ennis Town Council and the University of Limerick.

The main objective of the project is to support the development of a participatory plan for Ennis as a hub town in line with the National Spatial Strategy. Researchers sought the views of people in Ennis when compiling phase one of ‘Ennis 2020 – Planning Beyond Recession’ which was launched last November.

Two public meetings took place in Ennis in recent weeks and a new report outlining the main priorities for economic development in the town has been prepared. The plan proposes a renewed focus on the night-time economy and on developing greater use of riverside locations.

It proposes developing an Ennis venture fund supported by various coordinating agencies that would “provide a one stop shop in one building in the town to support businesses”.

According to the report, businesses should be encouraged to produce low carbon outputs and to explore potentials in areas of waste, water, rain and water harvesting.

Establishing Ennis as a craft food open market to promote local businesses is among the suggestions outlined as part of a potential marketing plan. It states a feasibility study should be carried out to “pursue the idea of a covered market on a specific street or car park and including used of covered areas for more than just markets”.

In the area of Tourism Product Development, Ballyalla Lake should be promoted as a wildlife sanctuary; disused sections of the West Clare railway could be used as walking or cycling routes while the Post Office field should be developed as “natural tourist amenity”. More art galleries street festivals and an outdoor drive in cinema and the use of the historic Abbey for concerts would be of benefit to the town.

The report examines a number of key areas including tourism, the en- vironment, amenities, heritage, culture and accessibility.

In order to make Ennis more accessible, the report states, pedestrianisation should be promoted and developed along with a bus-parking plan. Research should also be conducted into age-friendly parking.

The report also proposes developing a common space for community activity “e.g. a Community Innovation Centre – shared office space, shared meeting spaces, space to informally network, share, co-operate and pro mote community development.”

Sites owned by the National Assets Management Agency (NAMA) could be used for this purpose, according to the report.

THE inspiration for the establishment of Shannon Development in 1959 was Clare’s international airport which then enjoyed the status of the hub of the aviation.

Now, over half a century on and in a complete role reversal, the flagship development and tourism agency in the mid-west region has been challenged to play its part in securing the future of Shannon Airport.

The Booz and Company report, in outlining the advantages of sepa- rating the airport from Dublin Airport Authroity control, has said that Shannon Development would have a huge role to play in helping develop “niche business opportunities” under a new operation model.

This would envisage a model that would see control for the airport vested in a holding company made up of public/private interests.

“The airport lacks sufficient integration with the surrounding land bank, with the current management having no function in developing alternative ventures with a mixed aero-industrial complex,” the Booz and Company report states.

“The airport covers an area of 2,000 acres of which 25 per cent is development land, and the airport is adjointed by the Shannon Free Zone.

“There is also a business and technology park of around 600 acres that is also owned and managed by Shannon Development.

“Other benefits are linked to its geographical position and roles as an airport that provides 24-hour operations each day of the year,” the report adds.

The consultants’ report has highlighted the need for “the Govern- ment to better integrate the airport with surrounding industrial developments, and in particular the Shannon Free Zone, which is currently owned and managed by Shannon Development”.

And, the prospect of Shannon Development parting with some of its sizeable landbank if private interests are to be attracted to investing in the airport.

Booz and Company say that for an airport like Shannon “to be attractive to private sector participation, investors could be granted assets that can generate income, such as develop- ment land or commercial property.

“In this context, the viability of Shannon would be enhanced via a structure that enables the better utilisation of development land within the current boundary estimated to be around 5,000 acres, as well as in leveraging the adjoinging Shannon Free Zone,” it adds.

Shannon Development Company has declined to comment on the contents of the Booz and Company report, only to say it was “currently reviewing the redacted version of the report and has no further comment at this time”.

SENIOR staff at the Maternity Hospital Limerick are hopeful that the looming staffing crisis will be averted as the HSE promises to fill 16. 5 midwifery positions vacated by recent retirements.

Consultant obstetrician Gerry Burke said he and his colleagues are “delighted that the 16. 5 WTE mid wives are going to be replaced, but he said that for the hospital to operate as safely as possible, the nine additional midwives lost to retirement before the scheme and through death must also be replaced.

“We also need a sensible flexible attitude when it comes to maternity leave,” he said.

There are currently 31 midwives absent due to maternity leave, and seven due to long-term illness.

As the majority of staff in the hospital are females, many in their thirties, Dr Burke said maternity leave is inevitable and the HSE must be flexible when dealing with the issues.

“I do not think it is a safe way to practice to have to rely on locums,” he said.

He said he was now satisfied that the local HSE management understood the issues and it was a work in progress.

Last week the HSE announces that it would be filling 123 essential posts in the HSE West in the area of midwifery, neonatal care and intensive care.

Dr Burke said he hopes to see the new appointments in place in the next two months.

“The matter is now being taking seriously from the Minister down. They are working hard to try to make it right,” he said, adding he was particularly grateful to Clare Deputy Joe Carey (FG) who had taken a lot of interest in the matter.

Deputy Carey, whose young family availed of the hospital’s services in the last few weeks, said that maternity-staffing levels must be maintained, regardless of any current recruitment embargoes.

“I welcome the fact that HSE management has put a plan in place to provide for the full replacement of the 16. 5 WTEs that will leave at the end of the month. I note that Dr Burke and others have expressed their satisfaction with this approach, and that once this matter is resolved, that management will also examine solutions to the other 31 absent staff members.”

THE Ennis 2020 project sets out to consult with members of the public to chart a path for Ennis beyond recession. The community visioning exercise is the product of a joint initiative between Ennis Town Council and the University of Limerick.

The UL Practicum is working with the Ennis hub plan committee to gather ideas from the citizens of Ennis. So far UL students of the MA in Technical Communication and E-Learning and students from the Politics and Public Administration Department assisted during the community visioning exercises that took place in Ennis last April and May.

The main objective of the project is to support the development of a participatory plan for Ennis as a hub town in line with the National Spatial Strategy.

The findings can now be viewed online or in a specially designed electronic newsletter. An e-comic has also been produced for school children.

Three UL students – Susan Rice, Sherona O’Donnell and Avril Seery – played a central role in collecting, compiling and presenting the report’s findings.

School children and teenagers are being encouraged to interact with ‘Ennis 2020 People, Place, Potential, phase one of which was launched last November.

The first report on Ennis 2020 – People, Place, Potential, presents perspectives on what local people think Ennis will look and feel like in 2020; the strengths and assets on which it can build; how the image of Ennis might be improved and how Ennis might be developed further as an inclusive town.

In a section focusing on how improved infrastructure can enhance Ennis, the report found, “The related theme of pedestrianisation was undoubtedly one of the most prominent issues to be raised with all of those mentioned it advocating pedestrianisation of some sort or other, ranging from gradual or partial pedestrianisation to an all out approach taking in al of the town centre.” Parking also emerged as a key concern for people in Ennis.