Category: News

FIFTY new part-time jobs are to be created in Clare over the next 12 months as part of an almost nationwide roll-out of over 500 jobs in the care system that have been announced by Comfort Keepers Home Care.

Part-time carers are to be appointed in 15 counties, while in Clare there will also be one new full-time appointment to the Comfort Keepers service, which is expected to come on stream over the next couple of months.

Comfort Keepers is an Irish-owned family-run home care provider that helps people to live independent dignified lives in the comfort of their own homes. Their carers provide high-quality, person-centered care to people in the community when daily tasks become too difficult to manage alone.

They are the only home care provider to be awarded ISO 9001, the Healthmark and the Q Mark for quality and excellence in its service provision.

“We are delighted that our focus on the provision of quality home care has led to the continued expansion of Comfort Keepers in Clare,” said managing director, Bob Power this week.

“It is also huge boost of confidence for us as an Irish-owned, family-run business to be able to create this level of employment in the county over the next 12 months.

“Home care is a very personal type of care and we seek carers and management staff who have caring and empathetic instincts. These are the type of people who make great carers and help people remain independent and happy at home,” he added.

The Comfort Keepers in Clare service is co-ordinated from a Limerick office that also administers a similar service in Tipperary, with Joanne Burke and Niamh Landy being the manager and coordinator of the services in the county.

THE village of Kilmaley is to get an economic and jobs boost, as a result of further investment into a local voluntary housing scheme.

The Kilmaley Voluntary Housing Association has received € 2.126 million from the Department of the Environment Community and Lo- cal Government, which will fund the building of 12 new houses for older people. This will bring to 24 the number of houses in the scheme.

Kilmaley Voluntary Housing Association Director Cllr Tom McNamara (FF) said the committee fought hard for the funding, but it will prove to be great value for money in the provision of elderly care.

The group now hopes the HSE will provide funding for at least two supervising staff for the housing scheme.

Cllr McNamara explained that many of the residents living in the houses have been there for a number of years, and require a little more support. He said it is also hoped that the adjoining day care centre’s opening hours will be extended to seven days a week. The day care centre is currently open four days a week providing services to at least 100 people from Kilmaley, Lissycasey, Inagh/ Kilnamona and Coor as well as some people from Ennis.

It currently costs between € 300,000 and € 400,000 to maintain the service, with the HSE providing € 158,000.

Cllr McNamara maintains that the service could be extended to seven days a week at a relatively low cost and is hoping to receive HSE support to undertake this challenge.

It is hoped building on the new houses will begin next month and is likely to take 10 months to complete.

The construction phase will provide much needed employment and a local income injection according to Cllr McNamara.

JUST one nurse has been provided to the Clare Mental Health Services under the € 35 million ringfenced in the budget for development of community mental health services.

According to a Clare member of the HSE West Forum, the money that was earmarked for recruitment within the under-resourced service has provided just one staff nurse to the child and adolescence psychiatric service in the county.

Cllr Tom McNamara (FF) has called for more services in Clare to be supported from the funding.

Minister of State, with responsibility for Disability, Older People, Equality and Mental Health, Kathleen Lynch said the funding would primarily be used to strengthen community mental health teams in both adult and children’s mental health services.

Over 400 additional staff are to be recruited to support initiatives under this package. It is intended that the additional resources will be rolled out in conjunction with the scheme of appropriate clinical care programmes currently being developed.

It is understood that the € 35 million is to be released over three years.

Cllr McNamara said that he was disappointed to learn that to date just one appointment has been made in Clare under the scheme.

THE people of Doolin will hit the big time later this week as the town features in an hour-long programme to be broadcast on Sky TV. A number of local people and musicians were interviewed during the recent Micho Russell Memorial Music festival in the village, with many of these interviews to feature on the programme.

The programme, which is entitled ‘Out and About in Ireland’ will be broadcast on Sky channel 201 this coming Thursday, March 8, from 9pm and repeated twice on Sunday and Monday, March 11 and 12, at 11pm.

It is not clear as yet which local people have made it into the final cut for the programme, but it will feature something from local musicians Kevin Griffin, Adrian O’Connor, Albie Grace, Donal Murphy, Pat Ryan, David Crowe, Tom Delaney, Matt Burke and Christy Ennis, as well as an interview with Sean Keane who was in Doolin performing for the weekend.

“It is always an honour to be invited back to perform in front of people that really appreciate and understand the music,” said Keane about the Russell Memorial Festival.

“I love coming down to Doolin. Micho Russell has a legendary place in traditional music and I think this weekend embodies the emotion and spirit of his music.

“There is something about Doolin and the music of Clare that is magical and I am sure people will really enjoy this programme.”

The programme focuses on the Russell Memorial Music Festival, describing it as one of the “hidden gems” of the Irish traditional music calendar.

While the festival already attracts musicians and music-lovers from all over Ireland, it is hoped that the exposure gained from the television programme could attract new audiences to the festival for 2013.

The programme was made for Sky by a film crew from an Irish television company who will also be streaming the programme online at www.irishtv.ie from this Thursday.

It is presented by Pierce O’Reilly and, besides focussing on the traditional music of the area, it also looks at some of the leading local artisan food producers in the area, including the Burren Smokehouse in Lisdoonvarna and Linalla Ice Cream in New Quay.

CLARE manager Davy Fitzgerald was keen to prevent supporters from getting carried away in the wake of the Banner’s impressive win over Limerick on Saturday night.

“It’s only the first round of the league so there’s no point in people of Clare getting carried away, but all they can expect, as I’ve said from day one, is a hard working team,” he told The Clare People after the game.

“We still have things to work on and we’ll have dips but in the long run, I think the lads won’t be too far away but it’s going to take time. But we are on the right track.”

A track that leads to O’Garney Park on Sunday for the challenge of All-Ireland finalists Tipperary in the Waterford Crystal Final where another win would be seen as Clare’s most significant scalp of the season.

MORE than € 140,000 could shortly be released to community groups in Inagh and Kilnamona by Clare County Council, once a number of projects have been evaluated by a panel that is expected to announce their decision following a meeting on March 8th.

The money is part of a community fund which was set up to compensate local organisations for the construction of the local authority’s Central Waste Management Facility in Ballyduff beg in 2002.

According to an agreement, a small percentage of the profit made by Clare County Council on every tonne of waste taken in at Ballyduffbeg would be allocated to local “environmental” projects.

Between 2004 and 2006, a total of € 267,000 was allocated to local community groups under the scheme. At present, the local community is due to receive more than € 140,000 for waste disposed of in Ballyduff beg during 2007 and 2008. In addition, while the amount of landfill waste going to the Central Waste Management Facility has decreased in recent years, it is estimated that the community fund can expect as much as € 100,000 for waste disposed of in 2009, 2010 and 2011.

“My information is that this money has not been paid out since 2007 and I can’t understand why this should be the case,” said Cllr James Breen (IND), who campaigned against the siting of the Central Waste Management Facility in Ballyduff beg.

Clare County Council invited applications for funding in late 2009 for sustainable community based environmental initiatives or projects in the parishes of Inagh, Kilnamona and Cloonanaha under the Central Waste Management Facility Community Fund. The total funding available is € 140,775. A number of applications were received and are presently under adjudication by an independent Evaluation Panel. The Evaluation Panel is made up of six members in- cluding the Chairperson, three representatives from the local community, a representative from the community sector, a representative from the educational sector and a representative from Clare County Council.

No timescale has yet put in place for payments from 2009, 2010 and 2011.

“A number of meetings have taken place and when a recommendation is received from the evaluation panel, it will be placed before the members of Clare County Council for consideration. The next meeting of the evaluation panel is scheduled for March 8,” said Betty Devanny of Environment and Water Services with Clare County Council.

A DISTRICT court judge has noted the potential risk to consumers posed by buying goods over the internet.

Judge Aeneas McCarthy said consumers “had to be very careful these days”, particularly when making purchases online.

Judge McCarthy was speaking last week as he ordered that a stolen van purchased for close to € 10,000 in good faith by a Newmarket-on-Fergus man be returned to an English-based insurance company.

Judge McCarthy granted a request for a four-week stay to be placed on the order, pending a possible appeal.

At Ennis District Court last Wednesday, Gary Howard, of Drumline Newmarket-on-Fergus, applied to have a 2006 sprinter Mercedes Van, seized by the Gardaí last February, returned to him.

During the case, it was accepted by gardaí and Judge McCarthy that Mr Howard was the bona fide purchaser of the van and had bought the vehicle in good faith, not knowing it was stolen.

Mr Howard, who runs a Shannonbased haulier business, told the court that he bought the van in Tuam, County Galway, in January 2010, after seeing an ad in Done Deal.

Mr Howard told the court that he paid € 7,250 for the van and spent a further € 2,500 on repairs. He ex plained that he obtained a loan from the credit union to fund the purchase.

“I thought I was getting a good deal but I knew I had to put a bit of work into it,” he added.

He said an online check of the van’s history had not shown it was stolen. His solicitor, Daragh Hassett, told the court that his client had also asked the gardaí to check the history of the van. Mr Hassett said, “He rang his local gardaí and the got the two thumbs up. There’s no more this man could have done.”

The court was told that the van had been stolen in the United Kingdom, falsely registered in the Republic of Ireland and subsequently identified as part of Operation Swallow – an investigation involving the gardaí, Police Services of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and Scottish and English Police.

Detective Garda David Magee of the Stolen Car Unit told the court that gardaí had issued a warning for falsely registered vehicles. Insp Tom Kennedy said that while Mr Howard was the “bona fide owner” of the van, this was a case of “buyer beware”.

Solicitor John Casey, representing NFU Mutual Insurance, said the company had paid out a £10,000 claim on the van, making them the beneficial owner. Mr Casey added, “They never relinquished ownership, even though it was in the possession of other people.”

Judge McCarthy said evidence had been given that the van was stolen by a professional criminal gang and exported to Ireland. He added, “I have no doubt that Mr Howard is the bona fide purchaser who bought in good faith.”

He said the insurance company had paid out a claim. Ordering that the van be returned to FNU Mutual, Judge McCarthy said, “I have great sympathy with Mr Howard.”

A PHOTOGRAPH that captures one of the most dramatic moments in Clare’s political history has been discovered in a Dublin attic. It shows Eamon de Valera addressing a huge rally at O’Connell Square in Ennis in 1923, shortly before shots were fired at the future President of Ireland.

De Valera survived the attempt on his life and was rushed from the podium. Ms Barrett, the woman with the coat, pictured to De Valera’s right, took the bullets meant for him. She survived and married in the town.

The photograph was part of a case of material taken by the Duffy family when they left Ennis in the late 1950s. Rónán Ó Dubhthaigh discovered the case at Christmas when he went to Dublin to visit his mother. The photograph subsequently found its way back to Ennis, where it was identified by local historian Pat Brennan. Pat and members of the Steele’s Terrace Centenary Committee, including Simon O’Donnell (Chairman) and Anthony Lynch (Secretary) had issued an appeal for photographs for a new publication on one of Ennis’ oldest residential areas. The fruits of their labour Steele’s Ter ra ce: More Tha n A Centur y of Histor y, Pictures a nd Memor ies will be launched in the Old Ground Hotel, Ennis, on March 15 at 8pm. The new De Valera photograph is not included in the collection but many more memorable images are. Simon O’Donnell explained that work began on the project last August. He said there had been a great response to the committee’s appeal, with responses coming from as far afield as Australia and New Zealand. Simon also thanked the work of committee members and local researchers. He said, “Pat Brennan did a lot of the groundwork. Without him, it wouldn’t have have happened. The Clare Roots Society were a great help in getting the names of the original tenants.” The terrace is named after ‘Honest’ Tom Steele, a Protestant landowner who became a prominent member of the Catholic Association and a close friend and supporter of Daniel O’Connell. Rónán Ó Dubhthaigh would like if any readers would contact him if they have any information on the Duffy family who lived at No. 9, Steele’s Terrace. He can be contacted at anfhiontarlannteo@gma

ONE OF west Clare’s most scenic walks has been targeted for industrial fly-tippers, with a large amount of industrial waste being dumped at the “back strand” of Seafield in Quilty last week. The rubbish was found by local photographer and nature lover, Ann O’Connell, who discovered the rubbish while out walking last Wednesday. The waste included a number of light fittings and long-life bulbs. Also included in the waste was the remains of at least one computer and a metre stick. Because of the nature of the rubbish Ann believes that it may have been dumped by someone in the construction industry to avoid from paying recycling or landfill costs for the waste. “I came across the waste last Wednesday while I was out walking and taking photographs. I know that it is a recent dump because I walked the same route four days previous to that and it wasn’t there,” said Ann. “There was a load of spotlights and low energy bulbs dumped aswell-as what looked like a computer and some other industrial waste. We don’t know who dumped it, but maybe it was a builder or contractor who didn’t want to pay to dispose of the waste properly. “It is a very scenic scenic area. I do walking there a lot and there are great views of the ocean and out towards Mutton Island and the Cliffs of Moher. This isn’t the first time that dumping like this has taken place in the area – not at all. It is a rocky enough place where it is dumped so I would imagine that the person who dumped this would have to be a local. “If children were to wander onto this rubbish it is the sort of stuff that could be very dangerous to them. They could injure themselves or get cut quite easily. There is also a very large ‘no dumping’ sign in the area so there is no excuse for whomever did this. It is just irresponsible.”

THERE is good news on the horizon for one Clare company as – after making himself Ireland’s foremost hurley maker – O’Callaghan’s Mills businessman John Torpey is about to take on the production of renewable fuels.

Torpey Hurleys have almost doubled the workforce at its Sixmilebridge factory over the last two years and now employs seven full-time people and a number of part-time workers.

The company began producing briquettes from the ash left over from making the hurleys last year and they are currently seeking funding under the LEADER Programme to roll out this product on a large scale.

“I have been able to take on a few people in the last few weeks and that brings it up to seven full-time employees and a few part-time. I’d say we now make between 60,000 and 70,000 hurleys a year now so there is a big demand for it right now.

“It’s about giving the customer what he wants. My father gave me a saying one time – he said ‘make quality and you’ll never be out of the job’. So that is what I have done. You will only sell a poor-quality product once and that is a fact,” said John.

“I have started into briquette-making using the waste from the hurleys. The briquettes are now selling in a number of shops in Ennis and they are selling well.

“These briquettes are made from material that would otherwise be going to a landfill. I have been in contact with LEADER and I am hoping that they can help me expand the Belvoir Briquette product.

“The lads are making hurleys flat out at the moment and, because of the mild spring, there probably won’t be as large a demand for the briquettes as there might be in other years. The briquettes will be great for the business.

“I have an ongoing supply of waste from the hurleys that is the raw material for the briquettes. At the moment, I have an acre of ground taken up with these pieces of ash because I have no place to put them. So the briquettes will be great for the business and great for the environment locally if I can expand this.”

John was brought to the attention of the world last week when he supplied hurleys and a lesson in the game to the Chinese president elect, Xi Jinping, on his official state visit to Ireland.