Category: News

KILKEE is now home to west Clare best cultural and library facility – a new dawn that was heralded this Monday evening when the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Jimmy Deenihan formally opened the Culturlann Sweeney.

The € 1.6m redevelopment of the 1950s public library building on O’Connell Street in the west Clare town has been hailed as a major development for the arts by both Minsiter Jimmy Deenihan and Mayor of Clare, Pat Hayes.

The 8,299 sq-ft development, which is almost double the size of the original Sweeney Memorial Public Library, comprises additional library space, theatre and exhibition space, and multifunction spaces.

The new theatre and foyer/gallery facilities have been designed to accommodate approximately 110 people, while the number of book titles in the library stock exceeds 12, 500.

The project was funded by Clare County Council, in association with the Charitable Commissioners of Ireland, as well as the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, and the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government.

“The official opening of Cultúrlann Sweeney represents the completion of one of the biggest infrastructure projects to be undertaken in the West Clare area in recent years,” said Mayor Hayes. “The facility will greatly enhance the social infrastructure of the area and will help the future development of Kilkee and its environs,” he added

“The project has led to an improvement in the standard and range of independent functions within the building, allowing for different activities to occur independently. This new facility will play an important public and social role within the town”, said County Librarian, Helen Walsh.

The first County Council Library opened in Kilkee in 1945 in O’Connell Street and from 1951, when the Sweeney Memorial Library opened, there were two libraries operating in Kilkee. This Sweeney Memorial Library was founded with money bequeathed from Dr. William J. Sweeney, Union City, New Jersey, whose grandfather was born in Kilkee in 1833.

The Kilkee Public Library branch was closed in 1962, with Clare County Council taking over the running of the library from Sweeney Memorial Trust Fund following High Court Agreement was signed in 1985.

“The main reason behind the redevelopment of the previous building was that it did not sufficiently ad- dress modern accessibility requirements, nor did it possess efficient heating, advanced stage technology and the expanding functions of a modern community library,” said Clare County Council Director of Services, Bernadette Kinsella.

“The primary changes to the internal layout are the demolition of the existing toilet block to the front of the building, and the separation of library and theatre functions within the existing building.

“The new side extension contains the new floor space and gallery, the provision of lift access to the upper level, the new entrance foyer, and the upgrade of existing electrical and heating systems,” she added.

It’s expected that the Kilkee Tourist Office will be located at Culturlann Sweeney.

ALMOST 17 years after it first opened, Buskers musical instrument shop will close its doors in Ennis for the final time tomorrow.

A first port of call for a generation of aspiring young musicians and the place where many of Clare and Munster’s best known touring bands popped in to get equipment, Buskers has been a part of life on O’Connell Street since March 1, 1995.

An increase in the purchase of instruments online is one of the main reasons behind owner Philly Walsh’s decision to close the business.

He explained, “It seems to me that a lot of people now are buying over the internet. Rather than go their local shop, people are buying off the internet having never had the feel for an instrument.”

Philly also believes there has been a decline in the pub music scene.

He said, “There has been a huge de cline countrywide in musical instruments sales in general, along with a decline in the pub music scene. If bands aren’t working as often, then they are not getting the basic equipment, guitar strings, leads etc.”

Having worked as a drummer with bands on the showband circuit in the early 1990s, Philly decided to open his own business in Ennis.

Philly recalled, “It had kind of run its course and I had been working on the road for a long time. I decided to open Buskers because I felt there was no place catering for band or rock musicians. You had shops for trad music but not for bands.”

Buskers originally opened as a shop for music instruments but, over the years, Philly’s work moved more towards supplying and installing audio equipment. The Ennis native will continue to operate the audio equip- ment supply and installation business.

However, Philly admits that he is sad to be closing the business. He said, “It’s been my day job for the past 17 years. You were helping out kids who were buying the first guitar or keyboard. In one way, it’s hard but, in another way, it allows me to concentrate on the PA side of the business.”

Having worked in the centre of Ennis for almost two decades, Philly believes the town is facing serious challenges from large retail developments in Limerick and Galway.

“For a lot of people, if they are living outside Ennis, its almost easier for them to take the motorway to Limerick or Galway. Somedays, by the time you get into town and get parking, you’d be in Coonagh Cross quicker.”

PLANS have been put in motion which could see Lisdoonvarna transformed into Ireland’s first ever wellness town. Despite the closure of the famous Spa Wells facility in the town, more than 8,000 German visitors came to the North Clare town last year, to walk in the grounds of the famous magnesia, iodine and iron spa.

While details for the Wellness Town Project have yet to be announced, Lisdoonvarna Fáilte last Friday issued a tender, looking for applications for someone to steer the project.

Lisdoonvarna Fáilte is a communityowned trust which owns the Spa Wells Facility as well as a number of local community facilities including the North Clare Sports and Amenity Centre and the Pavillion Theatre.

While a spokesperson from Lisdoonvarna Fáilte declined to comment on any part of the new project, The Clare People understands that an application for funding for the new position of Wellness Town Animator has been lodged with a government funding authority and a decision in likely to be made in the next 10 days.

Should this funding be granted, a person will then be appointed to assess what needs to take place in Lisdoonvarna before it can be transformed into Ireland’s first wellness town.

The Spa Wells Centre itself has been closed for more than five years and it has been an aspiration of the local business community, and Lisdoonvarna Fáilte, to reopen that facility since then.

Hundreds of thousands of people have came to Lisdoonvarna to bathe and drink at the Spa Well since it became Ireland’s first Spa Well Centre in the middle of the nineteenth century.

According to documents lodged by Lisdoonvarna Fáilte, the Wellness Town Animator would be tasked to de- velop “a model and framework aimed towards launching and managing a wellness town concept focussed on, but not exclusive to, the town of Lisdoonvarna and the assets, facilities and lands under the control of Lisdoonvarna Fáilte”.

Over the last decade, Lisdoonvarna Fáilte have helped develop the North Clare Sports and Amenity Park into one of Clare’s foremost community venues.

Complete with a community childcare facility, a playground, all-weather pitches and a GAA field, the project has also seen the restoration of the Pavillion ‘Town Hall’ Theatre.

AN Ennis man has been given the job of spearheading the implementation of the € 337 million Limerick Regeneration Programme when it comes under the control of Limerick City Council later this year.

Oliver O’Loughlin, who has over 20 years’ experience working for Limerick City Council and is currently a Director of Service in the local authority, has been appointed to this key position by Minister for Housing and Planning, Jan O’Sullivan.

Mr O’Loughlin is to head up the new dedicated office to manage the 2009-2018 Regeneration Programme, which has six more years to run as it comes under Limerick City Council control. Council officials have revealed that over a couple of months, Mr O’Loughlin will begin the process of bringing the various facets of regeneration into one dedicated office working with current chief executive Brendan Kenny.

“In the past, he has provided a link to the wider council, including the planning, roads and wider functions. He is quite familiar with the process,” said Deputy City Manager Kieran Lehane.

“He is one of the best public serv

ants. He has worked in

every department in

Limerick City Council.

He would be very ex

perienced. Oliver has a

vast knowledge of the

public service and how

it works,” said Deputy

Mayor of Limerick,

Cllr Kevin Kiely said.

“He is going to bring

his experience and

knowledge of local government. I know he is very highly thought of in the department in Dublin. As a result of this, he will be aware of ways of leveraging money for the city council and projects to benefit the city centre,” he added.

In his Limerick City Council career, Mr O’Loughlin has worked as a fire chief, a senior engineer, as well as drawing up the city’s emergency plans and helped secure funding for the Northern Distributor Road, and Green bus routes in the city.

A DISABLED north Clare mother says she was “humiliated” and “degraded” by the manager of a Clare hotel – who refused to allow her to bring her personal assistant swimming with her and her seven month old baby.

Ann Marie Flanagan, who was the Green Party’s candidate for north Clare in the 2009 local election, says she was made to feel like a cheat and a crook by the hotel manager, who refused to allow her personal assistant free access to the facility, even though she cannot use the facilities without the aid of a trained assistant.

Ms Flanagan, who must use a wheelchair or crutches to get around, says that swimming offers her relief from her debilitating condition.

She is also a spokesperson for the National Advisory Group on Independent Living.

“I was told in no uncertain terms by the general manager of the hotel that my PA would have to pay – he acted as if I was trying to rip the hotel off.

“I explained in great detail but he didn’t seem to understand that I cannot use the facility without the help of my personal assistant,” she said.

“I felt humiliated and really very upset. I thought they would have some understanding of the situation but they made me feel like I was trying to get two for one.

“I need an assistant to get in and get out of the pool, but once I start I am usually okay. I would not be able to hold my son, Robert, in the pool all the time so my assistant helps with that as well. If a person needs a per- sonal assistant they should not have to be degraded by going into the specifics of their own personal condition.” Ms Flanagan has also paid tribute to the Woodstock Leisure Centre in Ennis who have accommodated her, her son and her personal assistant.

“Without even knowing me or anything about me, they were so helpful. I told them that I used a wheelchair and that I had a personal assistant and they were just brilliant. I have been a few times now and they have been very good and very kind,” said Ann Marie.

A CLARE third-level student will have to wait to find out whether her legal appeal against changes to the criteria for third-level grants will be successful.

The Union of Students of Ireland (USI) have brought the High Court challenge on behalf of North Clare student Mebh McCarthy, who studies at NUI Galway, as well as Dundalk IT student Robert Johnson and Iesha Rowan who is studying at the Galway Mayo Institute of Technology.

The evidence was heard in the High Court last Friday, February 24, with the judge choosing to “reserve judgement”. It is thought that a final decision on the case could be two weeks away or more.

The case has been brought against the Student Services Act which was introduced last year. The act changes the rules for third-level grants, increasing the distance that a student would have to live away from the educational institution from 24 kilometres to 45 kilometres.

Under the new rules, Mebh – who lives between Ballyvaughan and New Quay in North Clare – would be considered to live “adjacent” to NUI, Galway and with a commutable distance to the university.

The case is being seen as a test case by hundreds of students in Clare who will have their grants reduced if the new system is enforced.

Mebh is currently in receipt of a grant of between € 6,100 and € 6,700 per year to go towards rented accommodation and maintenance while she studies in NUI, Galway.

If the decision is not reversed, it will lead to a loss of between € 2,440 to € 3,900 towards her maintenance in college next year.

With no effective public transport in place in the North Clare area, Mebh will not be able to reach Galway City for college each day until after 11am. Despite working to support herself during her time in college, she is not in a position to make up the shortfall in the grants payment.

According to the Minister for Education, Ruairi Quinn (LAB), the change in policy was put in place to reflect the improving public transport network in Ireland – which, he claims, has made it easier for students to commute to work.

ALLOWING artists occupy vacant buildings in Ennis to create and exhibit their work would add greatly to the vibrancy and image of the county capital, while at the same time guarding against vandalism and ensuring that many prime units don’t become derelict eyesores.

That’s the view of Clare County Council enterprise officer, Majella McNamara, who in throwing the weight of Clare local government behind Ennis Access to Space Initiative (EASI) has appealed to landlords to embrace the concept for enhancing the visual landscape of Ennis.

“From the point of view of landlords, we would encourage you to become involved because there isn’t really anything to lose in it for yourselves,” said Ms McNamara.

“You get to have something vital going on in your building and potential tenants can also see your building has many uses for it that might not have been considered before.

“We would encourage you all to get involved for the various different reasons, but really to revitalise the town and show that different uses can be made of the buildings,” she added.

In outlining the Clare County Council vision for EASI, Ms McNamara revealed that the local authority had “looked at a number of different schemes that might be suitable for addressing the problem in Ennis with regard to vacant properties and also to meet the demand for artists for space in the town.

“From a public perspective, this would take away some of the eyesores from the streets of Ennis and bring some vibrancy to the town. This initiative is very much about facilitating the needs of artists and helping the landlords who currently have vacant properties to add a sense of vibrancy and occupancy to their buildings.

“For the point of view of artists, craft workers and other creative people – you get to use the building to have a space in which to work and to exhibit your creative work. You also get an opportunity to contribute to the vibrancy of the town – for the people who live here, for the people who come to shop and visit, for tour- ists.

“It doesn’t look very good if buildings are vacant. One of the other aspects of the properties is that there is an increase in value to the buildings if they’re occupied. They aren’t as well maintained if they are vacant because there’s nobody in them and there’s no income.

“There’s more of an encouragement to maintain the building if they are occupied. Having the building occupied helps protect it against vandalism,” Ms McNamara added.

MORE than € 73,000 was raised in Clare last year for Daffodil Day, as demand for the Irish Cancer Society’s free services also increased in the county. As the event’s 25th birthday approaches, the Irish Cancer Society continues to grow its support in Clare, as 733 more Clare people were diagnosed with the disease in last year.

In 2011, € 23,890 worth of financial aid was provided to people in County Clare, with services also increased.

The amount of nightcare provided by specialist cancer nurses in Clare increased from 98 nights in 2010 to 159 nights in 2011.

These nurses provided 8,110 nights of care to over 2,000 families nationally in 2011, which was an increase from 7,187 nights in 2010.

Specialist cancer nurses also supported 22,120 callers to the National Cancer Helpline (Freefone 1800 200 700) – 167 of these calls were from people in County Clare.

In 2011, the Irish Cancer Society also funded 13 Oncology Liaison Nurses in hospitals across the country to the value of € 497,943. One of these nurses is employed at the Mid Western Regional Hospital, Limerick, the centre for cancer treatment in Clare.

Travel2Care grants of € 356,966 were administered to patients across Ireland, with € 11,995 specifically going to patients in County Clare. Travel2Care is a transportation assistance fund which has been made available by the National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP) to patients travelling for cancer treatment and is administered by the Irish Cancer Society.

The organisation also distributed more than 688,266 cancer information booklets and fact sheets to people concerned about cancer across the country in 2011; 7,575 booklets and fact sheets were sent to people in the county. While there were 259 registered Daffodil Day supporters in Clare, many more assisted them in selling daffodils and gathering donations on the day.

John McCormack, CEO, Irish Can- cer Society said, “This year marks the 25th birthday of Daffodil Day, and, since it began in 1988, we have seen a massive increase in the demand for our services due to the ever increasing incidence of cancer.

“The latest figures from the NCRI show that there were 733 cases of cancer diagnosed in Clare last year. Now, more than ever, the services we provide are crucial.

“The money we raise on Daffodil Day goes directly to support people with cancer and their families at every stage of the cancer journey,” he said.

THE Ennis Access to Space Initiative (EASI) should be about paving the way for new businesses to come into Ennis, rather than using vacant building in the county capital as a vehicle for promoting and cultivating artistic endeavour.

Calls for this business-led approach to the EASI project that was launched at a public meeting in Ennis was championed by a spokesperson for Limerick City Council that has pioneered the ‘Occupy Limerick Space’ initiative for artists.

“We are looking at evolving our scheme more into pop-up-shop type scenarios where people would sell arts and crafts,” Mary Grace revealed.

“It would allow people to go in and test the market with low overheads and they may potentially become a rent paying tenant of that landlord down the road.

“That’s where this scheme needs to go if we want to keep our towns and cities vibrant. The requirement is for a business-led focus. We have to be looking at creating sustainable business models.

“It’s fine having a place that’s tem- porarily active in the current climate, but we need to get business models in there that can sustain themselves in the future.

“We need someone with a business mind who’s saying ‘can I set up a business out of this in a couple of months time’. ‘Can I be a future tenant for this landlord’. ‘Am I in a position to pay him a rent if I can make a go out of this’,” added Ms Grace in outlining her vision of what the longterm goals of the Ennis initiative should be.

In backing EASI, Ms Grace said it was up to landlords to see “potential in their vacant properties” rather than looking on them as a problem. “We had to decide to be innovative and come up with a solution,” she said, “and we were very lucky to get one landlord, who was a huge fan of the scheme.

“He promoted it to everybody else. He went to talk to his fellow landlords to get them on board. If you can get someone like that, that’s an asset.

“If you can get estate agents who are committed to it, that’s another major asset because we did find that there was one particular firm in Limerick – Rooney Auctioneers who were very good at selling and very good at encouraging landlords to come on board with the scheme.

“The next challenge is finding suitable vacant properties. All properties out there aren’t immediately suitable. Some of them need work to be done to them. Just because properties are vacant doesn’t mean you can take it straight away.

“Creatives need to be reminded of their duties: active occupancy – to keep the place clean and tidy. It’s always important that people remember their responsibilities.

“The responsibility in all cases is to the landlord. We have to ensure that their asset is protected,” she added.

A SHANNON man has received a six-month prison sentence for offences committed while on bail last year. Martin O’Callaghan (23) with an address at 156 Cluain Airne, Shannon, pleaded guilty to charges of criminal damage and theft at Ennis District Court on Wednesday.

O’Callaghan was charged with damaging the fly window of a car at Dun na Rí, Shannon on November 1, 2011. O’Callaghan was also charged with taking a wallet, valued at € 55, from the car.

On the same date at Bothar Na Luachra, Shannon, O’Callaghan was found by gardaí to be in possession of a screwdriver with the intention that it could be used in the course of, or, in connection with a theft.

Insp Tom Kennedy told the court that the cost of the damage to the car was € 150. He said that O’Callaghan has 52 previous convictions.

The court heard that the offences were committed while the accused was on bail.

Solicitor Turlough Herbert said that his client had been in the grip of a serious drug addiction at the time.

The court heard that O’Callaghan is currently serving a sentence for his role in an aggravated burglary committed in Sixmilebridge in January 2010. Mr Herbert said that O’Callaghan had not been in contact with drugs since going into prison. He said his client had made admissions to gardaí and had returned with them to the scene of the car break in to help look for the discarded wallet. He said that O’Callaghan, a father of two, wished to apologise to the owner of the car.

Judge Aeneas McCarthy stated that as the offences had been committed while the accused was on bail, then any sentence would have to run consecutive to the current prison term.

In respect of the criminal damage charge, Judge McCarthy imposed a six-month sentence to commence on the lawful termination of the threeyear sentence currently being served by O’Callaghan.