Category: News

THE people of Clare have been asked to give their opinion on the future direction that Clare County Council should take when planning for alternative energy projects.

Just weeks after the local authority placed a ban on fracking in Clare and with a number of high-profile wind energy projects still awaiting planning permission or connection to the national grid, the local authority has opened the floor to the people to point the way forward.

Clare County Council must com- plete a long-term renewable energy strategy in the next 12 months and this strategy will set out the council’s approach to dealing with offshore wind, wave, hydro and biomass energy sources in the years ahead.

Once completed, Clare County Council will become the first local authority in the country with a full Renewable Energy Strategy built into its county development plan.

“We have an opportunity to exploit these resources and in doing so create clean energy and attract inward investment to the county and the country.

“This comes at a time when the country is searching for solutions to many social and economic issues,” said the Mayor of Clare, Pat Hayes (FF).

“I am delighted that Clare County Council is taking a pro-active approach to facilitating renewable energy development in the County.

“The preparation of a Renewable Energy Strategy will help guide the location and development of renewable energy proposals and ancillary businesses while also establishing the views from members of the public and other stakeholders.

“I would encourage people to make their views known to the Planning Authority.”

The update version of the County Development Plan is set to be adopted by Clare County Council in December of 2012 or January of 2013.

“Clare is particularly fortunate to possess considerable wind, biomass, wave and tidal resources. It is imperative that we have a strategy in place to maximise the potential of these resources while minimising any environmental impacts, thus enabling the County to achieve a low-carbon economy,” said County Manager Tom Coughlan.

“The strategy will be prepared to reflect the changing economic environment and to provide a blueprint for increased economic activity and job creation through value added activities such as manufacturing and research and development.

“It also will facilitate development of renewable energy having regard to recent technological advances and will identify the imperative requirement for enhanced grid connectivity regulation.”

The closing date for submissions to Clare County Council is Friday, March 9.

For more information, visit www. clarecoco.ie.

THE amount of racism being experienced by migrants living and working in Clare has increased over the past 12 months – but the vast majority of people still do not report racist activity to the authorities.

The Immigrant Council of Ireland (ICI) released its 2011 statistics last week which showed that they received 155 queries from people in Clare over the last 12 months. As the vast majority of people who contact the ICI do not identify their county of origin, the number of Clare-based people contacting the organisation is believed to be closer to 500.

According to Brian Killoran of the ICI, the recession has increased the pressure on migrants – most of whom will lose their legal right to reside in Ireland if they lose their job.

“There is a definite noticeable increase in the numbers who have been reporting racial incidences over the last year. There is still not a huge amount but there has been a very noticeable increase in the negative experiences that people are having on a day-to-day basis. The big hill that we are facing in terms of racist abuse is that people are reluctant to report an incident,” he said.

“The people will speak about it to their own family and friends but will not report it to the authorities or to the Guards. They just get on with it. The results of that is that statistic across the board for racism are still relatively low but all the anecdotal evidence suggests that racism is quite high but people are just not reporting it. They just don’t think that anything will happen if they do.”

According to the ICI figures, the type of questions being asked by Clare-based migrants has changed also – with people now more concerned with what will happen to them if they lose their jobs and how they can apply for full Irish citizenship.

“The tone of queries has changed. Originally it was about family reunification but it is now much more about dealing with people who have been here for five or six years and the questions that they would have about gaining citizenship and things like that. People are very insecure about their jobs – most of the people we deal with are from outside the EU. So they have a work permit that is tied to their job but a lot of people are afraid of what will happen if they lose their job. Will they also lose their home,” continued Brian.

FOLLOWING a number of dog attacks on sheep in Clare over the last few weeks, dog owners in the county are being urged to ensure that their animals are kept under control at all times, especially during the busy lambing season.

One dog, which had been causing trouble for sheep, was killed by a landowner in the Crusheen area last week and farmers all over the county are asked to be vigilant and look out for their sheep.

Farmers are allowed to shoot dogs who are caught attacking sheep or dogs who come onto property where sheep have recently been attacked.

The IFA National Sheep Chairman, James Murphy, last week launched their ‘Do You Know Where Your Dog Is?’ campaign to highlight the damage being done by stray dogs.

“The IFA campaign is aimed at dog owners and is reminding them of their responsibilities to ensure they are in control of their pets at all times,” he said.

“Up to 2.5 million lambs will be born on 30,000 sheep farms across the country over the next three months. Sheep flocks are very vulnerable to dog attacks at this critical time, especially during the night.”

Dog attacks on a sheep flock are extremely stressful and damaging events for farmers and can inflict savage injuries and often fatalities on farms.

“Aside from the economic losses, for which dog owners can be held liable, the welfare implications for the flock can be very severe and longlasting.

“Sheep never recover fully from a dog attack and can suffer ongoing difficulties, including reproduction problems and increased nervousness affecting their general health,” continued James.

“If a dog worries livestock, the owner or any other person in charge of the dog shall be guilty of an offense unless it is established that at the time the dog worried the livestock for the purpose of removing trespassing livestock and that having regard to all the circumstances the action was reasonable and necessary.”

TAXI drivers in Clare say they are facing financial ruin as changes to the law mean they will not be able to sell their licences after October.

While MEP Jim Higgins (FG) maintains that the new taxi legislation is good for Ennis, the men and women behind the wheel have a different opinion.

Ennis taxi driver and member of the Irish Taxi Drivers Federation Martin White described as “ludicrous” the ban on selling licences.

“It is absolutely ludicrous to tell drivers that have invested in plates, that they can’t sell them after October,” he said. “A lot of theses lads have 25 to 27 years experience and if they, God forbid, has a stroke or heart attack after October their family would be left with a licence that could not be sold.”

He added that at least three local taxi drivers spent more than € 100,000 on licences before deregulation in 2000. “Then too many plates were issued when deregulation came in,” added Mr White.

He said taxi drivers are struggling to make ends meet as Ennis town has become very quite and there are so many licensed drivers out there.

“I worked for 12 hours last Monday for € 18,” he said.

Another driver told how she worked from 9pm to 12.30pm on Sunday and made just € 6. He maintains the new legislation will force a lot of experienced drivers out of the business before October and on to the dole queues. “The Government should buy back the plates from lads that want to get out,” he said. “There is € 22 million in the national reserve that was handed over from the regulator and we are asking the Government to put € 2 million a year aside and let some drivers out with a bit of dignity.” He said that there were a lot of regulations in the new legislation, which he welcomed, but the non-sale of licences was crazy.

The MEP, Mr Higgins has welcomed the new legislation which he says will resolve the problems currently in existence in Ennis due to an oversupply of taxis.

“In recent years, taxi ranks in Ennis were overflowing. It’s about getting the balance right. In the ‘90s there were not enough taxis in Ennis, but in the past decade, things went too far in the other direction. These new proposals mean professional drivers will be given a fairer crack of the whip, by eliminating rogue operators, and at the same time increasing the service levels provided to the public.”

Among the measures to be introduced include taxi drivers having to accept credit cards, a new more tamper-proof taxi plate, and a smart phone application to allow customers to check in real time with their phone that the taxi driver is properly licensed.

WITH slurry storage capacity reaching critical levels on many Clare farms, the Minister for Agriculture, Simon Coveney (FG), last week released the details for next year’s nitrates regulations.

As a Zone B county, Clare farmers were legally allowed to begin spreading slurry again on their farms from mid-January but this process was severely delayed on many farms because of poor soil conditions.

However, following the recent cold and dry conditions, it is expected that many farmers will be in a position to begin emptying their slurry tanks in the coming days and weeks.

Speaking in Dublin last week, the Minister for Agriculture announced the application requirements for farmers seeking a nitrates derogation this year with exact details of the derogation process now available on the Department’s website.

As in previous years, the closing date for receipt of applications has been set for March 31 and no applications for derogations will be accepted after this date. A copy of the fertiliser plan must be submitted with the application unless the farmer has either an approved derogation for 2010 or 2011 or an approved REPS 4 plan in place.

“This is the ideal time to consider whether or not to apply for a dero- gation in 2012. Intensive grassland farmers are allowed to exceed the general limit of 170 kg of nitrogen per hectare per year from livestock manure on their farm, up to a limit of 250 kg, provided that they have a derogation in place,” he said.

“The Nitrogen and Phosphorus statements for 2011 will be issued to the more intensive farmers shortly. These statements are there to assist farmers in deciding whether or not they need to apply for a derogation.”

The minister encouraged farmers that will exceed the nitrates limits to apply for a derogation or take other remedial action and thereby avoid penalties being applied to their scheme payments.

“The Department is continuing with the initiative introduced last year to inform the less intensive farmers of their estimated capacity to take in and use organic fertilisers as an alternative to buying in chemical fertiliser,” he said. “A key element of the growth projections under Food Harvest 2020 is the drive for greater efficiencies at farm level including the cost of input. The efficient use of organic fertiliser is a key point in this context.

“I was encouraged by the response to last year’s initiative and I expect an even greater interest this year from farmers who previously would not have considered taking in slurry.”

TROUBLED teens from Clare were amongst those sent abroad last year for “treatment” at a cost of € 250,000 each, while a local specialist unit was closed for renovation.

That is according to Ennis Town Councillor Paul O’Shea (Lab) who raised concerns that Coovagh House was closed for renovations for more than six months.

The house on the grounds of St Joseph’s Hospital in Limerick was built in 2003 at a cost of € 10 million to house and assist teenagers from Clare, Limerick and Tipperary with behavioural problems.

Cllr O’Shea brought it to the attention of his council colleagues that as many as 13 young people were sent abroad for care at a cost of € 6. 5 million or a quarter of a million euro each.

This process has since ceased, leaving Cllr O’Shea to question where Clare teens with problem are now being referred.

“This is a national disgrace,” he said.

The Ennis councillor added that he also wants to know when the local unit, which closed in June last year, will reopen. “It closed at the time for renovations, which were to take six weeks,” he added.

He said that he was having difficulty getting any commitment on the future of Coovagh House from the HSE, and was now bringing the matter to the attention of Labour TD Michael McNamara.

In reply to questions from The Cla r e People, a spokesperson for the HSE said that Coovagh House was scheduled to reopen in March 2012, once the remaining development work was completed.

“The staff are reassigned locally or to other units within the National High Support and Special Care Service,” she said.

Asked where the young people who rely on this specialist unit now reside, the spokesperson replied, “Young people are accommodated in other units within the National High Support and Special Care Service.”

Meanwhile, Ennis Town Council has agreed to write to the HSE seeking clarification of the re-opening date, and when referrals can be made for Ennis children who require urgent special care.

THREE men have received prison sentences for their role in an aggravated burglary in Sixmilebridge two years ago.

At Ennis Circuit Court yesterday, sentences were imposed on Simon Gentles and Noel and Martin O’Callaghan.

A 14-year-old boy, his mother and his elder brother were victims of an aggravated burglary at their home in Ardkyle, Sixmilebridge, on January 7 (2010). A man, armed with a loaded shotgun, kicked in the door of the house and demanded to know the whereabouts of a safe.

Simon Gentles (25) with a previous address at Casement Drive, Finglas West, Dublin and Noel (50) and Martin O’Callaghan (23), both with a previous address at 8 Cronan Lawn, Shannon and Fergus Drive, Shannon, were all charged with aggravated burglary. All three men had pleaded guilty to the charge.

Of the three men’s roles in the burglary, the court heard that Gentles entered the house with a loaded shotgun and demanded to know where the safe was. Martin O’Callaghan and Gentles planned the robbery while Martin’s father, Noel, played a “lesser role” in the crime. The court heard that Noel O’Callaghan did not know a gun would be used in the incident.

Judge Carroll Moran said that after prodding the woman in the stomach with the shotgun, Gentles told the boy that he “would blow his mother’s head off” if he was not told where the safe was. He said the family had been in “mortal danger of their lives”.

Judge Moran said extensive phone evidence had implicated the accused. He said two cars had been used to bring Gentles and Martin O’Callaghan to the house. A car was also used to transport the gun, the court heard. Judge Moran commended the mother for her “fortitude in this appalling incident”.

He said, “The use of a gun in a criminal enterprise, especially burglary, is a very serious aggravating factor.”

Acknowledging all three men’s guilty pleas, Judge Moran sentenced Gentles to four years in prison; Martin O’Callaghan to three years in prison; and Noel O’Callaghan to three years in prison.

A SEISMOMETER located at the Cliffs of Moher has already recorded two earthquakes in its first week of operations.

The machine, which was installed by the Geological Survey of Ireland at the Cliffs of Moher last week, has already detected two earthquakes which shook the Pacific Islands of Vanuatu over the past few days.

An earthquake measuring 2.6 on the Richter Scale shook North Clare in May of 2006. This new device will be able to provide exact details on any future tremors which occur in the area.

“The seismometer is a precisionbuilt custom-made device which will be recording data on an ongoing basis at the Cliffs of Moher. Already, since it has been installed, a series of substantial earthquakes in Vanuatu in the Pacific Islands have been registered,” said Katherine Webster of the Cliffs of Moher Visitors Experience.

“When we record an incident on the seismometer we update the data to the Incorporated Research Institutions of Seismology (IRIS). The information that we pick up is quite technical. We can establish the distance at which the earthquake is oc- curring, however, in order to find the location of the earthquake we need to have the information from two other seismographs which would allow us to triangulate the exact location.

“Had the device been installed for the May 2010 earthquake in Clare it would have recorded data from it – likewise the one in Donegal last week.”

As well as recording seismic events from all over the world the seismometer will also be used as part of the Cliff’s Education Programme for students and a graphic display is attached to the device to providing both historic and real time informa- tion for visitors to view.

Meanwhile, the Cliffs of Moher Visitors Experience will celebrate its fifth birthday tomorrow with a number of events to mark the occasion. The centre, which was officially opened by the then Taoiseach Bertie Ahern (FF) on February 8, 2007, in one of his final events as Taoiseach.

To mark the anniversary, The Cliffs of Moher Visitors Experience will launch a detailed guide leaflet for the cliffs which will be presented to everyone tourist who comes to the North Clare centre. The celebration will take place from 12 noon to 4pm tomorrow with free entry for those who wish to attend.

GARDAI in Kilrush are making progress in a disturbing case in which a pig’s head was sent to one of its members.

The severed head was sent by registered post to the garda’s home.

Colleagues of the officer, based in West Clare, are outraged that he was singled out in this manner.

The officer in question is well respected in the local community and highly regarded by those he works with.

It is still not known how the gruesome item was packaged but it did not arouse any suspicion among postal staff.

The registered package had to be signed for when it was delivered to the garda’s address.

Gardaí are now attempting to es- tablish who sent the package to their colleague.

“It was a very personal attack. To have something like this sent to a person’s home address is a despicable act,” said a source.

“It was a full pig’s head that was sent to him in a package. It was sent to his home and an incident like this would cause anyone distress, not least a person who is just trying to do their job and make a living.”

The informed source added that the garda is highly thought of by those who know him and people he has met through the course of his duties.

The garda is heavily involved in community work in the region.

“He is extremely approachable to all living there and is very good at his job.

“He did not deserve this whatsoever,” the source added.

FEARS have been expressed that history will repeat itself in Clare, resulting in beds remaining closed at one of the county’s best known nursing homes.

The HSE revealed this week that between five and 10 beds will close in the county’s public nursing homes when the results of a review of the Long Term Nursing Homes is announced.

A further 19 beds are to close at St Joseph’s Hospital in Ennis for refur- bishment, but one Clare representative on the HSE West Forum, Cllr Brian Meaney (GP), said he hopes that the word “refurbishment” does not have the same connotations that it has had in recent health history.

“What has to be welcomed is that the HSE is providing the resources to upgrade two large wards in St Joseph’s to comply with HIQA requirements.

“It is a credit to staff at St Joseph’s that they have been able to keep bed reductions to a minimum to allow the ward closures for the upgrade,” he said. “The greatest challenge to all nursing homes in Clare will be trying to keep beds operational as nursing staff are not being replaced. I am concerned that the HSE admission that between five and 10 beds will be lost could be compounded by hard decisions hospital management will have to make to safely manage beds,” he added.

“I request that Deputy Breen and the other TDs continue to make a case for the lifting of the embargo on frontline staff. The reality is beds will close unless nurses can be employed.

“While I understand that TDs have to try to be the first with telling their constituents some good news, I request them to make it clear to the Minister for Finance and Health that the embargo on hiring nurses will cause a reduction in the number of elderly care and acute beds.”

Clare TD Pat Breen (FG) welcomed news that no nursing home in Clare is to close following the review and said he was assured that 11 of St Joseph’s beds will be re-opened after six weeks, with the remaining eight beds re-opening after a further six weeks.

“I understand from the HSE that the situation in the Long Term Nursing Home area will be kept under constant review for the remainder of the year and that hopefully no further bed closures will be necessary but this will be dependent on a number of factors; namely an unanticipated increase in sick leave or further staff departures from the service or other changed circumstances,” Deputy Breen said.

The nursing homes included in the review are Regina House in Kilrush, Raheen Hospital in Tuamgraney, Ennistymon Hospital and St Joseph’s Hospital.