Category: News

SERIOUS crimes figures in Clare are down by almost one fifth in the last year, according to preliminary Garda figures.

Despite having to cope with a drop of 41 members in the Clare force since last March, An Garda Síochana in Clare has overseen a reduction in almost all crimes, with two exceptions – homicide and theft.

There were no murder cases in the county in 2010, with two people killed in 2011. These cases are now before the court.

While theft from the person has reduced by 75 per cent, general theft has increased by two per cent due to the increase in theft of domestic oil from private homes.

The theft of copper was also increasing these figures, although gardaí have prosecuted a number of gangs specialising in this theft in the last number of months.

Chief Superintendent John Kerins said that theft of copper reduced from 20 per cent in the first half of the year to just two per cent in the second half as a result of arrests and the reduction in the value of copper.

Theft of domestic oil continues to be an issue, with gangs specialising in this crime.

A group of plain clothes gardaí last week stopped a car in Sixmilebridge and arrested a group from Limerick who had sophisticated oil stifling equipment with them. The chief superintendent said that the strongest deterrents against such crimes and the best chance of a successful arrest are a good neighbourhood watch.

Sexual offences reported were also down last year by 15 per cent.

Many of the cases reported were also years old, in some cases older than the investigating garda, according to Ennis Superintendent Peter Duff.

In total the top 11 crimes had reduced by 18.6 per cent, with public order offences also reduced.

The supply and sales of drugs has reduced by 19 per cent in the last year with drug possession down 40 per cent. In total the gardaí from the Clare Division recorded 20,821 incidents on PULSE last year, an equivalent of 400 per week or 57 incidents per day.

THE Minister for Transport, Leo Varadkar, had revealed that there were up to 1200 military flights through Shannon Airport in 2011, carrying nearly 250,000 US troops.

A breakdown of these figures has revealed that over 600 troops passed through Shannon every day in the 12 months up to December 31. Details of troop numbers were revealed by Minister Varadkar after a question was tabled by Sinn Féin deputy, Padraig Mac Lochlainn.

“My Department does not collate information with regard to the number of military troops on board civilian aircraft,” said Minister Varadkar. “However, on the basis of information collected by the Dublin Airport Authority, I understand the number of troops that have passed through Shannon Airport in 2011 was under 250,000,” he added.

“The figures make a mockery of the notion of Irish neutrality, and show that successive governments have relinquished all interest in maintaining an independent Irish foreign policy,” said a spokesperson for Shannonwatch.

Between 2001 and January 2011 there were 12,154 military stopovers in Shannon, carrying 2,0300,925 troops, while 11,995 return flights have accounted for 2,029,365 military personnel over the same period.

The 2001 to 2011 figures revealed that the peak period of Shannon’s use in US military operations came in 2005, when 1,973 flights passed through the airport, carrying 335,847 passengers, over double the amount that had passed through the previous year.

The build-up of troop manouvres started in 2003, before and after President Bush ordered an invasion of Iraq on March 19 of that year.

Meanwhile, following another Dáil question tabled by Deputy Mac Lochlainn the Minister for Transport, Alan Shatter has revealed that it nearly costs € 1m a year to police Shannon Aiport.

“The total cost of the assistance provided by the Defence Forces to An Garda Síochána at Shannon Airport during 2011 was € 259,739. This figure comprises the cost of Security Duty Allowances, rations and fuel,” said Minister Shatter.

“I am informed by the Garda authorities that the cost of policing arrangements at Shannon Airport for 2011 is € 994,052,” he added. These figures represent an increase of almost € 200,000 on the 2010 figures.

A COMMUNITY united in grief around the Lavery family yesterday as they said goodbye to their “little angel” Maureen. Parts of Ennis came to a halt as family, friends and colleagues bade farewell to a woman recalled as a true inspiration.

The 27-year-old beautician passed away at the weekend following a brave battle with cancer. Mourners lined O’Connell Street and the steps to the Ennis Cathedral as Maureen embarked on her final journey.

Fr Fergal O’Neill, who presided over the funeral mass, said the huge number of people who attended to pay their respects illustrated just how popular and highly regarded Maureen was. Fr O’Neill said the deep sense of sadness would make people wonder, “It isn’t fair that Maureen was taken so young.”

Moving tributes were paid to Maureen, a former student of Holy Family National School and Coláiste Muire. The service heard that after leaving school, Maureen graduated with top honours as a beautician from Pembroke College. From there she worked at Normoyle’s Chemist, Brown Thomas and Rochford’s Chemist.

Her academic excellence was such, recalled Fr O’Neill, that the college was keen for her to extend her studies. He recalled the first time he met Maureen a year ago and how he was struck by her positive and amazing personality and strong willpower. He said she was a remarkable young woman who never complained about her illness.

Friends said Maureen was a person of tremendous loyalty and companionship. The service heard how she fought her battle against cancer with “determination and grace”.

The daughter of John and Mairead Lavery, Maureen was described as a loving daughter, cherished sister and devoted aunt. Her friends recalled Maureen’s fun-loving personality and sense of mischief, her dedication to her work at Rochford’s and her deep and abiding faith in angels.

There was an outpouring of emotion online with family and friends posting tender tributes and offering their condolences to the Lavery family. Friends described her as “beautiful, kind and amazing person”. Another poster recalled Maureen as one of the nicest people you could hope to meet.

She will be sadly missed by her parents, siblings Sarah, Michael and Aaron, boyfriend Barry, extended family and many friends.

ENNIS’ bid to become host town for the 2013 Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann has received a huge boost with the news that the Ulster Council of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann has come out in opposition to bringing the flagship festival of Irish traditional music to the north for the first time in its 60year history.

The Ulster ruling body delivered its verdict on Sunday night, six days ahead of the crucial vote at Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann headquarters in Dublin where Ennis, Sligo and Derry are the three town competing to host the 2013 festival.

By way of a secret ballot vote, the 31-member ruling body of Comhaltas will decide between the three centres on where the festival – worth € 30m to the host town’s economy – will be staged.

Up until Sunday, Derry were considered favourites to win the threeway race, principally on the back of the political weight that was thrown behind their 2013 Fleadh bid by Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland, Martin McGuinness.

“Derry has all the key ingredients they need to host an amazing Fleadh in 2013,” said Mr McGuinness. “If successful this bid would make history, giving our young people the opportunity of a lifetime to experience this rich cultural event,” he added.

In December, senior members of the Comhaltas, including Chairperson Labhrás Ó Murchú, met to discuss Derry’s bid after their recent trip to meet with civic leaders in the city, which has been designated as British City of Culture in 2013.

However, the Derry bid could now be in ruins following the decision by the Ulster Council. “We understand that it was based on the perceived threat from dissident republicans to families and visitors celebrating Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in Derry,” a spokesperson for Comhaltas Dhoire said.

“We believe this decision is a mistake and plays into the hands of those who want to hold back any efforts to bring opportunity to our city and region. Derry’s bid for the Fleadh has been acknowledged as being one of the best packages ever presented to Comhaltas and yet we have been denied our right to celebrate our Irish culture.

“We will be appealing the decision to ensure the voices of everyone who sees the value in celebrating Irish culture and those who support our bid is heard,” the spokesperson added.

Last year, The Clare People revealed that there were elements of Comhaltas Ceoiltóirí Éireann in the north who didn’t what the festival in Derry, principally because it’s the British City of Culture designation in 2013 The Ennis bid to host the 2013 Fleadh was made earlier this month when the local committee that draws together the local branch of Clare Comhaltas, Clare County Council, Clare GAA, Ennis Town Council and Shannon Development re-activated the 2012 submission to host the Fleadh.

The Clare submission identified 25 venues in Ennis that would facilitate the event that would cater for up to 200,000 music lovers from across the world, with the Clare County Council headquarters on New Road designated as the hub of operations.

Ennis previously hosted Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in 1956 and 1977.

BYELAWS with real teeth are required to prevent the “intimidation” of staff at Ennis’ main sports and recreation amenity.

Mayor of Ennis, Cllr Michael Guilfoyle (Ind) made the call to highlight what he said is the growing problem of dogs being let off leads at Lees Road.

Last April, the issue of dogs being let run off leads in Drumcliffe graveyard was highlighted by local clergy. The problem prompted Fr John McGovern to issue a notice calling on pet-owners to respect graves.

At last week’s meeting of Ennis Council, Cllr Guilfoyle said stronger byelaws are also required to stop illegal parking and driving.

Cllr Guilfoyle said some drivers are ignoring the one-way system in place at Lees Road. He said that staff attempting to enforce the existing laws regarding parking and pets have been “intimidated”.

“This is wrong and we have to give them real powers,” he added.

Cllr Guilfoyle said problems have also arisen where people paying to use the synthetic running track have been “pushed off” the facility by non-payers.

Commenting on proposed new equipment at Lees Road, Cllr Guilfoyle said, “It’s a wonderful place and we have to protect it.”

The council has announced plans to install new facilities at Lees Road. The council has received funding of € 34,000 from the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport for the provision of outdoor gym equipment at Lees Road.

Active trail equipment – which includes a trail crossing, rope post crossing, crossbeam crossing, rope crossing and hand-over-hand ladder will be installed as part of the project. This equipment will incorporate new elements for children, teenagers and adults.

CLARE farmers have been urged to stay vigilant and safe in the weeks ahead as improving weather will bring more dangers on local farms. With animals set to return to the land and farmers anxious to take advantage of any breaks in the weather, the next two months promise to be very busy on the county’s farms.

A farm safety seminar for the Clare area will take place later today, January 17, at the Greenhills Hotel in Limerick and all Clare farmers have been urged to attend.

The meeting, which was organised by IOSH Western District, will begin at 7pm and will address all major farm safety issues.

There was good news for Clare farmers last week as new figures showed that no on-farm deaths had taken place in Clare in 2011.

This is in stark contrast to the previous year, unfortunately, when the Banner County recorded the third highest number of farm fatalities in Ireland.

This positive trend was not recorded all over the county in 2011, as farming was named as the most dangerous profession for the third year in a row.

“Figures show that over half of all workplace fatalities happen in the agriculture sector and the number of deaths have been pretty high the last number of years when compared to other countries,”said Clare TD Joe Carey (FG).

“The main areas of concern are livestock- and tractor- and machinery-related incidents. Many farmers I know are very conscious of the dangers of their work environment, yet we need to change the way we think about safety on Irish farms. I know the Minister for Agriculture, Simon Coveney, is working closely with the Health Safety Authority in promoting farm safety initiatives.

“In particular, I want to draw attention to the dedicated farm safety area on the Department of Agriculture’s website home page. It should also be acknowledged that Teagasc has been very active in providing farm safety training to farmers and farm advisers nationwide.

“We need to get the number of deaths and accidents on farms down and it is not acceptable that half of all workplace fatalities should occur on farms. I would encourage all farmers to take the time to visit the Department of Agriculture website.”

The IOSH Western District Farm Safety Seminar is open to all farmers and will take place in the Greenhills Hotel in Limerick this evening, January 17, from 7pm.

MUHAMMAD Ali was overwhelmed by the reaction to his ‘homecoming’ and now Ennis should seek to position itself as Ireland’s greatest town of Cead Míle Fáilte.

Thousands lined the streets for the former world champion’s visit in 2009.

A year later, Lonnie Ali said she had never experienced anything like the large crowds that turned out to welcome her husband to Ennis.

Speaking at the time, she said, “All the people in Ennis that came out and welcomed us, all the people that came out and supported us. There were so many people there and Muhammad was so excited, he’s still excited when he thinks back to that day.”

Now there are calls for Ennis to cap- italise on its reputation as a welcoming town. Councillor Johnny Flynn (FG) told last week’s meeting of Ennis Town Council that Ali’s family had remarked that the welcome he received in Ennis “meant more to him than his Olympic medals”.

He said this image should be used to promote Ennis abroad.

Cllr Flynn was speaking as members backed a proposed to make Ali the first recipient of a County Clare passport.

The proposal was made by Cllr Paul O’Shea (Lab) to conincide with Ali’s 70th birthday this Tuesday In a motion submitted to the meeting, Cllr O’Shea called on the council to offer a Clare passport to visitors.

He said holders would be entitled to discounts at major tourism attractions, shops and restaurants.

In his response, Town Clerk Leonard Cleary, stated that the council works closely with the tourism industry on initiatives to promote Ennis.

He added, “The development of an incentivised pricing discount structure for visitor attractions would need to be led by the tourism industry and supported based on available resources by the local authority.”

Mr Cleary said the proposal could be further discussed at the next meeting of the Ennis Municipal Policy Committee (MPC)

THE voluntary spirit is alive and well in Clare as new figures show that more than 239 people registered with the Clare Volunteer Centre (CVC) in 2011.

According to the centre, volunteers worked over 9,342 hours in 2011. Using the average industrial wage, the centre estimates that this work equates to a value of more than € 204,000.

Of the volunteers who signed up in 2011, the most popular areas of interest were health and disability and youth/children. The most popular reasons for wanting to volunteer were free time and a desire to give something back. Sixty per cent of the volunteers who signed up with the volunteer centre last year had never volunteered before. Over 100 organisations are now registered with Clare Volunteer Centre. Last year, 34 new organisations registered with the centre.

Commenting on the success of 2011, Sharon Meaney said, “2011 was the European Year of Volunteering so we were delighted to help 239 Clare residents to start volunteering. It’s remarkable to see that the work of Clare volunteers in 2011 amounted to a value of over € 204,000 but, really, the difference volunteers make to our community is immeasurable.”

She continued, “The Volunteer Discount Card, which was launched in conjunction with the Ennis Chamber, Clare County Council and Clare Lo- cal Development Company to celebrate the European Year of Volunteering, was very well received with over 2,000 cards being distributed county-wide. We were delighted to work with many organisations across the county during 2011, supporting them in developing practices to ensure that volunteers are recognised and valued for their contribution.”

Clare Volunteer Centre is a free service aimed at encouraging more people to become involved in volunteering across the county.

ENNIS Town Council has not ruled out the possibility of turning Ennis’ oldest inhabited house into a museum at some point in the future.

Recent tests have shown that Ms Irene Clune’s house, known as McParland’s on Parnell Street, is one of the oldest timber frame houses in Ireland, dating back to the 16th century.

The building’s triple diamond stone Jacobean chimney has been an icon of medieval Ennis for centuries. The house has undergone necessary structural repair work in recent months.

At last week’s meeting of Ennis Town Council, Councillor Paul O’Shea (Lab) called for the council to seek funding to open a medieval museum at McParland’s.

In his reply to Cllr O’Shea’s motion, Town Manager Ger Dollard stated that conservation works at the site are progressing well and should be completed by February. He confirmed that the council has received a grant of € 85,000 from the Department to part-fund the work.

Mr Dollard said, “Arrangements need to be made to cover the balance of the overall cost (€ 170,000) arising on the present contract.”

He continued, “The council is conscious that the house does represent the home of an elderly lady who has an expectation of returning to the property when the works have been completed. The property is not owned by Ennis Town Council.

“In addition, the structure is a very confined structure and it is difficult to see how it could operate as a visitor facility.

“It should also be noted that the County Museum is currently funded on a joint basis by Ennis Town Council and Clare County Council and the council would not have the resources to commit to the management of a separate and further museum.”

Mr Dollard continued, “However, the council is conscious of the importance of the building and this will remain a consideration for the council in any future discussions in relation to the property.

“The suggestion contained in the motion will be borne in mind in any discussion on future use of the property.”

CONCERNS have been raised this week by members of the Psychiatric Nurses Association in Clare that cutbacks with the health services in Tipperary will severely impact of the care that will be available for Clare psychiatric patients.

This is because the closure of the psychiatric ward at Clonmel Hospital now means that patients from the north Tipperary catchment that were previously catered for in Clonmel now have to come to Ennis for treatment.

“This impacts on Clare,” one psy- chiatric nurse told The Cla re People this week, “because a service that was there for Clare patients is effectively being stretched with much more demands placed on it.

“This leads to overcrowding and patients being on the corridors,” he added. The Cla re People has learned that up to 12 patients from north Tipperary who previously would have been catered for in Clonmel have now come to Ennis for their psychiatric care needs.

With only around 40 psychiatric beds in Clare at present, the move to bring patients from Tipperary for their treatment to already overloaded services in Clare has been met with opposition from public representatives.

“This has to be put on hold,” said Cllr Brian Meaney, who is a member of Regional Health Forum West.

“The HSE should do this until such time as they know what their staff compliment for psychiatric services will be this year and if it is implemented it will put a very big strain on resources,” he added.

The news of extra demand for acute beds in Clare comes at the same time as the publication of the HSE Service Plan for 2012 that was launched by the Minister for Health, James Reilly on Monday.

“It’s clear that there is now a reduction in bed capacity in acute services in the region and this places greater pressure on services in Clare,” Deputy Timmy Dooley said on Monday, “while there could be a reduction of up to 230 elderly care beds in the public area over the next year in the west area that Clare is a part of.

“If this happens the long-term future of the public nursing homes that are in Ennistymon, Raheen and Kilrush could be put in jeopardy,” he added.

The HSE West was contacted by The Cla re People , but declined to comment on the Clare specifics of the 2012 Service Plan.