Category: News

LISDOONVARNA matchmaker Willie Daly is to re-double his efforts to find a suitable husband for the newly-separated Irish singersongwriter Sinead O’Connor.

Last September, O’Connor engaged the services of Daly and his daughter Claire during a much publicised visit to Lisdoonvarna, but last week announced that she and her husband of just 16 days had separated.

According to Daly, O’Connor’s marriage to drugs counsellor Barry Herridge happened too quickly and, because of that, was destined to fail.

“I think she was in too much of a rush. Sinead’s a wonderful, free spirit and I noticed that about her when she came to Lisdoonvarna earlier in the year,” he said.

“She got a lot of attention and was in huge demand from many of the eligible fellas when she was here, but I think the enthusiasm of one or two of them scared her off. She was maybe more picky than I expected her to be, but I’m still certain that I could find the right man for her.

“My technique is tried and tested and it works. Sinead has a wonderful heart and I’ve no doubt she will soon find the happiness she deserves and a lasting romance,” added Daly.

O’Connor made quite the stir when she arrived at this year’s Matchmaking Festival in Lisdoonvarna. She cut her planned three-day visit to the festival short and later admitted that the experience had been too much for her.

Describing the scene that greeted her at Lisdoonvarna, Sinead said that the gathered men were “winking and grinning at each other and hitching up their trousers as if to say: we’re in here, lads”.

Just two months after her visit to Lisdoonvarna, O’Connor tied the knot with Mr Herridge at the famous White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas. The marriage lasted just 16 days, with O’Connor admitting that the pair lived together for just seven days.

“From the moment myself and my husband got together not long ago, there was intense pressure placed upon him by certain people in his life, not to be involved with me,” she said. “The marriage was 16 days. We lived together for seven days only. Within three hours of the ceremony being over, the marriage was kiboshed by the behaviour of certain people in my husband’s life.”

Daly is the third generation in his family to take up matchmaking. He claims that his matches yield around 200 weddings each year.

BUSINESS representatives have expressed support for a new model of economic development for Ennis saying it will aid job protection.

Plans for a possible Business Improvement District (BID) were unveiled last week with backers claiming it will protect and create new jobs.

Incoming President of Ennis Chamber Brian O’Neill said, “The Chamber supports moves toward a possible BID initiative as it would be a great opportunity for business owners to improve their business streets/area, which they are most familiar with, in the most efficient manner for their own business, job protection and the district as a whole.”

Rita McInerney, Ennis Chamber CEO stated, “The BID process has worked very well in Dublin and elsewhere as shown just two weeks ago by a 78 per cent vote in favour of renewing the BID that ran for the last three years in Dundalk.”

Aoife Madden, Chairperson of Ennis Development Forum, “Recent experience shows that it is only by employers and employees working together with others such as Ennis Town Council that we can keep Ennis a strong employment centre and to grow jobs. The BID idea may well be the best way to go forward building on recent successful partnerships including the Ennis street radio, free parking initiative during Christmas and the Ennis Share the Feeling Christmas video.”

The concept of BIDs originated in northern America and BIDs have been in existence in the UK since 2003 with an estimated 1,000 BIDs now in the US and over 100 in the UK.

The largest BID in Ireland (and indeed in the whole of Europe), is the Dublin City BID, which has been in operation since March 2008 and has a five-year renewable mandate to develop and promote the economic advancement of Dublin city centre. Half-way through their mandate, the Dublin BID was able to report the following successes in their Annual Report of 2010: (1) A city-wide marketing group that for the first time brings together city stakeholders to establish a common message and approach to the promotion of the city; (2) The process of making the BID cost-neutral for our members by creating a heavily discounted insurance scheme. We intend devel- oping a wider programme of similar offers; (3) Local area action groups which establish members’ needs and expectations on a district by district basis and work to make the shared vision a reality; (4) A strong working relationship with the Gardaí that is helping to create a safer environment for our customers; (5) A prominent presence on the city’s Joint Policing Forum with the Lord Mayor, the Gardaí, Dublin City Council and other business groups to establish a road map for a sustainable and safer city; (6) A dialogue with politicians and city officers to plan for a new and vibrant city.

BUSINESS groups in Ennis say an intensive ‘Shop Local’ campaign helped boost trade in the town during December.

Representatives of Ennis Chamber and Ennis Development Forum say local businesses reported an increase in takings last month compared to Christmas 2010.

The introduction of free morning parking has also been cited as one of the main reasons for bringing more shoppers to Ennis.

“It was way up on the last two years. There was definitely more people in the town and most people said their tills were way up”, said Aoife Madden of Ennis Development Forum.

Free parking was one of a number of initiatives rolled out by Ennis Town Council in conjunction with local businesses for Christmas.

“The free parking definitely brought more people in, In the last two years, people, with the free parking in Limerick, were thinking why would I bother coming into Ennis. They did not come in”.

Ms Madden said Ennis Street Radio, which played music in the town centre, allied to the unseasonably mild weather, helped create a more festive atmosphere.

“Takings were up and the atmosphere was way better than last year”, she added.

The ‘Shop Local’ campaign was launched in earnest at the start of December with the release of a festive Internet video.

Ennis Town – Share the Feeling sees Santa Claus turn to Ennis ‘The friendliest town in Ireland’ to help him after all of his elves fall sick on Christmas Eve.

Directed by local man Gavin Gallagher, the 2min 54sec video was shot in locations around the town and features a number of well-known politicians and businesspeople.

The video has so far attracted just 23,500 views on websites You Tube and Vimeo. It has been distributed to hundreds more people around the world through social networking sites.

Incoming President of Ennis Chamber said shoppers were more mindful of the benefits of supporting local businesses.

He said, “The Shop Local campaign made a big difference. People did make that extra effort to shop locally and that was appreciated.

“Also businesses seemed to be supporting other businesses, which is what its all about.

“With the parking too, people were staying in town that little bit longer in the morning”.

Mayor of Ennis, councillor Michael Guilfoyle said the Council would support future free parking initiatives if the circumstances “warranted it”.

Cllr Guilfoyle said cooperation between Ennis Town Council and local businesses had helped boost trade in the town during Christmas.

He added, “The businesses definitely made an effort and the free parking seems to have had an effect especially in the morning”.

CLARE would have played a frontline role in Ireland’s reaction to a German victory in World War II, newly released papers relating to the operation of Met Éireann services have revealed. And the Met Éireann secret files have also revealed that Shannon Airport had been identified as having a key role to play in helping Ireland react quickly in the event of a nuclear war breaking out.

The Met Éireann papers which have been released in tandem with the latest publication of State papers reveal the extent of Clare’s role in dealing with the twin threats of a Nazi war victory and nuclear war.

The papers reveal efforts to protect weather reports from the Nazis, naturalise staff members who could face prosecution had the Germans won the Second World War and to ensure the protection of weather stations against nuclear fallout.

Released by the National Archives, the files outline a meeting of the inter departmental committee on emergency preparations for the delivery and maintenance of essential supplies in the event of a conflict. This included how goods would be bought from Britain and elsewhere and stored at Shannon Airport and Urlanmore in Newmarket-on-Fergus.

And, the spectre of nuclear war meant practical scenarios for the transport of vital supplies needed to be mapped out, with Shannon Airport crucial to this policy.

An air link to Canada and America was singled out as being vital to Ireland’s response to a nuclear situation, with one file stating Shannon would need to be operational for “essential cargo purposes only”, with no passengers likely to be flying.

A € 2 MILLION boost for North Clare is on the horizon with the news that funding for the long-awaited search and rescue centre for the Doolin Unit of the Irish Coast Guard is likely to be made available in 2014.

The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Leo Varadkar (FG), yesterday confirmed that funding for the centre would not be made available in 2012 but did confirm that the project would be given Government funding during the life of the current Capital Expenditure Programme. The Clare People has learned that 2014 has now been pencilled in as the start date for the project and, barring a major U-turn in Government policy, a funding confirmation for Doolin should be made next year.

This news was welcomed by Mattie Shannon of the Doolin Unit of the Irish Coast Guard, who said that the group was happy with the commitment that the rescue station would be delivered during the lifetime of the current Government.

“It is positive news in that it confirms that it is coming down the line. That is the important thing. We had expected that the funding would not be forthcoming for 2012 so that was not a great surprise to us,” said Mattie.

“We have heard that 2014 is now the likely date and, once we have the commitment that it is coming, we are happy with that. We have waited so long, this commitment is almost as good as saying that it is coming next year. So this is very positive news.”

The Doolin Unit of the Irish Coast Guard is one of the busiest coast guards in Ireland and has been operating in sub-standard conditions for a number of years. The current centre is too small to house all of the unit’s equipment and boats which means that a rescue could sometimes be delayed if a rescue craft needs to be transported to the centre.

SHANNON had its moment in the international limelight on January 25, 1981, when 52 American hostages, freed after 444 days in captivity in Iran, were given a rousing welcome as they stopped at the airport.

Taoiseach Charles Haughey led the Irish celebrations, boarding the US Air Force Jet, dubbed Freedom One, with US ambassador, William Shannon, and invited the freed hostages down to the airport’s VIP lounge for traditional Irish refreshments of Irish coffee and Guinness.

The official welcoming party included Clare’s Minister for Defence, Sylvester Barrett; Clare County Council chairman, Tadhg Mac Conamara; local Fianna Fáil senator, Tras Honan; Aer Rianta chief, Liam Skelly and chief superintendent of the Clare Division, Michael Griffin.

As the former hostages left Shannon, the final word was left to Taoiseach Charles Haughey. “As you journey gladly homeward, your stay on Irish soil must be brief but it gives me an opportunity to tell you of the joy we all feel in this country that you are all safe, well and free,” said Mr Haughey.

“It is our sincere and fervent wish that when you are restored to your families and friends, the cruel memory of your long days in captivity will soon fade away until they are finally forgotten,” he added.

TWO former Eire Óg players are helping spread the football gospel on the island of Taiwan. Cousins Ross Conlon and Brian Fitzpatrick, who are originally from the Tulla Road in Ennis, were both members of the Plate winning Taiwan Celts team at the 2011 Asian Gaelic Games.

Dozens of teams drawn from Irish expat communities across Asia gathered in South Korean for the event. And among them were Brian and Ross, who helped their team secure success in the competition’s second tier event.

Brian, who moved to the Taiwanese capital Taipei six months ago, recalls, “There’s only about 200 Irish people here. We’ve been training with them. They’ve been really helpful. We played in the Asian Games. The standard was really good. We played fairly well in Korea. We won the plate, which would’ve been the second competition. The top division was really good. Hong Kong and Singapore were in the final, Damian Barry (Ennis) was playing.”

A former student of Ennis CBS, St Flannan’s College and Limerick Institute of Technology, Brian moved to the Far East earlier this year in search of work. Having previously worked for Munstergroup Property and started a car auction business, Brian embarked on a new career in Taiwan, teaching English to local students.

He explains, “It would be an after school for Taiwanese kids. They go to Chinese school first and then us afterwards. It’s a long day. They are basically in school for about 12 hours everyday.”

Brian admits that making the move from Ireland to Taiwan was a little bit daunting. But the shock of adapting to a completely new country and culture was softened somewhat by the fact that Ross had swapped Ennis for Taipei, six years ago.

A fellow graduate of LIT and University of Limerick and former Éire Óg teammate, Ross currently works as a business development manager for electronics giant, Siemens.

Having secured a teaching post three months after arriving in Taiwan, Brian says he is glad to have made the move.

He says, “Taiwan is a great place to come to teach for a year. There are lots of teaching jobs for anyone with a Bachelor’s degree. It’s a really nice island with lots of lovely coastline for surfing and scenery and things like that. Taipei is a great city full of great nightlife and the locals are very friendly. The food is good and it’s pretty cheap. In terms of the economy, the country is flying too. A lot of the big companies here totally changed from manufacturing goods to information technology over last 10 or so years.”

While Taiwan’s economy is firing on all cylinders, in stark contrast to our own, the winter weather at least provides a reminder of home, particularly at Christmas.

Brian explains, “It’s cold, it’s mad cold over here at the moment. A bit like home. It’s really humid in the summer and it’s very hard to breathe but in winter the air would really cut through you. It’s really damp.”

He continues, “We had Christmas dinner with friends of ours, Taiwan ese people and expats. We spent it at a few different apartments in Taipei city. It was a bit unusual, being my first Christmas away but we made the most of it but you would miss family and friends alright.”

For Irish people far from home sports plays an important role in meeting people and making connections. It’s no different in Taipei. Apart from their involvement with the local GAA team, both men play soccer with Taipei City, a multinational side comprising Irish, South Americans a few English and a handful of locals.

After their success in the Asian games, the Celts are on the look out for new recruits.

Brian says, “If anyone is thinking of teaching abroad for a year and would consider moving here. We’ve lost a few of last year’s team so were recruiting for next season.”

For further information on the Taiwan Celts email mr.bfitz@gmail. com.

TO GO or not to go? That was the question that faced Clare’s President of Ireland, Dr Patrick Hillery in 1981 when, as head of State, he was invited to attend the royal wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer.

Thirty years on, one of his successors in Áras an Uachtaráin, President Mary McAleese, may have attended the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, but things were different in 1981.

It was the year of the hunger strikes and Anglo-Irish relations, as they were in 1981, led to a government decision that President Hillery should not attend the wedding.

The State papers from 1981 that were opened this week reveal that Dr Hillery, who as Minister for Foreign Affairs in the 1969-1973 government, was trenchant in his criticism of British policy in Northern Ireland, didn’t want to attend the wedding.

However, President Hillery’s stance, which was backed up by the Charles J Haughey-led Fianna Fáil government in 1981 and the Garret FitzGerald led Fine Gael/Labour coalition that also came to power that year, didn’t meet with universal approval.

The State papers show that Dr Hillery’s non-attendance at the wedding was taken up directly by an Irish priest, Fr PG O’Dea, who was based in Lancashire at the time. Fr O’Dea, who is still alive and now a retired monsignor, wrote directly to Áras an Uachtaráin to protest at the failure of President Hillery to accept an invitation to attend the wedding.

In deciding whether President Hillery should attend the royal wedding, a government memo noted that “whichever decision is taken will give rise to criticism”.

Some in the Taoiseach’s office, including assistant secretary Richard Stokes, advised in favour of compelling the president to attend, as staying away would “make a nonsense” of all progress in Anglo-Irish relations.

An unnamed Taoiseach’s department official criticised the Department of Foreign Affairs’s “very inadequate” briefing document which posed questions rather than coming up with advice and supporting arguments.

“The Government have been very badly served by the Department of Foreign Affairs” whose tone indicates that it did not favour acceptance but it did not “advance any compelling argument”.

The foreign affairs brief said such an invitation from a friendly country should be accepted “unless there are compelling arguments against” it. It then refers to the ensuing “unfavourable comment” due to general feel- ings of dissatisfaction with the British government over the H-Blocks.

This argument could “hardly be described as a compelling reason”, the civil servant wrote, adding that most of the unfavourable comment would come from the Provisional IRA and H-block committee. He described as “naive” the assertion by foreign affairs that refusal “would not impair political dialogue with London”.

The British prime minister “would almost certainly regard a refusal as a rebuff” and it would be viewed by the “hostile British press” as presidential support for the hunger strikers.

In the end, the new Fine Gael-led coalition, it decided that the President should be advised not to attend and to send the ambassador in his place.

The reply to the palace was issued on the final day possible, June 26, with the excuse of the President’s “prior commitments”.

Meanwhile, in response to complaints from Fr PG O’Dea, Áras an Uachtaráin pointed out that Ireland had been represented at the wedding by the Irish ambassador in London.

IT’S been a blast, with some work, some rugby and plenty of playtime thrown in.

This parses Éanna Canavan’s ninemonth life experience since embarking on his Antipodean adventure with a friend.

In his native Doolin and beyond across the county, Canavan is best known for mounting a Facebook campaign to see a revival of the Lisdoonvarna Music Festival.

That campaign is still very much active, and if it happens you can be sure Canavan would be on the first flight back for the occasion, but for now there’s the festive atmosphere of downtown Syndey and greater Australasia to enjoy.

“It was at this time last year that a friend and I decided to go to Australia along with the thousands of other Irish people that are already here,” recalls Canavan.

“We actually arrived on March 25 so Christmas Day was an anniversary. The time has really flown since we got here and Christmas was always going to be very strange when it falls in the middle of summer.

“I have been doing a bit of travelling around Australia since I got here and managed to fit in eight days over in New Zealand for the Rugby World Cup, which was an amazing experience.

“Since October I have settled in Sydney working for a sales company. It’s a great lifestyle here even if the cost of living here is very high. There are quite a few people from Clare living in Australia so there is a bit of a community here, I can think of at least fifteen people from my area at home that are settling in well,” adds Canavan. As for Christmas on Bondi – he admits to having home thoughts from abroad, missing the craic of a different kind around North Clare, but only to a point as the contrasting conditions bring him to his senses. “In Christmas 2010 we were in the middle of one of the coldest winters in years with snow and ice and treacherous road conditions and it was minus ten,” he recalls. “To say that Christmas 2011 couldn’t be more different is putting it mildly. We started off with Christmas dinner on the roof of a friends house in Bondi in 30 degree heat followed by a trip to the beach for the afternoon; to say it was surreal would be an understatement. “Bondi beach was packed on Christmas Day and it was fairly easy to spot all the Irish people due to the white skin and the drunken antics! It was certainly a Christmas that I would never forget. “Then for New Year’s we headed into the city for the fireworks near the Opera House, something everyone in Sydney has to see. Another thing not to forget,” he adds.

CLARE TD and Taoiseach, Eamon de Valera was accused of showing “allegiance to the devil” when he expressed condolences to the German ambassador in Ireland on the death of Adolf Hitler.

State papers have revealed a well of anger at Mr de Valera, who represented the Clare constituency from 1917 to 1959, over his controversial decision to express condolences to ambassador Dr Eduard Hempel on the behalf of the Free State on May 2, 1945, two days after Hitler’s suicide.

The file on the controversy in the National Archives contains a number of letters sent in the immediate aftermath.

Angela D Walsh, with an address at East 44th Street, New York, writes to de Valera the day after: “I am horrified, ashamed, humiliated. You, who are the head of a Catholic coun- try, have now shown allegiance to a devil.”

Patrick O’Reilly wrote of de Valera to President Hyde from Stratfordon-Avon: “We feel ashamed to let people know we are of the blood of people who have such as man as their leader.”

The episode resurfaced in a letter dated January 22, 1970, when de Valera was President. Fr Kevin Keegan, writing from an address in France, said he had been watching a television documentary in which the famous Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal “said that you went to the German ambassador to express your sympathy when you heard that Hitler had committed suicide”.

“Needless to say I was astounded to hear such a statement. I would be very grateful to you if you inform me whether it is true or not.

“In the case of it being untrue, I will inform the French television immediately, asking them to make a public rectification,” the letter added.

The State papers also reveal that Mr de Valera considered lowering the Irish flag over Government buildings as a mark of respect following the death of Hitler, as had happened following the death of American President Franklin D Roosevelt two weeks earlier.

The whole affair led to a memorable joust over the airwaves between Mr de Valera and Winston Churchill. The British prime minister praised himself for having the “restraint and poise” in refraining from laying “a violent hand” on Ireland and said “we left the de Valera government to frolic with the Germans and later with the Japanese representatives to their heart’s content”.

However, in response three days later on Radio Éireann, de Valera had what his supporters and even some of his detractors described as his finest hour.

“I know the kind of response that I am expected to make,” he said. “I know the reply I would have given a quarter of a century ago.

“But I have deliberately decided that this is not the reply that I will make tonight. I shall strive not to be guilty of adding any fuel to the flames of hatred and passion, which, if continued to be fed, promise to burn up whatever is left by the war of decent human feeling in Europe,” he continued.

“Could he not find it in his heart the generosity to acknowledge that there is a small nation that stood alone, not for one year or two, but for several hundred years against aggression; that endured spoliations, famines, massacres in endless succession; that was clubbed so many times into insensibility, but that each time, on returning to consciousness, took up the fight anew; a small nation that could never be got to accept defeat and has never surrendered her soul,” he added.