Category: News

PRESSURE is mounting on Clare County Council to alter the County Development Plan to prevent fracking from taking place in the Clare Basin in west Clare.

Members of the Clare Fracking Concerned group will address next Monday’s January meeting of the local authority when the councillors will vote on Gabriel Keating’s (FG) motion to formalise their opposition to the controversial practice.

A series of anti-fracking meetings will also take place in West Clare in the coming weeks as momentum begins to gather behind Clare Fracking Concerned.

According to Cillian Murphy of the Loop Head Tourism Group and Clare Fracking Concerned, the process could seriously pollute the ground water not just at the fracking site, but all over West Clare.

“Around 99.5 per cent of the mixture which is pumped underground is chemical free. But that still leaves 0.5 per cent chemicals and, when you consider that they are talking about pumping millions and million of tonnes of this mixture, it amounts to an awful lot of chemicals,” said Murphy. “The geology in the area is already quite fractured and brittle, and water already passes readily through the rocks, so if there was a problem it wouldn’t just be in one area, it would be in all the ground water in West Clare.

“We are trying to give people a knowledge base for them to make their own minds up. We are not trying to force our opinions on anyone. But we would hope that when people see the facts and make up their minds, that they would contact their local councillor and tell them that they do not want fracking taking place in West Clare.”

Should Clare County Council come out against the practice taking place in West Clare, it does not prohibit the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources from granting permission to begin fracking. UK-based company Enegi Oil secured an initial exploration licence from the Government to undertake a number of fracking-related tests in the Clare Basic earlier this year.

“We would hope that the council will come out against fracking in Clare and if they do we would hope that they could make an amendment to the County Development Plan which says that. That would at least give us some legal basis or protection,” continued Murphy. “From our research, any jobs that come out of this are very short term. There is a certain amount of employment in the construction phase but that is very short term. The work after that is very technical and can be done by a very small number of people brought in from outside.”

Clare Fracking Concerned will host meetings at the Lighthouse Inn in Kilbaha on January 6, Murphy Black’s Butter Market Café on January 7, Kenny’s Bar, Lahinch, on January 8, Kildysart Hall on January 20 and Fanny O’Dea’s in Lissycasey on January 26.

PRESIDENT Patrick Hillery became the most potent symbol of Irish government opposition to the South African apartheid regime in 1981, State Papers released this week under the 30-year rule have revealed.

Head of State, Dr Hillery was the expression of a stand off between Taoiseach Charles Haughey and the Irish Rugby Football Union over the controversial tour of South Africa made by the Irish team in 1981.

Opposition to the tour emerged early in the year, with a memo from the Department of Foreign Affairs “I wonder if we should consider an intervention by the Taoiseach at an opportune moment,” adding that while it was “an exceptional step” it might persuade the IRFU against going ahead with the tour or at the very least would show to international opinion that the Irish Government had done all in its power to stop it.

Then it was Haughey that threw down the gauntlet to the IRFU, saying that he did not want to the tour to go ahead “in any way”, with President Hillery emerging as the visible demonstration of this opposition.

As public protests against the rugby tour mounted, then Taoiseach Charles Haughey wrote a strongly worded letter to the IRFU saying he was worried about the growing international reaction to the tour, and its potential repercussions for Ireland and Irish interests overseas.

He wrote that in view of the seriousness of the matter, which directly concerned national interests, he wished personally as head of the government to convey the full implications of the situation. But the IRFU ignored the unprecedented appeal and went ahead with the tour.

However, backing for the Government stance came from President Hillery.

After Haughey was succeeded as Taoiseach by Garret Fitzgerald, the Government advised President Hillery not to attend a subsequent rugby match between Ireland and Australia in November in Lansdowne Road, a decision the President fully supported and he didn’t attend the international.

It represented the only time that a Head of State snubbed an international sporting fixture because of a political disagreement.

CLARE has produced three presidents in Eamon de Valera, Dr Paddy Hillery and Michael D Higgins, but the county can now lay claim to a fourth thanks to the links between Mary McAleese and the Poor Clares Convent in Ennis.

The former president’s association with the Poor Clares has been revealed this week, with abbess of the convent, Sr Gabriel, revealing that Mrs McAleese “came in and lived like one of us”.

Speaking publicly for the first time on the former president’s links with the Poor Clares during her 14 years in Áras an Uachtaráin, Sr Gabriel revealed that the association was fostered in her inaugural year in office when she was introduced to members of the Poor Clare order by local solicitor, Michael Houlihan.

“On her way out on that visit, she asked ‘Could I possibly come back here for a retreat?’,” said Sr Gabriel. “We thought, ‘oh gosh, what will this mean?’ We were exercised and giving her the time and space she wanted. And she asked ‘can I join your recreation at tea time?’.”

So began an association that saw President McAleese spend three or four days with the Poor Clares in Ennis every year.

“President McAleese has been great. She has been such an inspira- tion to us. She comes in, no mobile phone, no nothing, she relinquishes everything. President McAleese would be washing your dishes and you’re embarrassed, thinking ‘The President of Ireland is washing my dishes!’

“In a way, this was the only place she was Mary McAleese. She wasn’t the President, she could just be Mary and feed her own inner life to recharge herself for her duties. She is just so ordinary, so real— that is why the world took to her. And the stories from her — press a button and you would have story after story,” added Sr Gabriel.

“She is just one of us when she is here,” said Sr Regina. “She would arrive in a lovely designer trouser suit and she would go up to her room and she would be back down in her Dunnes Stores best for the time here. She does appreciate our life here and understands it,” she added.

“Her time here has been very enriching for us as well,” said Sr Bernadette. “She would be walking around the garden saying her rosary, be at Adoration reading her Bible. She is a wonderful woman.”

The Poor Clares monastery was established in Ennis in October 1958 and the enclosed order’s Golden Anniversary celebrations were launched by President McAleese in 2008, while a photograph of the former President now hangs in the monastery.

HIGH vacancy rates, distance and a fear that the uniqueness of Ennis will be distorted are among the main reasons highlighted by town centre businesses in their opposition to a proposed retail development.

Michael Lynch Ltd is seeking planning permission to build on a fivehectare site on the Clare Road/Tobertascáin. The application was the subject of a Freedom of Information request from Ennis Town Council.

Businesses in Ennis, many of whom have been strongly opposed to the project, have reiterated their concerns in a number of submissions to the council.

Traders in Parnell Street state that the development would not be in the “town’s best interest”. The submission continues, “While we recognise and welcome competition, it is vital that the current core retail sector in the town be maintained as this is one of Ennis’ unique selling points.

“At present in Parnell Street there are 12 vacant commercial premises in our street,” they state. “We feel if this development were to go ahead, it would compound an already existing problem. We, the business community, are at present struggling to keep our doors open and maintain jobs in these challenging times. We need your support.”

According to the proprietors of Food Heaven in the Market, the proposed development “will significantly detract from the viability of the existing town centre retail area”.

The submission states, “The proposed retail centre is located almost 1km from the town centre and this is too great a distance to encourage pedestrians to visit the town centre on completing their purchases.”

They add, “The level of vacancy rates and under trading in the existing town centre retail sector is at present at crisis levels and can only be exacerbated by this proposal. It seems astonishing that this proposal could be seriously contemplated at a time of unprecedented economic distress locally and nationally.”

In their submission, the O’Connell Street Trader’s association state, “The proposed development would significantly detract from the viability of the existing town centre retail area. There is already an over provision both of convenience and comparison retailing in Ennis at present.”

In their submission, members of the Abbey Street Trader’s Association assert that the development of a large out-of-town retail development would “distort the uniqueness of the town”. They continue, “To allow this development to go ahead is akin to welcoming a factory ship into our waters which essentially will hoover up all forms of business life and decimate the very water it sailed in.”

According to Specsavers, Ennis, “There are at least three other sites which are more suitable for provision for new retail development and which are closer to the town centre and which would bestow some benefit to the town centre.

“We are not opposed to a reasonable level of additional retail space in Ennis but feel the priority should be given to a location which will provide synergy and interaction with the existing town centre.”

RESIDENTS on the Clare Road fear a proposed retail development will have an adverse impact on flooding in the area. The concerns of residents of Abbeycourt and Abbeyville are outlined in a submission to Ennis Town Council.

Michael Lynch Ltd are seeking planning permission for a large development on a five-hectare site the Clare Road / Tobertascain, which it is claimed will create 300 construction jobs.

However, according to Brendan O’Connor, Chairman of the Abbeycourt-Abbeyville residents association, “Residents here have experience problems with flooding and sewerage during periods of prolonged rainfall. The adjacent River Fergus and its flood plain encroach onto both estates from the east when the river floods. Should the proposed development proceed on its raised site bordering us to the west, we greatly fear surface water from the proposed development will drain downhill, causing further problems to the many houses located below.”

An engineering planning report, prepared on behalf of Michael Lynch Ltd, states that the site would be developed in a sustainable manner “in order to minimise the impact of the development during construction and throughout the lifespan of the proposed store”.

THE suspension of transatlantic services operated by Aer Lingus out of Shannon kicks in this week as flights to both Boston and New York from Clare’s international airport are cancelled for the next number of months. The decision to sever the transatlantic link over the winter period follows on from last year’s unprecedented move by Aer Lingus not to operate any transatlantic services from Shannon between January 5 to March 27, 2011.

This move represented the first time since Aer Lingus transatlantic services commenced out of Shannon in 1958 that a year-round service wasn’t provided by the national carrier.

The decision to suspend the New York and Boston routes for the winter comes after the move to end the Shannon/Chicago route for the autumn and winter schedules on September 1 last.

This suspension of the New York and Boston routes affects four flights per week between Shannon and New York and a further four flights per week between Shannon and Boston. However, the airline says it is committed to Shannon and will continue to operate these services for the remaining nine months of the year.

Last year’s cutbacks were intro- duced on the back of significant losses that were incurred during the winter months over the previous 15 years. Since 1995, Aer Lingus has lost a total of € 163 million on its transatlantic flights from Shannon during the winter months, with an average operating loss per winter season of almost € 11 million.

“Aer Lingus is committed to the Shannon market as an important part of our network,” said Aer Lingus chief executive Christoph Mueller.

“However, in order to maintain the viability of our Shannon transatlantic operations throughout the remainder of the year, the three-month suspension of these routes when seasonal demand is at its lowest is crucial.”

The suspension of the routes comes in the wake of latest passenger returns for Shannon which show that commercial flights from the airport were down by 5.7 per cent in November, when compared to the corresponding month last year. The figures also revealed that there were only 45 daily movements at Shannon during the month, a figure that compared with 49 in Cork Airport and 366 in Dublin Airport.

In 2010, almost 1.8 million passengers passed through Shannon, a decline of 37 per cent on the previous year. Terminal traffic was down 40 per cent on 2009 to 1.5 million.

KILRUSH Town Council is only two days away from being abolished, but councillors are set to stave off the spectre of closure by backing a proposal in the 2012 Budget to leave rates at 2011 levels for the next 12 months.

The decision is set to be made by councillors at this Tuesday night’s re-convened Budget meeting as part of a compromise between members of the local authority and the executive over key policy issues. The Clare People has learned that councillors will back rates remaining at 2011 levels, but that the prospect of cutting rates for 2013 will be looked into by the town council authorities during the course of the year. And with rates remaining at 2011 levels, the controversial proposal to abolish the arts and community grants schemes looks set to be overturned.

The decision to leave rates untouched comes on the back of an acceptance by councillors that the parking concessions introduced by the town council during the course of 2011 mount to a rates cut in another name.

“The money has to come from somewhere,” one councillor told The Clare People this week. “The parking concessions mean a loss in rev- enue of around € 40,000 a year and actually amount to around a six per cent cut in commercial rates,” the councillor added.

At the Budget meeting on December 15, former mayor Tom Prendeville (FF) proposed that “as a gesture, if we were to reduce our commercial rate by one per cent it would send a message to business people that we are on their side”. This sentiment was shared by Cllr Mairead O’Brien (IND) who said that she would prefer a two per cent rate cut for 2012.

According to Town Clerk John Corry, the two per cent rate cut would result in a rates reduction of just € 2 per week for the vast majority of businesses in Kilrush – 201 of the 241 businesses. For 2011, Kilrush Town Council has recouped 74 per cent of the rates due, with the threat of legal action hanging over those who have failed to pay.

In relation to funding for arts and and community projects, a bombshell was dropped at the Budget meeting when town manager Nora Kaye revealed that “due to the current economic climate, it is not possible to provide support for community and arts projects as has been provided in previous years”.

However, with councillors digging their heels in, the proposal now won’t be brought into effect.

A CHARITY walk organised by members of the Clare Association Dublin has raised € 3,000 for children and adults with physical and sensory disabilities.

A large crowd turned out for the Martin Corry Memorial Walk which took place around Howth Head last October.

A former President of the Clare Association Dublin, Cree native Martin was a keen walker who was actively involved in fundraising for local and national charities. Money raised from this year’s walk will go towards the Clare branch of Enable Ireland.

Gerry O’Reilly, Clare Association PRO, presented the cheque to representatives of Enable Ireland in Dublin last month.

Acknowledging the large turn-out at the Addison Hotel, Gerry paid tribute to those who had helped make the Martin Corry Memorial Walk such a success. He said 2011 had been an excellent year for the Clare Association.

He thanked all those who participated in the charity walk around Howth Head. Gerry said that, despite the poor weather and difficult terrain, the walkers enjoyed the scenic 10k walk. He also paid tribute to sponsors and those who contributed in any way towards the success of the walk. In particular, Gerry thanked Mary Corry, wife of the late Martin Corry, and her family, who joined the crowds on the day. Gerry said that he was particularly pleased that the proceeds from the walk would be going to the Clare branch of Enable Ireland. The charity provides essential support, therapy and services to children and adults with physical and sensory disabilities to enable them to achieve maximum independence, choice and inclusion in their community. Enable Ireland Clare was formed in 1990 as a support group for families and carers of people with physical disabilities. In the following years, Enable Ireland has developed and expanded to include a wide range of services to meet the needs of children and adults with disabilities and their families in Clare. Dorothy Barry from Enable Ireland thanked the Clare Association Dublin for their efforts and, in accepting the cheque from Mary Corry, she outlined the benefits that this contribution would make to those who rely on support and assistance on a daily basis.

AS ONE of the country’s foremost concertina players, music provided Chris Droney with a passport to see the world.

In 1951, the Bellharbour musician visited America for the first time, hopping aboard a plane for the first time from Shannon to Boston.

It was a shocking experience, one that Chris vividly recalled to The Clare People in 2007.

He said, “I remember the first time. It was one of those planes with the propellers and we had to re-fuel in Gander airport in Newfoundland. I mean, the cold in that place was unreal. I’d say it was about 25 degrees below. I’ve never known anything as cold. We had to refuel there and then head of for Boston. The planes would be half-empty.

“It took nine and a half hours to go to America that time. They were all re-fuelling in Gander back then. It was the first time on a plane and I will tell you one thing, it was like being in the World Cup, that’s how nervous I was.”

Music brought Chris Droney to Gander. It brought him most places. He learned the concertina by paying careful attention to his father James and grandfather Michael at the family home in Bellharbour.

Playing music was a social thing. It also provided the opportunity to travel. His teenage years were spent playing in pubs and dance halls and competitions. He was named All-Ireland Senior Concertina Champion on nine occasions. After winning the All-Ireland in 1961, he was invited to play in Boston.

They toured hard in the 1960s, travelling from America to Canada and back to America, playing to noisy, sold-out venues.

He said, “I was asked to go to play in a concert in Boston in the colonial hall. I’ll never forget it. It was frightening, because I never realised there would be much of a crowd there but there were 2,200 people.

“I had to play for about 20 minutes for two nights, just two nights. The second night there were maybe about a thousand people there. But the amplification they had was perfect. It was no trouble…

“I know there were 23 concerts in America. We started off in Boston; there were two concerts in Boston. Then we went to New York and after that we flew to Canada and we did Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa and then we crossed into Detroit. We went from Detroit to Chicago and from there to Philadelphia. We went all over.”

Despite the rigours associated with transatlantic travel at the time, Chris said he was grateful for everything music afforded him.

He added, “I don’t think I’d be here now if I wasn’t playing music. I’ve been playing all my life, 74 years now. I don’t think there was ever a bad night.”

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.