Category: News

PREVIOUSLY unknown footage of John Lennon at the Cliffs of Moher has been discovered by Lahinch Beatles expert Matthew Kelly.

The footage shows Lennon lying on his belly and peering over the historic Cliffs during his visit to the Banner County in 1964 with fellow ‘Fab Four’ member George Harrison.

The footage first came to Matthew’s attention when it appeared for a fraction of a second in the Martin Scorsese documentary film George Ha r r ison: Living in the Ma ter ia l World , which was released earlier this year.

After recognising the Cliffs of Moher from the film, Matthew set about tracking down the footage and eventually met with an American Beatles expert, Patti Noah, who was able to supply him with a 30-second-long clip of John Lennon at the world famous Cliffs.

“I could not believe it when I saw the Cliffs in the film. I decided to try and verify it so I went searching online to see what I would find out. I eventually found an American Beatles expert called Patti who not only confirmed that it was the Cliffs of Moher, she was also able to give me a longer piece of footage from the Cliffs,” said Matthew.

“I found out that a filmmaker called Dezider Hoffmann was following the Beatles during their time in Ireland and, at the moment, Patti is trying to find more footage of the Beatles in Clare from her collection.

“She has a massive collection of Beatles video and audio and she is confident that she had more unseen footage from The Beatles’ trip to Clare.”

This footage is the first documentary proof that The Beatles visited the Cliffs of Moher and Doolin in 1964. Many stories have been told about The Beatles in North Clare – one notable tale tells how John Lennon and George Harrison were about to play an impromptu gig in McHugh’s Bar in Doolin, only to be stopped by the man of the house, Josie McHugh, who said that it was too early in the day for the “tourists” to be singing. Matthew has a long-running connection with The Beatles. His father, Bill Kelly, was a garda sergeant in Ennistymon in 1964 when The Beatles visited. He was assigned to guard The Beatles during their time in Clare. Last year, Matthew also set up the world’s first Beatles dating agency, BeatlesSingles.com, which aims to match single Beatles fans from all over the world. “I’ve been obsessed with The Beatles for my whole life and I grew up on stories of their visit to Clare. My father was assigned to guard The Beatles when they were in Clare in 1964. “Whenever I asked him about them, he would call them hairy hippies and say that he wouldn’t cross the road to see them,” continued Matthew. “My dad also had to smuggle the wives and girlfriends of The Beatles out of Dromoland hotel in a laundry van because of the number of fans who were there. “It is also said that The Beatles bought a pair of boots in Walls Shop in Ennistymon – that is the shop belonging to the parents of Steve and Joe Wall from The Stunning.” Besides being a Beatles expert, Matthew has also written a book on the Cliffs of Moher which is available from www.cliffsofmoherbook. com.

CLARE’S priests have played their part in ensuring that the Diocese of Killaloe hasn’t gone into the red over the past three years, the latest set of diocesan accounts which were released last Thursday have shown.

The figures for 2009 and 2010 have revealed that priests throughout the diocese put their hands in their own pockets, contributing up to € 4,000 each from their own resources to ensure that the Killaloe catchment ended each year in a surplus situation.

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NOT SINCE the arrival of the Spice Girl in 1994 has ‘girl power’ been so much in evidence around the streets of Ennis and the highways and byways of the rest of the county. After a General Election in Clare which promised to change so much but ultimately delivered little beyond the status quo, the arrival of “the three ladies”, as they became known, was a breath of fresh air for the election process in the county.

When Ann Cronin, Sarah Ferrigan and Madeleine McAleer put themselves forward as candidates in Clare for this year’s General Election, there were few among the established polit- ical hacks in the county who suffered sleepless nights.

Yet while none of the candidates ever emerged as a genuine contender to pull off a surprise on election day, their very presence on the ballot paper was a victory in itself and a small sign that democracy in its purest terms could still be possible in Clare.

It was a campaign that started in a whirlwind, with furious rushing around Ennis Courthouse as the deadline for nominations was about to close. While Ann and Sarah had their nominations sorted out early in the morning, there was a rush to the courthouse as friends of the three “balance the ballot” candidates raced in to provide the 30 signatures and correct addresses needed to formalise Madeline’s nomination.

“This is a move towards how a ballot paper should look in an open, fair and functioning democracy. Without us, there would not have been a woman on the ballot paper in County Clare. We could not allow that to happen in 21st-century Ireland. There are many serious issues in the community, health and business sectors locally and nationally that need to be addressed by a range of voices,” said McAleer.

After beginning the campaign as a femininist ticket, the candidates gradually started to broaden their scope and attempt to speak to, and for, all under-represented peoples in the county.

“People are frustrated, disillusioned, disempowered and I thought, wouldn’t it be nice to offer them something different. I know from a psychology point of view that, if you don’t see something, then after a while it starts not to exist. So if people go into the ballot box and see 12 faces that are all male, it normalises the idea for people that females are not part of the political system,” she says. “So the idea came to me that we should run 12 women in this election in Clare and balance the ballot paper. That was the epiphany. It’s important to say that while we are females, we don’t wish to speak for females.

“I took this upon myself and I was lucky to have two other wonderful women who agreed to stand with me so that I wouldn’t be thrown to the wolves on my own.

“The disillusionment that I hear from people on the streets about politics is that it is the same sort of people who are running. It may not be the same people but it is the same thing over and over. There is such a disjoint between the people they represent. We have lost our connection with our politicians and that is a real shame.”

With no resources, party organisa tion or election history to rely on, the three female candidates ultimately struggled to involve themselves in the shake-up at the business end of the poll.

CANDIDATES from Clare who contested the General Election last February spent over € 100,000 in their efforts to get elected to the 31st Dáil Éireann, figures secured by The Clare People revealed in November.

Details of all the expenditure made by candidates in the Clare constituency are contained in the ‘Candidates Election Expenses Statements’ that have been released by the Standards in Public Office Commission.

These figures reveal that € 113,892.11 was spent by Clare election candidates – this total is drawn from the returns made to the Standards in Public Office Commission by 15 of the 16 election candidates who contest the Februay 25 poll, the largest number ever to contest a Dáil election in the county.

Six candidates spent over € 10,000 on their campaigns, while two of the candidates, independents Sarah Ferrigan and Anne Cronin, who contested the election on a ‘Balance the Ballot’ manifesto spent nothing on their respective campaigns. A limit of € 37,650 is put on spending per candidate in a four-seater constituency.

The biggest election spender was Fianna Fáil candidate, Dr John Hillery, who was attempting to win a Dáil seat that his father, the late former President of Ireland, Dr Paddy Hillery held for 22 years from 1951 to 1973.

Dr Hillery, who was drafted onto the Fianna Fáil election team in place of the retiring Minister for Defence, Tony Killeen, spent € 16,673.16 during his unsuccessful campaign for a Dáil seat, while his party colleague and Deputy Timmy Dooley, who retained his seat only spent € 9,574.35 in his campaign. The highest expense incurred by Dr Hillery during the campaign was for € 4,840.

Fine Gael were the biggest election spenders in Clare – between them the three candidates, Deputies Pat Breen and Joe Carey, as well as Senator Tony Mulcahy spent nearly € 40,000 during the campaign.

Deputy Carey, who was the third candidate elected was the biggest spender with a total of € 14,535, followed closely by poll topper Deputy Breen who spent € 14,252. Meanwhile, Tony Mulcahy, who was added to the Fine Gael ticket by party headquarters spent € 10,661 on his unsuccessful bid, before embarking on another campaign immediately afterwards when he won election to Seanad Éireann.

Labour’s Michael McNamara, who was the third canidate elected was the fourth highest election spender with a figure of € 14,248.42, while the highest spender from the independent benches was James Breen who incurred € 11,686.99 in election expenses in his bid to win back the Dáil seat he held from 2002 to 2007.

Independent candidate Patrick Brassil was one of 23 candidates around the country referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for failing to furnish expenses statements to the Standards in Public Office Commission.

MANAGEMENT at the Ennis homeless hostel say 2011 has been the busiest year since it opened almost three years ago with demand for places described as “overwhelming”.

The Hostel at Laurel Lodge on the Clare Road provides emergency accommodation and care for homeless men.

The-13 bed facility is operated by St Vincent de Paul with funding from Clare County Council and the Health Services Executive (HSE).

Speaking on Friday, Laurel Lodge Manager Patrick Cahill said there had been a 96 per cent occupancy rate at the hostel in 2011. “We are busy, this has been our busiest year. We’ve had a 96 per cent occupancy rate, which meant we were nearly full every night.”

Mr Cahill continued, “It got to a stage where we would fix someone up with a flat or a room somewhere, they would move out, and the next day the bed would be gone again.”

Mr Cahill said there had been “consistent” demand for places at Laurel Lodge throughout the year. “The demand is quite overwhelming,” he added.

Mr Cahill said the St Vincent de Paul have been amazed at the level generous support given to the hostel.

He explained, “The amount of support, not just financial, but people just helping out, has been amazing. Honestly, people have been great.”

According to its 2012 budget report, Clare County Council provides financial assistance to Laurel Lodge under Section 10 funding where 90 per cent is recouped. The council estimates that € 365,000 will be spent on homelessness services in 2012.

The report states, “The council also works in partnership with the HSE to deliver other homelessness services such as sourcing private rented ac- commodation, assisting with completion of rent supplement applications and seeking B&B accommodation. Approximately 700 applicants will have been assisted in 2011.”

The report continues, “A Regional Audit of Services to identify gaps in service provision to the homeless is now nearing completion. In 2012, regional and local actions plans will be developed to address the gaps identified in the audit. A Clare Homelessness Alliance, representative of bodies and agencies involved in the provision of services to the homeless, will be set up in early 2012 to assist this work.”

STAFF were optimistic yesterday that work on a new building for Ennis National School will start by Easter 2012. It follows confirmation from the Department of Education and Skills that the school can precede to construction next year.

The funding announcement means that the Board of Management can proceed to tender, appoint a contractor and start construction in 2012.

The tendering process has so far received 30 expressions of interest. Tendering is to be completed within six months with construction to last 12 to 18 months.

“We would like to get going with the tender process as soon as possible”, said Deputy Principal Tom Glynn yesterday.

Students were informed of the announcement at the school’s Christmas concert. Mr Glynn explained, “It was for the junior infants and it was kind of appropriate in a way given they will be the prime beneficiaries of the new building.”

The school has been located on the Kilrush Road near the town centre since 1971. A long running campaign for a new school building resulted in the Diocese of Killaloe donating a site at Ashline.

In addition to 32 classrooms, the new building will include rooms for our reading class, special education teachers and library. The building will have an energy rating and a level of disability access, which is ahead of current regulations.

A campaign has been underway for the past 12 months to raise money for sports facilities, which will include a full-size sports hall with dressing rooms and a playing pitch.

Mr Glynn added, “It’s been a very long campaign. We got great support over the years from parents, teachers, pupils and the various different Boards of Management. We also got great support from the Parish, Ennis Town Council, our political representatives. We’re ready to roll now that the money is there.”

The announcement was welcomed by a number of Clare TDs. Fine Gael TD, Joe Carey stated, “At present, there are 16 pre-fabricated classrooms in use to educate children at the school that has a student population of between 600 and 700. Parents and staff stuck with this issue and ensured their voices were heard over recent years and they must be congratulated for this.”

According to Fine Gael TD Pat Breen, “Teachers and pupils have had to put up with prefabs for a number of years, but today’s announcement paves the way for the construction of a new state of the art facility.”

Labour TD Michael McNamara said, “The town of Ennis has badly needed a new national school for some time and that has been reflected in the Minister’s announcement today. It will, of, also bring some employment in the short term.”

A FORMER Fine Gael Senator and former running mate of Taoiseach Enda Kenny has been appointed the district court judge for Clare.

Westport native Patrick Durcan, who was appointed to the Seanad in 1983, ran unsuccessfully for the Dáil on four occasions – 1981, twice in 1982 and 1987 – and served a term on Westport Town Council from 1999 to 2004.

Mr Durcan, who was recently appointed a district court judge, will replace Judge Joseph Mangan who retired in October.

He has practised as a solicitor in Westport for several years, prior to his recent judicial appointment.

He studied at University College Dublin and the Law Society and qualified as a solicitor in 1973.

Mr Durcan is not likely to take up the role as district court judge in Clare until March as he will spend the next few months in judicial training in Dublin. In the meantime, the county’s district courts will be presided over by judges from a panel. Since Judge Mangan’s retirement, Judge Aeneas McCarthy has presided over most of the district courts in the county.

A spokesman for the Courts Service told The Clare People that a decision to locate a newly-appointed judge in a district court area “is unusual but it’s not unheard of”.

The President of the Clare Law Association, solicitor Mairéad Doyle said the new judge will be most welcome to the county.

“We are delighted at the appointment this week of Judge Patrick Durcan to the District Court in Clare as successor to Judge Joseph Mangan,” said Ms Doyle.

“Judge Durcan had a long and distinguished career in the district court in Mayo and as a native of the West of Ireland he will be familiar with the type of cases that will be coming before him during the course of his work here in Clare. We welcome Judge Durcan to Clare and look forward to working with him,” she added.

Meanwhile, changes to court sittings across Clare have been rubberstamped and will come into effect in January, as part of a centralisation process.

Under the changes, there will be specific dates for crime hearings, separate dates for civil hearings and other listed dates for hearings related to traffic offences. Crime sittings will take place on Wednesdays, with road traffic matters and civil cases heard on Fridays. Also, most of the hearings will be centralised to Ennis. Kilrush cases will continue to be heard in the west Clare town, while cases from north Clare are to be moved to Ennis. Shannon cases are already heard in Ennis.

East Clare district court sittings will return to Killaloe in January, for a trial period of three months. O’Donovan’s bar and restaurant, Derg Court, Ballina, Killaloe, will host the sittings from January 3.

The court will sit on the first Tuesday of every month and will also sit on extra days – on the six second Tuesdays (January, March, May, July, October and December).

It will sit at O’Donovan’s for three months initially, with the option of extending the lease on a monthly basis.

CONSTRUCTION work on a new € 4.2 million Cystic Fibrosis Unit will begin in the new year after a historic fundraising effort by parents in Clare, Tipperary and Limerick.

The sod for the new facility was due to be turned in September of this year but work on the facility has now been delayed until the new year. Despite this however, the TLC4CF group are confident that progress will be made on the new facility early in 2012.

The group have also just launched a new fund-raising cook book which they are hoping can raise as much as € 100,000 to help to fund the completion of the unit and the machinery needed to fill it.

“The sod turning has not taken place yet unfortunately but we are confident that that will take place early in the new year. We are confident of that,” said Corofin mother and member of TLC4CF Marcella Clancy.

“This is the second Food 4 Thought cook book that we are released for TLC4CF. The first book was released two years ago and it was compiled by Breda O’Shaughnessy from Adare who is a great chef.

“The first book was a great success with more then € 100,000 being raised between Clare, Tipperary and Limerick from its sale. We will see how this one goes now – a lot of people were asking for a second version of the book to be launched.

“The book has all new recipes in it and while some of the recipes might be a little bit advanced they are presented in a way that anybody could do them. It does through the whole lot, from starters to soups, main courses to deserts. It is the kind of thing that would make a lovely Christmas present and it’s not too expensive at just € 10.

“We would also like to like to wish a happy Christmas to everyone in Clare and beyond who have supported TLC4CF in the past, their support is greatly appreciated by everyone in the Clare Branch of Cystic Fibrosis and everyone involved with TLC4CF.”

When completed, the new facility will be the only dedicated facility for people over the age of 16 who have Cystic Fibrosis in the west of Ireland. The facility, which will be built on the grounds of Limerick Regional Hospital, will be built entirely with money raised by TLC4CF and while the HSE has committed to staffing the facility. Food 4 Thought is available at Mary Kelly’s news agents in Ennis, O’Mahoney’s Bookshop in Ennis, Donnellan’s Centra Service Station in Ennis and the Spar Supermarket in Corofin.

CLARE parents have been warned not to purchase a puppy as a gift for their children this year by the county’s dog warden Frankie Coote, who had to rehouse dozens of newly abandoned animals in the first week after Christmas last year.

Anyone interested in getting a pet for their family this Christmas is instead asked to visit the Clare Dog Pound with their children and speak to a trained professional about what is required to look after a dog prop- erly.

“Unfortunately, each year parents and relatives go out there and decide to buy a pet for a child for Christmas. We would advice anyone who is thinking of getting a dog at Christmas, and they have the right time and facilities, that they should go to a pound and rehouse a dog rather than going to a puppy farm. Puppy farms are just breeding establishments and you are going to buy from a puppy farm you really need to see the dogs parents and what sort of conditions they are being kept with,” said Frankie.

“Parents can rush into getting a dog as a present without really thinking about the amount of work that is involved in a dog.

“Last Christmas we saw a number of relatives bringing a puppy for their niece of nephew – that is a terrible thing to do with someone. The people are not prepared for the pup and all the work that that entails. Last year I had to go to several people immediately after Christmas because they just were not able to take care of their pups. It is a big commit- ment and people who get a puppy at Christmas don’t realise this.”

Meanwhile, a number of horses have been discovered dead at various locations around the county over the past two weeks. A large number of horses were effectively abandoned last year as the prolonged cold snap mean that the owners could not feed the animals.

Flooding has been the main difficulty for animals this year with a number of horses found dead in drains and wet areas in Kilmaley and Kilkishen in the past two week.

A MAN and a woman bravely fought of a hatchet-wielding raider who broke into a business on the Kilrush Road in Ennis last week.

The incident occurred between 6pm and 6.15pm at Coote’s Shop last Thursday (December 15) when two men wearing balaclavas entered the premises. One of the men was brandishing a hatchet and the other was carrying a blue bag.

A woman working behind the counter was threatened and told to hand over money from the till.

The woman used a sweeping brush to fight off the intruders who caused damage to a number of items in the shop including the cash register and credit card payment machine.

An elderly shop employee, who was in the rear of the premises, came to the assistance of the woman and together they managed to force the intruders from the shop empty handed. The woman did suffer bruising to her arm during the incident.

A Garda spokesman explained, “The commotion was heard by an employee in the back and he entered the shop to see what was happening. The raiders were very aggressive and assaulted both employees who were injured as a result.”

He continued, “The man with the hatchet kept banging it off the counter and damaged the till and some charity boxes. The culprits fled empty handed running out the backdoor towards Eire Óg hurling pitch”.

Gardaí have released a picture of blue bag left by the raiders at the scene. They are appealing with anybody who might recognise the item or have information about the break in to contact Ennis Garda Station at 065 6848183.

Gardaí are also investigating a robbery that took place at Lakeview Stores in Ballyalla on Friday (December 16).

At around 9.35pm three men entered the premises. One man was carrying a knife. They knocked the owner to the ground while two of them stole the till and then fled on foot out the door. The owner was not injured. The raiders are described as follows (1) Wearing a balaclava, 5’ 8”, strong build, carrying a knife; (2) Tall slim build, late teens; (3) Very small, around 14 years-old. Slim build, wearing a blue jacket.

A car was parked about 200 yards away facing out at the housing estate of Radharc na Lacha with the inside light on. Gardaí believe the raiders left the scene in this car.