Category: News

THE newly appointed head of the Clare Tourism Forum has singled out co-operation between the county’s tourism providers as the key to Clare unlocking its tourism potential in 2012.

Barbara Faulkner of Aillwee Cave in Ballyvaughan has been appointed the new chairperson of the Clare Tourism Forum. She replaces Joe Russell, general manager of Doon beg Golf Club, who held the position throughout 2011.

“What I would like to see for the coming year and for the future is more networking and coming together of all of the tourism providers within the county. Collaboration is key to moving forward,” she said.

“Tourism is very important to County Clare with huge potential for growth, but we all need to take responsibility for it and to ensure that everyone visiting the county has a memorable experience.

“What I would like to see for the coming year and for the future is more networking and coming together of all of the tourism providers within the county. Collaboration is key to moving forward. Tourism is very important to County Clare with huge potential for growth, but we all need to take responsibility for it and to ensure that everyone visiting the county has a memorable experience.

“I am looking forward to the year ahead and the many challenges that it will present. Since its establishment in 2005, Clare Tourism Forum has been very active in promoting Coun- ty Clare both at home and abroad, and all that hard work and dedication is starting to show. However, we need to continue promoting the message that when it comes to choosing a destination for a holiday or short break County Clare has it all.”

The Clare Tourism Forum was established in 2005 to provide a collaborative approach to tourism pro- motion in County Clare. The forum’s members developed and hosted a number of initiatives aimed at promoting the local tourism sector during 2011.

One of the highlights of the year was the Gala Clare Tourism Networking event which attracted more than 200 Clare tourism providers in May, while more than 400 golfers from around Ireland participated in the second annual Clare Ultimate Golf Challenge.

Tourism operators throughout Clare also took park in educational tours of Clare during March and April. The event was designed to encourage cross promotion and networking among Forum members and the wider business community.

QUESTIONS have been raised over the influence a community research project might have on the future development of Ennis. The first phase of ‘Ennis 2020 – People, Place, Potential’ was launched in Ennis in November. The community visioning exercise is the product of a joint initiative between Ennis Town Council and University of Limerick. The main objective of the project is to support the development of a participatory plan for Ennis as a hub town in line with the National Spatial Strategy. The opinions of over 300 people were canvassed including those of 30 young people.

The project’s report presents perspectives on what local people think Ennis will look and feel like in 2020; the strengths and assets on which it can build; how the image of Ennis might be improved and how Ennis might be developed further as an inclusive town.

In a report presented at the council’s annual budget meeting, town manager Ger Dollard states, “Further work has been done on this project and three working groups have been established to assess the outcome of the consultation process and distill information and ideas generated down to an overall strategy for Ennis as a hub town.”

Speaking at last week’s meeting, councillor Peter Considine (FF) asked how the project was being funded. He said the project’s approach appeared to be a “very broad brush” for the future planning of Ennis. He said he would not like to see an advisory group determining Council policy.

Town clerk Leonard Cleary said three working groups had been established through the Ennis Municipal Policy Committee. The meeting heard that the groups do not have a budget.

Mayor of Ennis, Cllr Michael Guilfoyle (Ind) said the group operated on an advisory basis and potential decisions would have to be “rubber stamped” by the council. Mr Dollard also announced a reduction in the council’s budget for twinning initiatives from € 9,000 in 2011 to € 5,000 in 2012.

He added, “Invitations have been ex tended to Ennis’ sister town in Phoenix, Arizona, through Ennis Phoenix Twinning Board for a formal visit to Ennis in 2013. Arrangements are also being made through the Twinning Board to have participation of a band from Phoenix in the Ennis St Patrick’s Day Parade 2013.

FURTHER upgrades are required at wastewater treatment plants in Ennis in order to ensure balanced development of the town, a meeting has heard.

Clare County Council received a grant of permission for the € 2.8 million upgrade of the Clonroadmore wastewater treatment plant from An Bord Pleanála in November.

The development will see the upgrading of the existing wastewater treatment plant from a design capacity of 17,000 population equivalent to a design capacity of 30,150 (pe). The proposed works include (a) an increased storm water storage capacity, (b) the provision of a new clari- fier, (c) the provision of a picket fence thickener (PFT) for sludge treatment and (d) the provision of a tertiary treatment system.

Speaking at Clare County Council’s annual budget meeting, former Mayor of Ennis, councillor Tommy Brennan (Ind) said the town had been waiting for an upgrade of the wastewater treatment plant at Clareabbey since 1995.

Welcoming the development at Clonroadmore, Cllr Brennan said similar progress was required at the Clareabbey facility. He said, “I’d like to see balanced development of the town so the town can develop properly”.

Senior Engineer Sean Ward said the council has prepared a preliminary report on works for Clareabbey. He explained that improvements to the Ennis wastewater network would be carried out on an incremental basis.

Mr Ward told the meeting that approval had been sought for the Clondroadmore plant because it is “overloaded” while capacity at Clareabbey is on a “knife-edge”. He said the council had secured a license from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for Clonroadmore while none is yet in place for Clareabbey.

In a report, Cllr Joe Arkins (FG) stated that two projects costed at € 8.7m will proceed to construction under the council’s 2010-12 Water Services Investment Programme (WSIP). Cllr Arkins, who is Chair- man of the council’s Environmental and Water Services Strategic Policy Committee (SPC), explained that a further five projects will proceed to planning during these years.

Cllr Arkins continued, “Consultant procurement for the Ennis watermain rehabilitation project will be completed in 2011. This project is expected to commence construction in 2012. Close liaison with business and other stakeholders in the town will be required in order that any work carried out does not adversely affect daily running of business.

“The aim of the project is to replace older mains, which either are costing significant amounts to maintain or are causing hydraulic constraint and low pressure and to obtain a saving on lost water within these areas. All service connections on these mains will be replaced.”

Cllr Johnny Flynn (FG) said the Council might have to consider introducing water byelaws for commercial and domestic users to prevent leakages from the network.

Cllr Gerry Flynn (Ind) called on the Council to expedite progress of the Shannon sewerage scheme otherwise the town is “going to flowed out of it in sewerage”.

He was also strongly critical of plans to impose water rates on volountary and sports groups. He described the € 450 standing charge as a “hidden stealth charge”.

“We are attacking their very existence,” he added.

ENNIS WOMAN Siobhan Keane is spending Christmas in Dubai, having moved there 12 years ago. Siobhan is enjoying the festive season with her Dublin-born husband Karl, having fulfilled her dream to move overseas.

“I always wanted to travel, I remember one time when I was around 10 years old showing my sister a photograph in the world book encyclopedia of Cairo city centre, saying, ‘I’m gonna live there someday’……Little did I know it was going to be somewhere very near there,” recalled Siobhan.

“I suppose the writing was on the wall when I won a set of suitcases a year later. I asked my parents after I left college would it be okay to head off to Australia for a year. The reply was a very firm ‘No’. Anyway, when you have an itch it has to be scratched and a few years later, when sitting in my office in NUI Galway in the Accountancy and Finance Department, I heard Colm McLoughlin from Dubai on the radio talking about Dubai,” she said. “Now this took my interest. I had always seen the ads in the glossy magazines at the hairdressers talking about Dubai, the most cosmopolitan city in the Arabian Gulf, so I listened in. To cut a long story short, within the week I had been in contact with Colm and had arranged jobs for my friend Patricia Walsh and I at ‘The Irish Village’ in Dubai. Tickets were booked, visas arranged and the itinerary sent over. I was extremely excited, but this was only my short-term plan… Once over there I wanted to go for an interview with Emirates Airline and start air hostessing and travelling all over the world,” she said.

Despite some anxiety at home, particularly from Siobhán’s parents, she headed to Shannon Airport on August 21, 1999, and her trip took off.

“For all of about two minutes I wondered if I was doing the right thing. I applied for Emirates and got accepted and started flying in June of 2000. It has been an amazing experience and I have been travelling the world since, from places as far afield as Christchurch, New Zealand, at one end of the world and Sao Paulo in Brazil at the other end.

“The friends I have made have been amazing and the experiences invaluable to me. Along the way I have met many Irish people and with them many Clare people also. At the Irish village there was Brian O’Dwyer from Bodyke and Dermot Geoghegan from Mountshannon. I met Helen McCarthy from Ballyvaughan in Emirates and we became friends almost straight away. Herself and Dermot got married and they are settled in Ennis now with two beautiful daughters. There is a guy here called Will Moroney from Corofin and I met him through his fiance Fiona Devlin, who is from Perth and also Emirates Cabin Crew,” she said.

Six years ago, when Siobhan was considering moving home, she met Karl Tilson from Donnybrook in Dublin in the Dubliner Irish pub in Dubai. “I joke that he ruined my plans to go home but we both couldn’t be happier. We had our wedding in the Cathedral in Ennis and the Temple Gate Hotel in June 2009 with 30 guests flying over from Dubai to see our beautiful country,” she said.

Although Siobhan will spend Christmas in her adopted country, her family will be very much in her thoughts.

“This year I arrive back from London Gatwick on Christmas Eve morning… We haven’t had an Irish Christmas in six years so we really hope to be at home for it next year, as it is never the same when you are not at home. Having said that, if I didn’t have Karl here with me it would be much more difficult. New Year’s Eve we will go to Abu Dhabi to see Coldplay and the new year isn’t starting out too bad for me as I get to take the first ever flight out of Dublin Airport with Emirates on January 9, so I’m very excited about that. You can’t beat the Irish Christmas with family and friends, but please God in the future when we come back home we will have many more Irish Christmases to come,” she said.

Siobhan extends Christmas greetings to her family; her parents Stephanie and Francie on the Golf Links Road in Ennis, her sisters Shauna and Ashling and brothers Ronan and Barry.

CLARE County Council is considering changes to its system of rate collection after the County Manager admitted the current “door to door” method has become too costly.

Tom Coughlan was speaking at last Tuesday’s meeting of Clare County Council as members adopted the budget for 2012.

Responding to a question from Cllr Oliver Garry (FG) about possible changes in rate collection, Mr Coughlan told the meeting that the council should have to go “door to door” to collect rates, citing the method of bill payment utilised by the ESB.

He said, “Other organisations don’t do it. It is very, very costly to be going around knocking door to door”.

He added, “I’d have to question how long we can continue to do it.”

Mr Coughlan told the meeting that new figures from 2010 National Service Indicators showed that Clare County Council had the third lowest level of absenteeism of all 34 city and county councils in the country.

He said the council’s absenteeism rate of 3.95 per cent was “significantly below” the national average.

The council will receive € 10.18m from the local government fund, a reduction of 5.45 per cent from last year.

In his report, Mr Coughlan stated that that represents a cumulative reduction of 38 per cent since 2009.

Mr Coughlan stated that the 2012 cut represented the fourth lowest reduction nationally.

Commenting on the household charge, Mr Coughlan said the charge would not represent additional income for the Council.

In his report, Mr Coughlan said it had not been possible for the council to reduce commercial rates.

He stated, “Due to the fact that the household charge is being paid into the Local Government Fund and, in light of the continuing reduction in local government funding and income from local services, it has not been possible to provide for a decrease in rates in this draft budget.

“It is proposed to meet the ongoing reductions in funding through achieving efficiencies as in previous years, and consequently an increase in the level of commercial rates is not provided for”.

Mr Coughlan continued, “As I stated in the Budget Report 2011, Clare County Council is acutely aware of the financial difficulties which our rate payers are experiencing and we are committed to adopting a practical approach in terms of facilitating rate payers.

“However, I must emphasise that if the council does not receive the income which is identified in this draft budget, the maintenance of the levels of services which are planned for 2012 would be impacted.”

Mr Coughlan said that despite ongoing efforts to reduce expenditure and increase income, the projected financial result for 2011 is a € 500k deficit.

“The key variances are as a result of essential works which were undertaken to respond to the adverse weather conditions in early 2011, unexpected costs relating to Traveller accommodation and the increased levels of vacant properties in the county,” he said.

THE cost of maintaining and managing each Traveller accommodation unit in Clare that’s managed by Clare County Council is now running at nearly € 7,000 per house – a figure that’s 11 times higher than the average cost towards the upkeep of an ordinary council house.

These startling figures that reveal financial burden on Clare County Council when it comes to Traveller accommodation is contained in the Draft Budget for 2012 that’s now be- ing considered by the 32 members of the local authority. The Clare People has learned that for each of the 63 Traveller accommodation units in the county that’s made up of 50 houses and 13 service bays, Clare County Council will have to pay an average of € 6,904 in maintenance and managing costs during 2012.

And, this huge figure when it comes to spending on each individual unit is magnified by the fact that it average cost towards maintaining Clare County Council housing stock around the county is just € 598.

This figures are revealed against a backdrop last October’s admission from Clare County Council that it has spent € 20 million on Traveller accommodation in Clare since 2001.

“Expenditure on maintenance and legal costs in Traveller accommodation continues at a disproportionate level,” county manager Tom Coughlan has admitted in presenting the council’s Draft Budget to councillors this week.

The 2012 budget includes a sum of € 235,000 for maintenance of the 11 group schemes in the county, a further € 199,750 for management costs and € 128,000 for legal costs, with the county manager outlining the local authority’s efforts at reducing the financial burden because of legal fees.

“The council has made a submission to the department seeking a complete review of the administrative processes involved in referring a complaint to the Director of Equality Investigations and the introduction of regulation to govern these processes,” Mr Coughlan has revealed.

BUSINESSES have been urged to take appropriate security measures at Christmas to prevent instances of “opportunistic” crime.

Senior gardaí met with local businesspeople in Ennis on Thursday night to promote greater awareness of crime prevention at an event organised by the local chamber of commerce. Gardaí also outlined their plans for dealing with crime over the festive period and warned business people to remain vigilant of counterfeit or “dud” money.

Asked about specific aspects of crime, Sgt Paul Slattery told the meeting at the Rowan Tree Hostel that there have been instances of “travelling crime gangs” coming to Ennis. However he added that gardaí haven’t encountered much of that activity lately.

In a presentation, Sgt Slattery urged business people in Ennis to take security of their premises and assets seriously. He said appropriate measures helped to protect staff, reduce losses and avoid the risk of increased insurance premiums.

Sgt Slattery told the meeting that “opportunism” was one of the most common factors in all crimes in Ennis. He said thieves are deterred by little money being readily available on premises. He explained that criminals look for premises with poor security measures in place and where there is a lax attitude to security.

Sgt Slattery recalled how in one burglary, thieves were granted easy access to a night’s takings after a clearly labelled key was left by the business owner beside the safe.

Practical security steps that can be taken, Sgt Slattery explained, include: not leaving large sums of cash in tills; training staff in security procedures; maintaining safe keys under dual control and varying the times when cash is transferred to the safe.

Emphasising the importance of CCTV, Sgt Slattery said cameras should be linked to a lighting system. Supt Peter Duff said given the low level of burglaries in Clare, CCTV enabled gardaí to rule in and rule out suspects.

Supt Duff said fully functional and properly managed CCTV cameras often play an essential in Garda investigations. He told the meeting that footage from Garda CCTV combined with that from cameras outside premises can be used to track a suspect’s movements.

He said that 90 per cent of crime in Ennis is “opportunist” and that very few break-ins are linked to organised crime.

President of Ennis Chamber and local businessman, John Dillane, said light is the “greatest deterrent” to criminals.

In relation to ‘beat on the street’ activities over Christmas, Supt Duff told the meeting that Garda resourc es would be concentrated in maintaining a visible prescence on Ennis’ streets.

SHANNON Airport is likely to escape any major downturn in passenger numbers as a result of the official conclusion of US military operations in Iraq. An estimated 229,000 US military servicemen and women travelled through Shannon Airport in 2010 – more then 12 per cent of the entire passenger population who used the airport.

However, The Clare People understands that the vast majority of US military personnel who are currently using the airport are flying on to based in Afghanistan and Germany and will not be effected by the fall off in numbers travelling to Iraq.

While last week’s announcement of an official end to the US military occupation in Iraq will have an impact on the throughput at Shannon Airport, a number of these flight will continue to operate between Shannon and Kuwait instead of between Shannon and Iraq. All US military flight which land at Shannon Airport pay the same airport charges that are paid by regular commercial operators at the airport. The US military troops have also become an major generator of revenue for the Shannon Duty Free shop over the last decade.

The Department of Foreign Affairs have also confirmed that they did not receive any advanced warning from the US authorities that US operations in Iraq, which use Shannon Airport, would be coming to an end.

Shannon Airport handled an estimated 1.8 million passengers in 2010 but number are expected to be significantly lower for 2011. The airport is currently estimated to be losing in the region of € 7 million each year.

Meanwhile, noted economist and former government adviser, Dr Alan Ahearne, has warned that Clare and the west of Ireland will not escape unscathed from the current crisis which is effecting the Euro.

Dr Ahearne, who was speaking at the Shannon Chamber of Commerce’s annual President’s lunch, which took place in Dromoland Castle on Friday last, said that the one saving grace was that the Irish are “more resilient” than other people.

“Europe is muddling through the Euro crisis, with no definite comprehensive solution on the table and no ECB big bazooka. The Euro needs a new architecture, which involves stricter surveillance of national fiscal and economic policies and a proper centralised framework to resolve crises,” he said.

“Much of the hard work has already been done here. Three-quarters of the budgetary adjustments have been made, the banks have been restructured, and we are seeing significant improvements in our cost competitiveness. However, we won’t escape unscathed.”

PLANS to generate an award winning and booming night-time economy in Ennis have been backed by local Gardaí.

Ennis is seeking to obtain the Purple Flag – a UK-run initiative that recognises a town’s night-time activities and services. Details of plans, which would seek to position Ennis as the west’s night-time tourism destination of choice, were outlined at meeting in the town on Thursday night.

Ennis Town Council is exploring the possibility of bringing the scheme to the town. Members of Ennis’ Municipal Policy Committee (MPC) and local gardaí recently met with Association of Town Centre Managers, the body who adminis- ter the scheme. MPC Chairman and local Fine Gael councillor Johnny Flynn told the meeting that Ennis along with Kildare and Dublin City have expressed an interest in taking part in the scheme.

Cllr Flynn who, along with Garda Supt Peter Duff, met with Purple Flag organisers in Dublin recently, explained that the scheme could provide a much-needed shot in the arm for the local economy. He said that studies have shown that towns and cities with an active night-time economy such as Galway and Cork tend to fare better in times of recession.

He said that night-time businesses account for 27 per cent of turnover in towns and cities in the UK while providing for 5 per cent of employment. He said it is time that local authorities, businesses and emergency services come together to agree that the attractiveness of Ennis at night is improved.

Speaking at Ennis Chamber’s crimewatch meeting, Cllr Flynn said that by meeting the Purple Flag’s strict criteria, Ennis could become a “mini Galway”. Supt Peter Dufff told the meeting that gardaí would support any initiative that makes Ennis more attractive to visitors.

Positive features of the town that could help it gain Purple Flag accreditation, he said, includes a good transport network and a crime rate that compares favourably with other similar sized towns in Ireland.

He said gardaí had noticed a decline in footfall on Ennis’ streets at night in recent years, adding that on some nights gardaí return to the police station at night having “talked to no one”.

Supt Duff explained that public order offences in Ennis are down “considerably” this year. He said this was not just a result of policing but also of the economic impact of the recession.

The Purple Flag is run by the Association of Town Centre Management (UK) and is awarded to towns based on the quality of its nightlife and the types facilities and services in place at night.

In order to qualify for Purple Flag status, successful towns must meet four standards, wellbeing, appeal, movement and place.

Towns are judged on a number of criteria including active policing, safe late night car-parking, public transport, public utilities nightlife and street activities.

AFTER decades of campaigning Kinvara has finally been given the go ahead for the construction of a state of the art € 5.2 million treatment plant.

Presently more than 60,000 gallons of raw sewage are been discharged into Kinvara Bay each day. Besides the obvious environmental difficulties associated with the dumping of raw sewage, the village also suffers badly at times of low or unusual tides when a back wash effect can bring some of the waste into the picturesque surrounding of the Kinvara Pier. Because of this unusual movement of water in Kinvara Bay, raw sewage is often seen floating on the flat waters of the harbour – especially during the summer months.

Kinvara village has become a major tourist attraction in recent years with tens of thousands of tourists visiting each year to enjoy the the towns great maritime and traditional music heritage.

Before this year’s General Election local TD, Ciaran Cannon (FG), committed to resign his seat and not run again if a sewage system for Kinvara was not built during the life of the current government.

“When I first ran for the council back in 2004 this was an issue that had lingered for years with no solution in sight. I had always hoped that some day I could work with my colleagues locally and nation- ally to bring this saga to an end, and thankfully we have now arrived at that point,” he said. “Anyone visiting Kinvara at night over the Christmas period will be uplifted by the beautiful sight of a boat moored in the harbour and lit with hundreds of twinkling lights. It is a fitting symbol of a community that has lived and laboured by the sea for generations. I am delighted that within a couple of years that boat will be moored in a bay which has finally been restored to its original pristine beauty.”

The majority of the € 5.2 construction cost will come from the Department of the Environment with the balance being made up from funds already earmarked for the project by Galway County Council.