Category: News

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.

A KILLALOE man has received a three-month prison sentence after failing to pay compensation for his part in a burglary in the town in January.

James Tuohy (23) with an address at 21 Clarisford, Killaloe, was convicted at a sitting of Killaloe District Court in Ennis last week.

Tuohy and a co-accused, Vincent O’Reilly, had been ordered to pay compensation after both men were involved in the burglary of the Celtic Cat Jewelery Shop in January.

O’Reilly (21) with addresses at 4 The Rise, Cullenagh, Ballina, Tipperary and Fossabeg Scariff, did pay compensation and received a suspended sentence.

Solicitor for Tuohy, Tara Godfrey said her client would be in a position to pay compensation in a week’s time.

She said a change of address had lead to a delay in the receipt of a social welfare payment.

She told the court that at the time when the burglary was committed, Tuohy had been going through a “very traumatic” period due to his family circumstances.

She explained that he had attended the services of consultant psychiatrist and been prescribed medication. She described her client as a “very vulnerable young man”.

She said that Tuohy wanted to pay compensation but apart from social welfare payments, he did not have access to any other form of financial support.

The court heard that on the day of the burglary, Tuohy had taken medication and drank cans of Budweiser.

“He appears to have committed the offence when he was of an unstable mind”, added Ms Godfrey.

The court heard that Tuohy received a suspended sentence in December (2010) for a public order offence.

Judge Aeneas McCarthy said that Tuohy had committed burglary and been ordered to pay compensation, “He either pays it or he doesn’t”, he added. He noted that the accused “has convictions going back to 2008”.

He convicted Tuohy and imposed a three-month prison sentence. Judge McCarthy added that he would not impose the suspended sentence handed down last December. Recognances were fixed in the event of an appeal.

Solicitor for O’Reilly, Christopher Lynch told the court that his client was in a position to pay compensa- tion.

He said that since the offence was committed in January, his client has moved away from Killaloe.

He said O’Reilly did have issues with drink and drug abuse but has now sorted his life out and has enrolled in an adult education course in Nenagh.

“He’s keeping himself out of difficulty”, Mr Lynch told the court.

Judge McCarthy convicted O’Reilly and imposed a six-month prison sentence.

He suspended the sentence for a period of two years on condition that O’Reilly be of good behavior.

KILRUSH Town Council is set to spend € 32,870 in 2012 on providing a public toilet in the Martyrs Square in the town centre – this is despite the fact that the facility, which has been described as “the most expensive piece of retail property in Ireland”, only nets € 1,300 in revenue to the local authority.

The extent of the annual cost of the toilet, which is leased by Kilrush Town Council from Street Furniture Limited, is contained in the estimate of expenses that will go before the nine members of the local authority at this week’s budget meeting.

In light of these figures, it’s expected that Thursday night’s meeting in the Town Hall will hear renewed calls for the council executive to extricate itself from the leasing arrangement it has with Street Furniture Limited for the provision of the rarely used facility.

At the September meeting of Kilrush Town Council, it was revealed that the town authorities are tied to a 20-year contract with Street Fur- niture Limited for the toilet that was signed in 1999 and doesn’t run out until 2019.

The latest figures provided by the council have revealed that the provision of the toilet cost € 201,301.51 between 2005 and 2010, while over the course of the same six-year period, income to the council from the public’s use of the facility was just € 9,940.49.

Mayor of Kilrush, Ian Lynch has led calls for the council to try and extricate itself from this contract, which he has labeled “a huge drain on Kilrush Town Council’s resources at a time when we need every penny we can get”.

Mayor Lynch has also gone so far as to say “what can they do if we don’t pay it? They can’t get money off us that we don’t have”.

Town clerk John Corry has revealed that the council “would have to pay 25 per cent of the basic rent for each remaining year on the contract together with the costs of removing the universal superloo. As eight years remain in the contract, the current cost would be € 75,000”.

A BAN on the sale of smoky coal and the growth of unregulated doorto-door operators is “crippling” the coal trade in Ennis, a meeting has heard.

Local fuel merchant and independent councillor, Frankie Neylon says businesses are struggling because of the legislation, which he described as “flawed”.

In June, the Minister for the En- vironment, Community and Local Government, Phil Hogan TD, announced that – with effect from August 1 – Ennis would be added to the list of towns and cities covered by the ‘Smoky Coal Ban’, under which it is illegal to market, sell or distribute bituminous or ‘smoky’ coal.

Under the Air Pollution Act, sellers found in breach of the ban could face fines of up to € 5,000.

Cllr Neylon told the December meeting of Ennis Town Council that traders in the town are encountering “huge problems” with the ban. He said the restrictions in place on local fuel merchants are “crippling the trade”.

He said the legislation was intended for cities and not towns of Ennis’ size.

He said there is no ban in place to prevent sellers from bringing smoky coal into Ennis, a practice he said was common.

Cllr Neylon said that if the gov- ernment are serious about banning smoky coal, “they should ban it at source”.

“Every night of the week there are people coming into town selling smoky coal,” he added.

Cllr Neylon said his own sales are down 53 per cent on last year.

A report released in September by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) stated that the burning of bituminous or so-called smoky coal has had an impact on air quality in Ennis.

Cllr Neylon said that if unregulated coal sellers are allowed to operate in Ennis then “emissions are going to go through the roof ”.

Town Manager Ger Dollard said the whole purpose of the ban is to improve air quality in Ennis.

He said Clare County Council, the body responsible for enforcing the ban, is willing to meet with local fuel merchants in order to discuss and resolve any difficulties.

A MAN CHARGED with failing to appear before a court has been refused bail.

Martin Blunnie (23), of Beech Park, John Paul Estate, Kilrush, is charged with stealing a bottle of Yazoo at Mace, Henry Street, Kilrush, on November 15 last.

Mr Blunnie is accused of stealing two bottles of Yazoo on November 18 last.

He is also accused of failing to ap- pear in court last month.

Garda Donal Corkery told Ennis District Court on Friday that he arrested the accused at Beech Park, Kilrush, the previous day.

The garda told the court that he was objecting to bail and sought to remand the defendant in custody to appear again in court later this week.

Free legal aid was granted to the accused.

Judge Angela Ní Chondúin remanded the accused in custody to appear again in court later this week.

THE long wait finally ended for 10 Clare people who were granted Irish citizenship on Friday. The group were among a crowd of over 600 people who attended a citizenship ceremony in Cork.

The ceremony was organised by the Department of Justice and Equality and saw people from 77 different countries granted citizenship. Attendees took an oath of fidelity to the nation and received their certificate of naturalisation.

Husband and wife Leonardo Gonzalez and Aymara Ruiz were among the delighted group of people to be named as Ireland’s newest citizens. The Cuban natives, who have lived in Ennis for the past four years, say they are happy that the wait for citizenship is finally over.

“It was a great day for us,” said Aymara yesterday. Leonardo said the granting of Irish citizenship made him feel proud. “Today I am a free man” he said.

The Clare group comprised people mainly from Cuban, Chinese, Somali and Sudanese backgrounds, explained Orla Ni Eili, coordinator of the Clare Immigrant Support Centre. She said, “It’s a new feature that was brought in by Alan Shatter (Minister for Justice) to give the process of citizenship a bit more value, make it a bit more of an event.”

Ms Ni Eili explained that applicants must wait for a minimum of three years before receiving citizenship. However she said that, in some cases, people are waiting up to nine or 10 years.

“Some of the people from Clare who were in Cork on Saturday were waiting five years. There is a big backlog of applicant cases,” she added.

THE TOWN rate in Shannon will not change next year and remains at € 2.11 for the third successive year. That is according to the Town Manager, Bernadette Kinsella, in her annual draft budget which was presented to the local town council last week.

Expenditure in Shannon is projected to drop by € 4, 500 next year – from € 149, 500 to € 145,000. Income will increase from € 39, 500 to € 41,000 in 2012, according to estimates.

The amount of money spent in a number of areas will reduce next year, including office expenses and advertising; light, heat and power; travel and subsistence; audit fees; training and the town twinning programme with Guingamp in France.

The one area where spending is poised to increase is the community scheme which is estimated to increase from € 35,000 to € 36, 500 next year.

Recoupment of the community scheme is also expected to increase, from € 21,000 to € 22, 500.

“This scheme has been very positively received in the town and has done much to tackle the problem of litter throughout the area,” said the Manager.

In her report to the council, Ms Kinsella stated that the draft budget has been prepared “in a continuing difficult economic climate”.

“This is reflected in a reduction of funds available from Clare County Council and the maintenance of commercial rates at 2010 levels in recognition of the demands being placed on the business community,” she stated.

The level of demand “does not, for the second successive year, necessitate an increase in the town rate,” she added.

General office and operational expenses have been reduced by € 1,000, which has been done “on the basis of cutbacks under all of these cost headings and will require strict monitoring and review to ensure expenditure remains within budget provisions”.

The council’s annual budget meet- ing was told that a draft Shannon Town and Environs Local Area Plan is currently in preparation to cover the period 2012 – 2018. This will replace the existing Shannon component of the South Clare Local Area Plan 2009 – 2015.

The integrated plan will be in place next year and will form the basis for a high level strategy that will promote the opportunities available within Shannon, the airport lands, the free zone and Westpark, according to the council. An extensive consultation process will get underway in the coming weeks.

A 17-YEAR-OLD girl who got involved in “very bad company” in Ennistymon has been told by a judge that she is “on a very slippery slope”.

The girl pleaded guilty to entering the Old Convent, Deerpark, Ennistymon, as a trespasser, on October 28, 2010.

On October 31, 2010, she and another individual were involved in an incident in which a car had a front window broken, while the front seat was set on fire.

The court heard the cost of the damage amounted to € 800.

Superintendent Colm O’Sullivan told Ennistymon District Court last Wednesday that the girl went into the convent with a number of other youths “for the purpose of drinking”.

“Somebody in the group lit a fire to warm themselves,” he said.

Judge Aeneas McCarthy said that the Probation report on the accused was “very positive”.

The court heard that girl had a number of previous convictions.

Her solicitor Gearóid Williams said that the girl was aged 16 at the time of some of the offences.

“She used to come to Ennistymon. She mixed in very bad company. She spent time in Oberstown.

Since then there has been a considerable change,” Mr Williams told the court.

“She is now availing of the opportunities she is being given,” said Mr Williams.

He said that the girl has not been in Ennistymon in recent times.

“The difficulty is when she goes to Ennistymon she gets involved in bad company, much older people,” he said.

He said that his client has not been involved in any incidents since August and is now a “completely differ- ent” person.

The girl’s social worker told the court that she has made a “huge improvement” since she spent time in Oberstown.

Judge McCarthy placed the girl on 12 months probation.

“You seem to be making progress,” he told her.

“You are on a very slippery slope at a very young age.

“The court will not be as lenient with you in the future.

“I am taking a chance with you and I hope you take the chance you are getting,” said the judge addressing the teenager.

AN Iranian man now living in Ennis has documented his 12-year struggle as a refugee in a new book launched on Saturday. Hassan Faramarz (42), author of The Flagless Ones , says he is “proud” to have told his story.

He adds, “I really wanted to tell everybody that this is happening to 70 million people. You don’t have to repeat my experience. You can learn from my experience. I wanted to share this is with everybody so people can learn what’s going on in Iran. We should learn from each other.”

Hassan was speaking in the West County Hotel on Saturday at a conference focusing on equality and diversity in Clare.

The book tells the story of the father of four’s upbringing in Iran, the oppression his family suffered at the hands of the Ayatollah Khomeini’s regime and his life as a refugee in India, China and Ireland. Hassan grew up in Iran at a time of political unrest in the late 1970s and ‘80s. Members of his family who opposed the ruling regime were imprisoned and executed.

He recalls, “I was not arrested but being a member of a family whose four brothers are involved in that movement, it’s not easy for you to have a normal life. I didn’t have a normal life. I couldn’t have a normal life.

“I graduated from high school and went to Open University and I learned some English. I married and I also did my military service. But after that I could not get a job, anything. They don’t arrest you but they don’t see you anymore. You are like a shadow in society. Nobody is listening to you. It’s a strange condition.”

Hassan left Iran for Indian in 1996 but found life as a refugee no better than his “shadow” existence at home.

“I spent three years in India as a refugee. In 1998, my wife joined me there. There we had our first son. We spent three years almost in India. The situation was hard. It was horrible. There are thousands of refugees there. You are struggling with your food, your clothing, shelter everything.”

Instead, with the help of a friend, Hassan and his family secured a visa to travel to Canada. However, the family encountered difficulties while travelling through China and ended up spending nine years living in refugee accommodation in Beijing.

The family moved to Ireland in 2008, eventually settling in Ennis. A former journalist and language teacher, Hassan is now studying theology and philosophy at Mary Immaculate College, Limerick. Of his life in Ennis, he says, “It’s great and my children are integrating very well. I have three children, two boys and one girl. Their English is improving very fast. They have already started criticising me, saying ‘Daddy, your English isn’t very good’. They are actually learning very, very fast. I’m very happy here and for Ireland accepting us.”

EAST Clare district court sittings are to return to Killaloe 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.

The announcement by the Courts Service came after a series of temporary measures in relation to a court venue for Killaloe. The court had sat at the Lakeside Hotel for a number of years. It emerged last year that the Lakeside would not be a long-term option. It was then moved to the Kincora Hotel after months of searching for a venue by the Courts Service.

However the Kincora Hotel went into receivership and a decision was then taken to move the September, October, November and December sittings of the court to Ennis Courthouse.

The old courthouse in Killaloe is in a state of disrepair and funding is not available to renovate it.

The Courts Service has said at all times that the aim was to secure a permanent venue for the East Clare court sittings. Court sittings in Tulla and Scarriff are a thing of the past after a decision was taken to move all east Clare cases to Killaloe, a few years ago. Both members of the legal profession and gardaí have said that it would be a bad move to have the east Clare sittings in Ennis in the long-term and say that a permanent move to Ennis isn’t something that should be contemplated.

The decision on the venue for Killaloe comes amid widespread changes to court sittings across the county, which will come into effect in the New Year.

As revealed in The Clare People last month, there are proposals to centralise the service.

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. Criminal cases will be heard on Wednesdays, while traffic and civil cases will go before the presiding judge on Fridays.

Also, most of the hearings will be centralised to Ennis. While Kilrush cases will continue to be heard in the West Clare town, cases from North Clare are to be moved to Ennis. Shannon cases are already heard in Ennis.