Category: News

DISCUSSION on plans to develop an independent all Irish secondary school in Ennis is likely to be shelved until 2014, a meeting has heard.

A proposal to develop a new independent Gaelcholáiste has been debated by Clare VEC. Gaelcholáiste an Chláir, which is currently located in the grounds of Ennis Community College, is set to benefit from a proposed new school building project.

However a proposal to delay further discussion on a proposed independent building was adopted at the November meeting of Clare VEC.

CEO George O’Callaghan told the meeting that if Clare VEC supported a proposal to develop an independent Gaelcholáiste, then the issue of school patronage would be up for competition.

He said the Department of Education and Skills had informed Clare VEC that the development of schools on new greenfield sites would initiate a competition for patronage.

Mr O’Callaghan said that it “would be in the best interest” of Clare VEC to pursue the building of the new schools extension in Ennis. He proposed that further discussion of the matter be proposed until after the extension is built. His proposal was formally seconded by the committee.

In October it was confirmed that Clare VEC will receive grant funding to carry out the works at Ennis Community College and St Anne’s Community College, Killaloe. Works will also be carried out at a school in Shannon.

A Department of Education report had predicted that enrolment at Ennis Community College would rise to 740 students in the near future, while enrolment at St Anne’s is expected to increase to 750.

There are currently 500 students enrolled at Ennis Community College. Mr O’Callaghan has previously said that the building would also alleviate pressure on Gaelcholáiste an Chláir, an Aonad that currently operates within Ennis Community College.

Clare VEC will receive a devolved grant for the projects – a 2813sq/m extension in Ennis and a 1800sq/m extension in Killaloe. Work on the Ennis project is expected to be completed by 2014.

The majority of respondents (69 per cent) to a survey conducted by Clare VEC agreed or strongly agreed that Gaelcholáiste an Chláir should move to its own campus.

The survey was carried out to assess demand for second level education through Irish in Clare.

The survey findings indicated that 88 per cent of the 854 respondents agreed or strongly agreed that Irish medium education should be available at second level.

28 per cent agreed or strongly agreed that Gaelcholáiste an Chláir should have independent status while remaining on the campus of Ennis Community College. 26 per cent agreed or strongly agreed that it should stay as it is.

The survey found that the school is estimated to grow from its current enrolment of 137 to 208 students in 2019, expanding to 242 in 2020.

A MAN who was dealing drugs to 10 people to feed his own habit got a wake up call when he was caught, a court has been told.

Gerry Downey (31), of Maiville, Kilrush Road, Ennis, was before Ennis District Court on Friday charged with possession of cannabis and possession of cannabis for the purpose of sale or supply, at Government Buildings, Ennis, on March 17 last.

Inspector John Galvin told the court that the accused admitted to gardaí that the cannabis was “for distribution to other people”.

He said that the drug was valued at € 1,900.

Defending solicitor Stephen Nicholas said that his client had been in employment as a plasterer but had lost his job in the recession. He said that while he was unemployed, he lapsed into taking cannabis.

“Naivety is written all over this case,” he said.

“He admitted everything. He had hidden the stash in bushes in a housing estate.

“It was clearly visible in a field be- tween the Revenue Commissioners office and the rugby club,” said the solicitor.

“It was naive,” he said.

“He doesn’t have a car. The only thing he has is a bicycle. He admitted that he was dealing. There were 10 people in a circle to whom he was dealing. He was dealing to feed his own habit. This was probably a wake-up call for him,” said the solicitor.

Judge Aeneas McCarthy adjourned the case until January for preparation of a Probation report and sought urinalysis and toxicology reports.

THE make up of boards of management in a number of secondary schools across Clare could be altered under new proposals from the Department of Education and Skills.

Under the new Education and Training Bill (2011), which will see Clare VEC merge with Limerick City VEC and Limerick County VEC, any nominees must reside within the “locality of the Board of Management”.

CEO, George O’Callaghan told the November meeting of Clare VEC that it is Minster Ruairí Quinn’s view that VEC nominees would have to live in the parish where the school is located.

“The minister has very clear views on board members travelling from one side of the county to the other,” he said.

Clare VEC is involved in seven post primary schools – Ennis Community College, Ennistymon Vocational School, Kildysart Community College, Kilkee Community College, Killaloe Community College, Kilmihil Vocational School and Scariff Community College.

In a report on the new Education and Training Bill (2011), Mr O’Callaghan explained that “The main objectives of the bill relate to local delivery and co-ordination of education and training and provides for the establishment of new education and training boards.”

He told the meeting that the greater Limerick area had been designated as the headquarters for the new ETB.

Mr O’Callaghan also outlined the composition of the education and training boards (ETBs).

Each ETB Board will consist of 18 members comprised of: 10 people elected by the local authority or local authorities as appropriate in the proportions specified by the minister; two people nominated by each national association of parents; two people who are members of staff and elected by members of staff; four people nominated by bodies specified for this purpose by the minister having a special interest in or knowledge relating to education and training.

Mr O’Callaghan told the meeting that the VEC representative body, the Irish Vocational Education Association (IVEA), has recommended that 15 places be allocated for councillors to represent Clare, Limerick City and Limerick County.

Responding to a question from Committee Chairman, Cllr Tommy Brennan (Ind), Mr O’Callaghan said that discussions have taken place regarding the future arrangement of the IVEA.

Cllr Brennan was critical of the role of the IVEA, saying it had not done enough to represent the interest of Clare VEC. He said, “In my opinion, they sold us out.”

According to Mr O’Callaghan’s report, the Bill provides “for the recruitment, suspension and dismissal of staff”.

It also provides for the “transfer of former VEC staff to the ETB and/ or redeployment to another ETB or public service body”.

A MAN who served in Iraq with the British Army returned home to Clare with post traumatic stress, his solicitor has told a court.

Ross Culligan (24), of Church Drive, Clarecastle was accused of forging a prescription, and using a forged prescription at Holly’s Pharmacy, Ennis, on October 19 last.

Inspector John Galvin told Ennis District Court on Friday that staff at the pharmacy alerted gardaí that the accused had used a false prescription in an effort to obtain tablets.

He said that the accused fully cooperated with gardaí.

Defending solicitor Daragh Hassett said that his client had spent time in the British Army and had been to Iraq.

“He came back with post traumatic stress. He was not able to deal with coming home. He is now back in Ireland trying to get on with his life,” he added. “He is ashamed for what he did and it won’t happen again,” said the solicitor.

Judge Aeneas McCarthy adjourned the case until January for preparation of a Probation report.

THE first stage of a local campaign for better services in Doolin will be kicked off this Thursday when a public meeting takes place at the Russell Centre in the village.

Concern that Doolin is being left behind when compared to other areas across the county when it comes to essential services has prompted what has been advertised as a Community Meeting.

The meeting has its origins in a meeting of Doolin Tourism, which recently hosted its annual general meeting were concerns were raise about the need for radical improvements to the local infrastructure.

“Issues arose at the meeting around – issues like roads, sewerage and lighting and signage,” a spokesperson for the Community Meeting told The Clare People .

“There is a feeling some services in Doolin are inadequate. Some work has been done but a lot more needs to be done There is a new sewerage system in Lisdoonvarna, but people want that extended to Doolin.

“When those issues were raised it was decided that we would take these issues to the local community as a whole and organised a public meeting so that people can come and air their views about what they feel should be done for Doolin, This is the first step in that process,” the spokesperson added.

The meeting gets underway at 9pm.

SHANNON Development’s role as a driver of the mid-west economy over the past 50 years could be wiped away with the stroke of a pen in next week’s Budget, the Minister for Transport, Leo Varadkar has revealed.

On a visit to Clare on Saturday, Minister Varadkar spelled out clearly that Shannon Development’s future as the engine of the mid-west economy now hangs in the balance, if its responsibilities for tourism marketing and business development are taken over by other state agencies.

“Shannon Development has a remit for tourism marketing as well as product development, enterprise development, inward investment and does a lot of different things,” said Minister Varadkar.

“Its remit is under Minister Richard Bruton (Enterprise, Jobs and Innovation) rather than under my remit. What the Government has said is that Fáilte Ireland is willing to take over all of Shannon Development’s tourism functions, if the agency is subsumed into the IDA and Enterprise Ireland.

“Fáilte Ireland operates in the midwest already and would be including the region in all its broader marketing and would be marketing in much the same way as is markets the south west. In the past, Shannon Development had a very big income from its properties, which it was then able to re-invest into tourism in the region. Because of the collapse in the property market, Shannon Development doesn’t have that income anymore,” he added.

This means that, as a worst case scenario, Shannon Development’s role within the region could be relegated to overseeing the management of facilities such as Bunratty, Knappogue and Dungaire Castles.

“Shannon Heritage does a very good job of running its attractions and that operates as a company and I certainly wouldn’t see that changing,” said Minister Varadkar.

If the proposed changes to the operation of Shannon Development don’t go ahead, Minister Varadkar said, “I don’t see any reason not to continue the status quo, except that we will be taking over the marketing functions, but Shannon Development could continue to run the attractions and run its own properties, but things are changing.”

Shannon Development was established in 1959 as the Shannon Free Airport Development Company. The agency is responsible for the Shannon Free Zone and the National Technology Park in Limerick.

Shannon Town was also created and managed by the company until it was transferred to Clare County Council in 2004 – a transfer that was the biggest property transaction in the history of the state.

SHANNON Airport will not be privatised by way of a radical plan for the State to enter into a lease arrangement with local business interests for a period of between 15 and 35 years.

That’s the message that has been delivered by Clare’s four members of Dáil Éireann this week ahead of this Thursday’s deadline for submissions to the team of consultants hired by the Government to engage with stakeholders in Shannon ahead of a New Year announcement on the airport’s future. The Clare People can reveal that none of the TDs have come out and supported the controversial privatisation plan, which was part of the submission made by Shannon Airport Authority chairman, Brian O’Connell, to Minister for Transport, Leo Varadkar in August.

The privatisation plan was rubbished by deputies Timmy Dooley (FF) and Michael Michael McNamara (Lab) as early as last September, and now Fine Gael TDs, Pat Breen and Joe Carey have followed suit and railed against the move that would see Shannon taken out of State hands for the first time in its 75-year history.

Instead, all four TDs are now back ing a move to make Shannon inde- pendent of Dublin Airport Authority control, while remaining firmly under government control as a key strategic State asset.

“The airport must be independent,” said Deputy Joe Carey in his submission to the Booz and Company team of consultants.

“Setting up an independent Shannon Airport Authority is the most desirable option for the future success of our airport.

“I am not saying independent of State ownership. State Ownership is critical to the well being of Shannon Airport.

“I advocate this enhancement of ownership to broaden the empower- ment and responsibility of the local community with a view to strengthening the local support for the Airport,” added Deputy Carey.

“I believe that it is important that the Airport remains under state ownership,” says Deputy Pat Breen. “To support the Airport’s efforts to return to growth under State ownership a review of our national aviation policy should be undertaken to strengthen that role.

“The governance and management structures of Shannon, will have to be changed to give greater local control for operations, financial and business developments. Shannon Airport can not be left paralysed as it has been by the previous administration,” adds Deputy Breen.

These comments have been echoed by Fianna Fáil transport spokesperson Timmy Dooley, whose has stated in his submission that he was “opposed to any privitisation of any of the State airports or part privitisation or concession agreements or long lease arrangements with whom so ever”.

In rubbishing the privatization plans, Labour’s Michael McNamara has said that “I hope that we don’t ever see the situation whereby there is a short-term effort to turn a buck at Shannon to the detriment of the longterm development of the region”.

HALF of all Garda vehicles in Clare are unfit for use and will have been scrapped within weeks, The Clare People can reveal.

Of the 33 cars in the Clare Division’s Garda fleet, eight have been scrapped, while another nine cars are nearing their maximum mileage of 300,000 kilometres and will soon be taken off the road.

Every pocket of the county will see reduced Garda patrols, as a result. The only detective car available to gardaí in Ennistymon is no longer available.

The district patrol car from Killaloe is no longer fit for use and has been replaced by a Tulla car, while cars from the Killaloe-based traffic corps are being used by gardaí on the beat.

Several of the cars attached to Ennis Garda Station are deployed across the county, in an effort to ensure rural parts are policed. No new vehicles are being purchased, due to cutbacks.

The head of policing in Clare, Chief Superintendent John Kerin, declined to comment on the figures, but Garda sources say the situation has got out of control and say they cannot do their job to the best of their ability without the basic re- sources.

Meanwhile, according to official figures obtained by The Clare People , 18 gardaí retired last year, while five have retired so far this year and another one will retire later this week, December 1.

Another 17 gardaí have indicated their intentions to retire by February, which will bring to 41 the number leaving the force since the beginning of last year.

A nationwide recruitment freeze means that numbers are expected to continue to dwindle until new recruits are taken on in a few years’ time.

“If they all go, we will have lost 41 people. At least 12 or 13 of the 17 have made their minds up,” said Chief Supt Kerin.

“If they all go, 41 is a hell of a lot of people,” he added.

The Ennis and west Clare districts are the hardest hit. 14 have retired in Ennis and outlying stations since the start of last year.

In west Clare, nine gardaí retired since the start of last year. Four gardaí retired in Killaloe last year and none this year.

One garda retired in Ennistymon last year and none are likely to retire this year. Last year, nine gardaí retired in Shannon, which included five from immigration at Shannon Airport.

“The biggest impact at the moment is Kilrush and the amount of experience lost in a rural district. It takes quite a while to build up experience. The people who left Kilrush last year have been replaced by others in the division.

“We had a few replacement people in Ennis, on transfers, and if I can I send replacements to Kilrush,” said Chief Supt Kerin.

However, transfers are rare and are not additional personnel.

Chief Supt Kerin said that there are no plans to close any of the rural stations where gardaí are retiring such as Doonbeg and Carrigaholt.

“Until we are told otherwise as regards the closure of stations we will be opening the stations for limited periods, two or three times a week. There will be cover.

“People will be able to carry out transactions, ordinary business,” he said.

Chief Supt Kerin said that decisions on the allocation of resources will have to be taken in February, while final numbers of retirees are established.

“It will be the end of February before we know who is retired. We will sit down and see if we have to reduce numbers in specialist units then,” he said.

SHANNON Airport would not be viable entity if its split from the Dublin Airport Authority, given its independence and forced to compete openly with Dublin and Cork for business.

This warning has been handed down by Fianna Fáil transport spokesperson Timmy Dooley in his submission to Booz and Company, which is set to deliver a report to government on the airport’s future by the end of the year. In the submission, secured by The Clare People this week, Deputy Dooley says it would be “unwise to consider changes to the ownership and management of the airport without having regard for the depressed state of the world economy”. Instead, Fianna Fáil, whose State Airport Act of 2004 sought to establish Dublin, Cork and Shannon as three separate competing state airports, has proposed the establishment of a new state company to have overall responsibility for the three airports.

“This company would operate as an umbrella structure similar to the CIE model and would ensure that a fair and competitive environment existed in which the three state airports could survive,” says Deputy Dooley.

“This company would be a state owned company with shares vested under the control of the Minister for Transport. A board of directors would be appointed by the Minister to give effect to such a mandate.

“Fianna Fáil suggests that separate trading entities be established at each individual airport and a clear memorandum of understanding be established between the Irish Airport Authority and the individual airport entities at Dublin, Cork and Shannon.

“Each individual trading company would be responsible for the management of the airport facility at the respective locations. Each company would have a separate board appointed by the minister and the shares vested under the control of the Minister for Transport.

“The mandate of these entities would focus on the necessity to provide vital connectivity to support and promote passenger access and cargo facilities to the respective regions having regard to long-term sustainability of the individual airports.

“It is recognised that a significant land bank asset exists at all three airports and it should be the responsibility of the respective trading companies to formulate plans for their development in consultation with local and regional State agencies and authorities,” Deputy Dooley’s submission adds.

TOURISM interests across Clare have been accused of lacking will and motivation to play their part in kick-starting the local economy by driving a co-ordinated plan for the the county’s biggest industry.

This broadside against hoteliers and tourist operators was delivered by former Mayor of Clare Flan Garvey during the 23rd annual Clare Tourist Council conference that was staged at the Falls Hotel in Ennistymon Thursday to Saturday last.

Mr Garvey, a founder member of the Clare Tourist Council in 1989 and a former chairman, launched his scathing attack on tourism interests over what he blasted as their “complete failure” to support the conference, out of “a selfishness where they are only interested in promoting their own interests and not Clare tourism”.

He made his comments during the conference that attracted a wide range of tourism interests from the local government sector, third level education, Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar and the European Union.

“The tourism operators in county Clare,” said Mr Garvey, “we promote their business but a lot of them ignore this conference and what we are trying to do for Clare tourism and what the Council has been trying to do at home and abroad for many, many years.

“We travel to promote their business and for some reason or other they seem to be in their own little closet, in their own little cocoon, fighting their own corner. People who are involved in Clare tourism should be working for Clare tourism,” he added.

The three-day conference attracted a number of keynote speakers, among them Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar, Declan Power of the Aviation Business Park in Shannon and Galway county manager Martina Moloney.

“All these people were coming together to promote tourism,” continued Flan Garvey, “but the support from Clare tourism operators wasn’t there. It’s alright for people to fight their own corner when looking for a share of the tourism market, but by having a co-ordinated plan for tourism is the best way forward, because that way everyone involved benefits.

“In Clare Tourist Council, we see the bigger picture. None of us are involved in tourism as an operator. I don’t make a penny out of tourism – I never did and I never will, but I have a passion for tourism, because I see it as saving the economy. I see tourism in Clare as being part of putting money in every house in the county,” he added.