Category: News

THE high number of cars parked on the Old Gort Road on certain days of the week is causing “extreme difficulty” to residents, a meeting has heard.

Councillor Tony Mulqueen (FG) raised the matter at the November meeting of councillors in the Ennis west electoral area. He called on Ennis Town Council to “provide yellow lines and yellow box markings on the Old Gort Road, Ennis as local residents are having extreme difficulty getting deliveries and gaining access to their homes”.

Senior Executive Engineer, Eamon O’Dea stated, “Ennis Town Council will consider this road in preparing their road works programme in 2012.” He added, “The council will examine the present traffic and parking situations with the intention of providing an appropriate turning area at the end of the cul de sac.”

Cllr Mulqueen told the meeting that the number of cars parked there on certain days is making it difficult for one elderly resident to receive deliveries of home heating oil.

He said he had counted 19 cars parked in the area on one day. He claimed that a Health Services Executive (HSE)-run building near the entrance to the Aughanteeroe estate has been turned into a “mini conference centre”.

Cllr Mulqueen told the meeting that elderly residents are “prisoners in their own homes” on some days of the week. “It is very frustrating for them,” he added.

He said ambulances and delivery trucks have difficulty turning in the area. Mr O’Dea told the meeting that he is aware of parking problems in the Old Gort Road. He said the council would attempt to devise a solution that works best for all parties.

Meanwhile, concern has also been raised over the location of telephone poles on the Ruan road.

Cllr Tom McNamara (FF) has requested that Eircom “relocate poles that are a traffic hazard at the verge of public roads and in particular the pole in front of Lynch’s house on the Ruan road after Drumconora bridge”.

Mr O’Dea stated that the council will contact Eircom regarding this location after the planning files have been inspected. He added, “In some (not all) cases, the moving of the pole may be part of planning conditions. In recent times any request to Eircom in moving poles or diverting cables requires the council to pay for any works required.”

RATEPAYERS in both Clare and Limerick would gladly stump up the cash to help “redevelop their own airport” that would be independent of Dublin Airport Authority interference.

That’s the claim made by local Fine Gael deputy Joe Carey, as he identified hard-pressed ratepayers as a source of investment for Shannon as part of a broader vision to put the airport on a sound financial footing for the future.

As part of this radical blueprint submitted to Shannon Airport customs, Deputy Carey has said that both local and national government investment should be a pre-requisite for the future, even though Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar has revealed that “no more government money” will be pumped into the ailing airport.

“While recognising the critical financial constraints placed on government, the new entity govern- ing Shannon Airport will require Government support,” says Deputy Carey.

“The strongest expression of that support will be the putting in place of the appropriate structures. The new entity will have to be managed in a way that will in a relatively short time allow it to cover its own costs, however, in the short term it may well be that Government financial support will be necessary.

“The exchequer in the short term may well be required to contribute to both capital investment and working capital requirements. The cost here are miniscule in a national context – e.g. the necessary expenditure on the Bunratty/Latoon section of road development would keep Shannon operational for the next 30 years.

“It would not be unreasonable for any such funding requirement to be generated from a Local Government Contribution.

“This could be generated by a ringfenced contribution from the current local rate (local rate payers are cur- rently greatly burdened but I believe the ratepayers of Clare and Limerick would gladly commit a contribution to redevelop their own airport).

“In discussing the matter with local business people, I have been told that a vibrant busy airport generates up to 25 per cent extra turnover in particularly the tourism service industry.

“It is critical, in that the only way that the funding models cited can be successful is if Shannon Airport is locally owned and run,” adds Deputy Carey.

THE NUMBER of sexual offences reported in Shannon so far this year has almost trebled, compared to last year. The attacker was known to the victim in each of the 11 complaints to gardaí this year.

The 11 incidents this year compares with four during the same period last year. Five of the 11 complaints related to alleged incidents prior to this year, one of which dated back to the 1970s, while another dated back more than 20 years ago.

Some of the complaints referred to alleged multiple incidents. Of last year’s four complaints, two related to incidents that occurred last year, one related to 2009 and the other complaint related to more than 20 years earlier.

According to the Rape Crisis Centre in the mid-west, the reason for the substantial increase is due to the fact a victim came forward.

Earlier this year, a woman who was violently raped in Shannon more than 20 years ago, spoke for the first time of her horrific ordeal.

The woman, who was aged 15 at the time of the attack by a gang of boys, said she was afraid to tell gardaí or her family about what happened as she was afraid of the repercussions.

“I never got help myself, but at least now I can help people access the services that are there for them and encourage people to avail of those services,” the victim said. She said she was telling her story for the first time because of the feared closure of Rape Crisis Network Ireland (RCNI), the umbrella group for rape crisis centres across the country, amid projected cuts.

Miriam Duffy of the Rape Crisis Centre in the mid-west, said, “Increases in reported incidents have shot up.”

“Partly because of that interview, people reported. The only thing we can assume is that prompted others to come forward,” said Ms Duffy.

“It is not unusual in the days and weeks after a story such as this that people take the step of making a formal complaint. It is quite possible that because her story had a positive outcome other survivors were encouraged to come forward,” she said.

Chief Superintendent John Kerin told The Clare People that the alleged attacker was known to the victim in each case reported this year and that the increased figure reflects “an increase in reporting”.

“They are all domestic related or childhood related. None of them is a violent attack that happened there and then on the street,” he said.

SHANNON’S decline as an airport of international standing has been so alarming that it’s now on the cusp of being relegated to a standing of being only Ireland’s fourth busiest airport behind Dublin, Cork and Knock as passenger freefall accelerates into 2012.

That was the damning verdict of the current state of ill-health at the former hub of the aviation world delivered by Transport Minister, Leo Varadkar, on a visit to the county on Saturday where he addressed the annual Clare Tourism Conference in the Falls Hotel, Ennistymon.

Speaking to The Clare People , Minister Varadkar spelt out Shannon’s decline in stark terms, warning that “things have to change” and that the days of governments propping up Shannon were over as he branded such a policy as “a total failure” for the airport.

“Shannon Airport should be an asset for the region and an asset for the State,” said Minister Varadkar. “It really isn’t that at the moment.

“Passengers have really fallen dramatically, which really worries me. It’s probable that Shannon will fall behind Cork in passenger numbers and maybe even fall behind Knock in the next year or so.

“That would make Shannon Ireland’s fourth airport, where as I think it should be Ireland’s second airport. Things do need to change,” added Minister Varadkar, in admitting that the airport now needs a fresh start.

“Shannon is iconic to the region,” continued Minister Varadkar. “There is a great history attached to it, being one of the first airports in the world and the Freezone and so on, but I do think that at the same time we have to be realistic and ambitious about what can achieved.

“In the past Shannon was very reliant on government protection and government support and the view was always that ‘the government should come in and force airlines to land at our airport and give us money for marketing’.

“That policy has been a total failure. Airports around the world that are successful adopt a different policy. They try to get people to fly to their airport because they want to get there and because it’s cheap to do so.

“Shannon in my view should be competing with Dublin and competing with Knock and doing so vigorously, but that can’t be done with other people’s money.

“Costs in Shannon are high. The cost base in Shannon is very high and there will have to be changes there. Shannon had a very bad experience with Ryanair where they gave Ryanair a very good deal and once that deal was coming to an end, Ryanair were happy to pull the plug and leave them high and dry. For Shannon to work and to be sustainable, it needs to have a diversity of airlines,” he added.

AN ENNIS man has been awarded for making a potentially life saving intervention in a Christmas night knife attack outside his home.

Padraig Sheahan received a bronze medal and certificate at the National Bravery Awards in Farmleigh House, Dublin, last week.

Padraig was at home at Westfields with his wife Trofi and the couple’s two daughters on Christmas night 2001 when he heard a woman screaming for help outside his house.

“I opened the door and saw a man holding a knife to a woman. She said ‘please help me’, twice.”

The woman was being dragged along the road by a male who was in possession of a knife and threatening the woman with the knife. Neither person was known to Padraig. The man brought the woman behind a car.

He held her down and pointed the knife at her. Padraig intervened and confronted the attacker while the woman made her escape into Padraig’s house.

The attacker then smashed the front window of the house to gain access but was prevented by Pad- raig. Padraig managed to subdue the man until the emergency services arrived. During the altercation he was struck with the knife and received cuts to his face and arms and a fractured nose. Padraig yesterday described the incident as “horrific” but said that he is “so thankful at the way it turned out”.

The honours were awarded by Comhairle na Mire Gaile – the Deeds of Bravery Council – which was established in 1947 to provide for suitable recognition by the State of deeds of bravery.

The council stated that, “Padraig Sheahan put himself in grave danger by confronting this attacker. There is no doubt that this incident could have had a more serious outcome.”

The father of four was considered for the award following a report submitted by the Clare Garda division. The report was endorsed by Fianna Fáil TD for Limerick West, Niall Collins. Originally from Dooradoyle in Limerick, Padraig’s family have strong connections with Garryowen rugby club.

Now living in Ennis, he works at the family run Enzo’s chain of fast food outlets. Padraig thanked Clare Gardaí and Mr Collins for nominating him.

SHANNON Airport can only be given its independence from the Dublin Airport Authority if its debts are completely cleared, part-cleared or taken on by another entity, which would then allow Clare’s international airport begin a new chapter with a clean slate.

The prospect of such a landmark move for the airport that recently celebrated the 75th anniversary of the turning of the first sod in Rineanna in 1936, has been hinted at by Transport Minister, Leo Varadkar.

On a visit to Clare to participate in the 23rd staging of the national tourism conference organised by Clare Tourist Council and Clare County Council, Minister Varadkar confirmed that Shannon’s debts that are now running at € 100m must be confronted as part of any restructuring of the airport.

Speaking in Ennistymon, Minister Varadkar said that Booz & Company – the team of international consultants hired by his department to plot a new future for Shannon will “looking at how much of a debt Shannon could reasonably carry”.

“That is very important at the moment, because Shannon has a very large debt ascribed to it, because of the investment that’s been incurred there and also because of the losses that have been built up over the years.

“It would be very hard to see Shannon work on its own, if it’s to carry all that debt. Part of the work they [Booz & Company] are doing for me is working out what level of debt would be sustainable,” added Minister Varadkar.

In late October, Booz & Company, a leading global management consult- ing firm, that helps businesses and governments and has branches in 39 countries worldwide was given the job of “consulting as widely as possible with the stakeholders in Shannon” ahead of a proposal being put to government that will chart a new future for the 75-year-old airport.

“The consultants haven’t come back to me yet,” Minister Varadkar told The Clare People . “They are going to come back to me at the end of November and I expect to bring a memo to government in January.”

He said that the terms and conditions of Shannon’s “new start” all depended on “what comes out of the (consultation) process. It is not predetermined. What I’ve asked them to do is look at a number of options.

“One of the things that’s clear is there will be no government money given to Shannon. The Government doesn’t give money to Shannon – what happens at the moment is that the profits from Dublin and Aer Rianta International are used to subsidise Shannon and Cork. However, Dublin’s profits are diminishing and that money isn’t there anymore,” Minister Varadkar added.

THE Céad Míle Fáilte brand of Ireland Inc that’s plied all over the world in a bid to promote the country’s tourism industry is a trademark belonging to a different era.

It’s not Ireland of the Welcomes anymore, but Ireland of the Snarls – that was the damning verdict delivered to the annual Clare Tourist Council conference in Ennistymon by Limerick University chancellor and chairman of the National Roads Authority, Peter Malone.

In what was a stinging rebuke of the Irish tourism, the former chief of the hugely successful Jury’s Hotel Group chain blasted the sector’s high prices, unfriendly staff and lack of organisa- tion that has too many organisations dedicated to the promotion of the industry.

“We have lost the friendliness that we became famous for,” said Mr Malone.

“Staff don’t say please. Staff don’t say thank you. The little touches I learned all over the years in Jury’s, they’re gone.

“You get a lift in any hotel, staff won’t even say ‘good morning’, or ‘good evening’ to you.

“Go into a shop, go into a post office, go in anywhere, we snarl at people. We are not nice to people.

“Unless we stop the rot soon and improve training and standards in our country, the friendliness will not return. We have a long way to go,” added Mr Malone.

And, in continuing his broadside against the industry, Mr Malone said that radical changes will have to be made if tourism is to play its part in Ireland’s ecomonic recovery, a policy that has been specifically targeted by government when it launched it’s Gathering initiative in September – a plan to bring 350,000 extra tourists into country by 2013.

“If you wish Irish tourism to improve, prices must be tackled,” Mr Malone warned the Irish tourism industry during his controversial address.

“The cost of food in restaurants and bars are unreal prices. Even a cup of tea or coffee is often € 2.25 or more. Take children out now at your peril as they are charged as much nowadays as adults.”

Mr Malone also rowed in behind a government move to abolish quangos, throwing his weight behind a more co-ordinated marketing effort in the industry, a policy the could see and end to Shannon Development’s role in tourism marketing.

“When we had one agency, Bord Fáilte, it was much better,” he said. “It is very important that we have one brand for Ireland. With one brand and one organisation, it makes life easier.

“There is great confusion all over the country in the tourism sector as to who is doing what job and the industry has become frustrated,” added Mr Malone.

TWENTY full-time and part-time jobs will be provided when a Roslevan pub re-opens on Friday.

The Grove bar and restaurant opens under new management on December 2.

New manager Donagh Vaughan has been working in the pub trade in Clare for more than 20 years.

Despite the tough economic conditions, Donagh is looking forward to the challenge.

He said, “It is a good time to be opening, November is gone and we’re just getting into Christmas. We want to provide a good local pub to the local area.”

He added, “Roslevan is a massive area. And we want to try and serve it. It’s a spot that always had a good local pub.”

Donagh said the business would provide 10 full-time and 10 part-time jobs.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner will be available at The Grove.

“Food is a very important part of the pub business now,” Donagh said.

There will also be a strong emphasis on screening live sport.

“We want to give people a good service – good value and good customer service.”

Donagh added, “We’re hoping to get a lot of repeat business, a lot of families. It’s important that you get to know people’s names and get to know the people who are living in the area.

“It’s very much available for parties and we cater for large groups of up to 25 people. We’re here to help people. It will be a very hands-on approach.”

Donagh and the staff are looking forward to opening night.

“We want to let the locals see the renovations. We think it will be a big change for them. We want to see what they think and we’ll roll on from there,” he said.

A CLARE garda who risked her life to rescue a woman from the water at Cappa Pier in Kilrush has received national recognition.

Garda Margaret Purcell dived into the water and rescued the woman in her 60s – at St Patrick’s Day 2003. The woman was lying face down in the water and a young local woman, Ann Marie Histon, was attempting to rescue her.

On arrival there, Garda Purcell quickly jumped into the water and she and Ann Marie managed to successfully bring the woman to safety.

At a function in Farmleigh House on Friday, Garda Purcell was presented with a bronze medal and certificate of recognition, by the Ceann Comhairle Seán Barrett, as part of a Deeds of Bravery Council initiative which recognises deeds of bravery.

Gda Purcell, who is originally from Glenamaddy and was raised in Ennis, told The Clare People she was delighted to receive the award. “I was only 10 days into my duty in Kilrush at the time. I didn’t even know where Cappa Pier was,” she said.

A colleague, Gda Denis O’Herlihy informed her that a call had come in for garda assistance. Gda O’Herlihy drove out and the recovery plan swiftly sprung into action.

“You don’t forget it. It was a fabu- lous sunny day. I started taking off layers. Denis turned to look for a lifebuoy, but I was gone. I had a background in swimming and as a lifeguard and diving. I swam out to her. Ann Marie and myself started swim- ming towards the pier. Denis threw out a lifebuoy. We tried to keep her airway clear. The wall was high. We had to try and get up. We then lifted the woman onto the boat,” recalled Gda Purcell. “We put her into the recovery position and she was taken to hospital,” she said. The woman made a full recovery. Gda Purcell says it was part of her work. “When you are called to a scene, you have to do something and not stand by. I knew I had Denis on shore . . . I do remember afterwards waking up and reliving it, the jump and the shock of the cold. “It was horrendously cold. It would take your breath away. It was approximately 12 feet high. I had to jump that distance. She was between 50 and 75 feet out, but conditions were good. We were able to see her pretty much straight away,” she said. Ann Marie was honoured with a similar award in 2007. “It was my decision to go in but it was a joint recovery. The whole thing did go on a good while. It wasn’t over in a blink,” she said. Margaret is currently based at Ennis Garda Station and is one of two juvenile liaison officers in the Clare Garda Division. Chief Superintendent John Kerin paid tribute to Gda Purcell, saying, “There are very, very few people who get these awards. It takes exceptional bravery. She risked her life for the life of another.”

AN “open and honest” discussion about the issues surrounding suicide will take place at the Falls Hotel in Ennistymon on Thursday, December 1.

The Mental Health Forum on depression in rural Ireland will be addressed by Minister of State With Responsibility For Mental Health, Older People, Equality And Disabil- ity, Kathleen Lynch.

Other speakers on the night will include Dan Neville, President of the Association of Suicidology; Billy O’Connell GP, local doctor and community activist; and Dr Moosajee Bhamjee, Clare Psychiatrist.

According to organiser Ally Carr, “This evening is a public event open to all. The goal is to eradicate the stigma, which quite sadly is still prevalent with mental ollness.

“Our preoccupation historically with institutions as a nation has not helped and is still somewhat resonant. With changing cultural and community patterns in rural Ireland, we as citizens must address this epidemic.”

Ms Carr said figures show that the number of people affected by depression in Clare is one of the highest in Ireland.

“Speak to anyone in mental health and they will tell you that we are very high up there,” she said.

The north Clare woman said exact Clare figures are hard to obtain due to issues with “recording and reporting of suicide” She added, “A lot of it is that people won’t come out and admit that they have a problem.”

Ms Carr continued, “We must empower ourselves to deal with this illness. Merely referring to the medical profession alone in secrecy will not make this problem go away.

“We must show solidarity and acceptance to those suffering in our community. I would urge all citizens of Clare to come and support this evening. It will be educational, supportive and, most of all, it will offer hope.”

Members of the Samaritans, Aware and Shine will be present to provide information about their services. The talk gets underway at 7.30pm.