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.

ALMOST 250 families will no longer be moving to Shannon as the proposed decentralisation of the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) has been shelved. The move, which would have virtually doubled the IAA’s staff numbers in the county, has been indefinitely shelved with the proposed move of Enterprise Ireland to Shannon also now under threat.

A review of the proposed Enterprise Ireland move to Shannon will also take place in the coming months, with no indication as of yet as to whether that proposed decentralisation will go ahead or not.

There was some good news for Kilrush, however, as it was announced that the movement of staff from the Office of the Revenue Commissioners to the town will not be effected.

The Irish Aviation Authority already employs around 240 people at its operations in Shannon and Newmarket. The organisations corporate headquarters are located in Dublin and it was these employees who were to move to Shannon.

“The Irish Aviation Authority have about 700 people employed all over the country. Already in Clare we have a centre at Ballycasey in Shannon and at the North Atlantic Communications centre at Ballygirreen in Newmarket. Our corporate headquarter are based in Dublin and it was this headquarters which was proposed to move to Shannon,” said a spokesperson from the IAA.

The IAA currently employs around 170 people at the Air Traffic Centre in Ballycasey and at Shannon Airport itself and a further 70 people are employed at the radio centre in Ballygirreen. A source close to the IAA told The Clare People that last Thursday’s announcement of the scrapping of decentralisation to Shannon has come as “no surprise” to the people working for the organisation and that employees are “completely unfazed” by the announcement.

It was also announced that the Commissioner for Aviation Regulation is to be merged into the Irish Aviation Authority however it is not clear what effect, if any, this merger will have on the workforce in Clare.

Meanwhile, a new military aircraft from Airbus was given its first testflight at Shannon Airport last Thursday. The Airbus Military’s A400M transport landed in Shannon Airport after taking off from the Airbus manufacturing facility at Toulouse in France.

The flight spent much of its time off the Clare coast and flew as low as 10,000ft at some instances before returning at France. Airbus Military is expected to deliver the first aircraft in early 2013 with another 170 planes on order from other customers.

DETAILS have been unveiled of a proposed € 500, 000 upgrade to the Quin wastewater treatment plant.

The project consists of the upgrading of the existing wastewater treatment plant including the provision of additional underground tanks and associated site works to increase capacity from 740 population equivalent (pe) to 1400 pe at Quin Gardens, Quin.

According to a report prepared by senior planner Gordon Daly, the proposed development will serve the needs of Quin village and its environs into the future.

The report states that Quin village has a projected population target of 789 persons by 2017.

A flood risk assessment states that the “site is designated as being located within flood zone A and B hence this site has been identified as being at risk of flooding”.

The report states that the proposed works will not give rise to increased flooding at the site.

The report states, “It is noted that that the risk of flooding would be from the adjacent River Rine. The wastewater treatment facility is already present and operating within a flood risk area – the same therefore is cur rently at risk of flooding.”

It continues, “The report from water services dated 20/10/11 that the proposed works will not reduce the potential of the site to flood but will, in the event that this occurs by reason of the design of the new plant, reduce the potential of the plant contaminating flood waters. Having regard to the established use of the site as a wastewater treat ment plant and having regard to the works proposed it is considered that the works will not give risk to an increased chance of flooding at the site.”

With regard to the impact on the visual amenities of the area, the report states that the “proposed works will not impact to any significant degree on the visual amenities of the area”.

Local Fine Gael councillor Sonny Scanlan welcomed the project saying it was needed in the area.

A PUBLIC meeting to oppose new bylaws which would see boats banned from evening dockings at the pier in Kinvara will take place in the village on Wednesday evening.

The meeting is being organised by local man Declan Connolly, who says that the new legislation will destroy Kinvara’s reputation as a maritime centre and means the end of the Cruinniú na mBád Festival.

The Cruinniú, which will celebrate its 34th anniversary this year, sees scores of experienced sailors from the Aran Islands dock their boats and traditional curraghs in Kinvara each August to celebrate the ancient sea trade routes between the two locations.

The proposed bylaw was prompted by a number of local residents who complained about camper vans and other vehicles parking overnight on the Kinvara pier. The legislation however, proposed a ban on all craft from the pier, meaning that boats with sleeping quarters would be banned from docking there at night.

“There was a legitimate concern from some residents about camper vans staying on the pier for an extended period, so the locals contacted the councillors who came up with this new bylaw for the pier but for some reason they also included boats in the legislation. This will prevent boats which are habitable from being at the pier between eight in the evening and nine in the morning,” said Declan. “If this bylaw was to come true, it would mean that we and other boat user would not be able to work on our boat in the evening time. It would bring about a ridiculous situation where the Cruinniú na mBád would have to stop – where all the boats come over for the weekend and so many people stay on the boats. This proposed bylaw in my opinions is completely ridiculous and has not been well thought out.” Declan is hoping that everyone who has an opinion on the proposed bylaws come to the meeting to allow for a compromises to be reached. “We would like to talk to the concerned residents and see if some sort of compromise can’t be worked out. I think we need to split the two issues and deal with camper-vans and boats separately. It is two different issues and we would like to see the boats removed from the proposed bylaw for a start,” continued Declan. “That said there are a lot of businesses in the town who welcome the camper-vans coming into the village. They come in, the use the local shops and spend money. The vast majority of the time they are very well behaved, elderly people who have all the right equipment and don’t cause any difficulty for people. The meeting will take place at Johnson’s Hall in Kinvara this Wednesday, November 24, at 8.30pm.

AN INTERNATIONAL campaign highlighting domestic violence against women will be marked in Clare over the coming weeks, amid increasing numbers of women seeking help.

As part of the 16 Days campaign opposing domestic violence – which runs from November 25 to December 16 – a candlelit ceremony will be held at the friary in Ennis on Thursday, December 1, at 7.30pm.

Candles will be lit in memory of each victim. Sixteen community leaders – such as a member of a sporting organisation, a garda and a community volunteer – will each bring a candle to the altar representing each of the 16 years since the initiative was established.

“It sends out a really strong message that each of their organisations are opposing violence,” said services manager with Clare Haven, Denise Dunne.

“We are commemorating 174 wom- en who have been murdered in Ireland since 1996 (when figures were first collected). 107 of them were murdered in their homes.

“This year, the theme is communities working together on opposing violence against women, such as gardaí, family resource centres, different community-based organisations and people volunteering with the community,” she said.

“In order for us to help women experiencing domestic abuse, we need community support,” said Ms Dunne.

She said that the Clare Haven refuge for women suffering domestic abuse is “full all of the time”, while the outreach centres across the county are experiencing huge demand.

The initiative will get underway on November 25, which is the UN day opposing violence against women, and will conclude on December 10, which is Human Rights Day.

Meanwhile, the local area networks – of Clare, Limerick and north Tipperary – have set up a website, www. midwestvaw.ie, geared towards those working professionally who may encounter violence against women.

“It is around recognising, responding and referring,” said Ms Dunne.

“If somebody presents in front of you asking for help, how do you ask the questions and respond? It is for professionals, people on the ground who meet people through work such as social workers, gps, teachers or anybody who comes across it. It is a resource for them,” she said.

For further information on the 16 Days initiative, phone 065 6842646.

A CLARE artist has been invited to exhibit some of his finest work at a prestigious international festival.

Philip Brennan, who is based at Stonehall, Newmarket-on-Fergus, will go to Florence next week to take part in the Florence Bienalle festival.

Six hundred artists from 60 countries will display their works at the event.

“Each artist brings three pieces of their work. All of these festivals have a very big international effect. It is a very big shop window for artists,” said Philip.

Philip’s three paintings are all locally based. One is based on the Burren area, while the other two feature images generated from his own garden in Stonehall. One is based on cutting trees, while the other features the last swallow of the year.

He is looking forward to exhibiting his works in an international setting. “Florence was purely an invitation. I don’t know where they got my name. It is only my second show abroad, following on from the Irish Festival in Milwaukee in 2007,” he said.

“For any artist, any bit of promotion at all is good,” he added.

He has forged strong international links in recent times. He took part in an artists-in-residence scheme in Wales earlier this year and will bring an exhibition there in 2013.

“I am absolutely thrilled, given the way things are now with the recession,” said Philip.

Philip has returned to the studio for the winter months, having focused much of his work outdoors during the summer.

His work is varied and he loves the various challenges presented by his art work. “I usually get a piece finished in two days but wildlife ones take a bit longer. I like the ones that involve people and wildlife in the picture as well as landscapes,” he added. While he occasionally uses pastels, inks, pencil and oils, watercolour is his preferred medium. As well as illustrating bird guide books such as the ‘Birds of Killarney National Park’ and a range of historical and wildlife illustrations, he has published a number of books which feature paintings and accompanying stories, poems and songs. He is also a traditional singer and songwriter and has a background in teaching and wildlife work. Philip will take part in the exhibition in Florence from December 3 to 11.

A NEW initiative is underway in Ennis aimed at raising awareness about the increasing incidents of domestic violence.

The Ennis Access Programme is a Local Training Initiative based in Ennis, which is sponsored by the Clare Local Development Company. Members have created a handmade patchwork quilt using only natural fabrics and recycled materials. The quilt is constructed in the form of patchwork and applique in rainbow colours with a black background.

The learners had taken part in several workshops, which were funded by the HSE, which had highlighted the increasing numbers of women suffering from domestic violence locally, nationally and internationally.

Clare Haven, who provide services to women and children affected by domestic violence, state that 174 women have been murdered in Ireland since 1996. It is estimated that 213,000 (one in five) Irish women suffer severe abuse.

In response to the training received, the learners decided they would like to raise the awareness of the increasing incidents of domestic violence and also raise funds to support the vital service provided by Clare Haven.

The quilt will be on display at the Credit Union Office, Friars Walk, Ennis, and the raffle will take place on the December 16.

Tickets will be available from the Ennis Access Programme Training Centre located on the Clon Road Business Park, Clon Road, Ennis. Proceeds will be donated to Clare Haven Services. Tickets are € 2 for one ticket and € 5 for three tickets. For further information contact Ennis Access Programme at 065 6848466.