Category: News

VACANT buildings in Kilrush are being vandalised and looted for any valuables inside, Kilrush Town Council was told, amid renewed called from members for the local authority to ramp up security measures at unused premises around the town.

The extent of the vandalism and looting problems were sounded out by Independent councillor Paul Moroney after Mayor of Kilrush, Cllr Ian Lynch sounded out his call for “a safety and condition survey of all vacant council property”.

“It’s unbelievable what’s going on in the town,” said Cllr Moroney. “I know that someone went into a house recently and heard a noise the there was someone up on top of the roof stealing the lead – I’m not talking about a vacant house.

“This was happening in broad daylight. We can talk about estate management plans all you like, but when there’s ignorance out there, it’s very hard to get over it. Lads that are doing the houses are being told that copper is the last thing that should go into the houses, because it will be stolen,” added Cllr Moroney.

To confront such problems, Cllr Lynch called on the council “to comply with our duty to prevent unauthorised access to property under our control”, while he also called for the convening of housing meeting to discuss estate and property management among dwelling owned by the town authority.

“People are going into houses and this should be stopped,” warned Cllr Lynch. “There are quite a lot houses that were boarded up, but are no longer boarded up. My fear is that children will be in those vacant dwelling and that there could be an accident and if there is we as a council will be liable. We need to focus on property management,” he added.

The mayor called for the implementation of an action plan to monitor the council’s vacant housing stock – part of this plan would see CCTV cameras focused on vacant houses, as well as having these properties monitored by FÁS maintenance workers and a community warden.

A MAJOR new job creation drive could be on the cards for Clare in 2012 after Shannon Development was one of a small number of regional organisation granted an increase in funding by the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton (FG), last week.

The regional promotional and job creation agency has been granting a year-on-year budget increase of almost 40 per cent and will see their operations budget swell from € 3.6 million to € 5 million next year.

It is as yet unclear what this € 1.4 million budget increase will be spent on or whether a particular major project has already been identified for the money. It is also unclear whether some of all of this budget increase has already been accounted for in the € 3.2 million in tourism funding which was announced for the Shannon region by the Minister for Transport, Leo Varadkar (FG), earlier this month. The Clare People contacted Shannon Development in relation to the funding boost but no comment on the increase or the possible use of the funding was forth coming at the time of going to press.

Speaking on the budget increase, Shannon Senator Tony Mulcahy (FG) said it was a vote of confidence for the work being on the ground in Clare to promote the region to foreign tourists as-well-as foreign investment. “This funding is good news for Clare and the region and it just highlights the positives work that is being done. I mean, we had an Olympic Handball event here [Shannon] last week and that saw about 400 extra people here for a week,” said Senator Mulcahy.

“Even sporting events like the Munster match the other night will help boost the profile of Shannon Airport and the region as a whole.”

Meanwhile, a major seminar for the promotion of walking tourism in Clare has been announced for the Pavillion Theatre in Lisdoonvarna on Wednesday, November 23.

There will be a number of speakers in north Clare for the event including experts from Shannon Development as-well-as members from the Clare Trails Steering Group.

The purpose of the seminar is to let the public know of recent developments in the provision of way marked trails and to announce a special two-day training programme for walk leaders.

Walking tourism is now Clare’s fastest growing tourism attraction, attracting more people to the county each year than traditional favourite golf.

THIS year celebrates Ennis Players 26th anniversary Supper Theatre at the Old Ground Hotel from Monday, November 21, to Thursday, November 24. One of the town’s premier pre Christmas social occasions, Ennis Players will be performing two one act productions this year.

Rae Shirley’s hilarious comedy “What shall we do with the Body” is set in a lonely country cottage. Miss Temple played by Carmel Quin, a famous crime writer is dictating her latest novel to her enigmatic secretary, Miss Worthington, played by Ailbhe McMahon. However they become increasingly worried by a number of unusual events and especially the sudden arrival of a strangely dressed visitor, played by Tony Coffey. This is a great little thriller and the audience is kept guessing as to the identity and motives of the murderer right up to the end.

The second production is a wonderfully written comedy, “The Way of All Fish” by Elaine May, whose screenplays for “Heaven Can Wait” and “Primary Colours” have earned her Academy Award Nominations. The play is set in the New York office of a high- flying businesswoman, over an impromptu dinner with her meek hard working secretary. A power game is played out between the two with sharp American humour, enriched with sinister overtones. The cast is made up of Bairbre de Barra and Amy McEnnis.

Tony Coffey takes the reins for the first time as a director with the Ennis Players and will produce “What shall we do with the Body”, with the veteran Joe Varden directing “The Way of All Fish”.

Ennis Players have reduced their ticket price this year to € 15 which includes the two plays and a wonderful supper. The show will begin at 8pm each night and tickets can be booked through the Irish Shop in the Market at 065 6820769.

Ennis will be hosting the MACE All Ireland One-Act Finals in Glór from December 2 to December 4, so you can expect a feast of the very best in amateur theatre over the next few weeks.

CLARE has become the first county in Ireland to go to Britain and market itself directly to the Irish diaspora abroad.

More than 2,000 new UK tourist are expected to travel to Clare over the next two years, generating an estimated € 1 million for the county, following the London to Clare event which took place last week.

The event was organised by the Clare Tourism Forum who invited special guests such as Killaloe native Keith Woods along to help promote the county. Despite an estimated 10 per cent year-on-year growth of tourism to the area, the UK market remained sluggish in 2011 with the majority of the revival coming from American, French and German travellers.

The event was organised to coincide with World Travel Market, one of the world’s largest conferences of tour operators held in London each year. According to Maureen Cleary of the Clare Tourism Network, this groundbreaking event could be replicated in other parts of the world.

“We decided to host our own event in London at the same time as the world market and focus both on the tour operators but also on the diaspora over there,” she said.

“Clare was the only county who was out there marketing itself in this way. We feel that London is the perfect starting point for this sort of project. We have at least three flights each day from Shannon to London, it is an English speaking destination so it made sense to use London as the first trial run for this. We hope to do more of this in other locations, it was very successful trial and we are looking to go further afield with this sort of event next year.”

It is hoped that by taking a co-operative approach to marketing the county will show both tour operators and members of the Irish diaspora that Clare has much to offer for a long-stay holiday.

“Clare has so much to offer so it makes sense that we would partner up and run an event like this together. People are not going to come to Clare for one experience – we need to sell the county as a package of different attractions and a place where people can come and visit for a number of days,” continued Maureen.

“Clare has changed a lot in recent years – there are a lot new products in Clare. The diaspora know Clare as home and they might know of Bunratty and the Cliffs, but they might not be aware of all of these new products that we have in Clare – everything from the new walking and cycling routes in Clare to the festivals which are happening nearly every weekend in Clare.”

STUDENTS from Ennis Educate Together National School enjoyed a day to remember as they shared in the celebration of Michael D Higgins’ inauguration as the ninth President of Ireland.

Ten students from fifth and sixth class were accompanied on their trip to Dublin Castle by two teachers and a parent.

After receiving a Garda escort through the streets of Dublin, the group from Ennis Educate Together watched the inauguration ceremony unfold before meeting with the Clare reared President when he came outside to welcome guests afterwards.

“We were really honoured and privileged to attend”, said Principal Sean Ó Conf haola yesterday.

Mr Ó Conf haola said the students, who represented Ireland, Czech Republic, Morocco and the traveling community, were excited to meet Ireland’s first citizen,

He added, “They were all really excited to meet him. It was as good as meeting Justin Bieber.”

The school’s presence at one of the country’s most prestigious public occasions was sparked by an invitation from Ennis Educate Together to Mr Higgins for the former Galway TD to attend the school’s annual graduation ceremony in June.

In a letter to the school, Mr Higgins explained that he could not attend but praised the work of students and teachers.

“My wife Sabina and I have it as one of our warmest members that individually and together we served on the board of Galway School project, one of Educate Together’s first schools in Ireland. Educate Together will be a great patron in education, celebrating as it does the great values of diversity solidarity, inclusion and participation. Creativity is at the heart of everything Educate Together do. Sí an cruthhaíocht bun-cloch fealsúnachta Educate Together”.

CANDIDATES from Clare who contested the General Election last February spent over € 100,000 in their efforts to get elected to the 31st Dáil Éireann, figures secured by The Clare People this week have revealed.

Details of all the expenditure made by candidates in the Clare constituency are contained in the ‘Candidates Election Expenses Statements’ that have been released by the Standards in Public Office Commission.

These figures reveal that € 113,892.11 was spent by Clare election candidates – this total is drawn from the returns made to the Standards in Public Office Commission by 15 of the 16 election candidates who contest the Februay 25 poll, the largest number ever to contest a Dáil election in the county.

Six candidates spent over € 10,000 on their campaigns, while two of the candidates, independents Sarah Ferrigan and Anne Cronin who contested the election on a ‘Balance the Ballot’ manifesto spent nothing on their respective campaigns. A limit of € 37,650 is put on spending per candidate in a four-seater constituency.

The biggest election spender was Fianna Fáil candidate, Dr John Hillery, who was attempting to win a Dáil seat that his father, the late former President of Ireland, Dr Paddy Hillery held for 22 years from 1951 to 1973.

Dr Hillery, who was drafted onto the Fianna Fáil election team in place of the retiring Minister for Defence, Tony Killeen, spent € 16,673.16 during his unsuccessful campaign for a Dáil seat, while his party colleague and Deputy Timmy Dooley, who retained his seat only spent € 9,574.35 in his campaign. The highest expense incurred by Dr Hillery during the campaign was for € 4,840.

Fine Gael were the biggest election spenders in Clare – between them the three candidates, Deputies Pat Breen and Joe Carey, as well as Senator Tony Mulcahy spent nearly € 40,000 during the campaign.

Deputy Carey, who was the third candidate elected was the biggest spender with a total of € 14,535, followed closely by poll topper Deputy Breen who spent € 14,252. Meanwhile, Tony Mulcahy, who was added to the Fine Gael ticket by party headquarters spent € 10,661 on his unsuccessful bid, before embarking on another campaign immediately afterwards when he won election to Seanad Éireann.

Labour’s Michael McNamara, who was the third canidate elected was the fourth highest election spender with a figure of € 14,248.42, while the highest spender from the independent benches was James Breen who incurred € 11,686.99 in election expenses in his bid to win back the Dáil seat he held from 2002 to 2007.

Independent candidate Patrick Brassil was one of 23 candidates around the country referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for failing to furnish expenses statements to the Standards in Public Office Commission.

DRAMA groups from all over Ireland will descend on Clare this weekend for the annual One Act Drama Festival, organised by the Doonbeg Drama Group.

Groups from Galway, Cork, Limerick and Dublin as well as a large chuck of local talent will descend on west Clare for the event which, it is hoped, will provide a timely boost for the local tourism trade.

This year’s festival will include a wide range of shows to suit everyone’s tastes with a large number comedy and farce as well as a number of more serious productions.

The local challenge will be led off by on Saturday night by the Kilkeebased Amphitheatre Theatre Company with their production of ‘Two for a Girl’ written by Mary Kelly and Noni Stapleton.

Cratloe’s Castlewood Players, will perform one of several George Bernard Shaw productions at this year’s festival when their version of ‘The Shewing Up of Blanco Posnet’ takes to the stage on Monday, November 21. The festival will be finished off by the Corofin Drama Society’s production of ‘What’s for Pudding’ by David Tristram.

The Doonbeg One Act Drama Fes- tival, in its current format, has been taking place since 1989 and occurs in November each year. It has established itself as a very popular festival with groups and audiences alike and is looked forward to as a welcome relief from the long winter nights. Almost 200 different productions have been presented to date.

Nine different plays will be shown over three nights in both open and confined sections during this year’s festival. The winners of each festival will qualify for the All-Ireland One Act Finals which take place in at Glór in Ennis this year.

This year’s Doonbeg Festival will see a number of new innovations including a cheese and wine reception which will be served between the first and the second plays, while tea, coffee and biscuits will be served between the second and third plays each evening. The festival has also introduced candle-lit tables and cabaret style seating, which the organisers hope will bring a unique atmosphere to the festival.

The festival will take place on November 19, 20 and 21 and price for admittance each night is € 10 for adults and € 5 for children. Doors open each night at 8pm with curtain up at 8.30pm. For more information visit www.doonbeginfo.com.

THE former GAA grounds at Roslevan has emerged as a possible new home for Ennis Educate Together National School

The 5.25 acre site on the outskirts of Ennis will be among the sites recommended to the Department of Education and Skills as a new location for the school.

The land on the outskirts of Ennis will be included in a “portfolio of sites” currently being prepared by the school’s Board of Management.

The development comes after the Department stated that a new 16classroom unit should be provided for the school.

In a statement yesterday, Principal Sean Ó Confhaola explained, “The Department of Education and Skills has informed Ennis Educate Together NS that a 16-classroom unit should be provided for the school.” He added, “It is projected that this accommodation begins to be required by September 2012. The department is currently looking for a suitable site for Ennis Educate Together NS.”

The school is currently located on the Gort Road and caters for almost 200 children. Mr Ó Conf haola told The Clare People that the Gort Road and Roslevan “would be the most preferred areas for a new school”.

Among the other potential areas currently being examined by the school is the former GAMA site on the Tulla Road.

Our Lady’s hospital, which was mentioned as a possible site in a recent report by Ennis Town Council, has also been touted. “We have looked at Our Lady’s that’s a possibility too”, said Mr Ó Conf haola.

He said the communication from the department is a boost to the school’s long-term search for a new permanent home. “It wasn’t completely out of the blue. The slight difficulty was always getting a suitable site.”

Interest in the former home of St Joseph’s Doora Barefield has been high in recent months. A number of local sports clubs have been credited with an interest in the grounds. Last month town manager Ger Dollard said that while Ennis Town Council had given detailed consideration to purchasing the grounds, a bid had not been lodged and that the local authority was no longer interested in the site.

DUBLIN City Council must cough up for the money needed to fund an independent Environment Impact Statement into the proposed plan to pipe water from the Shannon to serve the needs of Dublin water-users before any plans will even be considered.

That was the opinion of the Mayor of Clare, Pat Hayes (FF), following a public meeting attended by members of an Oireachtas Committee, at the proposed water extraction site last week.

According to Cllr Hayes, stakeholders in the region cannot rely on Dublin City Council’s analysis of the impact of the € 500 million project and also called for a study into the economic impact the plan would have on County Clare to be undertaken.

“This is Dublin City Council’s proposal so we cannot and should not accept any report they are putting forward in relation to the potential impact of this mammoth project,” he said.

“The proposal seems to me to be a short-sighted solution to Dublin’s problems. They should firstly solve leaks in their network across the capital and be a little more innovative in finding a solution beyond that. Taking water from Lough Derg is the easy option. I and my fellow elected representatives in Clare won’t stand for it, unless we are completely satisfied there will be no adverse reaction.”

The plan as proposed by Dublin City Council would see € 500 million litres of water pumped daily from the Shannon River at Lough Derg during periods of high-flow and flooding.

“We need an independent Environmental Impact Study commissioned on behalf of Clare, Tipperary, Limerick and Galway local authorities and all other stakeholders, such as the Shannon Region Fisheries Board and the ESB,” continued Cllr Hayes.

“This study must be paid for by Dublin City Council but they should have no other hand, act or part to play in it. It should also have over- riding authority over Dublin City Council’s own environmental statement as well.

“One of the carrots being waved for the project is a multi-million euro eco-park and reservoir planned for Garryhinch in Offaly, with the potential for one million visitors annually. In my mind, this further undermines confidence in the project from a Clare perspective, as how could Dublin City Council possibly suggest that a one-million visitor attraction outside this region could be good for us?”

THOUSANDS of children across the county embraced the 2011 Children’s Book Festival of Clare, making it the most successful running of the event to date, the Clare County Library has revealed this week.

The event concluded last Friday after a month-long celebration of books and reading saw thousands of children from primary schools throughout the county attend a bumper programme of events. The 2011 programme included live history workshops, poetry workshops, children’s puppet theatre, art and craft sessions, music and author visits by some of the best writers for children in Ireland today.

“Children were introduced to the great artistic creators including Shakespeare, Hemingway and Robert Burns and to the art of Claude Monet through the multi-disciplinary sessions delivered by Tony Maude from London and Dr Fred Freeman from Edinburgh. Both artists’ shows included an excellent mix of poetry, art, literature and music to the delight of their young audiences,” a spokesperson for the County Library revealed. “Music making of a more modern genre was enjoyed by fifthand sixth-class children who took part in the workshops of John Lillis. Six sessions of non-stop entertainment featured beat-boxing, scratching and a very informative hands-on lesson on the techniques employed by a successful DJ.

“Authors Bob Burke, Nicola Pierce, Oisin McGann, Judi Curtin, Dolores Keaveney and Bridget Bhreathnach travelled the county, with all library branches hosting at least one author event for their local schools.

“Judging by the attention paid to the stories of these writers and the questions that went on well after their presentations ended, the future of writing in Clare looks extremely promising,” the spokesperson added.

One of the highlights of this year’s festival was ‘The Irish History Live Show’ presented by Michael Moylan. Children in Ennis, Ennistymon, Miltown Malbay and Tulla were transported back to the Easter Rising of 1916 or to the Second World War.

Moylan successfully takes the printed pages of the history books and brings them alive with his travelling museum of clothes, replica weapons and artifacts of the period which children are encouraged to try out as an integral part of his spell binding presentations. “The number of times that this event features in the Library’s Children’s Book Festival programme is testament to the appeal of Michael’s show year after year,” a library spokesperson said.