Category: News

CLARE’S fastest growing primary school is still awaiting permanent accreditation from the Department of Education, despite being in operation for the last six years.

The Mol an Óige school in Ennistymon will become Ireland’s second Department of Educationrecognised Steiner school if it is granted permanent official recognition later this year.

The school has been operation with year-to-year accreditation for the last three years, which has hampered its efforts to make plans for the future, including for the purchase of a permanent school building.

INTO national president, Noreen Flynn, paid a visit to the school last week to show her support and to officially launch the new school website.

“We have recognition on a provisional basis which is extended year by year. We have had inspectors in from the department and a report has been done up and we are now coming to the end of the recognition process with the Department,” said principal Una Ní Gháirbhith.

“We are very hopeful that permanent recognition would be awarded at some stage this year. The big difference that that would make to us is that we could start looking at having our own school building because, at present, we are at a rented site in rented prefabs. The permanent building is the final piece in the jigsaw.”

Having formed with just 11 pupils in 2005, Mol an Óige now boasts 120 pupils with five classroom teachers and six auxiliary staff members.

“There have been a lot of cutbacks in education in recent times and we did take the opportunity to discuss with Noreen how cutbacks are affecting the school, and the future cutbacks which may be coming down the line,” continued Una.

“These cutback are really going to make a difference to schools all over the country. The problem is that more and more children are coming into the primary school system and, instead of increasing the number of teachers, they are looking at upping the pupil/teacher even more and cutting back in other areas.

“Li ke ever yone else in the countr y, we are just waiting to see how these new cuts will affect t he school. Increasing the st udent /teacher ratio by one st udent doesn’t seem li ke a lot but, when you consider the par ttime teachers and resource teachers who are also counted, it can quickly have a ver y big impact on schools.”

To view the new Mol an Óige website, visit www.steinermolanoigens. org.

AN APPEAL in relation to the sentences handed down to two Ennis men for the manslaughter of schoolteacher Brian Casey almost two years ago will take place in December.

Last year, Harry Dinan and his nephew Kevin Dinan were jailed for five and four years respectively for the manslaughter of Brian Casey (26), who was set upon and attacked on a street in Ennis on St Stephen’s night in 2009.

After the sentences were handed down at Ennis Circuit Court in November 2010, the DPP lodged an appeal to the Court of Criminal Appeal on the grounds of “undue leniency”.

The appeal will be heard on December 5, at the Court of Criminal Appeal in Dublin.

In the aftermath of the sentences being handed down, The Clare People revealed that an appeal was being recommended, on the grounds that the sentences were too lenient.

“A case report is being referred to the DPP to consider the leniency of the sentence. There will be a recommendation that the leniency be looked at,” a well-placed source close to the prosecution told The Clare People at the time.

Judge Carroll Moran handed down the sentences at Ennis Circuit Court, after hearing that both Harry Dinan, of Waterpark Heights, Ennis, and Kevin Dinan, of Clarehill, Clarecastle, had several previous convictions.

Harry Dinan – who had 64 previous convictions – was on temporary release at the time of the attack, having received a four-month sentence in October 2009 for motoring offences.

Kevin Dinan – who had 17 previous convictions – was on bail at the time of the attack on Mr Casey, having pleaded guilty to burglary and handling stolen property, in the Circuit Court, five months earlier.

The sentencing hearing was told that Mr Casey, from Lissycasey, was entirely blameless and had “no hand, act or part” in a row that broke out between two groups at O’Connell Square, Ennis, on St Stephen’s night in 2009. His only role, the court was told, was to pick up a friend who had been knocked to the ground in a melee.

As he stood outside Carraig Donn department store with his hands in his pockets shortly before midnight, Mr Casey was struck in the face by Harry Dinan. He fell backwards onto the street. He was then punched repeatedly by Kevin Dinan.

Mr Casey was unconscious. He never regained consciousness and died in hospital two days later.

The row had broken out between two groups and was brought under control by bouncers who were working nearby. The attacks on Mr Casey were described by the prosecution as “unprovoked and cowardly”.

Judge Carroll Moran described Mr Casey’s death as “completely unnecessary” and said that while the two defendants hadn’t intended to kill him, they had intended to harm him.

He said Mr Casey had been unable to defend himself.

He jailed Harry Dinan for five years and imposed a four-year sentence on Kevin Dinan.

“I can’t pass a sentence and throw away the key, so to speak. I’m conscious of that,” he said.

THE newly appointed director of Glór has said that Irish music will still play a key part in the future of the venue. Gemma Carcaterra was last week appointed as the new director of the centre, succeeding Katie Verling who has been suffering from ill health. Gemma, who was born in the UK but now lives in Clare, also hopes to have a large focus on local groups getting involved in hosting events in Glór.

“We have a great team here in Glór, with lots of strengths and lots of experience. The building here is amazing and is a unique selling point for Glór but there is also such a wealth of local groups and organisations that we can work with. We are looking to promote Glór as a venue for the county as well as locally here in Ennis,” said Gemma.

“Glór was built for the traditional arts and traditional music and that will be taken into account but it will be right across the board from music to theatre, children’s events, community arts and film. Glór has a great foundation. These are difficult times in the arts and everyone needs to look at streamlining but Glór is in a very good place to come through this recession in a strong position and grow after that. I have big shoes to fill and I will do my best to continue on the good work already done by Katie and Patricia.”

Later this year, Glór will celebrate its tenth birthday and a number of events are being planned to mark the occasion.

“We do turn 10 this November which shows longevity of the organisation. We will be celebrating the birthday throughout the month through a number of events and the programme that we have already planned,” continued Gemma. “I’m really looking forward to meeting all the local artists, musicians and organisations.”

A trained artist and designer, Gemma has worked with a wide variety of organisations including museums, galleries and design companies over the last 15 years. One of the highlights of her career to date was being part of the team who designed and delivered a number of exhibitions at the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich in London. She has been living in Clare since 2007 and worked with Daghdha Dance Company until earlier this year.

A CLARE election candidate who failed to furnish expenses statements to the Standards in Public Office Commission has told The Clare People

SIXMILEBRIDGE’S ambitions to be crowned kings of the Irish language have come to an end.

The ‘Bridge lost out in the semi-finals of TG4’s ‘An G-Team’, which is a project aimed at reviving the Irish language across the country. A team from TG4 has travelled to towns and villages across the country in recent weeks as various areas competed against each other.

The people of Sixmilebridge had put in a huge effort in their attempts to win the overall prize of € 40,000.

However, they were defeated at the semi-final stage and the Glen of Aherlow will now go on to contest the final against Donabate from Dublin.

The ‘Bridge did well in the early stages of the competition and their new website promoting the use of Irish caught the attention of the adjudicators. As a result of their efforts, there has been a renewed interest in the Irish language in the area.

While they did well in the latest challenge, in which they were tasked with producing an hour-long radio programme, they were not chosen as one of the finalists.

During the radio show, they presented their own news and interviews, including an interview with Presidential hopeful Michael D Higgins.

Rita Costello read the news in Irish, assisted by reporters PJ Fitzpatrick and Eimear Murphy.

“Overall, it was very good. We were delighted with how it went. We couldn’t have done anything much better. We are waiting for feedback. They were very complimentary about the standard of Irish. The others (competitors) were very strong,” said the co-ordinator of the committee in Sixmilebridge, Brendan Walsh.

“There is a huge new interest in Irish. The big change is that there is a bit of Irish spoken in the pubs at night,” said Brendan.

“The big thing it did was connect community groups in the village,” he added.

“People have identified other people in the village who speak Irish. There was a core group of between 30 and 40.

“There are families who speak Irish in the ‘Bridge and nobody knew that,” he said.

Irish language classes take place every Monday, from 7pm to 9pm, in the old courthouse in Sixmilebridge, while a comhrá group meets at the Mill Bar every Friday at 9pm.

The village will feature prominently when TG4 broadcasts the G-Team initiative in January over 10 weeks.

NEW byelaws aimed at improving the operation and safety of the Ennis Market have been introduced in the town.

It follows confirmation from Ennis Town Council that an appeal against the new casual trading byelaws had been withdrawn.

Earlier this month, Town Manager Ger Dollard told a meeting of Ennis Town Council that the byelaws, which had been due to come into effect on October 1, could be the subject of a legal challenge.

In a statement on Friday, the council confirmed that the appeal had been withdrawn at Ennis District Court. The matter had been adjourned to Friday for consideration by the District Justice.

The byelaws provide for a revised layout for stalls at the market so as to improve general safety and operating arrangements.

Town Clerk Leonard Cleary, stated “The market is a very important part of Ennis town and is a key part of retail activity in the area. We wish people to enjoy the market experience to the maximum possible and it has been clear that the byelaws which had been in place since 1988 needed to be reviewed to reflect modern day requirements. We look forward to working with the traders on the full implementation of the byelaws so that the operation of the market can be improved in the interests of shoppers and market traders.”

The statement continues, “Ennis Town Council has major plans for the redevelopment of the entire market area and it is hoped to progress these plans in consultation with the various stakeholders when the current economic environment improves.”

Councillors voted through the byelaws at the July meeting of Ennis Town Council following two lengthy periods of public consultation.

A controversial proposal that would have allowed for the towing away of cars parked in trading spaces on trading days was removed from the final draft.

A TEAM of consultants have been charged with responsibility for deciding whether Shannon Airport’s links with the Dublin Airport Authority should be severed to allow private business take over the dayto-day operation of Clare’s international airport.

The move was heralded by Transport Minister Leo Varadkar on Friday when he announced the beginning of a “study of options” for the future ownership and direction of the airport.

This will be carried out by Booz & Company – a leading global management consulting firm, that helps businesses and governments and has branches in 39 countries worldwide, with its Irish operation headquartered in Dublin.

Booz & Company are to report back to Minister Varadkar by the end of year after “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.

“Some months ago I asked the boards of the three authorities (Dublin, Shannon, Cork) for their views again on separation,” Minister Varadkar revealed in launching the new consultation process on the future of the three state airports.

The most radical of the proposals submitted to Minister Varadkar in August is for Shannon to breakaway from the DAA by way of the State entering into a lease agreement with private business for a period of between 15 to 35 years.

“Given the current business environment and the recent trends in the aviation sector I was not surprised to hear back that there was no support for separation, as originally envisaged, that is as three independent State companies.

“However, the present half-way house arrangement, in place since 2004, whereby Cork and Shannon have their own boards but have limited autonomy from the Dublin Airport Authority, cannot continue indefinitely. Nor can the situation continue whereby losses at Cork and Shannon are absorbed by the remaining profitable parts of the DAA Group.

“I have decided therefore to seek wide ranging advice on all possible options for the future ownership and operation of Cork and Shannon Airports, so that I can propose informed recommendations to Government,” added Minister Varadkar.

WORLDWIDE business consultants Booz & Company have now emerged as major players in shaping Shannon’s future – their findings and recommendations to government will be key to whether a blueprint to semi-privatise the airport for between 15 and 35 years becomes a reality.

This radical plan is contained in the proposal put to government by the Shannon Airport Authority (SAA) in August.

The SAA board, which is chaired by local businessman Brian O’Connell, tabled its vision for the future on foot of a request for submissions by Minister Varadkar on the break-up of the three state- owned airports – Dublin, Shannon and Cork.

The plan sets out in bold terms that going forward, profit is the bottom line for Shannon, with semiprivatisation option put forward as a way of achieving this objective in the changed economic landscape.

“It is not sustainable for any business to continue in a loss-making mode,” said SAA chairman Brian O’Connell after the proposal was submitted to the Department of Transport.

“Every business, including Shannon Airport, must re-configure itself and re-engineer its future in the light of the dramatically changed economic landscape. It is clear that the ways and means we have organised and managed business in the past have to change, to take into account the reality of present and future market challenges.

“As a board, we are very mindful that Shannon Airport is and should continue to be a powerful driver of the current and future economic vitality in the whole west of Ireland region, if it is adequately capitalised and superbly managed.

“We considered a wide range of options which could optimise and maximise the commercial potential of Shannon Airport. We analysed present international trends and examined locations similar to Shannon around the world, which are operating successfully. It is for the Minister to consider the views of the board as submitted and to deliberate thereafter,” added O’Connell, who is also managing director of Westpark Shannon.

In July, the publication of the DAA annual report revealed a 37 per cent decrease in passenger traffic at Shannon during 2010, contributing to losses at the airport of between € 7m and € 10m for the year. The extent of these losses is believed to have scuppered any prospect of a government move to separate Dublin, Shannon and Cork airports.

This is despite the DAA annual report has saying: “following restructuring, Cork Airport Authority and Shannon Airport Authority will act as fully independent and legally autonomous airport authorities for Cork and Shannon airports respectively.”

In 2003, the then Minister for Transport, Seamus Brennan, announced the Government’s intention to restructure State-run airports, with the 2004 State Airports Act proposing that the Dublin Airport Authority would cease to own Shannon and Cork airports.

However, four years later, Minister Brennan’s successor in the transport portfolio, Noel Dempsey, announced the deferral until 2011 of a decision on the restructuring given the very difficult circumstances in the aviation sector.

“It was the unanimous views of the Dublin, Cork and Shannon airport authorities at the time that given the very difficult circumstance for the aviation sector, the climate was not right for separation,” Minister Varadkar has revealed this week.

A PLAN to offer free flights from Shannon Airport at certain times of the year may not be completely grounded, despite comments from the Department of Transport over the weekend that the project is a nonstarter.

West Clare councillor Gabriel Keating (FG), who proposed the ambitious new scheme, says that he has no doubt that something will come out of the proposal. The Kilrush councillor yesterday put out the call to Ryanair chief Michael O’Leary, saying that the deal could be an ideal fit for Shannon and the low fares airline. The idea involved making some flights between Shannon Airport and some UK airports free between March 19 and April 16, and September 17 and October 15, each year to promote visitors to Clare and the beginning and end of the tourist season. The promotion would also act as a major marketing opportunity for Shannon Airport and the airline involved in offering the free flights.

“We have been doing the same thing with our marketing budget for years now and the time has come for us to think outside of the box and that is what this idea is all about,” said Cllr Keating.

“If people came and they stayed for four nights in Clare what impact would that have on the local tourism market? It would be a massive boost both for the county and for Shannon Airport.

“I have no doubt that someone like Michael O’Leary would see the potential in an idea like this. You have to spend money to make money and we have been spending our marketing budget sending people to promote Shannon to every corner of the world but I think there is an option to spend it in a different way.

“I have no doubt that something will come from this idea. As an elected councillor it is my job to come up with ideas that might help promote the county. Ideas like this will lead to tourists and investment and that leads to jobs.”

A spokesman for the Department of Transport said over the weekend that the government was “unlikely” to support the proposal saying that it might infringe on EU competition law.

A GOVERNMENT-backed steering group to create an international hub for humanitarian aid at Shannon Airport will be put in place in the coming weeks. The Clare People understands that Labour’s Junior Minister for Foreign Affairs, Jan O’Sullivan, will appoint the top-level steering group in the coming weeks to push the creation of the international aid hub, which will act as a logistic base for aid organisation responding to major aid crisis’s around the world.

The hub is expected to create a number of jobs in the Shannon area and also work as a cornerstone for creating larger logistics-based operations in Shannon. The aid hub was a large part of the election manifesto of Clare TD Michael McNamara, who has made contact with a number of people at the United Nations in relation to the development.

“This is part of the Clare County Development Plan and I understand that Jan O’Sullivan is in the process of setting up a steering group involving all the main state operators and Clare County Council,” he said.

It is, however, unclear what form the humanitarian aid hub will take should it be granted the go ahead. Earlier this year, the Atlantic Way group officially registered the not-for-profit company ‘Global Aid Shannon’

The company was launched after a year of behind-the-scenes negotiations between Atlantic Way and a partner organisation in Jacksonville in Florida. However, it is unclear whether this private company will be used or whether a government agency will take the lead in delivering the proposed aid hub.

“If we can get the humanitarian aid hub up and running in Shannon, that will be very positive news. There is a company proposed to do that but there is no certainty that it will be a private company that will do it,” continued McNamara.

“While there is a lot of land around Shannon in private ownership, there is also a lot of land owned by Shannon Development and no decision has been made yet as to whether it would be a private company or whether existing state assets could be utilised for this. Ultimately, this has to be government driven, but whether there can be some sort of public/private partnership or not, I have an open mind.”