Category: News

AN INAGH woman is on the countdown to a marathon challenge she is undertaking next week.

Laura Gunter will represent Clare in the Dublin City Marathon next Monday.

Laura, who is a clerical officer in the Chief Superintendent’s office at Ennis Garda Station, was chosen from 16 Clare contenders to take part in the event. The competition was run by Spar and Laura was chosen as Clare’s Spartan.

Among the criteria for those interested in getting involved was that participants hadn’t run before. Laura fitted the criteria and took on the challenge with great enthusiasm. One Startan was chosen from every county in Ireland.

“The competition was advertised in June. They were looking for people who hadn’t run before. I was interviewed. They picked one from each county. This will be a first marathon for everyone,” said Laura.

A 16-week training plan was put in place by Karl Henry from RTÉ’s Operation Transformation and Laura followed this every step of the way. She has trained four times a week and has combined short runs with longer sessions, the longest of which was 20 miles.

She is tapering down this week in the run-up to the big event and is looking forward to taking part in the marathon next week.

“A lot of the others are injured. Thankfully I’m not,” she said.

Laura did most of the training by herself, but received good guidance from her family. Her father and brother have run marathons in the past and offered great inspiration.

She has developed a love of running and intends to keep it up. “I love it. I will sign up for smaller runs. I can’t wait for the run now. It’s like waiting for Christmas. All of my family and friends will be on different parts of the route,” she said.

The competition between the 26 Spartans will be decided through voting. Laura is looking for votes, on www.spar.ie. Votes should be cast by tonight (Tuesday).

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

HELPING people with illness, injury or disability to secure employment has been the goal of Clare Supported Employment Service (CSES), which this week celebrates its 10th anniversary.

Events to mark CSES’s 10 years in existence were launched yesterday at the Temple Gate Hotel in Ennis. Open information mornings are being held today (Tuesday) at Skycourt Shopping Centre in Shannon; Wednesday lunchtime at Tesco in Kilrush; Thursday morning at Scarriff Adult Education Centre; and Friday afternoon at the Family Re- source Centre, Ennistymon.

The service is holding a table quiz fundraiser for Clare Crusaders on Wednesday at the Temple Gate Hotel at 8pm. Employment-related workshops will be held during the week. Further details can be obtained from Karen at 065 6844007.

Supported employment originated in the United States in the late 1970s when it was recognised that people learn best on the job with practical instruction.

A successful funding application by the Brothers of Charity, Clare, together with Enable Ireland, led to the creation of a Supported Employment programme in Clare. A team of four staff began providing a countywide supported employment service to people with a range of disabilities, from its office in Carmody Street, Ennis, in 2001.

Since then, the team has expanded and developed but the purpose of the service has remained constant: to offer a highly professional service that is clearly focused on matching the employment needs of people with disabilities and the recruitment needs of County Clare employers.

“We monitor key performance indicators on a monthly basis and are constantly striving to improve the service we provide,” explained Alice O’Carroll, team leader with the service.

After finding suitable employment for clients, the service also provides extra workplace training, if it is deemed necessary.

“Some of it is on-site but the majority is off-site. It’s about ironing out any difficulties that might arise and providing reassurance,” Alice added.

Additional staff have been recruited over the years and business coaching was implemented in 2006. In 2007, placement numbers rose significantly as an additional project, ‘Career Link 2007’ delivered an 80 per cent employment outcome.

CSES was the first FÁS-funded supported employment service to be awarded the Q Mark Standard in 2009.

Alice explained that, as the current recession took hold, the service began to explore a wider range of employment options for job-seekers, such as self-employment and raising awareness of the wage subsidy scheme and other grants.

Under the scheme, employers who employ a person with a disability for 21 hours a week or more may be eligible for a subsidy of € 5.30 per hour. Alice said, “As the candidates we put forward are carefully matched to the business needs, this is really an allround win for employers.”

A PILOT project that has been credited with reducing speed on the Tulla Road could be extended to other roads around Ennis, a meeting has heard. Electronic displays that show the speed of passing cars have been installed in the area by Ennis Town Council for road design purposes and the recording of traffic flow data.

The council is providing four 50kph activated electronic speed display signs on the Tulla Road at locations outbound after Tulla Road and Railway Bridge and Roslevan roundabout and in bound near Hillcrest and Cappahard Lane as a pilot scheme.

Through the scheme, the council will be able to download traffic flow data from the signs and this information can be used for road design purposes and data will be forwarded to the Garda traffic corps.

At yesterday’s meeting of the Ennis Joint Policing Committee, Town Manager Ger Dollard said speed control measures in place on the Tulla Road have received a positive response from gardaí. He said the scheme had been quite successful and consideration has been given to extending it to other roads around the town.

Figures contained in a garda report on crime in the Ennis sub-district show that there have been no fatal collisions for the first nine months of 2011.

The report, which was presented at yesterday’s meeting, shows that there have been two serious injury traffic collisions in Ennis this year, compared to three in the same period in 2010. There has also been a reduction in the number of non-serious injury traffic collisions in Ennis so far this year, from 28 in 2010 to 23 in 2011.

Supt Peter Duff told the meeting that drivers are now more conscious of the importance of road safety due to greater public awareness of the issue.

Yesterday’s meeting at the Civic Room, Waterpark House, was attended by the Mayor of Ennis, Cllr Michael Guilfoyle (Ind), Cllr Brian Meaney (GP), Cllr Mary Howard (FG), Cllr Mary Coote Ryan (FG) and officials from Ennis Town Council including Town Manager Ger Dollard, Town Clerk Leonard Cleary and Niall O’Keefe from the council’s housing section.

Community representatives Robert Wilkie and Mary Leahy also attended the meeting. The gardai were represented at the meeting by Supt Peter Duff, Insp John Galvin and Sgt Paul Slattery.

FOR John Kearney, the chance to reenter the workforce after two frustrating years was one he seized with both hands.

When the Kilmaley man was 17, he had an accident, which left him with a serious back injury. For some years following the accident, John was out of work. Then, he found part-time work as a school caretaker under a Community Employment Scheme.

However, in 2004, John was lifting heavy pipes at work and suffered a relapse. His back was now worse than it had been when he had the accident initially and he had to undergo medical treatment for a period. But gradually he improved and from September 2005 he was ready to go back to work.

Besides the financial incentive of work, John found he missed the routine of a job and really missed making a contribution in terms of his work. However, any of the vacancies he encountered were full time or in- volved either sitting or standing for long periods, both of which would prove detrimental to his physical health. He grew more and more frustrated as he wondered what he could do. He wanted to work and wasn’t content to rely on a disability payment on an ongoing basis.

Enter Gaelscoil Mhichil Ciosóg and Clare Supported Employment Service (CSSE).

In December 2005, the school’s parents’ council voted to employ a part-time maintenance person. CSSE heard about the position and contacted then school Principal, Mairín Ui’ Dhuinneacha to find out more. After careful consideration of the school’s requirements, CSSE employment facilitator Deirdre Ball found that she had the perfect candidate.

Initially, John began working just six hours per week. Given his physical disability, John needs to take an individual approach to work. Tasks may need to be adjusted slightly or physically demanding tasks alternated with lighter tasks. John com- menced work at Gaelscoil Mhicil Ciosóg in early 2006 and quickly became a valuable member of staff.

John is now a full-time staff member at the school and is no longer in receipt of a disability payment.

After five years, John says he is delighted to be working at the school. He explains, “I still get regular physiotherapy but I can do more work. It’s great. The work will always be done. I get on very well with them. It’s brilliant to be working with all of them. Donál (O hAinifin, current principal) is a great man. He’s very understanding. There’s no better man.”

For his part, Donál describes John as a person “with loads of ability”.

John is a firm advocate for CSSE. He says, “I was eager to get back into the workplace with any type of job. It was great to be directed to Clare Supported Employment. They are brilliant for me and for everyone.”

POLITICAL pressure against a controversial proposal to change Ennis’ development plan to pave the way for the development of a major retail outlet on the outskirts of the county capital has been ramped up this week.

Labour Party TD Michael McNamara has told The Clare People that “the historic centre of Ennis” as a retail centre has to be maintained, something that only be achieved if local public representatives turn down an application to change the provisions of the Ennis and Environs Development Plan 2008-2014.

In issuing a statement that, Deputy McNamara has warned that any move to develop “a major shopping centre in the Tobertaoscain area is not in the long term interests of Ennis”.

His comments come in the wake of last week’s report from County Manager, Tom Coughlan, which said changes to the development plan are “not appropriate” as he recommended to members of Ennis Town Council and Clare County Council that “no modifications are made to the proposed original variation of April 2011”.

“The decision is a difficult one, as the temporary gain of construction jobs and employment expectations in a shopping complex, has to be balanced against the inevitable damage to the existing town centre, in terms of jobs lost and businesses closed,” said Deputy McNamara.

“Overall, the proposal for the Limerick Road area will create the classic doughnut effect whereby business moves from the centre to the edge leaving a degraded space in the middle.

“In a buoyant retail environment, it might be argued that both could survive. That is not the climate in which we are living and it is unlikely to prevail for some time. Our priority must be to maintain and develop the historic centre of Ennis,” he said.

“Only the elected councillors have the power to make or refuse such change. It is a difficult decision and places a heavy burden of responsibility of their shoulders. It is one of the most important questions to come before them for a long time and the implications of their decision will impact on Ennis for many years to come,” Deputy McNamara warned.

CLARE Supported Employment Service (CSSE) has found work for 242 people affected by illness, injury and disability over the past five years, new figures show.

The highest number of work placements in that five-year period occurred in 2009 (53). Figures for 2011 show that 26 people have found employment through CSSE though that number also includes 19 short-term self-employment contracts.

Team leader Alice O’Carroll explains that the service has developed close links with a wide range of employers and organisations such as Ennis Chamber of Commerce, IBEC, Shannon Development and Network Ireland.

One well-known company that has benefited from their links to CSSE is McDonalds, where, Alice explains, 10 per cent of the workforce in the Ennis and Shannon branches have been employed through the service.

“Our clients are very varied in terms of their experience, education and qualifications,” she adds.

Earlier this year, CSSE launched a five-year strategy (2011-2016) that seeks to make Clare an exemplary area in Ireland for providing employment for people with an illness, injury or disability.

According to Richard Collins, Chairperson CSSE, the strategy has been put in place to enable the service to “weather the economic storm and to put a comprehensive structure on its operations over the next five years”.

In his introduction to the strategy, Mr Collins says, “It demonstrates a deep-rooted commitment to our jobseeking clients and a compulsion to encourage employers throughout the county better understand our raison d’etre.

Over the lifetime of the strategy, CSSE aims “to respond appropriately to the current job market by being innovative in identifying and following through on different pathways to employment” and “support all clients who actively engage with the service; to secure and maintain the highest quality work outcomes possible”.

The service also states that it aims to achieve these goals through a number of initiatives including, “establishing successful placements with larger employers in Shannon, and utilising these examples to generate further placements in the greater Shannon area” while also “empowering clients, who have the capability, to seek out opportunities for themselves”.