Category: News

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”.

CLAIMS that Ennis is an expensive town have been described as “damaging” and “unfounded” by local business representatives.

Members of Ennis Chamber and the Ennis Development were reacting to comments made by Mayor of Ennis Michael Guilfoyle (Ind) at a recent meeting of Ennis Town Council.

In a statement, both organizations say many local businesses have expressed their shock and disappointment at the Mayor’s reference to Ennis as an expensive town to do business.

President of Ennis Chamber John Dillane said: “The businesses and employees of Ennis need support from their elected public representatives, not unfounded criticism and, what appear to be, throw away remarks which are damaging to the Ennis brand. In the food sector, a quick survey of the prices in national and international multiples and branded stores in Ennis revealed no price difference to other stores or their prices as advertised nationally. Likewise with independent retailers, they compare very favourably with similar independent store in other towns.”

Aoife Madden (Madden Furniture), Chairperson of Ennis Development Forum said, “We, like so many other Ennis businesses, have recently invested heavily in enhancing the shopping experience for our customers.

“Over the last few weeks 40 per cent of our customers are now coming from Limerick which proves that prices and service are comparable if not better to Limerick and other retail centres.”

According to Martin White of AAA Taxis, “Ennis taxis provide a better pricing structure for our customers as we have not engaged in a call out charge which has been implemented in other parts of the country.”

In the statement, Ennis Chamber and Ennis Development Forum say they have received many reports from customers and visitors alike that they are pleasantly surprised at the range and quality of the retail mix in the town.

COCAINE valued at € 940 was found during a Garda search of a house in Shannon earlier this year.

Michael Delaney (27) with an address at Cronan Lawn, Shannon, appeared at Shannon District Court on Thursday on charges of possession of drugs and possession of drugs for sale or supply.

Insp Tom Kennedy told the court that jurisdiction had been accepted in the matter. He said the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had directed summary disposal.

Insp Kennedy said that gardai conducted a search of 50 Cronan Lawn in June of this year. He said 16 bags of cocaine, valued at € 940, were found in the house. He said the gardaí believed that the cocaine was for the purposes of dealing. A sum of € 1500 was also found during the search, the court heard. Solicitor Jenny Fitzgibbon told the court that after her client had broken up with his partner, his life had “spiraled into addiction”. She said that after the break up, her client had been forced to look for new accommodation and had been “very short of cash”. She added, however, that this was no excuse for his actions. Ms Fitzgibbon said Delaney had developed “a huge drug addiction”. She said he had made every effort to deal with his addiction including taking urine tests.

For having drugs for sale or supply, Judge Aeneas McCarthy imposed a nine-month sentence, suspended for a period of two years on condition that the accused be of good behaviour. He also imposed a three-month sentence, suspended for two years, to run concurrent to the first sentence. 1.Ba llin r u a n Co mm u n it y Ha ll 2.Ba lt a r d P r ima r y S c h o o l 3.Bo s t o n P r ima r y S c h o o l 4.Bu r r a n e P r im a r y S c h o o l 5.Clo o n a n a h a P r ima r y S c h o o l 6.Clo o n e yg o la n e P r im a r y S c h o o l 7.Clo u n a P r im a r y S c h o o l – En n is t ymo n 8.Co n n o lly P r ima r y S c h o o l 9.S c a r r iff P r ima r y S c h o o l 10.S t Co n n a ir e ’s P r ima r y S c h o o l – S h a n n o n

TWENTY jobs are to be created in Shannon between now and the end of next January through the launch of a new company which manufactures, installs and maintains small domestic wind-turbines for homes, small businesses and farms.

The Eco-Eir company has just been set up by the O’Mara family in Shannon who have been operating the Force Advanced Technology Solutions manufacturing company in Shannon for the last 20 year.

The company aims to generate between 15 and 20 jobs in the Shannon area over the next four months by employing people directly and by indirect employment through local suppliers.

“Force has been doing a lot of work in the renewable energy over the last few years so I stepped back and saw that there was a gap in the market – especially in the wind energy sector,” said Steve O’Mara, Managing Director of Eco-Eir.

“The product has been designed by us, 99 per cent of it has been manufactured by us and all 100 per cent of it has been built or manufactured in Ireland. We do have some competitors in the market but it is mostly in the very small domestic sector or for very large wind-farms. We are going for something in between. It is not some flimsy thing that you can bolt onto the side of your house, this is a well manufactured top-of-the-range product. And that is why we give a full 10 year warranty with every generator.”

Depending on the prevailing wind of a particular site, Steve estimated that his product could supply all the electricity needed for most small businesses or farms and leave most domestic users and new contributors of electricity a product which they can sell back to the ESB.

“The average figure for a family of four people is 5,480 units of electricity per year – that is for an average family with all the usual utilities. Based on the average wind speed in Ireland which is 6 metres per second, we will be able to generate 10,000 units per year. Which is almost twice what the average family will need,” continued Steve.

“If you are an ESB customer you can then sell that electricity back to the grid. So instead of you getting a bill from the ESB each month they will send you out a cheque once a year.”

The windmills are small enough to be exempt from planning permission and Eco-Eir will do a free site survey to determines the average wind speed and average electricity generation capacity of a particular area. To find out more about the company visit www.eco-eir.com.

A 19-YEAR-OLD who launched a “completely unwarranted and uncalled for” attack on a man who he overheard talking about him has been warned that he may face three years in jail.

Karl Haugh, of Marian Estate, Carrigaholt Road, Kilkee, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to Darren Clarke and also admitted assaulting Denis O’Connell, in Kilkee on August 7, 2010.

Detective Garda Oliver Downes told Ennis Circuit Court yesterday that the defendant was refused take away drink in a pub in Kilkee on the night in question.

“Denis O’Connell was working in the premises and Darren Clarke was a customer,” said the garda.

He said that Mr Clarke and Mr O’Connell left the premises in the early hours of the morning.

As Mr Clarke made his way home he was attacked as he approached the entrance to a housing estate.

“A blue car pulled up and the accused jumped out. The accused caught Mr Clarke and punched him to the back of the head and then punched him a few times to the head and chest,” said the garda.

The court heard that Mr Clarke fell to the ground and was punched again as he tried to get up. “The accused grabbed him in an arm lock. He was choking as a result,” said the garda.

“Denis O’Connell came to his assistance. He received two punches to the face,” he added. Mr Clarke sus- tained a number of injuries including a graze to the forehead, small cuts to the lips and a shoulder injury. He was out of work for a month, due to the attack. Mr O’Connell sustained a swollen jaw and black eye.

Gda Downes said that Haugh “is well known to us in Kilrush and Kilkee. He has 24 previous convictions”. Asked about the motive for the assaults, the garda told Judge Carroll Moran, “The accused alleges he overheard Darren Clarke call him a scumbag in the pub and that was the reason for him to go after him. This hasn’t been verified.”

Defence Counsel Pat Whyms, BL, said that Mr Clarke did concede that he was talking about the defendant, but hadn’t realised that he was listening to him. “There is a discrepancy in relation to what was said,” he said.

The court heard that Mr Clarke did not wish to give evidence to the court.

Mr Whyms told the court that his client was involved in a serious car accident eight years ago and has been on disability since the age of 18. He said that his client wished to publicly apologise for what Counsel described as a “completely unwarranted and uncalled for” incident. He said that his client took umbrage as a result of “this perceived slight and not at the refusal of the drink as such”.

Mr Whyms said that his client was on his way home from his night out at the time and was “not pursuing Mr Clarke”.

“However it was completely unjustifiable to assault Mr Clarke in the way he did. Thankfully Mr Clarke was not seriously injured,” said Mr Whyms.

He said that his client had brought € 1,870 to court and was prepared to raise further compensation to bring the total to € 5,000. He said that the accused is selling his car and is hopeful of raising € 2,000 from this, which will go towards the compensation. “I think that is a reasonable offer on the basis of injuries sustained by Mr Clarke,” he said.

Judge Moran said, “It seems to me he is facing the possibility of three years in prison. Let’s see if he can sell the car in three weeks.”

He adjourned the case until November. “I’m not making any promises at all. This is a serious gratuitous attack,” said the judge.

YOUNG people are being encouraged to take part in a programme of events that has been launched at a new youth and community building in Ennis.

Clare Youth Service has announced a series of programmes to run at ‘The Junction’ on Cloughleigh Road.

Youth worker Jean Tierney explained that the activities are aimed at young people aged 15-18 years and will run at the building over the next few months.

A money bank programme will offer advice on setting up a community grants scheme, while young people can also learn life skills and participate in genealogy projects.

The centre is also open for teenagers every Tuesday and Friday from 4-6pm to drop in and meet their friends, access the internet, and listen to music.

Ms Tierney said that ‘fit out’ work on the building’s kitchen and computer room has recently been completed. “We have a few groups up and running. There are community groups running meetings during the day,” she said.

She explained that Clare Youth Service are aiming to increase use of the building over the coming months. Ms Tierney said that a number of different groups and organisations have rented space at the building to run classes.

For more details or to sign up to any of the programmes, call into The Junction or contact Jean Tierney on 065 6845356 or 086-1568560. Alternatively, check out The Junction Ennis on Facebook.

The Junction, which was constructed on land owned by Ennis Town Council, features a youth café/dropin centre and will be used as a base from which youth services and programmes to targeted groups will be delivered. The project costs amounted to € 645,000, of which € 357,000 was allocated to the council under the Social and Community Facilities Capital Scheme 2006. The balance of the capital expenditure was provided from the council’s own resources. The council was the contracting authority for the construction of the building and has leased the completed building to Clare Youth Service.

Set up in 1969, Clare Youth Service today provides direct services to over 3,000 young people aged 12-25 years around the county.

A 20-YEAR-OLD’s chronic alcohol problem and misuse of cannabis are at the root of his bad record, a court has been told.

The comments from a barrister came in the case of a defendant who pleaded guilty to burglary last year.

Ian Murrihy (20), of Lisdoonvarna Road, Kilfenora, was charged with burglary of a house in Ardnaculla, Ennistymon, on June 25, 2010. A mobile phone was stolen during the break-in.

Ennis Circuit Court heard yesterday that a man was woken up from his sleep by noise coming from a front room of his home.

Garda Christopher Healy told the court that the offence was committed at 4am. The accused was arrested some six hours later. He said that the stolen mobile phone was never recovered and that another man involved in the incident has since died.

The court heard that the accused had several previous convictions.

Defence Counsel Emer Carey, BL, said that her client, who was inebriated at the time, went into the house via a side door that was open. “They let themselves in,” she said, adding that her client’s recollection of the incident was “sketchy”.

She said that her client had been “a chronic alcoholic” and has abused cannabis in the past. She said that her client has had a difficult background and lived rough at one point.

“The majority of his previous convictions relate to his chronic alcohol problem and his misuse of cannabis,” she said.

Ms Carey said that her client became a father for the first time in August, but has not yet seen his child as he has been in custody since July.

Judge Carroll Moran said he was taking the accused’s poor background into consideration. However he said there were aggravating factors in the case: the accused’s “very bad record” – including 10 previous convictions for theft and one for burglary – and the fact that this was “an invasion of somebody’s home in the middle of the night when they are asleep”.

He said he had to impose a prison sentence and jailed the accused for four years, the last year of which was suspended.

He backdated the sentence to July 26 last, when the accused went into custody.

AN ESTIMATED 1,200 ESB customers were affected by a power outage, which struck parts of Ennis last week.

The outage occurred at 3.10pm on Thursday and supply was restored to all customers by 4pm. In a statement an ESB spokeswoman explained that the outage occurred when a landowner was cutting a tree on property in Guarus and it fell across an ESB line.

She stated, “An outage occurred at approximately 3.10pm yesterday (Oct 13). ESB Network crews were dispatched. A private landowner was cutting a tree on his own property in Gaurus and it inadvertently fell across an ESB medium voltage line in the area.”

The areas affected were Our Lady’s Hospital and the Gaurus Court Estate and Gaurus Bridge areas.

The spokeswoman added, “Approximately, 1,200 customers were affected. Supply was restored to all customers at 4pm.”

It is the second widespread power outage to hit ESB customers in Ennis in the past three months. An estimated 1,500 homes and businesses were affected by two major power outages in Ennis in July. On that occasion the outages occurred as a result of cable faults in the town centre.

Almost 1,000 homes and businesses were hit by the first fault. A second fault occurred in Francis Street later in the day leading to power disruptions for approximately 500 customers. At the time, banks were forced to close in the middle of the day while pubs, shops and restaurants were also affected.

FANS of television’s The Apprentice will be familiar with the new upcoming artist called TBC, who is set to take the Irish music scene by storm. The moniker TBC, or To Be Confirmed, was accidentally used by Team Spirit to describe the first act on a CD to be distributed free with the Irish Daily Mail .

The gaff eventually lost the team the task, which resulted in Yinka being shown the road by Bill Cullen in the boardroom. The Clare People has discovered that the mystery artist who was mistakenly named as TBC was none other than Sixmilebridge singer-songwriter Lou McMahon.

Despite the loss of the task, 100,000 copies of the CD, which features Lou’s song alongside her real name and details, will be distributed across the country in this Saturday’s Irish Daily Mail .

“I am overwhelmed by this, I really didn’t expect to make it onto the CD. I entered by song ‘The River’ into a competition being hosted by the newspaper and, out of the blue, one day I got a call saying that I had been shortlisted. At this point ,I knew noting about The Apprentice, I just made my way to Dublin for some interviews,” said Lou. “I managed to get my track as the lead song of one of the CDs which was great. I was called in by both teams – both wanted the song to be on their CD but I ended up being used on Team Spirit’s CD. Anyone who has seen the show will know that I was mistakenly not told about the photo-shoot for the cover art and was listed on the album sleeve as TBC – or ‘to be confirmed’.

“The Irish Daily Mail thought that calling one of the artists TBC was such a big mistake that they have decided to repackage the whole CD and my name will be included on the CD that people get this weekend – not TBC.”

One hundred thousand copies of the CD featuring Lou will be distributed in this Saturday’s Irish Daily Mail. Lou’s latest single entitled ‘Into the Wind’ will be released in November and all of her music is currently available on i-Tunes.

THE sister of a north Clare priest who died tragically in 2002 when his car rolled off Liscannor Pier says her brother came to her in a dream and told her that he did not commit suicide. All The Michael O’Gradys is a new book set to be published later this year by Crusheen woman Helen O’Grady. The book tells the story of several generations of the O’Grady family, including four family members named Michael who each died in tragic circumstances surrounding water.

The main focus of the book is on the death of popular local priest Fr Michael O’Grady, who died when his car rolled off Liscannor Pier on April 4, 2002. The inquest into his death was held in July of that year and returned a suicide verdict.

This verdict was contested by the family, who described it as being “perverse” and “flying in the face of the evidence”.

After the O’Grady family threatened to instigate a judicial review into the verdict, a second inquest was held in November of that year which overturned the suicide verdict and instead returned an open verdict in the case.

In the book, Fr Michael’s sister Mary describes a visit from her dead brother to her dreams on the night following the tragic accident.

“That night as I prepared for bed, I reflected on the day and I was annoyed with all and sundry. But as usual, I said some prayers. During my sleep, Fr Michael came to me,” said Helen. “Fr Michael, along with a person on either side of him, told me three times in an angry voice,

‘it was an accident’.

After that I never

doubted.”

Fr O’Grady served

in the Killaloe Dio

cese for more than

30 year after he

was first ordained

in 1969. Originally

from Crusheen, he

was Parish Priest

in the neighbour

ing parish of Tubber

when he passed away

at the age of 58.

The then Bishop of

Killaloe, Dr Willie

Walsh, spoke at his

funeral, describing him as a “a man of deep faith and of loyalty to the priesthood”.

The book closes with Helen calling for more understanding and compassion for people of vocation in Ireland. “He was a priest. It was not an easy life; a priest’s life is a demanding one but also a rewarding one. Maybe we lay people should, from now on, think differently about the priests and church in general. Instead we should pray for our priests and nuns,” she said.