Category: News

CLARE County Council have rubbished suggestions made by heritage campaigner and Environmental Editor with the Irish Times Frank McDonald that the local authority have deliberately allowing the listed buildings at Blakes Corner in Ennistymon to fall into disrepair in a effort to make it more publicly acceptable to demolish the structures and make may for a roundabout at the traffic black-spot.

Mr McDonald, who will speak at the Courthouse Gallery in Ennistymon later this month, also said that he does not believe that a plan to rebuild Blakes and Linnanes at a site pushed back from the roadway will come to pass.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if this is a deliberate ploy [by Clare County Council]. It was done in Dublin in the late 1980 where the roads engineers were destroying whole streets to create space for motorways. They used to buy the building and let them go derelict – then they would claim that the buildings were dangerous and needed to be pulled down. It is a standard ploy that is employed,” he said.

“I don’t believe that that is going to happen [rebuilding Blakes and Linnanes]. I have seen enough of pledges being made about building being taken down and put back up again but that has never actually happened. They wouldn’t be the same building if that happened anyway.

“These buildings have been made protected structure because it was felt that these buildings were important in the context of Ennistymon’s heritage and now because Clare County Council wants to put in a roundabout on the road to Lahinch these building are to be torn down.”

Senior Engineer at Clare County Council, Tom Tiernan, yesterday said that Mr McDonald’s comments were not true. “He is wrong – it is as simple as that. I don’t know where he is drawing his conclusions from. We have carried out repair work on the building but our staff has been reduced and out budgets have been reduced,” he said.

“We are involved in a process at Blakes Corner and we will continue to be part of that process.”

Next Thursday, September 29, Mr McDonald will be in Ennistymon to speak about the effects that the construction boom have had on the landscape and environment of Ireland.

“I will be talking about the excesses that we indulged in. Like, for example, building motorways which are now losing money, like the M3 which was driven through the landscape of Tara, the M9 which terminates in a city which has less that 50,000 people and the Limerick Tunnel. All of these were build as Public Private Partnerships and all are losing money. So in addition to the hundreds of million that have been spent on building these roads, they are also costing us a fortune year on year as well because the traffic projections won’t be realised,” continued Frank.

“You can’t unbuild the Limerick Tunnel but there is a lesson that we need to learn from this. We need to learn to cut our cloth accord to the measure and we need to be mindful of the knock-on effects of building unnecessary motorways.”

FÁILTE Ireland and the Office of Public Works (OPW) are to meet in the coming weeks to discuss the possibility of reopening the Gort family home of WB Yeats as a tourist attraction.

The tower at Thoor Ballylee, just outside of Gort, was purchased by Yeats as his family home in 1917. It was used as a summer home by Yeats during his frequent visits to Gort, where he spent much of his time at the residence of Lady Gregory at nearby Coole Park.

The old tower has been closed to the public for some time and has been damaged by flooding activity over the last number of years.

Local senator Lorraine Higgins (LAB) has begun a campaign to secure enough government funding to reopen the tower as a tourist attraction. Higgins hopes that the combination of a renovated Thoor Ballylee alongside Coole Park will be enough to win literary tourists away from Yeats’ childhood home in Sligo and down to the Burren region.

“We need to reclaim our strong association with one of the English language’s foremost and renowned poets by ensuring Thoor Ballylee is restored as a prime tourist attraction in the region,” she said.

“Thoor Ballylee is steeped in connections with Yeats and should be just as important a tourist landmark as his grave in Drumcliffe in County Sligo. More than 100,000 tourists visit the poet’s grave in Drumcliffe every year and there is no reason whatsoever why Thoor Ballylee cannot achieve similar status as a must- see tourist destination.

“Thoor Ballylee has been extensively damaged by flooding, particularly in 2009. The River Coole which runs beside the tower is prone to flooding and overflows onto the road, and this has added to the difficulties from a tourist attraction point of view.

“I think it’s essential that every effort is now made to assist Fáilte Ireland, who are in charge of Thoor Ballylee, to carry out the essential remedial works that are required to restore and re-open the tower in time for next year’s tourist season.”

THERE is “no suggestion of any transfer of ownership” in a proposal to transfer responsibility for maintenance of Place St Paul de Fenouillet from Ennis Town Counci l to the Temple Gate Hotel, a meeting has heard.

Town clerk Eddie Power made the comment as council lors discussed a repor t on the cour tyard which is located between t he Hotel and the tourist office / Count y Museum Building.

Speaking yesterday, Paul Madden, Managing Di rector of the Temple Gate Hotel, confir med that preliminar y discussions had taken place with the Council regarding maintenance of the cour tyard.

Mr Madden said he did not wish to comment fur t her on t he matter.

In a repor t to counci llors, Mr Power stated, “Preliminar y discussions have taken place with the Temple Gate Hotel. From the hotel management perspective t he appearance of Place St Paul de Fenouillet has the potential to enhance t he appearance of the hotel and have a positive i mpact on business and customers.”

He continued, “It is proposed to enter into fur ther discussions with Temple Gate Hotel to conclude an ar rangement whereby the maintenance of Place St Paul de Fenouillet is car ried out by the hotel to complement the hotel, museum and tourist office.”

Mr Power st ated that work on removing a number of t rees and shr ubber y along with other “minor upgrading” would be car ried out prior to any proposed agreement.

Cll r Tommy Brennan (Ind) told the September meeting of Ennis Town Council that he was “totally against the proposal”. He said that the maintenance of the area had never been neglected by the staff of Ennis Town Council and as such, should remain the responsibil it y of t he Council. Mr Power said there was “no question of job losses” arising from the proposed t ransfer.

Town manager Ger Dollard said t he Council have not worked out any proposed ter ms with t he hotel. He described the proposal as “purely a management and maintenance agreement ”.

Cll r Brian Meaney (GP) urged the Council executive to carefully consider t he proposal, saying cer t ain “public access rights and issues” could arise.

Cll r Brennan said he would li ke to see what is proposed from the Council and t he hotel before any decision is taken.

RESIDENTS and business people across Clare are being urged to engage with a campaign aimed at promoting safer communities.

The week-long ‘Supporting Safer Communities’ campaign, initiated by gardaí, is aimed at reducing the fear of crime and also to increase the level of road safety in general.

The crime prevention officer in the Clare Garda Division Sergeant Joe Downey is responsible for ensuring the campaign rolls out in the county over the next week.

He told The Clare People that vigilance is essential if crime rates are to be curbed. Several homes and businesses across the county have been targeted by burglars in recent months and gardaí are keen to encourage people to get involved in business watch and neighbourhood watch programmes.

“Burglaries are on the increase. People need to pay more attention to their homes,” said Sgt Downey.

“When selecting a target, the burglar assesses how easily they can enter a house. They look for houses with weakened entry points, where the residents are careless about security and houses with few or no security devices,” he added.

“Research shows most burglars tend not to target occupied homes. They look out for cues such as lights on or cars in driveways. Houses at risk include those vacant for extended periods,” he added.

He said that neighbours should keep an eye out for each other, in an effort to ensure they are safe.

Among the recommendations from gardaí include improving home security; getting into a routine of locking all doors and windows before going to bed; turning on the alarm; storing valuables in secure locations and en- suring large amounts of cash are not stored at home.

“One of the best security devices is your neighbour. Leave your spare key with a trusted neighbour who can also keep an eye on your house when you are away. Avoid hiding a spare key under a mat or other hiding spot,” said Sgt Downey.

During the campaign, there will also be a focus on road safety. Gardaí will focus on the main issues that they come across on the roads – speed, drink driving, non-wearing of seat belts and the use of mobile phones while driving.

Gardaí are appealing to farmers and contractors using machinery on roads to take care over the coming months when the days are shorter and busy periods loom on farms.

Anyone requiring further information on this initiative, which runs until next Tuesday, should contact Ennis Garda Station on 065 6848100.

A SIGNIFICANT increase in demand for support by victims of domestic abuse forms the backdrop to a new initiative which provides additional support.

Clare Haven, which supports female victims of domestic abuse and their families, has set up a free and confidential service, entitled ‘Walk the Talk’ programme.

The programme supports victims of abuse by equipping them with the necessary skills to move on with their lives. There is a particular focus on personal development and confidence building through accessing education, training and employ- ment.

The programme was operated for the first time in Clare earlier this year and the positive feedback it generated prompted it to be run again between now and Christmas.

It emerged earlier this year that the number of families seeking help from Clare Haven doubled, compared to last year. The outreach clinics which run in Ennis, Ennistymon, Scariff, Kilrush and Killaloe have also shown an increase in demand among clients.

The co-ordinator of the ‘Walk the Talk’ programme, Pauline Bradley, said it gives families the confidence to move on with their lives.

“It gives people the life skills to move forward from abuse and to achieve goals,” said Pauline.

“The aim of the programme is we form a bridge between getting people from a place where their confidence and self-esteem is low. We bridge that gap by looking at possibilities in relation to education and training,” she added.

“The end result is we would hope that women would carve out a career niche for themselves and be less likely to be victimised again. It has been very successful (earlier this year),” she said.

Clare Haven has set up links with a range of organisations and this connection benefits those who attend.

“We have links to other organisa- tions like FÁS and the Clare Adult Guidance Centre who come and talk about other opportunities for training,” said Pauline.

Help has been provided in putting together CVs and preparing participants for interview, in an effort to help them progress with their lives.

Day trips to a life balance centre in Corofin and personal development sessions also form part of the course.

The course earlier this year featured 30 sessions over six months and the forthcoming programme will be more condensed, with 20 sessions taking place over three months.

Fifteen women completed the programme earlier this year and attend- ed once a week.

According to Ms Bradley, some 70 per cent of participants have embraced the idea of pursuing further training after taking part in this programme.

“Some of them would have been qualified but wouldn’t have had the confidence. Some of them are now looking at setting up their own businesses,” said Pauline.

The programme is funded under Ireland’s EU Structural Funds Programme 2007 – 2013. It incorporates group work and individual sessions. There are 15 places available. Anyone interested in taking part in the programme should phone Clare Haven on 065 6842646.

THE organisers of the Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival have warned against the dangers of online dating after the festival was contacted by a convicted murder who was looking to find love in Lisdoon.

Festival organiser Marcus White received a letter from Steven Michael Sherrill, with an address at the Amarillo Prison in Texas last week, asking for the festival to find him a European woman to be his “pen pal”.

After further investigation, however, it was revealed that Sherrill is serving life in prison for the murder of his girlfriend, Christine Van Osdall, on February 3, 2000. Sherrill met Christine through an online dating service in November of 2009 and shot her in the head three months later, when she told him that she wanted to break off their relationship.

Sherrill was sentenced to life in prison in 2006 after Texas police tracked him down in Las Vegas. He had fled Texas after he was interviewed by local police in 2000 and was discovered living with a woman from Montana, who he had met using an online dating service, in Las Vegas.

In his letter to the matchmaking festival, Sherrill asked that an announcement be made on his behalf at the Matchmaking Festival, saying that he was looking for a “middleaged European woman” to begin a letter-writing relationship with.

He describes himself as a 50-yearold white male who used to be a professional poker player and currently works as a fiction writer. Sherrill closes the letter with a quote from the film Seabiscuit.

“There is a line in an America film, from horse trainer Tom Smith – ‘you don’t have to throw a whole life away just because it is a little banged up’,” he wrote.

“People using the internet and dating sites must be very vigilant as you never know who you are communicating with over the internet.

“That is why Lisdoonvarna is so successful in that you actually meet the people, thus minimising the risk of a bad experience,” Marcus White told The Clare People yesterday.

“Safety is a key factor and people come here with friends and socialise together. Clients feel safe here and would know a lot of the other festival-goers who come here each year.”

Irish singer Sinead O’Connor travelled to Lisdoonvarna to engage the help of matchmaker Willie Daly earlier this month because she said that she didn’t feel comfortable using online dating sites and preferred the old-fashioned way of finding a match.

NEW parking regulations have come into effect in Kilrush, following the adoption of the street pay and display parking by-laws for 2011 after the statutory public consultation period entered into by the Town Council.

These new guidelines are that people coming into Kilrush will be allowed a 30-minute period of grace before they have to put a ticket on display – this measure a 15-minute increase for motorists.

However, as part of some wideranging changes to the prices structure for parking, councillors have backed plans to increase residence and business car permits by 300 per cent from € 10 to € 30 per annum, while prices for seven-day and threeday tickets have been fixed at € 20 and € 10 respectively.

This new set of prices came after a lengthy debate at the June monthly meeting of Kilrush Town Council, during which it emerged that the council suffered a € 9,723 loss for its 2010 traffic management plan.

The draft by-laws went on public display for a period of one month from June 24, 2011, to July 25, 2011. A further period of two weeks was allowed for the public to make submissions and this period expired on August 9, 2011. No submission was received during this time.

Agreement for a new pricing structure came after a number of different proposals were put to the meeting by the then Mayor of Kilrush, Liam Williams (FG).

IRELAND’S first National Dog Surfing Championships look set to take place in Lahinch early next year, following a successful trial of the emerging sport in north Clare over the weekend.

Miltown Malbay native Mark Flynn and Lahinch businesswoman Raquel Noboa took their dogs Jessie and Bruce for a surf on Sunday, while also showing any interested dog owners the techniques required for successful doggy surfing.

Raquel, who has just founded the MyPetReview.com website, is now hopeful of hosting the National Dog Surfing Championships in Clare next year and even an international event in the future.

“My own dog started doggy surfing a few months ago and really likes it so when we went looking for someone in Ireland who was an expert in doggy surfing, we were surprised to find them down the road in Miltown Malbay,” said Raquel.

“There are two types of doggy surfing – one when you go surfing and you put the dog on the board with you, and the other is with the dog on the board by themselves.

“It has really taken off and we will host a few more training lessons in Lahinch.

“We are pretty sure that Mark’s dog Jessie is the best surfing dog in Ireland – she is the best that we have come across anyway.

“The plan after that is to host a national championships in Lahinch next spring.

“We have spoken to some people in San Diego in America and doggy surfing is very big over there. So, if we manage to get sponsorship, we will also look at running the first ever doggy surfing world championships down the line in Lahinch.”

Earlier this year, Raquel set up the MyPetReview.com website, which aims to identify which areas of the country have the best facilities for pets.

“It is like a TripAdvisor for pet services. You can go in and search for pet services in different areas, like vets, as well as reviews for the places listed.

“The idea is that this will highlight the people who are doing a good job for pets and also the people who are not going well,” continued Raquel.

“This would be great for people who are planning holidays and want to know where best to leave their animals.

“It can be a very stressful time when you have to leave your pet in a kennel that you don’t know anything about.”

KILRUSH Town Council has warned that “difficult decisions” will have to be made if the local authority is to ensure that it plays its part in the timetable laid down by the IMF for Ireland’s National Recovery Plan.

This warning has been sounded out by Kilrush Town Clerk John Corry in a comprehensive financial report for the year up to June 30, with some ratepapers described in the west Clare capital described as “very problematic”.

And, by way of confronting the problem of unpaid rates that are now running at an unprecedent level of 69 per cent, the council has warned that it may be forced to pursue people through the courts.

“The report highlights issues of concern in relation to the overall funding of Kilrush Town Council,” said Mr Corry is introducing his report. “Payments by customers continues to be very problematic. Rates collection at 30th June, 2011 stood at 31% in comparison to 39% at 30th June, 2010.

“Kilrush Town Council is dependent on rates income to maintain its operations as it represents 38.4% of Annual Income. The slowing payment pattern highlighted above has resulted in a considerable negative impact on cash flow.

“Kilrush Town Council is acutely aware of the commercial difficulties which rate payers are experiencing, and has adopted a practical approach in terms of payment plans to facilitate rate payers. However, where customers fail to engage to deal with amounts outstanding, recovery of the debt by legal means becomes necessary,” said Mr Corry.

The Town Council’s financial situation, brought on by unpaid rates has been exacerbated by a sharp rise in the arrears in housing rents in the first six months of the year as compared with the corresponding period last year.

“Arrears in housing rents have increased significantly since the beginning of the year,” reported Mr Corry, added that “rent collection at June 30 was 80 per cent in comparison to 87 per cent at the end of June, 2010. This increases reflects the current economic climate, but also impacts on cash flow to Kilrush Town Council”.

And, it’s the council’s warning that the Government “circular 3/2009 requires every local authority to ensure that its revenue account remains in balance for 2011 and consequently total expenditure must equal total income” that has opened up the live possibility of legal action being taken to ensure the books are balanced.

“This report highlights the difficulties that are facing Kilrush Town Council as we embark on the 2012 budget preparation process,” said Mr Corry. “Performance against budget is constantly monitored and managed. Difficult decisions have to be made to ensure that our current deficit can be eliminated,” he added.

THE Burren and the Cliffs of Moher was yesterday officially recognised as Ireland’s third UNESCO Global Geopark – a move which could have a major positive impact on the ecotourism industry in the county.

The official recognition, which was announced during the tenth European Geoparks Conference in Norway, is the culmination of more than three years of work done by a number of organisations in Clare, spearheaded by the Burren Connect Project.

With a number of tourism providers in the north Clare region now exploring the eco-tourism sector, it is hoped that this designation could increase the numbers visiting the Burren area and the Cliffs.

It was also clarified that the designation will not have any impact on the farming practices currently being employed in the Burren area.

“Global Geopark status does not create a national park or nature park, and does not permit open access to private property or land. It is the role of a Geopark to encourage visitors and communities to experience geology at publicly accessible sites and trails, where maintenance and access can be managed,” said Mayor of Clare, Cllr Pat Hayes (FF).

“Whilst the award has been granted to the Burren region, the actual components of the Burren and Cliffs of Moher Geopark are presently confined to specific public sites of geological and cultural interest, a network of visitor and education centres, the Burren Ecotourism Network businesses, and established walking routes such as the Burren Way and Burren looped walks.”

After the designation of the Burren and the Cliffs of Moher there are currently 78 Geoparks in 26 countries around the world. Part of the focus of Geopark status is a ficus on educating the people of area in some of the more technical aspects of the land that they live in.

“A Global Geopark must support education programmes, such as the geology evening course held in spring of 2010 and 2011 in the Burren Outdoor Education Centre. We look forward to continue to play our part in increasing awareness of the important landscape of the Burren,” said Joanne McInerney, Manager of the Burren Outdoor Education Centre and Chair of the Burren Ecotourism Network.

“The Geopark project is organising a Geo-Explorer Day in collaboration with the Burren Outdoor Education Centre on Saturday October 15. The day’s events will include introductory caving, geo-kayaking, hill-walking and a family beach exploration.”