Category: News

WELL known Clare priest and rural campaigner Fr Harry Bohan has called for a complete change in the way that the Church in Ireland is organised – with a return to a style of Church that was originally envisioned by Jesus.

Speaking to The Clare People yesterday, Fr Bohan said that the Church in Ireland had never fully embraced the changes suggested by the second Vatican Council which had resulted in an organised Church which was disconnected from the feeling of the people on the ground.

Fr Bohan said that is was because of this historic disconnect with the people that recent scandals with the Church and subsequent cover-ups were allowed to take place.

“As we look to the future of the Church in Ireland, I think that we have to look to the past – Jesus was a man of the people and the Church in Ireland has been one dominated by the hierarchy of clerics. It has been this top-down attitude which has led to the disconnect which exists between the Church and lay society,” he said.

“I think that we need a new defi- nition of leadership in the Church in Ireland. There has to be a systematic change in the way in which the clergy interacts with lay people. The number of priests are declining and there will be a much bigger role for lay people in the Church but that is not the reason why they must be involved – they should be involved because it is there right to be involved.”

Despite the current crisis in the Irish Church, Fr Bohan is confident that there is a future for organised Catholicism in Ireland.

“When you look back through history, which is something that I like to do, you begin to realise that a crisis like this is not something to be feared. It is through things like this that God brings us closer to his people,” he said.

Fr Bohan also described the recent abuse scandals in the Church – the crimes themselves and the Churches decision to hide from the scandals.

“I can say for certain that I didn’t even know that things like that existed,” he said.

“On two levels I’m appalled with the thing. Firstly, the fact that this kind of crime could have been committed, but secondly, the hiding of it.”

THE ‘Yes We Can’ spirit was alive and well in Ennis on Sunday as 91 small Clare businesses participated in the Open Fair.

Almost 1,500 people passed through the doors at the West County Hotel at an event designed to showcase the talents of local craftsmen and service providers.

Exhibitors ranged from bakers to home insulation providers to traditional music websites.

The Open Fair was officially launched by well-known entrepreneur and Dragon’s Den panelist Bob- by Kerr. The fair was also praised by Mayor of Clare Pat Hayes (FF), the Mayor of Ennis, Michael Guilfoyle (Ind) and the Ennis Town Manager, Ger Dollard.

The concept of the Open Fair was first developed in 1992 by Jim Connolly, founder of Rural Resettlement Ireland. The fair was then run in conjunction with Clare VEC.

Speaking at the West County Hotel, Mr Connolly said the event gave small businesses a chance bring their talent to the wider public.

He explained, “What’s happening here is really an exposé of the kind of talent that’s out there. Even though the fair is on today, it’s the people that are there; the exhibitors are making this stuff anyway. It’s a stunning array of talent that we see and nobody knows they’re at it. This whole idea of the Open Fair is a talent-sharing exercise whereby these ordinary people with extraordinary talents brought all their products together, many of them offering services through a website, many offering computer services, a whole range of services.”

He added, “People are not aware of it. It’s not an invention; what I look upon it is common sense in action. That’s really what it is.”

Mr Connolly said the underlying reason for running the fair was to give people “a bit of heart and hope in these recessionary times”.

“You’re kind of exposing yourself in a sense. When you make something that’s very, very personal to you, it takes a bit of courage to put it up in front of your neighbours and take the first step into maybe making a business out of it. That’s what we’re trying to do, it’s an opportunity to take that first step without pressure.”

Mr Connolly, who thanked the West County for providing the exhibition hall free of charge, urged communities around Clare to run their own Open Fairs. He said local groups would be assisted by RRI.

He added, “There is no guarantee that things are going to get any better in this country. We’re on our knees as far as I’m concerned but the human spirit never dies. The philosophy behind this as far as I’m concerned is that it taps into two fundamental human traits: one is the instinct to survive and the second one is their endless potential for creativity. So when you add those two together you have a strong driving force and that’s what produces results at any time. These people have courage, colossal courage.”

A CLARE couple are seeking to tap into the online music revolution through a new traditional Irish tunes website.

Thetunesfoundry.com is the brainchild of Matt and Áine Heslin.

Musicians can upload recordings which will then be made available as paid downloads. Customers can also purchase manuscripts and listen to music at different speeds in order to learn tunes.

The couple, who live in Kilmurry McMahon decided to design their own website after musician and composer Áine started searching for a suitable site to make her music available on.

Matt explained, “She wrote some tunes and we were looking for a suitable site to put them on. We couldn’t really find one particularly for Irish music, new Irish tunes. So we set up a website called thetunesfoundry. com and we’re uploading her tunes on to that and then other composers are welcome to upload their tunes. We’ll have them in manuscript; a recording of the tune and people can pay for a download. That’s what we’re at.”

He continued, “We originally thought we would have physical paper distribution of manuscript. It’s just kind of impractical. We took some advice. They advised that it’s ideal for an internet business. That’s why we went that road. We came up with the name after a couple of months. We had different names but this one seemed to click.”

Matt explained that the website offers new composers a chance to bring their music to a global audience.

He said, “There are lots of sites for existing tunes. Any composer and I believe there are maybe six or seven people writing tunes in Clare and maybe they had the same problem we did, with nowhere to put the tunes. It’s an opportunity for musicians and anyone to write new tunes. At the moment we’re looking at the Irish tunes.”

He added, “Even abroad people are always looking for new tunes. There are sites for new tunes but none particularly for new Irish tunes. That’s what we want to do, have a quality website, quality manuscript. They’ll get the tune, the person who wrote it, their name would be on the tune with the copyright. Then they can download the tune as well.”

The website went live on Sunday morning with members of the public getting an opportunity to learn about the service at the Open Fair in the West County Hotel.

Matt said, “There has been very good interest. This is a mixed audience. While people are interested, the person who maybe makes the music isn’t here. But they are emailing me now. So we’ll put them on the site and let them know when we are up and running.”

Having been involved in the running of the first Open Fair back in the early nineties, Matt was excited to be a part of the venture again.

He said, “It’s the exact same buzz when I came in today as I got in 1993. People are just delighted for the opportunity to get out and show what they can do. It’s very rare that you get that opportunity, especially when it’s free.”

THE grounds of the former Our Lady’s Hospital have been identified as a potential new site for the Ennis Educate Together National School.

The school, which is located opposite the former psychiatric hospital on the Gort Road, caters for around 190 students.

Attempts to find a new site for the school have been ongoing after a proposal to purchase and re-develop the existing site at Cois na hAbhna five years ago proved unsuccessful.

In July members of Ennis Town Council recommended that a report on a proposed variation to the Ennis and Environs Development Plan be amended to extend the range of uses at Our Lady’s Hospital to include the text medical centre / hospital use.

A new report on proposed modifications to the proposed variation indicates a high number of potential uses for the Our Lady’s site, which is considered to have a “central role in the growth and development of the Clare economy”.

The report states that the site could be used for “technology-related business park, international services, research and development, education, railway station, road link, open space, hotel and ancillary uses, residential with ancillary small-scale retail, medical centre/ hospital use”.

In a reference to potential education uses at Our Lady’s, the report states, “A portion of the site has been identified for the possible relo- cation of the Ennis Educate Together School, and adequate lands exist to facilitate such development”.

The report explains that there are a number of uses currently on the site “but the main building, the former hospital, and vacant land to the rear, are unused”.

The report continues, “There is substantial scope for regeneration of the site and a high quality office complex has recently been completed. The site is considered to have a central role in the growth and development of the Clare economy.

It adds, “The site’s location adjacent to the railway line and its potential for employment creation and commuter trip attraction is such that a new station should be included in any development proposals. This is to assist with Plan objectives to encourage sustainable development and travel and to assist in the continuing revitalisation of the Limerick to Galway railway.”

According to the report the main building lends itself to residential apartment use including a retirement village complex.

It states, “The building is a Protected Structure and any redevelopment for this purpose will have to respect its existing architectural character.”

The report along with all proposed amendments to the proposed variation to the Ennis and Environs Development Plan (2008-2014) are now on public display.

The final date for submissions and observations is September 9.

CLARE’S heritage can become one of the key drivers in the local economy for much of the next decade, a leading local government official has said this week just as a new blueprint for the development and preservation of key environmental sites around the county was unveiled.

The county’s Heritage Officer, Congella McGuire, has told The Clare People that the county’s rich heritage has a crucial part to play in aiding Clare’s economic recovery through the creation of new visitor attractions and amenities around the locally built environment.

“The arts get a lot of kudos in terms of national recovery, but heritage is the basis for all that,” said Ms McGuire at the launch of County Clare Heritage Plan in the Vandeleur Walled Garden in Kilrush on Monday.

“Heritage is the base product, if you want to put it in crude terms. Heritage is going to be part of the national recovery and Clare can very much play its part in that.

“The Heritage Council has that message.

“By protecting our heritage, raising awareness of it and giving an authentic experience to people about our heritage, there is great scope going forward for the Clare economy,” added Ms McGuire.

Recent developments such as the opening of the Loophead Lighthouse and a number of walking trails in West and North Clare such the Kilkee Walk and Cliffs of Moher Walk have been held by the environment section of Clare County Council as the local authority’s commitment opening up heritage to as many people as possible.

“The idea is to try and make more sites accessible,” said Ms McGuire, “and this involves partnership going forward.

“If we are involved in a project we work with people who have a vested interest and expertise.

“We have an initiative in Lough Derg to link trails connecting all around the lake.

“This will involve connnected with county council colleagues in North Tipperary and Galway.

“These are ongoing initiatives that we are trying to develop. It’s all about better access to trails and sites, better access to heritage and better interpretation of heritage. One of the challenges for the future would be funding.

“We have to go after funding and avail of funding as it arises.

“We have to this much more than we did in the past and keep standards high,” she added.

THE remaining obstacles to the transformation of the West Clare Railway into one of the county’s new flagship tourism products are set to be removed by the end of the year as the project’s promoter presses ahead with ambitious plans to extend the line and build a state-of-the-art museum that will be the only one of its kind in Ireland.

Ennis-based businessman and lifelong railway enthusiast, Jackie Whelan has told The Clare People this week that the National Roads Authority and Clare County Council are finally poised to pave the way for the narrow gauge line to cross the main Kilrush to Kilkee Road at Moyasta Junction for the first time since it was closed half a century ago.

“It’s going to happen,” said Whelan. “It’s something I have been campaigning for over the last number of years and we have been promised that the big breakthrough will happen by October 20.

“It involves the NRA putting a designated speed limit on the road, making it a 40-mile-per-hour road, which will then allow Clare County Council make the decision to allow the railway cross the road. I have been told that it is more or less approved, it just has to be done officially,” added Whelan.

The impending NRA move comes in the same year that the Clare County Development Plan 2011-2017 gave the West Clare Railway the same designated status as the Cliffs of Moher and the Burren.

“The NRA stopped us from crossing the road, but now that obstacle is being removed,” continued Whelan. “And once it is, the next thing will be to lay more track towards Kilkee and Kilrush and put a museum in place.

“We have to submit a new set of drawings and plans for the museum. We are putting up a big one. The one at the other side will house all the engines. We have a whole lot of historical engines, while upstairs in the museum will be a film area.

“I have a lot of old rolling stock – the biggest collection in Ireland – that has been preserved and there’s an awful lot more of it to be got,” Whelan added.

A CLARE man says he is confident of winning a place in the Guinness Book of World Records next month when he attempts to swim 10km underwater in under eight hours.

Barefield diver Christopher Healy has been given the official go-ahead from the Guinness Book of World Records to go ahead with the dive on September 18 next. Because this will be a new category for the records, Christopher, who owns the Atlantic Diving School, has been set a target of eight hours to complete the 10km course in order to make the book.

“I am going to go 10 kilometres completely underwater. We are starting off at Crab Island in Doolin and we have a route mapped out which will take us about a quarter of a mile out into the Atlantic, then north up the coast and back again to Crab Island.

“We will be setting a new category for the Guinness Book of World Records. They have set us the challenge of finishing the 10k dive in under eight hours to make the record but I am confident that we can complete it in under seven.

“We are looking to smash the target that they have set and make it very hard for anyone who might want to come after us and want to break this record. We are going to push it all the way and make sure that if anyone wants to come and better us, they will have to earn it.”

The attempt will see Christopher being helped by three safety boats, as well as a safety snorkler and two guide snorklers.

“The guide snorklers will go ahead of me and drag a small lead weight along the bottom of the sea floor that is the mark that I will follow. It is very hard to tell directions under water,” continued Christopher.

“The idea is that we will have two guide snorklers and two safety snorklers who will take the journey in shifts. The safety snorkler will be my son and my wife who will both swim 5km each underwater.”

Sponsorship cards are available for anyone who wants to support Christopher’s record attempt, with all money raised going to the Share A Dream Foundation. To donate money, visit www.mycharity.ie/event/ 10k_world_record_attempt.

THE response of local authorities in dealing with floods that hit Ennis in 2009 was highlighted at a major United Nations conference last month.

A delegation from Ennis Town Council recently returned from the 2011 World Cities Scientific Development Forum held in Chengdu China. The Ennis delegation had been invited by its sister city in Phoenix, Arizona, to attend the Forum. The theme for the Forum was ‘Development and Cooperation among Cities: Building Liveable Cities for Humanity’. 33 countries and 14 different organisations were represented at the Forum.

Councillor Mary Howard (FG) deputising for the Mayor of Ennis and Gerard Dollard, Ennis Town Manager presented to the conference on the Irish approach to major emergency management, with particular reference to recent severe weather crises in Ennis. The opportunity was taken to highlight proposals included in the Clare County Development Plan for the development of a Global Logistics Centre at Shannon International Airport and the contribution such a centre could make to addressing aid issues that arise in major disasters.

Cllr Howard stated, “It was a great honour for Ennis to be asked to attend such a forum and to have an opportunity to contribute to the overall debate for disaster risk reduction. There were over 200 delegates from around the world at the conference and it was very beneficial to be able to present the Irish approach and in particular highlight the strategic location of Shannon Airport in terms of the role it could play in humanitarian aid following major disasters and crises. We were approached after our presentation by a number of parties, including representatives of the UNESCO Global Task Force for Building Codes and the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) regarding the potential of the Shannon proposal. We will be following up the comments made to see how Shannon can be part of emerging plans for dealing with major global crises and disasters.”

Mr Dollard commented, “We were very impressed with the range of participants attending from all over the world. The issues faced by Ennis are no different to the issues being faced by countries around the world. The case for Shannon was strongly made and is boosted by the progress on the Lynx Cargo Project, the existence of US Customs and Border Protection facility, the 24/7 nature of the airport, use of the longest runway in Europe and the availability of a substantial land bank. These were all highlighted as being particularly relevant to facilitating a global hub for humanitarian aid.”

The travel and accommodation costs of the Ennis delegation were met by the organisers of the Forum.

CAR sales dropped in Clare during the summer months, but hopes are high that they will recover for the remaining four months of the year.

Overall, new car sales across the county increased by 5.2 per cent since the start of the year. Up to last Friday, there were 1,984 new cars registered in County Clare, compared with 1,886 during the same period last year.

The figures from www.motorcheck. ie show that while car sales increased in Clare in May and June, they decreased in July and August. The increase in May was 2.5 per cent; in June – when car sales surged prior to the end of the popular scrappage scheme – the increase was a massive 73.9 per cent; the decrease in July was 43.5 per cent, while the drop so far in August is along the lines of 90 per cent. There were 136 new cars sold during the first 19 days of August of last year, compared to just 14 this year.

The number of cars purchased in the ‘all cars’ category – which includes new and used cars – has increased by 3.3 per cent so far this year. However, there was a reduction of 77.1 per cent in this category so far this month. There was a decrease of 16.1 per cent in July; an increase of 62.1 per cent in June and an increase of one per cent in May.

In Clare, the Ford Focus is the most popular choice of car, followed by the Nissan Qashqai, the Ford Fiesta, the Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Corolla, Nissan Juke, Toyota Avensis and Volkswagen Passat.

Silver is the most popular colour of car, followed by black, grey, blue and red, in Clare.

Nationally, the number of cars sold in July decreased by 35 per cent, compared with July 2010. However, the figure for July 2010 included cars in the scrappage scheme, which came to an end in June of this year.

THE Ennis Business Forum is doing its bit to try and transform the county capital into Ireland’s friendliest town. Now comes another initiative being pioneered by three-time former Mayor of Ennis, Cllr Frankie Neylon, to create buzz in the town for one day, in the hope that it can stimulate renewed interest and activity in the retail sector.

It’s being labelled as Ennis’ ‘Super Tuesday’ and it takes place on September 6 next – an idea that Cllr Neylon says can be “whatever businesses in the town want it to be to try and help their business”.

The idea for staging a once-off event where businesses can run special promotions, whether individually or in groups, was floated by Cllr Neylon earlier this month within the Ennis Town Council. Since then, thanks to a local marketing drive through the circulation of handouts and questionares among all the businesses in town, sufficient interest has prompted the designation of the first Tuesday of September as the county capital’s ‘Super Tuesday’.

“September 6 is around the time that Muhammad Ali came to Ennis,” says Cllr Neylon. “We can’t use his name for anything and a few people said to me that we should come up with a festival. It was difficult enough to get people to commit to anything.

“I mentioned Super Tuesday to a few people and they thought it was a good idea, so I ran with it a couple of weeks ago. The idea for the day is that instead of making a profit for the day that they might make a customer. It’s to have a special day. They can do whatever they want. It’s left totally to themselves to do what they want.

“We’re inviting all the traders in the town to take part. We want them to join us to have one good day of shopping in Ennis. We want each trader to have their own Super Tuesday – they can do whatever kind of promotion they want with their business.

“I can say that it has proven to be a success so far, and that’s even a good bit ahead of the event. Up to 30 of the businesses around town have been on to me already and they are taking part. We circulated a handout to all businesses. We collected those last week and now we’re getting ready for the day,” he adds.