Category: News

A RECOMMENDATION by councillors to include large tracts of development land as part of a proposed variation to the Ennis and Environs Development Plan has been described as a “haphazard approach to sequential planning”.

In July, members of Clare County Council and Ennis Town Council voted through a number of amendments to the proposed variation. At the time, councillors were told that phase one of the plan could only include 88 hectares of land zoned for residential purposes.

In total, across a number of amend- ments, members of Ennis Town Council proposed the inclusion of 38 hectares of land in the Ennis area, which the manager’s report said should be excluded from phase one of the variation. To balance their proposals, councillors also proposed that 38 hectares of land in the Roslevan area be excluded from Phase One of the variation.

Thirty-one submissions were received in relation to the variation, which was drawn up in response to concerns raised by the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government. The Department had expressed concern over the amount of land zoned in the Ennis area. Reports and material amendments to the plan have now gone before the public.

In a strategic environmental assessment on proposed amendments to the plan, council planners state, “The zoned lands within Phase One as recommended by the Elected Members represent a segregated and haphazard approach to sequential planning.”

The report continues, “It is contrary to the aim of the core strategy which encourages sequential development from the centre out and this option has the potential to cause significant environmental effects including development in an ad-hoc and unrestrictive manner; without regard to the current available levels of infrastructure and utilities, without regard for environmental and ecological designations, sensitivities and constraints and without regard for the likely significant impacts on water resources

The report states that the majority of lands are located within the Clarecastle RDA “which currently has issues regarding the pressure on wastewater infrastructure”. The report adds, “It is also relevant to note that the Clarecastle RDA is not within the protection zone for Drumcliff springs. The allocation of phased lands within the Western RDA is within in the Drumcliff Inner Protection Zone.”

Members of the public have until September 9 to make submissions.

PROMOTING a greater understanding of Clare’s rich heritage for both local and visitor alike has emerged as a major tenet of Clare County Council environmental policy from now until 2017.

This commitment going forward, in tandem with conserving and enhanc ing the county natural environment, is contained in the second Clare Heritage Plan (2011-2017) that has been put together over the last year.

The launch of the plan in the Vandeleur Walled Garden on Monday was followed by visit to Scattery Islands – considered to be one of jewels in Clare’s heritage crown – by some of the key partners in formulation of the ambitious six-year plan.

The publication of the heritage bluerprint marks the culmination of a year’s work by the County Clare Heritage Forum and brings together the interests and agendas of the 23 forum members and 64 submissions made by the public.

“There were 66 partners in the development of this plan,” revealed Heritage Officer, Conjella McGuire, “all of whom have generously committed their time, energy and expertise.

“As a result of this, the Heritage Plan brings together a wide range of backgrounds and interests.”

Launching the plan, the Mayor of Clare, Cllr Pat Hayes said “our heritage is about people, place, culture, nature and the opportunities that it can offer in the future.

“Our heritage is one of our greatest strengths in the county and I intend to lead the implementation of this ambitious plan for the benefit of the county,” added Mayor Hayes, who has been chairman of the council Heritage Forum since 2006.

“The plan has three overall aims which are supported by 14 objectives and in total contains 77 actions. It is an ambitious plan and seeks to complement and build on the achievements of the previous Heritage Plan 2003-2007,” said Ms McGuire.

“Community groups have fostered and enhanced their local heritage and a wide variety of community heritage initiatives are underway in the county at present, many of which are showcased throughout the county this week during Heritage Week,” said Cllr Oliver Garry, chairman of the West Clare area group of county councilors.

“Community groups and individuals require funding and technical advice in order to implement best practice,” he added.

CLARE traditional musicians and dancers excelled at last week’s Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, which saw the best of traditional Irish talent descend on Cavan. A large brigade of Clare talent made their way north for the event, with just under 40 Munster champions travelling from Clare for the event.

The wind was clearly with the Banner musicians and dancers as they returned home yesterday with no fewer than 19 first-place All Ireland medals in their back pockets. The main Clare winner in the competition was Fergal Breen, who took home two first-place titles for the uilleann pipes and for the uilleann pipes slow airs.

There were first-place finishes for Paul Farren and Tara Breen in the fiddle category; Cara Ní Chíarba and Eimear Coughlan in the harp category; and Vanessa Millar on the button accordion. Other All-Ireland titles went to Karen McMahon on the concertina, Tara Ní Amhlaigh on the mouth organ, Anthony Devitt on the mandolin and Elvie Miller in the accompaniment section.

There was also a strong performance for the bands, with Burren Band taking the U-12 title while Aoife Daly won in the Songs in English category, Eimear Coughlan won the Harp Slow Airs and Isobel Elger won the Fiddle Slow Airs.

The Banner dancers were not to be outdone either. St Mary’s Full Set Ladies U-12, St. James won the Full Set Mixed U-12 and Croí na hÓige won the Full Set Mixed 12-15, while there were also first-place finishes for Drithle an Iarthair in the Full Set Mixed U-18 Ruagairí an Chláir in the Full Set Mixed.

The Clare branch of Comhaltas yesterday paid tribute to all the teachers, local organisers, parents and musicians who have put in the effort over the last 12 months to make this year’s fleadh such a success for Clare musicians and dancers.

“This success is testament to the dedication of the musicians involved and the calibre of teachers we have in the county,” said Séamus O Lideadha, Cathaoirleach of Clare County Board CCÉ.

“In addition to this, the great tradition of Irish music in County Clare and the active promotion of this by Comhaltas and the County Arts Office play an important role. I have special praise for the parents of the children for passing on the love of our traditional music, culture and language.”

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 PILOT ferry service connecting Ballyvaughan and Galway City looks set to be established early in 2012 after initial feedback from the Spyria Partnership feasibility study has given a thumbs-up to the ambitious project.

While the report in full won’t be published until the middle of next month, The Clare People has learned that the research undertaken by the independent Scottish company will show that tidal conditions are conducive for the service to be established and that there is a demand, both in North Clare and Galway, for the service.

Following the official publication of the report next month, the Ballyvaughan Bay Hop Group will put out a tender, looking for a local ferry owner to operate the service. It is expected that the “hop” will first run for an initial six-week trial basis this spring but hopes are high that the demand will exist to extend the service indefinitely after that.

Once the initial commuter demand has been met, it is hoped that the service could be expanded to ferry tourists between Ballyvaughan and Galway during the busy summer months.

The Ballyvaughan Bay Hop in the brainchild of Ballyvaughan woman Gwen Ryan, who began the project as a means of aiding her own daily commute to and from Galway City. The group itself is a not-for-profit organisation and Gwen is hopeful that a local ferry owner will see the potential for the service, rather that the Ballyvaughan Bay Hop Group having a role to play in directly organising the service themselves.

“We have got initial research back from a company in Scotland and they are very happy that the service that we envision is possible. This is taking into account both the local conditions and also that there is a good demand for the service from the local people. Of course there are some who are not in favour of the service but the majority of people are in favour of it,” said Gwen.

The Ballyvaughan Bay Hop Group has also just launched a small fundraising drive to help pay for the completion the feasibility study conducted by Spyria Partnership. The vast majority of this has been paid through a Leader grant but a small amount of local fundraising is required to pay the balance.

The group are using “crowd funding” to raise the money. The idea of crowd funding is that a relatively large number of people each donate a small amount to fund a community project.

To entice people to donate a number of rewards have been set up for donators, including an invitation to the launch party when the ferry is launched next year to a place on the ferry’s first trip between Ballyvaughan and Galway City.

To donate visit www.ifund.ie/ projects/37/help-us-float-our-boat.

MICHAEL Flatley will not take to the stage when his ‘Lord of the Dance’ spectacular comes to the Cliffs of Moher this September, but he has pledged his full backing to the event, as well as to the Cliffs’ bid to be named as one of the 7 New Wonders of the World.

The world famous dancer disappointed his legions of fans from all over the world at the weekend when he announced that, for the time being at least, he has hung up his dancing shoes.

The multi-millionaire began a series of media events last week highlighting the Cliffs’ bid to become one of the 7 New Wonders on the World.

“He has taken ownership of the Cliffs of Moher’s Seven Wonders bid and also the ‘Lord of the Dance’ at the Cliffs, which is absolutely great news for everyone in this county,” said Oliver O’Connell.

“They say that this can bring € 300 million in tourism to the county so the fact that Michael Flatley has gotten behind it is a major boost. He is a person who just doesn’t have following in Ireland, he can get people from all over the world behind the Cliffs.”

Flatley invited the world’s media to his € 30 million Cork mansion last week in an effort to get support for the Cliffs of Moher bid.

“My reason for inviting everyone was to help these people accomplish their goal. I want to promote Ireland and Irish interests and I feel these people are doing a wonderful thing,” he said. “Last time I danced it was for the Prince of Wales and Camilla at a private function at Buckingham Palace. That was in February. I’ve never danced at all since then.”

Flatley went on to say that while he wouldn’t rule out dancing altogether he “can’t see it” in his future.

Tickets for the ‘Lord of the Dance’ at the Cliffs of Moher are reportedly selling well and organiser have urged locals to buy their tickets soon to avoid disappointment.

“This event will be the most spectacular event ever to take place in Clare – you will never see anything like this again,” continued Oliver.

“Ticket sales are steady and we believe that we can still fill the Cliffs for both nights but this project is about more than money – it’s about a once in a life time event at a once in a lifetime venue. People are getting behind the project and if everyone gets behind it then who knows, maybe something could happen again in 2012. This is a major event – every B&B in North and West Clare is booked up because of this and I have been getting calls from all over the world about the concerts.”

Some 20,000 people are expected to attend the ‘Lord of the Dance’ at the Cliffs on September 1 and 2. The official 7 New Wonders of the World list will be announce on November 11.

FRESH wild mushrooms are the latest ingredient to be added to the list for the fourth annual Clare Harvest Banquet which will take place at the Auburn Lodge Hotel in Ennis this August.

The charity banquet, which is made up solely of fresh ingredients which can be found within the county borders, will come to Ennis for the first time ever, having completely sold out its three previous banquets in Ennistymon.

This year’s event will be cooked by five expert Clare chefs, with one chef taking responsibility for each of the courses on offer. All proceeds from the event will go towards the ASTRAL Charity, which helps protect families in some of the poorest parts of Mongolia.

The charity has a long established link with the county and felt made by the charity in Mongolia is currently sold in the Upstairs Downstairs charity shop in Ennistymon.

“The format of the event is the same. If we want salt, then we need to dry sea salt from off the Clare coast; if we want butter, then we need to make it ourselves in the churn,” said event organiser Sinéad Ní Gháirbhith.

“We have two mushroom experts this year who are going to find us some Clare mushrooms to use, which should be interesting. There is no one farming mushrooms in Clare at the moment so this will be a new thing for the banquet.

“Every year, we seem to be able to find new ingredients and this year is no exception. You need to have experts when you are talking about wild mushrooms because you need to be sure that they are not poisonous.

“We are in Ennis this year for the first time so we are hoping to unite the county and bring people from the east, west, north and south of Clare together for the event. The banquet will take place in the Auburn Lodge, who have been very good to us and giving us the run of their kitchen for the evening.

“Every penny raised will go to the Mongolian charity. I am so dedicated to this charity because I know that this is a matter of life and death if this money goes out or not.”

This year’s banquet will take place on Saturday, October 1 and tickets are available from the Auburn Lodge on 065 6821247 and from the Upstairs Downstairs shop in Ennistymon.

AFTER a successful comeback in 2010, horse and pony racing will return to Ballyvaughan later this month, with a large crowd expected to descend on Newtown Castle Lawn for the spectacular event.

The races returned to north Clare last year after a 35-year absence and the organising committee are now hopeful that the event is back for good and will once again become an annual event in the racing calendar.

“The Ballyvaughan Races returned last year after an absence of 35 years, and we were tremendously heartened by the immense local support and large turnout on the day,” said David Quinn, PRO for the Ballyvaughan Horse and Pony Racing Committee.

“It was a thoroughly enjoyable day for all involved and we antici- pate an even greater attendance this year. None of this would be possible without the generous support of local businesses and the broader community, for which we are extremely grateful.”

One of the highlights of last year’s event was its spectacular location, with the races taking place against the backdrop of the scenic Burren mountains.

The races will take place at Newtown Castle Lawn, which has again been provided for the event free of charge by landowner Mickey Vaughan.

Recent inspections of the track have revealed that the ground is in good condition and should provide a difficult challenge for the jockeys.

“All the horse owners and jockeys were very impressed with the facilities available and the professionalism shown by those organising last year’s race meeting,” said Mary O’Connor, Secretary of the Midlands Horse and Pony Racing Association.

“There has been huge interest in the return to Ballyvaughan this year.”

The committee are hoping to create a real family atmosphere for this year’s event. Besides the races themselves, the Ballyvaughan Farmers Market will take part, while there will also be bouncy castles and funfair amusements for young people, as well as face painting and a tug-ofwar competition.

A first for this year’s event will be the inclusion of a Best-Dressed Lady Competition.

This year’s Ballyvaughan Horse and Pony Club committee are Ailish Hynes (chairperson), Declan McNamara (secretary), Kieran Linnane (treasurer), David Quinn (PRO), Mickey Vaughan (president) and John Queally (vice president).

THE scale of the crisis in the Clare property market has been hammered home by newly released Department of Environment figures which show that new house registrations and completions have gone into freefall over the first six months of the year. The Clare People has learned that new house registrations in the county have plummetted by nearly 75 per cent from January to June 2011, while during the same period, house completions have fallen by 63 per cent.

And, when compared to the figures for other counties in the mid-west catchment area, the dramatic falloff in housing activity places Clare at the bottom of the mid-west league table where both house registrations and completions are concerned.

House completion numbers in the region dropped by 46 per cent from 758 to 410 during the first six months of 2011, but Clare is running 17 percentage points ahead of this average, with completion rates from January to June dropping from 378 to 140 over the corresponding period last year.

The figures for new house registrations are more startling – only six houses have been registered so far in 2011, as compared to 23 for the same six-month period in 2010.

Again, this massive reduction of just under 75 per cent is running well ahead of the overall average reduction for the region of 54 per cent.

The problems being experienced within the housing industry in Clare come on the back of a claim from one of Clare’s leading estate agents earlier this month that the building of new housing estates could be about to grind to a halt.

“With prices such that it costs more to build than a builder will get when a house is sold, then no one is going to build new estates,” said Diarmuid McMahon of Sherry Fitzgerald in Ennis when revealing that house prices in the county had dropped back to 1990s levels.

A major contributory factor to the drop in prices and the slowdown in new house building emerged in the preliminary returns for the 2011 National Census returns for Clare that were released in July.

The Central Statistics Office (CSO) returns revealed that the number of new housing stock in Clare increased by 14 per cent in between the 2006 and 2011 censuses, which means that Clare house builds ran ahead of the national average of 13.3 per cent.

However, the breakdown of these figures also revealed that the vacant housing rate in Clare was running at nearly 22 per cent, eight points higher than the national average of 14.7 per cent, with the western seaboard being the worst part of the county affected, with over 25 per cent houses vacant. The number of vacant housing was attributed to the building boom that took place over the space of the previous decade.