Category: News

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.

RURAL shopkeepers are being urged to increase their security measures, after a shop in west Clare was targeted by shoplifters over the weekend.

A shop in Cree village was targeted on Sunday, when cash and cigarettes were stolen after a young sales assistant was distracted.

Two women went into the shop at around 6pm. One of the women distracted the sales assistant, while the other went behind the counter.

The shopkeeper then confronted the duo, but they denied doing anything wrong and quickly left the scene in a van that had been parked nearby.

Gardaí say they have obtained clear CCTV footage from the premises, which they hope will help to solve the crime.

The women are described as being in their late 30s and were around 5’ 7” or 5’ 8” in height. One had blonde hair with black streaks and wore a pink coat and black hat. She had a mark over her right eye.

The other woman wore a pink or red jacket and grey leggings with a red hat with white trim. It is believed that they are not local.

Gardaí say the amount of cash stolen was not substantial, but in the wake of similar incidents in Feakle and Flagmount in recent weeks, they are warning shop owners to ensure their security measures are adequate.

“This is most unusual. We looked at the adjoining counties but nothing of this nature seems to have occurred,” said the head of the Clare Garda Division, Chief Superintendent John Kerin.

“I would be confident enough that we would identify those involved from the CCTV,” he added.

He is advising shop owners to “keep small amounts of money in the till; keep it cleared regularly and have good CCTV that covers all areas of the shop”.

“Make sure you are not distracted,” he said.

Anyone with information on the Cree incident should contact Kilrush Garda Station on 065 9051017.

CLARE marriages are bending under the strain of the economic recession with a record number of Clare couples seeking marriage counselling in 2010. Abuse of the internet is also being highlighted as a recent cause of marital disharmony.

Figures obtained by The Clare People reveal that the number of counselling hours providing by the ACCORD agency in Ennis skyrocketed last year – growing by more than 85 per cent compared to the previous year. Counselling hours provided by the Catholic Marriage Counselling Agency grew dramatically faster in Clare than in any other county in 2010 – with the national average growth in hours provided standing at just 8 per cent.

A total of 517 hours for 100 couples were provided at the ACCORD offices in Ennis in 2010, compared to 278 hours for 68 cases on 2009.

The increase in counselling hours is being blamed on the effects of the recession on couples as well as a number of difficulties being caused by the internet.

According to the agency, the number of relationship difficulties brought about by addictions to internet pornography, online gambling and the abuse of social networking sites increased dramatically in 2010.

“I’m not surprised by these figures for Clare, we have been hearing this from the counsellors in Ennis for a number of months and we had expecting this sort of dramatic rise,” said ACCORD counselling manager Stephen Cummins.

“I think this is a combination of many different factors [which have brought about the increase]. I think trouble in a relationship is rarely brought about by just one factor except maybe in a case of someone having a drink or drug problem perhaps.

A NEW book, that for the first time attempts to record the history of Drumcliff cemetery, was officially launched in Ennis last week.

Complied by local men Larry Brennan and Eric Shaw, Dr umcliff Cemeter y – The Hidden Histor y of Ennis contains details of some 12,000 graves and 2,700 inscriptions to be found in the graveyard, which has been in use since the early 1800s.

Work on mapping the graveyard began three years ago and the project is a joint initiative between the Clare Roots Society and Ennis Tidy Towns. The process of documenting the extensive history of Drumcliff was undertaken by members of the Roots Society and pupils from Ennis National School between 2007 and 2008.

The book contains articles on the history of Drumcliff plus the biodiversity, flora and fauna, stone cuttings and ironwork within the cemetery. The book also guides readers through the historical graves in the cemetery from the cholera outbreaks of 1832 and 1849 to the Famine Grave, Paupers’ Burial Plot and the tragic drowning at Ballybeg Lake on the April 1, 1896.

According to co-author Larry Brennan, Drumcliff is an area of immense historical importance, “It’s one of the most unusual graveyards, not just in Clare but in Ireland in the sense that every event with regard to the historical background is recorded in Drumcliff, from cholera to famine, to the Carmody’s Hotel disaster, to plane crashes. I have brought people up there from England and America and they are amazed with the history. They look on it as a history trail that can be done, like you do the trail in Ennis, this is another trail that can add to tourism in Ennis.”

He describes Drumcliff as a “search engine”, the first place anyone should look if they are researching any as pect of the history of Ennis.

“Drumcliff is where you start. All the shopkeepers in town are buried up there. Some of them in the vaults. Paddy Con McMahon, where they are renovating Paddy Con’s Hall now. Everyone knows Paddy Con McMahon, but who was he? He was a builder. He was involved in the County Hospital. There is so much information that is hidden up there. But by the initial starting point from a gravestone, you can get a date, if you’re lucky you’ll get an obituary and you’ll find the history of the person then by simply going to the grave or back to the media. It’s a search engine for people who want to search their family or members of their family or historical events.”

Having started the process of recording the history of Drumcliff, Larry believes there are plenty more stories to be told. “It all depends on the angle. Do you do the teachers in Ennis, do you do the priests in Ennis. What do you do in Ennis? There are various things that can be done in Drumcliff. This is only the beginning. We would encourage other people now that might have time on their hands to take an element of Drumcliff to proceed to produce further booklets.”

THE people of Turnpike are preparing to celebrate the homecoming two years ago of their most famous son, Muhammad Ali.

The former three time world champion boxer and one of the most charismatic and brilliant sportsmen made a famous visit to Ennis in September 2009. At the time Ali was named the first Honorary Freeman of Ennis in recognition of his career achievements and his ancestral links with the Clare county capital.

Over 15,000 people watched ‘The Greatest’ receive a Civic Reception before embarking on a drive through the streets of Ennis and a personal visit to the ancestral home of his great grandfather Abe Grady.

Though issues surrounding the rights to the Ali name and trademark mean the celebration will not be an official event, Turnpike residents and businesspeople are aiming to organize a community fun day to mark the day when Ali took an unplanned walk around the area two years ago.

Mayor of Ennis, Cllr Michael Guilfoyle (Ind), who is helping to organize the event on August 28, says local groups and performers including the Ennis Brass Band will take part on the day.

Roads in the area are expected to be closed off to facilitate the celebration, which is being held on the same day a vintage car rally organized by Ennis man Peadar White is expected to pass through the town.

Ennis Town Council proposes closing a section of the Limerick Road and the Turnpike Road (from its junction with Dalcassian Drive L4530 to the St Clare’s Close entrance) on Sunday, August 28, from 3pm to 6pm.

Last year, Irish boxing legend Barry McGuigan planted a tree in an area of ground close to sculpture commemorating the first anniversary of Ali’s visit to Ennis.

The former world featherweight champion later took part in a public interview conducted by broadcaster Caimin Jones at Glór.

HAVING closed the book on their latest research project, members of the Clare Roots Society are already putting the finishing touches to a new history of one of Ennis’ best known streets.

Speaking at a book launch in the Old Ground Hotel on Thursday night, local historian Larry Brennan said the society have pieced together a history of the people that have lived and worked on O’Connell Street.

Larry, who along with Eric Shaw complied Dr umcliff Cemeter y –The Hidden Histor y of Ennis , said the new project would be unveiled at a presentation in Ennis in the coming months.

He says, “I had flagged it two years or three years with regard to the change of name. There is so much history in O’Connell Street right from the square up to Darcy’s Corner. The street does not go from the Height right up to the Cathedral. It goes from the Height up to Darcy’s. Darcy’s is the last house on O’Connell Street. There were guns taken at Darcy’s Corner. There is the story of the Old Ground Hotel, the jail. The first cinema in Ennis was the Town Hall. There is so much information out there on O’Connell Street that hopefully very shortly we can stimulate interest in it and bring it out. We’re nearly in the finished process. Its nearly there.”

Larry also has his eye on future projects, in particular a history of one of Ennis’ oldest areas, Steeles Terrace. He explains, “There is an amazing history of the 30 houses in Steele’s Terrace. There were known initially as the artisan dwellings. There were tradesmen and craftsmen living at the side. At the same time then you had the labourer’s cottages built down in St Flannan’s Terrace. You had two distinct developments going on in Ennis at the same time.”

Larry says more needs to be done to record the history of Ennis. He adds, “Only for the work of Sean Spellissy, the historian, and Ciarán Ó Mhurchadha and a few more, Ennis is lacking in information with regards to the people and the buildings. We’re fortunate in the past few years that online we have the baptismal records, we have the death records and we have the marriage records for Ennis. We have school records with Ennis National School. We have burial records with Drumcliff graveyard and Corrovorrin graveyard. We have an amount of information that we could actually do your family tree by sitting at your computer at home and have a fair amount of it done within an hour.”

A 31-YEAR-OLD man charged with the false imprisonment and sexual assault of his partner last month has been remanded in custody until next week.

The accused, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is accused of falsely imprisoning and sexually assault- ing a female, on July 30 last.

The incident is being investigated by gardaí in Killaloe.

The accused initially appeared in court earlier this month and re-appeared before Ennis District Court yesterday. In court yesterday, Judge John O’Neill directed that the defendant be remanded in custody to appear again in court next week.

ROADSTONE has declined to comment on increasing speculation that they are about to re-open a quarry, formally operated by the Whelan Group, on the Lahinch Road in Ennis.

In a statement to The Clare People yesterday, a spokesperson that that Roadstone had no official comment to make on the situation, but said that they were aware of the growing speculation linking them and the Ennis quarry.

In December of 2010 the High Court made to wind up five companies in the Whelan Group after the company directors withdrew a petition for court protection. The Clare People understands that a number of people, who have been out of work since the operations ceased at the quarry, have been contacted in recent days about the possibility of returning to work, but it is unclear how many jobs will be reinstated and who will be operating the facility.

The Whelan’s Group employed 120 people in five separate companies when the winding up order was issued in December of last year and the company directors said at the time that they “profoundly regretted” any job losses that would come about as a result.

Clare Fine Gael Senator Martin Conway (FG) yesterday welcomed any increase in employment in the area and said that Roadstone would make a success of the quarry if a deal is completed.

“Roadstone are a company with a great track record and a massive amount of experience in this area and if a deal can be done I have no doubt that they will make a great success of the venture,” the Fine Gael senator said.

“Every job is an important job and that area was hit particularly badly with the closure of the quarry. I would welcome any move that would allow the people effected by this to get back to work.”

The Whelan’s Group is a familyowned company which has been in operation in Clare for the past 40 years.

GARDAÍ ARE investigating an attack on a 19-year-old man who was on holidays in the seaside resort of Kilkee over the weekend. The victim was struck, while his mobile phone and cash were stolen.

The incident occurred shortly before 2 o’clock on Sunday morning. The alarm was raised when a 19year-old man stopped gardaí who were on mobile patrol on O’Curry Street, alerting them to an incident in which he was attacked.

He told gardaí that he was set upon by two young men and that his mobile phone and € 40 in cash were taken from him. He was also struck a number of times, during the incident.

The victim, who is from the Midlands, was taken to Limerick Regional Hospital as a precautionary measure, and was later discharged. He is expected to make a full recov- ery.

As part of their investigation, gardaí recovered the stolen property in Kilkee.

“It was an unusual incident. We are treating it as serious. We believe there were two people involved. We are following a certain line of enquiry,” said a senior garda spokesman.

“This was the first incident we have had in Kilkee this year,” added the garda.