Category: News

THE MUSIC at the Feakle trad festival will be silenced for a time this week, as a mark of respect for a visiting group from Olso who put aside the trauma of mass murder to come and play in Clare.

An organised silence is planned during the festival and Clare County Council will open its offices on Saturday to allow the visiting musicians to see the book of condolences.

And it has emerged that a group of young East Clare musicians narrowly avoided beiung at the heart of the dreadful massacre.

The East Clare youth traditional music group and their leaders and helpers were just back from an exchange visit to Oslo when Anders Behring Breivik went on his killing rampage.

Speaking from Oslo as the group of young people prepared for their trip to Ireland last night, leader, Thor Hauknes, said that they have been deeply shocked and traumatised by the events, but were dertermined to come to Clare nonetheless.

“It is terrible and everyone is very shocked. Thankfully, none of the group were directly involved but one of them works very close to the building that was bombed but she was not there at the time. My daughter, Solveig, her friend was killed. She was a fiddle player and they had played fiddle since she was nine years old.”

Thor said that the long-planned trip to Clare will be part of the healing process for the youngsters.

“This youth exchange, getting to know other young people in Europe and learning about the music of Clare, that is so important. That is what it is about,” he told The Clare People.

The exchange between the young people from Norway and the music students from Clare is funded by the Leargas Youth In Action prgramme. 28 Clare youngsters and twenty leaders and helpers had just returned from a trip to Oslo when atrocity struck.

Music Teacher, Mary McNamara, said that everyone involved “was so shocked when we heard about it. (the murders). I can’t tell how wonderful the people in Oslo were to us and what a fantastic trip it was. It’s chilling to think of what happened and to think that but for the timing, our students could have been there.”

A period of silence is planned during the festival as a mark of respect and Mayor of Clare, Pat Hayes has organised to be at thecouncil offices to welcome the Oslo musicians and show them the book.

The young musicians, who are aged between 15 and 21, will learn about the East Clare style at classes during the week and will take part in a joint youth concert with Clare musicians on Thursday night.

“They will stay with the Clare musicians in a group as we did in Oslo. That’s the point of the exchange. As well as learning music, they live together, eat together and get to know each other,” Mary explained.

A 10-YEAR-OLD Kilrush boy who suffered serious burn injuries five years ago will lead out Ireland at the Aviva Stadium next week.

Kyle Carmody and his brother Evan (11) will be flag bearers when Giovanni Trappattoni’s side take on Croatia in an international friendly in Dublin on August 10.

Their appearance alongside the boys in green is the result of the family’s association with Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin.

From November 2006 to January 2007, Kyle spent three months receiving treatment for burns he suffered when his pyjamas caught fire at the family home.

Dad Flan explained that the incident is thought to have occurred when Kyle threw an item into the ashes of a fire and then went to retrieve it. Kyle suffered burns to 12 per cent of his body. “It’s one thing that we’ll never forget,” said Flan last week.

After receiving what Flan described as “top class treatment” from the staff at Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Kyle, a student at Gaelscoil Uí Choimin, Kilrush, made a full recovery.

Flan said, “He’s doing well now. He’s into all sports, swimming everything. They are very big into skateboarding at the moment.”

The incident resulted in Flan starting an annual five-mile charity walk around Kilrush in aid of the hospital. Last year the event raised € 6,250 while in May, the second annual walk and cycle raised € 9,222.

Flan had hoped to invite former Ireland goalkeeper Packie Bonner to Kilrush for the event but the Donegal native was unable to attend.

He added, “Anne Moody from Hen- ry Street in Kilrush knows Richard Fahey [director] from the FAI. Bonner had to go to Scotland that same weekend so they asked if Kyle would be interested in being a flag bearer. He and his brother could carry the flag between them.”

Flan said the family are looking forward to their big day on the international stage. “They are thrilled to bits. It’s a huge honour for the family and to get to meet the Irish team will be great.”

Flan thanked all cyclists who helped raised money for Crumlin at the May fundraiser. He also thanked all local businesses that supported the event.

MOVES are being made to have a tangible tribute to mark the contribution made by the late Dr Brendan O’Regan to the aiport and the Shannon region.

Speaking about the year in which Shannon College of Hotel Management is celebrating its 60th birthday, the director, Philip J Smyth, said that it is fitting that some tribute be put in place for the man creditied with the creation of the free zone and duty free.

Now the Mayor of Shannon, Mary Brennan, intends to bring a proposal to the town council to have some landmark which will bear Dr O’Regan’s name.

The Shannon College was founded by Dr O’Regan in 1951. Mr Smyth said that in facing current financial challenges, Dr O’Regan’s vision is an inspiration which can be brought to bear.

“His entrepreneur’s spirit is exactly what is needed now. He had incredible dynamic and vision. He gave the world duty free shops, the Shannon free zone and developed the airport and then there’s our own jewel in the crown in terms of educating the hoteliers of tomorrow. It is fitting that some tribute be paid now, whether it be a statue or a road named after him or whatever,” the director said.

When contacted by The Clare People , Mayor Brennan said she would “certainly support such a suggestion. Dr O’Regan brought so much to the Shannon region. He had such foresight and brought industry and jobs here. That kind of commitment cannot be ignored.”

Mayor Brennan said that she feels that erecting a plaque or naming a road after Dr O’Regan would “be a more practical proposal than erecting a statue, given current finances. But I will be bringing a motion to the September meeting of the Shannon Town Council to that effect and I’ll speak to other members in the meantime. I’m sure my fellow councillors will support it. We owe a great deal to Dr O’Regan and the tremendous things he did here.”

Once passed by Shannon Town Council, the plan will have to go before a full meeting of Clare County Council for approval and help with funding.

ANY takers out there for one of the most famous houses in the county – probably the most famous in fact as it’s the cottage belonging to the ‘Wise Woman of Clare’ who was said to have put a curse on the Banner’s senior hurlers.

It’s Biddy Early’s cottage in Feakle that’s been put on the market for € 75,000 by its owner – well known solicitor Billy Loughnane.

“I spent many years back in the 70’s restoring the cottage,” revealed Loughnane, “but that couldn’t last forever and it fell into disrepair again. I had sought State funding to develop it but no one was interested.

“I would be absolutely delighted if someone could take over the cottage — it needs a new energy. I’d only be happy though if whoever did take it over did so for the right reasons and actually has a real feel for who Biddy Early really was,” he added.

The Ennis and Scariff-based solicitor acquired the cottage from his fa- ther, Dr Bill Loughnane, who served as a TD from 1969 until the time of his death in 1982.

Loughnane Snr had bought the house form local man Jim Fitzgerald in the 1960s.

Biddy Early lived a colourful life, winning fame as noted herbalist and healer in the 19th century while she married four times, while after her death in a local priest remarked, “we thought we had a demon amongst us in poor Biddy Early, but we had a saint, and we did not know it”.

Legend had it that while she was on her deathbed the 76-year-old ordered that her famous ‘Blue Bottle’ that carried her healing remedies to be Carter’s Lough, which the her cottage overlooked.

Legend also had it that she placed a curse on the Clare hurling team, but Biddy Early historian Eddie Lenihan says “she was a good woman and there was no curse, because she was dead ten years before the GAA was founded. She was a woman who healed people ”.

AN EAST Clare businessman has flown to the rescue of a teenager whose beloved birds were stolen.

Sean Kavanagh (15) from Clonlara was heartbroken when he went to feed his exotic birds last week, only to find that thieves had ripped out the wire on his backyard aviary and stolen them.

The Clonlara teen had worked tirelessly, cutting grass and washing neighbours’ cars and windows to earn the money to get set up in his hobby, only to have the birds stolen within days of him buying them.

When Paul Hogan, owner of the ‘Crocodile Dundee’ animal business in Ardnacrusha heard about the theft, he wanted to help.

“I got in contact with him and I was very impressed with him. He’s a lovely, genuine lad and he worked like mad to buy those birds. Some youngsters get eveything handed to them on a plate, but he worked for it. I thought it was terrible, what happened to him,” Mr Hogan told The Clare People. Paul Hogan runs Crocodile Dundee, a dog grooming service, school and kennels but he also has a mobile pet shop and has been selling and dealing with exotic birds for years.

“I wanted to do something to help Sean. I know what it’s like to have such an interest and attachment to birds,” he said.

Paul has made Sean a present of a pair of colourful cockatiels as well as some finches and canaries to fill his aviary with song once again.

“I just want to say a big thanks to Paul. It means so much, what he did,” Kavanagh told The Clare People

THE proposed upgrade of the Clondroadmore Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) will not give rise to sustained periods of elevated noise levels, a report has found.

Dermot Moloney, principal acoustic consultant at Moloney and Associates, was speaking at An Bord Pleanála’s oral hearing into Clare County Council’s application to upgrade the Clonroadmore WWTP.

In his report, Mr Moloney states that there may be “short intervals during the upgrading works at the WWTP when construction activities results in elevated noise levels. However, these occasions are likely to be infrequent and short-lived.”

Under the heading ‘Likely Environmental Noise Impacts’ Mr Moloney states, “The Fergus Manor housing estate is located on the western side of the railway line approximately 48 metres from the WWTP intake works.”

He added, “The design of the new treatment works has taken into account the proximity of this housing. To this extent the design ensures that any new treatment elements or unit processes are not located any closer to the existing housing development. Thus the proposed upgrade will be contained entirely within the boundary of the existing WWTP site.”

In conclusion, Mr Moloney states, “It is recommended that the final design and the operation of the pro- posed WWTP should proceed with due regard to the need to mitigate noise emissions. This is particularly required to ensure that the surface aerators do not give rise to excessive noise during night time.”

Ecologist Brian Madden, of Biosphere Environmental Services, also spoke at the hearing. Mr Madden said that he carried out a walkover survey of the Clondroadmore plant in 2009.

He said that within the site there are no habitats that could be considered to have a conservation value. He said that the site could be improved by sensible planning. Mr Madden said scrub habitat within the site could be removed, providing this was done outside of the bird-nesting season.

BOTH Aer Lingus and Ryanair have been challenged to ‘put-up’ or ‘shutup’ when it comes to blaming the controversial government travel tax for any lack of growth in Shannon Airport.

Fianna Fáil transport spokesperson Timmy Dooley fired a volley across the two airlines this week when backing the Fine Gael/Labour coalition move to leave the € 3 travel tax in place until next year, at the earliest.

Speaking to The Clare People this week, Deputy Dooley said that the airlines have failed to live up to the promise of delivering extra passenger growth, after the Fianna Fáil/Labour government slashed the travel tax from € 10 to € 3 in last December’s budget.

“If the airlines are serious, they made a lot of noise about the imposition of the tax day one and the impact it had on passenger numbers,” said Deputy Dooley.

“There is now an opportunity for them to live up to their responsibilities and to prove that the tax was an inhibitor to passengers travelling and passenger growth.

“If the airlines are to have confidence in their own statements, then they should have no problem in identifying where the increase in passenger numbers are going to come from.

“Ryanair maintained that the € 10 tax prevented them from expanding – they used it as a reason why they re- duced their activity out of Shannon.

“One would have to believe that if you were to remove the tax then business would come back, but that is clearly not happening. Even when it was reduced from € 10 to € 3 there was little or no increase in activity,” the Fianna Fáil frontbench spokesperson added.

The controversial levy had been due to be abolished as part of the government’s bid to boost tourism numbers. However, Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar has claimed airlines had not made enough commitments in terms of increasing flight capacity.

“What I’m looking for from airlines is some solid propositions as to what they’ll do in return for the reduction and it can’t happen without that.”

Earlier this year, Ryanair chief ex- ecutive Michael O’Leary claimed that removing the € 10 tax would bring six million extra visitors to Ireland annually and create 6,000 new jobs.

The European Commission had brought a legal case against the tax, but withdrew it last month when the single € 3 levy replaced an earlier two-tier system.

Ryanair currently operates to 11 destinations in Britain and mainland Europe out of Shannon. This represents over a 300 per cent cut in operations out of Shannon from a high of 35 flights in 2008.

The airline began reducing its Shannon-based aircraft in February 2009, with the biggest axe falling in March of 2010 when it slashed 16 flights for its schedule.

HOUSE hunters in Clare can now buy a house for less than it costs to build.

The staggering fall in property values in the county has left houses changing hands at 1990 prices, property insiders say.

According to the Residential Property Price Index results, released by the Central Statistics Office last week, property prices outside of Dublin have fallen by 13 per cent in the last year.

According to Ennis auctioneer, Diarmuid McMahon, this is the most accurate picture yet of what is happening in Clare. “House prices in Clare have fallen to sub-construction levels. From a buyers perpective, that’s fantastic news.”

The Sherry Fitzgerald auctioneer said that it is now also cheaper to take out a mortgage on a property in Clare than to rent one. “Rents in Ennis have stabalised but with quailty rental stock availability low.” he said.

“Buying hasn’t been this afford- able in a decade. We’re back to 1990 prices.”

McMahon said that a three bed semi-detaached home in a desireable area in Ennis can now be had for as little as € 150,000. Ghost estates aside, a squeeze on stock of houses may be on the cards he predicted.

“With prices such that it costs more to build than the builder will get when a house is sold, then no-one is going to build new estates.”

The CSO index is a welcome addition to the store of information available to those involved in prop- erty deals, but there is also a pressing need for a property sale price index, McMahon said.

“This is a much more accurate picture of what’s happening in the market than any of the property web-sites. But we need to know what properties are selling for so that people know what their property is worth.

“In the UK, if your neighbour sells his house you can go to a website and see what was paid for it, Here, unless there is a public auction, we are not allowed to say what price was paid for a particular property.”

A 31-YEAR-OLD man has been charged with the false imprisonment and sexual assault of his partner over the weekend, in the Killaloe Garda District.

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

Garda Edel Crowley of Killaloe Garda Station told Ennis District Court yesterday that the accused was arrested on Sunday evening.

He did not reply when one of the charges was put to him.

In reply to the other charge, he said, “False imprisonment. Where did you get that from?”, Gda Crowley told the court.

Inspector Tom Kennedy said that gardaí were objecting to bail, on a number of grounds, including that the accused does not have a permanent address; the seriousness of the charges and that the accused may be at flight risk.

Defending solicitor Tony O’Malley said that his client was residing with the injured party.

“Matters have arisen which caused him to be charged with offences. He has been given accommodation with a friend,” said the solicitor.

“I don’t think there are any real grounds for him being at flight risk,” he added.

He said that while his client is not working at the moment, he had a good work record in the past.

Inspector Kennedy said, “He doesn’t have a place to live.

“The address put forward is a convenient address. . . That address isn’t a permanent address.”

“Based on the seriousness of the charges, one would have to be very fearful that he might leave the jurisdiction,” said Inspector Kennedy.

Judge Aeneas McCarthy said, “There is a Constitutional right to bail.

“The seriousness of the charge on its own is not grounds for refusing bail.

“It has been put to the court that he’s at flight risk. . .

“The difficulty the court has here is a permanent address. . . Unless the accused can provide a permanent address at which he can live, then I am afraid he has a difficulty.”

He adjourned the case until later this week and remanded the accused in custody.

He said he would revisit the bail application on the adjourned date, subject to a permanent address being provided.

“If he does provide a permanent address, the court is mindful of granting bail with an independent surety.”

The judge went on to say that this surety would be in the region of € 5,000. “I have in mind a surety of € 10,000, a half to be lodged.

“All that is subject to providing a permanent address to gardaí,” said the judge. Free legal aid was granted to the defendant.

THE Barefield man, whose daughter was given just weeks to live last October, is now preparing to bring her home to Ireland after successful cancer treatment that has been described as a miracle.

Forty-year old John Malone moved to Boston with his family last winter when his four-year-old daugher Megan was given just weeks to live when diagnosed with a very rare and aggressive form of cancer, SPNET Medulloblastoma.

Now, they are getting ready to come home after ground-breaking treatment in New York’s Presbyte- rian Children’s Hospital and a course of radiotherapy that’s now in its final stages.

“We have booked our flight home and we’re all very excited about that,” John Malone said this week.

“It’s been a long a difficult road for every member of our family, but especially for Megan. Our wish is that Megan will remain cancer free and enjoy every minute of a long and happy life. I haven’t seen our other children so excited in such a long time,” he added.

Megan became ill in October, just a few days after her parents Sheila and John celebrated the birth of their fourth child.

A major fundraising drive was started to enable Megan travel to America to undergo revolutionary cancer treatment, while the Megan Malone Trust was established in December of last year.

So far over € 700,000 million has been spent on her medical fees, while the estimated final cost of her treatment that’s now in its final three weeks in Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

A little over four months into her treatment, her parents John and Sheila were given the results of the youngster’s latest MRI scan, which have amazed doctors.

“We could not have asked for better news. The MRI scans were reviewed by the medical team and the results are amazing. Megan’s brain now has no evidence of cancer,” John Malone revealed at the time.

“Dr Garvin told us there is complete response in the brain and that the main tumour is gone. We are in shock and just can’t believe it.

“Dr Garvin told us that this is a unique situation. Most brain tumours of this nature and magnitude are surgically removed first before chemo and many still require radiotherapy to completely remove them.”