Category: News

MOTORISTS accused of speeding offences on Clare roads have been told their cases will not be dealt with until a High Court case on the Go Safe speed camera network is resolved. At Ennis District Court on Friday, Judge Patrick Durcan ad- journed 17 speed camera prosecutions to September 19.

A total of 18 people faced prosecutions for alleged speeding offences allegedly captured by cameras mounted in Go Safe vans.

Judge Durcan struck out a case against one person following an application from the State. The privately run Go Safe has operated speed camera vans in Ireland since winning the Garda contract in 2009.

The cameras operate on sections of road, which have a history of collisions occurring where speed was a contributory factor.

In recent months, Judge Durcan has been critical of Go Safe and has struck out a number of speeding charges brought against motorists in Clare. On Friday, Judge Durcan told all those who had answered summons issued by Insp John McDonald, that the law with regards to issuing of fixed charge penalty notices is the “cause of some controversy in the land”. He said a colleague has sent a case to the High Court seeking clarification of the law under-pinning the speed camera system.

He said he was adjourning all cases until the issue in the High Court has been dealt with.

He told those people facing prosecutions their cases were adjourned to September 19. He told them they are not required to be present in court on the day.

There was a brief exchange when the Judge told a Cork man facing a Go Safe prosecution he would get “brownie points” for being present in court on Friday.

To laughter in the court, the man replied, “Which points?”

Judge Durcan said, “Brownie points, a different category of points to the ones concerned with here.”

Five Go Safe Inspectors were present in court for the adjournments. As they left the courtroom Judge Durcan asked them to convey to Inspector McDonald “that it is a total waste of time and public money you guys turning up here until after September 19. Any prosecutions before then will be adjourned.”

“I don’t like to see State money wasted seeing five strapping men sit here all day,” he added.

THE acclaimed debut album from two Clare men has caught the ear of one of the biggest rap stars on the planet.

John Lillis and God Knows will perform the biggest gig of their lives tonight when they share the stage with hip-hop legend Snoop Dogg in Dublin.

Ennis DJ John (mynameisJohn) and Shannon MC God Knows are among the support acts for the veteran rapper’s shows in The Academy, tonight and tomorrow.

John and God Knows landed the prized support slot at one of the most eagerly anticipated rap shows of the year on the strength of their acclaimed debut album, Rusangano/ Family.

A copy of the album found its way to Snoop’s management team who were said to be very impressed by John and God Know’s thrilling blend of grime and hip-hop.

“We’re delighted with it. We’re buzzing. I remember listening to Snoop when I was 13. It’s hard to believe we’re going to be playing with him,” said John last week.

Rusangano/Family has attracted huge critical praise since it’s release in May.

Hot Press described the album as a “hip hop stunner”. Influential music writer, Nialler9 hailed Rusangano/ Family as “a game-changer in the way it drags Irish hip-hop into a fully-formed album/mixtape format with a confidence and skill that is unfamiliar in this country’s rap output”.

Music blog The Point of Everything said Rusangano/Family is the “best album of 2014 so far.”

“The reaction to it has been absolutely amazing. Its something that we definitely didn’t see coming” says God Knows, “When we started out, we just wanted to make music for ourselves.

“We’ve enjoyed every minute of it. The amount of support we have got from people in Clare and Limerick has been brilliant.”

The pair describes themselves as a “Zimbabwean Christian and Irish Pagan who sat down with a cup of tea to discuss making an album.”

“We’re two people who really enjoy making music. We’re gob smacked at how it’s been received so far,” said John.

John has been involved in DJ’ing and music production for the best part of a decade. In 2013 he released ‘The Struggle’ EP with Limerick producer Graeme S.

God Knows moved to Ireland with his family from Zimbabwe.

The former St Caimin’s Community School student is a founder member of the music collective Random Acts of Kindness (RAOK).

The pair will hold an album launch at Limerick’s Belltable theatre on July 4.

A STRATEGY aimed at encouraging job creation in Ennis will be unveiled at a public meeting in the town on Thursday.

Organisers say the ‘Ennis Jobs Strategy’ will help create the foundations for new employment and economic development. The strategy will be outlined at a meeting in the Temple Gate Hotel on June 5 at 6.30pm. The meeting will involve a number of five-minute solutionbased presentations.

According the organisers, the meeting will focus around the use of “synergy and develop a concise strategy covering various sectors with opportunity to get quick, medium- and long-term wins for Ennis in terms of job creation.”

The meeting will review several sectors of the local economy including retail, tourism, construction, community-based food production, creativity, industry. Johnny Flynn, a local Fine Gael councillor who recently regained his seat on Clare County Council, is one of the men behind the proposed jobs strategy.

“This meeting is about informed contributions from people from particular employment sectors on the ground – a task force of capable individuals with the common goal of jobs. It’s not about the problem it’s about creating and compiling strong and realizable ideas for job creation in Ennis,” he explained.

The aim of the meeting is to compile a result-driven report with actions for 2014 and beyond. The report will be made available to the new Ennis Municipal District committee asking for their support in the implementation.

Among those expected to address the meeting are David Fitzsimmons of Retail Excellence Ireland; Rita McInerney, CEO of Ennis Chamber; Brian O’Neill, Chairman of Promote Ennis and Ana Bella Alvarez, Director of Ennis Street Festival.

Cllr Flynn said, “In terms of jobs, I have been working with different sectors. However I believe there should have been a complete jobs strategy three years ago. There is no point now looking back in dismay instead I am asking business owners, decision makers and all who would like to contribute to come an join us on June 5.”

The meeting will be held on June 5 at Temple Gate Hotel at 6.30pm. All are welcome and organisers appreciate prior contact to prepare for the event, contact Johnny Flynn on 087 2571842 or jny.flynn@gmail.com.

AFTER nearly a decade in the doldrums, Clare Roses are starting to get accustomed to the lavish surroundings of the Festival Dome in Tralee. Joanne O’Groman made it two years in a row for Clare participants, when she qualified for the grand final of the Rose of Tralee competition on Sunday night.

The Cratloe native follows in the foot steps of Marie Donnellan from Newmarket-on-Fergus, who last year was Clare’s first competitor in the final stages of the competition since 2006.

There was disappointment for Dawn Ryan from Meelick, however, the Clare born, Limerick Rose narrowly missed out on the August final. Had she made it, it would have been the first time that two Clare born Roses would have competed together at the grand final.

Speaking after her selection, Joanne paid tribute to the support of Marie Donnellan.

“I’m over the moon. I don’t think it has sunk in yet to be honest. I’ll wake up tomorrow and it’s just going to be surreal. I’d say my phone is hopping off the bed up in my room at the moment, I don’t have the energy to look at it,” she said.

“The support and the good wishes that I’ve got up to now has been amazing. Just to be selected as the Clare Rose was amazing and now to go on to Tralee, it’s a dream come true.

“Marie has been a great support. First and foremost she said to just enjoy it, especially the Portlaoise section that I’ve just come through now. I plan on enjoying it. She said the same for Tralee as well. She said it is absolutely amazing.

“She also advised me to buy a foot spa as well. To plug it in every night when I get back from each of the tours – so I plan on buying a foot spa.”

WITH just days until the newly elected Clare County Council meet for the first time, mystery still surrounds how much they will be paid and their expenses.

At the 11th hour the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government Phil Hogan (FG) still has not revealed if the 28 new county councillors would receive a pay cut or a pay rise in the new smaller county council.

He said he would announce a revised package of changes to payments to cathaorligh, mayors and expenses for attendance at conferences shortly. It is understood that there will be a limit of € 1,000 per councillor for attending conferences.

The expenses to be allocated to cover newly enlarged constituencies are also a closely guarded secret for now.

It is understood however that there will be extra money on top of the basic salary to be pocketed by the mayor of the county, the chairs of the four new Municipal Districts (the former electoral areas) and for the chairpersons of the Special Strategic Policy Committees.

From Friday, May 30, all 28 elected the previous Friday were formerly considered county councillors.

This Friday, June 6, they will meet for the first time in Aras Contae an Clár (right_ to elect a new mayor and decide how many times they will meet during the five-year office term.

It is understood a proposal is to go before the newly elected members suggesting that full county council meetings are held just every second month, with each Municipal District to meet monthly.

This proposal is already meeting some resistance from more established members who are more accustomed to full monthly council meetings.

As all four town councils in Clare are now gone, there will be no more mayors of Kilrush, Shannon or Kilkee.

As Ennis has a population of more than 20,000 people however the councillors from the Ennis Munici- pal District can elect a town mayor from among its members.

There is no clear indication as yet when this post will be decided upon or whether it too might be included in a power sharing agreement between the paties. The other Municipal Districts – Killaloe, Shannon and West Clare – will elect a chairperson, or more specifically a chairman, as there are no women among them.

While the new look council will no longer be responsible for water, it will take charge of Enterprise, as the Enterprise Board has now come under the remit of the local authority.

Moves to bring the Clare Local Development Company (Leader) under the council’s authority is currently being resisted nationally.

TALKS to decide who will serve as Mayor of Clare during the next five years were deadlocked last night as Fine Gael and the Independents battled it out for their share of the spoils, with Fianna Fáil as the largest party guaranteed the council chair for two years.

Under a power-share agreement drawn up in 2004 and adhered to ever since, each political grouping within the council takes on the role of mayor and chair of Clare County Council.

The number of years any particular group has the hot seat is relative to the number of members it has in the council chamber.

For the last 10 years this has broken down into a system that allowed Fine Gael the chair for two years, Fianna Fáil for two more and Independents and others one year.

Following last weekend’s local election, the so-called Technical Group – made up of Independents and Sinn Féin’s Mike McKee – have eight seats, the same number as Fine Gael. The Technical Group now argues that it has as much right as Fine Gael to the chair of the council for two of the five years ahead.

As Fianna Fáil has 12 of the 28 county council seats, under this agreement it is expected to hold the mayorship for two years.

The only decision to be made is whom will it nominate to the role.

Sources close to the party say that there are elements within it pushing to put newcomer Clare Colleran Molloy into the chair within the next two years, just in time for the General Election.

Many believe that the new councillor and barrister would be the ideal candidate for the party during the national election. However, there are a number of returning Fianna Fáil councillors who also feel they are entitled to the role given their number of years service and experience.

The first meeting of the newly elected Clare County Council takes place this Friday at 3pm.

AS THE time has past to remove all election posters and plaquards from the county’s streets and roads, some candidates have complained that discarded posters are miraculously appearing again.

During the run up to the local and European elections there were the usual complaints that posters were removed from where they were positioned by campaign teams.

Now as the last votes have been counted “silly season” is setting in again as once disappeared posters are reappearing.

Forgotten election posters still on posts and polls will cost candidates € 150 per poster from now on.

Such fines are issued by Clare County Council’s Environment Department.

In a bid to avoid such fines some candidates have taken to social media asking people to report any sighting of posters.

Ennis Labour candidate Seamus Ryan was particularly disturbed that a poster he removed from Abbey Street a week ago was back again a day later.

“I found one that had been put up on a pole in Abbey Street car park by someone other than a member of my campaign team.

“I know it was put up by someone other than us for two reasons.

“Firstly I personally removed the poster from that very pole on Monday last.

“Secondly no candidate puts the cable ties to the front of the poster, it blocks the name,” he said, publishing a photo of the offending poster on Facebook.

“This is a level of pathetic vindictiveness we really don’t need in local politics.

“Somebody really wants me to get a € 150 fine (that’s per poster), if you see any more up please let me know,” he appealed.

Election poll topper in Shannon Cathal Crowe (FF) was equally concerned about his posters remaining up the poll.

He was among a number of local election candidates using the new communication of social media to remove the more traditional form of communication.

THE Diocese of Killaloe is preparing to welcome a new priest to the area next year following the ordination of Michael Geraghty as a deacon at an ceremony at St Patrick’s College in Maynooth last Sunday.

Reverend Geraghty was one of 15 students who were ordained by the Cardinal of Ireland, Sean Brady, at the ceremony on Sunday, the largest number of deacons ordained in Ireland in recent years.

Reverend Geraghty is the only deacon ordained to the Diocese of Killaloe this year and there was no deacon ordained to Clare’s other diocese, the Diocese of Galway, Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora.

This is the final step in Michael’s journey to full priesthood and he will be formally ordained into the priesthood for service in the Killaloe Diocese in the summer of 2015. Michael, who is a native of the Parish of Birr in County Offaly, has spent time working in the parish of Ennis in recent years as part of his on-going training.

“It is with great joy that we celebrate the ordination of 15 men to the diaconate especially today on the Feast of the Ascension of the Lord. On behalf of all of us here in the formation and learning community which is Saint Patrick’s College Maynooth, I congratulate our 15 ordinands and wish them every happiness and blessing in their forthcoming diaconal ministry,” said Monsignor Hugh Connolly, the President of Saint Patrick’s College Maynooth.

“May each of them experience God’s grace afresh in their hearts so that they will courageously proclaim the Gospel in both word and deed and go out to serve the people of God in their various dioceses with care and compassion.”

LAZARUS Investment Limited have lodged a fifth major planning application for the development of construction projects formally proposed by the Atlantis Development Company in North Clare.

The projects, which are all located in the Doolin and Liscannor area, had been granted planning permission before the collapse of the Celtic Tiger but have never been devel- oped.

The latest proposal by the North Clare-based company involves the extension of planning permission for the construction of a four-house development at Coogyulla in Doolin.

This follows similar planning application in recent week which could see the creation of a park and ride facility to the Cliffs of Moher, a major development of Egan’s and McHugh’s in Liscannor and a the construction of a new supermarket development in Doolin, if they get the go ahead.

According to documents obtained from the Company Registration Office (CRO), local businessman John Declan Flanagan, with a company address at ‘The Mermaid’ in Liscannor, is the director of both Lazarus Investment Limited and the Atlantis Development Company.

The company’s application for the construction of a park and ride facility connecting Liscannor with the Cliffs of Moher could be contentious. Lazarus Investments Limited have already lodged an objection to plans by Clare County Council to develop the existing temporary car park at the Cliffs of Moher Experience. A planning decision on this project was due last month but no formal decision has yet been announced by the local authority.

Lazarus are also looking to revive plans to develop two of North Clare’s iconic pubs – Egan’s and McHugh’s in Liscannor.

This plan involves the demolition of a storage area and toilets at the back of Joseph McHugh’s and a storage buildings at the back of Egan’s and the extension of McHugh including a new storage area, lounge, toilets and an open smoking area. The development will also see the construction of a seven bedroom hostel, five apartments and four commercial units.

A separate application involved outline permission for the development a supermarket, crèche, medical centre and a chemist at Killilagh in Doolin, as well as the construction of five houses.

AN EXCLUSION zone will be put in place around Doolin Pier later this week as a series of planned explosions will be detonated.

The blast work is the first major step towards the reforming of the pier area in preparation for the construction of a new pier to serve the area.

Some blasting is due to take this Thursday and Friday, June 5 and 6, weather permitting an exclusion zone will be implemented for the area while this work is being carried out. The exact location of the exclusion zone is not yet clear but it will be established to ensure that no people or property are hurt or damaged in the works.

Construction work on a new € 6 million pier got underway last month and it is expected to be completed by the middle of next year with Kilmaley-based construction company, L&M Keating, carried out the complex build.

A new pier for Doolin has been in the pipeline for more than a decade but the development was subject to an extended planning process following objections by local surfers who felt the pier would damage local waves.

When completed the pier will be used mainly to facilitate ferry activity between North Clare and the Aran Islands and the Cliffs of Moher during the tourist season while the existing pier will be available to accommodate other activities – both leisure-based and otherwise.

The new pier will also ensure that Doolin is accessible in all tidal conditions, which will be of particular benefit to Doolin Search and Rescue as well as the ferry operators – who current have to transship passengers onto their boats at low tide.

The pier is expected to attract tens thousands of new tourists into make North Clare their tourism hub in the years to come. With nearly a million people visiting the Cliffs of Moher each year, it is hoped that the pier will encourage a large portion of these people to stay in Clare, instead of travelling in day bus trips from Dublin.