Category: News

NEW figures show that Ennis Town Council issued 11 fines against people for drinking in public places in 2010.

No fines have been handed out so far this year, while seven were issued in 2009 and 18 were issued in 2008. Town Clerk Eddie Power outlined the figures at last week’s meeting of Ennis Town Council.

Mr Power was responding to a motion tabled by Cllr Mary Howard (FG). Cllr Howard urged the council to compile a report on the amount of convictions under the council’s byelaws, with particular reference to recent difficulties with anti-social behaviour at Tim Smyth Park/Fairgreen.

Cllr Howard explained, “Over the past number of years, there have been problems with daytime and indeed night-time drinking.”

Cllr Howard added that the council erected a sign in the area to highlight the issue.

She said local people were concerned by the behaviour.

She told the meeting that groups of young people had been seen holding “drinking parties at night, sometimes by candlelight” near picnic tables in Tim Smythe Park.

Mr Power said, “The Garda Super- intendent has been contacted in relation to this matter and I will revert to you on receipt of his reply.”

Town Manager Ger Dollard said he had been told by gardaí that people caught drinking in public places have been dealt with under the public order act.

Concerns over anti-social behaviour at a new playground at Tim Smythe Park have led to calls for fencing to be installed.

Local residents say a six-foot fence, CCTV cameras and public lighting are required to prevent teenagers causing disruption.

A CLONLARA couple is this week mourning the loss of their sevenyear-old son, who died suddenly at the weekend.

Patrick (Pat) O’Callaghan, who was the son of the CEO of County Clare VEC George O’Callaghan and his wife Patsy, died suddenly while at school at the Model School in Limerick City on Friday.

The little boy was the only son of the O’Callaghans and had one sister Mary.

George O’Callaghan is well known in teaching circles in Clare and has been the head of the VEC for the past few years. He is a native of Quin and currently lives in Clonlara with his family.

Patrick O’Callaghan’s funeral will take place today (Tuesday) and tomorrow (Wednesday).

He will repose at his home this evening at Clonoughter, Clonlara, from 5pm to 8pm this evening. Requiem mass will take place in the Dominican Church, Limerick, tomorrow at 11.30am, followed by burial at Quin Abbey.

Tributes were paid to the child at a meeting of Clare County Council yesterday. Fine Gael Councillor Joe Arkins said, “The death of a child is a nightmare for parents.”

CLARE’S four TDs have started their term office in Leinster House by claiming nearly € 600 a day in expenses for the number of days the 31st Dáil has been in session in its first two months.

Figures secured by The Clare People this week have revealed that Deputies Pat Breen and Joe Carey (FG), Deputy Timmy Dooley (FF) and Deputy Michael McNamara (Lab) claimed the maximum amount of expenses for March and April of this year, even though the Dáil only sat 17 times in that two-month period.

Fine Gael colleagues, Deputies Breen and Carey, top the expenses league in Clare for these two months, each claiming € 10,091.68, a figure that’s broken down to € 5,045.84 for March and April respectively.

Deputy Timmy Dooley claimed € 4,982.84 per month in the same period for an aggregate expenses total of € 9,965.68, while Deputy Michael McNamara claimed € 4,951.84 for a total of € 9,903.68 for his first two months as a member of Dáil Éireann.

Meanwhile, the Oireachtas timetable of business in that period has revealed that the Dáil only sat for eight days in March and nine in April.

This means that in addition to earning an annual salary of € 92,672 a year, Clare’s four TDs who were elected in the February 25 General Election have claimed over € 40,000 between them in expenses for the 17 days that the Dáil sat.

The breakdown of those expenses reveal that for those 17 days that the Dáil convened, Deputies Breen and Carey each claimed € 593.62 per day, while Deputies Dooley and McNamara claimed € 586.21 and € 582.56 per day for the first two months.

A CLARE actress stars in an acclaimed new play that comes to Ennis next month.

Written and directed by Mick Donnellan, ‘Sunday Morning Coming Down’, tells the story centres on the McGuire family: Theresa, the long suffering mother; alcoholic father Joe and their sons Chris and John.

Based in the Mayo town of Ballinrobe, the drama follows the trials and tribulations of the McGuire family combining humour with moments of poignancy and emotional turmoil.

For Ballyvaughan actress Theresa Leahy, who first encountered the play when a friend emailed her a copy of the script, playing the McGuire ma- triarch has been one of her greatest experiences on stage.

She said, “She’s like a mother you’ve seen. She’s trying to hold the family together. She’s a proud strong woman who really believes in the sanctity of marriage. She’s religious and is just going to stay with this marriage. She’s trying to create a home in difficult circumstances with her husband’s drinking. I suppose she’s the most poignant part of it because you really see the effects of it on her. It’s the sadness against the hilarity of what’s going on in the pub and the stories that are going on outside.”

Theresa continued, “There are actually some very funny moments. That’s what so great about the play. One minute you are laughing you’re head off and that next minute you’re like, ‘oh what’s happening.’ It’s great.”

Theresa believes that the story, which sold out on its first run in Galway, strikes a particular chord with Irish audiences.

She explained, “Everyone has seen this, in friend’s houses, in villages. It’s a story that is everywhere but it’s never been written about. Everyone recognises the characters. The language is real. You know Theresa. You know what kind of person she is. You know Joe, you know that type of drinker. They are all recogniseable characters. It’s something in the soul of Irish people. It’s something that when you come and see the play, you’ll say you know these people.”

An active member of the theatre scene in Clare since moving to Ballyvaughan from Dublin 10 years ago, Theresa also studied science at Trinity College Dublin.

The mother of four has performed with the Burren Players and has helped guide Clare’s young actors and writers through her involvement with Clare Youth Theatre.

Last December, Theresa co-directed with Mairéad Ní Chonduin Canadh le Cheile, a project that saw 400 children from five schools in County Clare perform two unique concerts with original music and script.

Theresa said, “I think Clare is a real ‘can do’ county. If you can contribute someway then you can con- tribute. People are really happy to let you do that.”

Truman Theatre’s production of ‘Sunday Morning Coming Down’ comes to Glór on this Saturday, June 11.

Meanwhile another Clare actress Aoife McMahon, from Knocknamanna in Clarecastle, has landed the female lead in The Abbey’s forthcoming production of Brian Friel’s ‘Translations’.

The play, set in an Irish Hedge School in the early 19th century, begins on the famed Abbey Theatre stage on Thursday, June 23, with Aoife playing the part of Maire. Aoife (37) and a RADA graduate, previously starred in the TV series Random Passage .

NORTH Clare residents have been asked to be on the lookout for a 32year-old man who is believed to be hiding out in the Burren.

The man, who was last seen by the Doolin Unit of the Irish Coastguard in the Carron area in the early hours of yesterday (Monday) morning, is understood to be a survival expert, capable of surviving for weeks or even months alone in the wild. The Clare People understands that the man, who has been identified by gardaí as South Galway native James Geraghty, has been hiding out during daylight hours and moving around in search of food at night.

The man is not considered dangerous and is not wanted in relation to any crime, with gardaí treating the incident as a missing persons case and not a manhunt.

He was last spotted by a member of the Doolin Coastguard at 1.30am yesterday morning, close to Carron in North Clare. A number of other coastguard members arrived at the scene shortly after but could find no trace of the man.

James is described as being 5’ 9” in height, with short brown hair and blue eyes. When last seen, he was wearing a grey coat, woolly cap, black pants and black runners and was carrying a black knapsack.

A person matching that description was also spotted in the area around Mullaghmore in Corofin on Sunday and at Ballinderreen, just north of Kinvara, on Friday evening last.

A massive search involving the Doolin Coastguard Unit, local gardaí and members of the Galway Mountain Rescue took place on a large area of mountainous land between Slieve Carran and Abbey Hill on Saturday.

The search, which also utilised members of the SARDA Search Dog team and the Shannon Coastguard Rescue Helicopter was stood down on Saturday evening when no trace of the man was discovered.

“It was a very big operation involving 14 members of the coastguard, four volunteers from Galway Mountain Rescue as well as a number of guards,” said Matty Shannon of the Doolin Unit of the Irish Coastguard.

“We understand that the man is walking by night and hiding out during the day, which makes him difficult to track down. We went to Carron last night (Monday) with only three cars so as not to scare him off but he must have seen the lights from the cars.”

Anyone who may have seen James in recent days, or who has any information on his disappearance, should contact the Gardaí at Oranmore on 091 388030.

A KILDYSART couple, who provide round-the-clock care for their terminally ill son, say they will have to do the unthinkable and sign the six-year-old into the care of the State if there are any further cuts in the carers allowance or services provided by the HSE.

Bridget and Eugene Lorrigan have been providing round the clock care for six-year-old Jason who suffers from a number of serious mental and physical disabilities – the cause of which have never been diagnosed.

UNEMPLOYED males in the Newmarket-on-Fergus area are invited to take part in a focus group for a local community needs assessment.

Community group Obair is carrying out a community needs assessment, with a view to putting together a range of events for locals. The aim is that those who are struggling with any aspect of their lives will be helped out. It is also envisaged that the findings will play a key role in shaping the future of the village.

Obair is inviting residents in the village and surrounding areas to take part in the survey, particularly unemployed men.

Co-ordinator Kirsty Horner has been working on the project for the past few months and is hoping to have all the information gathered over the coming months. A public meeting will then be held and locals will be encouraged to attend this and present their ideas for the future of the village.

Focus groups have been carried out involving single parents and those representing people with disabilities and their findings will be made available at a later stage.

“We still require unemployed males, within Newmarket-on-Fergus, to come forward and be part of a focus group for the community needs assessment. It is important that we have their input so that it is a balanced piece of research.

“Their point of view matters, and is important in moving the needs of the community of Newmarket-on-Fergus forward. It will allow us to iden- tify the issues faced by unemployed males in Newmarket-on-Fergus,” said Ms Horner.

“We are targeting specific groups, for example one-parent families, people with disabilities, unemployed males and the elderly. The aim is to create a profile of Newmarket and find out what the needs are in the village and what is here already. . . what needs to be improved and what needs to be added,” she said.

“We will form a social inclusion committee, where people who have never been on a committee before will be involved,” she said.

“It is important that people get involved. It’s a chance for them to have their say,” she said.

Anyone wishing to get involved in the project should phone Kirsty in Obair on 061 368030.

A MILESTONE will be marked in West Clare later this month when Baltard National School celebrates its 100th anniversary.

On June 24, locals in Baltard, Doonbeg, will gather at the school for a Mass to mark the occasion. It will be followed by what promises to be a memorable evening of nostalgia. Old roll books will be wheeled out, while photographic exhibitions will also form a central part of the celebrations.

Past pupils, parishioners and all those who have been associated with the school over the years have been invited to the event.

Over the years, the school has been refurbished and in recent times, new technology has been added including interactive projectors and computer systems.

A booklet is being compiled for the occasion and anyone associated with the school over the years is invited to contribute to this.

The school has reduced in size over the years. When it first opened, there were up to 100 students. There are just nine students enrolled at the moment. The event will be hosted by the school’s board of management. Chairman Michael Haugh said, “In more recent years we have been struggling to keep going. We lost some young people moving on to other parishes.

“We have to try to increase the numbers. The catchment area is not big. We are depending on people to come in from outside. It has been a problem to keep the school going and to promote it,” he added.

“Nobody wants to see the school closing. It is a focal point. It is like a junction in a city there is so much traffic passing,” he added.

Anyone wishing to contribute should contact the school.

TWO new tourism businesses are set to open in Clare in the coming weeks as more than 150 local operators came together in Ennis last week to show that the county is open for business.

Corofin locals Darragh and Aisling Quinn are preparing to launch The Farmyard later this month, one of the most innovative eco-tourism businesses ever launched in Ireland.

Meanwhile, Quilty natives Shane Ryan and Laura O’Dwyer have just launched Sugar Island, a cafe and arcade which will provide tourists and locals with something interesting to do in Quilty.

Located in the shadow of Mullaghmore, The Farmyard aims to provide an authentic family farm experience to tourists young and old. Set on a fully working farm, it will cater for children’s summer camps from July but plans to cater for a number of different groups, including residential tourists in the future and also has its own tea room and farm shop which will offer the public the best of local produce.

“The idea is that different groups can come onto the farm and engage in very simple farm and garden activities, such as feeding the animals or working in our organic polytunnel to see how fruit and vegetable grow,” said Aisling Quinn. “We are not trying to pretend to be something that we’re not – this is an authentic farmyard experi- ence and there is a market for people to come and experience that.”

After returning home from abroad, Quilty native Shane Ryan decided that he wanted to do something to make his town a better place to live in.

“The place is split into two sections, the back has a big pool and games for the kids out the back and at the front section we have a cafe for the parents so they can relax while they keep an eye on the kids,” said Shane. “There is nothing anywhere around us like this. When I was growing up in Quilty there was nothing there for young people to do so we decided why not do something good for the local people and liven the place up a bit.”

Meanwhile, more than 150 Clare tourism operators participated in the Gala Clare Tourism Networking Evening at the Armada Hotel last week. The free business networking event featured more then 80 tourism information stands from all over the county.

AN INITIATIVE by students at one Ennis primary school to encourage the re-use of household items has been given the thumbs up by Taoiseach Enda Kenny.

Holy Family Senior School was the overall winner in Clare County Council’s ‘Give and Take’ competition, in association with the Free Trade Ireland website.

On Friday last, a delegation from the school attended the County Council offices for a presentation from the Mayor of Clare, Christy Curtin. The school received a new laptop while sixth class student Aoife Flouch won the overall students prize of a € 100 One-for-All voucher.

Teacher Eilís Sheedy explained, “Following this success, we were invited to Castlebar to the official launch of the Free Trade Ireland website. A delegation travelled to Castlebar on May 30. There, we were privileged to meet the Taoiseach Enda Kenny, who commended Aoife and the school on our success in the competition.”

FreeTrade Ireland is a web service designed to facilitate and encourage the reuse of household and business items.

There was also success for the Holy Family in the latest round of the Green Flag awards. The school received its second Green Flag at a ceremony in the Galway Bay Hotel on May 25. The school was commended for its initiatives on energy conservation. The school’s green code is “Wasting energy is not cool, turn off the lights and save our fuel.”

An Taisce awarded 14 Green Flags to Clare schools under the Green Schools programme

Clonmoney NS was awarded its first Green Flag for its work on litter and waste. A further 13 schools received Green Flags for their work on energy, water and travel including: Dangan NS; Holy Family Junior School, and Holy Family Senior School, Ennis; Lissycasey NS; Mary Immaculate Secondary School, Lisdoonvarna; Scoil na Mainistreach, Quin; Tubber NS; Clohanes NS; Colaiste Muire, Ennis; Scoil Realt na Mara in Kilkee; St Caimin’s Community School, Shannon; Querrin NS and Drumdigus NS.