Category: News

DOONBEG will play host this weekend to fundraising efforts which are expected to realise € 50,000 towards educating children in Nepal.

The Clare branch of the international Indreni Children’s Charity will host a series of fundraising events over the weekend, which will culminate with a gala dinner and concert by the Chieftains on Saturday night.

A golf classic will take centre stage on Friday at the golf club, while a si- lent charity auction will run throughout the weekend and a raffle for a BMW will also take place.

Indreni provides a home and private education for 30 previously abandoned street children in Kathmandu, Nepal.

It was founded in 2006 by Ram Hari Khadka and commanded interest in Clare the following year when Keith Molony from Ennis encountered Mr Khadka.

He set up a branch in Clare and todate € 30,000 has been collected in the county for the organisation.

According to one of those involved in this weekend’s events, Pat Connellan, the aim is to raise € 50,000, which will go towards educating the children.

Pending the success of this weekend’s events, there are plans in place to run a similar event on an annual basis.

“Hopefully we will do it every year. This is the first time this has been done anywhere.

There has been good support from the people of Clare,” he said.

He explained the background to the Clare link with this organisation. “Keith met Ram Hari while trekking in Tibet in 2007. From that day on, Keith started funding it himself.

“A few more of us got involved last year. People are paying so much a month.

“We raised money and went over to Nepal in October. A group of us spent time with the children and helped out. It showed us where the money is going,” he added.

“It’s not a case like Chernobyl where the children are brought over here.

“The biggest thing is paying for their education because education is a long term solution to so many problems.

“The initial plan is to make enough money to build a school.

“This weekend we hope to clear € 50,000 and that will go towards sourcing the land,” he said.

For more information on the event, click on www.doonbeggolfclub.com or www.indreni.org.

A NEW tourism publication will be highlighting the attractions of Clare to thousands of potential visitors in what is possibly one of the only home tourism sectors which still enjoys disposable income.

The magazine – which was launched at the weekend – is being produced in co-operation with one of the most influential publications for the over50’s, ‘The Senior Times’.

The 76-page publication will give a unique insight into the many activities and attractions in the Banner County, from a very personal perspective.

Aisling Travers of Shannon Development, who are funding the magazine, explains, “We asked people who are closely involved with various ac- tivities or places to each write a piece from their own personal experiences. For instance, Padraig Giblin who runs the angling school and centre wrote a beautiful piece about growing up on the shores of Lough Derg. Chris O’Neill, the Burren artist, wrote a piece on the experience of painting in the Burren. They’re all wonderful, personal accounts,” said Aisling.

The publication was launched at the Over-50s Show in Cork at the weekend. It will also be distributed at the Over-50s show in Dublin shortly.

“The seniors market is the most resilient in this recession. They still have their disposable income and they have the time and the interest to travel and to take breaks at home. We’re aiming to show seniors how attractive the region is for a home holiday.”

A MEMBER of Clare County Council has written to the Minister for the Environment, expressing concerns over the delayed completion of a housing estate in Shannon.

The letter was submitted to Phil Hogan by Independent Councillor Gerry Flynn in relation to the Cluain Airne housing development, which was brought to a standstill last year. At a meeting earlier this month, the Shannon Town Manager, Bernadette Kinsella said the council was not yet in a position to provide a date for completion of the 22-unit scheme.

The project got underway in June 2009 and it was initially envisaged that it would be completed within a year.

However, it was halted and those living in the immediate vicinity are demanding its resumption.

Town councillors expressed concern over the delay and took into account the residents’ frustrations.

Cllr Flynn said he was looking for answers to two questions:

“When is the start date and when is the finish date?”

Cllr Flynn told The Clare People that he has now submitted letters to both Phil Hogan and the Clare County Manager, Tom Coughlan.

“It’s like a saga at this stage,” said Cllr Flynn. He said he would like the circumstances surrounding the development to be outlined.

At the meeting, Ms Kinsella told councillors, “I share your total frustration.

“Without a doubt, it is a nuisance for the residents in the area. We have a significant level of expressions from people who are looking for a home.”

She said that the completion period from the time the work recommences until completion is 16 weeks, adding,

“But what I don’t have is a start date.” She said;

“There were delays in the retendering process. It had been our intention that we were expecting a nomination in January. The whole process is taking longer than anticipated.”

Cllr Flynn referred to the issue as a fiasco. Fine Gael Councillor Mary Brennan said that the people of Cluain Airne were “living their worst nightmare”.

A CAMPAIGN by students in Coláiste Mhuire to pay tribute to a former classmate and raise awareness of cancer among young people has been hailed as “creative, inspiring and positive”.

Transition-year students from the Ennis secondary school won two awards at the Young Social Innovators of the Year awards, which were held in Dublin last week.

Their project, ‘C the Bright Side’, was awarded the “Making our World Healthier – Physical Health” challenge award and they also received the ‘YSI Fun-raising Challenge’.

The students decided to base their project around the issue of cancer awareness, following the death last May of their friend, Ciara Conroy (16).

A student at Coláiste Mhuire, Ennis, Ciara was also involved with Can Teen Ireland, a nationwide sup- port group for young people who have or have had cancer.

Through various events and initiatives, the students raised almost € 500, the highest amount raised by any of the 350 projects who entered the competition.

The judges commended the students for a project that they said dealt with a “deeply sensitive personal issue in a way that was creative, inspiring and positive, through celebrating the life of a school friend”.

The project raised awareness of the issue of teen cancer and raised significant funds while leaving a lasting memorial of their friend, the judges said.

Over 5, 500 young people participated in Young Social Innovators’ project-based programme this year. Speaking at the ceremony, Sr Stanislaus Kennedy commended the winners and all the participants in Young Social Innovators 2011.

A NORTH Clare river ran dry in May for the first time in living memory following the unprecedented month-long dry spell experienced by the county.

The Cahir River, which enters the sea at Fanore in North Clare, dried up in late April and has remained dry for the last 10 days. The river drains hundreds of acres of the Cahir Valley, located between Ballyvaughan, Lisdoonvarna and Fanore, and is normally a fast flowing river at this time of the year.

According to Fanore native and local historian, Kevin McCormack, the river has on occasion run dry for a few days during a very hot summer – in late July or early August – but has never before run dry so early in the year.

“It is something that has never happened before at this time of the year. The river ran dry and has stayed dry for the last 10 days. There still is a small bit of water in the river further up in the stream but that has all seeped away before it gets down to the lower parts of the river,” he told The Clare People. Meanwhile fire services across the county have been stretched to breaking point in recent weeks as the recent dry spell has caused an “unprecedented” number of gorse, bog and grass fires across the county.

Clare’s Chief Fire Officer, Adrian Kelly, has condemned anyone who had started a fire deliberately in Clare in recent weeks.

“Such reckless actions have placed the lives of both members of the local community and also firefighters at risk. These fires have also destroyed hundreds of acres of gorse land, forestry and bogs, with negative consequences for property, tourism and wildlife,” he said.

Last month, the highest temperature record anywhere in Ireland was recorded in Clare.

THE business community in North Clare is bucking the national trend with four new businesses in Ennistymon opening their doors to the public over the last number of weeks.

This follows last Friday’s official opening of Banner Books on Parliament Street in the town, an event which comes hot on the heels of the opening of the Twinkle Toes shoe shop, cafe and arts venue The Blue Frog Cafe and the Upstairs Downstairs charity and second-hand shop.

According to Gerry Harrison, owner of Banner Books, the recession can be the perfect time to open a new business.

“There is a saying that there is no better time to start a new business than in a recession because the only way you can go is up.

“I don’t know if that is going to be true for myself or for the other new businesses in town but it is certainly encouraging to me to see that four new businesses have opened in Ennistymon in recent weeks,” said Gerry.

“I like Ennistymon very much and this is the fifth premises that I have looked at in the town. What I found was that, despite the recession, land- lords were extremely unwilling to drop their rents.

“You would assume that, given the recession and the fact that a lot of units are empty, people would be willing to drop their very high rents. It was difficult to find somewhere that was affordable.”

Banner Books will sell a large selection of second-hand books as well as a large selection of new local books and books about the Burren.

“The shop won’t be anything like a high street bookshop. Myself and Marcia, who has a lot of experience selling second-hand books in San Francisco, will not only greet the customers a little bit more warmly [than major high street booksellers] but will also have a large amount of knowledge about all the books which will be on the shelves,” continued Gerry.

“As well as that, we will have jazz playing on the sound system to help make people who want to come in and browse a little bit more comfortable.

“It is something a little bit different for Ennistymon and for County Clare. It is something a bit off-thewall and a bit non-typical.”

Gerry is a former Labour Party politician in London but moved to Clare to open a bookshop with his wife in 2006.

THE hero bus driver who jumped into a Kilnamona river to save a 60-yearold-woman from drowning says that anyone would have done the same thing under the circumstances.

Mike Goggins was taking a busload of American tourists from the Cliffs of Moher to Ennis when he came upon a serious car accident on the N85, at a location which was described yesterday as the “worst stretch of national secondary road in Ireland”.

Mike, who works for Paddywagon Tours, came upon the single-vehicle accident in which a car had left the road and landed, upside down, in the Shallee River. The bus driver leapt from his bus and down a 10-foot incline into the river where he freed the woman who had become trapped in her car, which was taking on water.

“There wasn’t any time to think but when you come across something like this, you don’t need to think, you just go. I was the first one down there but I think that if someone else had been there they would have been straight down there too,” the Kerry based driver told The Clare People yesterday.

“I jumped out and went straight down the bank. I thought the car was a large people carrier – so I was shouting into the car, asking were there any children inside. I could hear muffled sounds from the woman who said that there weren’t any children. The car was wedged perfectly into the river and the woman could not open the doors. I went around the back where the window was smashed, cleaned out some of the glass and went in. She was upside down and wedged in between the two seats and hanging from her seat belt.

“I tried to get her to stop moving because I wasn’t sure if she had a spinal injury but she was struggling and mov- ing a lot so I knew there wasn’t anything wrong with her spine. I got her out of the back seat and out of the back window of the car.”

According to Cllr James Breen (IND), a Kilnamona native, the road where the accident took place will claim a life in the future if safety works are not done.

“This is without doubt the worst stretch of national secondary road in Ireland. This road has been brought to the NRA’s attention in the past and they need to allocate some money for essential safety works before a very serious accident takes place here.” CLARE LADIES football team were resigned to being without star forward Eimear Considine for their Division 3 final against Fermanagh last Saturday as Eimear had exams in the University of Limerick on the morning with the game scheduled for a 1.45pm throw-in. A prolific scorer, the PE and Irish student in UL had played a starring role in Clare’s march to the final. But cometh the hour, cometh the Armada! John Burke of the Armada Hotel came to the rescue, flying Considine from the University of Limerick to Weston Aerodrome via helicopter before she was whisked to Parnell Park in time for the 1.45pm throw-in. It was worth the trip as the Kilmihill star hit 1-1 from play over the hour to more than play her part in Clare’s narrow win. It was a double celebration this weekend as Eimear also turned 20 on Sunday. For confidential enquiries call:

SHANNON Airport chiefs have turned to the business public for ideas and input into the formulation of a new masterplan for the development of the airport over the next decade.

The unprecedented decision to turn to business leaders in Clare in an effort to come up with the best possible plan to drive the airport going forward comes in the wake of the worst passenger figures recorded at Shannon in many years. The Clare People has learned that the new initiative, being spearheaded by Shannon Airport management, with the imprimatur of the DAA that governs the airport, began on April 28 last when business groups in Clare and beyond were invited to a think-tank aimed at kickstarting renewed development at Shannon.

“The new masterplan will provide a framework to ensure timely delivery of infrastructure,” documentation secured by The Clare People this week says.

“The Master Plan is required to enable DAA to provide a clear direction for the Airport to ensure it develops in a strategic way so that the potential of all aspects of the business are optimized,” a Shannon Airport spokesperson said on Monday.

“A key element in drafting such a plan is to elicit the opinions of airport stakeholders,” he added.

The move to plan for Shannon’s future has also been heralded in light of the fact that the current blueprint for the former hub of the aviation world is over a decade old and, in that time, passenger numbers have fallen sharply.

In February, confidential Dublin Airport Authority figures revealed that passenger numbers at Shannon dropped dramatically and were approaching levels not seen since the early 1990s. In January, 92,000 passengers passed through the airport, a 37.4 per cent drop on the same month in 2010.

This figure comes on top of a similarly poor performance at the airport for the full 12 months of 2010 when 1,755,900 passengers used the airport, 37.2 per cent down on the 2,794,563 passengers that used the facility in 2009.

Shannon has experienced a 52 per cent drop since its peak in 2006, when 3,639,046 passengers used the airport, and 2010 passenger numbers were similar to 1996 levels.

The figures also forecast that if the rate of decline experienced in January continued throughout 2011, then the airport will only handle 1.1 million passengers for the year, a figure not experienced in 20 years. The Clare People can reveal that strict criteria have been laid out for the formulation of the new plan. Business groups in Clare have until this Friday to make submissions to the airport authorities.

Under the timeline schedule set down by the airport authorities, the identification of Shannon’s future requirements will be formulated in June in time for the completion of a draft plan in July, while the final masterplan will be completed and published in September.

A GROUP of Clare parents have vowed to continue to fight to improve services for children with diabetes.

It is estimated that 3,500 children have type one diabetes; almost 100 of who are from Clare. Those children are referred to Galway or Limerick for treatment, while several are sent to Dublin.

Last Wednesday, a national campaign was launched in an effort to improve support for children with diabetes and the Clare branch is playing an integral role in this.

Secretary of the Diabetes ac- tion Advocacy Campaign in Clare, Gráinne Flynn is involved in a campaign to improve services for people with disabilities.

“Type one is the type of diabetes that just comes out of nowhere. It is the less common type. It is a grass roots campaign in that it encourages people in the community to encourage others to get involved,” said Ms Flynn.

She said the campaign is aimed at ensuring more resources are made available to assist children with type one diabetes.

“In Clare, children with type one diabetes are either referred to the diabetes pediatric centre in Limerick or Galway and because the services for children with diabetes in Ireland are generally very poor, the services in Galway and Limerick are under resourced,” she said.

“Parents need a more complete service,” she added.

“When parents start to demand better care they are referred to the three centres in Dublin and they can’t cope with the added pressures. It’s a vicious circle,” she said.

“We are looking for the establishment of eight diabetes paediatric networks to deliver care in Ireland. That would mean that the centres in Limerick and Galway are properly staffed and resourced. They are not at the moment,” she added.

“Children and adolescents with diabetes should attend a hospital four to five times a year to monitor their diabetes. Because some children are referred to Dublin, they have to take a full day off school to attend their appointments,” she said.

“The fact that these centres are not fully resourced means that 50 per cent of the children with type one diabetes will develop long-term complications of diabetes like kidney disease, eye damage or nerve damage,” she added.

THE Killone Group Water Scheme will be forced to cease production in the coming weeks due to a lack of funding, the scheme’s chairman has warned.

Murt Redington said the scheme is in a “severe financial predicament” and he has described the situation as “becoming critical”.

The Killone plant, which was built at a cost of around € 900,000 in 2007, serves an estimated 3,000 homes, farms and commercial businesses in the wider Clarecastle area.

Mr Redington’s concerns are outlined in a letter to councillors, TDs and officials at Clare County Council.

He writes, “It appears from our projections that water production will have to cease in or about mid-May unless the subsidies held and capital works grants due to us are paid to us. As we intend to hold an EGM / AGM in the near future, we will be informing members of the group scheme of these difficulties.”

In the letter, Mr Redington requests the support of local representatives as a “matter of urgency”.

He adds, “As mentioned above, our current projections are to midMay but, in the event of unforeseen circumstances, we may be forced to cease pumping due to funding insufficiency.”

The matter of funding for the scheme was raised by Cllr Johnny Flynn (FG) at yesterday’s meeting of councillors in the Ennis East Electoral Area.

Ennis Town Manager and Director of Service at Clare County Council Ger Dollard, told the meeting that discussions are ongoing between representatives from the Killone Group Water Scheme and the Council’s water services section.