Category: News

CLARE Fianna Fáil TD Timmy Dooley is the only Oireachtas representative in the county with a property portfolio outside his primary place of residence that generates income, new figures secured by The Clare People his week have revealed.

The 2010 register of interests for TDs published last Friday show that Deputy Dooley, a poll topper in the 2007 General Election in Clare and was recently returned to Dáil Éireann for a second term, is also a landlord in Dublin, from which he derives income.

The Mountshannon man, who is hotly tipped to become a member of Micheál Martin’s front bench team later this month, owns a semi-dectached house in South Dublin and an apartment in the city centre.

IT’S HOPED that up to 1,000 women will turn out pretty in pink next month for the second Clare walk to raise awareness of and cash for breast cancer support services.

The second annual Killaloe Pink Ribbon Walk will take place through the picturesque town of Killaloe and around the stunning shores of Lough Derg on May 28.

The 10k walks starts out at the Lakeside Hotel and winds around the lake finishing at the hotel again.

Last year, 550 people turned up to join in the inaugural event in Killaloe, and the town showed its support by businesses decorating their windows in Pink, households hanging out pink flags and even bras and every walker dressing in pink. A toatl of € 80,000 was raised for Action Breast Cancer. A spokeswoman for the organisers said that there is “an enormous sense of solidarity among women and men on the issue. Everyone knows someone who has been affected by breast cancer. The walk is an opportunity to show support for loved ones who are affected by breast cancer.”

To register to take part log on to www.pinkribbonwalk.ie. The site also includes tips on training, keeping fit, fundraising ideas and details of upcoming events.

A 58-YEAR-OLD man has appeared before Ennis District Court charged with threatening his son with a loaded shotgun.

Patrick Moloney, with an address at Gaurus, Ennis, was present in court on Friday as Insp Tom Kennedy described details of the incident.

Insp Kennedy told the court that the charges relate to an incident that occurred at the home of Mr Moloney’s wife, where it is alleged that Mr Moloney threatened his son Joseph Moloney with a shotgun. Insp Kennedy told the court that no one was hurt in the incident. Judge Joseph Mangan declined jurisdiction in the case and remanded Mr Moloney on bail until May 6. He also ordered the preparation of a book of evidence.

WHEN YOU hear the word Chernobyl, images of the hundreds and thousands of innocent people affected by the tragic nuclear accident quickly spring to mind. Next perhaps, you might think of the scores of Irish volunteers who regularly visit Belarus and, when ever possible, bring young children home to Clare for a much needed holiday and the therapy of simple fresh air.

When you hear about Chernobyl however, you don’t often imagine a cramped warehouse in a quiet corner of Ennistymon and the endless sorting of box after box of donated goods. But that is where much of the real work of the Burren Chernobyl Project takes place, where the ordinary heroes of the charity work round the clock to make it all possible.

Linda Kelleher and Ann Marie Jones work in the Ennistymon office of the Burren Chernobyl Project. After joining the charity just six months ago the pair have been busy preparing for the first shipment of the year to Belarus and organising this summer’s many volunteer trips to orphanages in Chernobyl.

“I just wanted to do something that was of value, something that you could give back to the community,” says Ann Marie.

“I’ve done a bit of voluntary work with charities before. It’s quite fulfilling and it is very rewarding to see all the donations of clothes and bed- ding and everything. I was amazed at how much people will give.”

Both Linda and Ann Marie have been blown away by the generosity of local people who have been donating to the charity. “We made some posters when we got here, it was the first thing we did. We were looking for donations and straight away, within the same week, they were in. People were very generous,” said Linda. “We get a lot of phone calls during the day. Mainly it’s people wondering how they can help and wondering about getting to Gorodishche or Cherven, which are the main two orphanages that we deal with out there. “They want to know how to go there, what they need, how to sort out visas and what they could do there.” Both Linda or Ann Marie have yet to visit Belarus, so they always recommend that a potential volunteer talks to someone who has been over there before they decid to go. In the coming weeks the Burren Chernobyl Project is hosting a number fundraising activities including their big sponsored walk on Easter Monday and a charity concert. “We have the sponsored walk coming up on Easter Monday which we organised and put up posters and do the advertising for that and we also take part,” continued Linda. “We’re hoping to go out ourselves, even over a weekend trip, just to see the orphanages and get a feel for what’s going on. We have had a volunteer come in and speak to us about what actually happens and her knowledge was brilliant; about how it’s very sad and upsetting but it’s very rewarding.”

AN Ennis man charged with punching his friend has been told by a judge that he must enter a treatment programme for drug and alcohol abuse.

Cathal McNamara (19) with an address at Old Military Barracks, Kilrush Road, Ennis, appeared be- fore Ennis District Court on Friday, accused of striking another man at Lifford Road on February 20.

Inspector Tom Kennedy told the court that gardaí arrested the accused, who was found to be intoxicated, at the scene. The court heard that the man is currently serving a prison sentence imposed at Ennis District Court last month.

Solicitor for the accused, Tara Godfrey, told the court that her client had been involved in a physical altercation with a friend. She said the two men are still friends.

Ms Godrey said her client had tried to turn his life around. She said Clare Youth Service and Slainte drugs and alcohol counselling service had written letters to the court on her client’s behalf.

“He had made progress but has slipped off the wagon,” she added.

Ms Godfrey asked Judge Joseph Mangan not to extend the period of detention. She said that her client is able to avail of treatment services in Limerick prison and is “drying out”.

“Any period beyond that would be counter-productive,” she added.

Judge Joseph Mangan remanded the man on custody until his release date of June 3. He added that he wanted to see if the man has commenced a full treatment programme of drug and alcohol abuse.

Judge Mangan added that it would be “a shame” if the man wasn’t on good behaviour for the rest of his sentence.

WELL-KNOWN Clare horse trainer Noel Glynn was carrying the hopes of an entire county in Saturday’s Grand National, but at the same time he was the victim of a theft at his home in Spancilhill, Gardai have reported.

Clare Crime Prevention Officer, Sgt Joe Downey, revealed that sometime between10.50am and 11pm on Saturday, when Mr Glynn and his family were in Liverpool for the Grand National, a number of items were stolen from his Durra House home. These included a sum of money, a car, a safe and a shotgun.

It was just one of a number of burglaries in the county over the past week, two of which were aggravated burglaries.

Last Saturday between 10pm and 10.30pm four men with balaclavas burns into a house in Kilferagh, Kilkee. “They intimidated the elderly occupant and demanded money from him,” Sgt Downey revealed. “They occupant was not injured but is very traumatised by this incident,” he added.

Meanwhile, in Ennis on April 4 at 9.15pm, a house on the Clare Road in Ennis was broken into. “He intimidated the elderly occupant to obtain money,” revealed Sgt Joe Downey.

“He searched and ransacked all the rooms in an effort to locate any valuables. A suspect has been ar- rested for this crime and enquiries are ongoing. The occupant was not injured but very traumatised by this incident,” he added.

Meanwhile Kilkishen residents are being asked to co-operate with gardai and keep a close eye on neighbours who live alone following a meeting in the village last week.

A break-in locally and concerns about crime prompted the Kilkishen Development Association to call a public meeting to see what coan be done to make the village a no-go area for burglars and other criminals.

“We had a very active community watch group in Kilkishen some years ago. It had been considered that that could be revived but after a discussion it was decided that asking people to be aware and co-operating with the gardai is a better route forward rather than having local patrols,” said Development Association chairman, Mike Hogan.

The Association is appealing to local people to keep an eye out for any suspicious activity or strangers calling to doors and to report anything untoward to the Gardai in Tulla.

“We would ask people to be concious of looking out for people who live alone locally and particularly elderly people. The break-in shows that we need to be alert. Being concious of what’s going on in the village is a good way to deter crime.” Mike said.

TOURISM interests on the Clare side of Lough Derg are banding together to create a range of activities and packages to take advantage of the imminent launch of seaplane services into Mountshannon.

A meeting of tourism providers in Pepper’s Pub in Feakle heard from Seaplane CEO Emyly Heapes that plans are running on-schedule for the first commercial flight to land in Mountshannon in mid-May.

“We hope to have the airstrip up and licenced by then,” he told The Clare People .

Mr Heapes told the meeting of more than 20 Clare tourism providers that he wants them to be creative and give people cause to stay in the Lough Derg area and spend their money.

“We’ll bring them in but the business people need to give visitors a reason to come here. Flyfishing classes, packages, horse-riding, golfing – whatever it takes to bring people in. We have to pull together and help ourselves, because if anyone is waiting for the Government to bring business in for them, they’re out of their minds. It won’t happen,” Emylyn said.

Gary Pepper, a member of the East Clare Tourism Forum, said that he is very optimistic about the new service bringing extra vistors and revenue to East Clare. “We would like to see a scaled down version of Shannon Airport in East Clare when these planes arrive. Anything which brings people in is to be welcomed. We need every advantage we can get.”

The Feakle publican said that the area “has fantastic things to offer. We have walking trails, boating, water sports, fishing, golf, music, food – everything and Lough Derg is the nerve centre of all that. Now we have to work together to attract people to use the new service and to come here.”

It’s envisaged that the seaplane service will ferry passengers between Mountshannon, Cork and Galway.

The proposal ran into stormy waters when it was originally proposed, with objections from a number of bodies and individuals who feared that landing planes would interfere with boating and wildlife on the lake.

LAHINCH Cricket Club hope to be able to play their first ever home match later this year following the outcome of last week’s AGM of the Lahinch Community Field Committee.

Following a stormy meeting in the Claremont Hotel in Lahinch last Monday night, none of the eight members from last year’s committee were returned for 2011.

The cricket club, along with a number of other local sports clubs, claim to have been denied access to the field in recent years. They have been training at the North Clare Amenity Park in Lisdoonvarna for more than a year now but they confirmed to The Clare People yesterday that they will make an application to use the Lahinch facility in the coming days.

Sporting Ennistymon, who also claim to have been denied access to the field in previous years, presented an application to use the field to the new committee after Monday night’s meeting.

“Now that a new committee has been elected, we feel that the door has been opened to us to play home matches and bring the Lahinch Cricket Club home to Lahinch,” said Colm Humpreys of the Lahinch Cricket Club.

“I would be very reluctant to pull out of Lisdoonvarna because they were so good to us there when we needed them but we are the Lahinch Cricket Club and we want to play our home matches in Lahinch.

“Ideally, we could continue to train in Lisdoonvarna and play our home matches in Lahinch.”

Sporting Ennistymon have applied for its Under 11, Under 13 and Junior members to be allowed to use the field. Spokesperson Tom Nestor yesterday wished the newly elected committee well and said that it was still possible that some of this year’s FAI AGM could take place in Lahinch.

“From Sporting Ennistymon’s point of view, we are looking forward to working with this new committee and to getting back to our ancestral home,” he said.

“We owe a lot to the wonderful facility in Lisdoonvarna – the club would have been forced to basically disband had it not been for them, and we are very thankful for all their help. We have made an application for three teams to play in Lahinch and we are hopeful that this will be looked upon favourably.”

The new committee in full are Eddie Crowe, Marie Vaughan, Adam Coleman, Brendan Scales, John Clair, Beatrice Ryan, Kenneth Kenny, Deirdre Murphy, Denis O’Sullivan, Michael Rouine, Bill Slattery and Tommy Rush.

RESIDENTS in Fergus Park have “significant concerns” over plans by the Office of Public Works (OPW) to build a new river walkway at the rear of the estate, a meeting has heard.

Speaking yesterday, Cllr Johnny Flynn (FG) said that residents are opposed to the new footpath and handrail to be installed as part of amendments to the River Fergus lower (Ennis) certified drainage scheme.

The changes were discussed at yes- terday’s monthly meeting of Ennis Town Council.

In a letter to the council, Brendan McDermott, OPW flood project management services, said it has been necessary to amend the original scope of the drainage scheme.

Mr Long said, “This work is due to commence shortly and these amendments will have an impact on your property.”

According to the notice, reinforced concrete floodwalls with natural limestone cladding will be constructed along the visible faces, along the left riverbank in the Fergus Park to Knox’s bridge. Works will also include the reinstatement of surrounding ground while all existing surface water outfalls are to be fitted with a tidefex valve.

The notice adds, “New footpath and hand railing to be installed. Wall and footpath approximately 1.25m above garden levels.”

Cllr Flynn said local residents were concerned about the development. He told the meeting that the nearby CBS primary school had successfully objected to the walk being extend- ed along the rear of the premises.

“A lot of the residents don’t want the river walk,” he said.

Cllr Flynn called for the river wall to be improved at the 1916 memorial near the Club Bridge. He said he had heard of an incident where a man had fallen over the wall at the weekend. Cllr Flynn said the wall should be raised or railings should be installed.

The notice of works for the Fergus (lower) draining scheme was welcomed by Cllr Peter Considine (FF).

FRIDAY was a special night for one of Clare’s best-known musical clans as four generations of the O’Donoghue family shared the stage in Ennis. Paddy O’Donoghue (83), his son Cyril, granddaughter Leanne O’Donoghue and great-granddaughter Aoibhinn Begley performed together at ‘The apple didn’t fall far from the tree’, the first in a series of concerts due to be performed at Glór, Ennis, which celebrate Clare musicians who have inherited their love of music from their parents. The family performed the ‘Rose of Killagh’, a song that appeared on bouzouki player Cyril O’Donoghue’s 2008 album. “Leanne actually sang on the album when she was 10. It was great to get everyone together on stage. Four generations, it’s unusual that you’d get them altogether,” explained Cyril. Paddy O’Donoghue, a founding member of the Tulla Céilí Band is one of Clare’s best-known musicians. Cyril said Friday was a very proud night for his father. He added, “He was delighted, over the moon of course. He brought his first album three years ago. He has been sick so it was great to get to get the album done. There was a book of his music that came out a few years ago, Ceol an Chláir .” Cyril, who now lives in Shannon, recalled how he learned to play music from his “father and grandfather and all the musicians around east Clare”. He added, “The whole family is nearly involved in music. We’ll always be playing something. You come into the house and there are instruments all over the place.”