Category: News

MULLAGH Entire Drama Group is celebrating a decade of bringing fun, thought and entertainment to the people of west Clare.

The amateur dramatic society is marking its 10th anniversary by entering its latest play in competition for the very first time, when it takes part in the Doonbeg Drama Festival early next month.

The group will perform ‘A Wake in the West’ written by playwright Michael Joe Ginnelly.

Set in the 1960s in a rural village in the west of Ireland the play explores drink, relationships, the role of the clergy and poverty.

“It is a comedy with a twist,” explained actor Anthony Morrissey.

And while the group will be entering a competition for the first time, the area has a long tradition of drama and plays.

The people of Mullagh took to the stage long before this relatively new group was formed by the ICA a decade ago. Back then the first play was written and directed by Eilis Merriman. The drama group has expanded and developed since then, and now boasts up to 25 members.

“The goal has been to bring a play to Doonbeg and take the group to the next level,” said Mr Morrissey.

Those wishing for a sneak preview of the play before it enters it first competition can see it in Mullagh Hall on Friday next, February 25, or Sunday February 27. The play will also take to the stage in Mullagh on March 20. Doors will open at 7.30pm with curtin at 8.30pm.

A KILRUSH widower has told how his late wife received a “confidential” letter from Breastcheck last week, inviting her for screening, ten years to the day after her sudden death.

Nora Ann Comerford died in her sleep on February 17, 2001.

On February 17, 2011 a letter arrived addressed to the deceased mother and wife marked “Strictly Private and Confidential, Strictly Addressee Only”.

Her husband Brian said he was shocked to see any post arrive for his late wife, especially on her tenth anniversary.

“Naturally, I assumed, it was one of the Spanish Lottery Scams. I open it and it reads: “Dear Ms Comerford, I would like to welcome you to BreastCheck,” he said.

The letter was informing Ms Comerford that her appointment for breast cancer screening would arrive in the post.

It also explained that the national cancer screening service could have got her name, address and date of birth from several Government agencies and health insurance records including the Department of Social and Family Affairs (now called the Department of Social Protection), the General Medical Services and private health insurance companies.

“While we make every effort to en- sure that the Breastcheck population register is accurate, there are rare instances where errors may occur,” the letter said.

Mr Comerford, who once worked for the Department of Social Welfare, said that he found it amazing that his wife was still on any register at this time, as he had removed her name from the register of electors, had registered her death and a bereavement grant had been paid out on her death.

“If they can get this wrong after ten years there has to be a lot more,” he said.

A spokesperson from BreastCheck said she could appreciate how distressing this would be for any fam- ily, but added such occurrences are extremely rare.

She said as there is no national database of births and deaths, BreastCheck relies on data from other agencies.

“Unfortunately we can only confirm accuracy by sending a letter,” she said.

A national register of deaths was created in 2004, six years after Ms Comerford’s death.

BreastCheck finally began routinly screening women for breast cancer from September 27 last year, 12 years after it was first set up.

The National Cancer Screening Service provides women aged 50 to 64 with free mammograms.

THE war of the posters in Clare continued this week and this time within Fine Gael.

A directive was issued on February 11 from National Fine Gael director of elections Phil Hogan TD stating that canvassing in the Shannon Electoral area was to be left solely to local candidate and mayor of Shannon Cllr Tony Mulcahy.

However supporters of the mayor claim that his colleague Deputy Pat Breen (FG) continued to erect posters in the area well after the directive was given.

They pointed to a large poster declaring Deputy Breen’s support for the airport which they say was placed over a poster of the three Fine Gael Candidates in Clare – Deputy Breen, Deputy Joe Carey and Cllr Mulcahy. It also showed no preferences for the other candidates.

Speaking last night Deputy Breen said he took all of his posters out of the area after the directive was issued, and moved them to Ennis and the surrounding areas.

“We were told not to go into Shannon and I won’t go into Shannon,” he said.

Cllr Mulcahy said he was extremely disappointed by the issue.

“It wouldn’t be the Fine Gael way and it wouldn’t be my way. My reputation has always been as a team player within the party.”

When asked by The Clare People if he was canvassing the Shannon Electoral Area, Deputy Joe Carey (FG) said he did not want to comment.

In the 2007 General Elections Fine Gael returned two candidates in Clare having run four candidates.

The breakdown of the vote in the Shannon Electoral Area, which includes Kilkishen, Sixmilebridge and Meelick as well as Shannon town, saw Cllr Mulcahy taking the majority of the vote when the town of Shannon was included.

Eliminating the town however saw a vote of more than 700 for Deputy Breen, just under 600 for Deputy Carey, more than 400 for Cllr Mulcahy and 200 for fellow candidate Madeleine Taylor Quinn.

Posters have also proved problematic for two of Clare’s Independent candidates who were forced to take them back down from polls and lampposts around the county last month under the threat of a litter fine.

Both James Breen and Jim Connolly were told at the time that they were in breech of the litter act, as the election had not been officially called.

Last week Fianna Fáil candidates Timmy Dooley TD and Dr John Hillery reported to Gardaí that more than a thousand of their posters had been removed.

THOUSANDS of jobs could be created in the renewable energy sector in Clare over the next decade following the news that a number of private and public sector companies are preparing to invest more than € 2 billion in different projects in the county.

According to Pat Stephens of the Limerick Clare Energy Agency, a number of multinational utility companies are currently seeking to invest in excess of € 2 billion in a series of wind, wave, tidal and biomass projects in Clare.

This investment could see Clare transformed into one of the leading areas for renewable energy, not just in Ireland but in the world.

This news comes after the launch of a new Integrated Strategy on Energy and Climate Change by the Clare County Development Board (CDB) last week.

“Clare has world class renewable energy resources in the areas of wind, wave, tidal, and biomass energy. These resources will be harnessed to create clean energy and great wealth for the county and the country,” said Mr Stephens, who is also the chairman of the steering committee that delivered the new integrated strategy.

“The strategy will focus on ensuring that Clare maximises the benefits from the development of its natural renewable energy resources, and the establishment of a Low Carbon County.”

While no specific targets for local job creation were outlined in the strategy, it is believed that an investment in the region of € 2 billion could lead to hundreds or perhaps thousands of high skilled jobs being created in the county.

“This comes at a time when the country is searching for solutions to many social and economic issues. Ireland’s economy is suffering badly in the global recession and County Clare has been affected,” said Cllr Joe Arkins (FG), chairperson of the County Clare Development Board.

“The county has also felt the finan- cial effects of climate change during severe flooding and freezing weather last winter. Despite having abundant renewable energy resources the county and country are also heavily dependent upon imported fossil fuels to support our society and economy.”

According to the director of the Clare County Development Board, Ger Dollard, developing a low carbon economy is a central policy issue for all developed countries.

“The Low Carbon Society and Economy is defined by its use of local renewable energy resources. As such the economic activity is underpinned by secure clean energy,” said Mr Dollard.

THE Burren will be officially named as Ireland’s second ever ecotourism destination at a ceremony in Ballyvaughan next month.

This designation is the culmination of more then two years of work by the Burren Ecotourism Network – a host of local businesses and organisations in the area.

Ecotourism involved a move away from traditional mass-tourism and towards providing visitors with a more individual, more person tourist experience in Clare.

The classification of the Burren as an official ecotourism destination could become a major long-term driver for the local tourism industry. It is predicted that the ecotourism movement will become one of the primary drivers if tourism in Ireland in the coming years.

The Burren Ecotourism Network hope that this brand of tourism will encourage visitors to stay for longer in the county, spend more money in the area and cause less impact on the environmental and social make-up of the Burren.

Co-ordinated by the Burren Connect Project in Ennistymon, the network has seen a wide variety of north Clarebased businesses coming together for a series of mentoring days, local cleanups and education events designed to improve the tourism product offered in the Burren region. The group has been working to gain accreditation from Ecotourism Ireland and in piloting Ireland’s first ecotourism certification programme. A number of local businesses are due to receive their own individual accreditation from Ecotourism Ireland this month.

“The network is offering visitors opportunities to engage with the protected landscape of the Burren in a manner which is sustainable both in terms of the environment as well as the community,” said Edel Hayes of the Burren Connect Project.

“Accommodation, food, farming, outdoor activities, culture and heritage are all part of the network, which has woven together all the elements that make the area attractive to visitors looking for authentic tourism experiences. Tourism businesses involved in the network are committed to local produce, conservation and the community, as well as to continuing high standards in sustainability.”

The Burren Ecotourism Network elected its first committee last year with Joanna McInerney of the Burren Outdoor Education Centre elected as chairperson; Marie Neylon of Corofin Camping and Hostel elected as secretary and Orla Vaughan of Kilfenora Hostel and Chris O’Neill of Burren Painting Centre elected as joint treasurers. The network will be officially launched at Gregans Castle Hotel in Ballyvaughan on March 3.

A SIX-MONTH suspension of commercial rates in Ennis and greater independence for Shannon Airport were among the main commitments sought by businesses from Clare’s General Election candidates, at a public meeting last week.

Michelle Madden, of Madden’s Furniture told the meeting in Ennis last week that her family had been in business for 99 years in Ennis.

She said Madden’s, which employs five people, pays € 16,500 in commercial rates to Ennis Town Council every year. “High rates are rates are closing businesses,” she claimed.

Ms Madden added that rates should be determined on profit and not the size of a business. She called on the council to suspend rates for six months.

Local publican and representative of the Vintner’s Federation of Ireland (VFI) Gerry Collins, said that instead of having 20 shop units closed in Ennis, it would be better if the council lowered rates “and kept half of them open”.

Gerry Barry of Clare Trade Supplies said that businesses were finding it very hard to pay rates. He said businesses had to cut costs to survive and the council must do likewise.

CEO of Ennis chamber Rita McInerney told the meeting that businesses in Ennis paid € 5.5 million in rates to Ennis Town Council last year. She described the business community as a “significant stakeholder” that should have a greater voice at local government level.

However, Green Party candidate and Ennis councillor Brian Meaney said that without commercial rates, the council would not be able to provide essential services to the public.

He said there had been no increase in rates in Ennis for the past three years and any suspension would represent a “serious deficit in income” for the council.

He said water charges and domestic rates were needed to fund local government.

“Which library are we going to close? How are we going to salt roads?” asked Cllr Meaney.

He added, “These are very real services that have to be paid for.”

The meeting also heard pleas for greater promotion of Shannon Airport.

Pat McCarthy of Pat McCarthy Shoes described Shannon as the “nucleus” of the economy in the midwest.

Addressing the candidates, Mr McCarthy said, “Please, please, please go to the Shannon Airport Authority and get Shannon moving the way it was when I came to Clare.”

Brian O’Neill, Managing Director of the Rowan Tree Hostel and Restaurant, called for a dedicated marketing strategy for Shannon and for the “ridiculous” travel tax to be abolished.

A GENERAL Election in Clare would not be the same if Shannon Airport wasn’t one of the biggest burners of the day. Indeed, it’s doubtful if there’s been an election campaign this past 30 years without the airport’s future being up for discussion.

“The rights of Shannon have always been protected under Fianna Fáil governments, no matter what the circumstances,” said Charles Haughey during the 1987 election campaign.

“There were often threats from different quarters, but we always stood by Shannon. As long as there is a Fianna Fáil government in office, the future of Shannon is assured. Fianna Fáil and Shannon are synonymous with national progress and will be for a long time to come,” Haughey added.

Those words must haunt Fianna Fáil now, because Shannon has been grievously wronged by Fianna Fáil governments, from the abolition of the Shannon Stopover in 1993 onwards.

The current state of ill-health with the airport was graphically illustrated recently when a survey of 300 airports revealed that passenger numbers at Shannon dipped by 37.2 per cent in 2010 – the biggest drop in Europe.

Yes, it’s crisis time for Shannon. The potential to develop the airport is still there, but this past generation it has gone un-tapped. The incoming government has to act because the survival of Shannon is at stake.

Fianna Fáil has failed miserably to live up to Charles Haughey’s words failed to such an extent that the party has no representation on Shannon Town Council.

Fine Gael and Labour have made soundings about making Shannon “great again”. But is the political will there? Is the will there to give fair treatment to an airport that has been under the thumb of Dublin for many years.

Independence for Shannon Airport is one way.

A new Irish Airport Authority, where Dublin, Shannon and Cork are equal partners, ensuring Dublin doesn’t have the whip hand on Clare, is another way.

Handing over Shannon to Michael O’Leary and giving him incentives to make the airport is hub of operations is another way.

One thing is certain – something has to be done and done fast.

Or else the hares John Dillon talked about back in the 1940s will be on their way. The tumbleweed Michael O’Leary talked about too.

FRESH from his success at the World Press Photography Awards, Corofin photographer Kenneth O’Halloran was one of the big winners at the Press Photographers’ Association of Ireland Awards that were announced in Dublin on Friday.

O’Halloran claimed four prizes on the night, scooping first, second and third prizes in the Portrait category, while he also was placed second in the Daily Life category.

He was awarded first prize for his photograph of a young girl with her geese, second prize for a shot of a girl in a pub and third for a cryptic image of Mis Africa Ireland, which the judges said “at first glance, this could be a portrait about Africa, it is in fact an Irish portrait with extraordinary good use of light and colour with a clever subject matter”.

Freelance and former Clare People and Clare Champion photographer, Eamon Ward, won second prize in the Reportage category for a photograph titled ‘Chernobyl’s Human Cost’ and third place in the Daily Life Category for ‘Country Gents’.

Clare Champion staff photographer John Kelly was also among the winners for his Christmas Day photograph called ‘Ice Cycle’.

SITTING amongst 100 or so people in Drumbiggle at the General Election meeting, one could not help but notice a considerable representation for minority groups.

With 50 members of the Travelling community present, and maybe 10 or more foreign nationals, the questions being hurled at the candidates mainly focused on the difficulties now facing marginalised people; the closure of adult education centres; the cuts in welfare and many other problems.

Also present was Colette Bradley, from Ennis Community Development Project, and Orla Ní Eilí, from the Clare Immigrant Support Centre, who are the official representation, of sorts, for the minority groups.

“We have been turning up to these meetings to get politicians to sign a protocol that they promise they will use their voices sensibly, instead of jumping on marginalised people and using them to highlight issues in the recession,” said Orla Ní Éilí.

“We’re aiming to dispel people’s misconceptions. Recently two politicians rang us saying that some people were giving out about travellers and foreign nationalists abandoning buggies because they didn’t have to pay for them,” said Colette Bradley.

“But this is far from the case, and we want to make people aware of the exact difficulties facing minority groups. And we also don’t want this to be something that could be left behind due to all the other problems that are facing Ireland,” she added.

Anne Cronin pledged that if she didn’t succeed in this election, that she would mentor someone from these groups, and make sure they had proper representation in 2016. Other politicians did, however, promise not to forget the problems of the minorities when they get into power.

CLARE TDs in the next Dáil have agreed to meet with business leaders in the county four weeks after taking office to discuss how Clare can become the first county in Ireland to exit recession.

The pledge was made by 14 of Clare’s 16 General Election candidates, either present or represented, at a public meeting attended by almost 220 business owners in Ennis last Wednesday.

The meeting was told that those present employed 1,300 people in Ennis.

Organised by Ennis Development Forum and Ennis chamber, the meeting in the Temple Gate Hotel was held to highlight the growing jobs crisis in the county, canvass new ideas and initiatives and encourage consumers to buy local.

Nine business representatives explained the main issues facing small and medium-sized businesses in the county with candidates also outlining their strategies to boost Clare’s economy and save local jobs.

President of Ennis Chamber of Commerce John Dillane said that meeting was not about “bitching and pointing fingers” but rather looking forward.

Chairman of the O’Connell Street Trader’s Association Gearoid Mannion told the meeting that there is a lot of “goodwill and enthusiasm” in Clare. Citing the success of the Wallcandy Street Art project and the Ennis Street Festival, he said it was important for everyone involved in business to “stay positive”.

Aoife Madden of Madden’s Furniture and the Ennis Development Forum said, “Clare will be the first county in Ireland to get out of recession”. She said that over 500 people had signed up to a Facebook page, urging customers to “stay here and shop local”.

She encouraged all businesses to fly Clare flags outside their premises. “They will think we’ve all gone mad down here, but we have to shop local, its important,” added Ms Madden.