Category: News

A LOCAL music education partnership has been established by Clare Vocational Education Committee to harness U2-aided funding.

This follows the announcement that a national body, Music Education Network, under the aegis of the Department of Education & Skills, will be administering funding for music education provided by U2. The programme, enabled by a € 5 million donation from U2, with a further € 2 million being raised by the Ireland Funds, gives children and young people across the country access to music education in their own communities.

The chief executive officer, George O’Callaghan, explains that the Clare committee set up the local network to involve a number of agencies including the committee itself which is already involved in supporting Maoin Cheoil an Chláir in Ennis through provision of co-operation hours.

The national music education net work is expected to shortly begin seeking applications to the new fund. They have to be made through the vocational education committee as lead agency and Maoin Cheoil an Chláir as the administrative and employment body for the purposes of the fund, he explained to committee members at their monthly meeting.

On the proposal of the chairman, Cllr Tommy Brennan, seconded by Cllr Pat McMahon, committee member Kathleen Tuohy, music teacher in Ennis Community College and Gaelcholáiste an Chláir, was elected a member of the local partnership.

Funding for up to 12 Music Education Partnerships will be awarded on a phased basis from 2011-2015, most likely in three locations at a time. Music Education Partnerships are eligible to apply for 50 per cent funding, up to a maximum of € 200,000 per annum over three years. The closing date for Round 1 applications is Thursday, March 31.

Music Generation will provide three-year seed funding to establish local services, which will be sustained by Music Education Partnerships on a long-term basis. The music education partnership model, developed by Music Network, has been successfully piloted in Donegal and Dublin.

ONE of the county’s best known policemen is to take up a new post in which he will move from one side of the county to the other.

Detective Garda Michael McDonagh is to leave Kilrush Garda Station next week and take up a post in the Immigration Unit at Shannon Garda Station.

The Miltown Malbay native has worked in west Clare for most of his career in An Garda Síochána, where he has been stationed since 1985. During the past 25 years, he has been involved in several serious investigations in Kilrush and the west Clare area.

Mr McDonagh is a well-known personality across the county, not least through his association with the GAA. He was the chairman of the Clare County Board between 2003 and 2007.

He is one of three gardaí to take up posts in immigration at Shannon airport. He will be joined by gardaí Adrian Mullowney and Barry Walsh. Mr Mullowney has been stationed in the district office at Killaloe Garda Station for a number of years, having previously worked in the Clare Divisional Traffic Corps. Mr Walsh has been based at Quin Garda Station for several years.

They will replace three members of the immigration unit who have recently retired – John Talty, Brian Brennan and Larry Donnellan.

The Immigration Unit is attached to Shannon Garda Station. Two de- tective sergeants and 12 detective gardaí operate the immigration unit, which ensures immigration laws are implemented. Gardaí attached to this unit have responsibility for checking visas and passports and ensure legislation is adhered to.

Inspector Tom Kennedy, who is in charge of policing in Shannon, said the immigration unit plays a key role in policing at the airport.

“It is a valuable unit. It assists with security at the airport in that it provides a back-up. Its members implements all the regulations and laws regarding people coming into the country in terms of visas and passports and the length of time they can stay,” he said.

IMPROVING the quality of healthcare to the people of Clare will be a priority for the Labour Party if they return to government for the first time in 14 years, with party leader Eamon Gilmore telling

A MAN HAS appeared in court charged in connection with the illtreatment of horses in the county.

John Joe Fitzpatrick (57), of Mountbellow, O’Briensbridge, is facing two charges of cruelty to an animal, on January 25 and January 27, 2010.

He is also facing two charges of permitting a carcass to remain unburied at Kilmurry, Sixmilebridge, on January 25, 2010.

Inspector Tom Kennedy told Shannon District Court on Thursday that the case could not go ahead this week as he required veterinary inspectors and personnel from the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ISPCA) to be present for the hearing and he sought a later date.

Judge Joseph Mangan adjourned the case until February 17, when a date for the hearing will be fixed.

LIKE all high profile races, the runners and riders are announced well in advance but punters can’t be sure that injury won’t remove a contender or that a new contestant won’t be added before the starting lineout is complete.

It is with the same trepidation that The Clare People looks at the participants in the upcoming General Election, also keeping in mind that a week is no longer considered a long time in politics – it is now an eternity.

With the political ground changing every minute the affect on the riders and the daily change in the odds is huge.

With just weeks until polling day, time is running out for Fine Gael however to add a fourth candidate to the ticket if it decides to change its current strategy.

With just three candidates now in the race it will more than likely be hoping for two seats, with the third candidate used as a vote sweeper.

While many have questioned the geographical positioning of its candidates so far, the party should be confident of retaining two seats; the question seems to be which of the two candidates are likely to take those seats?

Fianna Fáil in Clare has come out fighting, and despite its dishevelled appearance two weeks ago, it is better organised than many constituencies that still have to hold their conventions.

Geographically its candidates are well placed, but while for now Dr John Hillery has north-west Clare to himself, Deputy Timmy Dooley could feel the pressure in the east.

Not only is he the sole face of the current administration in Clare, he must also contend with neighbouring candidate – Labour’s Michael McNamara.

Mr McNamara is untested on general election ground, but fared well in the European Election in Clare as the only Clare candidate.

The Green Party in Clare has not really been a serious challenger when it came to the last counts in general elections in Clare and it is unlikely this will change this time around, with the party likely to pay the price for being the small party in a very unpopular coalition.

The Independents are also on stand by to run the favourites off the field with former TD James Breen (Ind) the most likely to spring a surprise and come home in the first four places.

A CLARE-based freight and transport service provider, Eoin Gavin Transport, has won a prestigious industry award at the third annual TPN Awards. The awards are designed to reward excellence and to raise the standards and public perception of the freight and logistics industry in Ireland. TPN (The Pallet Network) members from around the country voted in the awards, judging their peers on their performance in categories such as customer service and contribution to the national network.

Mairead Barrett, a longstanding employee, was awarded the TPN Outstanding Contribution Award 2010 for the depot. The award recognises excellent service for the customer and business and contribution to the overall success of TPN. Eoin Gavin, Managing Director, said, “We were delighted to hear that Mairead achieved such an award for the company, particularly in this difficult economic climate. The team have worked incredibly hard over the last year and it is great to be recognised by peers in the industry and within The Pallet Network. These awards demonstrate how the transport and logistics industry has radically changed the way it operates and reflects the forward thinking of transport, logistics and freight companies like Eoin Gavin Transport.”

Operating from a purpose-built 5,000 square foot warehouse in Bunratty, Eoin Gavin Transport currently employs over 15 staff with a fleet of 13 trucks. Via the TPN network, the company provides domestic overnight delivery to the 32 counties and 48-hour delivery to the UK, as well as international express deliveries. TPN is the only network in Ireland or the UK that has achieved ISO9001:2000 accreditation for all depots across the country and was also recently awarded the internationally recognised standard for Quality Management Systems, ISO9001:2008.

A NORTH Clare road, which was severely damaged during the construction of a water scheme more than two years ago, was described as nothing mote than a “cow path” at yesterday’s North Clare Area meeting of Clare County Council.

The road, which is located in the Dromoher/Crossard area of north Clare, was down for inclusion in the annual roadwork’s programme in 2010 but was dropped due to lack of funding.

Speaking on a motion put forward on yesterday’s meeting, Cllr Joe Arkins (FG) urged the road to be included as a priority for the 2011 programme.

“It’s almost not a road anymore, it’s a cow path. Just because these people live in rural Ireland, they pay their road tax, it doesn’t mean that they are not entitled to a half decent road to go to work and to the shops on.

“If there is to be any road works budget this year, we need the message going forward to have this road dealt with. We had an understanding before that roads which were withdrawn in 2009 were on the programme for 2010. I think the same situation should be used for this road, which was withdrawn because of lack of funding in 2010.”

TWO Fianna Fáil councillors yesterday blamed the former Minister for the Environment and Green Party leader, John Gormley, for the failure of many rural sewage schemes in Clare to gain funded over the past two year.

Commenting on a motion in relation to the Miltown Malbay wastewater treatment plant put forward by Cllr Michael Hillary (FF) at yesterday’s North Clare Area Meeting, Cllr Richard Nagle and Michael Kelly claimed that a combination of red-tape and a bias in favour of Dublin projects, resulted in a number of Clare projects not going ahead over the past few years.

“I would hope that when we have a new Minister for the Environment, that the first thing that is done is to simplify the process of applying for a treatment plant,” said Cllr Nagle.

“Over the last number of years the system has been so bureaucratic that we did not do very well in the number of projects which got funding. It seems that the priority was given to larger development in places in the surrounds of Dublin. We were definitely the poor relation. The last thing that we need is that there remains so much bureaucracy that it continues to bogs down the whole process.”

According to Cllr Michael Kelly, the proposed redevelopment of the Miltown Malbay sewage system and a number of other projects would have received funding had it not been from red-tape from the Department of the Environment.

“We are now in the unhappy situation where sewerage systems would have been put through by now had it not been for the bureaucracy of the Department of the Environment,” he said.

“This was not the fault of Clare County County, it was a bureaucracy land mine,” Cllr Kelly concluded.

This debate was sparked off by a motion from Cllr Michael Hillery, who is worried that the Miltown Malbay wastewater treatment system will not be granted an EPA licence for 2011.

“We have been looking for a proper sewerage system in Miltown Malbay for many years but with the financial situation at the moment that wont be happening for awhile. However, the system in Miltown does need to be upgraded if it is to get a EPA licence,” said Cllr Hillery.

“The sewerage system there was built in the 1940’s and is not suitable to deal with the increase in population which has taken place over the last few years.”

THE MAIN road between Ennistymon and Lahinch came within an inch of being closed over the Christmas period, it was revealed at yesterday’s North Clare Area meeting of Clare County Council.

The road, which carries an estimated 20,000 cars per week during the winter months, was severely damaged as a result of the pre-Christmas cold snap, with local authority crews forced to conduct daily emergency repairs on the road.

Despite these efforts, a large number of minor accidents were reported on the road during the Christmas period.

Responding to a motion put forward by Cllr Richard Nagle (FF) at yesterday’s meeting in Ennistymon, council engineer Stephen Lahiffe said that the road “was in danger of being closed” over the Christmas period.

This section of the N67 is one of the main routes in north Clare and is also a major tourism artery, carrying more than € 1 million visitors to the Burren each year.

Clare County Council yesterday confirmed that a new contractor has been hired to strengthen and tar the road with works expected to get underway in five weeks. This follows difficulty in engaging a contractor before Christmas, with one chosen contractor going into liquidation and a second being unable to raise a bond for the project.

“The money is still there and work will start in the next five weeks and that is good news. I would hope that when the work is completed that we will have a state of the art road between Ennistymon and Lahinch,” said Cllr Nagle.

“I have been inundated with complains about the state of the road over the last few weeks. That there had to be daily works carried the road just to keep it open shows how bad it was.”

Seconding the motion, local councillor Martin Conway (FG), said that the road should have been prioritised long ago.

“This is the main connnectivity route to the Cliffs of Moher and the Burren. Even at off peak we are talking about 20,000 cars per week and much more in the summer,” he said.

“This is one of the most used stretches of road in the county. Really and truly it should have been prioritiesed long ago. I would like to commend the council for the work they have done to keep it open. It is just such a pity that so many small acident had to take place on the road over the last while.”

CLARE COUNTY Council yesterday denied allegations that a road through the Meadowlands estate in Miltown Malbay had been changed from a cul-de-sac to a through road.

The local authority is at present drawing up an architectural plan for the road which will see it be opened to through traffic. However, according to correspondence received from a number of local residents, the properties were purchased in 2003 under the condition that the road would remain a cul-de-sac.

According to Cllr Michael Hillery (FF), this change could lead to major safety concerns for the local residents.

“I am concerned about the safety of children in the area and the public safety in general at this road. This was to be a cul-de-sac and now it is to be the through road. It is of critical importance that this is looked at.

“This road is soon to be used for though traffic and we don’t want any accidents.”

According to Cllr Martin Conway (FG), a number of local residents claim to have been given assurances that the road would remain a cul-desac before they bought the property.

“I have been speaking to residents and they maintain that when they bought the houses back in 2003 it was stated that the road was a particular type of road,” he said.

“They contend that negotiations took place between the contractor and Clare County Council and it finished up with the road being classified as a through road which is very different from the road that they thought they would get.”

This was disputed by a spokesperson from the council who said that the road was always intended to be a through road by the local authority.

“We did have a meeting with the residents. As a result of this meeting we undertook to look at the road and see could we come up with a way of alleviating their concerns,” said engineer Stephen Lahiffe.

“It was always intended to be a through road, it was stated before the planning for that houses that it was to be a through road. We have not yet completed the road design for that road and we will engage with the residents again before that happens.”

Meanwhile, the local authority has been asked to look into a way of improving the conditions the old traveler halting site at Ballymacraven in Ennistymon.

The site, which is to become the new council chip dump, has been targetted by illegal dumpers in recent months.