Category: News

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.

THE founding members of the Doolin Unit of the Irish Coastguard were recognised this weekend for the long and dedicated service to the people of Clare.

Six members of the Doolin Coastguard were awarded prestigious Long Service Medals at a ceremony at the new Costello Bay Coast Guard Station in Galway on Friday evening last.

Medals were awarded to founding members Mattie Shannon and Thomas Doherty, as well as long serving members Conor McGrath, Ray Murphy, Richie Jones and Ian Lambe. The coastguard, which has been the busiest in Ireland over the last 10 years, was founded 23 years ago by Mattie Shannon and Thomas Doherty – who are currently the stations officer in charge and deputy officer in charge respectively.

“The long service awards are given out to people who have been involved in the coastguard for 20 years so it shows the great commitment which has been there down the years. We also have a number of volunteers who have been involved for 17 or 18 years and they will qualify for awards in the coming years,” said Mattie.

“It is great for the volunteers who have given all that time over the years – it is nice to have that recognised. They will always have something now, they will have a medal as a token that they can pass on to show their commitment over the years.”

The Doolin unit of the Irish Coastguard has been so successful in attracting members in recent years that they currently have more volunteers than they can bring into the unit.

“We are recruiting at the moment. We have interviewed 12 people from the north Clare area and we are hoping to take five new members on over the coming weeks. The interviews are ongoing at the moment and we will be making up our mind come the end of February,” continued Mattie.

“We had a great response to this latest call for members but we are really looking to get members who are based as close as possible to Doolin. We had a lot of people applying from Ennis and different areas, which is great, but they really need to be based close to Doolin in case of an emergency. We will take on a few people living in the local area and then we will go a few miles outside of that for the last few people. But unfortunately for anyone who is living 10 of 15 miles away it is just a bit too far.”

A WEEK is a long time in politics and in that very long week for Fianna Fáil in Clare it has turned its fortunes around from a party that was grappling to find a candidate to one that is now confident it can retain its two seats in Clare.

Nationally the party faces political meltdown when it goes to the people in the coming months, but in Clare the soldiers of destiny have begun fighting back with a new private of strong political pedigree.

Dr John Hillery, the 53-year-old son of the late President Paddy Hillery, will join sitting TD Timmy Dooley on the ticket, just ten days after the shock announcement that Minister Tony Killeen is to retire.

In Fine Gael uncertainty still surrounds the number of candidates that will remain on the ticket, with pressure coming on one of its former TDs to run as an Independent candidate in west Clare.

Speculation is mounting that Cllr Joe Cooney, a poll topper in the 2009 local elections will be added to the Fine Gael ticket, while The Clare People can reveal that former Fine Gael TD Madeleine Taylor-Quinn has been approached by a group of people from west Clare who believe the way is open for a west Clare TD. The Moyasta woman refuses to say if she is even considering such a proposition as potential candidates still meet with Fine Gael management.

Meanwhile, Labour is beginning to up the pressure in the constituency with the arrival of party leader Eamon Gilmore on Thursday next to support the party’s hopeful in Clare – Michael McNamara.

THE impact of last month’s freezing weather continues to be felt with one Ennis music school forced to re-locate due to serious water damage.

Repairs to Maoin Cheoil an Chláir are expected to continue for five months after water tank and pipes burst at the school building at Erasmus Smith House, College Road, Ennis.

The school, which was founded by Fr Harry Bohan and Mícheal Ó’Súilleabháin in 1994, provides lessons in classical and traditional mu- sic to young musicians. Lessons will now be given at the nearby St Mary’s Hall for the duration of repairs.

“We are lucky because the hall is right beside us and that wasn’t damaged. There was a lot of damage but we managed to get everything out this week,” said school director Hans Boller. “When the thaw set in there was so much pressure, the pipes just burst. The water came running down the walls and out of the sockets.”

The water supply situation has stabilised in Clare but the mayor of Ennis, Cllr Tommy Brennan, has warned that water meters may have to be re-installed to avoid being damaged during periods of low temperatures. Cllr Brennan told the January meeting of Ennis Town Council that sub-zero ground temperatures had destroyed many meters. It is thought that hundreds of water meters in the Ennis area were badly damaged by cold weather.

Speaking during Private Members time in Dáil Eireann last week, Fine Gael’s spokesperson on Overseas Aid, Human Rights and Clare TD Pat Breen paid tribute to council staff and the local fire service for their efforts during the recent water crisis. “I commend the local authorities on the work they did and in particular Clare County Council in my constituency and the local fire service which mobilised water tankers and set up standpipes in the affected areas. That was done very quickly and these people are to be commended for this. Throughout the holiday period local authorities had to deal with thousands of leaks and it put considerable pressure on local authorities. I am told that in Ennis alone there were 360 breaks since St Stephen’s Day in one small area, which shows the extent of the problem.”

IT HAS happened in the past and will probably happen again, that when Clare Fianna Fáil backs are to the wall, the soldiers of destiny come out fighting.

Sunday’s convention was no exception with Fianna Fáil man John O’Rourke leading the charge.

Many arrived at the West County expecting a despondent and defeated party but finding a new candidate with a strong Clare political pedigree seemed to have recharged the batteries.

Firing up the delegates Mr O’Rourke called for unity of cause and the facing down of the party’s many critics.

With the son of former President and Minister – the late Paddy Hillery – taking his seat at the candidates’ podium, the Kilmaley man even referred to the famous and impassioned speech of Dr Hillery at the 1971 Ard Fheis.

It was during the fallout from the arms trail, which was tearing Fianna Fáil apart, but Dr Hillery rose to the defence of Taoiseach Jack Lynch as forces tried to undermine the leadership.

Facing down the would-be rebels he famously said, “Ye can have Boland, but ye can’t have Fianna Fáil.”

Mr O’Rourke was just as passionate as he introduced Dr John Hillery.

“We have gathered here today probably under a cloud but we apologise to no one. We are Fianna Fáil, one of the biggest national parties founded by our forefathers in 1926.

“And over that length of time up until today we have gone through several fights and we have come out the other end. Let the media nor nobody else, all our critics or the opposition doubt the strength of Fianna Fáil,” he told delegates.

“We will come out of this and we will come out a better party. We had the arms crisis and they said we would never survive it. We had a man from Clare here who said ye can have anything but you won’t have Fianna Fáil.”

These words were welcomed with a resounding round of applause from a fired up crowd.

“So let us go out every man woman and child from Loop Head to Killaloe, from Caherdaven to Bellharbour and fight this election like it was never fought before and elect those two candidates,” said Mr O’Rourke.

Later when Minister Tony Killeen (FF) was asked to announce that Taoiseach Brian Cowan was to stay on and fight for the leadership of the party, the news was greeted by a standing ovation from the growing defiant crowd.

Chairman of the convention Minister Eamonn Ó Cuiv (FF) was also in fighting spirit as he told the party faithful, “I love being written off because it makes me go, and I am sure it makes you go too.”

Only time will tell if the party is capable of keeping this fighting spirit going as they approach many hostile doorsteps during the weeks of the campaign.

FIVE men charged in connection with a row at a funeral in Ennis last week in which a young man had a finger cut off have been further remanded on bail.

Four men are charged with possession of a machete at Drumcliffe cemetery, Ennis, on Saturday, January 8. The accused are Martin Joyce (29), 2 Watery Road, Ennis; David Joyce (34), 8 Oakwood Drive, Ennis; Patrick Joyce (27), 6 Watery Road, Ennis and John Joyce Junior (30), of 17 Glensheen, Gort Road, Ennis.

All four, along with another defendant, John Joyce Senior (59), 1 Watery Road, Ennis; are accused of assault causing harm to Jim McDonagh, on the same date.

All five were brought before a special sitting of Ennis District Court last Sunday week, where they were granted bail. They re-appeared in court on Friday, where solicitor Gearóid Williams told Judge Eamon O’Brien that he was coming on record for three of the accused – John Joyce Senior, John Joyce Junior and Patrick Joyce. Solicitor William Cahir represents the other two defendants.

Judge O’Brien adjourned the case until next month, when the DPP’s directions are expected to be outlined to the court.

When the five appeared in court initially, gardaí objected to bail and described the alleged attack on a man in his 20s as a “deliberate, planned, premeditated” incident.

Inspector Tom Kennedy said that gardaí were opposing bail, based on the seriousness of the charges before the court. He said that Jim and Kathleen McDonagh and family members were attending a funeral at Drumcliffe cemetery, when a number of people arrived with machetes “and set upon Mr McDonagh. He was seriously assaulted. The little finger of his left hand was severed and serious injury (was caused) to his ring finger. He received blows to the head and body.

“This was a deliberate attack; a planned attack; premeditated, armed with these knives. Mr McDonagh is lucky the matter isn’t more serious,” said Insp Kennedy.

The armed regional support unit was drafted in to Ennis to support local gardaí, in the aftermath of the incident.

FIANNA Fáil selected two candidates to contest the General Election in Clare on Sunday last.

Just ten days after the party was thrown into turmoil with the shock announcement that Minister for Defence and Fianna Fáil TD for Clare for 19 years Tony Killeen was to retire, the party had regrouped and appointed two candidates unopposed.

Joining sitting TD Timmy Dooley on the ticket is Dr John Hillery, son of the late Clare Fianna Fáil TD, Minister and President of Ireland Paddy Hillery.

While some delegates quietly grumbled that the Dublin-based and Spanish Point-born doctor had been parachuted in at the last minute, for more the reality that there was no other strong candidate willing to put their name on the ticket hit home.

For the majority Dr Hillery is the great Fianna Fáil hope – he is eager to serve, comes from a strong political pedigree and is geographically well placed between north and west Clare.

Following a week that had seen the party panic that a candidate to fill Minister Killeen’s shoes could not be found, it had hit the jackpot.

At the opening of the convention the chairman of the Comhairle Dáil Cheantair said “the cream rises to the top and that is what we have here today”, as the two men were nomi- nated unopposed.

The nominees to the convention were originally made up of Minister Killeen, Deputy Dooley, Cllr Bill Chambers, Marian Coughlan Flynn and Marina Keane. All but Deputy Dooley withdrew their nomination before the convention began. As the candidates had pulled out before the convention, the name of Dr Hillery could then be added and he with the sitting TD was selected unopposed.

Supporting the nomination of Dr Hillery, delegate John O’Rourke said, “he has an outstanding ability that will deliver stability for our party in Clare. He is a candidate with new ideas.”

Outgoing TD and Minister for Defence Tony Killeen told the delegates he was confident that the two candidates would secure two seats in the four seater constituency and said his decision “or the decision made for me” to step down would be vindicated if this were to happen.

THE Kilbaha-based national organisation Rural Resettlement Ireland (RRI) has called for all NAMAowned ghost estates to be placed into the ownership of local authorities like Clare County Council.

The housing group was invited by the Department of the Environment to submit its proposals for solutions to the growing problem of ghost housing estates.

Chairman and founder of RRI Jim Connolly said priority must be given to social integration when considering the solution to the problem.

In the proposal he said, “Given the unprecedented financial state of the nation, emergency legislation should be passed to vest all NAMA-owned ghost estates in local authority ownership. The only exceptions would be those where private viable solutions were immediately available.”

Under the proposal, each council would consider ghost estates for rehabilitation in their own counties on a case-by-case basis, taking all local factors into account.

“If the main aim incorporates encouragement to establish small enterprises in and around estates, this should be an essential part of the PR campaign seeking tenants,” he said.

The west Clare man, who is also running as an Independent candidate in the upcoming election said many planning restrictions must be subservient to the main aim in this respect.

“Recognition must be given to the practicalities faced by people relocating to set up small enterprises. Two essential requirements in all cases are a place to live and a place to work. Depending on many factors, including the nature of the enterprise, the workplace could be a small addition to the house, e.g. IT business, office work, art work or similar; other cases may require separate workshop space, three phase electricity, broadband, etc,” said Mr Connolly.

“Many ghost estates are unfinished. Once ownership was transferred to local authorities, community employment schemes similar to FÁS schemes might be considered to finish the work required. This could provide opportunities for unemployed construction workers, craftsmen and apprentices needing work experience,” he added.

“Given that these developments were never subjected to common sense analysis as to location, local housing need, potential customer base, possibility of a property crash or above all, how this type of urbanisation adjacent to towns and villages throughout the country was compatible with Irish culture in the broad sense, or indeed with the historical growth of these communities, the nation is now left with a problem of epic proportions. We are faced with the prospect of social, economic and environmental disasters.”

Therefore local development of services and jobs must be encouraged around such estates RRI argued.