Category: News

THE Government has been urged to set up a special tourism marketing budget for the local authorities of counties in the west of Ireland.

The call came from north Clare County Councillor Martin Conway (FG) for a three-day all-island Tourism Conference which took place in Ireland over the weekend.

“This initiative is necessary in order to create a level playing field between urban and rural tourism in Ireland,” said Cllr Conway in Ennistymon over the weekend. “Recent trends have seen a ballooning of tourist numbers traveling to Ireland on short city breaks, particularly Dublin, while growth has not been as dramatic in rural parts of the country.”

Cllr Conway believes that this trend could be targeted at specific markets and could have a significant impact on tourism in Clare and in the western area generally.

“With low-cost airlines such as Ryanair developing new routes, particularly into Shannon, the importance of marketing in regions where Ireland would not have experienced large tourism traffic is becoming increasingly important.

“Markets such as Italy, Spain, Germany and Eastern Europe have significant further growth potential.”

Conway went on to say that this new scheme could be driven by a tourism development officer and that it would support the new culture of balanced regional development with Ireland and the EU in general.

The weekend’s event was the 18th conference hosted by the Clare Tourist Council, in conjunction with Clare County Council. The annual conference is organised for tourism industry officials, along with members of local authorities, county enterprise boards, partnerships and all public and private bodies involved in the promotion of tourism.

This year’s conference was entitled ‘Promoting Co-operative Tourism Marketing’ and was attended by hundreds of delegates from each of the 32 counties.

Junior Minister, Síle De Valera, officially opened the conference in what will be one of her final official engagements before she steps down as Minister of State at the Department of Education and Science on December 8.

Among those addressing the conference were Fáilte Ireland’s Director of Marketing, Paul Keeley; Katherine Webster, Director of the Cliffs of Moher New Visitor Experience; and Eamonn O Neachtain, Bainisteoir Réigiúnach, from an Daingean, who briefed delegates on ‘Cultural Tourism in the Gaeltacht’.

The Clare Tourist Council hosted its first national tourism conference in 1989 and subsequent conferences have addressed a wide range of tourism issues such as tourism and the environment and the role played by local authorities in tourism.

PLANS by Michael Lynch Ltd to build a road that could serve a new 42,000 seater stadium have received a second blow, with the National Roads Authority (NRA) opposing the proposal.

Last week, The Clare People revealed concerns over the impact the route could have on the medieval Clareabbey and the site of an 800year old battle.

Now, the NRA has told the council that it has examined the application “and considers that it is at variance with national policy in relation to control of frontage development on national roads for a number of reasons”.

The plan by Michael Lynch Ltd seeks to open 60 acres of land for commercial development. One of the options put forward for the lands near Clareabbey by the company is the development of a 42,000 capacity GAA stadium. However, the NRA has stated that the application for a new 1.5km route is premature pending the completion of the N18 Ennis by-pass and N85 western relief road and that the proposed development also involves lands acquired under Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) and funded by the NRA for the purpose of N18/N85 Ennis by-pass..

The NRA state: “The proposed application will impact on the effective operation of the N18/N85 by-pass.

“The N85 Clareabbey roundabout junction currently under construction as part of the N18 Ennis by-pass . . . was not designed to cater for the levels of proposed development generated traffic, which according to the Environment Impact Statement (EIS) submitted in support of the application are anticipated to be in excess of 14,000 in design year.

“We have serious concerns regarding the interaction of this large volume of development-generated traffic with National Road traffic from a capacity and safety perspective.”

The NRA also state that the impact of the proposed development on the road drainage regime for the N18 Ennis by-pass has not been adequately assessed.

The Department of the Environment states that “as with other developments in this general area south of Ennis, there are concerns about the flood risks and the presence of unsuitable ground conditions for construction in the floodplain of the River Fergus.

It goes on: “There is little consideration of the cumulative impacts of the current development in conjunction with possible future development on the current site, and other nearby permitted, planned or partially constructed development.”

A decision is due on the application next month.

A MASSIVE rescue operation was launched last Friday for a group of surfers who got into difficulty while surfing the elusive Aill na Searracht wave underneath the Cliffs of Moher.

The operation, involving 100 people, was launched after a group of surfers got into difficulty during “tow-in” of the 30-foot-high monster wave.

Five surfers, including two with jet-skis, set out from Doolin on Friday afternoon.

The alarm was raised after 2.20pm when the Irish Coastguard helicopter and local rescue services, including the Doolin Coastguard, were launched.

Three surfers got into difficulty and were nearly smashed into the cliff underneath O’Briens Tower. They took refuge on the flaggy shore underneath the cliff.

As rescuers prepared to descend the steep cliff to reach the surfers, they saw two of the men swimming back out to sea to try and catch another wave.

When a coastguard helicopter flew over the men to airlift them to safety, they refused to be rescued.

It later emerged that the men were unwilling to leave their surfboards and be airlifted to safety.

A short time later, a rescue boat from Doolin reached the two men and took them on board. The third man was later picked up by another member of the group on a jetski and brought to safety.

“This is a very dangerous place and someone is going to be killed here before long,” said a member of the rescue services from the scene on Friday.

“It is very easy to get smashed onto the rocks and killed. The famous Aill na Searracht wave is becoming better known around the world now and we are afraid that someone will be killed here.”

The rescue operation involved the Doolin Coastguard, a search team from Kilkee, the Aran Islands Lifeboat and the Shannon-based Irish Coastguard helicopter.

“There were up to 100 people involved in this rescue,” said a member of the Coastguard.

“The staff at Valentia Coastguard Radio were also tied up with this rescue for some time.

“It was a huge waste of resources and the greatest insult is that two people refused to be rescued by the helicopter.

“At the end of the day, they were safe and that is the main thing, but anything could have happened during the rescue to one of our people.” COASTGUARD warnings are unlikely to stop surfers from taking on the Aill na Searracht wave under the Cliffs of Moher even after this weekend’s near disaster.

Two surfers who refused to be winched to safety by the Irish Coastguard helicopter when they were told they would have to leave their boards behind were described as “very foolish” by a prominent member of the Doolin Coastguard yesterday.

“The crew of the helicopter and the winch-man were risking their own lives in manoeuvering to rescue the three,” said Mattie Shannon of the Doolin Coastguard.

“It was an extreme measure to go in there and has been tried only once before. It was a life-threatening situation and the surfers refused a helping hand.

“They were very foolish to refuse and it shows an extreme view of the value placed on a surfboard.”

According to the Doolin Coastguard, the three surfers had only two boards between them. They were rescued only when another surfer left from the shore with two boards and battled the surf, with the boardless surfer, as far as the Doolin Coastguard rescue boat.

“It was very brave of the man to go out and come back for his friend, but it was very foolish – they could have been winched to safety earlier,” continued Mr Shannon. “I’ve no doubt that they are strong swimmers, but they must recognise when they are in danger and not put their own lives and the lives of others at risk.”

However, according to one prominent Lahinch-based surfer, last Friday’s near accident is unlikely to deter people from surfing the Aill na Searracht wave.

“It is dangerous, there are no two ways about that, but it is also one of the very best waves anywhere in the world and people are not going to stop surfing it,” said the local surfer, who asked not to be identified.

“It is certainly one of the best waves Ireland. The people who go out and surf that wave are all on top of their game. It is at the very extreme end of the scale and the only people who go out there are surfers who are 100 per cent fit and have been surfing big waves for many years.”

Mr Shannon said that one of the three men was showing the early signs of hypothermia when rescued.

THE Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Michael Martin has brought before the Dáil, legislation that will bring about the transfer of 40 staff from Shannon Development to Enterprise Ireland by January 1 next.

The move will reduce Shannon Development numbers from 175 to 135 and allow the company to concentrate on securing foreign direct investment for the Shannon Free Zone and promoting tourism in the region.

On unveiling the Industrial Development Bill 2006, Minister Martin told the Dáil: “Shannon Development and Enterprise Ireland are well advanced in identifying the number of posts to be transferred. Shannon Development staff and their representatives are engaging positively with the process and I understand that a strong level of interest is being expressed by staff in transferring to Enterprise Ireland.”

Minister Martin said that the bill provided “a statutory guarantee to the staff who are so designated that their pay, conditions of service and pension arrangements shall not be diminished by virtue of the transfer”.

He added: “The specific activities that Shannon Development will undertake will be selected on the basis of its potential to generate significant economic impact locally, regionally and nationally.

With the more focussed remit that it now has, the company will be in a position to meet the new challenges the region faces.”

In response to the bill coming before the Dáil, Pat Breen (FG) confirmed that Fine Gael supported.

He said: “It is unfortunate that so much time has gone by since the Minister originally made the announcement 16 months ago that he was stripping Shannon Development of these traditional enterprise creation functions.

“The original decision was made in July 2005 amid widespread criticism, and last month Deputy Martin chose to do a part u-turn on the issue and decided to allow Shannon Development to retain its enterprise functions within the Shannon Free Zone.

“Not only has none of the enterprise strategy group recommendations been implemented, but it has taken a year for the legislation to catch up. It shows that enterprise creation in Clare is in a mess.”

CLARE County Council has confirmed that there are currently 381 people on its affordable housing list with the largest proportion of applicants coming from Ennis and Shannon.

In a report before the council’s Special Policy Committee (SPC) for Housing, acting Housing Director, Josephine Cotter Coughlan confirmed that 100 allocations of homes had been made to the original 481 people that responded to adverts last year for expressions of interest for people in need of affordable housing.

Figures supplied by the council show that 146 people from Ennis lodged an expression of interest for an affordable home, while elsewhere, 79 applications were received from Shannon, 35 from Quin, six from Kilrush, 21 from Sixmilebridge, 14 from Corofin and eight from Kilkee.

Ms Cotter Coughlan revealed council plans to develop 250 social and affordable homes in the Shannon area.

Outlining other future proposals in a bid to shorten the waiting list, Ms Cotter Coughlan said that the council intended to construct 24 affordable homes in Kilkee. The application is currently being considered and will be on the agenda for the council’s December meeting.

She also revealed that the council proposes to construct 40 affordable houses in 2007/2008 at Cluain Airne, Shannon.

“The council is currently examining the possibility of constructing an affordable housing scheme on a 2.2 hectare site immediately south of the Cluain Airne housing estate,” she said.

Ms Cotter-Coughlan revealed that through Part V of the Planning and Development Act, 72 affordable homes had been allocated in nine separate private housing developments across the county.

These include 10 homes by Reddington Construction at Lios Ard, Tulla Rd, Ennis, 10 homes by Rinn Construction at Gort na nUll, Sixmilebridge and five homes at Dun na Manach, Quin by builder, Paul Talty.

Ms Cotter Coughlan said that since 2004, the council had committed itself to providing 40 affordable housing initiative units under Sustaining Progress.

“The delivery of these units in County Clare is now being considered in the context of the master plan prepared for lands zoned Residential in the South Clare Economic Corridor Local Plan adjacent to the Cúl na Gréine Housing Scheme at Tullyvarraga, Shannon,” said Ms CotterCoughlan.

A SENIOR member of Clare County Council has hit out at what he called scaremongering over the council’s €31.5 million Cliffs of Moher visitor centre.

The chair of the council’s Special Policy Committee (SPC) for Economic Development, Cllr Richard Nagle (FF) said, “There has been all sorts of scaremongering over the project.”

The council is currently facing a shortfall of €3 million over the project and is seeking sponsorship for ‘naming opportunities’ at the Cliffs.

Addressing a meeting of the SPC earlier this week, Cllr Nagle said, “I have no doubt that the shortfall will be addressed. The project is on time, and on budget will open in January with an official opening in early February.”

Cllr Nagle expressed his annoyance, “at so much negative publicity” surrounding the project, in contrast to how positively the project had been received overseas.

“It has the potential to create an additional 100 jobs that should provide national headlines. It will be of huge economic benefit to the western seaboard.”

Cllr Nagle said that with 700,000 visitors per annum and projections of 1 million visitors each year, “I have no doubt that the project will be financially sustainable,” the councillor said.

Separately, the project leader of the scheme, Ger Dollard said this week that, “While there are some issues which require to be addressed and understandably so in a project of this scale, profile and complexity, the council is absolutely convinced that the Cliffs of Moher New Visitor Experience will be a development that will have far reaching benefits for the north Clare area and indeed for tourism at a national and international level.

“The project is now at a stage where the physical structure has been completed and the building covered back to blend into the landscape.

“The development looks exceptionally well on site and fulfils perfectly the original architects concept for the site.

“The concentration now is on fit out of the various elements within the building, particularly the Atlantic Edge exhibition, and the completion of the external works.

“The charges proposed for the development are exceptionally reasonable and I have no doubt will prove to be so when visitors see for themselves the finished product and the new and improved visitor facilities and management within the overall site,” he said.

CLARE hurling star Gerry Quinn has expressed concern for the fate of the rare ‘Yellow Hammer’ bird in an objection to contentious plans by Meteor Communications to erect a 50 ft mast at Rockvale, Tubber.

The objection lodged by the Corofin auctioneer is just one of 23 separate objections against the Meteor plan. One of the objections includes a petition of 75 names.

The Rockvale Action Group, formed in opposition to the mast, has described it as “undesirable and unnecessary”. They say it will devalue houses and land in the area.

“The area between Lough Bunny and Lough Skearden is important for migrating birds. The rarest bird in the area is the Yellow Hammer and is on the amber list of endangered birds,” according to Mr Quinn.

“If such a development was allowed, could the council guarantee the preservation of the natural heritage just listed? Such a development must contravene many conservation acts and cannot be given the goahead.

“I am appealing on both professional and private grounds. I own a site less than 200 metres from the mast. All property in the environs of such a mast would be seriously devalued and therefore would be a serious injustice to all property owners.

“As an auctioneer myself, I believe a figure for this could be up to 30 per cent within 400 metres of the mast, which I note under the development plan this is a non compensatable ground for refusing such structures. Who is liable to compensation the property owners for this devaluation?

“I have serious concerns for the preservation of two significant monuments Cillin and Boston Castle.”

However, in its own submission, Meteor state, “We have purposely chosen a location that will have the least visual or environmental impact by proposing to locate the structure behind existing farm buildings to screen the structure from the surrounding public roads as much as possible.

“The zoning is classified as a ‘vulnerable landscape’ in the Clare County Development Plan. However, none of the named diverse range of important habitats are applicable in this location as it is on ordinary agricultural land and is not an important habitat.”

“In summary, the proposed location provides the optimum location for the site in order to provide a consistent and contiguous level of service to the Aughrim area and R460 road and surrounding roads whilst minimizing the impact on the environment.”

A decision is due on the application next month.

THE standoff between the Clare Plasterers Union and a Galway-based construction company has come to an end. The situation was resolved over the weekend as the Portumna subcontractors gave in to the union demands to stop using a plastering machine and employing non-union workers.

The resolution followed two days of union picketing at the construction site, which is located on the outskirts of Ennis.

“We are very happy with the outcome of this one,” said Paddy Kenneally, Secretary of the Clare Plasterers Union. “They have said that they will stop using plastering machines and that they would even look at employing local labour. Plastering machines are not reputable pieces of equipment and we know from speaking to construction companies all around Clare, the work is not good quality and tends to crack.”

Members of the Clare Plasters Union staged a two-day protest at the Tulla Road site on Tuesday and Wednesday last. According to the union, the builders working at the site were being paid by cheque and with no provision for pensions.

Gardaí were called to observe the protest on at least one occasion, but no arrests were made.

As well as Irish plasterers, the protest was joined by a number of locally-based Polish workers.

“Our members cannot afford a plastering machine, they cost up on €40,000 and the work is just not to the same standard as the traditional methods of doing it,” continued Mr Kenneally.

“We are the only construction union operating in Clare at the moment and hardly a day goes by that we don’t have some sort of trouble with one builder or another.”

The Clare Plasterers Union boasts more than 600 members in Clare with some 14,000 registered members nationwide. The union is a section of the Operative Plasterers and Allied Trades Society of Ireland (OPATSI) and is the only fully independent union in the 26 counties.

It represents its members at the Labour Relations Commission, the Labour Court, Joint Labour Committees, Joint Industrial Committees and Employment Appeals Tribunals.

ENNIS Town Council revealed yesterday that it was met with a demand of €1.7 million to settle an access dispute before the case went to the High Court this year.

Last week, The Clare People revealed that the Kennedy family of Francis Street, Ennis was to receive €300,000 plus legal costs arising from an access dispute that stopped the council proceeding with a €1 million land-sale adjacent to Glor.

The council is to pay the family €200,000, while the developers, Ray Staunton and Kieran Flanagan are to pay €100,000. Last year, the two secured planning permission for an apartment block on the site, but could not proceed as a result of the dispute.

Last week, James Kennedy said the council was made aware of a dispute relating to the site on the morning of the auction and criticised their failure to settle the dispute.

However, a statement from the council yesterday claimed they were forced into bringing High Court proceedings in 2004 because of the “unacceptable demands” made by the Kennedy family.

The council said numerous attempts were made to reach a resolution, culminating in their solicitors sending an open letter of offer to the Kennedys’ solicitors in June, 2005.

“No response was received to that letter which contained, as part of the settlement terms, the provision of access to the Kennedy house which was ultimately accepted by the Kennedys in settlement of the proceedings.

The council stated that the eventual settlement avoided a further 10 days in court and that costs associated with the case would be funded from the €1 million land sale.

Yesterday, Cllr Frankie Neylon (Ind) and Cllr Donal Bearra (Green Party) raised questions over the original land sale, while Cllr Johnny Flynn (FG) said that it was “very serious” that there won’t be much left over from the €1 million land sale.

Town Manager, Tom Coughlan said: “The comments attributed to the three councillors seem to respond to an inaccurate and slanted article which appeared in last week’s Clare People.

“The council solicitor expressed concern to the newspaper about the article’s content.”

When contacted last night, James Kennedy said that he was declining to comment for the moment.

COIS NA hABHNA, the Clare Comhaltas cultural centre in Ennis, will be one of the main beneficiaries of a €65 million development programme being undertaken by Comhaltas which has designated the Clare venue as one of eight regional centres for the promotion of Irish cultural traditions.

The building on the Gort Road in Ennis is at present undergoing major renovation which will be completed in time for Fleadh Nua 2007.

The old church in Kilrush, which has been donated by the Church of Ireland to Comhaltas, will also benefit as an outreach centre under the Development Programme.

The programme, which is being grant-aided by the Government and supported with buildings from a number of sources, will be the most expansive programme ever for the propagation of cultural traditions in the history of the State.

The initial grant-aid for Cois na hAbhna and Kilrush will be in the region of € 2.5m. The other seven regional resource centres will be based in Dundalk, Dublin (Monkstown and Clontarf), Cashel, Gurteen (Co. Sligo), and Mullingar as well as several outreach centres.

The Programme is rooted in the community and will be sustained and developed by a number of imaginative and complementary projects. It will involve the decentralisation of several Comhaltas elements i.e. education, archives, merchandise and performance outlets. It will be driven by regionally based “meitheal” teams.

Cois na hAbhna development board chairman, Frank Whelan, said the programme would enable them to build on the solid foundation bequeathed by the great men and women of the past.

It was good news for the cultural movement and they looked with confidence to the future. Describing the programme as a huge boost for Ireland’s cultural indentity, Comhaltas Director General, Senator Labhrás Ó Murchú said it would empower the meitheal of volunteers to develop cultural potential at community level, which might otherwise remain dormant.

“The result of the new Comhaltas Development Programme will in time impact on every region of Ireland and throughout the Irish Diaspora. This is an official acknowledgement of the successful and valuable work done by the thousands of Comhaltas volunteers at community level for over half a century,” he said.