Category: News

THE Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) yesterday celeberated the 70th anniversary of the opening of Shannon Aeradio, Ireland’s High Frequency (HF) communications centre at Ballygirreen near Newmarket-on-Fergus and marked the occasion by announcing a €4.5m investment at the facility.

Founded in 1936 to provide long-range communications for the transatlantic flying boat service in Foynes, the centre is responsible for communicating via long distance radio with up to 1,250 transatlantic flights per day.

2006 also marks the 40th anniversary of the Shanwick agreement. Under this agreement, signed by the Irish and UK governments in 1966, Shannon Aeradio provides HF communications to aircraft on the eastern half of the North Atlantic while Prestwick in Scotland provides air traffic control services to aircraft in the same area.

The occasion also marked the installation of new equipment at Shannon Aeradio worth €4.5 million and the beginning of a new co-operative agreement with the Icelandic Civil Aviation Authority (ICAA). Under this agreement, the IAA and the ICAA will provide a seamless HF communications service across a wider area of the strategic North Atlantic region.

Speaking at the unveiling of a plaque to mark the 70th anniversary, IAA Chairman, Jerry Liston, congratulated past and present staff and said the station’s success was a testament to the enthusiasm and professionalism with which they carry out their work.

Shannon Aeradio is also home to the national AFTN Centre, which delivers data such as airline movements and flight plans to a worldwide network, and also a weather broadcast service heard throughout the world.

Almost 90 per cent of air traffic over the North Atlantic passes through Irish airspace. Shannon Aeradio communicates with the vast majority of these flights every day. This amounts to up to 1,250 flights per 24 hours during the busy summer months. The IAA employs 70 people at Shannon Aeradio.

A COUNTY Clare businessman has made a €26.5 million settlement with the Criminal Assets Bureau – the biggest in the history of the State.

Businessesman Dylan Creaven (32), a native of Newmarket-on-Fergus with an address in Kensington in London, is understood to have handed over €26.5 million (£18 million sterling) to CAB and the ARA (Assets Recovery Agency) in the UK.

He has also handed over a villa in Marbella, Spain and four racehorses including Latino Magic, which won the McDonagh Handicap at the Galway Races last year.

Creaven, the former director of Silicon Technologies, was acquitted in June of last year of an alleged £20 million VAT fraud in the UK.

He had been accused of teaming up with an array of off-the-shelf British companies to defraud the tax man.

The Prosecutors at London’s Crown Court had claimed that Creaven supplied companies with VAT-free computer chips that were then resold with the tax added. It was alleged that instead of passing a percentage to Customs and Excise, the money went to Creaven.

However the Clareman denied two counts of conspiracy to cheat the public revenue between December 2000 and October 2001 and was acquitted following a month-long trial.

The ARA and CAB continued to investigate Creaven and this resulted in the settlement being reached.

Creaven had traded as Silicon Technologies Europe Ltd, which had an office at Ennis Business Centre, Francis Street, Ennis, and turned over €417 million in 2000 to 2001.

A LITHUANIAN man has been told by a judge if he has difficulty understanding in court, he can arrange his own interpreter as the State will not incur any interpretation costs.

Judge Joseph Mangan made the comments in the case of Thomas Salaka, who appeared before Kilrush District Court last Wednesday on public order charges.

Mr Salaka (25), of Orchard Lane, Ennis, was accused of been intoxicated in public and of engaging in threatening, abusive or insulting behaviour, at Henry Street, Kilrush, on August 27 last.

The accused, a chef, pleaded guilty to engaging in threatening, abusive or insulting behaviour and the other charge was withdrawn.

The court heard that as the accused’s friend was been arrested for drunken driving, the accused, who was a passenger in the car, got out and acted in a threatening manner to the garda, waving his fists. He later apologised.

“He was using his own language. I don’t know what it was,” said the garda.

Judge Mangan asked did the accused intend to stay in Ireland and was told that he has lived here for the past two years and planned to stay here.

The accused’s partner was sworn in for another case in court and she translated proceedings for Mr Salaka.

The judge adjourned the case until November and said, “The State is not to incur any interpretation costs. If he has a problem with understanding, he can bring his own interpreter.”

The accused’s solicitor Gearoid Williams said, “Under the Convention of Human Rights, it is an obligation on the State . . . In any case he will bring his own interpreter.”

The judge said if the accused had paid for an interpreter, he would take that into account in imposing any monetary fine. Mr Williams replied, “The interpreter is the mother of his child.”

A spokesman for the Courts Service said €2 million was been spent on providing interpreters for court, in 210 dialects, this year. This is a 15-fold increase since 2000. This is a national figure and figures for Clare were not available, he said.

He said the provision of interpreters for court cases was “daily routine,” but that any decision regarding allocating interpreters to cases rested with judges.

“The judge runs the court. It is up to the judge to certify if an interpreter is needed. If an interpreter is needed, the Courts Service provides it and covers the cost of this. It is a matter for the judge to decide,” he added.

UP TO 180 Clare people might not be alive today had it not been for the success of last year’s Annual Healthy Living Expo at the Mid-Western Regional Hospital Ennis.

Speaking at the launch of this year’s expo Stephen McMahon, Chairman of the Irish Patients Association said the unique event had diagnosed people early and saved lives.

Last year 45 per cent of the people who availed of the free screening had not been to their GP in three years, and the majority of these people were non-medical cardholders.

Two of the people screened were referred to the Accident and Emergency Department immediately for treatment. A further 12 per cent were found to have high blood pressure; another 12 per cent had cholesterol over 6.5, while another 12 per cent had high blood sugar. Half of the people examined were found to be over weight.

Twice as many women as men attended last year so this year, organisers are actively encouraging men in the community to avail of this opportunity to have their heart health checked.

Almost 100 staff, including hospital consultants will volunteer from 10am to 4pm on Saturday, to check peoples’ cholesterol levels, blood pressure, lipids and glucose levels, body mass index, and to carry out eye tests. Those availing of the free service will then get the results of the blood tests within an hour, and will be informed of any difficulties in private. A follow up report will also be sent to their GP where necessary. Healthy living information and children’s entertainment will also be provided.

As well as the free health check, the staff at the hospital will also give a hand hygiene demonstration.

“Staff in the hospital are well aware now of hospital hygiene. The public in general have an awareness of it, but everyone minds a sick relative at some stage during the year or someone in the house is sick. They are never aware of how they should be washing their hands or what the precautions are,” said hospital manager John Doyle.

Mr Doyle said the expo, in its fifth year was a way of linking the hospital back into the county.

“We see ourselves having a role in the whole preventative exercise not just somewhere to go when you’re sick,” he added.

THE HSE is continuing to monitor the Ennis water supply, even though it has “generally” been within the statutory limits for drinking water since the installation of the temporary filtration system.

According to the HSE West, in order to ensure the efficiency and effectiveness of the system a heavy programme of monitoring and sampling is continuing.

This includes daily monitoring of raw and treated water for general coliform, E Coli, turbidity, colour and chlorine. Weekly monitoring is also carried out for Cryptosporidium.

All samples of treated water were negative for E Coli and Cryptosporidium. The chlorine dosage levels have also been reduced as a consequence of the installation and successful operation of the treatment system. However it was decided not to remove the limited precautionary boil notice just yet, as weather conditions had not varied enough since the installation to adequately test the system.

“Levels of cryptosporidium, clostridium perfringes and giardia tend to occur in the raw water to a much lesser degree in summer early autumn time of year. However, a seasonal escalation of concentration in this regard would be expected from now on,” the HSE said. The health service said it hoped that by the time the next meeting took place, confidence in the supply would be such that it would be possible to completely remove the boil notice.

Meanwhile, a boil notice had been issued for the first time ever in the 30-year history of the Kilmaley-Inagh Group water scheme, following the discovery of a small quantity of E-coli. The scheme caters for 1,800 households and is the largest group water scheme in the country. A new treatment works was due to replace the scheme on June 30 but was delayed. The group water scheme holders were informed that the scheme would “go to production” on the week beginning September 11. Last Thursday, the new system was not in place.

HUMAN bones which were discovered during the excavation of a site in Sixmilebridge are understood to have been there for more than 100 years.

The bones, believed to be those of a young man, were discovered while development work was being carried out on the old woollen mill in the village last Thursday.

The building, which was the old water-driven woollen mill in the early 1900s, had been run down for several years and was latterly used as a store.

A dwelling house was situated next door to the mill and it is believed the bones were found beneath the ground floor in the house.

The entire site is currently being converted into apartments and a commercial unit.

Gardaí immediately called in experts from the Archaeological Society of Ireland and their initial examinations suggested that the body had been there for more than 100 years.

“We have no idea as to the identity. It is going to be difficult to identify them,” said Superintendent John Kerin.

“We are happy this is not recent and we are happy that there was no foul play, relative to modern Ireland, involved,” he added.

“We will go through old files to see if anyone went missing or was murdered at that time,” he said.

The bones were taken away by the archaeologists, and the work on the building has resumed.

A MAN who indecently assaulted a young girl in west Clare over 30 years ago has been handed a two-year suspended sentence.

Handing down sentence at Ennis Circuit Court yesterday (Monday), Judge Carroll Moran said he would suspend the jail term for two years.

Stephen Hennessy (69), of Shanganagh, Kilkee, pleaded guilty to a number of charges, in the late 1960s and early 1970s. At the time, he was in his 30s and his victim was aged between 11 and 14.

The court heard that one of the incidents took place in a parked car, while another happened in a field.

On one occasion, the accused put his hand inside the girl’s panties and touched her vagina, while they were in a parked car.

On another occasion, while he was driving his car, he let her change gears and touched her between the legs.

Hennessy used to buy presents for his victim, including a watch, sweets and chocolate.

The court was told that Hennessy – who had no previous convictions – wrote a letter to his victim, apologising for his actions. He stated, in the letter, that he would “regret it all his life.”

“I hope you can put it behind you and get on with your life,” he added.

Judge Carroll Moran was told that the injured party made a statement in relation to the matter, three years ago.

Hennessy, who was immersed in the GAA, was described in court as an exemplary, well-respected man in his local community, a man who was very honest and truthful.

Judge Moran said the accused “committed a pretty heinous offence against a very young girl, albeit a long time ago.” He was told gardaí were not aware of any other complaints made about the accused.

CLARE novelist, Edna O’Brien said this week that it was “hell” to write her controversial book centred on the triple murder by Brendan O’Donnell 12 years ago.

Ms O’Brien’s novel on the tragedy, ‘In the Forest’, was published four years ago. But promoting her new novel this week, the Tuamgraney native said that she didn’t write “’In the Forest’ to get into trouble or to offend”.

The 2002 novel centred on O’Donnell murdering Imelda Riney, her son, Liam and Fr Joe Walshe in 1994. The book was dedicated to their memories.

The east Clare woman – who first became engulfed in controversy with the publication of her first novel, ‘The Country Girls’ – said that ‘In The Forest’ “was a story as much about Ireland and Ireland’s psychology and pathology and secrecy and hypocrisy and tragedy and I could pick about seven more words, but they are not necessary, as well as about those four protagonists, Imelda Riney, little boy Liam, Fr Joe and Brendan O’Donnell”.

O’Brien said, “I was accused of badgering people and knocking on doors. I couldn’t knock on doors because I’ll tell you why. I had to go into the forest myself because the four people who died were dead.

“It was hell to write and the outbursts and the very unfair and vicious outbursts were do to with fear, the fear and the shame and the annoyance of unearthing something that people would rather leave a closed book, in fact not a book, a closed everything.”

She added, “What I felt was that ‘In The Forest’ was a forest near to where I come from and, as I said at that time, if the forest was in Leitrim, Armagh or in Kerry, I could not have written that story.”

Living in London for a number of years, Ms O’Brien said, “A little distance whets the obsession. I come to Ireland a lot. I am very lucky. I am a voluntary exile.

“I am not banished and I am made feel welcome and very lucky when I go home now and (meet) my nephew Michael Blake. Everyone is fine to me.”

Ms O’Brien said, in an RTÉ interview, that County Clare “is my landscape”.

She said, “It is so important to me. Hedgerows, gateways, sound of wind, sound of rain, cows, everything is as much character in my books as the characters themselves.”

HEALTH professionals and volunteers around Clare are busy preparing for a week of workshops, seminars and classes in aid of Mental Health Week.

The theme of the this year’s Mental Health Week according to Catriona Burke, a PR volunteer for the Kilrush Mental Health Association is mindfulness and the aim of the events being held around Clare is to promote the link between physical and mental health.

“Mindfulness is about teaching us how to pay attention to our experiences in life in the present moment. Whether we’re sitting in a car, struggling to meet some deadline, or facing some difficult challenge in our lives, mindfulness teaches us a way of being present to wherever we are and and to deal with it,” said Catriona.

Activities are taking place in venues around Limerick City, Tipperary and Clare where some high profile people are giving classes, seminars and workshops.

In Ennis, a series of laughter workshop and laughter yoga parties will be held at the Templegate Hotel from Monday, October 9.

Elsewhere in the county, a walk has been organised in the Burren with Dr Pat Wallace; a music workshop will be run by Archie Simpson and the Lismorahaun Singers at the Falls Hotel in Ennistymon and in Lisdoonvarna, an evening of poetry and reflection will take place at The Spa Wells.

In Kilrush, a series of workshops are being held throughout the week in Kilrush Library and an exhibition of art by local artists and people who have benefited from the services of Kilrush Mental Health Association will be on display at the library from October 9 to 13.

“The week has been designed to allow people to experience the wonder of mindfulness for themselves in a gentle and non-threatening way. We are trying to breakdown the barriers on what people think of mental health. Mental health is a wealth if we mind it,” she added.

We are constantly looking for volunteers to help us push forward the connection between the community and mental health. We will welcome anyone who would like to help the service.”

A PRIEST with strong Clare connections has been accused of stealing millions of dollars in offerings and gifts from a parish in the US.

Monsignor John Skehan (79) from Kilkenny – who owns a cottage near the Cliffs of Moher – is one of two Catholic priests in Florida, accused of stealing $8.6 million (€7 million) from parishioners over a 42-year period.

It is alleged that Fr Skehan, along with Fr Francis Guinan from Offaly, spent the money on luxuries, including holiday homes, travel and gambling.

The alleged irregularities first became apparent when Fr Guinan took over from his friend in 2003 and the church conducted a routine audit.

Two years later, a parishioner wrote an anonymous letter to the district attorney, urging him to get involved in the case.

Fr Skehan was arrested last Wednesday night as he flew into Palm Beach airport, from Ireland. A warrant has been issued for the arrest of his longtime friend, Fr Guinan.

Police carrying out the investigation say the two men acted as “professional money launderers” who took money from the collection plate and set up a network of slush-fund bank accounts to which only they had access.

They say that Fr Skehan used laundered money to buy a cottage close to the Cliffs of Moher, along with a pub in his native Kilkenny.

The allegations have shocked Fr Skehan’s parishioners, where he has been highly regarded.