Category: News

A MAN charged in connection with an investigation into a spate of car damage in Ennis and Shannon has been handed a 10-month detention sentence.

Shannon District Court heard that Erol Ibrahim’s fingerprints were found on three cars which had either been broken into or damaged, last April.

Ibrahim (18), of 87 Hilltop, St Patrick’s Road, Limerick, stole a mobile phone from a car parked outside a house at The Hawthorns, Limerick Road, Ennis; a CD player and CDs from a car outside a house in Tullyglass, Shannon; and damaged a car at Ballycasey, Shannon.

Detective Garda Stephen Ryan told the court that 20 cars were either broken into or damaged in Ennis and Shannon, between April 25 and 27, 2006.

During the subsequent garda investigation, fingerprints were taken from three cars and they matched those of the accused.

The garda said that the total cost, between the theft and the criminal damage, in respect of the three cars, amounted to €1,000.

Defending solicitor, Caitriona Carmody, said her client left school last year and has been trying to find employment. The court was told the accused has a number of previous convictions, including for criminal damage, theft and public order.

Judge Joseph Mangan imposed two 10-month detention sentences and a five-month sentence, at St Patrick’s Institution, with the sentences to run concurrently. He fixed recognisances in the event of an appeal.

OFFICIAL figures show an increase in the amount of dogs put down in Clare in 2005.

According to the latest statistics from the Department of Environment, the destruction rate for animals in Clare in 2005 stood at 74 per cent, which represents a two per cent increase on figures for 2004.

The total number of dogs that entered the Clare pound in 2005 was 2,085 and from that 1,535 were destroyed.

Previous figures show that three times more dogs in Clare end up in the pound than the national average.

According to nationwide statistics, the national average is seven dogs per thousand population going to the pound.

In comparison, Clare has 18 dogs per thousand population.

Nationwide, the 2005 dog control figures show that 16,546 dogs, most healthy, were destroyed last year.

This is a 0.3 per cent decrease on last year’s figure of 16,598.

The total number of dogs held in Irish pounds increased from 24,716 in 2004, to 25,510 in 2005, representing a three per cent increase in total numbers entering pounds, proving the overall situation is not improving.

Limerick City has the highest destruction rate, with almost 100 per cent of animals put down, followed by Mayo, Kerry and Tipperary North and South, each with destruction rates of 90 per cent or more.

However, there was an increase in the rehoming of dogs in Leitrim, Dublin City, Fingal, South Dublin and Louth.

THE MAYOR and the council’s director of services are to go to the US to try to raise sponsorship to make up the cash shortfall for the new Cliffs of Moher project.

But while the contingent got the support of elected members at yesterday’s county council meeting, a number of councillors expressed their opposition to what was described as a “begging bowl” mission.

Cllr Madeleine Taylor-Quinn said that, while she was sure that the deputation would “do a very fine job, I think it is regrettable that we have to resort to this to secure funding for the project.”

The Fine Gael general election candidiate said that, considering the Ryder Cup was “just one event, which will last a week in one place in Ireland and is getting €8.8 million, I think we should go back to Tourism Minister John O’Donohue and ask for additional funding.”

The Cliffs Visitor Experience project is set to cost more than €3 million in excess of the €31.5 million originally envisaged.

To make up the shortfall, a delegation has been formed for a 10-day trip to New York, Chicago, and Phoenix in Arizona for meetings with potential sponsors.

Director of Services, Ger Dollard, told the meeting that the council is convinced that opportunities will arise to attract funding to the project and that suitable mechanisms exist to acknowledge such funding.”

He said that by following up contacts made on the St Patrick’s Day visit, “considerable progress” had been made. One large organisation seems set to contribute to the project, while funding has been secured to fit out the first aid room.

A schedule of visits is planned for the October visit. On the agenda are presentations to key members of the business community in New York, meetings with Irish-American business leaders, a meeting with the Clare Association in Chicago and meetings in Arizona to finalise arrangements for the first aid room, which are being paid for to honour a deceased relative of the donors.

AS WORK begins on the Western Rail Corridor today, the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, has reiterated his commitment to having the Ennis to Athenry section of the track up and running by 2008.

Responding to a question put to him by The Clare People , Mr Ahern cited the completion of the Ennis by-pass and the “reopening of the Ennis to Athenry rail line in 2008” as two of the main investments in infrastructure in the county.

Iarnród Éireann began clearing work on the unused railway line between Claremorris and Collooney this morning. This €5 million project, using funding received under the CLÁR programme, represents the first physical work made in the reopening of the corridor.

“The people of rural Ireland have a right to expect top-class, 21st-century infrastructure,” said Éamon Ó Cuív, Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs.

The announcement by the Government of the phased re-opening of the Western Rail Corridor is the largest ever re-opening of a rail line in this island.

The purpose of the works, begun today, is to re-establish the boundaries, prevent further deterioration of the line section and prevent any development that may otherwise impinge on the proposed detailed works required for the reopening of the line.

ONE lucky Clare youngster will get the birthday treat of a lifetime if they are celebrating a 10th birthday on October 7 next.

The Clare People has teamed up with Clare FM and Mid-West FSG to find a Clare child who was born on the day Mid-West FSG was launched 10 years ago – on October 7, 1996.

To help celebrate the company’s 10th birthday, Mid-West FSG want to find that special child to launch the celebrations at their premises on the Quin Road business park.

The lucky youngster will get celebrity treatment for the day and be showered with birthday presents from the companies involved.

The lucky birthday child will be chauffeurdriven in a limousine and will get birthday presents from Mid-West FSG with newspaper photographers on hand to capture the fun as he or she blows out the candles on not one but two special birthday cakes.

Mums, grandparents and carers of children who turn 10 on October 7 are being asked to send their name, address, proof of date of birth to The Clare People as soon as possible.

Clare People Sales Director, Irene Hamilton, said, “we really want to make their birthday one to remember for life.”

The winning entrant will be chosen by Irene and the winner will be notified by September 30.

NEW benchmarks are being set for property prices in Ennis, with one bungalow fetching €715,000 at auction last week, a site with planning permission being sold for €2.45 million, and a family home on the Mill Road believed to have made €900,000 after being sold without going to auction.

The stunning prices could herald a property boom as Ennis becomes a desirable, commutable location for high-flyers who want to live outside cities, according to property sources.

The house in Cahercalla which sold last Friday for €715,000 on 0.4 of an acre will probably be felled by the wreckers’ ball, effectively putting the price of the site at €715,000.

The 1970’s bungalow is typical of the type of property which becomes available only rarely in the Cahercalla area, which is becoming an increasingly desirable address.

Cormac O’Sullivan of DNG O’Sullivan Hurley, who handled the Cahercalla sale, said that the area was one of a number seeing increasing demand and corresponding increases in prices.

He said that the price, “sets a new benchmark. It is in the middle of the town and Ennis is becoming an increasingly attractive prospect for people who want the more relaxed lifestyle of living outside cities. The town is commutable for Limerick and Galway and the by-pass is going to be a major boost. The trend is being set for up-market developments and that’s not surprising when you consider that Lahinch is 20 minutes away, we have excellent shopping facilities and we’re surrounded by championship golf courses.”

O’Sullivan said that other mature areas which were coming into heavy demand included Ballyalla and Ballybeg and the rising values here were being reflected in other parts of the town.

“Currently, a two-bedroom semidetached house in Steele’s Terrace is on sale for €322,000,” he said.

The 3.08 acres site in Clarecastle which fetched €2.45 million last week was sold to a Galway-based developer, KC Developments.

Paddy Dermody, who handled the sale for Sherry Fitzgerald, said that the sale had a number of unique features which helped boost the price.

“There is full planning permission for 33 residential units on the site and it does not include any social or affordable housing.”

Meanwhile, the firm involved in the sale before auction of a house on Mill Road last week were remaining tight-lipped about the price but it is believed that the property changed hands for in the region of €900,000.

A LACK of volunteers has forced the suspension of scouting activities in Ennis.

The 1st and 4th Clare Scout Group which is based in Station Road, Ennis, has been forced to suspend all scouting activities until enough volunteers come forward to help continue the service.

The association currently caters for 150 children from around 130 families in and around Ennis.

Letters have been sent out to parents and a public meeting on the issue will be held on Thursday, September 21, at 8.30pm in the Scout Hall.

Scout leaders say that suspending activities is a “drastic measure” but felt they were left with no other option.

The association has operated in Ennis for 79 years and scout leaders say a number of steps have to be taken for scouting to continue.

The group is looking for ten people to be members of a Parents and Friends Committee which is required under the constitution of Scouting Ireland.

In the letter, the group states; “Without this committee we should not be operating, our Group Leader with the help of scouters has carried out the burden for the past 12 months. A practice which is now going to stop. The scouters have enough work to do giving life skills to your children”

The group also say that at least eight new scouters are required in order to meet Child Protection Guidelines

“Under our Child Protection Guidelines, we have to keep within the recommended ratio of adults to children and should not operate if we do not have enough scouters to ensure the safety of your children.”

If the numbers are not met, the group say children looking to join the scouts may have to be placed on a waiting list until places become available.

All people applying for positions in the scouts will be vetted by the Gardaí and trained by Scouting Ireland.

The group say activities may be suspended indefinitely unless a committee is appointed at Thursday’s meeting.

The decision came the same week as Taoiseach Bertie Ahern claimed the spirit of volunteering was dying out in Ireland.

Addressing a taskforce on active citizenship, Mr Ahern said, “It is not just about the practical, day-today pressures which shape how we live. There is a concern that we have become more materialistic, maybe even more selfish. And if we have, I believe many people would conclude that, for all our new wealth, we are much the poorer.”

THE Department of the Environment has requested that the developers of a €10 million wind farm in mid-Clare put in place measures to protect Hen Harriers, which are protected under the EU Habitats Directive.

In a submission to Clare County Council, the department has stated that owing to the sensitivity of the general area for the Hen Harrier and the presence of at least one Hen Harrier on the next site, it is recommended that there should be ongoing monitoring of Hen Harrier populations in the area.

The department also made the recommendations on the number and size of windfarms in the area.

The department has also stated that the windfarm should be designed to avoid areas of deep peat, even if these areas are modified by afforestation or drainage.

The proposal has also received one objection from Noel McGuane.

He told the council that the proposed extension to the existing wind-farm would seriously alter the format of the existing windfarm in the area.

Mr McGuane said that some of the turbines were very close to Lough Nan, which is the main water supply for over 2,000 homes.

The planned six-turbine wind-farm is an extension to a wind-farm that became operational last year. It is the first time in two years that planning permission has been lodged for a wind-farm in Clare with the council.

Already, within 10km of the proposed development, there are 62 wind-turbines consented to or built.

The existing 15-turbine windfarm at the site is only the second windfarm in Clare – the other is located at Moanmore, outside Kilrush.

Five years ago, DP Energy secured planning permission for the proposal in the face of strong local opposition and only after An Bord Pleanala disregarded the recommendation of its own inspector and granted planning permission.

The appeals board gave the plan the goahead, citing the National Development Plan in relation to the development of renewable energy and the national strategy on sustainable development.

According to the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) lodged with the new plan, the closest village to the proposal is Lissycasey at 6km, while the closest house is 700 metres away.

A decision is due on the application later this month.

THE concept and content of Clare County Council’s new €31.5 million visitor centre has been revealed with the centre-piece being a computer generated image (CGI) exhibition allowing visitors to ‘swoop’ down along the cliff ledge.

The visitor centre is currently under construction, but the council has revealed that the dome is organised into four principal themed areas: ocean, rock, nature and man. A series of interactive and informational displays depicts aspects of these four themes and the interrelated connection with the Cliffs.

The centre-piece of the exhibition will be “The Ledge”, which is a virtual reality experience using state-ofthe-art CGI technology to surround visitors front, side and below, taking them on a journey only possible in a virtual world.

The council states: “Taking the point of view of one of the Cliffs’ many seabirds, visitors swoop along and around the cliff ledges before diving deep below the surface of the water from the viewpoint of a salmon swimming through the undersea kelp forest.

The centre will also contain an audiovisual experience entitled The Clare Journey, which will be shown in the main exhibition area.

According to the council: “This presentation will provide an aerial tour of the many natural and geological wonders that the county of Clare has to offer, whetting visitors’ appetites to see more of this historic and beautiful county.”

“Ocean” will depict how the Atlantic Ocean interacts with the Clare coastline, while the section dealing with rock will have on display a range of exhibits and displays exploring how the Cliffs themselves were formed millions of years ago. The nature section will allow visitors interact with the displays and learn about the interdependence of the ecological chain.

The section dealing with man is to deal with the rich folklore and legends surrounding the area and will include profiles of key local figures in history.

MEMBERS of the Labasheeda and Carrigaholt communities have resolved to go to Dublin to argue the case for a speedy solution to the sewerage crisis in the coastal villages.

Labasheeda School principal Liam Woulfe told The Clare People , “We believe that we are now left behind because of our coastal location.

“Pollution of water will still go on contrary to department guidelines while they debate money issues,” he said.

Cooraclare has been removed from the group sewerage scheme, which also included Carrigaholt and Labasheeda, as it did not require a foreshore licence. The acquisition of a licence could hold up a sewerage scheme by up to two years. An economic review of the Cooraclare Scheme shows that it now meets the Government’s water pricing policy. The report is now with the Department of the Environment and a decision on the scheme is expected in the next week.

Meanwhile, a draft economic review of the Labasheeda and Carrigaholt schemes shows a cost of €17,000 and €15,000 per house respectively.

These revised costings are also expected to be with the council soon.

According to Mr Woulfe, there is room for manoeuvre with the Labasheeda scheme, such as an alternative discharge mechanism or temporary storage on land.

“There isn’t room for change in Carrigaholt, outflow will have to be piped out to sea,” he said.

Senator Brendan Daly (FF) said the priority now was to get the schemes for the three villages completed.