Category: News

THE Clare Tourism Forum has failed in a bid to secure funding from Fáilte Ireland to boost the tourism industry in Clare and will have to re-apply.

Addressing yesterday’s Clare County Council Special Policy Committee (SPC) on Economic Development, Bernadette Kinsella said that the application by the Clare Tourism Forum had failed as the application didn’t qualify and a new revised submission would have to be made.

SPC member, John Madden said that Clare and the mid-west appeared to be the poor relation in comparison to other areas of Ireland where tourism funding was concerned.

“We are not getting the financial support that other areas are getting. We must actively pursue our politicians to ensure that we get our fair share.”

Disappointment was also expressed at the continued failure by Shannon Development to appoint a tourism development officer for Clare.

Ms Kinsella said that no progress had been made on the issue. Clare County Council first proposed the post last year and in response Shannon Development said that it would take the lead.

Chair of the SPC, Cllr Richard Nagle (FF) said: “It is particularly disappointing because if Shannon Development had not said that they would establish the post, there would be a tourism development officer in place by now.

He added: “We were delighted at the time that Shannon Development would be making the appointment so at the moment we are in a limbo situation.”

Cllr Nagle said that both he and Ms Kinsella would be meeting with Shannon Development representatives at a Clare Tourism Forum meeting today and would be seeking answers to the questions that were made at the meeting in relation to the Tourism Development Officer post.

Senior Planner, Liam Conneally, told the meeting that the Clare Tourism Forum had become a serious entity and was achieving a buy-in from the local tourism industry.

Mr Madden agreed stating that the forum vehicle was something that people could hang their hat on rather than any other agency. Cllr Nagle said that the SPC would be writing to the county’s Oireachtas members on the need to secure tourism funding.

POLLUTION, water extraction for housing development and the introduction of new species have wiped out the population of a fish, the Arctic Char, in Clare waters over the last nine years.

An extensive survey conducted in north Clare’s Lickeen Lake last week failed to find any trace of the ancient trout-like species.

The survey, which was conducted by Scottish expert Ron Green with the support of the Irish Char Conservation Group, Shannon Fisheries Board, the Heritage Council and the Lickeen Development Co-op, failed to uncover a single Arctic Char, but found that the Rudd population has exploded in the lake.

“It is difficult to prove an extinction, but from the evidence of the study, that is the situation in Lickeen,” said Fran Igoe of the Shannon Region Fisheries Board.

“In Lickeen, in appears that pollution is the most likely source of the problem. We found large quantities of Rudd, which was introduced into the lake in the 1960s.

“Rudd thrives in dirty water and this pollution has essentially changed the ecology of the lake.”

Fears have also been raised about the future viability of trout in Clare’s lakes.

The survey uncovered 69 Rudd, 10 trout and no Char in Lickeen.

The target for a non-polluted lake the size of Lickeen would be 40 Char and 100 trout.

“From a biodiversity point of view, this is a real warning for Clare, and other species unique to the county could also become extinct if this continues,” said Mr Igoe.

The Arctic Char came to Ireland after the last Ice Age and has fascinated scientists because of the unique way that different strands have developed in different lakes.

“The pollution has been the knockout blow for the Char in Lickeen,” said Ron Green.

“We are finding similar problems in Scotland and in Scandinavia but Ireland seems to have a bigger problem with pollution and also the extraction of water due to a lot of developments in rural areas.”

Records of Arctic Char exist for five freshwater lakes in Clare – Lough Gortglas, Cloonsneachta, Inchiquin and Finloe, as well as Lickeen.

THE latest JNLR figures show that Clare FM’s listenership and market share have dropped in the most recent survey published.

The figures show that Clare FM’s daily listenership, or reach figures, have dropped three points to 45 in the period from July 2005 to July 2006.

The JNLR figures show that the station’s market share has dropped by 2.7 points to 32.3 in the most recent survey.

The Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI) state that “for the purpose of comparison, figures for this survey period are compared with the April 2005 to March 2006 period reflecting the rolling nature of the listenership survey”.

The figures also show that Clare FM’s weekly reach figure is at 74 points – down one point on the previous survey. The 74 total compares to RTÉ Radio One achieving 40 points and Today FM achieving 30 points in the same survey.

The figures published show the Clare FM listenership is up one point on the corresponding period for 2004-05.

Managing Director of Clare FM, Liam O’Shea said yesterday, ‘’We are pleased to see that the key indicator of how many people are listening to Clare FM – the listenership figures – are up in comparison to this time last year, and at a time when there are more and more players in the radio market here in County Clare.

He added, “We are, by a long distance, the number one station in the County with more listeners than RTÉ1 and 2FM combined, and with more than twice the listenership of Today FM. The same also applies to market share with Clare FM, although lower than this time last year, it is still nearly double the market share of its competitors.

“Clare FM’s weekend listenership is also very strong with our listenership and market share being more than all of the competition combined. We are all very proud of that and are very grateful to our listeners for this.

Commenting on the station’s Shannon optout service, Mr O’Shea said that the service “was a unique innovation for Clare FM and we are pleased with how the service is doing, but it is too early to have any official listenership figures at the moment”.

IT’S every family’s nightmare. A young man goes out for a few drinks and a laugh, but never makes it home.

Vincent Hehir was enjoying a break with his family last weekend. He escaped the hustle and bustle of his home and business in London and visited his parents and family, at Glencanane, just three miles from Kildysart.

Vincent regularly visited his family and enjoyed catching up with his friends over a few drinks in the village of Kildysart. And last Sunday GARDAÍ investigating the death of Vincent Hehir have taken statements from up to 80 people who were in Kildysart on the evening he suffered his injuries.

They still believe that a number of people who may have useful information have yet to come forward.

As part of the investigation into the incident, gardaí interviewed a number of people on the streets and was no exception. He enjoyed himself that evening and prepared to return to London, after his break with his children.

But fate was to intervene and Vincent never made it back to his parents’ house at Glencanane.

He sustained head injuries in an incident outside Mitchel’s Corner Bar shortly after 11pm, and was brought to Ennis General Hospital. He underwent a CAT-scan at Limerick Regional Hospital on Monday morning and returned to hospital in Ennis.

He remained in a critical condition throughout the week and, sadly, lost his fight for life on Wednesday in the pubs in Kildysart late on Sunday night, exactly one week since the incident, which has shocked the close-knit west Clare community.

Three local men, aged 21, 23 and 33, were arrested in connection with the incident last Tuesday morning. All three were detained at Kilrush Garda Station throughout the day and were all subsequently later released.

Three homes in the area were also searched, as part of the investigaevening.

Although he was in a critical condition during those three days, his family remained by his bedside and hoped against hope that he would make a miraculous recovery.

The people of Kildysart are still in shock at the tragic death, at such a young age. Vincent was only 32.

Many knew him well before he moved to the UK, where he managed a bar. Others did not know him, but are acquainted with members of his large family, who are well known in the area.

Kildysart, like most villages in rural Ireland, is not alien to tragedy tion.

A full file is currently being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions, who will decide later whether charges are to follow.

Initial results from the post mortem examination carried out by Deputy State Pathologist Dr Michael Curtis last Friday showed that Mr Hehir died as a result of head injuries. The Pathologist’s full report will take some weeks to complete.

Superintendent Joe McKeown, of and the pain of Vincent’s death cuts deeper, given recent heartbreak in the community.

Less than three months ago, the Corry family, from Moyfadda, Labasheeda, lost their son Stephen (21), when he was killed after his car crashed into a wall at Main Street, Kildysart, in the early hours of June 12.

Stephen’s parents, Michael and Vera, are trying to slowly come to terms with the death of their son.

Stephen, like Vincent Hehir, had left his home on a Sunday evening, and spent hours socialising with friends, but never made it home. Kilrush Garda Station, said he believed some people still had information and he urged them to come forward.

“We carried out questionnaires in Kildysart, between 10.30pm and midnight on Sunday.

“We interviewed people in pubs and on the streets and stopping cars. We spoke to a number of people who were in the village on the night in question,” said Supt McKeown.

Gardaí believe Vincent arrived in Kildysart village shortly after 8.30pm, and visited a number of pubs, where he met up with friends.

He sustained injuries outside Mitchel’s Corner Bar on Main Street, some time after 11pm and was brought to hospital, where he died on Wednesday evening.

“We are still appealing for anyone out there who witnessed this incident and haven’t come forward. We are trying to track down his (Vincent’s) final hours,” he said.

“People who live in the area, who reside close by or who were walking down the street at the time may have information that could assist,” said the superintendent.

A special Garda conference on the investigation took place at Kilrush Garda Station – where a conference room was set up last week – yesterday evening, as gardaí continues to sieve through information.

“We have more statements to take and we will see what direction we will take then,” said Supt McKeown.

THE future of the campaign to secure a second entrance to Gort from the Gort/Crusheen dual carriageway hung in the balance last night as a meeting between south Galway politicians and the Gort Regional Alliance for Community and Environment (GRACE) went into overtime in a local hotel.

The ongoing situation has seen the National Roads Authority (NRA) at odds with Galway County Council over the construction of a second entrance. The NRA have advised GRACE that because of the growth rate of the town, Gort should have a second entrance onto the bypass. This point is disputed by Galway County Council. Council officials argue that the population of Gort does not justify a second entrance.

The latest census figures reveal that the population of Gort has grown by 53 per cent in the last six years. GRACE have examined the planning situation and zoning in the town and believe that the increase will continue in the foreseeable future.

The group have lodged a submission to the environmental impact study for the proposed roadway and are currently awaiting a response.

Aside from the bypass issue, the meeting also heard plans for the creation of a water and sewerage system for the town. These are already at an advanced state.

GRACE also announced preliminary plans to launch a Wealth from Waste project in the town. This project, which would be the first of its kind in Europe, would include a major recycling facility.

A public meeting is due to take place to discuss all of these issues in Gort on October 6.

PLANS to bring the body of Vincent Hehir to its final resting place were postponed at the weekend, after it emerged that a second post mortem examination was to take place.

A post mortem examination took place in Limerick last Friday and his body was due to be returned to his family for burial in Kildysart.

However, a request by one of the three men questioned in connection with the death for an independent post mortem meant that the funeral had to be postponed.

While no charges have been proffered in relation to the death, this request is the legal right of the man in question, through his solicitor.

The second post mortem examination was carried out in Limerick yesterday (Monday) evening, by Belfast Pathologist Dr Carson, and the body was due to be released to the deceased’s family by County Coroner Isobel O’Dea.

Friends of the deceased had travelled from England to Kildysart over the weekend, intending to attend his funeral, before it emerged that the second post mortem procedure was to take place.

The 32-year-old had been due to celebrate his youngest daughter’s christening last weekend.

His two-month-old daughter Margaret was baptised in a private ceremony at his bedside in the Intensive Care Unit at Ennis General Hospital on Thursday morning.

Mr Hehir had agreed to donate his organs after his death. A surgical team from Beaumont Hospital in Dublin travelled to Ennis on Thursday to ascertain the compatibility of his organs.

While many organs were damaged as a result of injuries Mr Hehir sustained in the alleged assault, some were deemed compatible and were rushed under Garda escort to Dublin.

The community in Kildysart has rallied behind Vincent’s distraught family over the past week.

Fine Gael Deputy Pat Breen said everybody in Kildysart and surrounding areas was heartbroken.

“There is an air of doom and gloom around Kildysart and surrounding parishes. There have been a number of tragedies in the area over the past number of months,” he said.

SPENDING of €11.9 million on environmental works and €8.9 million on a redundancy programme contributed to a 60 per cent drop in profits at Roche Ireland last year.

Accounts filed to the Companies Office show that Roche Ireland, a subsidiary of the Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche, returned a profit of €6 million to the end of 2005, compared to the €14 million profit secured after tax in 2004.

The drop in profits at the Clarecastle plant is explained by the €20.8 million spent on environmental works and redundancy payments last year to 35 workers let go. The director’s statement attached to the accounts state that the “directors have increased the company’s provision for obligations associated with its environmental development programme by €11,950,000 in the financial year. This is based on the conclusions of a number of on-site studies indicating soil stabilisation remediation requirements”.

It goes on: “In September 2005, the company announced that, as part of a group strategy to restructure its global manufacturing network, it would be closing its d, I Acid production plant during 2006. The above restructuring charge relates primarily to the costs of a redundancy programme associated with this closure.”

The accounts show that Roche enjoyed a turnover of €118 million in 2005 compared to a turnover of €124 million in 2004, while operating costs also dropped from €111 million in 2005 to €106 million in 2004. But, accumulated profits stand at €99 million.

MINISTER for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Micheál Martin has decided not to implement his controversial plan to allow the IDA take over the Shannon Free Zone mandate from Shannon Development.

While the Minister has ordered that foreign investment in the region will remain the remit of Shannon Development, he is to order that the company’s indigenous mandate will become the responsibility of Enterprise Ireland from January 1.

More than 50 staff will also have to transfer from the development agency to Enterprise Ireland.

In a letter to the chairman of Shannon Development, Minister Martin wrote, “It is intended that this transfer will be affected by way of ministerial designation of the staff concerned.”

He told the chairman that the necessary legislation to enact this would come before the next session of the Dáil.

The 50 or more staff moving from Shannon Development to EI will make up the first phase of the decentralisation of Enterprise Ireland to Shannon. The second phase of decentralisation will be made up of Enterprise Ireland staff already working in the Shannon region, while the third phase will include the 40 staff who expressed an interest in moving to the town.

Minister of State with responsibilities for Labour Affairs, Tony Killeen told The Clare People , “Minister Martin said it would have been impossible to deliver Enterprise Ireland to Shannon in any meaningful way if the agency did not have any responsibility for this region as well as the rest of the country.”

The Clare junior minister said he was also pleased that a new national headquarters for the Enterprise Board was to be set up in Shannon.

Meanwhile, Minister Martin said he no longer intended to transfer Shannon Development’s mandate on foreign investment to the IDA.

Instead he said the development company would have the use of the IDA’s offices and contacts under a protocol yet to be decided.

“I am pleased that we have been able to persuade my colleague that Shannon Development is capable of making a positive contribution in the free zone,” said Minister Killeen.

Just over 13 months ago, Minister Martin announced that the IDA would take over the Shannon Free Zone.

IN ONE of her final engagements before resigning as Tánaiste, Mary Harney praised Clarecastle’s highly skilled workforce after officially opening a new €5.4 million state of the art laboratory, at the Roche Ireland facility.

Ms Harney said the presence of a skilled labour pool, along with the company’s close community ties, were central to Roche success.

“The flexibility and commitment of the Irish workforce attracts companies like Roche to Clare and the mid-west. As people in Clarecastle know well, you don’t have to be in a big city to compete in big markets”

Managing Director John Liddy said, “We are fortunate to be well served by excellent schools and third level institutions in this region.”

The Clarecastle site was established in 1974 by thxe Syntex corporation and was acquired by Roche in 1994. Since then, Roche has pumped €200 million into the Clarecastle site which now produces final products and intermediaries for a wide range of health care products. The plant currently employs 240 people, 75 per cent of whom have third level qualifications. Mrs Harney said this figure underlined Roche’s importance to the region.

“We are very much moving into an era of fourth level education. The Government plans to double the amount of PhD holders so we continue to develop our knowledge based economy”

She was joined at the opening by the Chargé d’Affaires of the Swiss Embassy, the honourable Mr Ernst Balzili, Dr Jan van Koeveringe, head of Roche worldwide pharmaceutical manufacturing, Mayor of Clare Flan Garvey and Mayor of Ennis Joe Reidy.

SERIOUS concerns were raised last night about about Clare’s economic future within an enlarged Enterprise Ireland.

Former Clare TD Madeleine Taylor-Quinn was critical of the Government decision allowing the State company take over from Shannon Development, claiming Clare would have to compete for industry with more counties, as part of the enlarged agency.

The Fine Gael general election candidate said responsibility for the area should not be transferred to Enterprise Ireland in its current format.

She argued that the Shannon Free Airport Development Company Organisation (Shannon Development) was effective as an instrument of regional development.

“The Government have done another u-turn. It seems that there is no logical planning within the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, and jobs within SFADCO (Shannon Development) and throughout the region are being treated in a haphazard manner.

“Why is this Government intent on dismantling all the structures in this region that are vital and essential to the future development of the area?” she asked.

“It seems to be the case of divide and conquer, while the region and county becomes the sacrificial lamb,” Cllr Taylor-Quinn said.

Shannon Development was remaining tightlipped yesterday evening as news broke that the IDA was no longer to take over its mandate in the Shannon Free Zone.

When contacted by The Clare People , the development company said it had no comment to make on the minister’s apparent change of heart, or his decision to sign over its responsibility for home grown industry to Enterprise Ireland on December 31.