Category: News

HOUSEHOLDERS are being warned to keep their homes under lock and key when they are working during the day, following three burglaries near Shannon last week.

Cash and jewellery was stolen from a house in Deerpark on Thursday morning and two houses in Drumline on Friday morning. A substantial amount of cash was stolen from one of the homes.

According to gardaí, a man was seen acting in a suspicious manner, near Drumline, at around the time the houses were targeted on Friday. Gardaí carried out house-to-house enquiries, as part of their investigations.

“This man is aged about 20, of thin build. He was wearing a cap and dark clothes. He was seen in the vicinity of Drumline, at around 9.30am on Friday. We do not know if a car was used. We are asking anyone who may have seen suspicious activity around this time to contact us,” said Detective Sergeant Michael Houlihan, of Shannon Garda Station.

He said houses are being targeted during the day, while their owners are working.

“There is a trend whereby dwelling houses are being entered during the daylight hours, when the occupants are at work. If anyone sees any suspicious activity near their homes, they should contact us,” added Det Sgt Houlihan.

“We are appealing to people to keep their properties secure and not leave cash in their houses and lock away jewellery,” he added.

Separately, gardaí in Shannon are investigating the theft of an estimated €20,000 from a safe at the Shannon Shamrock Hotel in Bunratty on Tuesday night.

It is believed the money was taken between 6pm on Tuesday and 9am on Wednesday. Gardaí say their enquiries are ongoing.

SALMON stocks in Doonbeg could be decimated in the coming months if action is not taken to repair a broken model, a type of weir, at Cloghar Beach. The damage to it could also result in a repeat of the flooding which took place in 2002, when almost 80 acres of local land was submerged.

The model that allows the wild Atlantic salmon to enter the Annageragh River, has been severally damaged in recent years. According to local man Bill McNamara, neither the Office of Public Works (OPW) or Clare County are taking responsibility for it.

“It is totally blocked at the moment and nothing whatsoever can get up or down it,” said Mr McNamara.

“You can sit in the middle of it and it is completely dry – that is how blocked it is. It is on the brink of collapsing completely.

“We have seen fish trying to get up there in the last few weeks but it completely impossible now. Something has to be done immediately or it will be a disaster for the fish stock.”

The model has become increasingly dilapidated over the last number of years and it has become blocked periodically by falling stone and rubble. Many locals fear that a major flood could take place in the next few months if the situation is not rectified.

“The river cannot get out so it will flood again when the weather gets bad. It will be worse than before – there is just nowhere for the water to go,” continued Mr McNamara.

“It needs a new model altogether. It is a big job, but they are spending plenty of money sending a gun ship up and down the coast stopping poachers. What are they going to do, let this get wiped out altogether?”

Mr McNamara has contacted a number of authorities about the problem, but to date no-one has taken responsibility for the model.

“I went to the OPW the last time and they said that it was not their responsibility,” continued Mr McNamara. “I then got on to Clare County Council and the emergency services and to be fair they cleared it very quickly but they claimed that it was the OPW’s responsibility.

“The fisheries authority in Listowel cleared it a few months ago and they said it was the responsibility of the OPW as well.”

The Clare People contacted the OPW about this matter, but no response was forthcoming at the time of going to press.

A PUBLIC meeting to debate antisocial behaviour will take place in Lahinch tomorrow evening following another weekend of violence in the north Clare village.

Six adults and one juvenile were arrested there over the weekend on a variety of charges relating to fighting and damaging private property.

Two people were arrested on Friday night, three on Saturday and a further two on Sunday.

In recent weeks, Lahinch has received one extra garda to help deal with the growing antisocial problem being suffered by the town during the summer season.

Meanwhile, the Lahinch Community Council will host a public meeting tomorrow evening, August 23, to discuss matters of public interest in the town.

The meeting will tackle the growing antisocial problem as well as the proposed new developments on the village’s promenade and the new bylaws that are due to come into effect from September 1. The meeting will take place in the Castle Course Clubhouse at 8pm on Wednesday, August 23. A spokesperson for the community council said that everyone in the town was welcome to come and openly discuss the issues.

ROAD safety signs in Clare may soon be required to appear in Polish and Lithuanian if a new safety campaign receives the backing of Clare County Council.

Ennistymon County Councillor Martin Conway is preparing a motion for the next meeting of the local authority in September which will include a call for a complete examination of all the dangerous bends in the county, as well as putting forward the case for multilingual signs.

“I think that we need to be much more proactive about the signage,” said Cllr Conway. “We should be looking at putting up signs in other languages where there are Polish and Lithuanian people working and driving on the roads.

“I am really looking for Clare County Council to look at road behaviour, identify the dangerous bends and give us a commitment in terms of time and funding.”

Six people have already died on the county’s roads this year and with the creation of the Road Safety Authority, road safety looks certain to be a major issue in next year’s general election.

“What I want to see is a complete survey from Clare County Council of all dangerous bends and road surfaces in the county,” continued Cllr Conway. “It is very easy for officials to wash their hands and say that it is not their fault.

“As an agency, we have a role to play. I see this as something concrete that can be done to reduce the levels of road accidents. There is a myriad of areas around the county with bad roads and they need to be addressed. I want to see a commitment to action by Clare County Council.”

With funding for road projects always in short supply in the local authority, it may be necessary for an outside agency to foot the bill for the road improvement.

“Funding is always going to be an issue. I would say that the Department of the Environment would have a role to play in that but, wherever the money comes from, it is needed sooner rather than later,” said Cllr Conway.

“There are a number of accidents which don’t have fatalities and don’t get the media attention. This doesn’t mean that these sections of the road are not dangerous and will not be the cause of fatalities in the future.”

TWO people charged in connection with an attack on two Lithuanian brothers in Shannon last December have been returned for trial to Ennis Circuit Court.

Arturas and Aivaras Segzda sustained stab wounds in an incident, in the early hours of December 9 last.

David O’Loughlin (19), of Finian Park, Shannon, is facing four charges, while Jessica O’Leary, of Cronan Lawn, Shannon, is facing five charges.

At a sitting of the District Court in June, Mr O’Loughlin was charged with two counts of assault causing harm; possession of a knife; and possession of a knife with intent to cause injury.

However at Ennis District Court yesterday, one of the charges of assault causing harm was withdrawn and he was charged with assault causing serious harm, in relation to Arturas Segzda.

Detective Garda Andrew Hayes told the court the accused made no reply to charge after caution, yesterday morning.

Ms O’Leary is accused of two counts of assault causing harm; possession of a screwdriver; and possession of a screwdriver with intent to cause injury.

She is also accused of obstruction.

Inspector Tom Kennedy said the Book of Evidence was served on the two accused and said the Book had been adjusted to reflect the new charge in relation to Mr O’Loughlin.

Judge Leo Malone returned the two accused for trial, to Ennis Circuit Court in October.

CLARE householders using bin collections are still recycling only onefifth of their household waste, according to figures just released.

But Green Party Councillor Brian Meaney says that the “disappointing” figure does not reflect our enthusiasm for emptying the boot of the car into bring-banks.

A national report from the Local Government Management Services Board for 2005 shows that in the Clare County Council area, 20.2 per cent of the rubbish collected door-todoor was recycling.

A massive 79.8 per cent of what we put in our bins is still being sent to landfill.

This is in comparison to residents of Galway county, who recycle 30 per cent of their rubbish and residents of Limerick City, who separate just 14 per cent of theirs for recycling.

Top of the recycling league were Longford people, who see to it that more than half their rubbish – 51.28 per cent – goes the green route.

Worst in the recycling league table was the Environment Minister’s own county. Dick Roche’s native Wicklow puts just two per cent of its collected rubbish in recycling bins.

But Cllr Meaney has greater faith in Clare’s green agenda.

“That figure is disappointing but I believe it may not reflect the actual situation,” the councillor said.

“Recycling centres in Clare are constantly full.

“I think it is vital to give people access to bring-banks in as many locations as possible and to have as many banks for different kinds of materials as possible.

“When people are given the option to recycle materials free of charge, they will use it,” he added.

The figures are for door-to-door collections and do not take into account bring-banks, which account for 40 per cent of all recycling.

Other figures gleaned from the report show that Clare County Council issued 515 on-the-spot litter fines in 2005, prosecuted 29 cases for nonpayment and secured 14 successful prosecutions.

Neighbouring Limerick city issued 797 on-the-spot fines, with 263 prosecutions taken, with 66 convictions secured.

Galway County Council issued on the spot fines in relation to 335 littering instances.

Six prosecutions ensued and 33 prosecutions were secured.

THE Clare show circuit moved west to Mullagh this weekend as hundreds of enthusiasts flocked to the village to taste the craic and atmosphere of one of Clare’s biggest agricultural events. The Community Sports Field in Mullagh was packed with people on Sunday as the show enjoyed a good crowd despite the distractions from Croke Park. While the men in saffron and blue came home disappointed there are few who left unhappy from Mullagh.

On of the highlights of the show was the foal competition which was won by Shellagh Barry from Inch with Anthony Clohessy fro Kilimer and Michael Walshe from Shannon qualifying for the All-Ireland final at the Mountbellew Show in September.

Other winners were Flan Casey from Kildysart in the sheep section, Deirdre Sexton from Mullagh in the dairy cattle section, Paul Devitt from Ennistymon in the commercial suckler cow section, Martin T from Mullagh in the commercial beef section and Michael Sexton in the purebred limousine section.

In the horse section Anthony Clohessy from Killimer took the prize for the brood mare, Alex Burns from Ruan in the riding pony section, Francis Murphy from Rineen in the hand fed pony and registered pony section and Shellagh Barry from Inch in the foal section.

The show also had plenty for everyone with amusements and athletics for the children, an information centre run by Michael Gleeson of West Clare Community Resources as-well-as a farmers market.

PLANS are to continue for the unveiling of a statue to commemorate Richard Harris next month, even if locals appeal to An Bord Pleanála.

Last week, Clare County Council granted permission for plans to celebrate the late actor in Kilkee in spite of opposition from residents.

Project director Manuel di Lucia said the statue will be unveiled in a ceremony on September 30, irrespective of whether an appeal is lodged.

He added that invites for the September unveiling have already gone out to Hollywood stars Russell Crowe, Pierce Brosnan, Brad Pitt, Danny de Vito and Peter O’Toole.

He also confirmed that over €30,000 of the €42,000 budget has been raised, with former Taoiseach, Albert Reynolds contributing €1,000.

The statue, to be placed in Wellington Square, will depict Harris playing racquet ball, in memory of the Limerick man winning four competitions in a row in the resort where he spent much of his summer holidays.

The twice Oscar-nominated actor had strong associations with Kilkee, and his three sons have confirmed that they will contribute €21,000 to the project.

According to Mr di Lucia, they will also be present for the unveiling of the statue by local sculptor, Seamus Connolly.

Mr di Lucia said that “the statue will be very good for Kilkee and will bring a lot of people into the resort”.

The proposal had resulted in five objections. Kieran Walsh, of Bella Vista, West End, Kilkee said, “This statue will become a focal point for people at night and unruly behaviour is likely to cause severe inconvenience to residents.”

Meanwhile, Limerick community activist, Sean O’Neill, last night hit out at the plan, claiming that Harris contributed very little either to Kilkee or his native city.

“The fact is the actor spent most of his time in the Bahamas,” said Mr. O’Neill. “His last wish was to have his ashes scattered there.”

O’Neill instead proposes a memorial to the Limerick writer JM O’Neill who retired to Kilkee where he wrote the award-winning novel of Limerick life, Bennett and Company , before his death in 1999.

SECURITY at Shannon Airport is “grossly inadequate” if a major disaster were to happen, according to former Irish army commandant and security expert Ed Horgan.

Mr Horgan was speaking in the wake of a plot to blow up 10 transatlantic flights in the UK and America was foiled last Thursday and believes that incident increases the threat to Shannon.

He said the recent decision to step up security at Shannon was “window dressing” and would not “prevent people from getting access to runways.”

“Security at Shannon airport is seriously inadequate from a terrorist point of view. The fact that Shannon is still being used to transport troops makes it a terrorist target,” he said.

“There is a significant increase in risk to Shannon and Dublin. Dublin city centre and transport in Dublin is the major risk and then Shannon airport is the second target.

“If we have adequate security measures, they are not being applied. Security at Shannon is grossly inadequate, for a major disaster,” Mr Horgan added.

“Shannon is still wide open. It would take, in my estimation, a batch of troops – 500 – to properly secure the terminal building.”

He said he would support efforts by members of the Catholic Worker Movement to close Shannon Airport to troops. He pointed out that the drop in the number of troops travelling through Shannon last month was “purely for economic reasons,” given that a major airline carrying troops, World Airways, had pulled out of Shannon.

“They must stop the use of Shannon by troops. There is a likelihood of a terrorist attack on Ireland if we continue to support the war by allowing troops through,” Mr Horgan said.

“It would be far better if peace activists succeeded in closing Shannon to troops than if terrorists succeeded in closing it. There is a real danger that Shannon could be targeted by terrorists.

“To re-establish Shannon as an exclusively civilian airport, we need to publicly declare that it is being withdrawn for military use. Ireland and the people of Clare have assisted in the killing of more than 100,000 people and there is a price to be paid.

“We need to take steps to undo some of that wrong. If that means closing Shannon airport temporarily, that must be done,” he said.

Mr Horgan’s comments run along the same line as several international security experts who believe Ireland could be in the firing line, because of the use of Shannon by US troops.

GARDAÍ in Clare say they are confident the security operation in Shannon is sufficient, in the wake of last Thursday’s foiled attempt to blow up transatlantic flights overseas.

Just days before that incident, security was stepped up at Shannon, after anti-war activists pledged to shut down the airport unless US troops pulled out.

Gardaí are lining the perimeter fence at Shannon around the clock, while the army has been called in.

Clare Chief Superintendent Liam Quinn said adequate security is in place at the airport.

“We have a substantial security operation in place in Shannon. We have been in contact with the authorities in Shannon and are working very closely with them,” he said.

“We already had a substantial security operation in place. What is happening in London hasn’t impacted (on Shannon) from a security point of view.

“It is adequate for the present threat and is a measured response to what is in place,” said the Garda Chief.

Hundreds of passengers at Shannon were left stranded as four flights – three Ryanair and one Aer Lingus – to the UK were cancelled on Thursday. Many were forced to make alternative arrangements at a heavy cost.

Some changed their plans and flew out over the weekend, others cancelled their trips overseas, while many took the ferry to the UK.

According to a spokesperson for the airport, none of the long-haul flights were affected.

“Transatlantic traffic was not affected. Many of the European flights were delayed by two to three hours as a knock-on effect, but overall there was no chaos as flights were not badly affected,” said a spokesperson for Shannon Airport.

“There were a number of minor delays on Friday, all emanating from UK services, but there has been little difficulty since,” added the spokesperson.

The spokesperson said that security measures have not changed in the wake of Thursday’s incident.

“Nothing has changed. Whatever rules were there still apply. There are still restrictions, however, on flights to the UK, in that no liquids or gels can be carried on to the planes,” added the spokesperson.

Passengers intending to travel from Shannon, and the country’s other airports, are being asked to limit their carry-on hand luggage to one small bag each.

They are being asked to contact their airline for further details. Ryanair is advising its passengers flying from UK airports to check in at least two hours before departure time.