Category: News

CLARE County Council has this week revealed how it plans to spend an €18.1 million windfall from the Minister for Housing and Urban Renewal, Noel Ahern.

The funding for housing capital programmes will be divided into three different sections.

The largest sum of €15m has been allocated for the local authority’s housing construction or acquisition programme, including extensions to local authority houses.

Under the scheme, work will commence on eight housing schemes in the county, which will yield a total of 114 additional social housing units in 2006.

These schemes will be constructed in Corofin (24), Killaloe Phase II (16), Kildysart Phase II (10), Lisdoonvarna (3), Shannon (8), Sixmilebridge (19), Miltown Malbay (20), Scarriff (14).

Currently 49 units are under construction, including schemes in Kildysart (14), Killaloe (8), Broadford (2), Ballyvaughan (3) and Clarecastle (22).

Units completed to date in 2006 include 12 social housing units at Kilkishen and 26 in Kilkee.

In addition to the €15 million, €600,000 will be spent on works under the Remedial Works Scheme to Local Authority Housing Estates. In 2006 it is anticipated that work will also commence on a Remedial Works Scheme at the Flat Complex at Tradaree Court, Shannon.

A further €2.5m of the Government funding will go towards Group Housing Schemes for Travellers.

The Traveller Accommodation Programme (2004 – 2008), adopted by Clare County Council in April 2005, provides for the accommodation of indigenous travellers in Clare with the provision of 49 group-housing units and 44 Standard Local Authority housing units.

In 2006, the council will be progressing its proposal to provide group homes at Knockanean, Tulla Road, Ennis and Laghcloon, Liscannor.

In addition, it is anticipated that two new housing units will be provided at Ashline, Ennis.

“The council’s objective has always been to promote social inclusion and to facilitate appropriate standards of housing provision through the provision of housing that is sustainable, affordable, energy efficient, architecturally appropriate, uses best available construction techniques and is adaptable to changing needs over it’s lifetime,” said Josephine Cotter Coughlan, the council’s Director of Service.

A LIMERICK MAN accused of stealing three cars in Clare has failed to appear in court to face the charges.

Timmy Casey (29), of 3 Clonlong, Southill, Limerick, is accused of stealing cars in Shannon, Lahinch and Ennistymon, on Monday, May 29 last.

Mr Casey is alleged to have stolen a car from the forecourt of a filling station in Shannon, on the morning of May 29 and later stole two other cars at Church Street, Ennistymon, and at Dough, Lahinch.

He is also accused of assaulting a foreign national, at Dough, Lahinch.

At Ennistymon District Court last Wednesday, Garda Alan Keane gave evidence of arresting the accused, at Dough, Lahinch, on May 29.

He brought him to Ennistymon Garda Station and charged him. The accused made no reply after caution.

The court was told that the accused went to hospital in Limerick for psychiatric treatment, after being released from Garda custody. He was discharged from hospital on May 31.

Judge Joseph Mangan was told the accused was not in court and he issued a bench warrant for his arrest.

CLARE County Council is not happy for biodegradable nappies to go into compost bins.

Instead Director of Services Ger Dollard said the council was encouraging parents and child minders to use “real” nappies that could be washed and reused.

He was responding to Councillor Brian Meaney, who claimed at yesterday’s council meeting that one baby produced as much as 2.5 tonnes of nappies in 30 months. With an estimated 2,000 babies of that age in Clare, the councillor claimed that as much as 5,000 tonnes of nappies could be entering the county’s landfill, over that period. That is more than 300 truckloads of nappies and would require 4.5 trees to produce. According to Cllr Meaney, it takes 200 to 500 years for a standard nappy to degrade.

Mr Dollard told the councillor that the council checked with Galway City Council, who operated a mixed green and food waste composting facility.

“The advice to the council is that biodegradable nappies are not considered suitable for this process,” he said.

The best biological treatment for biodegradable nappies is vermincomposting, according to the Director of Services. This is the break down of biowaste by earthworms.

“At domestic level, householders can make their own vermincomposters, one of the main requirements for which is a large surface area. The advantage of vermincomposting over conventional home composting is the shorter time needed to produce the finished compost, which is a major consideration when used nappies are being added very frequently. The company’s nappies contain some plastics, but these are also claimed to be biodegradable,” he added.

Biodegradable nappies, apart from any plastic parts, constitute biological waste, which the EU landfill directive requires to be diverted as much as possible form landfill. Currently, there are no central vermincomposting facilities in the Clare- Limerick-Kerry waste management region.

“When further biological treatment facilities are being considered for this region, this waste stream will have to be included in the consideration,” said Mr Dollard.

THE majority of Clare’s Oireachtas members remain content to trust the American Government when it says it is not using the county’s international airport for unlawful rendition flights.

With the exception of TD James Breen (Ind), Clare’s TDs and senators see no reason why American military flights into Shannon should be investigated, even after last week’s damning Council of Europe report.

The mood of the TDs reflected that of the members of Clare County Council at the local authority’s adjourned April meeting, where just six members voted in favour of a call to allow Irish authorities investigate the military flights.

Clare’s Minister for State, Tony Killeen, said, “I have always made a distinction between flights carrying prisoners and other flights, and Ireland has traditionally facilitated about 30 countries with military flights through Shannon.

“It does seem strange to me that only US flights attract negative attention,” he said.

“On the basis of this report, there does not seem to be any suggestion that anything would be found should flights be boarded and checked. On that basis, no new case has been made for any change in the arrangement in relation to US flights.”

Agreeing with the junior minister’s sentiment, Senator Brendan Daly said people should be encouraged to read the report.

The west Clare senator, who worked with the report’s author, Senator Dick Marty, on the Council of Europe, said, “clearly the report exonerates Shannon”.

“There was a commitment given by the American authorities to the Irish Government and I am willing to accept that.”

Fine Gael Deputy Pat Breen is also prepared to take the word of the Americans.

As one of only four members of the Council of Europe, he will have the opportunity to comment on the report presented by Senator Marty.

He told The Clare People that he does not condone rendition flights, but does not see any evidence that Shannon has been used for this purpose.

“It is unlikely that the airport is used for this, considering the UK NATO bases are so close by.”

Clare Fianna Fáil Senator Timmy Dooley called for a debate to tease out the details of the Council of Europe report, which he described as “baseless” and “biased” because it contains “no evidence to back up its claims”.

“No evidence is provided to back up the allegations. Emotive language is spattered throughout the report, such as phrases like ‘spider’s web’ and ‘collusion’.

“This clearly shows the report lacks objectivity,” he said.

Meanwhile, Deputy James Breen remains the sole Clare Oireachtas member to believe the flights should be investigated.

“I support the flights through Shannon, but I don’t condone the rendition flights.”

“If there is nothing there, then there is nothing to hide and there should be no problem with the investigation,” he said.

A UNIQUE guide to Ennis public art, developed by a group of Ennis National School children who have dyslexia, was launched yesterday in Glór in Ennis.

‘A Guide to the Ennis Sculpture Trail,’ which aims to reflect the childrens’ abilities, was launched by Clare FM’s Colum McGrath.

Earlier this year, the class undertook to do a guide to the many sculptures around the county capital. They researched the stories behind each sculpture, interviewed the sculptors and compiled all the information to produce the guide.

The children who created the guide are Alison Dwan, Katie Brennan, Cara McGillivray, Edwin Fitzgibbon, Keith Jones, John McInerney, Odran O’Brien, David Lunch, Peter Duggan and Emmet LaStrange. They are currently expanding the work by individually producing a guide to their favourite sculptures.

The Ennis Sculpture Initiative has installed numerous sculptures along the riverside in Ennis, as well as creating street furniture in the town centre. The Dromore Woods Sculpture Trail was the inspiration for the Ennis Sculpture Initiative.

THE Industrial Development Agency (IDA) has done “nil” for Clare in the last number of years and only offers “lip service” to Clare County Council.

That’s the view of Fianna Fail councillor Peter Considine who launched a blistering attack on the IDA’s recent record in Clare where the Agency has created only seven jobs in new companies over the past five years.

At the Council’s Special Policy Committee on Economic Development on Monday, Cllr Considine said he didn’t believe what the IDA has to say anyone.

“They only pay lip service to the Council. Is there any evidence of what work they have done in Clare? No, there is not a thing.”

Cllr Nagle said that six IDA groups of foreign investors visited Clare in recent months and he hoped improved co-operation would result from the meeting between the IDA and the Council.

However, Cllr Considine said, “What has evolved from the contacts between the IDA and the Council? Nothing.”

He asked that any letter sent to the IDA by the SPC expressing concern over the IDA’s record in Clare be copied to the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Michael Martin.

“We wrote before as the IDA’s contribution was nil and, since we wrote that letter, their contribution has been nil.

“When was the last IDA job created in Clare?

“Clare is too close to the Borders Midland Western (BMW) and it is Government policy that 50 per cent of new foreign investment must go into that region.

“That is a political decision and that is why the letter should be copied to the Minister.

“We are very, very low in the pecking order and no one can persuade me that it is any different.”

Cllr Considine was supported by party colleague Cllr Bernard Hanrahan who said the west coast and Ennis in particular was being neglected by the IDA. Cllr Hanrahan said the IDA doesn’t give a damn about Clare.

However, Clare Mayor Patrick Keane (FF) said it wasn’t good to be negative. “The past is the past and we should go forward from today,” he said.

He said the Council should zone more land for industry to make Clare more attractive for investors.

Cllr Nagle also expressed concern over the “extremely negative” attitude at the meeting and said the SPC would write to the new regional IDA boss to express concern over the lack of inward investment into Clare.

THE LATEST claims that prisoners are being transported through Shannon for torture have prompted calls for the resignation of Foreign Minister Dermot Ahern.

The Council of Europe Watchdog’s report, compiled by Swiss senator and lawyer, Dick Marty, points the finger of blame at Ireland as being one of 14 European nations which formed a “spider’s web” of collusion in the transport of prisoners to be tortured.

Senator Marty used flight records and the testimony of individuals who had been victims of special rendition to paint a picture of which countries took part and which airports were used by CIA planes allegedly carrying prisoners.

The report covers 10 case studies involving 17 individual detainees. The information from flight logs has been cross-referenced and each flight has been traced from beginning to end.

He says that the information which was compiled for the report “shifts the balance of proof” and leaves European governments, including Ireland, with questions to answer.

The report has caused uproar among human rights groups, antiwar activists and opposition politicians.

In January of this year, politicians were warned that Ireland could have tough questions to answer in the EU probe. At that time, Fine Gael’s Simon Coveney said he anticipated that Ireland “will be forced to give evidence and I expect the Government will have to establish the facts.”

From the first claims early this year that the CIA flights landing at Shannon were carrying extraordinary rendition prisoners, the Government has said that they accept “categorical assurances” by the US that this was not happening.

But amid a media furore over the claims, the Government ruled out the release under the Freedom of Information Act of minutes of a meeting between Foreign Minister Dermot Ahern and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, at which the issue was discussed.

But the Government has responded to the claims by repeating that they were given “categorical assurances” by the US that this was not happening in Shannon.

Transport Minister Martin Cullen told the Dail this week that he has been given “unambiguous assurances that prisoners have not been transferred through Irish territory and would not be without our permission.”

In a talk which he gave in Trinity College, leading US academic Noam Chomsky launched a scathing attack on the Government, acccusing the Taoiseach of “shining the shoes” of the US president by allowing Shannon to be used.

The first movement of troops on US planes through Shannon more than two years ago was greeted with protests, a peace camp and attacks on planes standing on the tarmac which led to a number of criminal prosecutions.

CLARE County Council’s windfarm strategy is hindering the county’s alternative energy industry, according to Green Party councillor, Brian Meaney.

He was responding to the turning down by An Bord Pleanála of plans for a new windfarm in the Lissycasey area. The board found that the proposal contravened the council’s wind energy strategy.

The decision by the appeals board to refuse planning permission to Thomas McNamara to build a 375-foot high one-turbine windfarm within 500 metres of Lissycasey means it is now two years since a windfarm has got the go-ahead in Clare.

Clare County Council established “no-go” areas for windfarms in the Clare County Development Plan.

The number of planning applications for windfarms has also come to a near standstill, because of a Government-imposed moratorium on new windfarms making connections to the national grid.

“There is no doubt that the windfarm strategy is hindering the development of windfarms and surely any policy should be proactive in supporting alternative energy uses, especially as farmers seek to diversify their streams of income,” said Cllr Meaney.

He said that the council must revisit the strategy and identify the areas where it would be open to consider the location of windfarms.

“I believe that the current council policies are too restrictive and should be revisited in order to put in place a greater tolerance towards wind energy.

“Many of the locations in west Clare are deemed unsuitable for wind energy. That should also be revisited, as should the number of areas countywide deemed suitable for windfarms.

“In comparison to other western counties, Clare has a very small number of windfarms.”

Currently, there are two windfarms operating in Clare, one outside Kilrush and a second near the village of Connolly.

The latest windfarm developer fell foul of the council, because the proposed farm was within 500 metres of the village of Lissycasey, though it was not included in the “no-go” areas for windfarm development.

MOUNTSHANNON Community Council is calling on the three local authorities responsible for the shoreline of Lough Derg to take action to regain the Blue Flags lost to the lake.

While Clare was awarded six Blue Flags in the most recent round of awards, both Mountshannon and Ballycuggeran lost their flags as a result of continued threat from algal blooms.

The community council has been studying the methods which Kerry

county council used to solve the al gal bloom problem in the lakes of Killarney and they will be pointing to this as something which could be done by Clare, Tipperary and Galway county councils.

“We can get the flags back but not by just sitting around and hoping. The councils have been monitoring and testing the water but that’s not enough,” said Community Council PRO, Paul Bugler.

Meanwhile, Councillor Madeleine Taylor-Quinn (FG) has welcomed the allocation of the six Blue Flags to Cappagh, Kilkee, the White Strand in Doonbeg, Lahinch and Fanore, but said that the Government needs to move on the sewerage treatment schemes to improve the algal bloom situation.

“Tourism, recreation and environmental interests in west and north Clare have made it clear to me how critical it is that our beaches reach the highest standards of evaluation,” she said.

“But we must not forget that both Mountshannon and Ballycuggeran are previous Blue Flag winners. What has befallen them is the result of Governmental incompetence . . .”

The local authority has arranged a series of information events promoting Clare’s Blue Flag beaches in the coming weeks. The environment section of Clare County Council will host the series, which will enable members of the public to learn about water safety, environmental management and marine life. The events will allow children explore marine creatures and take part in other activities. The events will take place at:

* Fanore – Wednesday, June 14, 10.30am-1pm

* Lahinch – Wednesday, June 14, 2.15-4.30pm

* Doonbeg/White Strand – Friday, June 16, 10.30am-1pm

* Miltown Malbay/White Strand – Friday, June 16, 1.30-4.00pm

* Kilrush Cappa beach – Tuesday, June 20, 10.30- 1pm

* Kilkee – Tuesday, June 20, 1.304pm

Booking is essential through Geraldine Madden, Environment Section, on 065 6846281.

ONLY 13 months ago, during a visit to County Clare, the Minister for Justice, Michael McDowell, said he did not believe the U.S. Government would deceive the Irish Government in matters relating to the alleged covert transporting of prisoners through Irish airports.

The statement followed widespread claims that a jet, operated by the CIA, had transported prisoners through Shannon Airport on board so-called “rendition flights.” The practice, where prisoners are allegedly snatched in one country and transported to another to be tortured and interrogated, has been condemned by human rights activists in Ireland and abroad.

It is known that the Gulfstream V aircraft, with the registration number N379P, has visited Shannon at least 14 times since January 2002 and local peace activists believe that the airport has been used as a transit point for these so-called “high-value targets.” Their claims have now been backed up by last week’s Council of Europe report which revealed thatIreland was one of 13 countries which facilitated “rendition flights.”

On a visit to Clare in March 2005, Minister McDowell said, “If anybody is detained in Ireland unlawfully on a transit basis, it would be of grave concern to the Irish State and is a matter on which the Departments of Foreign Affairs and Justice would act immediately.”

“Apart from making suggestions that it has happened or might happen, not one person has come forward with one shred of evidence that this is happening. I believe the U.S. Government has made it clear that it would not infringe our laws,” Minister McDowell said.

Minster McDowell was adamant that “no prisoners have been brought through Shannon. I rely on the American Government to be truthful and honest in its dealings with the Irish State and they have assured us that Shannon is not being used as a transit point for prisoners in breach of our laws and I am prepared to accept that at face value.”

“I accept the word of the American Government. America is a loyal and true friend of Ireland and I don’t think that they would deceive us in this matter,” the Minister concluded.