Category: News

COMMUNITIES along the west coast of Clare are coming together to hire their own engineer and access the damage to land and property as a result of two months of storms and high tides.

Led by the Clare Irish Farmers Associations, community groups have decided to take action where responsibility is being denied by government and state bodies.

Of particular concerns are sluices, which were in many cases initially built by the former Board of Works to drain sea water from farm land.

This infrastructure is not the responsibility of Clare County Council according to the local authority, with the Office of Public Works also denying accountability.

Embankment work and coastal erosion along farms and private property is also adding to the confusion, with property owners in many cases prepared to undertake the work but fearful of the bureaucratic consequences if they do so.

Clare IFA county chairman Andrew Dundass said the Minister for State with responsibility for the OPW Brian Hayes gave a commit- ment that he would consider some financial support if the farmers came together to undertake the work.

This would have to be inspected by the council, said the minister, as the OPW did not have the resources.

“These are all jobs that need to be done, even though they may be farm land at the moment, if these jobs aren’t done they will affect people further a field,” said Mr Dundass.

The plan is that farmers will come together to finance the work with some grant aid from the Government, similar to the community road projects a number of years ago.

“We will have to put all the reports together for the areas the council are not responsible for and what can be done for these people.”

Mr Dundass said farmers along the Shannon estuary are frustrated that no commitment has come from the OPW as yet as to what repair work will be carried out there. The OPW is responsible for parts of the estuary, especially areas of conservation.

“A lot of farmers are in a position to build up those embankments but are afraid of the consequences of doing so due to the restrictions on these lands,” explained Mr Dundass.

ALL Clare properties that went under the hammer at the Allsop Sale last week made or surpassed their reserve, as all the banner properties were snapped up.

The only Clare hotel on the list, Magowna House, Inch, was sold for € 370,000, € 20,000 over the reserve. The new owner of the 10-bed house, three two-bedroom cottages and an 18-hole pitch and putt course has not being confirmed, with millionaire business man and farmer JJ McCabe denying he purchased the lot.

A bungalow at Mahonburg, Inch, also sold at the Dublin-based auction for € 105,000.

Meanwhile 16.67 acres of land in Doonbeg reached its reserve price of € 75,000 and was sold, while land in Ardnacrusha surpassed its reserve by € 20,000. The 22 acres of land was bought for € 95,000.

A ground floor appartment also surpassed its reserve by € 11,000. The Town Court apartment was sold for € 31,000.

New hotelier Mr McCabe told The Clare People,

HAIL stones, which struck cars like “little ball bearings”, caused a spate of car accidents on the M18 near Newmarket-on-Fergus, as people made their way to work on Thursday morning last.

The freak hail storm caused three separate accidents involving five cars in just half an hour – with both lanes of Clare’s busiest motorway being closed for extended periods during rush hour.

The first accident was reported on the north bound carriageway just after 8.30am – with the motorway being closed for 90 minutes and one person being hospitalised with minor injuries.

Two separate accidents were then reported at the same location on the south bound carriageway, just ten minutes after the first accident. No one was hurt in either of the south bound accidents but the south bound carriageway was closed for more than a hour.

The National Roads Association (NRA) yesterday blamed the freak hail storm for the spate of accidents.

“Weather totally changes the conditions on how the driver and the road interact. Depending on the severity of the hail, it can act like little ball bearings and therefore the best course of action is to reducing your speed,” said NRA spokesperson Sean O’Neill.

The NRA also confirmed yesterday that it will now conduct an “engineering assessment” of the the M18 north of Crusheen, where six separate accidents took place during stormy conditions on the morning of December 19 last.

Despite requests from Clare County Council, the NRA will not conduct a full safety audit, but have instead committed to completing a engineering assessment within the next next few months.

Mr O’Neill also said that the NRA “cannot fully eliminate” the possibility of water pooling on this section of the road during heavy weather and suggested that permanent signs asking motorists to reduce speed in bad weather could be erected.

THE Magner family from Ross gathered this weekend to celebrate a hat trick of occasions, Mai and PJ’s 67th wedding anniversary, as well as birthdays for the happy couple – 95th and 91st respectively.

The key to a long and happy marriage and indeed life is living a “sim- ple lifestyle, coupled with prayer, and a sense of neighbourly goodness”, according to the couple’s family who have watched their parents live a long “wholesome life” together for almost seven decades.

Undoubtedly one of the longest married couples in the county, Mr and Mrs Magner celebrated the landmark occasions with their seven children and their grandchildren at a special dinner that saw the clan gather from all over.

Both Mai and PJ hail from the parish of Kilballyowen, with Mai living all her life besides the famed Bridges of Ross.

Formerly Mai Fennell, this only child married PJ Magner shortly after World War II, on February 12, 1947.

Rations were still in place, so to ‘obtain’ a bottle of whiskey for the ‘wedding breakfast’ was a major coup.

The wedding breakfast was held in their home, in a room that has since become their bedroom, and was attended by a few neighbours.

The West Clare couple went on to raise seven children in that home, three boys and four girls.

“They have lived a simple wholesome life, growing their own vegetables, raising their own fowl, beef and bacon. In summer, there was also lots of fresh mackerel caught, and this was often pickled for winter consumption,” said their daughter Carmel.

“There were plenty rough spots with bad weather spells at harvest time and so forth, but they came through it all, and now they have the comfort and care of living at home with their son Patrick and daughter in law Mary.”

In their nineties the couple continue to enjoy life.

PJ keeps mentally fit by learning off very long recitations, which he delivers at family gatherings, while Mai was an avid reader and a keen flower gardener up until very recently.

As a leap year baby – born on February 29, Mr Magner celebrated his birthday on March 1, while Mrs Magner reached the age of 95 yesterday (Monday).

THOSE dying for a bargain have the opportunity to avail of a once in as lifetime sale this month, as plots in a West Clare graveyard are part of a once-off sale.

The new extension to Burrane Cemetery can accommodate more than 50 double graves and from now until the end of the month they are available at a knock down price.

A single grave at the cemetery overlooking the Shannon Estuary will set the buyer back € 350 but this will drop to € 300 if bought in the next four weeks.

THE number of planning applications in the county were up last year, albeit by a very slight margin.

According to the National Housing Construction Index, there was an increase of two per cent in planning applications for Clare in 2013.

However, project commencements for the year showed a decline, of five per cent. The majority of the projects seeking planning or about to go to construction in the county are selfbuilds or extensions to homes.

The team of researchers at www. link2plans.com have examined every housing construction planning application and planning commencement from January to December 2013, in the production of the National Housing Construction Index.

Viewed on a nationwide basis, the National Housing Construction Index reveals there is a very slight decrease in planning applications – down one per cent, with a drop in project commencements of four per cent since last year.

Clare bucks the national trend however and with the number of planning applications made increasing by five.

From January to December 2012 there were 322 planning applications made in the county, compared to 327 for the same period in 2013.

The previous year again, 2011, there was a decrease of 32 per cent, indicating the rate of decline has slowed and there are signs of recovery in the sector.

While there was a drop in the number of builds started in Clare in 2013, the reduction was not as significant as the previous year.

According to the managing director of Link2Plans, Danny O’Shea, the National Housing Construction Index shows a positive outlook for construction in Clare.

“The slight decline overall in the National Housing Construction Index for project applications and commencements was further evidence that the construction sector in Ireland is stabilising. Also of note is the introduction of the new Building Regulations which has resulted in a sharp increase in the number of planning commencements, in order to get started on projects before the more onerous building regulations come into force,” he said.

ST JOSEPH’S Secondary School Spanish Point is continuing the fight to raise funds for the county’s first second level education unit for students with Autism.

In its second year, the ‘Fight for Autism’ white-collar boxing competition has been organised again to raise funding to equip the specialised unit.

Last year € 20,000 was raised for the cause, with the organising committee hoping to reach the same fundraising milestone this year.

As many as 12 women and 20 men from all over west and north Clare have been training to get into the ring for this cause since January 1.

So popular is the event that the 700 tickets have already almost completely sold out, even though they only went on sale on Saturday morning.

The Fight for Autism will take place in the Armada Hotel, Spanish Point, on Sunday evening next.

The boxers parade will begin at 6.30pm, with six women’s fights and 10 men’s fights then scheduled to take place.

Deputy principal at St Joseph’s Secondary School, Spanish Point, Paul Reidy paid particular tribute to Ennis Boxing Club.

“We have to say a huge thanks to the club, without them this would not be possible,” he said of the boxing club that provided training and facilities to train to the 32 participants.

A TOURISM venture, which is expected to increase the number of visitors to Clare this year, was launched on Thursday in Dublin, much to the annoyance of some West of Ireland tourism bodies.

The Government chose to launch the Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland’s first long distance touring route along the West coast, in the East.

Minister of State for Tourism and Sport Michael Ring promised visi- tors the “journey of a lifetime” as he officially launched 2,500-kilometre route.

Fáilte Ireland is investing € 10 million during 2014 in the route which stretches from the Inishowen Peninsula in Donegal to Kinsale in County Cork, and incorporate west and north Clare.

Minister Ring said, “It’s the world’s longest touring route through some of Ireland’s most beautiful places, and is already proving a hit in our key overseas markets like Britain, the US, France and Germany.

“It has massive potential to bring more visitors and more jobs to rural communities right along the western seaboard.

“That’s why we will soon be promoting it even further a field in places like Spain, Italy and the Netherlands.”

The minister has also said that while the Government has invested in the promotion of the venture it would not be providing specific finances to repair any damage along the route due to recent storms.

Clare County Council has to date paid out € 1 million in repairs along the Clare part of the tourism route.

Director of Services with Clare County Council Ger Dollard told The Clare People , “Responsibility for roads rests with the council but we are dependent on funding from Government.

“We see the Wild Atlantic Way as a major tourism project for County Clare with huge economic and tourism potential.

“We are obviously anxious that the overall product is presented to the highest standard possible.”

DONALD Trump could become the unlikely bed-fellow of Fracking Free Clare following the purchase of Doonbeg Gold Course and the Lodge at Doonbeg by the American billionaire last month.

UK-based company Enegi Oil are currently exploring the prospect of hydraulic fracturing or fracking in the Clare basin and an abandoned mine just south of Doonbeg is the centre for its exploration.

With the Doonbeg site less than ten kilometres from Doonbeg Gold Club, it is likely that some evidence of fracking will be visible from Trump’s new purchase, should Enegi Oil be granted a license to proceed to a commercial operation.

Trump has, in the past, been a vocal supporter of fracking in America. In a tweet from 2012 he said that fracking would lead to American “energy independence” and described it as a “tremendous advantage” for the country. In more recent times however, he has opposed a number of energy producing developments which interfered with his own property, most notable an off shore wind energy factory in Scotland.

Fracking Free Clare said yesterday that it would welcome Mr Trump to join the anti-fracking campaign in the Clare basin and said that if he is serious about tourism, he will oppose fracking.

“Time will tell if he will become an ally. If he is interested in devel- oping tourism in West Clare, and in particular in the Doonebg area, then he could be a great help to our cause, because you cannot have tourism and fracking in the same place,” said Lorraine Hughes of fracking Free Clare.

“If he is really interested in tourism and developing what we have in West Clare, then he could be a brilliant ally. People are not going to want to go on holidays or play golf beside a big fracking platform.

“If this goes ahead there would definitely be a drilling platform next door to the golf club in Doonbeg. If he [Donald Trump] is up for developing tourism and stopping fracking in West Clare then we would absolutely welcome him into out group.”

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are currently completing a major investigation into the possible effects of hydraulic fracturing on the Clare basin. The Minister for Energy, Pat Rabbitte (Lab), says no decision on fracking will be made until after the EPA report is made available.

THOSE dying for a bargain have the opportunity to avail of a once in as lifetime sale this month, as graves in a West Clare graveyard are part of a once-off sale.

The new extension to Burrane Cemetery can accommodate more than 50 double graves and from now until the end of the month they are available at a knock down price.

The Graveyard Committee hope that the sale of some grave plots in the coming weeks will offset the cost of extending the full to capacity cemetery in Kilimer.

Sean Culligan of the Burrane Graveyard Committee said that while there have been a number of enquires about the purchase of a last resting place in the new graveyard, sales have been slow.

It is hoped that by reducing the cost of the graves for a limited period, people will be encouraged to pur- chase this inevitable commodity in the coming weeks.

A double grave at Burrane Cemetery costs € 550, but a hundred euro reduction will see the cost drop to € 450 for this month.

A single grave at the cemetery overlooking the Shannon Estuary will set the buyer back € 350 but this will drop to € 300 if bought in the next four weeks.

The new graveyard extension will have a modern green field layout, with no kerbs and there will be guidelines when it comes to headstones.

The design of the modern layout shows headstones back to back so that there will be a single path to a row of graves.

“This will help with the maintenance of the graveyard,” explained Mr Culligan.

There are three cemeteries in the parish of Kilimer-Knockerra – Burrane, Knockerra and Molougha, and all three are either full or nearing full capacity.