Category: News

AN ESTIMATED 62 customers in the county were still without electricity at time of press last night, as Storm Darwin blew out transmitters and damaged lines on Wednesday last.

At the height of the storm as many as 8,400 homes in the county were without electricity.

ESB crews worked around the clock and over the weekend to restore light and energy to homes, but four areas in the county are still in darkness.

As many as 30 customers in Ennis North were still reported to be without power yesterday evening (Monday), while 10 customers in Kilrush, 10 in Rineanna and 12 in Cranny are also without power since Wednesday afternoon.

Last night ESB crews suspended power for almost four hours at 52 homes in the Miltown Malbay area to fix a fault, and 15 homes in Drumquin.

As 130 kilometres per hour winds blew across the county on Wednesday, emergency services in Clare responded to more than 150 separate weather related incidents.

As many as 8,400 homes in Clare were without electricity on Wednesday, with many homes still without power today. At the height of the storm 11, 500 Eircom customers also had their communications systems interrupted.

A COUSIN of former Republic of Ireland soccer star Steve Finnan has pleaded guilty to drug dealing arising from the discovery of an amount of prescription drugs in Quin last year.

Father of two, Sean Finnan (22), appeared before Ennis District Court on Thursday charged with possession of a controlled drug for sale or supply at his former address at 21 The Park, Quin, on January 7, 2013.

Inspector Tom Kennedy told the court gardaí found 250 xanax tablets and dealing paraphernalia including a ‘tick list’ when they executed a search warrant on the property.

The court heard Mr Finnan has 57 previous convictions mainly for drugs, public order and burglary offences.

Defence solicitor Shiofra Hassett told Judge Patrick Durcan her client is currently in prison.

She said Mr Finnan received a suspended sentence at Limerick District Court earlier this month but asked for the sentence to be activated because he feared for his life outside prison.

The court heard Mr Finnan received 25 pellet wounds outside his home in Limerick city in December.

Ms Hassett said her client had been forced to leave his home and sleep rough because he could not secure alternative accommodation.

“He had serious concerns for the safety of his family and that is why he left home”, she explained.

The court heard Mr Finnan is currently being held in protective custody because of threats against his life.

Ms Hassett asked the court not to add to her client’s current term of imprisonment.

Judge Patrick Durcan noted the risk of Mr Finnan re-offending is high.

However, noting the danger to Mr Finnan’s life, his family circumstances and current sentence, Judge Durcan said he wanted to make an order that reflected the seriousness of the charge and offered the accused some hope.

He imposed sentences totaling six months but suspended them on condition Mr Finnan enter into a bond to be law abiding. Mr Finnan is due for release in August. A CA S E where it is alleged a serious public order disturbance took place at a busy shopping centre in Ennis last year may be heard in the Circuit Court, a court has heard. OnWednesday, Inspector TomKennedy said the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has not yet directed in the case. He said a book of evidence may be required for the matter. Insp Kennedy was referring to an alleged incident at Tesco’s Ennis on December 18, 2013. Four people are facing charges arising from the alleged incident. Anne Delaney (45), with an address at Waterpark Heights, Ennis, is charged with engaging in threatening, insulting or abusive behaviour with intent to provoke a breach of the peace. James Delaney (26), with an address Gordon Drive, Cloughleigh, Ennis is also charged with engaging in threatening, insulting or abusive behaviour with intent to provoke a breach of the peace. James Keenan (40), with an address at 30 Childer’s Road, Cloughleigh, Ennis and a teenager are both charged with public order offences arising fromthe alleged incident at Tesco’s, Francis Street, Ennis on December 18. The cases were adjourned to March 12 for DPP’s directions. A MA N charged with having drugs allegedly worth €13,000 for sale or supply in Doora has been sent forward for trial to the Circuit Criminal Court. Keith Loftus (21), with an address at Noughaval, Doora, appeared before Ennis District Court on Wednesday. He is charged with possession of cannabis for purposes of sale or supply at Noughaval, Doora on August 6. He is also charged with unlawful possession at the same address and date. He is further charged with possession of cannabis and amphetamine for sale or supply when the aggregate market value of the controlled drugs amounted to €13,000 or more. Garda Irene O’Flynn gave evidence of serving the book of evidence on the accused. Inspector TomKennedy said the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had consented to the accused being returned for trial to the next sittings of the Circuit Criminal Court, on bail as set. Legal aid was approved for solicitor Daragh Hassett, one junior counsel and one senior counsel. Judge Patrick Durcan delivered the alibi warning and made the order returning the accused for trial. A MA N has appeared in court charged in connection with an incident of alleged dangerous driving in Scariff almost two years ago. DeclanWard (20), with an address at Derrynameal, Feakle, is charged driving a vehicle in a dangerous manner, which created a substantial risk of death or serious harmat Market Square, Scariff on March 13, 2012. He is further with handling stolen property, 10 cans of cider and the use of the vehicle without the owner’s consent. The court heard Mr Ward made no response to any of the charges after caution. Legal aid was approved for solicitor Daragh Hassett. Mr Hassett said he would not be making an application for bail at this point. Mr Ward was remanded in custody to appear again at Ennis District Court on February 19.

WORK has begun on the regional road through Kilbaha, but the good news stops there for the Loop Head residents.

Last week residents protested when Clare County Council insisted that the regional road through the village of Kilbaha must remain closed as it was seriously compromised by the high tides and winds on St Brigid’s Day, February 1.

This weekend the West Clare area branch of Clare County Council has begun work on “interim remedial works” on 120 metres of the sea wall in the village.

Senior area engineer Cyril Feeney said that this work will allow the council to reopen the road, which is its priority. The work is expected to be completed in just over a week.

Meanwhile for residents in Ross Bay life remains difficult, as it is unlikely that money will be available to repair the local road in the near future.

Children going to St Cuan’s National School, Kilbaha, are being driven up to 50 kilometres daily to get them to school and home. For families like the Magners who live just three kilometres from the school, they must take a round trip of more than 16 kilometres just to make class, as the Ross road is impassable since the Christmas high tides and storms.

For Pat Magner the added time taken to get his children to school is among the least of his worries, as 20 per cent of his farm land has been flooded three times in a month.

This prime grazing land will not be useable until late autumn and will take a huge financial investment to put right. The dairy farmer may even be forced to sell some of his herd affecting his livelihood further.

Mr Magner is not alone in his plight as farmers from all over the peninsula are facing another tough year, having already come through a fodder crisis just last spring.

“No one has given us any assistance or help,” said Mr Magner.

Meanwhile in Kilkee Clare County Council has engaged a specialistconsulting engineer to assess the seawall and Strand Line.

When work can begin on the wall however is subject to if and when financial assistance becomes available from Central Government.

The Strand Line from Jimmy’s Hill to Minster’s Place remains closed to traffic but pedestrian access is being maintained via the town side of the street. Council engineers are monitoring the structural stability of the road and seawall on a continual basis.

KILKEE photographer Noel Gavin has declared himself as the latest candidate to contest the Clare County Council election in the new West Clare area.

Mr Gavin will run under the umbrella group founded by Kilbaha man Jim Connolly, Independent Together.

Although born in Limerick, Noel had been holidaying in Kilkee for more than 40 years before deciding to buy a home there and move to the seaside town two years ago.

While not previously politically active himself, he comes from a Fine Gael family and is outspoken on a number of issues.

“My mother and uncle have been canvassing for Michael Noonan for years and would be expert canvass- ers,” he said, adding that while he has been getting tips from his mother that help stops there as she is committed to Limerick and Fine Gael.

Mr Gavin however believes it is time for a change from the traditional political parties.

“I don’t know how I will do but I think I will feel better for trying. I think there is an appetite out there for someone who is not part of the mainsteam party but who has ideas,” he said.

The photographer who has more than 40 years experience in national and international media said he was also committed to not taking any expenses if he was elected.

The would be councillor has also drawn up a proposal that would see county councillors paid a wage that is half the national average wage of € 35,000, TDs would receive twice that – € 70,000 under his plan, while Ministers would receive three times the national average wage and the Taoiseach four times.

Mr Gavin said he has been pleasantly surprised by the reaction of family and friends to his decision to put his name on the ballot paper.

While his children Noel (22) and Jane (19) are surprised he has not run for election sooner, his sceptical journalist friends have also been surprisingly supporting, he said. A DEVELOPER who raped a Brazilian woman he had asked to clean his house has been sentenced to seven and a half years, after a judge said he couldn’t “buy himself out” of a custodial sentence. Father-of-four Thomas Egan (47) of Cahermurphy, Kilmihill, Co Clare paid over € 10,000 in court to be forwarded to his victim, who has since returned to Brazil. Mr Justice Barry White suspended the final three and a half years of the sentence, noting that Egan had a previous “unblemished record” apart from a minor road traffic offence. Egan was convicted last May by a jury at the Central Criminal Court of raping the 23 year-old woman at a house in Tipperary on July 5, 2010. He had denied the charge. Egan admitted having sex with the woman, but told gardaí it was con

sensual and that she had not shown any fear. During the trial, Seán Gillane SC prosecuting, said Egan had approached the victim on a street in Gort, Co Galway and asked her to clean a house. They travelled to the house in Tipperary in his car and he set out a number of cleaning tasks for her. Upstairs in the house, Egan started to kiss her and touch her body. He tried to take her clothes off and then took her hand and placed it on his penis.

“She knew at that stage he wanted sex. She was afraid if she said ‘No’ to him it would make matters worse,” said Mr Gillane. He then raped her.

Afterwards the woman put on her clothes and asked him to drive her home. The following day, she made a complaint about the incident.

The court heard that she returned to Brazil a short time later. Detective Garda Colette Acton told the court that during garda interviews, Egan maintained there had been consensual sex.

Defence Counsel Brendan Grehan SC put it to the garda that the woman didn’t put up any resistance, to which the garda replied, “she was afraid.”

Conor McKenna BL, also acting for the defence, said Egan had made an unconditional offer of € 10,000 to “ease the victim’s financial woes”.

He said Egan had been unable to transfer the money to the victim until now because of difficulties with IBAN numbers and international transfers to Brazil.

He also said Egan was prepared to offer a further sum to the victim of € 5,000 a year for three years, with the first payment to take place in December. However the court heard Egan would not be able to follow through on this additional offer if his circumstances were “radically altered” by his being imprisoned.

Mr McKenna said Egan was held in high esteem and was a hard-working man who has provided for his family. He said that Egan had used no “gratuitous violence” or threats of any kind towards his victim, “not even a raised voice.” Mr Justice White said that on reading the victim impact report provided by the victim, he did not believe the rape had “a profound psychological effect” on her.

“It strikes me that your victim is more interested in compensation rather than anything else,” he said.

He sentenced Egan to seven and a half years in prison with the final three and a half years suspended.

The judge directed that € 50 given by Egan to the woman at the time of the offence be sent to the St Vincent de Paul.

AN ENNIS man who was trapped inside his home for a number of hours by fallen trees on Wednesday says he fears further damage if storms strikes again.

Terry Hayes was sitting with his daughter and grandchildren at his home in Shallee Drive, Cloughleigh, when he says he heard a loud crack on Wednesday afternoon.

“There was this noise. I didn’t have clue what has after happening until this big tree fell down in the front of the house. Two more trees fells later on,” explained Terry.

Ennis was battered by strong storm force winds on Wednesday with dozens of trees uprooted and knocked over at locations around the town.

Terry says the family were trapped in the house for a number of hours and required the assistance of friends and neighbours to get out.

“The trees fell from a private property. We couldn’t get out. We were ringing the emergency services but they didn’t come but I understand they were probably stretched because of all that was going on around the town.

“I rang someone in the council and they told me to stay inside. I told them I was ringing them because I couldn’t get out of the house!

“I rang friends of mine and they came down with two chainsaws and cut back some of the branches. I was able to get out the front and we man- aged to get the kids out the back,” explains Terry.

Terry says the experience as particularly frightening for his grandchildren. “It was a very scary experience, especially for the kids. I was trying to stay calm but I was shaking inside. All of it happened in the space of 10 to 15 minutes. I’ve never seen anything like it. I have to say thanks to the neighbours for all their help,” he adds.

The trees knocked the boundary wall and damaged a car parked in the front drive way.

“There are other trees that are loose now and the fear is that if we got another strong storm like that they could fall at any moment,” he says.

COUNCILLORS at yesterday’s North Clare Area meeting of Clare County Council were given an update on the works carried in response to the recent spate of storm in North Clare.

Lahinch was the area where most work had been completed to date with the lighting, drainage network and many walkways repaired – while a number of areas have been made safe, pending full repair.

The Flaggy Shore roadway has been cleared but remains flooded in one area, a contractor has been engaged to provide an estimate for the causeway on Aughinish Island, while in Ballyvaughan the pier wall has been repaired and tenders are being considered for the repair of the sea wall.

In Liscannor, temporary sea defences were constructed, works have begun on a retaining wall at the grotto, debris has been removed from the pier and drainage channels have been reopened at the Glebe.

In Clahane, the roads have been made passable but works are still requires on retaining walls and bridge abutments. Debris was removed from both Spanish Point and White Strand beaches while a beached whale carcass was removed from Fanore.

Rocks and debris were cleared from Doolin after the January storm, but not since the February storm.

The Mayor of Clare, Joe Arkins (FG), paid tribute to the local staff for the efforts they have put in since these starts began in December.

“The effort and the commitment of councils staff over a series of storms, both admin and outdoor staff. People have been working in conditions and temperatures that you wouldn’t put out a dog. The local people are aware of the Trojan effort that they put in,” he said.

“They have been out day and night since Christmas, and many of the grades don’t receive additional payment for this, and nothing would pay you to go out in that weather anyway.”

Council engineer Stephen Lahiff paid tribute to the work carried out by local volunteers. “I would like to thank all the local groups and voluntary people who came out picking litter and cutting down trees. The one good thing that came out of these storms was the level of community involvement and I’ve been very impressed by the way that the people here came out and fought in such a difficult situation,” he said.

A WIDE range of events will take place around Clare to celebrate Aontas Adult Learner Week, which runs from February 24 to March 1.

The Adult Learners’ festival is a nationwide celebration of adult learning coordinated by AONTAS, the National Adult Learning Organisation.

In the last seven years, the festival has become a firm fixture on the adult learning calendar with events taking place nationwide, including anything from information sessions, taster workshops, sample lectures to small gatherings of people who love to learn.

Jacinta Davenport, Guidance Counselor and Coordinator at the Clare Adult Educational Guidance and Information Service, says this year the service has focused on working in partnership with employers to develop courses that develop the skills and competencies required in the workplace.

The Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board (formerly Clare VEC) has established several partnerships with employers around the county and nationally in order to provide relevant, current and specific education and training programmes for learners in Clare.

These programmes have been jointly developed and are delivered using real-world scenarios, that equip learners to work or secure work in sectors which are enjoying employment growth e.g. hospitality, catering, retail.

Ms Davenport explained, “One new partnership is with the Irish Hotels Federation, who report that there are 3,000 chef vacancies in Ireland. In order to help address this, Clare LCETB and IHF have developed a 15-week part-time pilot Breakfast Chef course in partnership, it will be followed by work experience with IHF members in Clare.

“Last February the Adult Education Service commenced a FETAC Level 5 in Sound Production in partnership with Clare FM. Clare FM provided the technical skills training in Sound Engineering Production, Music Technology and Radio Programme Production.”

For details on Clare events log onto www.adultlearnersfestival.com.

MIKE O’Connell said he went mad when work dried up a few years ago. A Limerick man who now lives in Ennis, Mike previously spent 12 years in the Army before working with Pan-American airlines.

When that ended, Mike worked briefly as a taxi driver before that too dried up. “I used detest going up to sign on. It used to break my heart. I’d have avoided it if I could have,” he recalls.

Salvation came in the form of an invitation to attend the Adult Education Centre where Mike enrolled in a two-year community care course.

He hasn’t looked back. “I’ve always dealt with people in my other jobs so I decided to go for community care and I’m glad I did because it opened my eyes to a lot of things that are changing,” he says.

“The ambition for everyone here is to get a job but even if you don’t, you learn so much.”

Like her classmate, mother of four Margaret O’Riordan had been out of education for 40 years before enrolling in adult education.

“I always had this feeling that I lost out a bit on education because I got married so young,” explains Margaret. “I felt I always would like to go back to education. I always had that in my head.”

Margaret, who previously worked in Spec Savers and Dunnes Stores and volunteered with local community groups, admits she found the prospect of returning to the classroom a daunting one.

“I was worried, really worried that I wouldn’t be able to keep up. I’d been 40 years out of education and I though, God, how am I going to learn all this? But step by step, we did it,” she says.

Both Margaret and Mike say their experiences of adult education have been hugely positive. “They have a saying here, education but not as you know it,” says Mike.

“It gives you confidence and builds up your self-esteem,” agrees Margaret.

For anyone unsure or anxious about returning to education, Margaret has a simple message – just go for it.

Mike says, “Do your day. Treat it like a job. After the first two weeks which are helter skelter, it will calm down. Give it the two weeks and then you get into a routine. I could never go back to sitting at home wondering what am I going to do all day.

“I’m sure there are people at home out of work who are mad to do something with their lives. This is the place to start it,” he adds.

“WE PLAN to spend a lot of money, obviously fix the course, make it play perfect and integrate it with a hotel collection.”

Eric Trump literally blew into West Clare on Storm Darwin on Wednesday night with his older brother and fellow Executive Vice President Donald Jnr just one day after they reputedly paid € 15 million for the 18hole golf links, hotel and spa.

Even though the five star lodge was dimly lit amid a local power outage, the businessmen were impressed with the authenticity of the architec- ture and the rugged beauty of the surrounding area. The American brothers, sons of the world famous Donald Trump, announced that the existing jobs would be safe at the resort and even more will come on stream in the next six months to a year they promised, and it was all good news.

“You are putting a property in a very, very big engine and I think that is a very good thing for the region. I think it will bring a tremendous amount of people here,” Eric Trump told The Clare People. The Lodge at Doonbeg, now known as Trump International Golf Links Ireland, is West Clare’s largest employer.

A UNIQUE insight into Clare’s intrinsic role in the development of aviation in Ireland will be broadcast onto RTE screens over the next two Thursdays and will make for fascinating viewing for anyone who is curious about Shannon’s impact on Irish aviation.

The documentary was commissioned by Dublin based Avolon, the international aircraft leasing company founded by Domhnal Slattery, the Ennis native who is also Chairman of The Clare People . Pioneers and Aviators tells the story of the remarkable individuals whose vision, passion, successes and failures helped forge Ireland’s unique aviation landscape. The documentary charts Ireland’s aviation history, from its beginnings with the first transatlantic flight landing in the west of Ireland, through to the present day and the role Ireland and the Irish play in the global aviation industry.

Of course Shannon is an integral part of that story and it features heavily in the documentary, both from the airport’s genesis itself and of course its location as birth of the aircraft leasing industry, through Tony Ryan’s Guinness Peat Aviation.

The documentary was written and directed by Alan Gilsenan, an award winning Irish film-maker, writer and theatre director. His work has appeared on the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, RTÉ, the History Channel and CNBC among others. The music score for the film was composed by the renowned composer Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin.

The Clare connections are many. Contributors to Pioneers and Aviators include Avolon CEO Domhnal Slattery, who began his career in aviation with GPA in Shannon, former employees at Shannon Airport like former Airport GM Liam Skelly and the well known Michael Collins, who along with his brother Paddy, was a barman at the airport for over forty years.

The documentary was produced by Newgrange Pictures and Clare woman Jackie Lavin. From her storm hit Kilbaha base last week Jackie told The Clare People that putting the documentary together was something of a labour of love:

“It was a labour of love as all the fond memories of visiting Shannon airport as a child came flooding back and the excitement of getting on that outdoor viewing platform being so close to the runway, something that could never happen in today’s world.

“Of course the story we are telling has never really been told in this format. In particular I think people will be amazed to see the role Shannon has played in the history of aviation. It really has been a heavy hitter and I think that does come across in Pioneers and Aviators . I know I was very proud to see Clare play such a prominent role in a worldwide industry,” Jackie told us.

Complete with archive footage dating before World War Two, Pioneers and Aviators traces the introduction of the airplane into Ireland, from Alcock and Brown’s landing in Clifden to the establishment of the flying boat facility at Foynes, right up to the present day and the development of Shannon.

Along with an in-depth look at Tony Ryan’s rise to prominence through Aer Lingus to GPA and on to Ryanair, the documentary interviews many former and current key players in the aviation industry. These include former minister Des O’Malley, former Aer Lingus head Willie Walsh, current Boeing CEO Ray Connors, who attended the official premiere of the documentary in Dublin three weeks ago. Pioneers and Aviators airs this Thursday on RTE 1 television at 10.25pm. The second part of the doc- umentary will be shown on Thursday week, February 27th at the same time.