Category: News

THE National Roads Authority (NRA) say that it has introduced a new system of ongoing maintenance on the M18, since the tragic death of 26-year-old student Vicky Courtney on a stretch the of road near Ballyline.

Ms Courtney died when her car veered off the motorway while driving in poor weather on November 18, 2012.

Following her inquest, which took place last September, Clare coroner Isobel O’Dea wrote to the NRA requesting that “a pool of water should not be allowed” to develop on the motorway.

According to an NRA spokesper- son, the organisation only assumed responsibility for maintenance on the M18 last September.

“The National Roads Authority fully agrees with the objective of the coroner’s statement in this regard,” said a spokesperson.

“Since this time, routine maintenance works have been undertaken including road sweeping and cleaning of gullies, slot drains and outfalls in addition to other general maintenance activities which assist with rapid drainage of water from the road surface.

“The NRA monitors and assesses the network under its direct control with a view to carrying out any maintenance or remedial works which might be required to improve road drainage and maintain the de- sign capacity of the drainage system. However, the possibility of the occurrence of surface water due to extreme weather events or other causes cannot be fully eliminated.

“In relation to the specific location on the north-bound carriageway of the M18 at Ballyline, the NRA is ensuring that our service provider is following their maintenance works. The installation of replacement pipework may be undertaken if the ongoing monitoring referred to indicates that this is warranted.

Ms Courtney’s inquest heard that she died when her red Peugeot spun 360 degrees after driving through a 15-metre pool of water lying across the fast lane. The car crashed into a barrier before overturning on the road.

WEST Clare Coastal Windpower has lodged plans for a windfarm to be constructed outside of Doonbeg, months after An Bord Pleanála rejected their previous proposal to build a controversial windfarm in the same area.

Plans were lodged with Clare County Council last week for the construction of nine electricity generating wind turbines at Carrowmore South, Einagh and Shragh – two kilometres south of Doonbeg village.

These wind turbines would have a central stack 85 metres high, with a rotor diameter of 82 metres.

This would give a total height of 126 metres or 413 feet – or well over half the height of the Cliffs of Moher.

Besides the turbines themselves, the new planning permission also includes the construction of hardstandings, a control building, an electrical compound, a permanent meteorological mast as well as associated site roads.

Last July, An Bord Pleanála refused planning permission for what was described as an “industrial scale” € 200 million wind farm in the same location as the current proposal.

This proposal included 45-turbine each of which were in excess of 400 feet.

The proposal caused a rift in the local community with 79 landowners in the area missing out on a significant cash payment to lease their land for the windfarm.

One of the grounds for refusal was the pollution threat the windfarm posed to Doonbeg river that contains 5,000 freshwater pearl mussels – the highest concentration of the species in Clare.

The original decision followed a six-day oral hearing into the wind farm in April of last year, at which the country’s foremost authority on the mussel, Dr Evelyn Moorkens, said that if nothing was done to secure the future of the mussel, the species would become extinct there over time.

A decision on the proposal is not due for some months.

THE cost of the unprecedented run of storms which battered the Clare coast over the past five weeks has grown to a massive € 36.8 million according to new estimates published yesterday by Clare County Council.

This means that more than € 12 million worth of damage was inflicted on the county over the past two weeks – with the giant sea swell and high winds of the St Brigid’s Day storm causing the lion’s share of this new damage.

This, coupled with the € 24 million worth of damage cause during the storm in early January, has left Clare County County with the possibility of a large hole in its budget should central government fail to make sufficient money available.

It was also revealed at last night’s meeting of Clare County Council that the local authority has already spent € 750,000 of its own money on repairs and clean-up operations to date.

County Manager Tom Coughlan admitted yesterday that the local authority has no budget for this € 750,000, admitting that the council was spending money that it did not have.

The council’s Corporate Policy Group (CPG) met before yesterday’s main council meeting and compiled a letter for the Government which stated that the council couldn’t, in good conscience, continue to spend money on repairs without central government giving firm details of the funding that will be made available. The most expensive storm damage was recorded in Lahinch where the council estimates that € 6.064 million will be required to fix damage done to the promenade and surround areas. The cost of repairs at Cloughaninchy in Quilty is now estimated at € 4.716, with the bulk of this going towards the re-construction of more than two kilometres of sea armour. There was also significant damage at Kilbaha in West Clare (€ 3.498 million) and New Quay in north Clare (€ 3.449 million) where roads and sea walls have been destroyed. Other badly damaged areas include Carrowmore (€ 1.628 million), White Strand/Doonmore (€ 1.550 million), Clahane in Liscannor (€ 1.487 million), Kilcredaun Irish College (€ 1.226 million), Carrowdotia, Moneypoint (€ 1.115 million), Doolin (€ 1.025 million) and Liscannor itself (€ 1.011 million). Serious questions have also been raised as to what agency or agencies are responsible for coastal defenses. There are 14 different agencies which have some interest in coastal and river flood defenses. “Until there is some clarity as to who is responsible for these areas this is going to be a very difficult project. We are all talking about providing leadership, but we cannot lead unless we know where we are going,” said county manager Tom Coughlan. “There are a lot of agencies involved, but there is no clarity who is responsible. We need a co-ordinated approach and that has to be led by Government. This is something that is outside the scope of Clare County Council.”

JUST over € 91,000 was paid out to eight of the nine members of Ennis Town Council last year.

The payments were made up of expenses, wages, and the cost of attending conferences and seminars, with the two councillors who served as mayor for six months each during the year accruing the largest payments.

Current mayor Cllr Mary Coote Ryan (FG) and former mayor Cllr Peter Considine (FF) received € 17,166 each.

The sum included the councillors’ taxable salary of € 8,362 as well as mayoral allowance of € 5,750. Cllr Considine’s expenses also included a trip to Charleston, USA, while mayor.

All town councillors are entitled to the taxable salary, with the exception of those who also serve on Clare County Council – Cllr Tommy Brennan (Ind), Cllr Johnny Flynn (FG) and Cllr Brain Meaney (FF).

The deputy mayors also receive a deputy mayoral allowance of € 2,625 for the six months of the year they serve. In 2013 that payment went to Cllr Brennan and Cllr Frankie Neylon (Ind).

Members of Ennis Town Council are also entitled to claim for 50 per cent of vouched mobile phone costs, as well as the cost of a mobile phone and other “IT equipment” and office costs such as printing.

Cllr Flynn was the only councillor not to receive any payment from Ennis Town Council as he did not claim any expenses. He also refused to claim expenses as a member of Clare County Council, receiving only his Clare County Council salary.

When it came to attending town council meetings, including specialised committee meetings, Cllr Mary Howard (FG) was top of the class, having been to 23 meetings.

Two thirds of the councillors however had a full attendance rate for the monthly town council meetings with everyone in attendance at the budget meeting.

THE first step towards what could the formation of the first ever Women’s Shed initiative in Ireland will be taken in Ennis on Thursday.

A meeting will take place at the offices of Clare Women’s Network at the Clonroad business park on February 13, 12 noon.

The proposal to develop a Women’s Shed in Ennis was put forward by local women Paula McNamara and Mary Howard.

It is similar to the Men’s Shed initiative – an international movement that provides opportunities for male volunteers to participate in voluntary community projects e.g planting housing estate green areas with native trees, shrubs and flowers. The ethos of the Men’s Shed is that men talk better shoulder-to-shoulder rather than face-to-face, this activity has many benefits – companionship, nonalcohol social outlet, mental health benefits, and skill development and enhancement.

The Ennis Men’s Shed is based at Centrepoint, Orchard Lane, Ennis. Paula McNamara says the success of the Men’s Shed was the inspiration for the Women’s Shed.

She explained, “We would be swapping skills teaching each other woodwork, crafts, computer, but mainly it’s an excuse to get out of the house, meet other women, and make friends. In this day and age it’s very easy to feel isolated when you become a mum, finish school, if you’re out of work, if your friends have emigrated or if you’ve retired it’s very easy to feel cut off, so the hope is that women of all ages all backgrounds would come together and work projects to help the community and hopefully have fun and make friend in the process”.

She added, “The women’s shed would be using the same facilities as the Ennis Men’s Shed at different days and times. The aim is to promote social interaction and aim to increase the quality of life and help out in the community. Our first meeting is next week and we should be ready to launch the Women’s Shed mid-March and we will be one of the world’s first Women’s Sheds running alongside a men’s shed. The women’s shed would be run on the same principles as the Men’s Sheds as non-profit organisations, to advise and improve the overall well being of all women”.

It is thought this would be the first Women’s Shed in Ireland. Mary Howard, a Fine Gael member of Ennis Town Council, said, “I am delighted to be asked to come on board as an advocate and facilitator with both the Ennis Men’s Shed and the upcoming Ennis Women’s Shed Project. There is a huge need for both of these facilities. The men who have set up the Ennis Men’s Shed are absolute gentlemen who have the most infectious enthusiasm and the biggest hearts. I am thrilled to be on board.”

“WILL the Euro survive?” was one of numerous conferences, foreign trips and “fact finding missions” attended by members of Ennis Town Council during 2013 that cost the tax payer a total of € 18,000 last year.

As many as six councillors – two thirds of the council – went to Langfeld in Germany as part of a town twinning investigation trip in May at a cost of more than € 5,000 to the council coffers.

Three councillors returned in October for the twinning ceremony Mayor Cllr Mary Coote-Ryan (FG), Cllr Mary Howard (FG) and Cllr Tommy Brennan (Ind) at a further cost of € 2,275.

Cllr Michael Guilfoyle (Ind) returned to the German town alone in September as part of a sporting and culture trip. The “sporting councillor” also attended the FAI Stakeholders Conference at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.

The three-day “Will the Euro survive?” conference in Letterkenny, County Donegal, was attended by town mayor Coote-Ryan at a total cost of € 727.58.

In the course of the year the councillor, who was mayor from July to December attended three conferences, two trips to Langfeld in Germany – one as part of a twinning investigation trip and one for a ceremony, and fact-finding trips to markets in County Limerick, Dublin and Mayo.

Three other councillors – Cllr Tommy Brennan (Ind), Cllr Guilfoyle (Ind) and Cllr Peter Considine (FF) – also went on the market fact finding mission.

Among the other foreign trips was the six-day St Patrick’s Day trip to New York, undertaken by Cllr Brian Meaney (FF) at a cost of € 2,242.38 and a trip to Charleston by the then mayor Cllr Considine for the dedication of an Irish memorial. This cost € 1,830. Cllr Considine also attended three other conferences around Ireland during the year.

CLARE parents are being urged to know who their children are friendly with online in order to reduce the potential for cyber bullying.

Leading forensic psychologist Dr Maureen Griffin says Facebook pages and other social media accounts can often be used by bullies to access information about young people.

“The huge difficulty with this is that it happens outside of schools. It happens in the evening at home, on phones, online and then it seeps back into school,” she said.

Dr Griffin was speaking in St Flannan’s College in Ennis on Wednesday night at an event organised by the parents association.

In a wide ranging lecture on social media and cyber-bullying, Dr Griffin, the founder for Internet Safety for Schools Ireland, said the most common form of bullying she has come across “are girls who will not bully individually but together in a group they bully”.

“The huge difficulty with this is that it happens outside of schools. It happens in the evening at home, on phones, online and then it seeps back into school.”

Dr Griffin, who lectures in the areas of mental health and crime, sexual offenders, online internet solicitation, says anonymous bullying can have an enormous impact on the victim.

She said, “They feel suspicious of everybody and because of that they become isolated not only online but also in the real world.”

Dr Griffin urged parents to know who their children are friends with online.

She highlighted the risks associ- ated with befriending anonymous Facebook accounts.

She recalled visiting an all girls school in Ireland where over 400 students had befriended an account set up in the name of a local road.

“The account was set up by a guy who lived in a different county, had previously served time in prison for sexual offences against adults. He did not contact them (students), did not send them nasty messages, he did not follow them in real life. He simply started collecting their pictures, pictures from teenage discos, pictures from girl’s sleepovers, pictures that were printed out and posted and edited onto other websites,” she said.

St Flannan’s teacher Pat Lynch echoed concerns expressed by Dr Griffin, urging parents to carefully monitor their children’s use of technology and the internet.

Mr Lynch told the meeting he had encountered instances of bullying in every of the 30 years he has spent teaching.

Mr Lynch, who teaches computer class to first year students, said the rise in cyber bullying is a “reason to be concerned”.

“Cyber bullying nearly always crosses over to physical bullying,” he added.

Mr Lynch warned of the dangers of allowing children unrestricted access to the internet in their own bedrooms. He said prolonged exposure to technology can affect student’s concentration, attitude and studies.

A WELL-KNOWN family business in Ennis was targeted by criminals on two occasions over the weekend.

Thieves stole a number of items after breaking into Guerin’s Shop in the Cornmarket area of the town in the early hours of Friday morning at last.

The burglary occurred sometime between 6pm on Thursday, January 30, and 7.30am on Friday, January 31.

It is thought an axe or other heavy implement was used to smash a hole in the front door.

A number of Gael Linn one euro lottery tickets, an amount of various brand cigarettes were all that was taken.

Temporary repairs were carried out on the door but the premises was again targeted just two nights later.

Between 3am and 6am on Monday, morning another attempt was made to gain entry to the shop by trying to force open the front door.

No entry was gained and nothing was stolen on this occasion.

A crow bar may have been used to prize loose a board covering the damage from the previous break in. It is thought the perpetrators may have been watching the shop in the days leading up the burglary.

It is believed they are from the Ennis area. Investigating gardaí are studying CCTV footage of the area and are following a definite line of inquiry.

They are urging anyone who may have seen anything on the nights in question to contact them at Ennis Garda Station.

Guerin’s has operated as a familyrun grocery shop in the Cornmarket area of the town since 1968/69.

It re-opened six years ago and has previously been the target of breakins.

Shop owner Clodagh Guerin said the latest incidents had a big impact on the family.

“It’s not just the financial cost of the damage caused and the things that were stolen, it’s the psychological cost also.

“You’re wondering is this going to happen again?” she said.

The building is the location for ‘The Stone Outside Dan Murphy’s Door’ – a well-known Clare.

GAY and lesbian people in Clare are seven times more likely to attempt suicide compared to heterosexual people in the county. That is according to Gay Switchboard Ireland, who believe that young lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) people in Clare are more likely to suffer from depression, consider self harm or ever even suicide.

A total of 27 calls from Clare were logged by the Gay Switchboard last year. The real number of Clare people using the service is likely to be much higher however, as only a fraction of callers give a county of origin.

According to Eddie McGuinness, organiser of The Outing gay and lesbian matchmaking festival which took place in Lisdoonvarna this year, more openness around LGBT issues is still needed to reverse this trend, especially in rural areas.

“It is a shocking statistic but it is the reality and we have to face up to that. I think families, individuals and friends need to get better at talking about issues like this – not just about your sexuality but all the different things that can get at a person,” he said.

Thousands of LGBT flocked to Lisdoonvarna last September for the first Outing festival – which was part of the traditional Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival.

According to Eddie, events like that can prompt discussion – especially in more rural areas where open lesbian and gay couples are less common.

“I think it was a great event and something that has already had a di- rect impact.

“We received a letter after the festival from a mother who had actually read about The Outing in The Clare People . She read the story to her family and told them that ‘Clare has come of age’. She used those words,” continued Eddie.

“Two weeks later her son came out to that mother and told her that he was gay. And it was the Outing and the coverage of it that made that possible. That is a success right there.”

Gay Switchboard Ireland is open seven days a week on 01 8721055.

CLARE County Council is considering installing security cameras at a graveyard near Ennis to combat mounting problems with crime and anti-social behaviour.

It follows a spate of incidents at Drumcliff graveyard in recent months. There have been a number of thefts from cars parked at the cemetery.

There have been reports of antisocial and intimidating behaviour by large groups attending the graveyard.

The area has also been the scene of violent incidents between feuding members of the Traveller community.

In a separate incident last November, Gardaí investigated a complaint of damage to a baby’s grave.

Ennis woman Christine Quinn discovered damage to the grave of her late son Patrick.

“I was devastated when I saw what happened and so was my husband, absolutely devastated. It breaks my heart. Who would do such a thing?”

At the time, the mother of three called on the council to install cameras in the area to prevent future in- cidents.

The January meeting of Ennis Town Council heard allegations of aggressive and intimidating behaviour by people visiting Drumcliff.

Cllr Mary Howard told the meeting she witnessed a group of people “drinking and being aggressive” in Drumcliff on Christmas day.

Clare County Council has confirmedit is considering installing CCVT near the cemetery.

The issues at Drumcliff were raised yesterday at the February meeting of Ennis Town Council.

In a motion, Cllr Mary Howard (FG) called on the local authority to look at the feasibility of placing CCTV at Drumcliff graveyard.

Cllr Howard said that while a number of thefts have been reported from vehicles at Drumcliff, a high number have gone unreported.

“You often meet people up there (Drumcliff ) who are upset because a window was smashed or something has been stolen from a car,” she said.

She said she feels CCTV is the only way to address the problems. Cllr Brian Meaney (FF) said Drumcliff had been the location of violent incidents between feuding Traveller families while graves had been dam- aged in other incidents.

“It’s a pity but I think we have to put it [CCTV] in,” he added.

Administrative officer Betty Devanny confirmed Clare County Council is examining the feasibility of temporary installation of CCTV at specific locations at Drumcliff cemetery.

“This is necessary to combat the ongoing issues in relation to theft from vehicles in the car park, antisocial behaviour and illegal dumping”, she added.

Public lighting is also being considered in the car park area of Drumcliff.