Category: News

THE BOOK of evidence has been served on a man charged in connection with an alleged stabbing in Shannon last year.

Darren Lindsay (22), with an address at Cronan Grove, Shannon, appeared before Ennis District Court on Wednesday.

The accused is charged with assault causing harm to a man at Cluain Airne, Shannon on September 30 (2012).

Inspector Tom Kennedy applied for an amendment to be made to the charge sheet concerning the location where the alleged offence is alleged to have taken place.

Defence solicitor Oonagh Moylan objected to the amendment, saying it changed the nature of the charge.

Judge Patrick Durcan said he was overruling Ms Moylan’s objection and granting the amendment.

Garda Irene O’Flynn of Ennis Garda Station gave evidence of serving the book of evidence on solicitor Oonagh Moylan for her client Darren Lindsay.

Inspector Tom Kennedy said the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) consented to the accused being returned for trial to the next sessions of the Circuit Criminal Court.

Legal aid was approved for Ms Moylan and one junior counsel. Judge Durcan delivered the alibi warning to the accused and made the order returning the man for trial.

IT WAS a weekend of star gazing in West Clare as Stereophonics front man Kelly Jones married long time love Jakki Healy in a ceremony at St Senan’s Church Kilrush, followed by reception at the five star Lodge in Doonbeg.

International stars from the world of music, film and television travelled to the bride’s ancestral home of County Clare to celebrate her marriage to the Welsh singer.

Ms Healy’s mother hailed from Kilshanny, while her father is an Ennistymon native, with the illustrator growing up in London.

On Saturday crowds gathered out- side St Senan’s Church to wish the couple well and spot the numerous celebrities in attendance.

Among the well known faces causing excitement for the crowd were Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood and The Jam’s Paul Weller.

“I was only a few feet away from Ronnie Wood, although I wasn’t sure if it was him or Rod Stewart at first, I always get them mixed up,” said one excited local woman.

“They were all really nice, waving and smiling,” said another bystander referring to guests that included members of Stereophonics, Notting Hill star Rhys Ifans, actress Anna Friel, Wayne Rooney’s wife Coleen, actor Dougray Scott, his wife actress Claire Forlani and television present- er Amanda Byram.

The guests were bussed to the Lodge Doonbeg for a five star reception, but the party didn’t stop there with many of the guests making a weekend of it in West Clare.

A post wedding party was held in Tubridy’s Bar and Restaurant in Doonbeg on Sunday with family and close friends, including many famous faces enjoying food, drink and local music provided by Patrick Roche.

Kelly Jones also took to the stage at the popular Doonbeg watering hole to sing Dakota and a special rendition of “My Girl” to his new wife.

Again the couple and their guests happily posed for photos with staff and local people as the celebrations continued into the evening.

PLANS to redevelop a large area of Ennis’s historic market area have gone out for public consultation.

Ennis Town Council is inviting submissions and observations from members of the public for the proposed development, which would involve the building of semi-enclosed spaces in Garraunakilla. Details of the planed facelift to the Market are contained in a report to members of Ennis Town Council. “The structure will continue to have multifunctional uses, housing at times a car park and at others, a market. The structure consists of two adjacent pavilions with a plexi-glass roof covering the central corridor”

In his report Town Clerk Leonard Cleary states, “The spaces adjacent the structure and in the surround- ing streets will be remodeled and upgraded to improve the pedestrian environment with new paving, lighting, drainage and street furniture and trees. This work will extend from the junction of Market Place with Barrack Street, to the junction of Market Place with Lower Drumbiggle Road; lower Drumbiggle Road from it’s junction with Market Place to its junction with Garraunakilla; Garraunkilla from it’s junction with Market Place to Lower Drumbiggle Road. This work will involve providing a shared surface area on Market Place from its junction with Barrack Street to its junction with Lower Drumbiggle Road.”

Richard Rice of Healy Partners Architects was commissioned by the Council to explore the possibility of developing covered markets in Ennis.

His report strongly recommended the northern elevation of Garraunakilla develop appropriate retail activity. It also recommended the inclusion of a covered area and a kiosk if Garraunakilla is retained as a Farmer’s Market.

The report on proposed changes to the market area of Ennis recommended major improvements to access and the appearance of the town’s main market trading area.

The Council has set a June 2014 deadline for work to start in Garraunakilla and Barrack Street. Submissions on the Garraunakilla development can be made up to and including Monday, January 6.

ENNIS Street Radio, organised by Ennis Chamber and supported by Ennis Town Council, was launched on Friday evening last at Glór Irish Music Centre.

Councillor Michael Guilfoyle of Ennis Town Council was on hand to officially launch the Street Radio, which is in its third successive year.

Councillor Guilfoyle said that Ennis Town Council were delighted to support the initiative to bring a festive atmosphere and good cheer to the streets of Ennis during the Christmas Shopping Period.

As part of the Christmas Shop Local Campaign, Ennis Town Council are providing Free Parking in public carparks on the street from 9am12pm for December until January 6. There is also free parking all day in Cloughleigh Car Park. Free parking up to 12pm daily to January 5 will be available at the following off-street and on-street locations:

Off-street – Abbey St Car Park; Bindon Street Car Park; Cornmarket Car Park; Friars Walk Car Park; Friary Car Park; Lower Market Street Car Park; Market Place Car Park, Parnell St Car Park; Woodquay Car Park (all € 1.30/1 hour or € 2.60 for 2 hour from 12:00-5:00pm).

On-Street: Abbey Street, College Road, Drumbiggle Road, Gort Road, Harmony Street, Kilrush Road, Lower Market Street, Market Place, McNamara Park, Mill Road, New Road, New Road Car Park, Newbridge Road, Simms Lane, Station Road, and Turnpike Road (normal parking rates apply after 12pm).

Speaking at the Launch of Ennis Street Radio, President of Ennis Chamber thanked Ennis Town Council for their support and that of Ennis Street Radio Ger Sweeney.

Ms Madden added that the businesses of Ennis have really come behind the Ennis Street Radio, giving away thousands of euro worth of prizes and vouchers to shoppers as a way of thanking them for their custom over the year and particularly at Christmas which is a very important time for retailers and hospitality. Businesses in Ennis will also be open on the Sundays in December as well as Late Night Opening from December 18 to 20 and on December 23.

Ennis Street Radio is sponsored by Ennis Electrical, Ozone Gym, Clean Ireland Recycling and the Irishshop. com. As well as on the streets, Ennis Street Radio can be listened to live on www.visitennis.ie or by downloading the Ennis APP.

THE FIRST details of what location in Clare have been infected by Ash Dieback have been confirmed.

At last night meeting of Clare County Council it was confirmed that an area of forestry between Ennistymon and Lisdoonvarna has been infected with the contagious fungal disease.

It was also confirmed that three other positive cases of Ash Dieback or Chalara fraxinea have been found in trees bordering the M18 motorway.

The Department of Agriculture confirmed to the Clare People last month that a total of seven positive cases of the disease have been found in Clare. However, despite a number of inquires, the department has consistently declined to give any detail of the exact location of the outbreaks.

Yesterday’s information represents the first detailed confirmation of where outbreaks have taken place since it arrive in Ireland almost 13 months ago.

“Ash dieback disease has been found in at least three location close to motorways in Clare and in one plantation between Ennistymon and Lisdoonvarna,” a council spokesperson said yesterday.

The information was in response to a motion put forward by Cllr Brian Meaney (FF) who said that people with ash plantation in Clare were “ex- tremely concerned” about the spread of the disease.

At present there a total of 75 ash plantation through county with the average size of these plantation less than 10 hectares in size.

The number of instances of ash dieback in Clare has more than doubled over the last six months with Clare trees now the third most infected in Ireland.

According to figures obtained from the Department of Agriculture, a total of seven positive cases of ash dieback, or Chalara fraxinea, have been recorded in Clare so far this year – up from just three cases in May.

Coincidentally, strong hurling counties have, to date, been hit hardest by ash die back. The last three All Ireland hurling champions – Clare, Kilkenny and Tipperary – have the three highest instances of ash dieback in Ireland.

The Department of Agriculture has declined to give exact details of the location of infected trees in Clare and other counties. This follows confusion earlier this year when the department appeared to release contradictory information about the location of infected trees in Clare.

NELSON Mandela’s inspirational fight for freedom touched the lives of people around the world including that of a young priest from Scariff.

One of the closest friendships Mandela shared during the 18 years he spent imprisoned on Robben Island was with Fr Brendan Long, a native of Scariff who served as prison chaplain.

Aged 28, Fr Long was appointed chaplain to Robben Island in 1962 after a term at St Mary’s Cathedral.

Every Sunday, Fr Long would take a ferry from Cape Town to the island to hold services for the inmates.

As the prisoners’ beliefs varied, non-denominational services were held and confessions for Catholic inmates were heard,

In a 2003 interview, Fr Long recalled how the future President of South Africa would read aloud passages from scriptures.

“He once said to me: ‘If I were a communist I wouldn’t have read scripture,’ He read with great pride a psalm entitled ‘Let every creature praise the Lord’, Fr Long told a South African newspaper Mail and Guardian.

The article states “The chaplain’s weekly trips to Robben Island usually ended with a joke about them getting together for a party in freedom, little thinking this would ever come about. Their friendship continued after Mandela was transferred to Pollsmoor prison on the mainland in 1982 and his release from detention on February 11, 1990”.

Fr Long returned to Ireland in the mid nineties but his friendship with one of world’s great Statesmen endured beyond the confines of Mandela’s captivity.

Mandela, who passed away on Thursday, received an honorary doctorate from the National University of Ireland Galway in 2003.

He used the visit to Ireland to catch up with this old friend from Scariff who was one of the guests at the ceremony.

Reporting on the occasion, the Irish Independent described the “poignant scene” as Mandela greeted Fr Long.

Fr Long recalled meeting “the humble, highly intelligent, very spiritual Mandela and man with the very, very warm handshake”. Fr Long passed away in April 2009.

A WOMAN who parked across two disabled parking bays in Ennis Courthouse acted in an “ignorant” and “insensitive” manner, a court has heard.

Judge Patrick Durcan was speaking as he imposed a € 750 fine on a mother of seven who was found to have illegally parked in disabled parking bays on May 22, 2013. Judge Durcan also disqualified the woman from holding a driver’s license for a period of six months, by way of ancillary order.

“Obviously this is an ignorant and insensitive person who would park across two disabled parking bays”, added Judge Durcan.

The woman was not present in court for the brief hearing. Judge Durcan said that he recently had to adjourn a case from Gort District Court to Ennis District Court to cater for a disabled person attending the court.

The woman who received the fine later appeared in court. Solicitor Tara Godfrey told Judge Durcan the woman was in a “very distressed state”. Judge Durcan refused an application to fix recognizance for an appeal as the case had already been dealt with.

Ms Godfrey said she would file a new application with the court requesting recognizance be fixed in the event of an appeal.

A CONSTRUCTION company, who objected to plans by Clare County Council to sell land in Shannon for the creation of a crematorium earlier this year, have lodged its own plans to build a crematorium in Clarecastle.

Fenloe Properties Ltd have lodge plans with the local authority to construct a chapel and crematorium furnace on lands at Ballaghfadda on the Kildysart Road.

The plans also include a cemetery, remembrance and memorial gardens and a car park – with a planning decision not likely to be made until February of next year.

In October of this year a solicitors letter was sent by Fenloe Limited to Clare County Council – regarding plans by the local authority to sell land in Shannon to an unnamed developer for the creation of a crematorium.

The council had already granted planning permission for the development of a crematorium on that site in 2007 – but this project never came to fruition.

A council spokesperson confirmed yesterday that it had received a letter from Fenloe Properties and because of that letter – the matter had not been discussed at the November meeting of Clare County Council.

“The Council is in receipt of correspondence and the matter is being dealt with.

An extension of planning permission has been approved by the Council.

The disposal of the lands was deferred by the elected members at the November meeting,” said a council spokesperson.

In 2007, former County Councillors Tony McMahon (LAB) and the late Sean Hillery (FF), lodged plans to build a crematorium beside Illaunamanagh graveyard in the Shannon area.

At the time concerns were expressed about the rezoning of public lands, future ownership of the land, the disposal of waste at the site.

The proposal was appealed to An Bord Pleanala in 2009 but planning was granted – contrary to the recommendation of the boards own inspector.

However, plans to construct the Shannon crematorium were never activated and the project appeared dead until reactivated by an unknown developer earlier this year.

Cllr Gerry Flynn (IND), who had opposed the sale of the Shannon land in 2007, said yesterday that he would keep an close watch on the Clarecastle plan.

“At this point I don’t know enough about this [planned Clarecastle crematorium] proposal, but if the land is suitable zones and meets with the requirements set out in the planning process then I would be in favour of it,” he said.

THE CLARE branch of St Vincent de Paul say they will pay for Christmas presents for children this year – if it means that families won’t be forced to use non-traditional moneylenders.

Clare SVP president, John Cullinane, is urging Clare families to contact the society now – before the pressures to go into debt to fund Christmas presents begins.

Speaking in the aftermath of a Gardai crackdown on illegal money lending in Clare, Mr Cullinane said his organisation can provide toys, food and fuel to needy families this Christmas.

“We have had some people coming to us in recent times reporting that they have gotten in trouble with money lenders but we fell that most of these people don’t actually contact the SVP,” he said.

“We feel that a large amount of people are using money lenders before they contact SVP.

“We would really urge people to contact us, especially coming up to Christmas time when families need more money.

“We would urge people not to go money lenders looking for money they should go to their local St Vincent de Paul instead.

“We will provide everything we possibly can for people and families coming up to Christmas.

“We can help people with food, clothing, toys and fuel – we are in a position to provide people in need with a wide array of materials that will help them steer clear of moneylenders this Christmas.

“It is so easy when a moneylender calls to your door.

“It is very tempting to avail of it at the time but then when you are paying back at interest rate of 300 per cent or more, people can get caught in a cycle with the money lenders and become trapped by the weight of their debt.”

The St Vincent de Paul carries out an assessment of all applications to prevent people who don’t need it from accessing their services.

“However, once a person or family have passed the application, they is funding in place to help them with a variety of materials in the run up to Christmas.

People thinking of using money lenders are also urged to contact Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS).

GARDAÍ are urging anyone affected by illegal money lending in the town of Kilrush to come forward and speak to them.

The appeal comes following a dawn raid on businesses and homes in the Kilrush area by gardaí investigating illegal money lending, on Tuesday last.

A total of 11 people were arrested following the searches, which commenced at 7am.

They were later released without charge and a file is being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.

The planned search followed months of investigations involving local gardaí assisted by Criminal Assets Bureau, Regional Support Unit, and Special Detective Units from Galway, the National Criminal Intelligence Unit as well as officials from Revenue, Social Welfare and Clare County Council.

The arrests included five males aged between 18 and 55 years, and six females aged between 20 and 49 years.

All those arrested were detained at various Garda Stations in County Clare, Limerick and Galway under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act.

The investigation, which has been ongoing for several months, centres around complaints received from various individuals and is focused on those suspected of being engaged in unlicensed money lending. _

There had been a number of reports to gardaí of intimidation relating to the illegal money lending during the last year, but those making the complaints were often too frightened to make statements.

Kilrush Gardaí along with CAB and other local bodies began to carry out further investigations leading to last week’s searches and arrests.

This is the second major investigation requiring extensive Garda resources, to be carried out in the town in the last number of months.

Gardaí in Kilrush, in conjunction with the National Drugs Unit have been tackling the supply of illegal drugs issue with a special five-month undercover operation spanning the end of last year and the first quarter of this year.

A total of 1,400 Garda man-hours were used in Operation Luxor, which resulted in at least eight arrests that have come before the courts so far.