Category: News

A CLARE senator has suggested a register of SIM cardholders should be established to help prevent cyberbullying.

Fine Gael senator Martin Conway’s comments came at a public meeting in Ennis on Friday that heard schools in Clare are struggling to deal with the spread of bullying through social networking sites such as Facebook and Ask.fm.

Jim Harding, director of the antibullying service, Bully 4 U, told the meeting a recent survey carried out by the service found that 85 per cent of respondents using Facebook are under 13.

He said all the complaints received by his company “are directed towards Facebook.

“Primary school teachers are dealing with Facebook issues on a daily basis. They are tearing their hair out,” added Mr Harding.

He also warned that new forms of social media such as Snapchat are being used to bully. He said vulnerable teenagers are receiving threatening images of ropes and knives.

He said there is a growing concern that online Chat Roulette rooms are being used by pedophiles to make contact with primary school children.

“These are mainly middle aged, naked men who are encouraging them [children] to take their clothes off so they can video and record them,” he explained.

“Mobile phones are the cause of most [online] bullying, the vast amount,” added Mr Harding. Senator Martin Conway told the meeting that the sale of SIM cards – a form of data storage for mobile devices – should be subject to tighter control. “Nobody should be able to walk into a shop and buy a SIM card for a tenner. You should have to produce your passport and there should be a register,” he explained. Dr Patricia Mannix McNamara of the University of Limerick’s Depart- ment of Education and Professional Studies, told the meeting cyber bullying is a major issue in Irish schools. “Schools are in crisis and they are struggling,” she said. Dr Mannix McNamara explained the relationships that foster cyber bullying are often happening in the schools. “Our schools are in crisis. We need our guidance counsellors to be talking to our children but we have so few guidance counsellors,” she said. Researcher Sharon Moynihan said a recent study of children in four counties found that 36 per cent of students admitted to posting hurtful comments or images on social networking sites. Ireland South MEP Sean Kelly hosted the a Cyber-Bullying Forum in the Temple Gate Hotel, in order to raise awareness and inspire action to prevent online bullying. “Cyber bullying, or bullying by social media, is a problem of epidemic proportions affecting mostly young people. It is a very serious challenge for parents, teachers, mental health and youth/community workers. It has fuelled a national and Europewide debate on how to best to tackle the issue,” he said.

CHARITIES and businesses in Ennis are set to benefit from a novel initiative aimed at encouraging people to shop local this Christmas.

The Charity Voucher Booklet is the brainchild of Ennis-based osteopath David Ghilardi.

The booklet features offers from almost 70 Ennis-based businesses and will be on sale in six charity outlets in the town: Clarecare, Caring for Carers (Carmody Street), Cahercalla Community Hospital, The Disabled People of Clare (Clon Road business park), Paw Pourri (Market) and the Irish Cancer Society (Woodquay, Ennis).

Half of the proceeds from the sale of the € 30 booklet will go towards the charities and organisations.

The vounchers can then be used at any of the local businesses that have offers in the booklet. David hopes the scheme can benefit both charities and businesses.

He explains, “I started working on this in July. I went around to the shops one by one. I might have missed a few charities but hopefully, if it goes well this year, we can extend it out next year. A lot of charities would already have campaigns and other projects specifically for Christmas.

“I think all the charities represented do fabulous work and I am proud to be working with them. There are 68 shops in the booklet, with over 100 vouchers. I would hope it would encourage people to shop in the town and spent money locally this Christmas. Businesses give something to help charities and the charities sell the booklets to support the shops. It’s a circle,” David adds.

The booklets are on sale in the six charities from November 12 to December 31. The vouchers can be used up until October 31, 2014.

David said the idea for supporting local good causes was sparked by the upcoming 10th anniversary of the opening of his osteopath clinic.

“I’ve been in Ennis for 10 years and I thought this might be a way of giving something back. The town has been very good to me and my family”, explains David who is originally from France.

The former Avenue United soccer player is hoping the booklet will bring a boost to charities and businesses this year.

EIGHT new Clare companies were set up in just five days last week, pushing the number of start-up companies to the highest since the recession.

Company start-ups for the first 10 months of 2013 nationally were also at the highest seen since 2007 with an average of 1,302 companies being incorporated monthly.

According to solocheck.ie, eight new companies registered in Clare between November 4 and November 8. On November 8, Auris Management Limited was set up in Ennis.

The previous day, November 7, Sorafunding Limited was formed in Shannon, as was Tailor-Made Wine Walks Limited in Ennis. On November 6, Lyonford Limited was set up in Ennis and on November 5 Advance Baggage Limited was registered. Abbeyview Farm Limited was set up in the county on November 4, along with Fermata A Richiesta Limited and Pcl Aviation Services Limited.

In total 13,023 Irish companies were formed between January and October of 2013. This is over 11 per cent up on the same period last year, and every month of 2013 has seen an increase in company start-ups compared to the corresponding month in 2012.

There were almost 2,800 companies trading as normal in agriculture sector at the start of the year, this figure has increased by approximately 15 per cent to just under 3,200.

The IT sector is up 14 per cent while the health and social services, education, motor and social and personal services industries have all seen growth of over 10 per cent this year.

ALMOST 500 horses and dogs have been put down in the county so far this year by animal welfare services, a number that far exceeds figures for Central London.

As many as 452 dogs were euthanised by the ISPCC acting for Clare County Council, with 37 horses also put down during 2013 to date.

This is an average of 11 animals every week and more than one a day. According to figure released as many as 962 dogs and horses were impounded by agencies acting on behalf of Clare County Council.

The majority of the animals impounded or surrendered were dogs, with 915 canines taken in.

Of these 452 were re-homed including 148 who were re-claimed by owners.

AFTER much online campaigning and voting, Kilrush’s Ian Lynch has made it through to the final of the Calor Community Champion 2013.

The only Clare man in the national contest, he in now in the final six for a prize that would see two local charities – West Clare cancer centre and suicide awareness – benefiting by € 7, 500.

He was nominated for the award initially by his sister Lorraine for his “selfless volunteering work across the region for a number of years”.

He is a volunteer member of Kilrush RNLI since 2001 and set up emergency defibrillator groups in Kilrush and nine other towns and villages across West Clare.

“While establishing these groups, Ian trained as a CFR trainer to allow him to provide communities with this service free of charge, to drive membership,” a spokes person for sponsors Calor Gas said.

He is also a member of Kilrush Town Council since 2009. Ian received over 4,900 votes in the public vote on the Calor Ireland Facebook page.

The former mayor of Kilrush and his fellow finalists will now go forward to the judging panel led by TV and radio personality Síle Seoige and including legendary GAA and sports broadcaster Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh and Mary Geraty from Calor. The Calor Community Champion 2013 will be announced on November 20.

“Calor would like to say a big thank you to all those across the Kilrush area and West Clare who supported Ian and the second year of the Community Champion initiative, and wish all of our finalists the very best of luck, you are truly an inspiration to us all,” the Calor spokesperson said.

CLARE County Council intends to carry out work to upgrade a section of the Rocky Road to allow for greater pedestrian access to the Ballybeg area of Ennis.

Yesterday’s meeting of councillors in the Ennis East Electoral Area heard the council is looking to repave the road from the Rocky Road roundabout to Ballybeg.

Senior executive Engineer Eamon O’Dea told the meeting the council intends to improve of pedestrian access along the walking route.

Cllr Tommy Brennan (Ind) said the route would be used if work was carried out to repair it.

Cllr Johnny Flynn said the route could also be popular with cyclists.

Mr O’Dea made the announcement of the council’s plans to upgrade the Rocky Road following discussion on a motion tabled by Cllr Paul Murphy (FG). The Clarecastle councillor requested the council “prioritise completing the footpath from Rockmount Cross to where it currently ends on the Kilrush Road and to also provide a pedestrian crossing”.

Cllr Murphy told the meeting he received a petition containing the signatures of 300 people living in the area.

“There are a lot of kids walking to school (new Ennis National School) in the area and a lot of residents are very concerned about how busy the road is,” he added.

Cllr Pat Daly (FF) said the area is a “fierce busy road”. “It is important the NRA provide the money for the footpaths,” he added.

Mr O’Dea said funding would have to be sought from the National Roads Authority (NRA) as the section of footpath is on a national secondary road.

He continued, “The cost of providing a footpath and public lighting would be in excess of € 80,000. There is uncontrolled pedestrian crossing at the Kilrush Road roundabout on the N68. There is an alternate pedestrian access in daylight hours to Ballybeg by using the Rocky Road and the pedestrian pelican crossing at the Rocky Road roundabout on the N85.”

Earlier, town manager and director of Service, Gerard Dollard told a meeting of councillors in the Ennis West Electoral Area, that discussions are ongoing with Airtricity on the provision of public lighting in the Beechpark housing estate.

Mr Dollard said the works could cost up to € 25,000 and the council would have to decide on how to fund it.

CUSTOMERS of a Clare-based company that operates a loyalty rewards business have been warned that there was a breach in its data security, but there is no evidence as yet if any personal information was compromised. The cyber attack on LoyaltyBuild in Ennis could affect up to 43,000 customers who booked getaway breaks through the Clare born com- pany which recorded pre-tax profits of € 4.5 million last year. The company was sold in 2008 by businessmen Dominic Considine, Domhnal Slattery and Sean Lyne for € 25 million to American company Affinion. LoyaltyBuild operates loyalty schemes on behalf of three companies – Super Valu, Axa and Stena Line – and said that customers who booked breaks in the last three months may be affected. Credit and debit card details belonging to customers may have been compromised following the cyber attack however the company stressed that CVV (Card Verification Value) numbers – generally needed to complete online transactions – were not stored. Suspicion about a possible breach emerged on Friday, October 25, and a team of “expert forensic investigators” was appointed to determine what had happened. On Wednesday, October 30, it emerged that a breach may have occurred and it contacted the Data Protection Commissioner (DPC) on the Friday. A spokesman for the Data Protection Commission said its systems were encrypted, and it was not clear how much information had been taken. “The systems were encrypted, including credit card and contact numbers. They [LoyaltyBuild] took the step of notifying individuals just in case,” the office said. Customers were advised however to monitor credit card use on their accounts or take measures to alter their details like PIN numbers, or seek advice from their credit card provider. It is understood it may take up to a fortnight to determine how much information was taken.

THE Burren and Cliffs of Moher Geopark and Loop Head Peninsula finished as runners up to the Brazilian region of Benito in the ‘Best Destination for Responsible Tourism’ category of the 10th annual 2013 World Responsible Tourism Awards.

The Clare destinations were shortlisted alongside six other sustainable tourism destinations and organisations including Bhutan, Lithuania, Bonito (Brazil) Nature Park and Glacier Region Kaunertal (Austria), Mara Naboisho Conservancy (Kenya) and Valleys Regional Park (Wales).

The final result was announced on Wednesday at an awards ceremony, hosted by World Travel Market at the ExCeL London Exhibition and Convention Centre.

Representatives from both Clare destinations used the awards event as an opportunity to actively promote County Clare and the recently an- nounced Ryanair services at Shannon Airport. Loop Head Tourism and Burren and Cliffs of Moher Geopark hosted an information stand at the event, in conjunction with Tourism Ireland.

PEOPLE in Ennis are being encouraged to contribute to a survey examining attitudes to safety and crime in the Clare county capital.

The Community Safety Research Project is being undertaken by the Ennis Purple Flag working group in conjunction with the University of Limerick.

In February, Ennis became the first Irish town to receive the Purple Flag. The award aims to broaden the appeal and improve the standard of nighttime destinations.

In September, the working group engaged in a public consultation process in Dunnes Stores, aimed at determining if people felt safe in the Ennis at evening and night.

Following huge interest and sign-up to the Community Safety Research, led by University of Limerick’s Politics and Public Administration Department, the full survey is now available from https://www.surveymon key. c om/ s / En n i s Commu n i t ySafetySurvey.

In addition to the online survey, focus groups and desk research will be done and the research results are aimed to be available in early 2014. Details and regular updates will be available from Facebook Visit En- nis.

According to Cllr Johnny Flynn (FG), a member of the Purple Flag working group, crime statistics show an ever-decreasing trend in Ennis over the past five years.

He states public order figures have been decreasing continuously and all crime figures in Ennis down. In the years 2009-2011, the Public Order offences were down by more than 25 per cent (compared to an average of less than 20 per cent decrease nationally).

When Ennis was awarded the Evening Excellence Award Purple Flag in February this year, the town was certified with having a wellmanaged, safe and vibrant evening and nighttime economy.

Cllr Flynn explained, “Having won the prestigious Purple Flag accreditation does not mean that there will never be any crime or safety issues, but it certifies that the town has an overall consistently good safety record and that a key priority of the town is in the successful management and prevention of crimes.”

He continued, “Our work through Purple Flag, since it’s very beginning two years ago, has been supported by the local Gardaí and we are hugely delighted to learn from them in the effort to make Ennis a safer place for everyone at any time.”

COUNTY solicitor John Shaw takes up the role this week as President of the Law Society in Ireland, effectively head of the legal profession in Ireland, an organisation that has 14,000 members countrywide. He is the first Clare-based solicitor to hold the post since Michael Houlihan was elected president back in 1983.

Originally from Dundalk in Co Louth, John Shaw has practiced in Ennis since he qualified in 1984. He is currently a partner in the law firm Michael Houlihan & Partners and serves as solicitor to Clare County Council. He is also a former President of the Bar Association in Clare.

“I’m both delighted and honoured to be elected President of the Law Society of Ireland,” John told The Clare People this week. “I think it is also fitting that 30 years after Michael Houlihan held the presidency that it returns to Clare,” he added.

“During my year I will be based in Ennis and will probably spend a day or two a week in Dublin. There are many challenges facing the legal profession in Ireland and in particular I hope to liaise with the Minister for Justice on the Legal Services Regulation Bill which is currently being finalised.

“Thankfully I have huge support from Michael Houlihan and Partners, with 12 solicitors and five partners we are able to make arrangements to allow me carry out all my functions of the office and of course online technology will also make it easier. I am grateful too to county manager Tom Coughan who has also offered his co-operation towards my dual role,” John told us.

Married to Mary Nolan, herself a solicitor with Nicholas & Nolan Solicitors in Ennis, John, who lives in Ballybeg on Ennis’s Gort Road, has three children, Hannah, Ellen and Julie. Oldest daughter Hannah (23) is currently studying law at Blackhall Place in Dublin, continuing the family tradition, while Ellen (20) is studying physiotherapy in Trinity, with youngest daughter Julie (16) attending Rice College in Ennis.

Although hailing from Co Louth John has many Clare connections. He is a nephew of the late PJ and Ella Garvey (who passed away earlier this year) from Corrovorrin Green in Ennis. John is a noted sports follower and is a member of Lahinch Golf Club. He will serve a one-year term in the role up until November 2014.