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Rival cave will bring job losses, claims Ailwee

WHEN Tulla woman Una Fitzger- ald and a group of supporters set out trestle tables and sold fruit and veg in the main street in Tulla three years ago, little did they know that they were paving the way for a de- velopment which could bring visitors from all over east Clare to shop in the village.

Una and her friends set up the stall for one day after she discovered that trading had to take place on at least one day before the ancient market charter for the town expired.

While the proposal to have a coun- try market in Tulla did not necessar- ily need a charter, if a meeting held

in the courthouse last night leads to the setting up of a market, having the charter means that the venture could eventually have an outdoor market going as well.

Local people interested in setting up a farmers market went along to the meeting last night to hear two representatives from Country Mar- kets Ltd outline what needs to be done.

It is hoped that the courthouse will be the venue for a new indoor market which will features stalls selling lo- cal produce and crafts.

Traditionally, local people would use the markets to sell produce such as eggs and vegetables, to bring in a bit of extra cash.

The people behind the new market idea say that there 1s again a big de- mand for the country market, both from shoppers who want to buy lo- cally-produced or organic foods and from people who are growing or pro- ducing foods and crafts.

“This is an idea I have had for a long time,” said Siobhan Mulcahy, who set up last night’s meeting.

“T talked to people about having a market and I got nothing but positive responses.

“There is such a great group of people here in Tulla – they have such energy and it is time to tap into that and get this going.”

One important aspect of the mar- ket would be a coffee shop, Siobhan

feels.

“The country market also has an important social function. While we have lovely restaurants, we don’t have anywhere in Tulla where people can just go to meet friends and have a cup of coffee, so this has an impor- tant social function.”

Already, producers of vegetables, plants, fresh eggs, baked goods, knitwear, artwork and woodcrafts have expressed an interest in taking part.

“And if the country market be- comes established, there’s every possibility in the future that an out- door farmers market might grow up around it so it’s brilliant that they kept the charter.”

FORMER Garda Sergeant Ciaran Sheehan’s solicitor, Michael He- garty, outlined for a public meeting in Scariff the series of events which culminated in his client being dis- missed from the force.

The dismissal followed a complaint made by a local man in September 1995 that Mr Sheehan had allegedly

asked that man to withdraw a state- ment he had made regarding an in- cident in Scariff on St Patrick’s Day in 1995.

This complaint was adjudicated upon by the Garda Complaints Tri- bunal in June 1998 which issued a recommendation to the Garda Com- missioner that Sgt Sheehan should either resign or face dismissal.

Sgt Sheehan did not participlate at

this Tribunal on legal grounds. Fol- lowing an unsuccessful High Court application to review the decision, Sgt Sheehan appealed to the Supreme Court, which in February 2009, dis- missed his appeal.

After the first complaint, the Garda authorities directed Sgt Sheehan not to make any contact with the com- plainant. A second complaint was made by the same person in March

1996 against Sgt Sheehan, following which Sgt Sheehan was immediately suspended.

A 10-day garda enquiry took place at Ennis Garda Station between No- vember 1997 and January 1998 into the second complaint. During this, it was established that the man making the complaint had a criminal record for assault, that he had a grudge against Sgt Sheehan and wanted “to

nail him” and that a senior garda had arranged a job interview for the com- plainant with a security firm shortly after he had made his first complaint against Sgt Sheehan.

Commenting on Mr Sheehan’s cur- rent situation, Mr Hegarty said, “He now has no income and no pension after being the member subject to the longest suspension in the history of the force.”

A YOUNG man yesterday recalled being dragged a mile, while attached to a car, being driven by a man who had almost twice the legal limit of alcohol in his system.

The horrific evidence emerged in the case of a Kildysart man, who pleaded guilty to charges in connec- tion with a hit-and-run accident in which two pedestrians were struck, in Ennis, on January 13, 2008.

One of the victims was trapped as he was unable to detach himself from the car, as it took off at speed.

Moments earlier, his friend was struck by the same car and flipped up into the air.

Donal Holohan (23), of Aylroe, Kildysart, admitted a charge of dan- gerous driving, thereby causing seri- ous bodily harm to Tommy Walsh.

Holohan, a plumber, also admitted failing to stop at the scene, at Clon- roadbeg, Ennis; driving with excess alcohol in his breath at Friar’s Walk, Ennis and driving dangerously, at Clonroadbeg.

Garda Dermot Siggins told En- nis Circuit Court that Sean Cud- dihy, Tommy Walsh and two of their friends were walking along Clon- roadbeg at 3.10am.

They were en route to Tesco, in pursuit of cigarettes, when the first incident occurred.

This involved Mr Cuddihy, who

was struck by the defendant’s Nissan Almera, before being flipped into the Za

Mr Walsh and another man pursued the Almera and tried to prevent it from leaving the scene. Gda Siggins said that Mr Walsh stood in front of the car and put his hand on the bon- aoe

However, the vehicle took off at speed and Mr Walsh’s leg became entangled with the car. His chest got caught under the right wheel and he was unable to release himself from the car.

As the car took off at speed, he was dragged along and was trapped un- der it. The car travelled a distance of 1.7 kilometres before he became

detached.

Mr Cuddihy told gardai all he could remember was waking up in hospi- tal, while Mr Walsh said he and his friends were practising marching up the road – as some of them are mem- bers of the defence forces – and he could see Mr Cuddihy being struck by a car.

“He was flipped into the air and landed on his head,” he recalled.

He said he himself was caught under the vehicle and could not get EEN

He said the car kept moving and failed to stop. He remembered wak- ing up on a roadway but had no idea where he was.

Mr Walsh (21) suffered multiple in-

juries – including injuries to his chest, abdomen, shoulder, elbow, groin and a severe injury to his left hand – and underwent surgery on a number of occasions.

He is still undergoing medical at- tention and requires further surgery. Medics say he may never fully re- cover from his hand injury.

Taking the witness stand, he told the court he has lost more than a year in the army and has missed out on duties on overseas missions.

He said he returned to work a month ago and must undergo tests to ascertain if he is capable of rejoining the army.

AUDITIONS for a talent competi- tion that has proved a major hit in west Clare will take place later this month.

The inaugural ‘West Clare’s Got Talent’ was hugely popular last year — so much so that the organisers were keen to follow on with a second con- test this year.

The Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC) 1s the beneficiary of the event, which 1s Open to young people aged between 10 and 18 years.

Last year’s winner, 12-year-old Lisa Falsey from Cooraclare, has since built on her success. She won the accolade due to her musical and singing talents and has won several rounds of the national Scor talent

competition over the past year. Lisa, a daughter of Joe and Maura Falsey, has also won awards in piano, over the years.

The chief organiser of the compe- tition Teresa Carrig was delighted with the success of the first year of the competition. She said that en- trants can do “anything they want to do, as long as they entertain us for two or three minutes”’.

Thirty-four youngsters entered the competition last year and 20 were shortlisted for the final.

“Last year there was music, dance, poetry, hip-hop, Irish dancing and aerobics. Lisa had a confidence in herself and she had a great ability to perform.

“Tt was very broad last year and we would hope to have it as broad again this year,” she said.

€2,000 was raised through the event last year and hopes are high that this will be surpassed this year.

‘Helping children is the theme of it. There is a great buzz about it, this year more so than last year,’ said Ms Creare

She is encouraging young people across west Clare to take part. The auditions will take place at the com- munity centre in Kilrush on April 29, between 3pm and 5pm. The final will take place in Kilrush Commu- nity School on May 16, starting at 7pm.

Lisa’s mother Maura Falsey was delighted with the success in last year’s contest.

“It was great. She has a lovely little voice. For a 12-year-old, a lot of peo- ple would say she has a very mature voice. She loves music and is an all-

rounder,” she said.

Lisa —a sixth class student in Kilm- ihil national school — played the keyboard and sang the song Whitney Houston made famous, ‘One Mo- ment in Time’ in last year’s final.

There will be plenty of excitement on the evening of the final as Bert and Victor — who starred in

THE area around the west Clare par- ish of Cooraclare was in shock this bank holiday weekend, as a third life was lost at a notorious accident blackspot.

Jim Ahearn was less than three miles from his new home in Dan- ganallen, Cooraclare, when his 4×4 Discovery Jeep struck a ditch and overturned at approximately 5pm on Saturday evening.

The 54-year-old died in the single- vehicle collision at Tullabrack East.

Mr Ahearn, a native of County Limerick, was new to the area, hav- ing moved to west Clare after return- ing from England.

The accident victim was alone in the jeep with his dog at the time of the accident.

The dog warden removed the dog KO) TOM NO oMeo Io

THE Health Information and Qual- ity Authority found that services at Ennis General Hospital were unsafe.

In its 13l-page report following an investigation into the quality and safety of services and supporting ar- rangements provided by the Health Service Executive at the Mid-West- ern Regional Hospital Ennis, the au- thority found it was unsafe to keep the service configuration at the hos- pital as it currently was.

However, according to the report there were significant opportunities for high quality, appropriate services to be provided at Ennis General in the future but these must be safe for the benefit of the public.

According to HIQA, the investiga- tion found examples of good non- acute care being provided at the Clare hospital and a committed ethos from Hospital staff. It also identified a range of services which could be greatly expanded and enhanced at the hospital in the future, including diagnostic services, outpatients, day procedures, appropriate medical care, minor injuries and rehabilita- tion as part of the Regional Hospital Weiaerae

Dr Tracey Cooper, Chief Execu- tive of the Health Information and Quality Authority, said, “The inves- tigation found that the hospital as it is currently configured is unsafe and will need to change the range and types of services it provides for its patients in order to build a thriving, appropriate and safer future for the community that it serves.

“Tt is therefore vitally important that the Health Service Executive sets about planning the implementation of all the recommendations contained in this report, in conjunction with staff

and local communities. Similarly, it is important to ensure that appropri- ate facilities, resources and staff are in place throughout the Mid-Western Hospital Network to effectively man- age these changes safely.”

Diane Whittingham, the chairper- son of the authority’s investigation team, said, “What has driven this investigation is a concern for safety and quality, and there are significant opportunities for high quality, ap- propriate services to be provided at MWRH Ennis in the future.

‘To ensure that these services are fit for purpose, the HSE should, as

a priority, undertake a review of the effective management, leader- ship and governance arrangements at Mid-Western Regional Hospital Limerick to ensure that appropriate arrangements are in place to guar- antee the effective management and safe implementation of these chang- es. However, it is clear that it is un- safe to keep the current service con- figuration at MWRH Ennis and the changes recommended in this Report must happen in a safe and effective manner.”

The Report highlighted a lack of clarity and accountability and found

that there is no single person at hospi- tal level who is fully accountable for the quality and safety of services.

Dr Cooper said, “The case for change has to be developed and com- municated clearly and effectively to patients, the public and healthcare workers. The authority will request the Health Service Executive to pro- duce an implementation plan for the efficient, safe and effective imple- mentation of the 65 recommenda- tions contained within the Report and we look forward to working with it and all other stakeholders to driver safer services.”

EAST Clare’s oldest man placed a wreath on the graves of the Scariff Martyrs on Sunday to mark the 90th anniversary of the founding of the East Clare Brigade.

Paddy Gleeson was just thirteen years old when he attended the fu- neral of the four men, three of whom were members of the East Clare Bri- gade.

Memorial services were organised by the East Clare Memorial Com- mittee for the Memorial Park in Tua- mgraney and at Scariff church where

the four are buried.

The Tulla Pipe Band provided mu- sical tributes.

Memorial Committee member, Tomas Mac Conmara, plans to write a book about the martyrs with the help of people in east Clare.

He said that the memorial commit- tee “are dedicated to reminding the community of east Clare of the sac- rifices made by the men and women of the Republican movement in east Clare during the Irish War of Inde- pendence and the Civil War.”

The Scariff Martyrs – Alphonsus Rodgers, Michael McMahon, Martin

Gildea and Michael Egan – were ex- ecuted on the bridge in Killaloe on November 17, 1920.

Egan had been providing a safe house for the other three at White- gate but they were informed on, ar- rested and brought to the barracks at Killaloe where they were tortured before being killed.

The official line was that they had been shot while trying to escape but the front of each body bore up to 17 bullet entry wounds and numerous bayonet wounds. Their bodies were dumped in a shed at the back of the Lakeside Hotel.

“T would love to talk to anyone who can help to fill out both the history and the folklore surrounding these men and this period.” said Tomas. ‘People may have stories they heard from their parents or grandparents. Stories that may have been told in a particular village or area or people might have memorabilia or old pic- tures. There must have been many people who were aware of the op- erations and of the men who died and I want to record all these things whether they are fact or folklore, they all have a place in telling the story of the time.

“Any material history, including artefacts associated with the story of the four Scariff Martyrs or the fight for independence in east Clare are also welcome and encouraged.

“In particular, any elderly people who may remember or have inherited stories regarding the four young men or the period in question are asked to make contact,” said Tomas.

Anyone who would like to help with information can _ con- tact —Tomas Mac Conmara, Baile Maeloin, Tuaimgreine, or by emiling macconmarat@hotmail.com. Alter- natively you can phone 087 9160373.

THE mayor of Kilrush told this month’s meeting of Kilrush Town Council that fishing in a council owned lake should not be held to ransom by a few.

Cllr Liam O’Looney (FF) said that the town council should “facilitate the fishing of Knockerra Lake and broker a deal with the adjoining land- Owners so not to let another fishing season go to waste.”

He said he was continuously asked by the West Clare Angling Club to investigate the possibility of making fishing available in the lake again.

“Here we have a natural facility that is not being utilised,” he said.

“In the past farmers had issues with littering and cattle being interfered with by a dog, but the lake is in our ownership. I don’t think it should be held to ransom by a number of peo- ple,” he added.

Town Clerk John Corry told the meeting that he was awaiting legal advice on the matter.

“IT am awaiting a map to identify where our ownership extends to,” he

said.

Mr Corry said that when he received the map he was hoping to meet with the adjoining landowners.

Cllr Colie Sweeney (Ind) proposed that the anglers would also be invited to the meeting.

The father of the council Jack Fen- nel (Ind) said the council must have

access to the lake as the lake in ques- tion once provided the water supply for the town.

THE Mid-West Regional Authority has announced details of an ambi- tious new plan to develop and pro- mote the watersports sector in the Shannon region.

The Mid-West Watersports Project, which will be launched in Ballina on April 30, is aimed at boosting the marine leisure sector and its positive economic and environmental im- pacts in north Tipperary, Clare and Limerick.

The authority intends to build on existing marine leisure initiatives, to develop new opportunities for sus- tainable development of watersports

and attract thousands of additional visitors to the region each year.

According to Project Manager Marie Collins, the regional authority will design and implement a compre- hensive online portal for watersports in the region over the next three years, working closely with the re- gion’s local authorities, tourism busi- ness sector, tourism bodies and local watersports centres.

“Through the National Sport Fed- erations, we will also develop a series of training programmes in environ- mental awareness and social inclu- sion, promoting the marine leisure sector and creating opportunities for all people to become more involved

in the sector.”

A regional launch of the Mid-West Watersports Project will take place in the Lakeside Hotel, Ballina on Thursday, April 30 from 2 to 4pm.

The event is geared towards water- sports clubs, activity centres, marine leisure businesses and tourism pro- motion bodies in the marine leisure sector.

It will feature a number of presen- tations on the various elements of the project, marine leisure and the envi- ronment.

Anyone interested in attending should contact the regional authority at 067 33197 or by email info@mwra. ilo