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ALTHOUGH conditions in Kilkee courthouse were unsuitable for court sittings, the last ever court held in the town last week was tinged with sad- ness and nostalgia.

The courthouse in Kilkee is damp and dilapidated and has not been ideal for court sittings for some time. However the decision to move Kilkee court sittings to Kilrush came as part of a national initiative to centralise CLOUT MMT RB ENTS

The Kilkee move is one of sev- eral changes in court venues in the county, to take effect from the start of 2009. No longer will court sittings take place in Miltown Malbay, Lis- doonvarna, Corofin, Tulla, Scariff and Kildyart. The courts in Ennis, Kilrush, Killaloe and Ennistymon (which currently sits in Kilrush, until a suitable venue is found in the north Clare town), instead, will become bigger with longer lists prevailing.

Solicitor Gearodid Williams said in Kilkee court last Tuesday morning that it was a sad day to see the final court taking place in the town hall there.

Judge Joseph Mangan said it was no longer appropriate to hold courts in poor conditions and noted that a new courthouse would not be built in Kul- kee. He thanked the people of Kilkee for their co-operation over several years of court sittings in the town.

The question arises – what will hap- pen to the old town hall which has hosted the Kilkee court sittings over the years? According to Clare County Council, the building – a listed build- ing – remains in the control of the lo- CHIE: TUM eleven

However, it is unlikely that it will be refurbished. “It would take sub- stantial resources to do it up. No substantial programme of works has been done there for years. However, we are open to ideas,’ said a council spokesman.

‘Whatever future work will be done will require substantial refurbish- ments and there is no money for it,” he added.

“The first thing we must do is to establish its future use. Secondly we must look at what refurbishments have to be undertaken and then to es- tablish a source of funding for that. All of those matters have to be taken into consideration,’ he added.

The local town council traditionally met at the venue a number of years ago but has since moved to the lo- cal library for its monthly meetings, meaning that the building will be left idle in the immediate future.

Although the court sittings have only been held at those locations across the county monthly, or in some cases just three or four times a year, the local communities did enjoy the hustle and bustle associated with them over the years.

THE Clare Tourism Council has pre- dicted that the county’s tourism in- dustry will receive a major boost in 2009 – driven mostly by the return of American visitors.

The council, which held its annual conference in Ennistymon last week, believes that a combination of factors including Ryanair entering the low- cost transatlantic market, will boost American visitor number on 2009.

According to chairperson of Clare Tourism Council, Flan Garvey, the election of Barack Obama and the rising value of the dollar will en- courage American’s to travel.

“We have also had hints that Michael O’Leary and company will be getting into the transatlantic mar- ket out of Shannon and doing it ina low cost model compared to what is there at the moment,” he said.

‘The pre-clearance issue is vital as a part of this, we will be the first air- port in Europe which has this and the onus is on us to focus on what is right and not what is wrong.

“We need to get those flight in from Europe, through Shannon, and then off to North America again. We will have this for a full year ahead of Dublin Airport and if we can all work together we can really make this happen. This is a golden op- portunity which we have never had before.”

The conference was addressed by a number of high profile speakers in-

cluding Alan Clarke, CEO Northern Irish Tourist Board, Paul O’Toole CEO of Failte Ireland and Martin Moroney, head of the Shannon Air- port Authority.

“Everybody acknowledges that we are going through a rough time at the minute but this is a time for reflec- tion and planning for a future which is going to be better,’ continued Cllr Garvey (FF).

‘People are pretty optimistic about next year. They are cuts to certain ar-

eas this year but we are well placed, even with Open Skies, to capacity of markets that we have already estab- lished.

“The Clare Tourist Council has been here since 1961 and in that time we have done countless promotions in Milwaukee and London and all over the world. We have a share of the market now that we would not have if we hadn’t been out there over the years.”

Others to attend the conference

included the Ambassador from the south African country of Lesotho, who was the first representative from an African country to address the Clare Tourist Forum. Also present were US _ television personality, Stephanie Abrams and a delegation from Ennistymon’s twinned towns in Greece and Italy.

A LEADING Clare constrution com- pany has revealed they have business worth €10 milion lined up which may have to be put on ice because of the credit squeeze.

And following reports in The Clare People last week that migrant wotk- ers are giving up on the Celtic Tiger and going home, a Clare councillor has called for planners to cut de- velopers some slack to keep skilled

people here.

Keco’s Bernard Bartley say they have millions worth of building work lined up, but , he warned, a lack of credit means many lucrative projects are being put on the back burner .

‘We would have work lined up for next year that would be worth €10 million but the banks are not giving out money and until they start lend- ing again, it will cause problems.

Last week, a Lithuanian company held jobs fairs here to encourage for-

eign nationals who came to Ireland to seek work to return home.

And Orla Ni Eili of Clare’s Im- migrant Suport Service, said that the service has seen “a lot of people leaving and some planning to leave. Work is much harder to get now, par- ticularly in the building trade.”

Labour councillor, Pascal Fitzger- ald has called on the planners in Clare County Council to do their ut- most to grant planning permissions and keep skilled craftsmen from

leaving the country.

“I’m concerned about the number of skilled young people who are head- ing for the airport every day to take off for Australia and other places where they can find work”, he said.

The councillor said that while he understands there has been a huge drop in the number of planning ap- plications which are coming before the council, where at all possible, he has asked that the planners give per- misssions.

Further eveidence of the slump in the building trade emerged last week when Killaloe builders, Tom Hayes Ltd, commented that building com- panies have “no option” but to let Staff go”.

Meanwhile, the Mid West Branch of the Construction Industry Federa- tion (CIF) has stated it is “delighted with the decision taken by their ex- ecutive to unanimously reject the na- tional pay agreement and seek a 10 per cent reduction in pay rates.

THE mayor of Shannon has been ac- cused of being “malicious, vindictive and politically motivated’, by fail- ing to inform his fellow councillors about a letter from the Standards in Public Office regarding a complaint on a possible breach of ethics.

The accusation was levelled at Cllr Gerry Flynn (Ind) by Cllr Patricia McCarthy (Ind). The complaint was made by the Wolfe Tones camogie club, after the Shannon Leisure Cen- tre – of which Cllr McCarthy is a member of the board – was allocated €50,000 in funding from the town ott ene

After it was found that she had no case to answer, she responded to the entire investigation at a meeting of the council last week.

She said that the mayor, Cllr Flynn, received a letter from the Standards in Public Office as Méara Baile, but didn’t bring its contents to the atten- tion of the town council.

“Whatever you did, you did for your own personal motivation and further your own ends,” she said to Owe aha

She said she had remained quiet for 10 months and had faith in the proc- ess, even though it was difficult to do So at times, but others did not abide by the same standards.

“Much of what was said over the past 10 months was inaccurate and went unchallenged by me,” she add- ed.

“IT have never sought or obtained any financial reward from any com- munity,’ she said.

Cllr McCarthy said she did not seek to influence the town manger, town clerk, the then mayor or any mem- ber of the town council in respect of a letter from the chairperson of the leisure centre last February.

She said that neither she nor any member of the leisure centre had any prior discussion with the town man- ager or any official of the council relating to the provision of a skate-

board park in the town, as part of a refurbishment of the leisure centre.

Cllr McCarthy said she did have a casual conversation with the town clerk Tomas MacCormaic about the project as she knew it was an objec- tive of the council to provide the fa- UIA

After her words, Cllr Tony Mulc- ahy (FG) then asked Cllr Flynn why he hadn’t informed the town council about the letter. Cllr Flynn pointed out that he did not initiate the com- plaint.

“I didn’t have communication with the Standards in Public Office previ- ously. I did what I thought was right,” he said.

WOLFE Tones camogie club, which made a complaint about the alloca- tion of funding to the Shannon Let- sure Centre for a skateboard park, is to consult with its legal advisors to ascertain what its options are.

The Standards in Public Office Commission ruled that Councillor Patricia McCarthy (Ind), who is a member of the board of the leisure centre, did not have a case to answer, relating to the allocation of €50,000 by the town council to the leisure centre.

The Wolfe Tones camogie club is- sued a statement, saying it was “natu-

rally disappointed” that its complaint had not been successful “at this junc- ture”.

“Now is a time for us, as representa- tives of Wolfe Tones camogie club, to take stock. In the intervening period we will consult with our legal advi- sors to see what further recourse may be available,’ said the statement.

“We have worked tirelessly to con- struct the very first dedicated cam- ogie park in Ireland. While we have received some public funding, for which we are most grateful, most of our costs have been met by local fun- draising efforts,’ it stated.

The statement pointed out that after meeting with the Ombudsman Emily

O’Reilly at an open day in Ennis, the decision was taken to make a formal complaint to the Standards in Public Office Commission. “At all times we have acted within our rights as citi- zens and taxpayers,” it stated.

At a meeting of Shannon Town Council last week, several council- lors expressed their opinions on the issue. Councillor Geraldine Lambert (FF) said she was at a loss as to why the matter went as far as the Stand- ards in Public Office Commission.

“Tt certainly didn’t warrant the pub- lic lives of some people and the pub- lic careers of officials of this council to be held up to scrutiny,” she said.

She said the matter had caused

stress for several people and she was dismayed at the turn something fairly straightforward had taken.

Councillor Tony Mulcahy (FG) asked the mayor of Shannon Cllr Gerry Flynn if he had sought legal advice on the matter prior to becom- ing mayor. Cllr Flynn said he had sought personal legal advice and he could arrange for councillors to see a copy of it.

“IT knew there was a possibility I would be coming in as mayor so | did seek legal opinion. I did nothing wrong. If I had the same opportunity again, I would do it again. I’m glad for Cllr McCarthy that the verdict did come out in her favour,’ he said.

ENNIS Town Council should use money secured from development levies to develop the Post Office Field.

That was the view of Fine Gael councillor Johnny Flynn who broad- ly welcomed the proposals outlined in the draft concept plan.

“Significant planning and develop- ment levies have been got by both Clare County Council and Ennis Town Council over the last number of years,” said Cllr Flynn.

He added, “This project is ideally suitable to utilise the amenity recrea- tion portion of unused levies. If the plan is acceptable to all it could be developed in stages subject to fund- ito

Cllr Flynn, however said he was unhappy that a proposal to develop a library was included in the concept plan.

“The library building should be removed from the plan and the pro- posed amenity improvements should be put on public display in order to get the public’s views,’ said Cllr hare

He added “If the library building or any building is built at the Bind- on Street end of the field, important views from Parnell Street car park to Bindon Street and back from Bind- on Street to the river would be lost. These views were deemed important in environmental studies carried out by Brady, Shipman and Martin, in a consultants report to the Council in the 1980s.”

Previous reports and studies have proposed retaining the Post Office Field as an open space in the centre of Ennis accessible to the public.

A total of 21 submissions were re- ceived by Ennis Town Council fol- lowing a public consultation process in 2005 to determine the most appro- priate way to develop the field.

Nine submissions supported allow- ing public access to the field with a

futher three submission also high- lighting the benefits of making the area more accessible. Three submis- sions objected to developing direct public access to the field.

A report prepared by the Town Engineer Tom Tiernan in June 2005 concluded that following the public consultation process “it would be in- appropriate to consider building de- velopment”. He went onto state that

“the Post Office Field should thus be a natural amenity facility to be ap- preciated by the people of Ennis and visitors alike”.

A concept plan for the Ennis Town Centre drawn up in 2004 stated that “the River Fergus and adjacent Post Office Field form the greatest natural assets of Ennis town centre”’.

KILRUSH is a town that has been unnecessarily hard on itself.

It is a maritime town, with a herit- age that local history groups around the country can only dream about. It has a community spirit that 1s unique for an urban environment and its people have a sense of identity and belonging that is both welcoming TOO Ms Nu0F

Yet for so long the town has had a major concern over how the rest of the county and country perceives it.

It had – like many urban centres – its anti-social and crime problems, orchestrated by a small group that had for a while infected the psyche and self-belief of this charismatic town.

Many community and _ business leaders were critical that the town they loved was given negative public- ity on a daily basis and feared that all the good work was being ignored.

It became critical of the messen- gers, but failed to see the entire mes- SERSZoR

But of late, Kilrush has been win- ning significant battles in its cam- paign to become a centre of business to challenge the county town, while retaining its unique west Clare iden- WIAA

The town council began work on John Paul Estate, long before na- tional Government saw the merits in developing local authority estates

to include community facilities and tackle pockets of urban decay where criminal activities could fester.

The mothers and fathers of John Paul Estate will soon have a place to bring up their children in safety and happiness. These good people have for so long put up with unacceptable elements in their community but the Kilrush spirit has seen them fight to reclaim their homes and a decent quality of life for the next genera-

tion.

At the other end of the town, an- other chapter of the town’s story is unfolding at the Kilrush Creek Ma- unt

While a €50 million development may be delayed or altered because of the recession, there is no doubt that the people of Kilrush are determined to see such a development there some day in the not so distant future.

At the turn of this century when

the economy was just about to grow, Kilrush boasted a marina develop- ment that is impressive even by to- day’s standards, a development the people now plan to build upon.

Just a few hundred yards away, the Merchant Quay Development had brought a new lease of life to the rey aee

National and international retailers are also showing faith in the town with Super Valu, Tesco and now

Aldi jostling for position in the retail market.

Talks are in progress to build a new community building to house the many voluntary and semi-state or- ganisations supporting the town.

Thousands of visitors visit the area every year to see the spectacular Vandeleur Walled Gardens, Scattery Island and the Marina.

The Yacht Club has gone from strength to strength in the town, and now attracts regattas to the west Clare coast. The club has also brought in- ternational acclaim to the town with the successes of “Chieftain” and the “Spirit of Kilrush”’.

Festivals such as Eigse Mrs Crotty have attracted music lovers from all over the world, and as other Irish towns failed to attract civil servants under the Government’s decentrali- sation project, Kilrush secured more than 50 jobs in the new Revenue Of- fices.

A new hotel is badly needed in Kil- rush, but even that is at hand with L and M Keating committing itself to such a project.

From its town council to its cham- ber of commerce; from its volunteer groups to its sporting organisation, there is an openess dealing with dai- ly issues that gets things done.

In an era when political bodies and groups fear speaking their minds, in Kilrush there is an honesty of opin- ion that you may not always agree with but will always respect.

THE department of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that the search is con- tinuing for a Clare woman who has been missing in Italy for 45 days. 82-year old Mairéad Cleary, a na- tive of Cratloe, went missing on Oc- tober 10 while on a holiday in Italy.

Described by her family as very fit and a regular walker, Mrs Geary was on holiday with her active retirement group in Streasa on Logo Maggiore, close to the Italian Swiss border.

She was last seen when she took a cable-car to the top of Mount Motta- rone, a popular viewing spot. When she got to the top, she set off for a walk on her own and has not been seen since. Her family travelled to Italy to be on hand but returned last week after police and rescue officials advised them to go home as there was little they could do there.

KILRUSH is well known for its mar- itime heritage, traditional music and past association with St Senan and the Vandeleur landlord family.

Less publicised, is Kilrush Wood, located within a few hundred metres of the town centre. The wood, which also has a restored walled garden, is now regarded as one of the flagship tourist venture in Clare.

Woodland and town are linked historically and socially: the name Kilrush is derived from the Irish Cill Rois, meaning church of the wood or wooded peninsula.

The wood has a holy well named after the sixth century monk, St Senan, who founded the nearby mo- nastic settlement in Scattery Island. The influence of the Vandeleurs is still evident in both town and wood. They were largely responsible for the unique design of Kilrush, now listed as a heritage town.

The 175 ha wood formed part of the estate of the Vandeleurs, a Dutch family who established a seat in Kil- rush around 1687. Crofton Vandeleur was responsible for the design of the walled garden, surrounding park- lands and wood up to his death in 1795.

The family had been highly regard- ed up until the mid-nineteenth cen- tury, but their popularity waned due mainly to the harsh treatment meted out to some of their tenants during and after the Great Famine.

The West Clare Railway linked

Kilrush with the national rail net- work in 1892 but by then the rela- tionship between tenant and landlord had deteriorated further, especially when Hector Vandeleur – an absentee landlord – took charge of the estate. When the house – built in 1808 – was destroyed by fire in 1897, it effective- ly marked the beginning of the end of the Vandeleurs as major landlords in the area.

The Land Commission took pos- session of the estate in the 1920s and the woodland was taken over by the then Forestry Division and today is managed by Coillte.

The garden itself has been sensi- tively restored and redesigned. It has a variety of plants, trees and shrubs while the centre has a coffee and craft shop and hosts a permanent ex- hibition ‘Kilrush in Landlord Times’, a reminder of both sides of landlord-

ism. Despite the darker side of the Vandeleurs, the people of Kilrush have resisted the temptation to air- brush the name from their history.

Instead they have named the re- stored walled garden after the family and have retained the name in one of the town’s streets.

Like the planting and care of the woodland, it is a confident gesture that looks to the future while ac- knowledging the past without being consumed by it.

It is a gesture that is in tune with the words of T.S. Eliot: “Time present and time past /Are both perhaps present in time future, /And time fu- ture contained in time past.”

AN ADDITIONAL charge has been brought in the case of a man charged in connection with an alleged serious attack at a hair salon in Ennis.

Anthony McDonagh (22), of Wa- terpark View, Ennis, was charged last Friday with producing an axe in the course of a dispute, at Brownie’s hair salon in The Market area of En- nis on September 18 last.

Previously, he was charged with assault causing harm to his second cousin David McDonagh (24), on the same date.

Detective Sergeant Michael Molo- ney told Ennis District Court that he charged the accused last Friday morning and in reply, he said, “I re- quire my solicitor.”

He told the court that the charge sheet was contained in the Book of Evidence that was served on the ac- cused that morning.

The accused’s solicitor asked that the case be adjourned for a fortnight and there was no objection from the SEI

Mr McDonagh was remanded in custody to appear again in court next month.