Category: Uncategorized

CANCER patients who may have been misdiagnosed at Ennis Gen- eral Hospital were last night urged to come forward. The call was made by Karl Henry, the husband of Ann Moriarty, whose cancer was misdi- agnosed at the hospital. Mr Henry reiterated his calls for a full inde- pendent enquiry. Ms Moriarty died from cancer last April, at the age of 53. She had been given the all- clear at Ennis General Hospital, just months earlier.

He made the comment in the wake of another misdiagnosis case emerg- ing over the weekend. 26-year-old Edel Kelly lost her battle with cancer in June, having also been misdiag- nosed previously.

“My concern from day one was there may be others. I wasn’t expect- ing there would be another situation quite as appalling as that of Edel Kelly appears to be,” he said.

“The Department of Health seems to think the people of Ennis and Clare are entitled to a sub-standard health system,” he added.

In the wake of Mr Henry going pub- lic with details of his wife’s misdiag- nosis, the HSE said it was an isolated case. The revelations about the Edel

Kelly case angered him, but he said he is trying to leave those feelings to one side and continue the fight on be- half of his wife.

“That my wife’s case was an isolat- ed one has a particularly hollow ring to it,” he said.

Mr Henry met with the Health Minister Mary Harney last week. Although he did not receive a com- mitment that an independent enquiry would be carried out, he feels that his case was listened to.

“I was reasonably happy. She is now very familiar with the full facts of my wife’s case,” he said.

He will continue to fight for an in- dependent enquiry. “All we have is Ennis investigating Ennis. That is not acceptable,” he said.

The Kellys yesterday called for Minister Harney to resign. However, Mr Henry said he would not support Wee

“IT wouldn’t support calls for the re- moval of the minister that this time. We do need to know what is going on. There are serious failings,” he said.

Both the Kellys and Mr Henry have expressed an interest in meeting up, to discuss their cases.

‘I know the difficulties they are en- countering,” he said.

to every primary school in Northern Ireland.

Jim, who is chairperson of Rural Resettlement Ireland, wrote the book in an effort to help bring communi- ties together and reflect on the posi- tive elements of the human condi- n(n

“I have been involved in humani- tarian work for the whole of my life.

It is of great interest to me and that is what was in my mind when I wrote the book. I believe that there are ba- sic humanitarian principles which are natural to all of us and in a sense they are counter balanced by a number of animal instincts which are in us all as well,” said Jim.

“The book is trying to articulcate these ideas in some acceptable form – in a non-judgmental form which doesn’t mention religion, God or morality – but basic humanitarian principles. It was to help promoting or exploring the better sides of our human nature that I decided to write this book for schools.

“The book starts off with ‘I am a human’ because that is the basic

starting point for all of us.”

The book is illustrated with photo- graphs from St Nicholas’ School in Galway. The school, which houses more than 40 nationalities, was in part the inspiration for the book. Jim hopes that the book might prove a help for people to overcome divisions in society, whether formed around gender, ethnicity or religion.

‘“T approached the Northern Ireland Counsel for Integrated Education be- cause I heard him speaking on the radio one morning. I thought that the ideas in my book might be some- thing that would assist up there, so I sent him a copy of my book.

“I offered to donate one copy of the book to each and every primary

school in Northern Ireland to mark the amazing transformation that has been going on there since the Good Friday Agreement. They were de- lighted to take the book and we have sent off nearly 1,000 books to school sin Northern Ireland,’ he continued.

“IT was shocked to find out that nearly 95 per cent of the schools up there were separate, either Catholic or Protestant. I am delighted that they found the book acceptable and that all the different church authori- ties found it acceptable.

“IT have got some lovely feedback from the book – with cards from some of the children. I’ve got a great response and I’m delighted that I am fulfilling a function there.”

THE Clare ladies football panel won’t be resting on their laurels for two long if they win Sunday’s AIll- Ireland intermediate final against Tipperary in Croke Park.

Instead, they be looking to the fol- lowing weekend as a number of them have pledged to take part in the Run to Africa, which a “Playing for Life’ abu NCebe-DKSDONoMNDODIOT-IN Ros

Playing for Life was founded by well-known sportswoman and broadcaster Tracy Piggott following a visit to Ethiopia in 2004. Tracy

was determined to do set up a project that would use sport as a tool to help young people in some of the worlds’ poorest places, since sport has al- ways played such a huge part in her own life.

In order to continue providing sup- port to some of the world’s poorest countries and communities, Play- ing for Life is undertaking a major fundraising initiative throughout the island of Ireland with the support of Tesco Ireland, the Ladies Gaelic Football Association, Sport News Ireland and well-known sports per- sonalities like Sonia O’Sullivan and

Eamon Coghlan.

The Run to Africa will take place over the first weekend in October. Volunteers, who will be asked to raise €100/£100 per kilometer, will be able to see the collective progress of the 9500 km run from Dublin to Addis Ababa on a video screen (similar to the flight path display on a plane).

The Clare contribution to the project is being spearheaded by the ladies intermediate team, with Emma O’Driscoll coordinating their efforts. ‘There are six of us on the team who form the committee Louise Henchy

our captain, Majela Griffin, Niamh Keane, Aine Kelly, Marie Considine and myself. Many of the other girls on the team are also helping out,” O’Driscoll reavealed.

“To raise money we have asked schools around the county to hold a colours day where by they wear the jersey of their favourite team into school and bring in two euros so far 18 generous schools have agreed from the 24 pupil school of Rineen outside Lahinch to the Holy Family here in Ennis.

‘Teachers from these schools then can either run the kilometres them-

selves on the treadmills or nominate one of the clare ladies or one of the other sportspeople who will be run- ning. Many of us are past pupils of these schools so they have kindly nominated us! The colours day will take place the week of the 29th to the 3rd.

“Diarmuid McMahon, Niall Gil- ligan, The Clare Camogie team, and Seamus Power are some of the well known sports people who will run. Clubs all over the county will be asked to run as we have to cover 300km,’ she added.

BUSINESSES in Miltown Malbay claim that they are suffering a ma- jor downturn in trade as a result of a new traffic management system introduced by Clare County Council earlier this year.

SW item iteaw Mm uscateElOCOyrPay ZOU eM erKw eros the introduction of half-hour park- ing bays as well as the employment a part-time traffic warden, will be reviewed by Clare County Council later this year.

Councillors claimed at yesterday’s Ennistymon Area meeting of Clare County Council to have been con- tacted by a number of local business- es who Say they are suffering as a di- rect result of the half hour parking.

“It is having an impact locally. One businessman was saying that his business was down by about 30 per cent because people do not have the time to get into his premises and have a meal without the fear of God being in them,” said Martin Conway Cn 63}

“We need to look at increasing this, possibly to two hour parking,’

Clare County Council has asked the people of Miltown Malbay to hold a public meeting to create a unified lo- cal approach to traffic management in the town. The council will also examine the possibility of increas- ing the hours worked by the traffic warden.

“Tt is inevitable there would be dif- ficulties in implementing a traffic management plan in Miltown be- cause this is a new thing,” said Cllr

Richard Nagle (FF).

This traffic plan is working to pro- vide parking for people, but we need to insure that the warden continues to work on the town or all the good work will be lost. If that happens we will revert back to the chaos that was there before.”

Council officials indicated that pub- lic consultation was undertaken be- fore a parking strategy for the town was developed and that the public would be allowed input into the re- view, later this year.

MAKING a will won’t kill you, but not making it will cause a lot of un- ecessary trouble and possible finan- cial loss for your successors.

And yet, it is estimated that half of all adults have not made a will and only 20 per cent of business owners have decided who will inherit their businesses when they die.

This leads to more family disputes over inheritance and succession with the sale and division of estates re- sulting in a significant share of the proceeds being consumed by legal

OA

You don’t have to make a will but it makes good sense to leave your affiars in good order for those who Survive you. It is a sad, but inevi- table fact of life that many people die under the age of 30 – yet a very small number of them may even have thought about making a will.

If you make a will, you decide who gets what after your death. You can also decide who doesn’t benefit as you can minimise the impact of capi- tal acquisitions tax on your benefici- Ne loy

If you don’t make a will, your next

of kin will inherit your estate. If you are not married, have outlived your parents and have no children, the Government could be the ultimate BUID ELSI

In many cases, the people who benefit from your life’s work may be people you may not have wished to benefit from your death. If you don’t make a will, it’s possible the wrong people may be your legal successors.

You get to choose, but only if you take the right action at the right time. The right action is to seek advice from a solicitor and the right time is now.

A KILRUSH family who’s son spent three months in a children’s hospital being treated for burns are running a second fundraiser for the hospital that saved him.

On October 12, Patrick Roche and Morgan Roughan will play in a fun- draiser for Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin organised by the Carmody family.

On November 2, 2006 five-year-old Kyle Carmody was playing in the liv- ing room of his Kilrush home, while mum Tanya saw to the other three boys upstairs.

She had lit the open fire as always at 7.30am and it had now reduced to

a glowing ash. The fireguard was in its usual place in front of the fire, and Kyle decided to take his PlayStation down stairs to play.

Minutes later Tanya heard a cry as Kyle came running up the stairs the top of his pyjamas on fire.

Two-years on and the seven-year- old is making great progress thanks to his medical treatment in the burns unit at Crumlin Hospital.

He will continue to wear a special- ised vest for a few more years to help the healing process and visit Tralee CC toec ee Cee) ie- Ve) mm RccaelEDMmOy-KI TE

The Gaelscoul pupil doesn’t let the accident restrict his life however.

Described by his father Flan as “an active boy” Kyle goes to stage school

and plays football with the local club. He is a huge fan of High School Mu- sical.

Praising the medical staff in En- nis and Crumlin, Flan said he would never forget the day of the accident.

‘We could have lost him,” he says.

He is also hoping to meet again with the ambulance crew that took Kyle from Dr Carr’s surgery to Ennis General Hospital and on to Crumlin.

‘We were in such shock I don’t even think I saw them, but I would love to meet them again,” he said.

Meanwhile he and a number of friends are busy selling tickets for the fundraising night in Danganally Tavern in Cooraclare. Tickets are just €5 and the evening begins at 9pm.

Two years ago the Carmody family and their friends raised €4,500 for the children’s hospital.

All proceeds from this fundraiser will also go to St Ann’s Ward (the burns unit) at Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin.

“When you walk through Crumlin hospital it knocks life into perspec- tive nice and quick,’ said Mr Car- mody.

STREET signs should be put in place in west Clare – but only if they are spelt correctly.

That was the message delivered at a meeting of Kilrush area councillors yesterday evening.

The issue was raised by Councillor Pat Keane (FF), who called for Clare County Council to ensure all streets and lane-ways in town and villages are properly named and identified.

“If a shop opens, the next thing 1s the street 1s named after the shop,’ he said.

He said it was important to ensure

the names were inscribed in both English and Irish.

He was told by Executive Engineer Eamon O’Dea that the council, in conjunction with tidy town and vil- lage groups, would arrange the erec- tion of street and laneway names, subject to funding being made avail- able.

Councillor Tom Prendeville then made one request – that the names be spelt correctly.

“Would ye do a bit of research into it and make sure they are spelt properly? There is nothing as bad as putting up something in wrought iron and it is spelt wrong,” he said.

It is important for you to make a will because if you don’t, the law on intestacy decides what happens to your property. A will can ensure that proper arrangements are made for your depend- ants and that your property is distributed in the way you wish after you die, subject to certain rights of spouses and children.

A person who dies having made a valid will is said to have died ‘testate’. If you die testate, then all your possessions will be distributed in the way you set out in your will. It 1s the job of the executor or executors you named in your will to make sure this happens. There are legal limits as to how much of your property goes to which person, as set out in law in the Succes- sion Act, 1965. An executor can be a benefici- ary under the will. In other words, the executor can also inherit under the will.

After you die, somebody has to deal with your estate, by gathering together all your money and possessions, paying any debts you owe and then distributing what is left to the people who are entitled to it. If you leave a will before you die, one or more of the executors you named in your will usually has to get legal permission from the Probate Office or the District Probate Registry for the area in which you lived at the time of death to do this. Permission comes in the form of a document called a Grant of Rep- resentation.

If you did not name any executors in your will or if the executors are unable or unwilling to apply for a Grant of Representation, documents called Letters of Administration (With Will) are issued. When your estate 1s distributed, the legal rights of your spouse and children, if any, will be fulfilled first after any debts are paid before any other gifts are considered.

A person who dies without a will is said to have died ‘intestate’. If you die intestate, this means your estate, or everything that you own,

is distributed in accordance with the law by an administrator. To do this, the administrator needs permission in the form of a Grant of Rep- resentation. When a person dies without a will or when their will is invalid, this Grant is issued as Letters of Administration by the Probate Of- fice or the District Probate Registry for the area in which the person lived at the time of death. The legal rules governing the distribution of your property apply: e When you have not made a will e When the will has been denied probate be- cause it has not been made properly or a chal- lenge to it has been successful ¢ When the will does not completely deal with all your possessions. In these cases, after debts and expenses have been deducted, the estate is distributed in the following way. UMAOlt-Veomel mish {ore Moye e A spouse but no children (or grandchildren): your spouse gets the entire estate. e A spouse and children: your spouse gets two-thirds of your estate and the remaining one-third is divided equally among your chil- dren. If one of your children has died, that share goes to his/her children. e Children, but no spouse: your estate is di- vided equally among your children (or their children). e Parents, but no spouse or children: your estate 1s divided equally between your parents or given entirely to one parent if only one sur- a Aone e Brothers and sisters only: your estate is shared equally among them, with the children of a deceased brother or sister taking his/her Satur e Nieces and nephews only: your estate is di- vided equally among those surviving. e Other relatives only: your estate is divided equally between the nearest equal relationship. e No relatives: your estate goes to the state.

THE Department of the Environ- ment has said it is not possible to “ac- curately project” when work on the long awaited Ennis Clarecastle main drainage scheme will be completed.

In a statement issued in response to a number of queries related to the status of the scheme, a spokesperson said the department had approved a preliminary report for the scheme and that construction was expected to commence in 2009.

The spokesperson said, “The En- nis/Clarecastle Sewerage Scheme, which includes the provision of a new wastewater treatment plant, is included in the department’s Water Services Investment Programme 2007 – 2009 as a scheme to start con- struction in 2009.”

“The department has approved

Clare County Council’s preliminary report for the scheme and, subject to some amendments, the council’s brief for the appointment of consult- ants to prepare contract documents for the scheme. It 1s understood that the council is currently preparing a Procurement Assessment Report with a view to finalising the brief and allowing the appointment of consult- ants as soon as possible.”

‘A decision on the council’s budget proposals for the scheme, which were received last April, will shortly be conveyed to the council,” contin- ued the spokesperson.

Concern over the timeline of scheme was raised at a recent meet- ing of councillors representing the Ennis Electoral Area.

At that meeting Town Engineer Tom Tiernan said he did not expect the scheme, which was first proposed

in 1995, to be finished until 2013.

Mr Tiernan also admitted that the limited capacity of Ennis sewage system had forced the council to is- sue refusals to a number of signifi- oF Talis lead ley evento ice

He said the council was consider- ing the development of a temporary treatment facility, estimated to cost €1.5 million. There were calls from a number of councillors for any such facility to be funded by the Depart- ment of the Environment.

However a spokesperson for the department stated, “The department has received no proposals from the council in relation to temporary treatment facilities. Given that there are a number of stages still to be gone through, it is not possible for the department to accurately project at this stage when the scheme will be completed.”

Clare cystic fibrosis branch warns of bogus collector’