Category: Uncategorized

WHILE August 15 has certain sig- nificant for Irish Catholics as it is the holy day the Assumption, for the people of west Clare it has long been associated with nine days devotion to the mother of Jesus.

This devotion centres around a holy well situated in Tubridy’s field between Cree and Cooraclare village in the townland of Dromelihy.

From 6am on this day people from Loop Head to Lisseycasey and Kildysart to Miltown Malbay can be seen walking barefoot and with shoes, in groups and alone, sitting and standing all praying intensely.

When the well first became a cen- tre of prayer remains a mystery, as are some of the stories associated

velo Le

One of the best-known pieces of folklore or fact – depending on your belief – is the overnight recovery of a man on crutches.

‘There was a tradition where peo- ple used to go to the well the night before the 15th and stay the night. They would sleep there,” said Mar- tin Queally – a man who remembers the well always playing a part in the lives of the locals.

On one of those fateful nights, the story goes that an unknown man lay down to sleep with his crutches by his side.

That morning he woke up and walked away from the well leaving lord OUD ANG MU SlomOnut Kel lene

For years later the wooden crutches were left at the well as a reminder.

Martin is regarded by many as somewhat of an authority on the lo- cal monument.

“It has always been there. I am 70 plus and when I was young the old people all remembered it as being Wolken

‘There is no recorded date for when people first started going there,” he ALOR

“Some improvements were made in the 1840s by a man named John Quinn from Caherfeenick. There is a stone in the wall behind Our Lady asking for prayers for him. It is not recorded exactly what was done,’ said Martin.

During the Marian Year, 1954, more improvement works were car- ried out and in the past 20 years the well committee have continued to

build on that work.

The hard working committee have added a shelter for Mass, toilet fa- cilities and a prayer room where the sacrament is exposed during the nine day of services.

For the first time Mass was held at 3pm on the opening day last Friday.

Mass will take place at the well to- night, Thursday and Friday at 8pm, with the closing Mass at 10 am on Saturday.

A special Mass will be held on to- morrow (Wednesday) at 3pm.

Many people will also do the “rounds”, which will see them pray five decades of the rosary while walking the outer ring of the well, five again for the inner ring and five around the wall of the well finishing Uh OMNI Ty (6 Con

A GREAT Gael passed to his eternal reward in Ennis over the weekend. His name was Paddy O’Hara, whose remains were removed from St Joseph’s Church in Ennis for burial in Belfast. O’Hara played both hurl- ing and football for Antrim in the 1940s and ‘50s, while he moved to live in Ennis a number of years ago.

Among those who attended the removal of his remains were Down football legend Sean O’ Neill and Jim Corr, the former Antrim goalkeeper. O’Hara was a member of the An- trim team that won the 1946 Ulster Football championship, while off the field he gave distinguished service across the province, managing Six of the nine Ulster counties, as well as steering Queen’s University to

their first ever Sigerson Cup success in 1958. He was still team trainer- manager when Queen’s regained the Cup in 1964. He withdrew from his post with Queen’s in 1970 because of business commitments and became well known as a commentator on Gaelic Games on both the BBC and RTE.

O’Hara also won a GAA McNamee Hall of Fame Award in 1990 and was a member of the GAA AII Stars se- lector panel for a number of years. A minute’s silence was observed for O’Hara before Saturday’s All-Ire- land football quarter-final between Tyrone and Dublin in Croke Park.

ENNIS TOWN Council has been accused of showing no goodwill to- wards the traders in the Ennis Farm- ers’ Market.

Spokesman Jason Horner said the traders are very frustrated with the lack of response from the council to- help promote the market which takes place each Friday at the town’s his- toric market area.

Mr Horner said that the council recently ended the monthly market at Glor as it didn’t comply with the council’s casual trading bye-laws.

A grower and seller of organic pro- duce, Mr Horner said the council “don’t seem to want to do anything Koma ee

He said business was thriving for the market traders.

“Things are really going well and the market helps bring people into the town centre. We have a good reg- ular clientele and what we are doing should be encouraged.”

Mr Horner said it is getting to the stage where the attitude of the coun- cil towards the farmers market 1s stymieing the development of the market.

“We are not looking for a lot, but

we don’t seem to be successful in what we are asking for.”

He said that the traders sought an electricity connection from the coun- cil, but were unsuccessful, while a request for a water connection was met with what Mr Horner described as “an unhygienic connection which was only knee high”.

The longest running problem 1s the issue of cars parking in the area des- ignated as the Farmers’ Market the night before and this makes it very difficult for stall holders to erect their stalls on market morning.

“We have been in touch with the council on this but they have done nothing for us.”

Mr Horner said some of traders who operate at Ennis also operate at Kilrush where there is a market every Thursday.

“The contrast is really obvious where Kilrush Town Council re- sponds in a positive way to requests made by the traders there,” he said.

THE body of a man has been recov- ered from the River Fergus in Ennis.

Although not formally identified last night (Monday), it is believed the remains are those of a 3l-year-old Polish father of one missing since he went for a swim in the swollen river last Wednesday night.

The body was spotted floating in the river shortly before 4 o’clock yesterday (Monday) by a passerby at Abbey Street car park.

Przemyslaw Jablonski, who worked as a cook in Ennis, had been attend- ing a house party with a group of friends at Springfield Orchard in the town when he left the apartment with a number of friends.

He reportedly entered the River Fergus at the rear of the complex and was attempting to swim across to the other side when he was washed downstream in the strong current.

After the body was spotted in the river yesterday and the sighting was reported to gardai, officers went to the scene and observed it as it was taken downriver with the current. After travelling a further 500 metres, Gardai and Clare Civil Defence per- sonnel were able to safely secure the body before taking it ashore.

After being pronounced dead at the scene, the man’s body was first removed to Ennis General Hospital where formal identification was due to take place last night.

The body was then expected to be

transported to the Mid Western Re- gional Hospital in Limerick where a post mortem examination 1s expected to be carried today (Tuesday).

As soon as Mr Jablonski was re- ported missing last Wednesday, a massive search and rescue opera- tion was launched. Ennis fire serv- ice, Clare Civil Defence, gardai, the Doolin unit of the Irish Coastguard and the Shannon based Coastguard helicopter searched the river and bank until darkness fell before call- ing off the operation for the night.

The search continued since then and also involved Limerick Search and Rescue, Burren Sub Aqua unit and the Garda Water Unit. Poor weather conditions, treacherous river currents and almost zero underwa-

ter visibility seriously hampered the search at times.

Tragically, Mr Jablonski entered only yards from a sign which read: “No Entry – Deep Water – Do Not Swim” in a fatal act of bravado for his pals. Mr Jablonski is a separated father of one who worked as a cook at The Grove Bar and Restaurant in Roslevan in Ennis. His former partner and child are in Poland and while Mr Jablonski had no family in Ireland, gardai have kept them in- formed of developments through an interpreter.

WEST Clare has been the focus of currach enthusiasts this year. Dur- ing the summer visitors and locals have enjoyed numerous currach re- gatta races this year and played host to the All-Ireland championships in SNe Te

On August 24, local interest will be firmly fixed on the next regatta in the west and the showdown between top teams Kilrush and Coonagh, when the Clare Decider takes place during the Leon Currach Regatta.

The Clare Decider will be a hard

fought series of races and both cur- rach crews can expect to face stiff competition from the many teams lined up to compete on the day.

Currach rowing has enjoyed a huge revival in the last number of years thanks to the dedication and com- mitment of a growing number of vol- Pion

The Quilty based Leon Currach Rowing Club, which was formed in 2007, will host the Leon Currach Regatta and will field at least three crews to represent the club.

Having participated in several re- gattas this year in Clare and beyond,

the Leon club crews are all set for the Quilty Confined race to be a very oy en elo NLS AV om BOERNE

In addition to the Clare Decider and the Quilty Confined, currach races will include the heats and finals of the Men’s Open, Women’s Open and Mixed Open events.

The shore-based regatta staged off Seafield, Quilty, proved a huge at- traction to spectators last year. The Stretch of sandhills at Seafield, as well as the elevated road overlooking the sea all the way to Quilty village, provides excellent vantage points with which to view the races.

On August 24, the currach racing commences off Seafield, Quilty at lpm sharp with the heats of the Clare Decider.

If tidal and weather conditions are favourable, then organisers have pre- dicted a “fine days currach racing”.

Anyone wishing to find out more about the Leon Currach Regatta should call Mick Egan on 087 PAIR SOP

The Leon Currach Regatta is the first of two associated events in Quilty this autumn.

The festival will take place in Quilty from September 26 to 28.

EXPERIENCE and sheer determi- nation won out in the final of the Eu- ropean Seniors’ Team Championship at Shannon Golf Club on Saturday as Ireland won back to back titles against a Scotland team that were simply overwhelmed by the strength of their Irish counterparts by 4 1/2 matches to a 1/2.

It was Portmarnock’s Adrian Mor- row (pictured right), the current Irish and European Seniors Champion that shot out of the blocks first and by the turn had a three hole advantage over Scotland’s Derek Murphy. The

match ended on the 16th with a win for the towering Dubliner, 3 and 2.

Former Walker Cup player Arthur Pierse made short work of John Fraser. The Tipperary man was four holes to the good after nine and closed out the rather one sided match on the 16th, also by a 3 and 2 mar- gin. There were wins too for Liam MacNamara from Woodbrook who saw off Robert Stewart convincingly while John Carroll and Hugh Smyth enjoyed a comfortable win against Gordon MacDonald and Alexander wabuter

Killeen’s Maurice Kelly was in to- tal control of his match against the

four time Walker Cup star, and Cap- tain of the Scottish side, Ian Hutch- eon but was called in off the course to halve the match.

Team captain, Tommie Basquille was thrilled with the win and paid tribute to his team during his victory speech. “The lads were brilliant all week, and while we suffered a scare in the semis against the Germans, the team really concentrated and played superb golf in winning the title again. J am immensely proud of them for all their hard work and commitment.”

Ireland will go in search of three in a row next year at Ascona in Swit- zerland.

THE developers and opponents for a planned €10 million explosives plant at Cahercon are to clash at an An Bord Pleanala oral hearing on the contentious scheme.

This follows the appeals board in- forming by letter on parties to the appeal that it has decided to hold the oral hearing and a spokeswoman for the board said yesterday that a date has yet to be decided upon.

Last March, the council granted planning permission to the Whelan Group-owned Shannon Explosives

to construct the the plant at Cahercon pier, Kildysart.

It was the latest twist in the coun- ty’s longest running planning saga that started nine years ago when plans were first lodged.

Along with local group, Cairde Chill an Disirt Teo (CCDT) ap- pealing the decision, the Kildysart Explosives Opposition Group (KE- FOG) and An Taisce have appealed, while the Whelan Group have also appealed against conditions in the planning permission.

In tandem with the appeals board informing parties about the oral

hearing, An Bord Pleanala has asked all parties to comment on a fresh submission by August 26 next by Cairde Chill an Disirt Teo that the board should allow the appeal on a number of grounds.

In a follow-up submission to the board on its initial appeal and related to the Environmental Impact State- ment (EIS), CCDT contend that the EIS is defective in several aspects and in particular doesn’t deal with issues raised by a submission lodged by the Department of the Fisheries.

The appellants point out that the department indicated that the por-

tion of the proposed development is not within the ownership of the ap- plicant and encroaches on the fore- shore and that this encroachment on the foreshore will require a further intertidal zone.

CCDT contend that contrary to what has been stated by Shannon Ex- plosives, the foreshore licence must be obtained before any such works are carried out and in general, the development must comply with de- partmental requirements.

CCDT point out, “It is plain there- fore that the EIS as lodged, which denies that any part of the facility

will be on the foreshore, is clearly incorrect and doesn’t deal with the requirement to raise the level as re- quired.

“The appellants claim on all fore- going grounds, this application must fail and even without the necessity of an oral hearing, the board should al- low the appeals.”

In response, the board has told all the parties that it is of the opinion that it is appropriate in the context of justice to make submissions on CCDT’s new submission.

A decision may be made on the ap- plication this year.

AN APPLICATION for a playground for Killaloe has been given the green light by the planners in Clare County Sonieee

Local councillor, Tony O’Brien, who has been working on securing funding and permission for the ven- ture for more than a year, was told eo xelOle AV AM ERIM (os) @

“T’m absolutely delighted this has got the go-ahead. It’s a facility that

will be a great boost for the area and it will be welcomed by local people and visitors alike,” he said.

Over the last two years, the coun- cil has allocated a total of €102,000 towards the cost of building the play- ground.

€41,000 was allocated the year be- fore last and last year, Cllr O’Brien, seconded by Cllr Pascal Fitzgerald, proposed that a further €60,000 in funding be given under the council’s playground grants scheme.

CLARE County Council is taking a tough line with alleged breaches of the planning laws by issuing en- forcement notices over unauthorised developments in Sixmilebridge and Flee

The council has issued notices against William Stackpoole of | Lois Mara, Lahinch and Philip Morrison of the Walk-In Studio & Gallery, Main Street, Lahinch to cease all commercial operations at the site.

They have been given until later this month to comply with the notice and revert the structure back to a private dwelling as well as refunding €300 costs incurred by the council in the investigation and issuing of enforce- ment proceedings.

If they fail to comply with the no- tice, the council has warned it will have no option but to initiate legal proceedings and this would result in additional costs.

A similar notice has been issued to two directors of a Sixmilebridge company who have been ordered to reconstruct a house they demolished on the main street without planning permission. The notice under the Planning and Development Act was issued to Patrick and Yvonne Cos- tello of Maxfern Ltd, Shannon Road, SIV. Cse bose ulelven

The council considers the demo- lition of the dwelling house to be unauthorised as it does not have the

benefit of planning permission and does not constitute exempted devel- opment. The planners are demanding that the house be rebuilt in accord- ance with the original design and to the satisfaction of the council.

It is understood the house was de- molished adjacent to the entrance to a development of four apartments and two shop units for which Mr Costello secured planning permis- sion in 2005.

The council is also demanding that

all remedial works are carried out to ensure the satisfactory reinstatement of the adjoining property to the west of the site.

The Costellos are also obliged to employ a chartered structural en- gineer to supervise all works to the adjoining property.

The issuing of the enforcement no- tices comes against the background of increased activity by the Enforce- ment Unit.

A Bunratty businessman was re-

cently sentenced to three months 1m- prisonment at Ennis District Court for not complying with an enforce- ment notice.

The businessman is currently on bail pending the outcome of his ap- ered

CLARE County Council is set to refuse planning permission for a €50 million retail park adjacent to the Ennis by-pass.

With a formal decision due later today, a council source has indicated that the application by Galway devel- oper, Stephen Harris for a retail park at Skehanagh, Clarecastle is about to be turned down.

Mr Harris has encountered major hurdles in the planning process over the past two years after €18 million was paid to Clarecastle man, JJ Mc- Cabe for the 48 acre commercially zoned site.

Only last week, it emerged that the Department of the Environment made a late intervention to reject the plan because of nature conservation concerns. This related to the fate of the protected butterfly, the Marsh Fritillary which has disappeared from the site due to grazing and

flooding.

The expected refusal will come as a surprise as an independent report commissioned by the council con- cluded that the Harris site at Ske- hanagh, Clarecastle was better po- sitioned to secure planning ahead of a proposal by Ennis developers Sean Dy piler Wem Com Oeiioeevie

However, the local planning land- scape deteriorated in the meantime with a subsequent council report de- claring portion of the Harris site as being at risk to flooding.

It is not known how this has fac- tored into the final decision, but it seems certain to have featured in the planners deliberations as the Depart- ment of the Environment also flagged it as an issue.

The local authorities in the Ennis area have also rejected any future residential or commercial develop- ment pending the commissioning of anew €75 million sewage treatment plant which is not expected to be in

place until 2012.

Ennis Town Council has recently refused developments as small as 26 units and a €50 million retail park 1s expected to be a much bigger burden on the local infrastructure.

Plans for the 48 acre site included a retail warehouse park, motor sales village, Travelodge hotel, drive-thru restaurants, storage and distribution, and a petrol station. The develop- ment was to provide over 30,000 m2 commercial floorspace

Planning was only being sought for the retail park in the south-east quad- rant of the site but the council had already expressed serious concerns over the proposal.