Category: Uncategorized

THE ongoing failure of pump sta- tions to work has resulted in drains being blocked and foul smells ema- nating in Shannon.

This was the view of Councillor Pa- tricia McCarthy (Ind) who has called for a report to be presented on the reasons for the problems.

She has asked for details to be out- lined as to the number of times the pumps have failed and why the re- serve pumps have also failed.

A written response from Clare County Council executive engineer Liam Murphy accepted that the Shan- non wastewater network is “more

prone to blockages than networks in other catchments. The topography of Shannon results in flat gradients to sewer pipe runs, although they are still within the parameters allowed.”

It stated that: “there is a designated crew responding to all reports of blocked sewers and unusual smells in the Shannon area and they are also proactive by inspecting troublesome areas before and after weekends and following dry spells.”

He stated that the numerous pump houses were continuously monitored by Response Engineering, as part of their operation and maintenance contract to the council and log books were kept at each house.

“Blockages may occur at pump houses occasionally, but there are at least two pumps installed at each pump house operating on a duty and standby scenario as a safety valve,” added the response.

However Councillor McCarthy said she was not happy with certain aspects of the response.

“I am concerned as to why the standby pumps are not working. It is happening at such a frequency. We are all aware it is happening too of- ten not to be noticed,” she said.

Cllr Gerry Flynn (Ind) said, “Shan- non is so low-lying, we are dependent on the pumps and the back-up system we don’t have. We get lots of com-

plaints from Newtown football club, where there pitch was flooded.”

“With modern technology, there is no reason why there shouldn’t be a warning system in place, where they are problems and a second system to kick in,’ added Cllr Flynn.

Councillor Tony Mulcahy (FG) said “a permanent solution” 1s desir- able. “The update report isn’t good enough,” he said.

Senior Executive Engineer Donal Hogan said there are “checks and balances to ensure everything is checked out. There are regular meet- ings. There are daily checks on pump houses. We are up to speed with what is happening.”

re- vealed that the county council and Ennis Town Council refused permis- sion for a total of 800 homes in the

eastern and northern environs of En- nis because the town’s sewage system is operating beyond full capacity.

A new €7/5 million treatment plant at Clareabbey is not expected to come on stream until 2012 — the plant got planning permission four years ago and the council has already paid out €7 million to three landowners for the site.

An Environmental Impact State- ment into the scheme was published at the end of 2002 warned that if noth- ing was done, “the existing problems will be exacerbated over the next few years as increasing demands are put

on the drainage system and treated plants due to expanded environ- ment”.

In relation to the latest planning application by Al Callanan — which faced strong local opposition — the council stated that while the princi- ple of housing on the site would be suitable, the application was prema- ture pending the construction and commissioning of the new Clareab- bey plant.

The Environmental Protection Agency told the council in April that it was informed by the local authority that the current demands on the sys-

tem is 26,000 houses and the treat- ment capacity of the Clonroadmore plant is 17,000.

The EPA stated, “The plant is therefore already operating above its design treatment capacity and would not be capable of accommodating this development.”

The council also refused planning due to deficiencies in the public water supply and the period within which these constraints would be reason- ably expected to cease. The council also ruled that it would have signifi- cant negative effects on the existing ecology and hydrology of the site.

CLARE camogie captain Deirdre Murphy was in Croke Park yesterday to help launch the 2008 Gala All-Ire- land Camogie Senior, Intermediate and Junior Championships.

President of the Camogie Associa- tion, Liz Howard, was joined at the launch by the captains and managers of all 27 counties competing in this year’s Championships.

Speaking at GAA _ headquarters, Murphy said Clare have some mo- mentum to build on this year.

“Winning the League this year was a great achievement for Clare but we really want the championship,” she said. “The way we lost the junior last

year to Derry by a last minute goal was very hard to take. We had played really well and it came down to a bit of misfortune on our part.

“This year we hope to go that one step better. We’ve drawn against difficult teams in our group like Of- faly and Antrim but we are confi- dent enough. At the minute we are a long way from Croke Park, our first game is against Offaly on 29 June and that’s all we’re thinking about,” Murphy said.

Reigning Champions Wexford will be hoping to retain the crown they won last year for the first time since 1975. There will be several sides aiming to relieve them of the O’Dutfy Cup including last year’s

runners up and 2006 winners, Cork.

The Gala All-Ireland Senior Cham- pionship action begins this weekend. Last year’s Champions Wexford have the weekend off with the six remain- ing teams all in action. 2007 run- ners-up Cork will travel to Dublin as they hope to get their champion- ship off to a winning start. National League champions Kilkenny will host Tipperary, while Limerick, who are new to the Senior Championship after their All-Ireland B Final win last year, will travel to take on Gal- way.

THE Equality Authority has rejected a complaint by Travellers over not getting served lunch at the Auburn Lodge hotel in Ennis.

The dispute concerned a complaint by Patrick O’Reilly, Patrick Moloney, Mary Moloney, Kathleen Stokes, Christopher Stokes and two minors that they were discriminated against, contrary to the Equal Status Act by the staff of the Auburn Lodge Hotel, Ennis, on the grounds of their mem- bership of the Traveller community.

They claimed they were discrimi- nated against in not being provided with a meal when they called to the Hotel at 6pm on Friday, April 18, 2003.

The hotel claimed that discrimina- tion was not a factor, that the day in question was Good Friday and that they had closed their carvery after lunch when the chef had finished his Sausam

Given the length of time before the case was due to go to hearing, a letter was sent to the complainants’ solicitors in October 2007 seeking confirmation that they still wished to pursue their complaint and were available to attend a hearing in Ennis over the coming months.

Confirmation was _ subsequently received and the complainants indi- cated that they would be available to attend the hearing.

On January 7, 2008 both parties were informed that the hearing would be held on February 20 and were asked for details of those who would be attending. Both parties were also expressly told that the tribunal could not entertain requests to postpone a hearing save in exceptional cir- cumstances and that requests of that nature must be submitted in writing in good time for the attention of the Director.

The complainants failed to attend the hearing and the respondents made the argument that the only appropriate course of action for the Equality Officer to take was to dis- miss the complaints.

The tribunal officer ruled that the onus was on the complainants to es- tablish a prima facie case and it was essential that evidence was provided in the presence of the respondents to give them the opportunity to chal- lenge any allegations made against ntoONF

As the complainants did not attend, they failed to establish a prima facie case and the tribunal ruled in favour of the respondents.

; oN] aoe

They were filmed at Craggauno- wen with their performance about

the voyage of St Brendan. The group, consisting of teenagers Aine Free- man, Collette Donnellan, James Connor, Niamh Devenney, Gerard O’Dea and Maire Ryan, took part in the television filming.

The culture corner includes consid- erable variety and features folklore, through music, song, dance and sto- rytelling.

According to the group’s co-ordina- tor Kevin O’Loughlin, they focused on St Brendan’s discovery of Ameri-

ca, through imaginative means.

“It is a lovely little interpretation. The six youngsters tell the story of St Brendan’s voyage in a 10-minute show,” he said.

“The television experience is great for the children. It is something they might only get one opportunity to do and gives them great confidence,” he added.

The culture corner group from Sixmulebridge/Kilmurry has been successful at community games

levels both in Clare and nationally, over several years. Such is the level of interest that the club entered three groups in this year’s competition. Along with the St Brendan’s voyage eroup, there was also a presentation featuring the wren boys, while Peig Sayers featured in another group.

AN Ennis sculptor is in a race against time to find a home for two man-size squirrels to avoid their destruction. Earlier this year, Barry Wrafter received a text message without any warning to say ‘stop working on the commission’ of the red and grey

squirrel after the developers who commissioned the work pulled out of the project.

Mr Wrafter was three-quarters way through the work but now, with no takers, the wet clay of the red squir- rel is falling off, leaving the squirrel vulnerable to the same fate suffered by thousands of red squirrels in Ire-

land in recent years.

Mr Wrafter, who won an open competition for the project, secured €55,000 of the €80,000 commission before the developer withdrew from the project. He is now offering the work for one-third of the initial com- mission in order to secure a home for the two squirrels.

“It is a bargain. I have been work- ing on the piece for the past year and I have put off other jobs in order to concentrate on this.

“Tt would be a terrible waste if they would have to be broken up. It breaks my heart really and I would love to get a home for the piece, so if there is any developer or body out there that would be interested in buying the piece, they should get in touch with none

A bronze plate has yet to be placed on the red squirrel and this will cost €20,000. The squirrels are currently at Mr Wrafter’s workyard near Shan- non and he said the wet clay on the red squirrel is cracking and it could completely crack up within a month unless work recommences.

The sculpture was commissioned for a shopping centre in Longford and the piece marks the struggle of the red squirrel against the grey squirrel.

Three breeding pairs of grey squir- rels were introduced to Ireland in 1911 by a US national as part of a present for a wedding in Longford and since then the grey squirrel has wreaked havoc on the red squirrel population in Ireland

The grey squirrel has colonised large parts of the country to the det- riment of the red squirrel and Mr Wrafter said, ““The grey squirrel has overran the country and the sculptor was bringing attention to that.”

IT was the victory that finally lifted Munster into the patheon of the great sides of Europe. Munster’s triumph against Biarritz in 2006 registered them among a host of teams who had produced one great year. The two final defeats mattered for little, they needed a second Heinekin Cup tro- phy to secure their place among the elite, to be called a truly great team.

For the 65,000 Munster support- ers that crammed into the Millenium Stadium in Cardiff, this final meant everything. Winning well or win- ning ugly didn’t matter to the horde of red who sang, cheered, screamed and lifted their heroes to the final whistle.

They just craved a win by however means necessary and were made ex- perience the full spectrum of emo- tions as Munster clung on to their

slender lead in the final stages.

The raucous roars of the Munster faithful willed them to victory, con- tinually drowning out the attempted cries of the 5,000 or so Toulousains who made the trip across the chan- nel. Equally, the hordes of Munster fans’ total silence at times had a sim- ilar effect on the French side no more so than for Jean-Baptiste Elissade’s first kick as the deafening silence ap- peared to unnerve him.

For Munster, they are used to such support from their loyal fans. The tension, the emotion, the pressure, the nerves, even the occasion did not sway the team’s unrelenting focus on the grand prize. The did it the hard way, coming through the so-called group of death before knocking Eng- lish champions Gloucester and even Alan Gaffney’s Saracens on their way to their second Heinekin Cup success. Two wins in three years

makes for satisfying reading. And they couldn’t have done it without the 16th man. Or perhaps it should now be 17th considering the 65,000 plus who swarmed the Millenium Stadi- um and its environs at the weekend.

CLARE County Council could net up to €300,000 at public auction next month for the site of a dilapi- dated toilet block in Lahinch with ‘uninterrupted sea views’.

The local authority is behind the sale of what Costelloe Estate Agents describe as a “stunning seaside de- velopment opportunity”.

The small site measures 290 sq me- tres with 23 metres of frontage on to the prom and, according to Cos- telloes, it is zoned ‘other settlement land’ and ideal for mixed residential or commercial scheme.

The proposal to put the toilet block site up for sale was first mooted in July 2006 but delays in obtaining title prevented the council from pro- ceeding until now.

According to local councillor Mar- tin Conway, the time it has taken to secure title will cost the council.

“We are now experiencing a down- turn in the property market and the council has missed the boat in re- ceiving anything up to €400,000 for the site because of the delay. Now the price should be something between €250,000 and €300,000.”

The proceeds from the sale are to go towards the development of Lahi- nch prom and Cllr Conway said he would “cautiously welcome” the pro- posed sale.

“There has been foot-dragging on the redevelopment of the prom and

that is completely unacceptable. It was first talked about in spring 2006, but little has happened on the ground since.

“Lahinch is the poor relation in Clare when it comes to investment. There has been a lot of take from La- hinch, but no giving back.”

A council spokeswoman said there was “absolutely no fault on the coun- cil’s part” in not securing title before now. It is understood the process related to first registration and this generally takes longer than a normal transfer of title.

Work on the resort’s new €234,000 lifeguard station is expected to be complete by early July, while con- sultation continues with 10 local

groups in relation to the redevelop- ment of the prom which includes a new services building as well as improvements in traffic management and car parking.

However, the spokeswoman was unable to state how much the scheme will cost, although she predicted that some elements of the redevelopment will be in place for the 2009 summer season.

The public auction in relation to the toilet site takes place at 3pm at The Old Ground Hotel on June 20.

Last year, the council collected almost €200,000 in parking fees at Lahinch.

THE increasing level of interest in an after-school project in Newmar- ket-on-Fergus is leading to its expan- sion.

The project was set up by Obair in 1999 and is open to primary school- going children in the Newmarket-on- Fergus area.

Currently, 20 children from first to sixth class attend and there is a wait- ing list for spaces.

Those who attend are given assist- ance with their homework, while they also get the opportunity to do arts and crafts, computer games and physical activities. The children are also brought on various trips, while summer camps are organised every

year.

Kirsty Horner took over the run- ning of the scheme last year. She ex- plained who the club is open to.

“Our target groups would be the disadvantaged, but it is open to eve- ryone,’ said Ms Horner.

“We have homework support, which is why it was set up. Some of the chil- dren would be struggling with their homework,’ she pointed out.

The project runs for 48 weeks of the year from Monday to Friday. It has gone from strength to strength since its inception and the co-ordinators are optimistic that it will continue to make good progress.

“We just got funding for an ex- tension to the building, so we can have two rooms specifically for the

project,” said Ms Horner.

Currently the group meets in a room at Obair, but this room also holds other meetings. Given the in- creasing numbers of children attend- ing the project specific space is nec- essary for them.

“We will have more space. Our numbers have increased and we have a waiting list,’ added Ms Horner.

“The parents think it is a great Service and the children love it,” she added.

While Ms Horner co-ordinates the project, she is seeking volunteers to help her in the week-to-week running Omi

The project is one of three groups in the Shannon/Newmarket region nominated by AIB bank to win a

Better Ireland award. The prize up for grabs is €10,000 and winners will be chosen from a text message based competition.

To vote for the after-school project, text SHANNON A to 53099. The project which receives the most texts wins the €10,000 prize.

The project has also been shortlist- ed for Clare County Council’s Pride of Place competition, which honours groups which have contributed to their local community. The results of this competition will be announced CLUN@uercametemcibbeeneetosm

TEAGASC claimed last week that the increased cost of artificial ferti- lizer this year 1s impacting on farm- ers’ profit margins and could squeeze many Clare farmers off the land. Depending on stocking rates the higher cost of fertilizer in 2008 could increase production costs by up to €50 per hectare on beef farms, or up to €100 per hectare on dairy farms. This increase is the equivalent of 0.75 cent per litre of milk or 16 cent per kilogram of beef live weight. “Even though production costs have increased grass remains the cheapest form of feed on dairying and drystock farms, and nitrogen

remains the main driver of yields. On tillage farms, even at current fer- tilizer prices and based on expected grain prices, applications are justi- fied economically,” said Teagasc en- vironment specialist Tim Hyde.

Changes in the price of fertilizer have implications for usage and the management of other valuable nutri- ent sources such as slurry on farms. These changes have refocused at- tention on the benefits of clover as a source of nitrogen. In monetary terms a thousand gallons of slurry is now worth €25, while clover can fix nitrogen to a value of €120 per hectare.

Among the factors to be consid- ered when responding to the change

in fertilizers prices is the enterprise type and the level of efficiency. On farms fertilizers, particularly nitro- gen, drives farm output, and used ef- ficiently also drives profit.

Nitrogen is the main determinant of high yields and artificial fertilizer sources should only be reduced be- low crop requirement if it can be re- placed by alternatives such as clover swards and organic manures.

“While the increased cost of ferti- lizer will add €10 per head to feed costs associated with a winter fin- ished animal on good grass silage plus concentrates an intensive feed- ing system based on concentrates would only become more competi- tive, if concentrate prices dropped by

€80 per tonne,” said Siobhan Kavan- agh, Teagasc nutrition specialist.

In relation to tillage crops, nitrogen fertilizer prices would need to rise, or grain prices drop significantly, before current nitrogen application rates would not be justified econom1- cally.

“Despite dramatic increases in prices fertilizer applications remain a cost effective input for profitable crops.

“With current fertilizer nitrogen prices and the projected price of grain the economic optimum for cereal crops has not changed and is similar to that of 2007,” said Teagasc soul and plant nutrition specialist Mark Plunkett.