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SOME of Kilrush’s most prominent businessmen have questioned the procedure used by the two local au- thorities when they purchased a €1.4 million derelict site for their new civic offices.

Following the meeting of Kilrush Town Council, local developer Mark Reidy said it appeared that the elect-

ed members’ opinions did not seem to matter as “the decision was made at a higher level, without taking into account the rate-payers who are the backbone of this town”.

He said, “There is no reason why they couldn’t have purchased this on an option agreement, undertaken a feasibility study, applied for plan- ning permission and then have a de- layed closing.”

Businessman Joe Whelan, who at- tended the local authority meeting, said, “If I was to operate my business like that cuckoo operation carried out there this evening, I wouldn’t be here five minutes.”

Fellow businessman Paul Coady said the meeting clouded the issues around how the building would be paid for, rather than clearing up any questions they may have had.

“In fairness, we want development for the town and we accept there may be a need for civic offices,” he said.

Mr Coady who is chairman of the Kilrush Chamber of Commerce, said he was not speaking on behalf of the chamber, which would be issuing a full statement once it had obtained the information necessary to make an informed decision.

A special meeting of the chamber executive took place on Thursday morning last. “It 1s a project we cer- tainly have no grave objection to but we need the information on how it is going to be funded,’ said Mr Coady in his only reference to that meeting.

Meanwhile, Mr Reidy has ques- tioned the feasibility of the project. He said that he had offered the coun- cil 7,000 square foot of office space at the Quay Mill development, fully fin- ished, for €1.6 million and his offered was declined. He said that he also of- fered to rent the office space to Clare County Council and Kilrush Town Council for €14 per square foot.

The renovation of Inis Cathaigh is estimated to cost up to €5 million.

Mr Reidy denied he had a vested interest in objecting to the lack of a feasibility plan in place to buy and develop Inis Cathaigh. He said he has since sold the development, and has only a minor interest in the busi- ness now.

can reveal that three drivers in the county have amassed 12 penalty points and, as a result, have been banned from driv- ing for six months.

Twenty drivers have received 10 points each, two have received nine points, 61 motorists have amassed eight points, while seven drivers have got seven points each.

279 drivers have received six points, while 32 motorists have earned five points. One driver has four penalty points, while 48 Clare motorists have

received three points.

The single biggest amount of driv- ers – 7,142 – have two points, while 146 drivers have one point each, bringing the total number of drivers to 9,001.

Drivers who receive 12 points with- in three years are then banned from driving for six months.

Penalty points apply to 36 offences, including careless driving, crossing a continuous white line, not wearing a seatbelt and speeding.

Offending drivers are issued with fixed charge notices and if they pay the fine, the points are added to their licenses. However, they can contest their cases in court and, if success- ful, the points will not be added to NCJ P mB BLO eoe

The single biggest offence commit- ted by Clare drivers over the past two years was speeding. 8,360 drivers were caught for this. 1,075 drivers were caught for not wearing their seat belts, while 715 were detected driv- ing while using their mobile phones. 324 drivers in Clare received points for crossing continuous or broken white lines.

The next most significant offence was drivers failing to obey traffic lights (174), followed by failure to comply with traffic signs (121).

Several Clare drivers were also caught for overtaking, driving with- out reasonable consideration, fail- ing to stop before spot lines and not ensuring children were wearing seat ere) LiSe

The head of the Clare Garda Divi- sion Traffic Corps, Inspector John Galvin said it was disheartening that sO many drivers were ignoring the road traffic legislation.

“It is disappointing to see that peo- ple are continuing to breach the laws, despite the enforcement and public campaigns. It is putting people’s lives at risk,” he said.

“We are continuing to enforce the regulations. All gardai are doing it throughout the division,” added In- spector Galvin.

‘Expect to see us on the roads,” he WEN e Eee b

As part of a nationwide crackdown on motoring offences, the traffic corps in the Clare division increased significantly in size last year.

KILLALOBE’S playground plans got a boost this week with news that the project have been allocated €60,000 towards the cost of providing the fa- TIA

Local councillor, Tony O’ Brien (FF) proposed at a meeting of the Killaloe area committee last week that the money be given to the project.

The council members had been

asked how they wanted to divide up a total allocation for the coming year of €83,000 under the county coun- cil’s playground funding scheme.

The members were told that next year would be the last year for this particular scheme and any other groups ready to go should get there applications in before the end of this year to be in with a chance of fund- ing.

Cllr O’Brien told the meeting that

he wanted to secure the funding for the group, who have been making massive efforts in their bid to provide a play facility for the town.

“They are a very progressive group and they are ably supported by a number of organisations in the area. The project will cost a total of about €150,000 and there is a significant drive to fundraise by the local com- munity,” he said.

Cllr Pascal Fitzgerald (Lab) sec-

onded Cllr O’Brien’s motion. “They are doing a marvellous job,’ he said.

Cllr Cathal Crowe (FF) asked whether the remaining €23,000 in funding was in danger of going else- where if the local authority bounda- ries were redrawn after the Boundary Commission publishes its report this month. The meeting was told that it is understood that no changes would come into effect until the next local Ae BO) ITS

IT WAS a busy week for young farm- ers organisation Macra who help their AGM in Carlow and elected a number of new national officers. The new Macra na Feirme national executive was elected at the National AGM in the Dolmen Hotel in Carlow last Saturday evening. Michael Gow- ing from Laois has been re-elected National Chairman, with Anita Meagher from Waterford being re- elected National Secretary and Dara Kavanagh from Wicklow taking up the role of National Treasurer.

The newly elected National Coun- cil for the 2008/2010 term was inau-

gurated at the AGM. Chairpersons and members of Macra’s three sub- committees – Agricultural Affairs; Rural Affairs and Member Services and Competitions – will be elected at the next national council meeting.

Speaking at the event, national president Catherine Buckley thanked the many sponsors and congratulated the organising committee in Carlow Macra for successfully coordinating the day’s proceedings.

Also during the meeting the young farmers organisation formally adopt- ed new Child Protection Guidelines and Procedures. The Macra presi- dent stated that she believes these guidelines and procedures are vital

as many of its clubs around Ireland host and organise a variety of events and initiatives in local communi- ties at which children are present. Furthermore, Macra membership is open to 17 year olds, and in the eyes of the law, such persons are deemed to be ‘children’.

In her keynote address at the Macra na Feirme AGM, Ms Buckley said that the organisation continues to be progressive and responsive to the needs of all its members. “We want to send out a clear message that Macra na Feirme 1s a caring and safe organisation for young people,” she Crate

‘We consider ourselves as the voice

of young farmers and a strong advo- cate for the benefit of rural youth. These guideline and _ procedures demonstrate to young people and society at large that Macra takes its responsibilities seriously, and wishes to safeguard its members.

‘“Macra prides itself on its ability to provide a broad range of activities for its members including agriculture, sport, travel, performing arts, public speaking and community involve- ment. Macra is a social outlet for all its members and now with these new child protection guidelines and procedures it provides an even safer, more secure, fun environment for all its members.”

CLARE golf clubs confirmed their quality yesterday when four of the county’s courses were chosen among Ireland’s top 100 courses.

The now established list was com- piled for the latest edition of Golf Digest Ireland and was chosen by a panel of experts.

Lahinch was deemed the leading Clare course and moved up the lad- der from eleventh position to eight due mainly to the growing impact of a major re-modelling by English golf-course architect, Martin Haw- Kron

Shannon Golf Club also received a confidence boost when it made the list for the first time, coming in at number 67. The other two golf courses in Clare to make the list were Doonbeg, which took the 29th spot, and Dromoland Castle, further lo: 1el tres) ROe

For a second-year running, the number one course was listed as

Royal County Down and Portmar- nock’s position of number two 1s also the same as last year.

Further down the order, however, there is some interesting movement in the top ten in which Ballybunion (Old) has climbed from fourth to third.

This means that Adare Manor goes down to number four, but it remains the top-ranked parkland course in the country, by a significant margin. The European Club remains fifth; Waterville remains sixth but the Co Louth links at Baltray has moved up one, to seventh place. Royal Portrush comes in at ninth with tenth place being awarded to the K Club Palmer Course, venue for the 2006 Ryder Cup.

“Movement is evident on this year’s list, due to a massive investment which has seen significant upgrading of a number of courses,’ explained Linton Walsh, managing director, Golf Digest Ireland. “After the pub- lication of last year’s list, the maga-

Zine contacted all of the courses on this island, requesting information on any work that was being under- taken. Replies were received from 53 of these clubs. A member of the panel or a PGA member inspected each of these courses and the im- provements were duly noted during voting on this year’s list.”

The top 100 were selected in groups of ten, which meant, that any course which went close to making the top ten, automatically came into consid- eration for the second ten, and so on down the list.

After a discussion on each group of courses, an individual, written vote was taken, with points being awarded to each course in order of preference, from 10 down to one. The counted votes then determined the order of preference.

KILRUSH Town Councillor, Tom Prendeville (FF) called for an end to any negativity being fed to the press regarding the purchase of a €1.4 mil- lion site for civic offices on Francis Nlstsem

The councillor was speaking at this month’s meeting of the local authority members during which he proposed that the town manager ap- point a design team to draw up a plan for the new offices on the site of the former Inis Cathaigh hotel.

‘In what some might see as a quan- tum leap of faith in you, town man-

ager, to deliver a building in line with our dreams, hopes and aspirations for the delivery of a better public serv- ice to the people of Kilrush, we now earnestly request you to appoint the design team as an important first step in our overall objective,” he said.

“In our budget proposal for 2008, this council wisely set aside seed cap- ital to expedite our need for modern civic offices in the west Clare capital. There is also a dire need for some form of a civic art centre to be incorporated into the proposed development.”

Town Manager Bernadette Kin- sella said that the site purchased was a prestigious site and only fitting for

the council.

She said confirmation of the agree- ment to purchase the site was sent to the councillors immediately after the council executive was confident of a deal. “Any such commercial transac- tions had to be conducted in confi- dence,” she said.

The manager said she did not know how much it would cost to renovate the derelict site, but estimated the cost at approximately €5 million.

She was also unsure how the cost would be split between the two local authorities – Clare County Council and Kilrush Town Council. “Subject to sitting down and looking at the

figures, | would presume 50-50,” she ene

Cllr Marian McMahon Jones (FG) asked, “Are we looking at higher rates and higher car parking fees?”’

‘I don’t have any answers,” said Ms Kinsella. The effect the cost would have on local rates would be a matter for the members, she added.

Meanwhile, the father of the coun- cil, Cllr Jack Fennell (Ind), said that while he welcomed the new offices, he was “totally against” moving the chamber from the town hall.

The councillors are to meet in workshops to discuss any sugges- tions for the design.

AN Ennis couple have been once more vindicated in their opposition to plans for a mixed-use development on the town’s historic Francis Street.

Last year, Ennis Town Council granted planning permission to Galvin Construction for a mixed-use development on a strategic site at the junction of Francis Street and Clon- road.

The proposal by Galvin Construc- tion Ltd was for the construction of a contemporary office building at the site.

The company had been trying to develop the site for a number of

years, but were stymied in their ef- forts by Vincent and Anne Coffey of Clonroad, who already had an objec- tions against development at the site upheld by An Bord Pleanala.

In 2004, it emerged that the Cof- feys withdrew their objection against an unrelated €20 million housing scheme at the Quin Road, Doora by Luxury Homes (Galway) Ltd af- ter the company paid them £85,000 (€107,930) and gave them two free sites.

The Coffeys operate a business adjacent to the site in Doora and ex- pressed concern over the impact the proposal would have on their devel- e)eeonle

They stated that at no time did they approach the developers with the intention of securing payment of money, gifts, consideration of other inducement.

The Coffeys have a material inter- est in the proposed Francis Street development as they own property adjacent to the site and claim that the scale, massing, design and setting is inappropriate and likely to under- mine wider development in the area.

In the assessment of the applica- tion, the board inspector stated that the proposed development accords with the thrust and emphasis of the Development Plan.

“It is, however, noted that both the

county engineer and town engineer have serious reservations about the development being premature given the need for improvements to the Francis Street pumping station and it is anticipated that construction work will commence in 2009.

‘In the circumstances, even though the planning authority do not feel the proposed improvement works have any bearing on the appeal site, it is considered the works could well have an impact on any future development and this needs to be clarified.”

The proposal was refused as the board considered it premature as 1m- provements are to be carried out to the Francis Street pumping station.

THE Killaloe/Ballina Youth Initia- tive has been shortlisted as one of the local deserving children’s projects in contention for a €10,000 award from AIB Killaloe through the Better Ire- land Programme.

The branch will award €10,000 to the local project that tops the poll in a public text vote over a four-week period from May 6 to June 6.

The local community can text Kil- laloe B to 53099 to vote for the youth rea colt Op

The award is part of AIB’s pro- gramme which supports children with disabilities and also children affected by drug and alcohol abuse, homelessness or a lack of access to mainstream education due to pov- uae

Set up in 2004, the initiative caters

for youngsters aged 13 to 16 years.

“The aim of this group is to devel- op the capacity and skills of young people, using a using a developmen- tal, interactive and person centred approach that will help them to take control of their own lives,” said youth worker Tracey Doyle.

Not ones to wait for things to come to them, group members have taken part in a joint fund-raising effort with a youth group from Scariff where they pushed a purpose-built bed in the rain from Scariff to Killaloe to provide some funds to help to pay for travel costs to events.

They attended Youth in Action in Croke Park and opened the day by giving a hand drumming perform- ~N Neen

There are some budding dj’s, in their number who took part in a dj- ing workshop in the Belltable Arts

Centre.

Other members recently competed in the county games final, took part in the under 15’s quiz and the un- der 18’s draughts competitions. The competitor in the draughts competi- tion was successful in going forward to the regional finals.

‘We applied for this funding to cre- ate a chill out area for young people living in the area to provide a space to meet friends, watch tv and dvds, develop better IT skills and avail of non formal development education opportunities, enabling social devel- opment for these young people,” said ibe-leors

She recently carried out research in the area with help from transition year students in St Anne’s Commu- nity College to assess the need and demand for a youth and community centre.

“Comments from young people prove the overwhelming need for a space where youth can meet up and partake in activities in a safe and se- cure environment,’ said Tracey.

“A direct quote from one young person was “There should be a youth centre to keep us off the streets, out of trouble and not be bullied into things we do not want to do”.”

Each text vote costs 60 cent and proceeds generated by the text vot- ing for Killaloe/Ballina Youth Initia- tive will be donated directly to the

group.

COCAINE has halved in price in Clare in recent years and has become more readily available, according to gardai.

The revelation comes amid reports that the number of people receiving treatment for drug abuse increased by 33 per cent in the mid-west, be- tween 2001 and 2006.

The report, by the Health Research Board last week, highlighted the worrying trend that the number of people addicted to drugs has risen significantly all over the country, over the five-year period.

Gardai in Clare say this period con-

tributed immensely to the growth in the use of cocaine.

According to sources, at the start the decade, cocaine was available for around €150 per gram, but is now available for just €70 or less.

‘There has been a huge increase in cocaine over that particular period (2001 to 2006),” said a garda source.

“It went from a very low base to a very popular drug in that space of time,” he said.

“At one stage it was an expensive drug and money was scarce. It was perceived as being available to the upper class and then young peo- ple became more affluent,’ said the source.

Gardai also believe that as cocaine has become more readily available, its quality has deteriorated.

They say the demand for the highly addictive drug has increased in Clare over the past few years.

‘The evidence is there is a substan- tial demand for cocaine locally. It is being supplied by the criminal gangs from Limerick. It has become a phe- nomenon throughout the country. So-called decent individuals have displayed extraordinary violence having consumed cocaine,’ added the source.

The Health Research Board report suggested that 18 per cent of people presenting for treatment for problem

drug abuse were under the age of 18. The trend in Clare is in line with Wek

“It seems to take off in their late teens, with youngsters experiment- ing in their mid to late teens. Lack of parental control plays a role,” added the source.

Gardai also say that heroin has steadily spread around the county.

‘There is a core group involved in heroin.

“It has spread throughout the Clare division and has become a serious habit for some, in major centres like Kilrush, Killaloe, Ennis and Shan- non and also even in rural parts of the county,’ added the source.

AFTER a quick turnaround summer soccer is up and running again. The schoolboys/girls leagues kicked off last Wednesday in excitng fashion.

Avenue got a glimpse of how tough it will be to re-capture the under 15 league when they were held to a 2-2 draw at home to Bridge United.

There was a goals aplenty when En- nis Town took on Newmarket Celtic with the sides playing out a thrilling CEO mele-Nis

The other tie from that evening was a far more comprehinsive af- fair. New kids on the block, Sporting Ennistymon, endured a tough trip to Kilrush where they were beaten 3-0 by a strong Moneypoint side.

Another new side B/C United, made a similarly difficult debut in the under 13 division one when they went down 7-0 to Avenue United. Elsewhere in that division Newmar- ket Celtic served notice of their in- tent with a 2-0 victory over Lifford in McDonagh Park.

The under 12 league kicked off on Saturday with some of the establsi- hed names flexing their muscles.

Avenue United stormed to an 8-0 win away to Corofin Harps and En- nis Town serving up a 5-1 win over Moneypoint.

There was disappointment for Av- enue in the under 14 league however when they lost 3-2 to Newmarket Celtic. Connolly Celtic caused a stir in division two by beating Burren United 5-0. But it wasn’t all doom and gloom for north Clare clubs on SE TMUD KO rR

Sporting Ennistymon showed great character when they edged past K1- lysart Celtic, in an almighty tussle that ended 3-2 in Sporting’s favour.