THEY said that it couldn’t be done, the people who know about big building projects. But more than 170 determined Irish
people and eight weeks of hard labour, sweat and blood later, the Banner was celebrating in South Africa as the new care centre and hospice at Missionvale in Port Elizabeth was handed over to Sr
Ethel Normoyle, to bring hope, comfort and dignity to the pov- erty and disease stricken people of the township.
A QUESTION mark hangs over Clare County Council’s plan to re- alise €300,000 from the sale of a rundown toilet block with panoramic views of Lahinch bay.
The sale of the site on which the toilet block is located, at the south- ern end of Lahinch prom, is expected to be a major financial contributor to the council’s plans to upgrade the re- sort’s promenade, including facilities for surfers.
However, the council has as yet been unable to confirm title on the dilapidated toilet block despite its in- vestigations into the property going back to late 2004.
“Investigations regarding title for property were commenced in late 2004 and the process for first reg- istration was commenced in late 2005.
“This process involves mapping, proofs and statements and I cannot say at this time how long more it will take. We are in constant contact with the Land Registry through the coun- cil’s solicitor and the property will be advertised for sale on completion of the registration process,’ accord- ing to acouncil spokeswoman.
“This is an application for first registration and this generally takes longer than a normal transfer of title. The council has responded fully to
all queries raised to date and must await the outcome of the registration 0) Kel ees Se
Cllr Martin Conway (FG) expressed his support for the proposed sale.
“The toilet block has not been used- for over five years and we are told the site may realise up to €300,000 if put on the open market.
“IT would always caution against the council selling its assets, but the sce- nario put to councillors is the sale of the toilet block is necessary in order to finance the upgrading of the beach facilities. It is a superb site with unri- valled views of Lahinch Bay.”
Only last Friday, the council signed a €234,000 contract to construct a new lifeguard station at Lahinch. A number of other developments for the prom are currently at design stage and will culminate in the prepara- tion of an overall masterplan for the beach and promenade at Lahinch.
Along with the lifeguard station, the masterplan includes a new serv- ices building incorporating toilets and showers, and improvements in traffic management and car parking.
The council spokeswoman con- firmed that last year, the council col- lected almost €200,000 in parking fees at Lahinch. In 2006, the amount received was €168,000. The monies from the parking fees are to go to- wards the financing of the Lahinch prom project.
THE number of new homes expected to be completed in County Clare this year is expected to be halved. Statistics released by the Depart- ment of the Environment yesterday show further evidence of a downturn in the housing sector with the number of house starts down by almost half last year with the anticipated knock on in house completions this year in
the county.
According to the figures, the number of house commencements last year in Clare was 960 with the number of commencements in the fi- nal quarter to 239.
The 2007 total compares to the 1,801 house starts in Clare in 2006 – a drop of 46 per cent and it continues part of a downward trend.
In 2004, there were 2,370 house starts in Clare and this was followed
by 2,156 house starts in 2005.
The low number of house starts in Clare last year will have a knock- on effect on the number of house completions in Clare in 2008 as the building sector responds to the cur- rent oversupply in the market.
Another aspect of the current over- supply in the market is the large number of homes that were complet- ed in Clare last year.
Figures from the Department of the
Environment show that 2,286 homes were completed in Clare last year — the second highest figure ever.
The figure is 16 per cent down on the 2,727 houses built in 2006. Fig- ures for 2005 show that 2,174 homes were built; in 2004, 1,831 homes were built; in 2003, 1,679 homes were constructed.
Additional evidence of a slow-down in construction show that lOO homes were completed in Clare in January
of this year — down on the 122 total for January 2007.
Further highlighting the number of house starts slowing to a trickle, Homebond recorded only six house starts across Clare in December.
Homebond record an estimated of 75 per cent of new house starts across the country and the six starts in Clare in December is a drop of 83 per cent on the 36 houses starts in December 2006 in Clare.
INTEGRATION and community will form the key themes of an Afro- Irish festival of music planned for Ennis in March.
The main aim of the Afro-Irish gospel extravaganza, details of which were revealed last week, seeks to bring together Ennis’ African and Irish communities through music.
Taking place on Saturday, March 22, the event will feature a host of traditional African and Irish musi- GETS
Organised by the Ennis _ based Foundation Ministries, the concert at elor will feature performances from the Children of Soweto Group, the Ennis Youth Choir, Mary Ayo Tade,
James Kilbane and many other art- ists and choirs from abroad.
Event organiser and singer Chinwe Obadeyi explained Easter was cho- sen specifically as the ideal time to bring the two communities together.
She said, “It 1s important that in- tegration takes place in Ennis. We were trying to think what would be the best way of bringing Irish and Africans’ together and we though the best was through music. Music is the best way to it. I saw that when I launched my cd in Ennis”.
She continued “Easter is a good time to do it because it 1s such an im- portant time for people with a Chris- tian faith. Irish and African people share very strong religious beliefs and hopefully we can use this occa-
sion as an united force”’.
A prominent member of Ennis’s African community, Obadey1 moved to Ennis from Nigeria eight years ago.
Having completed her education in Ireland at the University of Limerick, Obadeyi released her debut album, Beyond the Sky, in Ennis two years ago.
She is a founding member of the Foundation Ministries Church and is also an active member of the African Forum in Ireland.
She said the concert will celebrate aspects of African and Irish culture.
“There will be music, dance, Afro- beats, Irish set dancing, everything. The African community has been made very welcome in Ennis and
we want to give something back to the town. This is one of showing that appreciation. In the future maybe we ll organise exhibitions, or fash- ion shows, but for we are focusing on music. It is a great way to show USD IA Vaan
Mayor of Clare Patricia McCarthy and Mayor of Ennis Tommy Bren- nan are both being invited to open the event. Obadeyi urged people in Ennis to come out and support the event.
“We have got great support from people. It’s going to be a great night and the best way people in Ennis can show their support is by com- ing along. This is the only way it can work. We need the presence of Ennis people to make the event a success”.
FOR the last six months, the people of Clare have been turning out in droves to support every possible kind of fundraiser to help send the volun- teers to South Africa on the Building of Hope Project.
There is, as yet no final figure for the amount raised through the hun- dreds of events which were arranged across the length and breath of the county and further afield.
While those travelling to Mission- vale for the project were required to raise €3,000 apiece to cover the costs of their travel and accommoda- tion, as well as a contribution to the cost of the building, most raised far in excess of that.
One volunteer raised almost €29,000 and many raised more than €10,000 as the generosity of the Clare spirit overflowed.
“It’s unbelievable the amount of money that came out of one county”, said one of the project organisers, Olive Halpin. “Every single per- son in Clare must have contributed in some way. So much has already
come in and it’s still coming in. Peo- ple in Clare have been incredibly supportive.
The fund-raising events were as ingenious as they were useful. One volunteers company colleagues held a “guess who’s bum it 1s’, competi- tion, with photos of colleagues’ der- rieres.
All manner of items were auc- tioned, from pieces of art and furni- ture to the services of a fine stallion.
Another volunteer even auctioned his wife’s kisses!
Then there were the companies who contributed cash and all-impor- tant time off for their staff.
Lourda Doyle, said her employers, Isevier allow two days for taking part in voluntary work, called Care DEES
“I received a fantastic €1000 do- nation from Brenda Curtin MD of Elsevier. Gerry Gallagher organised a quiz at Christmas this collected €430. Liza raised €395 and I raised €900 in sponsorship from friends and colleagues in the company. They were brilliant’, said Lourda.
When all the cash is accounted
for, it’s expected that the full cost of the building of the care centre and hospice at Missionvale will be re- deemed.
But with a population of €125,000 in the township, living in the worst imaginable conditions and devastat- ed by disease, there is always a call on the Missionvale purse.
On-going support and funding is needed and Clare fundraisers are soon to set about a campaign to get standing orders to help run the school and the newly built centre.
The last thing which the final volun- teers did before they left Missionvale was to walk the ground and plant a tree, where it’s hoped the Irish will return again in 2010 to build homes for AIDS orphans.
LIMERICK are impossible to work out at the moment. From week to week, Richie Bennis has put out varying sides in an effort to unearth new talent but it has been the tim- ing of these alterations which has been most baffling. In their opening clash at home against Laois, Limer- ick used nine of the All-Ireland final side in their comfortable 3-23 to 2- 11 win but only a week later, Bennis just started three as Tipperary took the Shannonsiders apart by 2-20 to 2-9 in Semple Stadium. Then in a
challenge with former strikers Cork last Wednesday, Limerick used 13 of the 20 used in that defeat against Kil- kenny last September.
All this would suggest that Limer- ick are not too interested in the league and are focusing wholly on the cham- pionship but why not be more exper!- mental against strugglers Laois and in the challenge against Cork instead of having his young inexperienced side dismantled in Semple Stadium in the league?
There is always a keen interest in the neighbouring clash between Clare and Limerick so it will be in-
teresting to see which Limerick side Bennis picks for this Sunday’s game. Bennis has always claimed that there is never much between the counties and he has backed that up with the fact that even though Limerick had seven points to spare against the Banner last year in the All-Ireland quarter-final, Clare missed several goal chances which could have made the difference early on.
On the other hand, Mike McNama- ra is certain to put out his strongest available 15. On Sunday, he termed the healthy rivalry between the coun- ties as ‘unique’ but is unquestionably
gunning for the two points to boost the confidence in the side.
Injuries have hampered Clare’s preparations but aside from. that, Sunday’s game against Kilkenny will have given the Banner a posi- tive boost going into this weekend’s game.
Limerick have their injury wor- ries too but can expect chief scorer Andrew O’Shaughnessy back af- ter his Fitzgibbon Cup $action. O’Shaughnessy, who has amassed 4-9 in his two league games to date, was missing last week as Limerick lost by ten points to Cork and his
influence in invaluable to Limerick. For long periods, Limerick more than matched the hurling starved Rebels and it was only after Neil Ro- nan second half goal that Cork even- tually pulled away.
Both sides need a win but it will all come down to which Limerick side takes to the field on Sunday. Clare are clearly more serious about the league and this hunger might be enough to see them edge this battle.
LISCANNOR locals have formed a committee to block the proposed construction of a park and ride serv- ice from the village to the Cliffs of Moher.
Following a public meeting held last Friday, locals have decided to oppose the Atlantis Development project, claiming the park and ride would be too big and effectively by- pass Liscannor village.
“We are not trying to stop devel- opment in Liscannor, we just want
to be able to get in to and out of our homes,” said a committee spokes- man. “It’s the scale of the develop- ment; 500 cars, four times a day, that’s a huge pressure to put on a small place…
“They talk about job creation but both the hotels in Liscannor are closed at the moment. The shop is closed. If you came here today, you would have no problem parking, I can tell you that.
‘They say they are taking account of the businesses in Liscannor, but there are very few businesses even
left in Liscannor.”
Atlantis Development Ltd released a statement yesterday in which they argued that the Liscannor site was zoned for a park and ride in the North Clare Local Area Plan 2005, with no objections from locals during the public consultation process.
It also claims to have removed a number of elements from the plan to which locals had previously objected and taken steps to ensure that the proposed development will not lead to Main Street being bypassed or to WeDONOMeO)ITXonI BLO) IF
GARDAI are urging people to keep an eye on their elderly neighbours, after an 82-year-old man died at his home last week. Christopher Nugent was found dead at his house at Kil- feara, Kilkee, last Tuesday evening.
Neighbours alerted gardai, who at- tended the scene. Mr Nugent’s body was found close to a two-bar heater in the sitting room of the house.
Gardai believe he may have fallen from a chair and landed near the heater. The cause of the sudden death was possibly medical.
Mr Nugent was last seen on Mon- day evening, after he returned to his home, from Kilkee town.
The State Pathologist, Dr Marie Cassidy carried out a post mortem examination on Mr Nugent’s body, at the Mid Western Regional Hospi- tal, Limerick. Garda forensic officers also carried out a detailed examina- tion of the scene.
While the final report on the post mortem will not be available for some time, initial reports have concluded that the cause of death was not suspi- cious. The rear door of his home was unlocked, but gardai are satisfied that no other person gained entry to the |ateyeslon
“We are not treating this as suspi- cious at the moment. Investigations are still ongoing and we are wait- ing for the State Pathologist’s final
report,’ said Superintendent Declan Brogan, who is leading the investiga- tion into the incident.
The Chief Fire Officer in Clare is also stressing the importance of fire safety in the home, in the wake of the tragic death of Mr Nugent.
“The fire service regularly pro- vides fire safety talks and presenta- tions to various groups, including the ICA and retired persons’ groups and would be pleased to assist if possible. Should groups want to avail of our assistance, they should contact the fire service on 065 6846302,” said Adrian Kelly.
SR ETHEL Normoyle’s heart is so big you’d wonder where she finds room for any other vital organs in tes mm BUS W AB Bes BO Non
She is clearly very uncomfortable when people describe her as “a liv- ing saint” or most often the “Mother Theresa of South Africa”.
The Lissycasey woman will look at you in bemusement and say “but I met Mother Theresa – she was a truly wonderful woman.”
Yet every person who meets Ethel will say there is a light about her, a huge ability to comfort, to pay atten- tion and to make the person she is speaking to feel like the only person in the universe.
When Ethel Normoyle told her family in Lissycasey she was going to join the Litthke Company of Mary, there were – according to those who know her – a few disbelieving eye- brows raised.
The attractive young woman who loved singing and the company of her friends and neighbours seemed an unlikely candidate for the veil, it TST BLO
When she was asked to go to Africa as a trained nurse, she has no hesita- tion in admitting she didn’t want to leave her beloved county Clare.
“My family predicted I’d last six months”, she says, looking back on more than 30 years in Africa.
Ethel’s first posting in Africa was to Pretoria and while this was a chal- lenging post, her next assignment left her totally at a loss at first.
She arrived in the township out- side Port Elizabeth and was totally stunned by the extent of the poverty and the need.
In 1988 she had no base, no build-
ing, no introduction and no blueprint for how to proceed.
A white woman in Apartheid South Africa, walking among people living in dire poverty in shacks, she was taking a huge personal risk.
“IT just kept coming back and talk- ing to people. I wore my veil in those days to try to let people know I was not siding with whites who support- ed Apartheid,’ says Ethel.
Her first breakthrough was when a township woman who had a tree
in the yard beside her shack offered Ethel the use of the tree.
“IT wondered at the time, what use can I make of a tree? Then summer came and I saw just how important a tree is in giving shade.”
She began with a small school for the children under that tree and moved on to set up a clinic in a metal container.
Shortly afterwards, sympathetic members of the business community in Port Elizabeth built three rooms
for her in the township and that was the beginning of Missionvale.
Over the years, she has suffered personal physical and verbal attack, being forced out of her home by white neighbours who didn’t want people from the township calling to a door in their neighbourhood.
Once, she was kidnapped and stabbed. The plucky daughter of Lis- sycasey fought off her attackers, and drove herself to hospital after being stabbed through the lung.
The love she has for people shines out of her.
She rarely talks to anyone with touching them, and she distributes hugs with genuine joy.
Her attenae is always tuned to be- ing helpful and when a deadline is approaching for stories to be sent to
THE proposed master plan for Shan- non lacks coherence, is flawed and does not cater for the completion of the town’s shopping mall at Sky- Sous
That’s according to management at SkyCourt, which has made a submis- sion on the proposed development to Clare County Council.
SkyCourt says that if the master plan is not amended, it could become redundant as a planning tool to guide developers, local authorities and the public.
The submission suggests that an integrated approach has not been taken in the preparation of the plan. It says that the master plan needs to acknowledge that SkyCourt repre- sents the existing core retail area of S)ervepeKeyee
The plan mainly focuses on lands which are located across the road from the town centre. SkyCourt says that these lands cannot be developed in isolation from the existing core of Shannon town.
SkyCourt says that there is still available land within the SkyCourt zone to accommodate further retail
floorspace. It argues that these lands should be prioritised for convenience and comparison shopping until they are exhausted, in order to consolidate development adjacent to the existing retail core area of Shannon Town – qi Golan
“SkyCourt is a phased redevelop- ment and it is not yet a completed project. The submission is concerned that the focus on completion of that sector should not be lost in the prep- aration of the master plan,” said a statement issued by SkyCourt man- agement.
SkyCourt’s submission also rejects the master plan proposal for a large retail anchor unit on the site across the road.
‘In the short to medium term this store can be accommodated within the existing SkyCourt area. The submission argues that this store is not required in the proposed loca- tion and should therefore be deleted from the framework plan,” added the Statement.
SkyCourt says it is pressing ahead with plans. Planning applications will be lodged within the next week for a larger Dunnes Stores and a Tes- co anchor store.