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THE experience of an autistic man who made a new life for himself in west Clare was highlighted as an example of how people with intel- lectual disability can live full and independent lives as active members of their local communities.

Larry O’ Bryan, who is supported by Brothers of Charity Services in Clare, was among the contributors to the Brothers of Charity National Advoca- ASO Noo OOM MO BEKMN ino .e

Larry, who has autism, used to live in big institutions in the UK, which he described as ‘sheer hell’, before moving to smaller residential care in the UK. After visiting Ireland on holiday, he decided he wanted to live in west Clare and moved into his house in Kilrush with the support of his former service provider and the Brothers of Charity.

Although he cannot communicate verbally, Larry is now happily liv- ing as part of the local community

in Kilrush and Kilkee, where he is a member of the church choir and the Clare Poets Circle.

As he spelled out on his keyboard to the conference delegates, “There is a light at the end of the tunnel for me when people listen.”

The conference, which had as its theme *Close the Institutions — A Life In The Community For Everyone’, heard from a number of people with intellectual disability who shared their experiences of living both in institutions and communities.

Clinical psychologist Brian Mc- Clean presented John Caslin, who is supported by Brothers of Charity Services in Roscommon, with a film John had made where he revisited the various institutions he lived in throughout his life.

During his introduction, Dr Mc- Clean highlighted the extent of the problem of institutionalising people in Ireland. According to a recent study, 49 per cent of Irish people with intellectual disability who cur-

rently live in residential services are in large residential centres while in England, Scotland, and Norway, all of these institutions have closed.

In England, people with intellectu- al disabilities and their families pre- fer residential care in small houses, as it allows them live within a com- munity and benefit from wider social networks. It was also found that more medication was used in large institu- tions, where the treatment is less per- sonal and more routine.

Advocacy and Evaluation Training Officer Cabrini de Barra said that ending institutional practices, struc- tures and supports in Ireland would create an opportunity for people with disabilities to live ordinary lives where they can contribute to the life of local communities.

WORK on cleaning up Killaloe’s historic bridge is set to cost roughly € 100,000.

SW sTome bbs) em oro A (cot Oe CoMm AY ADO mmCe)o0t munities of Killaloe in east Clare and Ballina in Tipperary has become encrusted with weeds and foliage and will require careful treatment to remove when the project begins early next year. It’s also planned to

clean up the stonework. An initial plan to simply remove the vegetation couldn’t be acted on because a closer examination showed that the plants and weeds have taken root in the stone and just pulling them out could cause damage.

According to Sean Lenihan, sen- ior council engineer for the area, the bridge is also a protected heritage structure and measures would have to be put in place under the regula-

tions pertaining to these structures. Local councillors in the area were given details of the necessary repair work last summer.

After being told that the cost would be far greater than had previously been envisaged, councillors asked the engineer to get in touch with the Heritage Council in Kilkenny to see whether funding would be available.

Mr Lenihan contacted the group and was told that the Clare Local

Authority could apply under the Heritage Council’s Civic Structur- al Fund. He informed councillors this week that this money will be allocated in January and February of next year.

“There are maximum levels of grant aid available and extra money will probably have to be provided from the council’s own resources. But even so, work is expected to start in early 2008,” he said.

THE lack of specialised services available for people suffering from depression has been highlighted at the Coroner’s Court in Ennis.

The family of a man who died in Ennis in July this year told the in- quest into his death that greater re- sources needed to be allocated to the area of mental health.

The Coroner’s Court heard last week that the man’s body was dis- covered in July in woods near the Mill Road, Ennis, by a group of peo- ple out walking.

Gardai were subsequently called and the man’s body was removed from the scene.

The 27-year old man had been liv- ing in Ennis for seven months and

had been working as a carpenter. He was known to be suffering from de- pression.

He was originally from Dublin. In the Coroner’s Court last Wednesday, the man’s brother confirmed the dep- osition he gave to gardai at the time.

Asking County Coroner Isobel O’Dea if he could comment further on the matter, he said, “There has been a huge amount of suicides in the country over the past few years. Services are seriously lacking in this area for people. More need to be pro- vided.”

Coroner Isobel O’Dea _ returned a verdict of open death in the case. She said, “I am satisfied there is no evidence of accidental death and that there was no third party involve- ment.

“Tam aware he was suffering from depression but I am not positive the intention was there to commit sul- cide.”

Ms O’Dea said there was insuffi- cient evidence other than to disclose a verdict of open death.

She said she would write to the Health Service Executive on behalf of the family to express their reser- vations about the lack of services for people suffering from depression. She extended her sympathies to the eTeep es

She said, “I would like to extend my sympathies to you and your family. I see you are a large and close fam- ily and I hope that you gain strength from that. I will certainly write to the HSE to express you concerns on the lack of services.”

has learned that controversial solicitor Michael Lynn, and his wife, Tulla native Brid Murphy, purchased an apart- ment on Lahinch’s Main Street in 2003 or 2004.

It is understood that the Dublin- based solicitor owes more than €50 million to various banks and lending institutions in respect of the purchase of 78 properties in Ireland and one in the UK.

While many of the properties are registered in Mr Lynn’s own name, a number are registered in the name of Property T Capel Ltd, a company of which he and his wife are sharehold- ers and directors.

Judgement on a claim against Ms Murphy for a loan she took out on the couple’s Howth home was last week adjourned by the Commercial Court until November 14.

Ms Murphy, who is a clinical nurse manager, said in affidavits that she had been unwell earlier this year and had been more concerned with her health than her financial matters at the time.

It is as yet unclear whether the

Lahinch apartment, which is one of eight located above Kenny’s Woollen Mill and Shop on Lahinch’s Main Street, was registered in the name of Mr Lynn, Ms Murphy or Property T Capel Ltd.

The property has an estimated re- tail value of between €320,000 and €350,000 and was developed under NIL FONT EDO PNG NEAL oe

Depending on the conclusion of court proceedings involving Mr Lynn and Ms Murphy, ownership of the apartment could revert back to the banks, who would most likely sell it.

Ms Murphy is the brother of prom- inent Lahinch businessman Paddy Murphy, who manages the Spinnaker bar on the village’s promenade.

It also emerged last week that the Dublin-based solicitor successfully took out three mortgages on the same property during a 20-day period ear- lier this year.

Each of the mortgages was for al- most the full value of the Howth property, which was valued at around €5.5 million.

On Friday last Mr Lynn, whose practice has been shut down by the Law Society of Ireland, was ordered to pay just under €5 million to AIB, National Irish Bank, IIB and Bank of Scotland.

KILKISHEN and O’Callaghan’s Mills people can rest easier in their beds knowing that there are now two defibrillators on hand should they be required in an emergency.

Kilkishen woman Mary Gallagh- er, along with Mike Hogan, Martin McMahon and Oliver Donnellan in O’Callaghan’s Mills, were the teams behind acquiring the machines. Training for the crews of volunteers who will look after them will begin on November 23.

Locals took part in a sponsored walk and the Bank of Ireland in Tulla sponsored €1,000 towards the machines, as one of their employees

lived in Kilkishen. The two machines, plus training, had to be funded to the tune of roughly €6,000. Between the walk and the bank’s gift, this money was raised.

The machines, when used by a properly trained person, can mean the difference between life and death in an emergency while waiting for some professional medical help to arrive.

“These machines are being put in place in a lot of communities, espe- cially where there are GAA grounds. People are concerned given the number of tragic deaths that there have been among young men playing sports,” said Gallagher.

Kilkishen and the Mills have be-

come the most recent among Clare communities to acquire the life-sav- ing equipment.

Mountshannon also recently pur- chased a defibrillator, as did Scariff, where concerns have been repeatedly voiced about the lack of a 24-hour ambulance service.

A present, the defibrillator teams are on the lookout for a central loca- tion for the machines and are looking forward to getting training in their use underway.

“It’s a two-night course and we are initially looking for 15 people in each area. No-one will be on call the whole time — we’ll draw up a rota once we have our volunteers,” added CRUE Ta toe

People volunteering for duty will also have a refresher course from the Red Cross every six months and, should any volunteer need to drop out or take time out, this won’t be a problem.

“The money we raise will initially cover the cost of training 15 people but we will be training more down the road,” said Gallagher.

Anyone interested in volunteering for the service should contact any of the organisers and bring a passport photograph of themselves along on the night for training .

A venue for the training course has yet to be decided and notices will then be posted locally when this has been done.

A MAJOR hurdle has been over- come in the campaign to construct a day care centre for cancer patients with Clare County Council granting planning permission for a cancer day care centre in Ruan.

The planning authority granted permission for the Clare 250 Can- cer Centre after finding that its plans were in accordance with the proper planning and development of the area at Moymore, Ruan.

Already, fifty acres of forestry have been purchased from Coillte, the na- tional forestry agency, and develop-

ments have been of a piecemeal va- riety since.

More recently, the entrance and a one mile road, meandering through Ballygriffey Wood, to the site ear- marked for The Clare 250 Cancer Centre, was developed.

An army of volunteers, many of whom have supported the project from its embryonic stages, turned up to fell trees, clear the pathway and develop the access road that winds its way through the densely wooded area.

The notion of the Clare 250 Cancer Centre originated with John Dunne and each May, scores of cyclists

embark on a 250 mile cycle around Clare in order to raise funds for the venture.

Initially, the funds were used ex- clusively to finance the annual trip of Clare cancer sufferers to Lourdes.

Mr Dunne declined to comment yesterday on the Council’s decision. However, speaking on the project previously, Mr Dunne said, “With the help of the people of Clare, we’ll build it as we go along and at the rate finances permit. Nothing will be put in place or built until such time as it can be paid for. There will be no such thing as running up a debt.”

He vowed, “I’m totally commit-

ted to this project. I’m in it for the long haul for whatever length of time it takes. John Dunne is not going Eh al

The Clare 250 Cycle first started in 1979 when 18 cyclists pushed off from outside the then Ennis Voca- tional School.

Last night, councillor for the area, Cllr Joe Arkins (FG) said that he is “absolutely delighted” with the deci- sion.

“It 1s great to have it here in our area and great credit must go to John Dunne and all the other people in- volved for bringing the project to this stage,’ he said.

THE people of Kilkee will not need to make the 70-mile round trip to Ennis this weekend to go to the mov- ies — because the cinema is coming to town.

Cinemobile was the second larg- est of the millennium projects, sur- passed only by the Dublin Spire, and the non-profit travelling cinema will set up in the car park beside Water- world on Friday for the weekend.

The mobile unit looks like an ordinary articulated truck but in less than an hour it converts into a

100-seater cinema. The aim is to make films accessible to audiences throughout the country. Cinemobile provides a diverse programme to a broad range of people, seeking to consolidate mainstream cinema au- diences while continuing to nurture a regional audience for art-house film, documentary film and archival film.

This year, the mobile moviedrome has also arrived in schools across the country with curriculum-based films. The cinema is fully heated, with air-conditioning and Dolby Surround Sound. Film selection is based on several criteria, the main

one being print availability. A cer- tain number of prints are available in the country when a film is released. Cinemobile must wait for a copy to become available from a distributor but it never screens films which ex- ceed Cert 15PG, another criteria for print selection.

It usually brings six films to each location, screening three times each day — early afternoon, matinee and evening. Films are constantly updat- ed to ensure audiences see the most recent films. Schools are provided with a list of curriculum-based titles from which they can programme the

machine. Groups are also invited to request titles of their choice and, if a print can be secured, a screening will be given. The films making their way to Kilkee this weekend are

THE 14th annual Ennis Trad Festival kicks off this week and organisers are hoping that a bumper programme will attract big crowds.

This year’s event takes place from November 8 to 12 across numerous venues. An intensive programme features free day and night sessions with afternoon, evening and night concerts, recitals, singing, work- shops, presentations, CD launches and the ever-popular Trad Disco.

The legendary accordion player and composer Finbar Dwyer will Open the concert programme on Thursday, November 8. Finbar, who recently returned to public perform- ance after a break of 17 years, will

be accompanied by Brian McGrath. On Friday night Four Men and a Dog will unleash their highly energetic repertoire on the festival.

The band comprises Cathal Hayden (fiddle), Donal Murphy (accordion), Gino Lupari (bodhran, vocals), Ger- ry O’Connor (banjo) and Kevin Do- herty (guitar, vocals).

Workshops dominate Saturday’s events with classes for beginners, intermediate and advanced level given by the some well-known names ThA Mpa el Utss Come: baXe MOE-bO(Gos

A new addition to last year’s festi- val was the Trad-themed table quiz, which will test knowledge of trad musicians, records, CDs and trad triviality.

This year will see the presentation

of the Ennis Trad Festival Gradam Ceol to concertina player Sonny Murray. Sonny, from Knockalough, Kilmihil, is one of the many fine con- certina players from the area such as Solus Lillis, Bernard Sullivan, Tom McCarthy and 2005 Gradam recipi- ent Tom Carey.

Sonny lives in Ennis and has had a major influence on the Ennis music scene. This presentation is a fitting compliment to a man regarded as a master of the concertina.

A new feature of this year’s festival is the Ard Gasce na mBuinte Senior Ceili Band competition, which will be adjudicated by a panel of four adjudicators and an audience. Some of the best bands in Ireland and abroad such as The Thatch, Tribes

and Ceolteor1 na Mainstreach will compete. There will be many CDs launched this year including artists such as Kane O’Rourke and Geral- dine Bradley.

The guiding ethos for organisers since the festival’s inception has been to bring musicians of all generations and styles to Ennis to share their tunes, songs and steps in a relaxed session environment.

The festival committee has pur- posefully organised the sessions to allow opportunities for artists to per- form with others that they wouldn’t normally get to meet. Accordingly, a great social dimension is always present at this festival.

CLARE County Council has ex- pressed “a number of very serious concerns” over plans for a €25 mil- lion housing development in south east Clare.

Earlier this year, Greenband Invest- ments lodged plans with the council for a 103 housing development ex- tension to what is already in place at Westbury, Athlunkard near the Clare-Limerick border.

The proposal has attracted a large number of objections from local

residents and now the council has re- sponded to the residents’ concerns.

In a request for a large raft of new information on the plan, the coun- cil has requested that revised plans be submitted, but, in a move that will disappoint local residents, has pointed out that the density of the development is not high enough and that additional homes will need to be included.

However, the council has also re- quested that the developers submit an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) as part of the further informa-

tion required.

In its request, the council states that it “has a number of very serious concerns in relation to the proposed development and it not favourably disposed to the development as pro- posed.

‘The concerns of the council relate to the design and layout of the devel- opment as proposed, the lack of mix of housing types and design, the ef- fect the proposed development will have on traffic safety at this location, the residential amenities of existing residents and the lack of provision of

community facilities and open spac- es in the existing Westbury estate.”

The council goes on: “The con- cerns arise in particular to the lack of community facilities to provide for the number of existing and proposed OM CAUDDANSAc MAUI ODEO MOO CoMon ie: Nome

The council has ordered a revised layout providing for a better sense of place and revised housing designs incorporating a “much better’ mix of housing types and styles.

“You are advised that due to the scale and nature of existing permit- ted development within the West-

bury estate, no further large scale de- velopment can be permitted without the submission of a master plan to provide for the comprehensive devel- opment of the entire Westbury estate to provide for appropriate land uses, including residential uses, public Open spaces, community facilities, services and road layouts.”

The developers have also been told to submit a Traffic Impact Statement (TIS).

A decision from the council on the development is not now expected un- til sometime next year.

IT TOOK Anthony Kelly just a “couple of minutes” to show James Martin Cahill how to use a gun at his Kilrush home, Cahill claimed in the Central Criminal Court in Cloverhill on Monday.

However, Mr Kelly’s _ barrister, Michael O’Higgins S.C., pointed out that this was not what Cahill had told

eer

“In your first account, you said it could have been up to an hour. In your second account, you said at least half an hour,” said Mr O’Higgins. Cahill replied, “It was only a couple of minutes. He showed me how to use the gun.”

Counsel asked him why did he give a different account to gardai. Cahill replied, “I wasn’t sure at the time. It

only took a couple of minutes.”

Mr O’Higgins said Cahill alleged that when he went to Anthony Kelly’s house, the latter phoned Joseph Kel- ly, who arrived five minutes later.

“He told the gardai that Joseph Kel- ly went off to retrieve the weapon. That took about 25 minutes.

‘That puts you in Anthony Kel- ly’s house half an hour,’ said Mr O’ Higgins. Cahill replied, “It wasn’t

derclan le) sree

He said Anthony Kelly showed him how to use the gun inside the house. There were some discussions outside the house but he was not really sure what about. Cahill said he was “cer- tain” he was in Kilrush with another man in a car that day.

“It could be on the camera going into Kilrush by the Garda station,’ he told the court.

Counsel said, “why do I get a ter- rible sinking feeling everything is going to be all vague now with times and places?”’

Cahill replied, “I’m not sure about times”. Cahill rejected a claim by counsel that he was “obsessed” with euns. Mr O’Higgins said changes in Cahill’s evidence came out “in a hap- hazard manner”.

The trial continues today.