Category: Uncategorized

A PROTECTED butterfly is the fo- cus of a battle between two rival developers vying to secure planning permission for the first major retail park on the outskirts of Ennis.

Currently, Clare County Council is evaluating a proposal by Stephen Harris to construct a €50 million retail park adjacent to the Ennis by- ee

However, consultants for develop- ers of a rival proposal, Sean Lyne and Noel Connellan are claiming that if a transfer site for the protected butterfly, the Marsh Fritillary within the proposed Harris park was meas- ured, “it is difficult to see how the scheme could be considered viable or feasible”.

As part of the works for the €205 million Ennis bypass scheme, popu- lations of the butterfly protected un- der the EU Habitats Directive were transferred from the site of the Ennis bypass to the lands proposed for the Harris retail park.

However, consultants for Lyne and Connellan have told Clare County Council that transferring the but- terfly population “would render the commercial profile of the (Harris) site questionable”’.

Last month, the council refused planning permission for the Lyne-

Connellan retail park development after declaring that the Harris plan is the preferred retail park proposal.

In relation to the Harris plan, the council has stated, however, that “’se- rious concerns remain about the loss of an important area of wetland in addition to the protected Annex One Species, the Marsh Fritillary and other rare species”.

Now, in response, Mr Harris’s con- sultants have told the council that “‘it still has not been possible to obtain conclusive evidence that the site of the proposed development was the site of translocation of the Marsh Fritillary butterfly or any specific de- tails regarding the timing or success of any translocation that may have been completed”.

The new submission lodged states that site surveys have taken place on three occasions and “the presence of the Marsh Fritillary butterfly has not been established on the site”’.

The submission states, “There is a possibility that the butterfly has ceased to colonise this area, which is not uncommon for this particular species.

The Harris retail site also includes an area of fen and the submission states that the fen “is the most sensi- tive habitat on the site, but it is rela- tively small and not directly linked to any other habitats of significance”.

MAYOR of Ennis, Cllr Tommy Brennan (Ind) is hoping to include local representatives from across the county in the council’s meeting with the minister for health next month. Clare’s four TDs, Minister Tony Killeen (FF), Deputy Pat Breen (FG), Deputy Timmy Dooley (FF)

and Deputy Joe Carey (FG) along with four councillors are to meet with Mary Harney on September 20 to discuss the future of Ennis Gen- eral Hospital.

Prior to the election the Minister for Health gave certain guarantees regarding accident and emergency services at the hospital.

The Ennis town mayor said that the

delegation of councillors would now be looking for a guarantee of “24- hour doctor led accident and emer- gency services for Ennis in writing”.

“IT was hoping to include mayors from Kilrush, Kilkee and county mayor Cllr Patricia McCarthy from Shannon if possible to show that this is not just an Ennis issue but a county issue,’ said Cllr Brennan.

The meeting has been moved from 10am to 11.30am to accommodate the train timetable.

It is not yet known if the newly formed Clare Cancer Concern, which will lobby for the return of mammog- raphy services at Ennis General Hos- pital, will also meet with the minster on the same day.

Deputy Carey told the last meet-

ing of the group that he would try to secure a meeting between it and the minister for the same day.

Meanwhile a meeting will be held on Monday next August 13, at 8pm in the Auburn Lodge Hotel Ennis to discuss the future of the hospital and gage public support for the campaign to retain acute services at the coun- ty’s main hospital.

COMPLAINTS against members of the Gardai serving in the Clare juris- diction have increased by almost 42 per cent. A total of 44 incidents of complaints were made to the Garda Siochana Complaints Board about gardai serving in the Clare area in 2006. The previous year, 31 com- plaints were made, 13 less.

An increase in the number of com- plaints nationally was also recorded in the Garda Siochana Complaints Board Annual Report 2006, pub-

lished this week.

The number of complaints nation- ally increased by more than 15 per cent between 2005 and 2006. In 2005, the board received 1,173 incidents of complaints compared to 1,350 last year. The report also showed that of the decisions taken in 2006, a total of 814 complaints were deemed admis- sible, an increase from 650 in 2005.

The Garda Press Officer said that the Commissioner, Noel Conroy, was disappointed with this increase and did not condone discourteous_ be- haviour, abuse of authority or, in any

way, the misuse of powers by mem- bers of An Garda Siochana.

“While the level of complaints are a cause of concern to the com- missioner, this statistic must be put in context. In 2006, members of An Garda Siochana had in excess of one million interactions with members of the public, with less than 0.1 per cent resulting in admissible complaints.

“This compares to approximately 700,000 interactions in 2005, which resulted in approximately the same percentage,” the press officer said.

‘The Garda Commissioner and his

management team, along with all members of An Garda Siochana, are committed to improving the stand- ards adopted by our organisation. There is nobody with a greater vest- ed interest in dealing with wrongdo- ers in An Garda Siochana than the Garda Siochana itself.”

The Garda Siochana Annual Report for 2006, which is separate from the Garda Siochana Complaints Board process, said that seven members of the gardai were dismissed by the commissioner as a result of internal disciplinary investigations and a fur-

ther 94 members were the subject of a disciplinary sanction.

In his introduction to the 2006 re- port, Dr Gordon Holmes, chairman of the board, said that, year after year, the report highlighted the shortcom- ings of the legislation under which the Garda Siochana Complaints Board operated.

“At last some notice has been taken of it and the Garda Siochana Ombuds- man Commission is now a reality. In the first half of the coming year, the Ombudsman Commission will take over the duties of the board,” he said.

THE terms of reference for an inde- pendent investigation into the treat- ment of patients at an Ennis nursing home have been set.

The HSE ordered the external in- dependent review into Cappahard Lodge on May last, following con- cerns raised “by a number of parties including staff”’.

A separate Garda investigation was also ordered, following complaints made by some of the family mem- bers of Kilrush man Gerard Finn, relating to his treatment and care at the home.

The terms of reference for the re- view, Which will be chaired by Dr Donald Lyons, Mental Welfare Commission of Scotland, have now been set.

In the course of the review, Dr Lyon’s committee will “identify and collate all policies and procedures relating to patient care in Cappahard Lodge”.

The investigating committee will also examine the extent to which current policies and procedures are adhered to and the adequacy of cur- rent policies and procedures.

Finally, the review committee will be asked to make recommendations as to how policies and procedures might be improved and/or more ap- propriately implemented.

Relatives and other stakeholders are to be contacted and asked to make submissions. The late Mr Finn died at the home in June. The 69- year-old was admitted to the home in December 2005, with Alzheimer’s and angina.

Over an “extended period of time”, some of his family members, includ- ing his daughter, made a number of complaints to the HSE regarding his care at Cappahard Lodge.

The complaints were investigated by the clinical director and direc- tor of nursing, Clare Mental Health Services under the HSE Trust in Care policy document which is designed to deal with allegations of abuse.

The complainants were informed of the findings.

This “screening process” found that no abusive actions had taken place and that “nursing and medical care provided for Mr Finn was ap- propriate”.

However, following the Trust in Care investigation, the HSE contin- ued to receive complaints from some family members in relation to Mr Finn’s ongoing treatment and care.

The external review was then com- missioned, prior to Mr Finn’s death POM LUD ates

Mr Finn’s wife, Ann, has made it clear on numerous occasions that she was happy with her husband’s treat- ment at the home.

BORD na gCon says that Meelick residents should not be overly dis- appointed about the decision not to go ahead with the €15 million new ereyhound racing stadium in their area.

CEO of the Greyhound Board, Adrian Neilan said that the decision “moves the project a few miles up the road. But what has to be stressed 1s that this will be a Mecca for people who go racing. It will be a fantastic ee usa ae

The CEO said that the new stadium – which is now to be located at the old Limerick racecourse site – will still be a boost for Meelick in terms

of jobs and spin-off business from tom bee. @

The problem with the Meelick site, he said. Was that it would be land- locked until 2010 when the new road connection will be complete. “Until then we couldn’t even get construc- tion machinery in to get started. It was a very long delay.”

It’s just over a year since it was an- nounced that Meelick was to get the new stadium on a site near the Two Mile Inn.

The stadium design incorporated bar and restaurant facilities and a play area for children.

Subsequently, when the board ap- plied to Clare Country Council for planning permission, the local au-

thority asked for further informa- nto

It became clear at that stage that there would be a number of difficul- ties with the Meelick site.

But local councillor, Cathal Crowe said he is “bitterly disappointed. I recently organised a meeting in En- nis where local landowners, council road engineers and plunging staff and the Clare county manager were present. The non-attendance of a Bord na gCon official at this meet- ing signified to me that they had lost interest in the Lansdowne site. Many of the obstacles to the development of the stadium were discussed in depth at this meeting and I left in an optimistic mood that plans could be

progressed.

Cllr Crowe added that he believed that the location would not impede on the rural character of Meelick in TOA E NA

“Road frontage on the main Limer- ick – Ennis dual carriageway would have provided ease of access to the facility and a focal point for grey- hound enthusiasts from both Clare and Limerick to meet.

“The greyhound industry has thrived in recent years and one has only to look at the phenomenal suc- cess of the greyhound stadia at Cork, Shelbourne and Dundalk to see the scope of positive impact that this facility could have had on the local- ra A

SHERRY FitzGerald Hussey Mad- den, Ennistymon, has just launched a new development of homes locat- ed on School Road, Lahinch, with prices ranging from €290,000 to €450,000. Being sold off-plans, the 77 houses in this development are due for completion within 18 to 24

months.

In close proximity to Lahinch beach and golf course, selling agent Evelyn Madden explained, “these houses are situated on an elevated site and will offer excellent sea or countryside views. She added, “designed by char- tered architect Bernard O’Loughlin and under construction with home bond guarantees, this development

consists of a 77 homes, including de- tached, semi-detached and a court- yard style development, together with with a spacious creche”.

With nine different house types to choose from, this development is ide- al for those seeking a family home with all the advantages of living in a village combined with a coastal location. The development is within

strolling distance of Lahinch prima- ry school and is very close to shops, restaurants and other amenities. These houses will be sold in turn key condition and will include so- lar panels, oil fired central heating, wooden floors, tiling, bathroom suites and fireplaces as well as fully fitted kitchens. All external works will be completed including tar-

maced drives, lawns and communal ereens.

House specs on this development range from a three bedroom 957 sq ft terraced house priced at €290,000, through to the top end detached four bedroom homes encompassing 2,131 sq {t, priced at €450,000.

For full details contact 065 7072833.

OI ANA ae Ms lH eCOLUMB Re ReoNeclBOemseN what one candidate has dubbed the “exclusive club” of the Seanad for the first time since 1965.

In that year the late Dermot Honan (FF) was elected to the upper house taking the seat vacated after his fa- ther TV’s death in 1954.

Since then there has been a F’- anna Fail or Fine Gael senator from OE Ncer

With the unlikely exception that the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern will name a

Clare politician among his chosen 11 nominees for the upper house of the Oireachtas, Clare, like Limerick, will remain without a senator for the next five years.

Clare County Councillors John Crowe (FG) and Pat Daly (FF) failed to be elected to the Seanad following six weeks and 11,000 miles each of campaigning.

Cllr Daly, who works for junior minister Tony Killeen said he be- lieved that “to win a seat you have to take an existing senator out of the exclusive club.”

“You could take Daniel O’Connell out of the square quicker than you could take out a senator.”

The Ennis councillor said he was disappointed not to get a place on the 11-seat Labour Panel, but believed he got a respectable vote.

“The way I view it over 90 per cent of the senators remain in their seats. I was trying to bring a fresh face to the senate,’ he said.

“TI thought I would have been an as- set and another voice for the people of Clare.”

He said he was not likely to run

again for the upper house, but said he should never say never.

Meanwhile, Fine Gael’s Cllr Crowe was within a few votes of being elected to the nine seater Industrial and Commercial Panel. The Sixmi- lebridge man who was one of 36 con- testing the panel was eliminated in the 25th count.

His elimination secured the seat for Fine Gael’s Paul Coughlan from Ker- ry. “It was marvellous to have stayed in so long,’ said Cllr Crowe. “It was a fair challenge but I enjoyed every bit of it. Clare is well got all over the

country and it is well known.”

The Fine Gael councillor has not ruled out campaigning for a Seanad seat again.

“Politics is like a drug. The more you get the more you want,’ he said.

The councillor said he had no re- egrets on a personal level running for the Seanad.

“I was proud to represent the county and represent the party,’ he said.

“The one regret I have is that we don’t have a senator of the county. I’m not only disappointed for our- selves but for the county,’ he added.

THERE are opportunities for third level graduates and highly skilled staff to work in rural enterprises in the west of Ireland. That’s one of the key points to emerge from new re- search by the Western Development Commission (WDC) on rural enter- prises in the West.

The WDC’s publication “Rural Businesses at Work” concludes that retaining and attracting young peo- ple to rural areas is critical to the continued growth of rural enter- prises and for the establishment of new businesses in such areas. Rural enterprises are at the heart of the Western Region’s future given that 68 per cent of its population live in rural areas, compared with 39 per cent of the population of the state. While in county Clare, 67 per cent of the population is rural.

Speaking at the launch of the publi- cation, Gillian Buckley Chief Execu- tive of the WDC said “Our research shows that there is a close fit between the needs of employers and of staff. SW ilorteomalbeveubercmolbnsen lento wm DOMMEDesDErDee eas have a demand for graduates and Skilled workers, while the WDC’s LookWest.ie campaign shows that many skilled workers have a strong desire to work and live in the West”.

Buckley added, “Recent CSO fig-

ures showed 16 per cent of adults in county Clare have a third level de- gree. This is positive news for enter- prises in the county as it provides a pool of locally available, highly edu- cated workers”.

The new WDC publication profiles ten businesses in different sectors including traditional and high-tech manufacturing, professional servic- es, natural resources, internationally traded services, tourism, retail, and the creative and construction indus- tries. The profiles show the diversity of firms operating in rural Ireland and give an insight into how they operate, including how and why they first came into being.

“This study lifts the lid on rural enterprises,’ said Buckley. “It shows that it is possible nowadays to run a successful business in almost any sector in rural Ireland, particularly if you have access to the latest in- formation technology and can net- work easily with customers, suppli- ers and peers. It also underlines the importance of high speed, affordable broadband to rural areas. It 1s essen- tial that universal broadband access be a national priority and hopefully the National Broadband Scheme an- nounced earlier this year will be ful- ly implemented as soon as possible’”’, she added.

The Skillnets initiative was _ par-

ticularly praised by those involved in the study because it delivers training for small businesses without requir- ing long distance travel, as well as providing an opportunity to network with other business people in a simi- lar situation.

“When a small business owner wants to attend training that only takes place in Dublin there are sev- eral costs; the cost of the training, the cost of travelling to Dublin and the cost of being away from the business for two or three days. Small busi- nesses are more likely to upskill if they can do it locally without losing days for travel,” Buckley said.

For those companies who primarily service the Irish market, the key con- cern was how a general slowdown in the national economy would affect their performance. Given the signifi- cant role of businesses that largely depend on the local market, particu- larly in rural towns and villages, this is a very real concern for the viability of rural economies generally.

“The research shows that the rural economy can sustain a broad range of different enterprise models but that there are gaps in infrastructure that must be addressed if they are to grow and if new enterprises are to set up in rural areas,” Buckley said.

AN BORD Pleanala has overturned a ruling by its own inspectors and Clare County Council to give the go- ahead for a contentious holiday home development near Lahinch.

Last year, Clare County Council re- fused permission on grounds linked to the famous west Clare railway that has been defunct for over 40 years.

Tom O’Keeffe of Roslevan, Ennis had lodged plans with the council to construct 20 holiday homes at Creg,

Lahinch with the plan later being re- duced to 12.

However, the council refused plan- ning permission on three grounds including that a number of the homes would be built over the line of the west Clare railway.

The North Clare Area Plan 2005 states that developments should only be allowed on or adjacent to the west Clare railway which will not conflict with or restrict the recreational po- tential of the line.

In his appeal, Mr O’Keeffe point-

ed out that the railway bridge to the south-east was removed presumably by the council some 40 or 50 years ago and that over the years, the west Clare railway has been ploughed out across the subject site and was not now visible except for the bridge abutment and a small area adjacent to it.

The west Clare railway — immortal- ised in song by Percy French — was closed by the Government in 196] with the 27-mile line from Ennis to Miltown Malbay losing £23,000 per

annum.

However, the council’s view was endorsed by the board inspector who recommended refusal on four sepa- rate grounds with one of those re- lated to the preservation of the west Eee eee

The inspector was overruled, An Bord Pleanala recommending instead that planning permission be granted as the proposed development would not seriously injure the amenities of the area or of property in the vicin- ity, would be acceptable in terms of

traffic safety and convenience and would, therefore, be in accordance with the proper planning and sus- tainable development of the area.

The board explained, “In deciding not to accept the inspector’s recom- mendation to refuse permission, the board took account of the zoning of the site, the final design and the in- formation received in response to the section 132 notice.”

The board also ruled out one home that was located across the route of the west Clare railway.

FINAL preparation are being made for this year’s Merriman Summer School which takes place in Lisdoon- varna from August 19 to 25.

This year’s school marks the 40th Anniversary of the event and is enti- tled Changed Utterly? Ireland 1967- 2007. The school brings thousand of extra tourists to north Clare each year and 1s now and essential part of the local tourism scene.

‘That week is a quite week around Lisdoonvarna. Holiday makers are starting to go home and September hasn’t hit. The Summer School is very important for the tourism of the area,’ said local organiser, Marian O’Callaghan.

“It is a very high profile event and it gives Lisdoonvarna a lot of very pos- itive publicity all over the country. It shows people that there is more to Lisdoonvarna, that it’s not all about September.

The school will be directed this year by well-known broadcaster and arts consultant, Doireann Ni Bhriain, and focuses on the massive changes that have taken place in Ireland over the last four decades.

“One of the highlights of this year school will be a concert by the Lis- morahaun Singers in Corpus Christi Church in Lisdoonvarna on August POAC) e mA Ebert

“This concert will feature Naomi O’Connell who began her singing with the Lismorahaun and has gone

on to win countless prizes.”

The school will be opened this year by eminent historian, Professor Gearoid O Tuathaigh of NUI Galway, who will set the tone for the week of debate, discussion, music, poetry, set dancing and general good fun.

Other highlights include a discus- sion on the changed role of the Irish female involving Nuala O’Faolain, Anne Enright and Marian Finucane, an examination of Ireland’s new- found wealth by economist, John Bradley and former Minister of State, Eithne Fitzgerald.

As the week draws to a close, Irish Times journalist and commentator, Fintan O’Toole and historian Di- armuid Ferriter will take a look at how the lessons of the past might in-

form our future on the island.

A series of local history seminars will also profile some local historical personalities including George Un- thank McNamara by Dr Peter Har- bison, Thomas Johnson Westropp by Maire Ashe Fitzgerald, Brendan O’Regan by Bernard Share while Conor Keane will look at Curious examples of Gaelic signage and place-names in Clare.

For more information check out WwWww.merriman.ie