Category: Uncategorized

A CAMPAIGN to remove hundreds of mini-dolmens from the Burren will be instigated by the Burren Con- nect Project and Clare County Coun- cil later this year.

For years, tourists visiting the Bur- ren have constructed mini-dolmen to commemorate their visit to the na- tional park.

The structures, which are modelled on life-sized dolmens such as the one at Poulnabrone in Carron, are usu- ally less than two foot in height but a number of much larger ones have been built over the years.

A new environmental maintenance programme aimed at removing the mini-dolmens will be launched at Ballyallaban near Ballyvaughan this Wednesday.

Fifth- and sixth-class students of Ballyvaughan and _ Lisdoonvarna primary schools will safely remove a number of mini-dolmens at the launch, along with a number of lo- cal landowners and officials from the Burren Connect Project and Clare County Council.

In the past, both Clare County Council and the National Parks and Wildlife Service have turned a blind eye to the practice but, as a result of increased visitor numbers to the area, experts now believe that the practice may cause irreparable damage to the landscape in the locality.

The Poulnabrone dolmen, which is the most famous Bronze Age burial

site in the country, has become an iconic symbol of Ireland in recent years.

However, Poulnabrone itself was “built” back in 1985 following a cracking of the eastern portal stone which caused the entire tomb to col- lapse.

Excavations which took place at this time found that between 16 and 22 adults and six children were bur- ied under the monument. Personal items buried with the dead included a polished stone axe, a bone pendant,

quartz crystals, weapons and pottery.

In the Bronze Age, around 1,/00 BC, a newborn baby was buried in the portico, just outside the entrance.

With its dominating presence on the surrounding landscape, experts believe that the dolmen must have remained a centre for ceremony and ritual in the Burren until well into the Celtic period.

TAOISEACH Brian Cowen got a close up view of Ennis town centre at the official launch of CCTV network in Ennis yesterday.

As part of his visit to Clare, Mr Co- wen stopped by Ennis Garda Station to the control centre to see the system in operation.

A bank of 19 television screens relays images from 17 cameras lo- cated at location around Ennis town centre. Supt John Scanlan told the Taoiseach that the system, which has been installed in Ennis over the last few months, would greatly assist the work of gardai.

Supt Scanlan said the cameras would serve as a powerful deterrent to public order offences and other forms of criminal behaviour.

Supt Scanlan also thanked Mr Co- wen for committing funds and other resources to crime prevention meas- ures.

A new bank of cameras was recently

approved for use in Ennis. The cam- eras will be installed at Drumbiggle Road green area, Clancy Park, Corn- market car park, Hermitage, Pearse Ave/ Childers Road, Shallee Drive, John Paul Avenue, Considine Road, Island car park

A report on CCTV was presented to members at the September meet- ing of Ennis Town Council.

The council’s report found that “most of the locations of proposed cameras are zoned other settle- ment land where the objective is to conserve and enhance the quality and character of the area, to protect residential amenity and to allow for development appropriate to the sus- tainable growth of the settlement”. No submissions were received by the council on the matter.

“Tt is not considered that the propos- al contravenes the zoning objective for the area. There is no objection to the proposed development. I recom- mend that the development proceed,’ the report concluded.”

ROCK Rovers’ FAI campaign ended at the first round on Sunday when they went down to a narrow defeat to Kerry side Camp United.

Tommy Farrell’s wickedly curled free kick, three minutes into first- half extra-time sealed the win for Camp after the game ended at I-1.

After a poor start Rock improved with Brian Fitzpatrick equalising af- ter John O’Driscoll had given Camp an early lead.

Rock enjoyed some good moments

in the second-half but failed to create enough clear-cut chances.

Extra-time then proved disastrous for Rock. Farrell curled home what proved to be the winning goal and after using all three substitutes, the Ennis side were forced to play out the remainder of the game with 10 men after captain Daryl Eade was forced OSM ZIHem-mONsOmNOlevas

Rock substitutes Dean Gardiner and Marty McLoughlin combined to create Rock’s best opportunity to draw level in extra-time.

Gardiner’s delivery caused panic in

the Camp area but the ball popped up suddenly, striking McLoughlin’s out- stretched leg and flying over the bar.

That was as close as Rock came as Camp held out to book an all-Kerry second round meeting with Killorg- thee

Despite the almost four hour jour- ney from west Kerry to Ennis, Camp showed no signs of rustiness as they dominated the early stages.

Spraying the ball around confident- ly, Camp looked dangerous particu- larly through the impressive Theo O’Shea.

However, the manner in which the visitors took the lead owed as much to Rock’s sloppy defending as it did to Camp’s incisive football.

O’Shea’s low delivery was missed by Francis Daniels and John O’Driscoll was on hand to toe poke home from close range.

The goal spurred Rock into playing their best football of the game. Gary Walsh, who impressed throughout, offered good width in the right while the trio of Ashley Glynn, Daryl Eade and Roan Eade gave Rock a foot- hold in midfield. The home side went close through Glynn’s header before equalising midway through the half. Ronan Arthur lifted the ball into the path of Fitzpatrick who took his time before drilling the ball low past Gearoid O’Shea.

Fitzpatrick and Woods were promi- nent in the early stages of the second half as Rock looked for the crucial second goal. However, Camp stood firm and looked the side most likely to score a winner late on with Theo O’Shea and substitute James Scanlon causing havoc out wide. The goal arrived with Camp captain Tommy Farrell curling home the winner.

A FORENSIC accountant is set to examine 5,000 documents served on an east Clare man who is facing VAT related offences on amounts totalling over €1.5 million.

At Ennis Circuit Court yesterday, Derek Floyd (36) of 21 Lower Main Street, Tulla appeared on 24 charg- es relating to alleged VAT offences on amounts totalling €1.55 million between March 2001 and January mauler

The case was returned from trial to the circuit court from Killaloe Dis- trict Court earlier this month.

In court yesterday, counsel for the State, Stephen Coughlan BL said that the case could require a special judge and asked Judge Carroll Moran to set aside three weeks for the case.

Counsel for Mr Floyd, Pat Whyms BL said that over 5,000 documents were served on his client and he re- quested that the legal aid certificate be extended to cover a forensic ac- countant to examine the documenta- none

Mr Whyms said that the sums in- volved are significant. The case was taken over the alleged non-payment of taxes and he requested that the legal aid cert to also cover a second counsel.

Judge Carroll Moran granted both applications.

Mr Floyd is facing 12 charges of knowingly claiming repayments in VAT totalling €678,857 which to his knowledge he was not entitled to contrary to Section 1078 of the Taxes Consolidation Act on a period from April 1, 2001 to January 7, 2004.

Two of the 12 charges relate to in- dividual repayments in VAT claimed by Mr Floyd of €156,136 on Septem- ber 9, 2002 and a second payment of € 133,506 on June 27, 2003.

He is also facing an additional 12 charges concerning his alleged fail- ure to remit VAT payments to the Collector General totalling €880,913 between May 2001 and November 2003.

Judge Moran adjourned the case to the next call over of the circuit court and Mr Floyd remains on bail.

BRIDGE Celtic progressed to the next round of the Munster Junior Cup after a 3-1 victory over local ri- vals Shannon Olympic.

It was always going to be difficult for the Shannon men considering they were missing Six or seven reg- ular starters but it was an ideal op- portunity to use the cup to give some of the squad players good match practice. They will certainly have gained much need experience after this loss.

The first-half was a very even af- fair with both sides creating chances. Both goalies were under severe pres- Sure as teams continued to press and attack. The first goal came after 30 minutes. Suprisingly it was Olym- pic who edged in front with a well taken goal by striker John Keogh.

This goal in many ways led to their downfall and for two main reasons. Firstly, it encouraged them to sit back a little bit more and they were never going to keep the Bridge out for the remaining 60 minutes.

Secondly, this initial goal _ re- PMU MYA OU ECeeXoIUCLO ME A eCoME-NE-Dm00 MM OLo)0 MB NO MEN Ele Bridge players’ heads. This was the wake up call they needed to kick them into action and that is exactly what they did in the second-half.

The Bridge pushed on and seized control of the game and it was inevi- table they would equalise.

Their goal came after 55 minutes from a dangerous 1n swinging corner kick. Kevin McEvoy flicked it on to striker Paul McEvoy who finished the move off expertly. A fantastic strike which turned the game on its head.

From here on in the Shannon men

died. They had been hoping to hold on but that plan had to be scrapped. What will really annoy them is the manner they went on to lose this game. They were under pressure from some good build up play but it was two basic goalkeeping errors that allowed the Bridge to get their second and third goals.

The first of these came after 70 minutes when O’Connor in the Shan- non goal spilt a well hit strike and Ger O’Riordan was first to react and blasted the ball into the net. This tap in gave them the lead.

Five minutes later and O’Connor must have been feeling a sense of déja vu when he once again let a shot out of his grasp. This time it was Ger O’Connell, the man who replaced O’Riordan, to get on the end of this goalkeeping error. He too cooly placed the ball into the net and ended

the game scoring with this effort. Shannon tried and tried and did cre- ate one or two half chances but they could not get back into the game. It was too late. The damage had been done and they were eliminated from the cup at the first round.

THE Vandeleur Walled Garden has proved to be one of the success sto- ries of Kilrush Town Council and is a project its members are determined to keep alive.

So much so that its members have asked for a report outlining its suc- cess to be drawn up, amid fears funding for the tourist attraction will be cut in the next budget.

Kilrush Councillor Tom Prendev- ille (FF) said Clare County Council has always been benevolent when it came to the garden, but feared fund- ing for next year could suffer in the upcoming budget cuts.

CUlr Liam O’Looney (FF) added that every year there are fears among staff that jobs will be lost, but this year the fears are even stronger.

In a bid to make a strong case for the 2.158-acre garden, the members have now asked for the detailed re- port.

Kilrush Town Council first invested

in the development of the Vandeleur Walled Garden in 1997. The project was developed through the co-op- eration of the tourism industry and FAS.

Through hard work and dedication, a new strategic tourism product and community amenity for Kilrush was formed.

Restoration of the garden is now complete, with facilities in the cen- tre including a gift shop, coffee shop, conference suite and plant sales area.

The stunning garden is completely surrounded by stone walls and con- tains many unusual and tender plants that thrive in the area’s uniquely western latitude sheltered microcli- mate.

It is a valuable resource for the community, providing an ideal venue for exhibitions, book launches, Hal- loween, Christmas, Easter and other seasonal events.

The commencement of plant prop- agation and plant sales has proven to

be very successful. Plant propaga- tion is an ongoing yearly project in the garden.

Approximately 90 different species of plants – including shrubs, peren- nials, bedding plants, herbs and vegetables – have been successfully propagated.

A number of open days were held in 2008 and 2009, which gave the public free admission to the gardens

and reduced prices on plant sales.

A display of old farm machinery was also set up in the courtyard area and exotic plants were purchased for display in the glasshouse, which was fully reconstructed by the workers in the garden.

Developers defend retail park

CONCERNS about the welfare of animals on a farm in west Clare have been aired in court, by a veterinary inspector.

After a court heard that animals on the farm were thin and hungry and were confined by an electric fence, the farmer undertook to rectify the situation within two months.

Patrick Shannon (55), of Carrowna- calla South, Kilrush, pleaded guilty to four charges of cruelly ill-treating animals.

Veterinary inspector Vincent Lam- bert told Kilrush District Court that inspections were carried out on the defendant’s farm on a number of oc- casions late last year.

‘He has been visited on his farm since 2003 in relation to welfare of animals kept on the farm,” he said.

‘“T have observed a deterioration of

the situation,” he added.

He said that the animals were con- fined by an electric fence, while the animals were very thin and hungry.

“Over a period of time, we have served notices on Mr Shannon. He has failed to comply,’ he said. For instance, he said, Mr Shannon had been asked not to confine the ani- mals by an electric fence, while he had also been advised to reduce stock numbers on his farm.

During one visit, on September 23 last year, he said the animals were being strip grazed, confined by an electric fence. “The animals were empty looking. They were lowing for feed. We discussed the situation with Mr Shannon. He failed to appreci- ate the situation, that animals were suffering. We advised him to reduce numbers and clean out the sheds and prepare for winter storage,” he said.

He said he visited the farm again

on October 7, when the animals were on bare ground. “They were on their knees, in an attempt to reach grass outside the electric fence. They were in danger of shock from the electric fence,” he said.

Further visits took place on Novem- ber 12 and 19, but issues remained. The animals were still confined and were on their knees, trying to get ac- cess to grass.

Defence solicitor Michael Ryan said his client was sincere but mis- guided and Mr Lambert agreed with Wen Ke

“He had strongly held views. He might not have appreciated the se- riousness of the matter or the dete- rioration the animals had suffered,’ said Mr Ryan.

He said his client’s family had op- erated the farm, which was “a prime holding” of over 80 acres, for more than 100 years. “He had views which

we may not agree with, on the ecol- ogy of the farm. He hadn’t used fer- tiliser on the farm for 12 years. He didn’t agree with it,” he said.

He said his client had had a prob- lem with a neighbour and this had been on his mind a lot. He said the accused would undertake to cease strip grazing with immediate effect, indefinitely, while he would no long- er use an electric fence.

“He would go about tagging and testing of the animals, with a view to disposing of all 35 animals,” he CrHG

“The primary concern should be for the animals,’ said the solicitor.

He said the defendant would give an undertaking to rectify the situa- tion within two months.

Judge Joseph Mangan adjourned the case for two months and said, ‘He has a problem if everything isn’t done in two months’ time.”

THE developers of a retail park in Shannon have confirmed that their €60 million proposal will not have a negative economic impact on the town centre.

Earlier this year, the council stated that it would not be favourably dis- posed towards granting planning permission for the park.

In the latest tranche of information lodged with the council in support of the plan, Greenband Investment Ltd and Sean Halpin state that the retail park will generate €33 million a year in turnover.

The project plans to create 600 new jobs between construction and serv- ices when it becomes operational and includes a retail warehouse park for bulky household goods, discount

food store and neighbourhood centre to include a small convenience store, pharmacy, bookmakers and_hair- dressers.

The development will create 250 direct jobs, 200 indirect jobs and a further 180 jobs during the construc- tion phase.

The applicants have now lodged substantial information to allay the fears of the council.

Their application states that, over- all, Shannon is not performing for a town of its size and is not compara- ble to the other two major town cen- tres in the local retail hierachy.

“The shopping centre falls short in terms of the quantity and quality of retail floorspace and of its wider so- cial economic role than other town centres organically build up over time. The proposed development will serve the local need in south Clare for 1m- proved retail facilities and introduce competition into this particular area

“Regionally, it will help to strength- en retailing in Clare. It will provide a new form of retail in Shannon and will not have a negative impact on the town centre because there is suf- ficient growth in expenditure to ac- commodate the proposed retail park

“The proposed development would not have an adverse impact on the town centre and would actually represent a beneficial, quality, modern addition to comparison retailing in the town as a whole, which would support the wider strategy to maintain the town’s status as a regional centre.”

The council had stated that it has serious reservations about the pro- posed development having regard to the safety, nature and mix of retail uses having regard to its location; traffic safety and the provision of Services.

A JUDGE has been asked to dis- qualify himself from hearing a pub- lic order case, after reference was made to a defendant’s record, prior to the hearing of the case.

At Kilrush District Court, solicitor Eugene O’ Kelly applied for free legal aid for his client, who was charged with two offences under the Public Order Act.

Judge Joseph Mangan asked what the allegations were. Superintend- ent Michael Comyns, prosecuting, said it would be alleged that the ac- cused urinated against the door of a premises and was very intoxicated.

The judge then asked, “Are there any particular exceptional circum-

stances in the case that I should know about?”

Supt Comyns said there weren’t. The judge then asked was the de- fendant at risk (of going to prison). Supt Comyns replied, “He would be. He has a number of previous.”

Mr O’Kelly then said, “The court has been told this man has a number of previous convictions, before hear- ing of the case. I must ask the court to stand aside and another judge hear this case.”

Judge Mangan then granted free legal aid and adjourned the case for hearing at a later date.

Mr O’Kelly asked, “Are you dis- qualifying yourself from the case, Judge?” to which Judge Mangan re- plied, “Yes.”