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A DUBLIN man has been cleared of lar- ceny and burglary charges in east Clare, at Ennis Circuit Court.

Stephen Russell, of 25 Knockmore Grove, Tallaght, Dublin 24, had pleaded not guilty to three counts of larceny and one count of burglary, at various locations in Scariff and Mountshannon.

It was alleged he stole a car, valued at £8,000, at Ballyminogue, Scarrif; a Mo- torola mobile phone, valued at £129, at Mid- dleline, Mountshannon, and a Fujitsu laptop computer, valued at £1,600, at Mountshan- non, on August 25, 2000.

He had also been charged with entering Long’s shop, Main Street, Scariff, as a tres-

passer and stealing £4,150 in cash; ciga- rettes, cigars and tobacco worth £8,300 and telephone call cards valued at £1,000, on August 29, 2000.

Witness Eamon Long told the jury he was the proprietor of Long’s supermarket/news- agents at the time of the alleged incident. The shop was on the ground floor, with the living quarters overhead.

At around 7.30am, he said his son called him and he went downstairs. The storeroom door had been burst open and all the ciga- rettes in the shop and store were gone, along with cash and telephone cards.

After hearing lengthy legal argument over a number of days, Judge Con Murphy di- rected the jury that the accused be found not guilty.

THE number of people arrested for drink driv- ing continues to rise in Clare, despite repeated warnings and images of its devastating ef- ee

Up to this weekend, two hundred and twenty motorists had been arrested for the offence so far this year. This is a ten per cent rise on the same period last year.

There were further arrests over the weekend. Up until Sunday, two motorists had been ar- rested in west Clare. On Sunday, another driver was arrested in Shannon, in the early hours.

The head of the Clare Garda Traffic Unit, Inspector Kevin Moynihan says the growing number of arrests is as a result of increased Garda enforcement, allied to the fact that peo- ple are not listening to warnings on the dan- gers of drink driving.

“It is a sizeable increase. People don’t seem to be heeding the warnings. . . and it’s also down to increased enforcement in the traffic corps,” he said.

Accident & Emergency Consultant in Ennis and Limerick, Cathal O’Donnell says while many people believe young men are the main culprits, offenders range in age and class.

“Young males are a large part of it, but I have seen people from every social class and every age group involved. It is still happening despite warnings and despite active measures from the gardai,” he said.

Mr O’Donnell said drink drivers are, on oc- casion, responsible for leaving “innocent peo- ple dead.”

Mr O’ Donnell believes that old, careless hab- its are again returning to some motorists, after an awareness campaign in recent years.

“We have personal responsibility to other hu- mans. My impression is that there was a dip a

couple of years ago, but it seems to be creeping up again.

“Tt [drink drivers] has a huge impact on our departments at weekends. Road traffic acci- dents take from our time. We don’t mind doing it but it is preventative, as opposed to a person who has a heart attack, for instance.

“It happens on week nights and at weekends, day and night and doesn’t seem to be going away, he said.

Fine Gael TD Pat Breen expressed disap- pointment that the drink driving figures had again increased in Clare.

“Obviously the message hasn’t been driven home. We must have zero tolerance in relation to drink driving. Gardai will have to reinforce their campaign coming up to Christmas and Garda resources have to be increased in rela- tion to inspections late at night,” said Deputy Dior

ALMOST half of the 500 workers at Shannon Airport have been told that they must take voluntary redundancy, or the airport will have no future.

Currently, Shannon workers are con- sidering the most swingeing cuts in the airport’s 60-year history, in order that Shannon doesn’t accumulate losses of €137 million over the next 10 years.

A ‘survival plan’ circulated to workers by the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA), states that the current situation is “unsus- tainable’ and that “this serious underly- ing financial crisis is untenable to both management of Shannon and the DAA’.

But SIPTU representatives say that plans to outsource many of the jobs at the airport are ‘not a runner in this en- abKoyenee oss

SIPTU’s Tony Kenny said that the un-

ion views plans to outsource catering entirely and other jobs in security and maintenance as ‘comparable to the Irish Ferries situation.’

Nor is the union willing to bend to a deadline of having negotiations conclud- ed by November 16. “Any deadline is a company deadline. All negotiations will be through the trade union and we will be going to third party intervention if that is what is needed,’ said Kenny.

In the €10 million redundancy plan, long service workers stand to secure pay-offs of up to €100,000.

Airport sources have revealed that all but a handful of workers boycotted management briefings on the matter and workers in one department returned the plan to management in a cardboard box.

The document, ‘Programme for Com- mercial Viability Shannon Aijrport’, states that Shannon Airport is on course to make a profit of €3 million this year,

but only because of US military traffic.

It states that in the preceding three years, Shannon made an accumulated loss of €9.3 million. By 2014, the air- port will have an accumulated loss of €137 million, which excludes interest on existing debt. Some €85 million will be needed on capital expenditure over the next ten years.

It states Shannon must generate new traffic stream; have flexibility on work practices and non-core activities and rig- orous management of costs.

The severance package will only be available if the measures can be agreed and substantially implemented by year end.

Tony Kenny said that the “DAA is proposing to outsource functions from profitable areas of the airport, which is nonsensical.”

CONCERN has been ex- pressed over a move by Clare County Council to rezone an estimated 300 acres of land for commercial development on the outskirts of Ennis that contains EU-protected habi- tats.

In adopting the Ennis and Environs Development Plan, the council along with Ennis Town Council re-zoned land in the Doora area for commer- cial development that gener- ated massive windfalls for the owners of the lands in ques- alone

However, the lands which are subject of the re-zonings are designated as areas of eco- logical constraint in the pub- lished Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the €190 million Ennis by-pass.

The lands contain protected fen and also the Marsh Fritil- lary and the Frog bit plants that are also a protected spe- alae

Asked if the Council had the all the facts in relation to the lands when they were re- zoned, the council’s Director for Planning, Mr Liam Con- neally said: “the zoning of land is based upon balancing information as to development needs and environmental im- pacts.

“At the time of the adoption of zoning in the Ennis and Environs Development Plan the information available to the Planning Authorities was relied upon to determine the appropriate zoning of land. At all stages of making the Plan Duchas were informed.

“All land constitutes some type of habitat and the impor- tance of that habitat at a local

regional or national level is only known where sufficient survey and analysis has taken ee leror

“The National Fen Survey carried out by the National Parks and Wildlife Service in 2001 did not make a detailed assessment of the Doora area and any information concern- ing any potential habitat value that existed was therefore not available.

“The Development Plan is constantly monitored and re- viewed and where necessary variations to the Development Plan will be carried out.

“The body now responsible for the protection of nation- ally important habitats is the National Parks and Wildlife Service and any recommenda- tions made by them regarding the conservation of key habi- tats will be taken into account in monitoring the Plan.

“All applications for devel- Opment are assessed on their own merits and the character and landscape of a site is a material consideration in that OC e

However, Cllr Brian Meaney (GP) has expressed concern over the rezonings.

He said: “it doesn’t appear that due consideration was given to the lands being areas of ecological constraint and questions still have to be an- swered concerning the rezon- ing.

“The uncertainty over the issue would not have arisen if the new Strategic Environ- mental Assessment Directive was in place at that time which would have investigated in a much more comprehensive way the presence of these pro- tected habitats in the lands in e] erie eye mae

Speeding is on the increase in the En- nis area.

Figures obtained by Fine Gael TD Pat Breen from the Ennis gardai show that speeding offence detection rates have increased dramatically, while more than 100 summonses for loud exhausts have been issued by the Gardai in the

Ennis area.

According to Ennis gardai “a large number of these boy racers have been checked by the gardai. The number of Fixed Charge Notices issues by gardai for speeding offences is over 400 more than for the same period last year”.

Deputy Breen requested to see the fig- ures, after receiving a number of com- plaints from residents in Darragh about

people racing cars on the wide stretch of road at Darragh, on the Kilrush road. Residents also expressed concern that not enough speed traps were in opera- tion on the road.

“The gardai have informed me that speed checks are carried out in the area on a regular basis by both the Division- al Traffic Corps and the District Patrol CFT

THE major new book commemorating the life of Gort’s most celebrated daughter, Lady Augusta Gregory, was launched last week in the Limerick City Library.

‘Lady Gregory: an Irish Life’ is written by Limerick scholar Judith Hill and is an attempt to look beyond the great name of Lady Augusta Gregory, and examine the woman in the context of her time and what surrounded her.

Although she gained her reputation as a patron, playwright and campaigner, behind the fame Lady Gregory was a wife, moth- er, lover, friend, confidante, ally and the chatelaine of Coole Park.

Long overshadowed by the writers she influenced and with whom she collaborated Lady Gregory was also the co-founder of

the Abbey Theatre and a key figure of the Irish Literary Revival.

She herself wrote 42 plays, a well as a bi- ography and countless essays, poems and journals. She was also a celebrated transla- tor of Irish legends.

In this book Judith Hill attempts to get behind the image of a stiff and unapproach- able aristocrat and reveal a woman whose qualities would mark her out in any age; a woman of intelligence, carefully concealed ambition, great passion and vulnerability.

Judith Hill is an architectural historian and writer.

She has written two previous books; “The Building of Limerick’ and ‘Irish Public Sculpture: A History.’

‘Lady Gregory: an Irish Life’ is available in hardback from Sutton Books at a cost of €30.

CALLS have been made to An Post to re-es- tablish its regional sorting office in Ennis, amid claims that the service is descending into chaos.

Business leaders have backed a call from Deputy Pat Breen (FG) for An Post to revert to sorting Clare post in Ennis.

“It is costing businesses in terms of time and money,’ said Ennis Chamber of Commerce, CEO, Rita McInerney.

‘Business people have to follow up on letters when they once could have taken it for granted

that there would be delivery the following day. And there is the expense of having to register or Swiftpost documents on tight deadlines.”

Ms McInerney said that while it is “under- standable from an economic viewpoint that An Post would want to send as much post as possi- ble to Cork, because of the expense involved in the machines they have installed there, it could have been done gradually.

“If we at least had the Clare post sorted in En- nis, it would ensure local post would arrive on time. Then later, when the problems have been sorted out, we could send Clare post down.”

Deputy Pat Breen this week called on An Post

to move the sorting operation back to Ennis.

“With Christmas postings just around the corner, it 1s difficult to see how the current, chaotic system could be expected to cope with the increased volumes,” said the Fine Gael Drea

“It 1s quite clear to me that the new sorting arrangement has failed and is failing the people of Clare. Businesses and homeowners across the county can no longer rely on their postal service, with some letters arriving more than 48 hours after being posted.

On many days in recent weeks, 10,000 let- ters have been left undelivered the next day, be-

cause they could not be taken to Cork in time for sorting.”

Deputy Breen said there had been a tried and trusted local sorting arrangement in place that worked efficiently, but that now doctors could no longer trust the system for sending blood samples, business people could no longer rely on it when making tax returns close to deadline and holidaymakers were “entering a lottery if booking online close to their travel date.

“That system served the region well and if it has to be dismantled in the name of efficiency, the least we can expect is delivery rates remain- ing the same, not a disimprovement.”

THE trial of five anti-war protesters accused of causing over $US 2.5 million damage to a US naval plane at Shannon airport over two-and- a-half years ago will enter its second week this (Tuesday) morning.

The accused — Ciaron O’Reilly (45), an Aus- tralian living in Rialto, Dublin; Damien Moran (25), of South Circular Road, Rialto, Dublin; US citizen Nuin Dunlop (34), of Walkinstown Road, Dublin; Karen Fallon (34), a Scottish native liv- ing in Rialto, Dublin; and Deirdre Clancy (35), of Castle Avenue, Clontarf – are pleading not guilty to causing damage without lawful excuse to a na- val plane, the property of the US Government and to glass door panels, the property of Aer Rianta at Shannon Airport, on February 3, 2003.

Prosecuting barrister Conor Devally said, in opening the case, there was “no huge issue” on the facts of the case but rather whether the five felt they had “lawful excuse.”

The implements used to damage the C40 plane – which had earlier arrived from Fort Worth in Texas – were engraved with Celtic symbols and slogans such as, “the war ends here”.

Sergeant Michael O’Connell said he was on se- curity duty at Shannon Airport. At around 3.45 am, he heard glass breaking and saw five people entering the hangar.

He was “terrorised by their appearance” and heard them say words which might have included “God.”

He said Ciaron O’Reilly was “belting an axe into the front nose cone of the plane” and Damien Moran hit the side engine cover with a hammer.

The women were at the back of the plane hitting the exhaust pipe.

Sgt O’Connell took the weapons from the men and they offered no further resistance. All five knelt in a circle to recite the rosary.

Det Sgt Michael Houlihan was asked if he or his colleagues considered interviewing any of the 90,000 US troops who travelled through Shannon

Airport between May 2002 and March 2003, in relation to breaches of the articles of the Geneva Convention which related to attacks on civilians. Det Sgt Houlihan replied that no specific com- plaint of breaches of law outside the State, which could breach Irish law, had been passed to him. He agreed that a complaint regarding the move- ment of troops through Shannon had been made.

TWENTY-eight per cent of all planning decisions in Clare were reversed by An Bord Pleanala in 2004, four per cent less than the national average.

More than two thirds of Clare planning decisions appealed to the planning authority last year were for residential properties.

The board varied a further 27.3 per cent of the Clare planning au- thorities decisions, according to

An Bord Pleanala’s annual report.

Planning authorities in Clare made more than two and a half thousand planning decisions last year.

Clare County Council, Kilrush Town Council and Ennis Town Council – the three planning au- thorities in the county- made a de- cision on 2,564 planning applica- tions throughout 2004.

Five per cent, or 130, of those were appealed to An Bord Plean- Ee

The board upheld 44.4 per cent of the council’s decisions.

Almost eight per cent of the ap- peals were in relation to retail; with five per cent of appeals for utilities and a further five against mixed planning applications.

Ninety residential units were granted permission on appeal.

Chairperson of An Bord Pleanala, John O’Connor, said that the strong increase in the intake of planning appeals in 2004, was continuing in the current year and that this was

putting severe strain on the Board’s resources. It is now proving diffi- cult to maintain the performance achieved in 2004 in terms of the time taken to determine appeals.

Up to the end of September 2005, the intake of appeals and infra- structure cases was up 13 per cent on last year.

It is showing an increase of 27.5 per cent over two years. On present trends, the 2005 intake is set to ex- ceed 6,000 cases. This would be an all-time record.

IN THE MIDST of news that the Shannon stopover is to end, there was good news for the airport.

Delta airlines have announced that they are planning a major expansion of its services out of Ireland, a move which will see 100,000 extra seats for Shannon on Transatlantic routes.

As well as a new scheduled daily

service between New York’s JFK and Dublin and Shannon from May 15 and there will also be expanded summer services between Atlanta and Shannon and Dublin.

Shannon management said the ex- panded routes will be a major boost for the West of Ireland gateway and the region in general.

“As we approach the end of a record-breaking year for Shannon,

Delta’s plans to add a New York serv- ice and a dedicated Atlanta-Shannon service in 2006 will help ensure and even better traffic performance next year.” said Airport Director martin Moroney.

He added that it is “estimated that capacity on the Shannon-Atlanta service will double to 120,000 seats and that the airline will add 45,000 seats to the Shannon-New York ca-

pacity.”

Delta has also announced new routes between the US and Edin- burgh, Venice and Budapest in an effort to overtake British Airways, American Airlines and Continental Airlines as the biggest Transatlantic operator.

The announcement marks one of the most significant expansions by a US airline since the September 11

attacks on New York and Washing- Keer

US airlines have seen domestic profits fall by 1 per cent so far this year, while profits on Transatlantic routes have increased by 6 per cent.

The figures suggest that while Delta may be the first operator to switch the emphasis to Transatlantic business, they will probably not be the last.