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A SOLICITOR who has vowed to become a thorn in the side of the State, over its handling of MRSA, has said deaths associated with the superbug should be investigated by coro- ners because they are not natural deaths.

Jan Simon of Brian Lynch and Associates, Galway, told the meet- ing of MRSA sufferers

and concerned relatives that he would be issu- Tb OTSam Watomm DCM o U1 MB OO MEU I) MRSA case later this Neto e

“IT am acting for be- reaved families, acting for ordinary people who came out badly maimed or dead. We (the com- pany of solicitors) are eating, breathing and sleeping MRSA. They need a solicitor to be a thorn in the side of the State,’ he said.

The company has employed a doctor with experience of working abroad to help with the or eh

The solicitor told the meeting in the Clare Inn that he had to go abroad to find an expert willing to speak out.

Mr. Simon said that cases relating to MRSA had already been taken in London, but it was only in the last year that people in Ireland

““T think now ae maybe the time has

come for a fresh voice to come in and take charge, someone that might take Clare football on to a new level. After winning the Tommy Murphy Cup last season, this past year was a big disap- pointment.

“We lost two games by a point in the League and drew three others. Then the championship game against Cork was very disappointing as was the Sligo game after our great display against Westmeath,” he added.

And, the outgoing boss also hit out some ill-discipline that dogged Clare football in the past year. “There was a lack of discipline among a few players and that was disappointing because everyone else gave 100 per cent. “

With a county team you need every- one on the same wavelength and pull- ing in the same direction. Maybe with lessons learned some played can start afresh under a new management,” concluded Kennedy.

Meanwhile, county board chairman Michael McDonagh paid tribute to John Kennedy’s contribution to Clare football. ““We thank him for all his ef- forts, he’s decent man and a good foot- ball man, he’ll be hard to replace,’ he said.

“We have set-up a seven-man com- mittee, there’s a short list of four or five names, and we hope to resolve the issue 1n the near future,” added Mr McDonagh.

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CONTENTIOUS _ holiday home plans by a Doolin busi- ness man have been thrown into doubt, after 50 Doolin residents appealed the deci- sion to An Bord Pleanala.

Last month, Clare County Council granted planning permission to Joseph Gar- rihy to develop 26 homes, including 19 holiday homes on O’Connor’s campsite in Doolin.

However, in their appeal, the residents and local busi- ness people stated, “It 1s ac- cepted that the tourism prod- uct of Doolin needs to be enhanced and developed to sustain tourism in this part of the country. We would argue however, that the cur- rent proposal, taken in con- junction with other similar proposals recently before the Council add nothing to the tourism product of Doolin.”

The appellants state, “There is no need for more

‘holiday homes’ in Doolin at present. There are already 65 holiday homes built, or in the process of being built, in the area of Doolin.

“What is proposed will ad- versely impact on the exist- ing B&B and other residen- tial accommodation, which would be at a commercial disadvantage when compet- ing with what is essentially tax-driven rather than mar- ket-driven accommodation.

“The scale of what is now proposed would be totally out of scale with what has been, to date, organic growth DONO Tom BUNT NoCommN ONG OM OT eB Kee acted slowly to the ebb and flow of commercial life.”

The appellants also argue that the development “‘is premature in the absence of a public sewerage treatment system and would be preju- dicial to public health”.

They state: “In hydro geo- logical terms, the Ground Water Protection Scheme for County Clare categorises the

area at this location as con- taining a regionally impor- eOlMreLO LUND ol

The vulnerability of the acquifer is stated to be in the extreme category.

“We do not consider it to be good planning in these circumstances to permit ef- fluent from a large scale de- velopment to be directed to ground.

“The development is not essential. It could be argued that if the village itself was being stagnated…this is not the case here. What is in- volved is, effectively, a holi- day home development be- ing driven by tax incentives which have dictated that the development be built by a Carne sens oMe

The appellants also claim that the development would not be in the interests of traf- fic safety and the layout is defective from an amenity OLOvee IMO) Ma ales

A decision is due on the application in December.

THE Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has expressed extreme concern over efforts by Clare County Council to min- imize the risk of odour nuisance at its €8 million landfill site near Inagh.

Last May, the Council was served with its eighth notice of non-compliance in relation to its management of the landfill, following an unannounced inspection that found fresh waste odour both on and off the site.

Now, the EPA has written to the Council stating that it “is extremely concerned” at the reductions in volume of landfill gas to the landfill gas flare over the Summer months.

The landfill gas flare acts as a means of minimising the risk

of potential for odour nuisance.

In its letter, the Agency states that the Council should in- crease the volumes of gas directed to the gas flare. The EPA States, “Failure to take fast and effective action in relation to this may result in the Agency having to take further enforce- ment action in this regard.”

In response, the Council has written to the EPA to state that the issue, amongst others, has been raised in correspondence between the Council and a firm of consultants

The Council states, “On receipt of the reply, it will be re- viewed with a view to improving the flow rate to the flare.”

The Council’s Director of Service for the Environment, Ger Dollard said this week: “I think there is no doubt that the Bally- duff Beg landfill is being operated to the highest standards.”

On plans to install a composting facility at the site, Mr Dol- lard said: “Many of the elements of the composting facility are already in place. We need to provide an additional tipping building for which a funding application is with the Depart- ment and are also awaiting a licence from the Department of Agriculture in relation to the process. All in all it will be 2006 before the full facility is up and running.”

Meanwhile, groups in the Inagh-Kilnamona area are set to start reaping a €1 million council fund, arising from the pres- ence of the landfill at Ballyduff Beg 2km from Inagh.

The community receives €1.27 for every ton of waste dis- posed of at the landfill.

To date, 140,517 tonnes of waste has been disposed at the landfill since 1t opened in September 2002.

PROFESSIONAL PEOPLE

MINISTER Sile De Valera met with protest at the monument of her grandfather on Satur- day, as the Fianna Fail ODUM UE DIOOUMUD Mme lM ales Rere| in Ennis, to commemo- rate the party’s found- ing father, Eamonn De Valera.

After the ‘Taoiseach Bertie Ahern laid a wreath at the monu- ment outside the court- house, to mark the 30th anniversary of De Valera’s death, a group of parents and pupils from a Limerick school demanded a meeting with the junior minister responsible for school transport.

The parents are seeking a school bus to take their children to the Salesian Col- lege, Pallaskenry. They were told there was no room for them in city

schools.

The minister told re- porters that the protest had nothing to do with the school safety bus issue, a point echoed by the Taoiseach. Mr Ahern said between now and the end of his year, all second level school buses would have a seat and a belt for each student and by the end of next year every junior school bus would have the same.

The Taoiseach was invited to Ennis by Clare Ogra Fianna Fail to mark the 30th anni- versary of De Valera’s olor hdee

“Three decades on from the passing of this giant of modern Irish history, it is not only appropriate, but also important, that we re- flect on his great serv- ice to our nation and draw inspiration from it,” he said.

AN INTERNATIONAL drug baron, described as _ having played a crucial role in the big- gest-ever seizure of cannabis resin in Clare nine years ago, has been jailed for 25 years for another drugs offence in the UK.

William Colin Lees was one of the main bosses of a narcot- ics gang, broken up after gardai seized a record £16 million haul from a luxury motor cruiser in OTe

Their drugs boat, the Plongeur Whisky, was forced to sail to the West Clare harbour after devel- oping engine trouble, in Novem-

ber 1996.

A massive 1.7 million tonnes of high-quality North African cannabis was found stashed in the hold, by a team led by armed ele rerel aa oe

The drugs were to have been landed at Malin Head in Don- egal by the boat’s three-man crew.

Lees was arrested in 1997, after a joint probe involving Garda and RUC drugs officers. He claimed he had been unwit- tingly used by others to help smuggle the drugs into Ireland. But, when sentenced at Belfast Crown Court, Mr Justice Gillen described him as having played a “pivotal role” in the incident.

Lees, now aged 53, of Ard- moneen Court, Maherafelt, Der- ry, was only released from jail in 2003. He had been sentenced to 12 years, but was released early.

Last Wednesday, Lees was convicted at Liverpool Crown Court, of plotting to supply ec- stacy and amphetamines with a street value of more than £33 million, in August 2004.

He was found guilty of two drugs conspiracy charges, fol- lowing 20-hour deliberations by CLUE

The court heard the drugs were hidden in seven pallets of denim jeans shipped from Holland to a business unit in Lancashire.

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PSNI, officers from Merseyside police were watching the busi- ness premises, which was trad- ing as “Shaun’s Orient” and pur- ported to be a legitimate courier and haulage company. Lees was not present at the time of the raid, but was arrested some time Flow

Jailing Lees, Judge John Rob- erts said while he accepted there may well have been somebody higher up the hierarchy, Lees was very near the top. He said he had no doubt Lees organised the delivery of the drugs to the vuebA

The court heard that Lees, a father-of-two, was an experi- enced drug dealer.

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THE man charged in connection with the death of Ann Walsh was further remanded in custody, when he appeared before Ennis district court yesterday (Mon- day).

23-year-old Raymond Donovan, of New Houses, Cooraclare, is charged with intentionally or reck- lessly causing harm to Ms Walsh, at Toler Street, Kil- rush, contrary to Section 4 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act, 1997.

Inspector Kevin Moynihan applied to Judge Leo Malone to have the accused remanded in custody, to re-appear before the court on Friday morning.

Defending solicitor, Tara Godfrey consented to the application, which she said was without prejudice to a bail application at any stage.

Mr Donovan had been remanded in custody to Lim- erick prison when he appeared before a special sitting of Kilrush district court last Friday.

On that occasion, Ms Godfrey applied that he be remanded to the Central Mental Hospital, Dundrum, rather than Limerick prison. She pointed out that her client may have difficulties accessing psychiatric serv- coe LM Oeom TUE

But after Superintendent Joe McKeown – who is

leading the investigation into Ms Walsh’s death – said the court couldn’t remand the accused to Dundrum, the judge agreed and directed that a psychiatric examina- tion be conducted on him at Limerick prison.

Yesterday Ms Godfrey said she has spoken to the Governor and Assistant Governor at Limerick prison and was assured that a visiting psychiatrist would be at the prison once a week and she requested that her client be assessed this week.

The solicitor pointed out that her client – who is in receipt of a disability allowance and who has received psychiatric treatment in the past in the Mid-west and in Mayo – is accused of assault causing harm and said that some facets of the media have created the impres- sion that he was charged with “other offences.” She said she wanted to remind the media to keep within the parameters of court reporting.

But Judge Malone said he was not going to give any direction to the media. “They are well aware of their own responsibilities,’ he said.

The accused remained silent for both court hearings, which were attended by members of his family who travelled from Cooraclare. As he was being led away from the courtroom last Friday morning, the deceased woman’s sister Mary shouted abuse at him and she was KoA NANO OSLO Ml oN amee-H KOLB