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Quin anger over Abbey car park

THE continued closure of the car- park at Quin Abbey is causing an- noyance to locals, who say that the business community in the area is suffering as a result.

The lock remains on the gate of the carpark and residents who live in the village cannot understand why their calls to re-open it have fallen on deaf ears. They are further incensed by

the fact that their calls for signage — outlining opening hours, the abbey’s history and other relevant informa- tion — have not achieved a positive response.

Junior Finance Minister Martin Manseragh visited the abbey in May and locals said they felt that their concerns were listened to on that oc- or ISTO) F

However, Helen Lowe, who is a member of the local development

committee, said there 1s much frus- tration in the village because of the lack of progress. While a caretaker is employed there, opening hours and information are not available for tourists who may wish to visit the ab- erentA

The group is pleased to learn that the Abbey will open during Novem- ber — the month of the Holy Souls – but say more good news should fol- low.

“It is the last remaining intact, me- dieval village in Clare and the OPW will not put the proper signage at the public access to utilise the abbey to its true potential,’ said Ms Lowe.

“Having a list of opening hours is critical because a lot of tourist buses come to Quin. Also there is confu- sion in the village. People don’t know where the public entrance 1s,” she added.

‘Thousands of euro has been spent on the public entrance and a new bridge has been installed. However the gate remains locked and the car- park is not occupied. It has space for 40 cars and coaches and minibuses,” she said.

The local development committee contacted the OPW and was told that signage would be put in place and ne- gotiations would take place in rela- tion to opening the carpark. However they are not happy with this as they want action immediately.

“We are coming into August, the last remaining month of the tourist season. The businesses are losing money, she added.

“We are not asking the OPW to spend money. This is a carpark that is available. It doesn’t need any at- tention. We need organisation and feedback. It’s frustrating,’ she said.

“We would like the OPW to ad- dress the signage issue first of all,” added Ms Lowe.

EACH farmer in the environmental- ly sensitive Burren area is to receive an average of €6,000 over the next three years to insure the survival of the threatened Burren landscape.

A new €3 million fund was an- nounced by the Department of Agri- culture last week which will directly fund Burren farming to introduce farm techniques which will reverse the encroachment of scrub on the karst Burren landscape.

The funding will be used to intro- duce a Burren wide roll out of many of the ideas developed by the Burren- LIFE Project over the last five years. It does not, however, guarantee the continuation of the project past this August.

“This is the best day of my farming lite. This decision is way bigger that the initial EC funding of the pilot phase of BurrenLIFE,” said head of the Burren IFA, Michael Davoren.

“It represents a very serious buy by the Department of Agriculture for the work being undertaken by Bur- ren farmers. It is now critical that the Department of the Environment fund the operational side of project and ensure that the project offices and team are retained.”

Should the BurrenLIFE Project not receive a late funding reprieve from the Department of the Environment or other sources, it is not clear who will oversee the €3 million invest- ment.

“This is a stunning statement of support for the Burren, its farmers and the innovative BurrenLIFE ap- proach to farming for conservation,’ said Brendan Dunford, Project Man- ager of the BurrenLIFE Project.

‘“BurrenLIFE is a very focused and targeted scheme, all of its actions are carefully researched and closely monitored. The strict emphasis on delivering tangible, measurable re- sults and good value for money are so critical now that resources are so tight.”

Dunford also paid tribute to the

project team of Sharon Parr, Ruairi OQ Conchtir and James Moran as well as Sean Regan from Teagasc for the work done on the project and se- curing the funding.

Meanwhile, Clare TD, Tony Kil- leen has confirmed that the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Brendan Smith, will visit the Burren region over the coming weeks to be briefed on the BurrenLIFE Project.

AN estimated 2,000 Clare farmers are facing a bleak financial future following the Department of Agri- culture’s shock closure of the REPS 4 scheme last Thursday.

Some 35,000 Irish farmers will fin- ish their environmental plans over the next three years and will now not be allowed to join the REPS 4 scheme.

The effects of this will be felt by some 2,000 Clare farmers who will also now have to plan with a further reduced Disadvantaged Area Scheme payments from 2010. The IFA called an emergency Executive Council in Portlaoise last Friday to discuss the

situation.

Mr Walshe called on the Minis- ter for Agriculture, Brendan Smith to immediately come forward with a new meaningful scheme for the farmers effected by the latest round of cuts. “The previous budget cuts plus this proposed cut will hit the hard pressed livestock sector espe- cially hard,” he said.

‘Farmers are outraged at these de- cisions at a time when farm incomes are at their lowest level in almost a decade and tens of thousands of farm families are struggling to survive.”

The ICSA Rural Development Chairman, Gabriel Gilmartin has said the news of the closure of REPS 4 is another nail in the coffin of farm-

ers and will cause many to question their future in farming.

“This decision is wholly unaccept- able and is further evidence of a total lack of understanding on the Govern- ment’s part of what measures are in fact needed to encourage economic activity in rural Ireland,” he said.

“Under the new agri environment scheme farmers will have to apply without knowing whether they will be accepted or not and they will have no idea what the rate of payment will be. Modulated money was intended to create additional rural develop- ment funding, not to facilitate the elimination of existing schemes.”

Meanwhile, while announcing the cuts, the Minister for Agriculture

also announced proposals for spend- ing €207 million in EU funding for Irish farmers over the next four years.

These proposals relate to the use of unspent Single Payment Scheme and Modulation funds and the European Economic Recovery Programme from 2010. The minister said that his proposals reflected the outcome of consultations with the various stake- holders over recent months.

In addition to this Minister Smith confirmed details of a new €113 million targeted scheme for on-farm investment to support a number of specific categories of farmers and focused on supporting productive in- vestment.

Residents caught in crossfire

MEASURES must be taken in an effort to prevent cars from being broken into at Drumcliffe cemetery in Ennis, according to local elected representatives.

The issue was raised by Councillor Mary Coote-Ryan (FG), who said that an elderly woman’s car was bro- ken into while she was visiting the graveyard earlier this month.

“The gate was locked. She had to leave her car outside. When she got out, the window of the car was broken and her handbag was taken.

It’s happening a lot. Could we have cameras there? Could the gates be left open? It’s getting very serious,’ she said.

“This woman was awfully upset. If the gate was open that evening, she could have driven in,’ she said.

Meanwhile, the CCTV pole and camera on Market Street in Ennis will not be relocated. Ennis Super- intendent John Scanlan, in a letter to Ennis Town Council, said the ques- tion of moving the equipment has been carefully considered and it is not feasible to relocate it.

‘An Garda Siochana will examine

the possibility of locating this cam- era on the front of the adjacent pri- vate property and will initially pur- sue this matter with the owner of the said property,” he wrote.

He said he was not in a position to commit to any definite action which could adversely affect the commis- sion of, or the satisfactory operation of the CCTV scheme in the town.

In 2006 Ennis was declared by the Government as one of the I] re- maining locations nationwide which formed part of the Garda CCTV pro- eramme following recommendations from the Garda authorities.

THE rotting carcass of a dead horse, 291 wrecked cars and a plethora of broken fridges, old car batteries and burned out car wrecks were found on land at Clonawee, Doora, on Septem- ber 15, a court heard.

The list was given by an officer of Clare County Council who was giv- ing evidence in the trial of Bernard McDonagh of John Paul Avenue in Cloughleigh, Ennis who was ac- cused of transporting, recovering or disposing of waste in a manner likely to cause pollution.

Senior Executive Engineer with Clare County Council, Robert Byrnes, told the court that he carried out an inspection on the lands and found “291 end-of-life cars, stacked three high in places” as well as vari- ous car components, fridges, freezers, electrical equipment, general house- hold waste and ends of carpets.

“I got the smell of the putrefying horse carcass some distance away. There were four living horses at the site and I believe from the state of decomposition, that the animal had died some weeks previously at the Sy Kone

The executive engineer said that he took 55 photos in all at the site but could only take a picture of the horse from a distance because “of the smell and the health risk.”

Mr Byrnes agreed that Mr McDon- agh had a business in scrap. The pros- ecution arose he said, because there were none of the necessary special containment or treatment measures to prevent pollution by chemicals in the car components and items such as fridges, which contain harmful

CFC gases.

These could get into the ground or possibly into the water system, he Crate

Under cross examination, by Lor- can Connolly BL for the defence, Mr Byrnes agreed he did not carry out any tests on the soil or water or take away any items for further examina- tion.

Judge Sean O Donnabhain agreed to an application from the defence to direct the jury to find the accused man not guilty.

Mr Connolly successfully argued that while Mr Byrnes had given evi- dence of his being an officially ap- pointed agent to carry out the inspec- tion, he had not produced in court the document which is his written appointment. This should be done as laid out in section 154 of the Local Government Act, Mr Connolly told the judge.

TENANTS moving into town coun- cil houses in Ennis are forced to wait several weeks before they are given the keys.

That’ according to Councillor Michael Guilfoyle (Independent), who asked for reasons for the de- lay. He said it was unfair for people to have to wait, after being told that they had been allocated houses.

Ennis town clerk Eddie Power told Mr Guilfoyle that the delay was due to works being carried out on the CoN bbe tease

‘In some cases houses have to be

brought up to standard and repair work has to be done. We feel it is important to let people know as soon as possible that they are getting a house,” he said.

However, Cllr Guilfoyle said he was aware of a lady in the Turn- pike area of Ennis who was forced to contend with a significant delay. “The girl was told eight weeks ago. No-one from the council has been up doing any work. If we haven’t got the money, I’ll settle for that, but I won’t settle for five months. A girl is waiting for five months for a house in Roslevan. Why is it taking so long?” | Ntemra¥s) .Co16 8

A YOUNG mother who saw her baby being doused in petrol by a woman wielding a can of petrol says she can- not let her children out of her sight.

Mary Kelly, in her victim impact statement after Majella McCarthy was convicted of assault causing harm to her and her baby daughter Aisling, said the ordeal has greatly NOC Kerem ol

The baby was in the back seat of the car when the attack happened and Ms Kelly looked on in fear, before she herself was doused with petrol.

“It has had a big effect. We left home to go to the doctors that morn- ing. Apart from Aisling being sick, everything was fine. I can’t get into the car. I can’t go anywhere, not even next door, without putting on the central locking,” she said.

Just a few days after the petrol at- tack on her and her baby daughter, she said she had to change the car.

‘Every time I look around in the car all I could see was Ms McCarthy with a petrol can,” she said.

“My own doctor told me I need to talk to someone about it. I have two fabulous, gorgeous kids. I’m afraid to let them out of my sight.

‘I know we were in the wrong place at the wrong time. These things hap- pen, but we could be in the wrong place at the wrong time again. | know she didn’t set us on fire but these things can happen,” she said.

She said her baby daughter used to wake at night screaming “No, no, no, no,’ for a few nights after the at- tack. She said she was glad her baby was so young when the incident hap- pened as she was not old enough to understand what was going on.

THEY provide much _ entertain- ment when they hit the town, but the funfairs also have their negative aspects!

The noise emanating from a fun- fair in Shannon caused headaches for staff at the local gaelscoil, Gaelscoil Donncha Rua, according to newly-elected councillor Mike ja (oresbeerom@ GaP

Mr Fleming told councillors at a meeting last week that a teacher at the school complained to him about the noise from machinery at the aUbeve-soe

“It has been brought to my atten- tion by a member of staff at the school that they found it very hard to teach, with the amount of noise that was generated,” he said.

He said that given the plans to lo- cate a skateboard area in the local- ity, there are fears that the funfair may be located closer to the school

and this would create more prob- aeky

His party colleague, Cllr Tony Mulcahy said this issue had been “a huge bone of contention for a long Wb salons

Labour councillor Greg Duff said every town has a place where fun- fairs and circuses locate. “There is no reason why we wouldn’t have it. The council should support a place. It will be a challenge to get another place,” he said.

CuUlr Tony McMahon (Labour) pointed out that he is the chairman of the board of management at the school and in principle there was no problem with the funfair. He suggested that the root of the noise could be located further away from the school, to ensure there were no problems.

“IT want to make it clear that the board of management of the gaels- coil does not object in principle,” he SPATE

The mayor of Shannon, Cllr Sean McLoughlin said the funfair was important for the town, in terms of income. “There’s a bit of revenue from the funfair. It’s important we use it fairly wisely,” he said.

Independent councillor Gerry Flynn said, “The circus and funfair was a neighbour of mine for years and we came to accept it. It’s very important that we have a site that is permanent for that facility.”

Independent councillor Patricia McCarthy said most of the noise from carnivals would be after school hours and the issue of limiting times could be explored. “The difficulty 1s location, location, location. We did search extensively (for a site) but there is no harm looking again, but someone is going to have to point us in the right direction,” she said.

It was agreed that town manager Bernadette Kinsella would report back to councillors on the issue at a later stage.