The Clare People Archive

THE RAILWAY Bridge at Cratloe is a “ticking timebomb” it was claimed WT Lore) ©

But the cost of straightening out the treacherous bends on the ap- proach to the bridge and doing other works to make it safe would be in the order of one million euro, local councillors were told.

Cllr Cathal Crowe raised the mat- ter at a local area meeting of the council.

‘There is a 90 degree bend and a series of turns on the approach to this bridge that make it one of the

worst in the country. If ever there was a ticking time bomb, then this is one,” he said.

Cllr Crowe pointed out that there had already been an accident at the bridge, when a truck detoured be- cause of President Bill Clinton’s visit and became wedged under the bridge, demolishing part of it.

Senior Council Engineer, Sean Lenihan, said that the cost of rea- ligning the road and working on the bridge itself could be as much as one million euro.

“As far as Irish Rail are concerned, the bridge is operating perfectly well as a railway bridge so they will

not be putting any of their money into this. But what they have agreed to do is to get their designers to put the work in on the bridge aspect and if we get our designers to come up with a road plan, then we can look at where funding might come from.”

But the senior engineer warned that any solution to the problem will also depend on whether there may be other obstacles, such as whether the land is suitable for a road rea- lignment.

‘The engineers of days gone by had reasons for the way they did things and there may be reasons why the bridge and the approach is designed

the way it is. There may be obstacles or restraints we don’t know about and we won’t know until we look into it.”

In the meantime, the engineers agreed that they will see what meas- ures can be taken by way of signage or speed restrictions to warn drivers of the hazards.

Cllr Crowe recommended _ that there be “some sign which indicates to drivers to be prepared to stop. Lo- cal people are aware of the hazards if they meet another car but anyone who doesn’t know the area won’t be aware of that and there could be a dreadful accident”.

A DETERMINED crew of 16 young- sters from Scariff and surround- ing areas took off last Thursday on a mission of mercy to help rebuild lives shattered by a natural disaster.

Fishbowl America is the name the group of young people and adults choose for their mission to work in the Hurricane Katrina disaster area MOD RML UDO Sb Seles m

The group from east Clare and south east Galway are all members of the highly active Fishbowl Youth

Club in Scariff.

The club has a history of interna- tional work and have previously been involved in or hosted eight interna- tional projects.

This however is their most ambi- tious to date. The 16 volunteers will spend two weeks helping to rebuild one of the worst affected areas in the Gulf Coast.

They will concentrate their efforts in the town of Bay, St Louis situated on the coast of Mississippi.

Prior to Katrina the town had up- wards of 8,000 residents but the

buildings in the area were completely decimated by the hurricane and even now, two years on from the disaster, only a handful of residents have been able to return to the area.

The group have spent the last year organising the trip and carrying out a number of different fund raising events around the county to help pay SDMA AYA

The youngsters have done every- thing from baby-sitting to busking and even as late as Wednesday, they were on the streets of Ennis, playing guitar, singing their hearts out and

collecting.

“Its been a long year but we’ve put everything we had into raising mon- ey to go,” said group member, Fiacra aah

“Some of our ideas worked out better than others but we got there in the end and we’re really looking forward to getting there and getting stuck in.”

CALLS have been made to name and shame people who abuse recycling facilities by leaving their empty bags and boxes or just dumping the cans and bottles in front of the bins.

Clir Pascal Fitzgerald made the call ata meeting of the Killaloe area com- mittee of the council.

He told how staff at the council’s new offices in Westbury are “obliged to go out and clean up after people who leave a mess at the recycling fa- cility – it’s not our job. We have CCTV cameras so why is it that we are not

catching people dumping?”

The Labour councillor told officials and fellow councillors that some peo- ple who arrive at the bottle bank “are so lazy that they just dump boxes full of bottles at the foot of the bins – they don’t even put them in the recycling bins. We need to prosecute people who are doing this and expose their names in the media”.

Cio OM Coe Domne Ne One han said that there have been 19 pros- ecutions on foot of such behaviour.

“But people can be very creative about how they park their cars so that we can’t identify them,” he said.

He added that the council’s litter warden is “very active’ in pursuit of offenders “but he has to have some- thing to go on – acar reg or a name”.

He added that the problem is not one which only applied to east Clare but consideration had been given to putting a refuse bin at the re-cycling Station in the new Westbury Centre.

“That was discounted because where ever we put in refuse bins they are abused by people dumping their household rubbish.”

Cllr Tony O’Brien said that the “real problem is the mentality of people who do that. What we have to do is

ring the warden when we see this hap- pening – take car registration numbers so the offenders can be tracked down – it doesn’t matter if its your neighbour. It’s the only way we’ll stop this and find out who is doing this so we can prosecute them.”

OOo) (oe y Cn det lam some Ker AWE Bho that there would be a pub opening for business in the centre shortly and asked whether a barrier might be erected to keep people out of the cen- tre at night after pub hours.

He was told this wouldn’t be possible as the centre is not in council owner- ship or control.

A YOUNG man who demanded €20 from another man, in a threaten- ing way, has been sentenced to six months’ detention.

Patrick McCarthy (19), of Pearse Avenue, Ennis, was convicted of two offences, arising out of separate inci- dents in Ennis last year.

Inspector Tom Kennedy told Ennis District Court that Brian Custy was having a cigarette, outside his place of work, the Queen’s Hotel, on Janu- Za ar URAC elon

He was approached by the accused, who demanded €20.

‘He told Mr Custy he would break his neck if he didn’t give it to him,” said Inspector Kennedy.

On another occasion, October 29, 2006, the accused was seen running down a Street and rugby tackling an “innocent” person to the ground.

No complaint was _ forthcoming from the injured party and the ac-

cused was charged under the Public Order Act, arising from that inci- elem

Defending solicitor William Cahir said his client was familiar with Mr Custy and did ask him for €20.

‘He didn’t intend it to be 1n a threat- ening, menacing way,” he said.

The solicitor said he accepted his chent’s behaviour was “out of order” on the night of October 29.

Judge Joseph Mangan imposed a six month detention sentence for the incident outside the Queen’s and two months for the other offence, both sentences to run concurrently.

He refused an application to back- date the sentence to July 6, when the accused went into custody.

Mr Cahir asked for an explanation for the refusal and the judge replied, “If I had contemplated backdating it, I’d probably have imposed a longer term.”

He fixed a bond in the event of an appeal.

A CONVICTED sex offender from west Clare is due to be extradited to Ireland within the next week, after he fled to the UK two years ago.

Graham Haugh (21), of Drumina, Dysart, Ennis, was found guilty by a jury, in March 2004, of buggering and sexual assaulting a young boy in Kilrush, in 2001. The verdict fol- lowed a 10-day trial.

Haugh fled the country in 2005 and joined the army in the UK under a false name.

At an extradition hearing in London last week, the City of Westminster Magistrates court heard Haugh had fled to Britain because he believed his life was in danger.

“I was attacked by a few people. I was getting called “paedophile, sick bastard’, I felt a glass smashed into the back of my head and I was kicked on the ground,” he said.

He breached his probation condi- tions and went on the run to London in 2005. He argued last week that extradition would breach his human rights.

Haugh alleged his parents’ car had acid thrown on it and there were at- tempts to poison the family cat and dog. Haugh asked the court not to send him back to Ireland where he fears he could be killed.

“Every time I walked the streets I got abuse — | felt my life was in dan- ger every time I was outside the door. It felt like house arrest,” he said.

He said the vigilante campaign forced the family to move to Ennis, but the harassment followed him Wee uer

Judge Anthony Evans said the risks to Haugh’s safety did not meet the high criteria.

The judge, approving the extradi- tion, said he had received reassur- ance from the DPP that Haugh would be protected in a special wing for vulnerable prisoners.

At Dublin District Court in 2005, Judge Yvonne Murphy noted that Haugh’s life had been very difficult and dysfunctional. His role in bug- gering the victim had been to hold him down with another’s help, while a much older third man committed the actual act.

A HALF tonne of rubbish, including a fridge freezer and the front door of a house, was dumped along a road- side in Meelick, a court has heard. Arising out of the incident, Tina Quilligan, of Cannonbreen Park, Thomondgate, Limerick, was fined €400, at Shannon District Court.

Garda John Kelleher told the court that a variety of rubbish was dumped at Gortgarraun, Meelick, on Decem- ber 23 last.

These included a fridge freezer, the door of a house, sheets of corrugated iron, paper, cardboard, plastic pack- aging, Christmas wrapping and gen- eral household rubbish.

It was dumped by the side of the

road and was visible from the public road, the court heard.

Correspondence found in the rub- bish led gardai to the defendant.

She admitted some of the rubbish came from her house and some of the Christmas wrapping had her childrens’ names on it. It cost Clare County Council €316 to clean up the rubbish.

Defending solicitor Caitriona Car- mody said her client, a mother-of- five, was doing work to the rear of her house. She saw an advertisement in a newspaper and contact the number on it, to remove the rubbish.

“She paid them and expected them to dispose of it legitimately, but they didn’t,” she said. “She is here to plead guilty,’ added Ms Carmody.

THE Ennis General Hospital De- velopment Committee has vowed to regroup and mount a campaign to maintain 24-hour accident and emer- gency care at the hospital.

A special meeting was held last evening after leaks from a review of acute services in the mid-west sound- ed the death knell for 24-hour con- sultant-led accident and emergency services at the county hospital.

Leaks from the review carried out by Horwarth Consulting Ireland, in association with British-based Team- work Management Services, points to the closure of the 24-hour depart- ments in Ennis, Nenagh and St John’s Hospital in Limerick.

A spokesperson for the HSE said at the weekend that the controversial review was “still underway and ex- pected in early autumn.”

Chairman of the Ennis General Hospital Development Committee, Peadar McNamara, said that the eroup were planning mass demon- strations and would begin an intense political lobby.

He said the committee intend to send representations to all the gov- ernment party leaders and the inde- pendent members of the government, as well as to the CEO of the HSE, the Mid West Network Manager and En- nis General Hospital Manager.

Just two of Clare’s candidates in last May’s General Election said they would resign from government if the

accident and emergency facilities at the hospital were downgraded.

The only female candidates, Fine Gael Cllr Madeleine Taylor Quinn and Sinn Féin’s Anna Prior, both said that if their parties were in gov- ernment, they would insist that full services were retained at the hospi- tal. Neither of the candidates were elected despite their commitment.

Likewise, veteran politician Brendan Daly said he would not run for Fianna Fail in the election without a guaran- tee that services at the hospital were retained. He lost out on a seat, despite reassurances from the minister for health and the Taoiseach that accident and emergency would be retained.

However, CEO of the HSE, Profes- sor Brendan Drumm, has never come

out in favour of 24-hour accident and emergency in Ennis.

“Speaking on a personal level, what flabbergasts me about the election is that nine out of 10 people voted for those who planned the implementa- tion of Hanley and the closure, and most of those who voted for them were people in the periphery or the county and at the highest risk,’ said Mr McNamara, chairman of the En- nis General Hospital Development Committee.

“Eleven out of 20 people did not vote for the closure of accident and emergency and Hanley and their wishes are being undemocratically ignored by the outgoing government parties and the new allies in govern- ment,” he said.

THE HSE is training advanced para- medics ahead of the expected closure of accident and emergency depart- ments across the country.

The former mid-western health board region of Clare, Limerick and north Tipperary will be used on a pilot basis for the deployment of the highly trained medics from this September.

It is understood that the HSE plans to deploy the advanced paramedics in Clare and Tipperary, effectively tak- ing A&E on the road. This will allow them to administer critical life-sav- ing treatment before taking patients

directly to the Mid Western Regional Hospital in Limerick, bypassing local hospitals.

The HSE is preparing to announce the results of a review of acute hos- pitals in the mid-west carried out by Teamwork, a British-based company of consultants. The same group has already recommended the closure of accident and emergency departments in the north east of the country.

While not commenting on what the report will contain, the HSE has said that the review of hospital services in the Mid West is expected in the autumn at the earliest. However, it is believed locally that an announcement

will come in the next few weeks.

It is expected to recommend the clo- sure of the accident and emergency departments at Ennis and Nenagh gen- eral hospitals, as well as at St John’s in Limerick, and be replaced by nurse- led minor injuries clinics.

The HSE has confirmed that seven advanced paramedics are already based in Limerick, with one each in Roscrea and Ennis and seven more CUTS KoOLO AEN mbe-BoNpbOron

Asked how advanced paramedics will be deployed in the Mid West, the HSE said they are currently deployed as part of operational crews and this will be reviewed for the future.

Ambulance personnel, previously known as emergency medical techni- cians, are now referred to as paramed- ics, having completed a conversion course, and are permitted to admin- ister better live-saving treatment than before.

Before qualifying as advanced para- medics, staff undergo further, more intensive training lasting almost 12 months, at a cost of over €120,000 per person. They will then be allowed un- dertake “advanced interventions” in- cluding the administration of a range of live-saving drugs. Staff will also be able to put up drips, a task only under- taken by doctors in the past.

AN BORD Pleanala has over-ruled the recommendation of its own in- spector to grant planning permission for contentious plans for a housing development in Ballyvaughan.

Earlier this year, Clare County Council granted planning permis- sion to Thomas P Considine for 21 homes in the face of opposition from local residents.

However, the residents appealed the decision to An Bord Pleanala. They stated that the proposed houses are suburban in massing, design and density and are therefore inappro-

priate for the location proposed and damaging to visual amenity.

The residents also stated that the pro- posed development by reason of the number of residential units proposed, would prejudice the orderly develop- ment of the settlement as envisaged in the development plan and also argued that the pattern of development is in- consistent with the historic pattern of development of the area.

The residents also argued that the development would overlook certain neighbouring residential properties and that the site is prone to flooding.

In the recommendation by its in- spector, Keith Sargent, he recom-

mended refusal after ruling that the proposed dwellings would have an unacceptable visual impact on the scenic amenities of this visually sen- sitive area, and would set an inappro- priate precedent for the construction of similar dwellings on other unde- veloped lands in Ballyvaughan.

He stated, “The proposed develop- ment would, therefore, be contrary to proper planning and sustainable de- velopment of the area.”

The inspector also ruled that, con- sidering the existing deficiency in the Ballyvaughan sewerage system and the uncertainty regarding the timing of future improvements to the system,

development of the kind proposed on the land would be premature.

Mr Sergeant ruled that access to the development is proposed via a cul-de-sac road serving an existing residential estate and involving con- struction of a road on existing public Open space serving the said existing residential estate. He said, “The pro- posed development would therefore seriously injure the amenities and depreciate the value of property in the vicinity and would be contrary to the proper planning and sustainable development of the area.”

However, in its ruling, the council stated that the development would

not seriously injure the amenities of the area or of property in the vicinity, would be acceptable in terms of traf- fic safety and convenience and would not be prejudicial to public health. The board explained not accept- ing the inspector’s recommendation by stating that the proposed devel- opment as designed represented an acceptable standard appropriate to its context, the issue of foul sewage could be addressed by condition, and the access proposed was appropriate in the context of the planned expan- sion of residential development in the area and would not unduly injure the amenities of adjoining property.

‘PEOPLE power’ was yesterday cred- ited with ending contentious plans — for now — to construct a five-storey apartment block overlooking Lahinch prom.

Plans by developer, Seamus Carroll to develop a €3 million complex that involves the demolition of the existing McDonalds amusement arcade faced widespread opposition throughout the north Clare coastal resort.

However, after being in informal contact with the planning department

last week, the developer lodged a let- ter with the council requesting that the planning application be withdrawn.

The roads section of the council had stated that the proposal was pre- mature pending the completion of a masterplan for Lahinch prom, while it is understood that there were other reasons refusing planning permission for the proposal.

As no formal decision has been made, the council is not making pub- lic those reasons. However, Mr Car- roll — faced with a refusal — opted to withdraw the plan rather than have the

precedent set of there being a refusal Oy NSN es

Mr Carroll now has the option of lodging plans for a scaled down devel- Opment and to await the outcome of the masterplan for the redevelopment of the prom.

The plan before the council includes 20 apartments, 18 duplex units and six eround floor retail units overlooking Lahinch promenade.

Chairman of the Lahinch Commu- nity Council, Donogh O’Loghlin led opposition against the proposal and he said yesterday, “The withdrawal

of the plan represents a good day for ‘people power’.”

He added, “People in Lahinch are thrilled with the outcome. We are not against development, but any devel- opment has to be in keeping with the a0 0 Ee Texonee

The apartment block plan was pro- posed for a site adjacent to the exist- ing “Dell’ development on the corner site leading into the prom.

Referring to planning permission being granted for the Dell in the late 1990s, Mr O’Loghlin said, “Two wrongs don’t make a right and I would

like to see that building knocked and a new building put in place there.”

In its objection to the proposal, Lahinch Community Council stated, “The erection of 36 residential apart- ments and six retail units, in a dense development, will place an intolerable burden upon the sewerage facilities in Lahinch which are already a source of grave concern.

“T would draw your attention to the fact that on a constant basis on the Main Street and Kettle Street, Lahi- nch, the smell of raw sewerage is a constant problem.”