The Clare People Archive

UP TO 190,000 bednights and 25,000 car rental days will be lost as a result of Open Skies and there will be 40,000 fewer US visitors to the Shannon region, a startling new industry report has predicted.

The report, featured on the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation (ITIC) website, 1s based on flight figures and current information from tourism industry players, many of whom are moving their interests to Dublin Airport.

Based on recorded visitor behav- 1our, an increase in the number of

US visitors flying into Dublin won’t make up for the Shannon losses as Americans who fly in through Shan- non stay longer, spend more time outside Dublin and are more likely to hire a car to get around.

Shannon will see a reduction from 59 flights per week in each direction last winter to 34 for the coming win- ter – a 40 per cent decrease in maxi- mum available seat capacity.

‘The net impact of a possible shift of between 25 per cent and 30 per cent of US holiday traffic from Shannon to Dublin in the short term, without any appreciable increase in overall capacity on direct routes to Ireland

in 2008, could see an estimated net loss of between 150,000 and 190,000 bednights in the country, a reduction of up to 25,000 car rental days and at least 25,000 fewer Americans visit- ing in Cork/Kerry and up to 40,000 fewer Americans visiting the Shan- non region. The Galway west region could see at least a drop of 15,000 US holiday visitors’, the report states. The ITIC study predicts a “redistri- bution of mobile services – car rental fleets and coaches from Shannon to Dublin, with added congestion issues in Dublin together with higher oper- ating costs for most”

“These changes have potentially

very significant implications for the tourism industry, particularly busi- nesses based in the west’, it states.

ITIC is calling “as a matter of ur- gency” for the implementation of “a tourism and economic plan for the region, to include funds for the promotion of the west of Ireland in the US market so as to overcome the short-term impacts of open skies.”

It also argues that a special budget allocation to Tourism Ireland for each of three years (2008-2010) should be directed at heightening the motiva- tion to visit the western seaboard and to at least sustain the level of services to Shannon Airport.

THE HEALTH Service Executive is preparing to announce that accident and emergency departments at three hospitals in the mid west are to close and be replaced with “nurse lead mi- nor injuries units.”

According to sources, the depart- ments at Ennis, Nenagh and St John’s voluntary hospital in Limerick City will be named as the three casualties of the Teamwork report, a review of accident and emergency departments nationwide by the British-based con- sultants. The announcement is ex- pected in the next three weeks.

The news comes just two months

after a document leaked to the media revealed that accident and emergen- cy departments in the north east of the country are also set to close.

The Teamwork report will recom- mend that accident and emergency services at Ennis, Nenagh and St John’s be moved to the Mid Western Regional Hospital in Limerick. The facilities will instead be replaced by “nurse lead minor injury units.” It is not clear, however, whether these new units will be open on a 24-hour basis.

Clare Fine Gael TD, Pat Breen, has called on the Government “to shred this report, live up to their election commitments or lives will be lost.”

Deputy Breen said, “If these reports are true, then Ennis hospital will ef- fectively become a 12-hour nurse-led injury clinic. Whilst acknowledging the outstanding role that nurses play in the hospital and the care and atten- tion given by them to their patients, the failure to provide 24-hour con- sultant-led accident and emergency will mean that lives will be lost”.

“Of course, it 1s no coincidence that the Dail is in recess when this report is set to be published.”

Meanwhile, the PRO of the Ennis General Hospital Development Com- mittee Councillor Brian Meaney said, “They are suggesting putting in an injuries unit and they should do

but it should operate in tandem with the existing 24 hour accident and emergency department which is al- ready stretched…

“We will fight this and if means marching on the Dail we will but we also have a number of imaginative civil disobedience protests we could mount,’ Mr Meaney said.

“If they think the HSE can intro- duce this policy unilaterally, without consulting politicians, like they did with the mammography unit in En- nis earlier this month, they will have to deal with a different reality in due course,” the councillor added.

A comment was still awaited from the HSE last night.

THE patient at the centre of an in- vestigation into treatment at an Ennis nursing home was “not dehydrated or in a medication induced coma as al- leged” according to the HSE.

In answers to a series of questions dating back to late November regard- ing the treatment of the late Gerard Finn at Cappahard Lodge Nursing Home, the HSE said a complaint that the Kilrush man was returned to En- nis General Hospital with bruising and dehydration in July 2006, was investigated by two senior nurses.

While denying the patient was dehydrated, the HSE said that two bruises “described as a pinch mark or a finger prick”’ were found.

Mr Finn had also been admitted to the county hospital in March of that year, where he was diagnosed with a respiratory tract infection in the presence of advanced dementia.

Allegations of bruising to the arms and head were also made at the wneales

“No evidence of any maltreatment was found by the GP or the consult- ant at Ennis General Hospital. The patient had suffered two falls in the week preceding admission and was x-rayed. It was concluded that the cause of the falls was advanced de- mentia with recurring TIAs (tran- sient ischemic attacks),” said HSE.

It also said that Mr Finn was not medically fit to leave Cappahard Lodge, Ennis, when his daugh- ter wished to remove him from the home.

According to the HSE he was taken to visit his daughter’s home when he was fit to do so but his daughter was not allowed to take him from the home on Father’s Day 2006 as he was not medically well enough.

The HSE confirmed that it used re- straints on the 69-year-old Kilrush man “on a needs basis with a seat belt

in an appropriate chair for short peri- ods for health and safety reasons.”

It also stated that the restraints policy at Cappahard Lodge was “evi- dence based best practice in accord- ance with national norms.”

The HSE ordered an external in- dependent review last May into the treatment of Mr Finn at the home fol- lowing concerns raised by a number of parties including staff.

A separate Garda investigation 1s also under way following complaints made by some family members of the Kilrush man.

Mr Finn was admitted to the home in December 2005 with Alzheimer’s and angina. During an “extended period of time” some of his family members made a number of com- plaints to the HSE regarding his care at Cappahard Lodge.

The complaints were investigated by the Clinical Director and Direc- tor of Nursing, Clare Mental Health Services. The “screening process” found that no abusive actions had taken place and that “nursing and medical care provided for Mr Finn was appropriate’.

The HSE said that as a result no further investigation was warranted.

Following the Trust in Care investi- gation the HSE continued to receive complaints from some family mem- bers. The external review was then commissioned, prior to Mr Finn’s death at the home in June.

‘The HSE is confident that all pa- tients in Cappahard are well and pro- fessionally catered for,’ a HSE state- ment said.

Mr Finn’s widow Ann said repeat- edly she had no issue with her late husband’s treatment at the Ennis home and was full of praise for its staff. Last night the HSE confirmed that the terms of reference for the independent review were being final- ised and the review was expected to begin shortly.

A KILRUSH Town Councillor has called for an extension to the town boundary and an investigation in to the possibility of increasing the local authorities power.

Cllr Tom Prenderville (FF), be- lieves now is the time to prepare a preliminary report on “the feasibility of seeking ministerial approval for an extension to the town boundary.”

‘From a social and economic view point the town is extending to the west, south and east,” he said.

“There is a lot of building going on. There are new estates being built on the periphery of the town that will need services. It would make more

sense for those people to be looked after by the town council.”

He pointed also to the further de- velopment at the edge of the town such as Tesco.

“And there are going to be more there in the next five to ten years.”

He said that now was the time as work begins on the new Kilrush Town Plan, to look to the future and look at the costs of such an extension of the boundary and local powers.

Cllr Prenderville said that within the next 20 years he could hope to see the town council become a dis- trict council.

“Ennis, Shannon ad Kilrush need to be able to expand and a good discus- sion document is needed,” he added.

FOUR Ennis men accused of violent disorder on the night of an ear-biting incident, have been found not guilty, on direction of the judge.

William Fox (24), Hermitage; Clinton Keane (24), Castlewood Park; Michael McCarthy (25), Wa- tery Road and Scott Hennessy (19), Waterpark Court, had all pleaded not guilty to the charge, at Market Square, Ennis, on March 18, 2005.

Counsel for the State, Stephen

Coughlan said it would be alleged that Mr Browne and Keane began to fight, at around 12.45 am. He said Keane was assisted by Mr McCarthy, Mr Hennessy and Mr Fox.

“During the course of that incident Mr Browne remembers his ear be- ing chewed. When the incident had finished, William Fox followed him around and said, ‘I’m sorry’ and handed him his ear. His ear had been severed,” said Mr Coughlan.

He told the jury that violent disor- der amounted to three or more peo-

ple using unlawful violence simulta- neously.

Simon Flanagan, who had been so- cialising with Mr Browne that night, recalled a “melee breaking out,” where “an awful lot” of people were present.

“Gary got a good hiding, like a football on the street. | made an at- tempt to go over, but I was pushed back out of the way, by William Fox,” he said.

“Gary was in an awtul state. He took a savage beating. It was as it

sounds. It was disgusting. He was hammered,” he said.

Keane’s_ barrister Mark Nicho- las, in his cross-examination of Mr Browne, said, “You did meet him in Sullie’s pub. You pushed him first and he pushed you back and ye were put out.” Mr Browne said, “That was the end of it.”

Mr Nicholas added, “You wanted to have a go at Clinton Keane after that.”” Mr Browne said he would have no problem having a “one-on-one” welsemebneee

Mr Browne said he was “absolutely drunk off my head” on the night, “but they had no right to do what they did to me.”

Barrister Lorcan Connolly, who represented Mr McCarthy, said Mr Browne’s recollection of the night was “bad, because of the amount of drink” he had consumed. Mr Browne disputed this.

After a legal submission in the ab- sence of the jury, Judge Sean O Don- nabhain recalled the jury and direct- ed them to find all four not guilty.

A MOTORIST who knocked down an athlete and then fled the scene has been jailed for four months and banned from driving for 10 years.

Declan McMahon (41), of Cappa Lodge, Sixmilebridge, was convict- ed of failing to stop his jeep, remain at the scene or report the matter to the gardai.

Shannon District Court heard that David Chaplin was out running on the main road between Shannon and Sixmilebridge at 10pm on October ope a

He was wearing a fluorescent jacket and was jogging towards home when a jeep came from behind, crossed over the incorrect side of the road and struck him, at Springfield. He was hit by the driver’s wing mirror.

An off duty garda was travelling behind the accused and saw what

happened. Sergeant Con Ryan said he seized the accused’s jeep the fol- lowing day.

In a statement subsequently made to gardai, the accused said, “I was suddenly on top of him. I heard a bang, slowed down, then panicked and drove home.”

He said that Mr Chaplin was “‘for- tunate enough. He is a very fit man. It could have been a lot worse.”

The court was told that the accused had two previous convictions for drunk driving but was not disquali- fied at the time of these offences. De- fending solicitor John Casey said his client “panicked and he went blank. He apologises to Mr Chaplin. He should have stopped, he didn’t stop.”

‘He had a few seconds. Unfor- tunately Mr McMahon chose the wrong option,’ he said.

Judge Joseph Mangan fixed a bond in the event of an appeal.

A WEST Clare man who viciously attacked his girlfriend was spared a spell behind bars when his victim asked that he not be jailed.

Senan Downes (31), of Westwood, Golf Links Road, Ennis pleaded cullty to assaulting his then girl- friend, causing her harm, on May 18 2006.

Garda Declan Keavey told Ennis Circuit Court on Thursday that the pair had been living together at the wbealee

He said that Downes “viciously” assaulted the woman at their home. As aresult she lost consciousness.

‘He put his hand around her throat, banged her head off the wall and said ‘I’m going to kill you’,” said the garda.

The young woman spent five days in hospital recovering from the as- sault. She sustained bruising to the side of her face and bleeding to the ear but made a full recovery.

Judge Sean O Donnnabhain noted an allegation that during the assault there were threats made that the ac-

cused would “get her.” Garda Keavey agreed that this was the case.

He said that under bail conditions the accused had been ordered not to contact the woman. However, he had phoned her and sent her text mes- sages prior to Christmas.

The garda said he believed the young woman was in fear of the ac- Iota

The young woman told the court that the accused had stopped sending her text messages. “He has been stay- ing away from me. If he continued, I’d be happy with that,” she said.

The judge told her, “The most I can do is send him to jail. He will get out and I’ve no control over it then.”

She replied, “I’d prefer if he could not go to jail. We were together for five years. I know he needs psychi- atric help.”

Defence Counsel Michael Fitzgib- bon said his client – who now lives in west Clare – was involved in a road accident when he was a child and re- ceived counselling on and off since then. Downes addressed the court and said, “All I can say is I’m sorry.”

The judge told him he would have

“no hesitation in sending you to jail if you go near her.

“T accept it was a nasty assault on his then partner,” said the judge.

He said he must take into account the seriousness of the case coupled with the protection of the victim.

He imposed a two year jail term suspended on conditions. These in- clude that the accused does not come within 100 yards of the young wom- an and does not phone or text her for two years. He also imposed a curfew and ordered him to continue with his treatment.

A MAN who was punched to the face has lost 50 per cent of his hear- ing in one ear when the eardrum was perforated, a court has heard.

Ennis Circuit Court heard yesterday Patrick Murray was punched by Paw- el Kubiciel (28), Ennis Road, Kilm- hil, in Kilmihil in August 2006.

Polish native Kubiciel was jailed for 10 months for assault, in the Dis- trict Court. He was also handed a six month sentence for possession of a Gt Kor

Kubiciel’s solicitor Eugene O’ Kelly, in his appeal to the Circuit Court, said his client had considerably changed his ways since the incident and the two now get on well together.

He said that his client had since moved to Ennis and no longer “moves in the circles he was moving in.” He said he would “suffer very consider-

ably” if sent to prison.

Sergeant John Ryan told the court that Mr Murray still had loss of hear- ing of 50 per cent to one ear.

Judge Carroll Moran said the con- sequences of the assault were very Serious.

‘The victim lost 50 per cent of his hearing. Mr O’Kelly, shouldn’t your client pay some compensation?” said the judge.

Mr O’Kelly said his client might have some difficulty coming up with a large sum of money. The judge sug- gested a sum of €6,000.

“This man lost half of his hearing in one ear. I have to tailor it to the means of the accused,’ said Judge Moran.

Mr O’Kelly suggested a sum in the region of €2,000 or €2,500. The judge then agreed on €3,000 and said he would revisit the matter in October.

A JUDGE has warned a young man who was “half asleep” in a jury box after being sworn in to hear a crimi- em eer-de

The 19-year-old west Clare man was sworn in last Tuesday morning for the trial of four young men who were accused of violent disorder.

He took his place in the jury box but later told the judge that he was half asleep and was not in a position to take his place on the jury for the

were ;

Judge Sean O Donnabhain told the young man to remain on in court and he would deal with him later.

“Your behaviour was quite simply appalling. There are three solicitors here. | am thinking of holding you in contempt. You got into the witness box, you tried to fall asleep, you sud- denly woke up and connected with it. It’s simply not acceptable,’ said the judge.

“TI will grant you legal aid because your liberty is at risk. Your behaviour

is contemptuous of the court and is a disgrace to yourself,’ he added.

Solicitor Daragh Hassett, repre- senting the young man, told the court that his client who was from west Clare, was up at 4am that morning to collect his brother from the Willie Clancy Music Festival.

He said he was not out himself but had worked long hours during the previous days.

The judge replied, “What I saw in the box doesn’t smell of bed, rest or sobriety.”

Mr Hassett said his client was very apologetic for his behaviour.

“My particular concern is this man performed in a very contemptuous way to the court.

‘He took the oath, he went into the jury box and threw down the head,” said the judge.

“You are a lucky man Mr Hassett spoke up on your behalf, I think I’ve said enough. You know my view. Please don’t come up any other day for jury service,’ he told the young jnarenee

Knife attacker granted bail