The Clare People Archive

“SHE was lovely – innocent. My child got a death she never deserved and we will never be the same again.”

Those were the words of a mother in torment as she spoke of how the murder last year of her daughter, Ann Walsh, had demolished her world.

“This is something we can never forget, ever. It’s with us every minute of every day. I can never forget that knock on the door at 1.30am on August 24. There are still questions to be answered. When she went out that day, I thought she was coming home. Now I’ll never see her again.”

Ann Walsh senior was addressing a hushed gathering at the council offices in Drumbiggle, for a ceremony to commemorate the 125 women who had been murdered in the last ten years.

She didn’t need words to communicate how her life had been laid waste by the loss of her lovely daughter.

It was evident from her haunted look, her strained face and her eyes, full of pleading for some understanding of how such horror could be.

The family of another murder victim, Geraldine Kissane, were also on hand for the moving ceremony.

Clare Haven Service workers spelled out the figure with 125 candles, each one representing a life that had been cruelly snuffed out.

When the service was being planned, only 124 candles were needed. But by Tuesday, another light had to be added, after Baiba Saulite was gunned down on her own doorstep.

“Every year, we organise this ceremony and we go out to buy a number of candles” said Clare Haven founder, Madeline McAleer. “And every year, by the time the day comes round, we have to add more candles. “

The ceremony was organised as part of the 16 days of action against violence against women.

McAleer told the gathering that the services also acknowledged that men could be victims of domestic violence.

To the strains of Mozart’s ‘Moonlight Sonata’ the names of the 125 women were read out.

The scroll of the dead brought heartbreak home as the names of Clare women, Lorraine O’Connor, Ann Walsh, Marguerite O’Dwyer and Geraldine Kissane were read out.

The later murder list was dotted with names of women who had come to these shores from other countries to build new lives. Instead, they found their deaths.

The inclusion of the names of foreign and non-nationals made it clear why women’s services in Clare had chosen to launch their new information leaflets, printed in nine different languages.

There are leaflets in English, Polish, French, Russian, Romanian, Lingala, Arabic, Slovak and Czech.

The information sheets are the work of the Clare Women’s Network, the Refugee Council and Ennis CDP. They were funded by the Department of Justice Equality and Law Reform.

The leaflets are available from refugee services, social workers and are currently being distributed to outlets around Clare. And they all say the same thing. No matter what her nationality, if a woman is speaking the language of the beaten, bullied and terrorised, there is help at hand.

Clare Haven Services can be reached at their 24-hour emergency helpline at 065 6822435 or at their daytime office number, 065 6891764.

AN INQUEST has heard that an elderly farmer died after he fell from his tractor in west Clare during the summer.

Peter ‘Peadar’ Moloney (81), of Tournavolla, Killimer, Kilrush, died in the accident on his farm, on July 18 last.

His son, Paul, recalled the morning in question. They were putting cows into a field, at Tonovoher, Knockerra, and his father went home – in his tractor – to get a sweeping brush.

Some time later, Paul saw the tractor running on a mound and wondered why his father had parked it there. He called him but his father did not answer.

“I called him. He didn’t answer. He was lying on the ground,” recalled his son.

A doctor later pronounced Mr Moloney dead.

Sergeant Deborah Marsh said she was called to the scene of Mr Moloney’s death at lunchtime on July 18. She said it appeared that Mr Moloney had fallen from his Massey Ferguson tractor and he had been found by his son.

She pointed out that he had sustained a cut to the side of the head.

A PSV inspector noted that the tractor was in a very poor condition, and was without brakes.

A health and safety inspector was notified but is not taking any further action, the inquest heard.

Dr Peter Fawl carried out an autopsy on the body of Mr Moloney. He said death was due to shock, secondary to multiple shock injuries, consistent with being involved in an accident with a tractor.

Coroner Isobel O’Dea suggested that a verdict of accidental death be returned and the jury returned this verdict. Ms O’Dea, Kilrush Superintendent Joe McKeown and the foreman of the jury extended sympathies with the family of Mr Moloney on their tragic loss.

A YOUNG man who was killed when his car hit a wall in a west Clare village was not wearing a seat belt, an inquest has heard.

Stephen Corry (21) was killed when his black Honda Civic hit a wall in Kildysart, in the early hours of June 12 last. He was on his way to his home at Moyfadda, Labasheeda, when the single vehicle accident occurred.

Mr Corry’s girlfriend, Helen Nagle, in her deposition, recalled sitting out on the steps at the Square, Kildysart, in the early hours of the morning.

Stephen had dropped a friend home to Coolmeen and then came back. There was a bit of a sing-song going on. After about five minutes, Stephen said goodnight and he went home at 1.50am. Helen was to meet him the following day. However, it was not to be, as moments later she heard the sound of the brakes of her boyfriend’s car.

“All I heard was screeches of brakes. Then I heard a bang. A few minutes later, I saw Stevie lying on the ground,” she recalled.

Garda Michael Ryan, who attended the accident, said the accident happened on the western side of Kildysart Community Centre. Mr Corry was pronounced dead at the scene.

Dr Peter Fawl carried out an autopsy on the body of Mr Corry at Limerick Regional Hospital later on the day of the accident.

He said death was due to shock, secondary to multiple injuries, including a skull fracture, which was consistent with having been involved in a road traffic accident.

Coroner Isobel O’Dea said Mr Corry “wasn’t wearing a seatbelt at the time, which was unfortunate.” She suggested a verdict of accidental death and the jury agreed.

ADVERTISEMENTS are to be placed in the national media in Lithuania in an effort to contact the family of a man who was found dead at a house in Ennis 10 months ago.

Romuald Vyrvic (37) was found dead in the bedroom of his rented accommodation by his landlord on February 18 last. He was buried in Ennis six weeks later, after efforts to contact his family proved unsuccessful.

At Ennis Coroner’s Court last week, Mr Vyrvic’s landlord, Kevin Collins, said in a deposition that he went to the house at Linnane’s Terrace, Kilrush Road, Ennis, to collect rent.

The rent was not in the kitchen. He went to the door of the bedroom, pushed it in and saw Mr Vyrvic’s body. He was fully clothed.

It appeared as though he had been kneeling beside the bed and had fallen, he said.

He last saw his tenant on February 3, when he collected rent. He collected the rent on February 10, but did not see the tenant on that occasion.

The inquest was told Mr Vyrvic had been a porter at a hotel in Ennis and had lived alone at the rented accommodation for up to five months prior to his death.

Dr Peter Fawl carried out an autopsy on the body of the deceased at Limerick Regional Hospital on February 20. He said there were no external signs of injury. He said blood analysis showed an alcohol reading of 319mg per cent, which he said was very high, almost four times the limit.

Death, he said, was due to acute respiratory failure, in association with the level of alcohol in blood.

Coroner Isobel O’Dea said gardaí had made huge efforts to contact the family of the deceased, but to no avail. She extended sympathy to Mr Collins, “on what must have been shocking.”

Gardaí liaised with the Lithuanian Embassy and Interpol, in an effort to get in contact with his family, and their attempts will continue.

Superintendent Joe McKeown said, “We have made every effort (to contact the family). It is on the Interpol and Europol systems as an alert. The Lithuanian Embassy will place a notice in the national press in Lithuania so that the family hopefully can get in touch.”

Mr Vryvil was buried at Drumcliffe cemetery in Ennis in April, in a ceremony co-ordinated by Ennis gardaí, Clare County Council and the HSE.

SHANNON Town Centre operations company, SkyCourt is not opposed to the expansion of a local filling station and shop but is unable to give approval for the scale of the development envisaged.

SkyCourt Manager, Pat Kelly issued a statement on Monday evening in response to claims that the company had refused consent to local businessman Darragh O’Connor for the upgrading of the Texaco service station which he operates in the town centre. Mr O’Connor wants to renovate the service station and expand the 600 sq. ft shop into a 1,450 sq.ft. supermarket.

In his statement, Mr Kelly said that SkyCourt was not refusing consent to upgrade the premises but was restricted in granting permission for the scale of the supermarket proposed.

“SkyCourt generally welcomes the development of new units and the expansion of existing outlets at our Shopping Centre in Shannon. However we have a legal responsibility to act in accordance with our obligations to all tenants and in this instance we were obliged to refuse consent to one element only of the proposed re-development on this basis”, Mr Kelly explained.

“On January 14, 2004 and again on the January 30, 2004, the Manager of the Texaco Service Station was informed by letter that no development on foot of the planning permission they had received could take place until they received the necessary consent from SkyCourt under the terms of their lease.

“Any suggestion that Texaco were unaware or surprised by the requirement for consent is simply untrue.

“Indeed, SkyCourt is still waiting to receive up to date detailed plans of the works to be carried out”, Mr Kelly concluded.

THE controversy surrounding right of ways through Doonbeg Golf Club to Doughmore Beach continues, with a letter from a solicitor acting on behalf of the golf club coming to light, which details talks between his client and Clare County Council.

The letter to solicitors acting on behalf of five people who have already secured a private right of way to the beach, states that an “agreement in principle has now been arrived at between the council and the golf club”.

According to the letter seen by The Clare People , under this agreement, the golf club will “grant to the public a pedestrian right of way from the end of the Caherfeenick Road across the golf course to Doughmore Beach over what is colloquially referred to as the Surfers’ Path.”

The golf club will also construct for the county council a 30-space car park by enlarging the existing small car park off Caherfeenick Road and transfer the ownership of the completed car park to the council.

The letter, dated November 14, stated that, “The golf club will also transfer, free of charge to the Clare County Council, a sufficient space to allow the Clare County Council, should it wish to do so, to construct an additional 30 car parking spaces. The council will, in consideration of the above, extinguish any other claimed public right of ways from the Caherfeenick road across the golf course towards Doughmore Beach.”

According to the letter, the new arrangement “if and when implemented” will not in any way change the settlement agreement dated January 15, 2004, between the five, who secured a private right of way, and Doonbeg Golf Club Limited.

The Clare People made several attempts to contact Clare County Council on the issue, but to no avail.

THE DIRECTOR of Glór said yesterday that the centre was financially secure, but would continue to require subvention from Clare’s two main local authorities, in order to satisfy its cultural and community remit.

Five years after the opening of Glór, Katie Verling told The Clare People , “I think the main thing is that Glór has become embedded in the town and we are very much part of Ennis and Clare. We are part of the landscape, we have been accepted and approved by the people of Clare.”

Speaking before the Board and staff members celebrated Glór’s fifth anniversary, Ms Verling said, “The numbers are better than ever and we are breaking even and we have done so for the last three years. We are very financially secure and we are getting regular funding from the Arts Council.”

Glór this year received €100,000 from the Arts Council, while the subvention from Clare County Council and Ennis Town Council has been over €300,000 per annum which compares to the contribution the Arts Council makes to similar sized venues across the country.

Explaining the necessity of the local authority subvention, Ms Verling said, “The costs of a place like Glór are huge. There are three prongs to activity: culture, community and commerce. Culture loses money, community needs money and you need commerce to subvent them.

“If we were to become focused commercially, we would have to compromise our cultural and community remit and what the financing from councils does is that they ensure that we can get the balance right and make sure that we can be available to the community.

She added, “The aim is to generate enough money to fulfil our artistic and cultural objectives all the time.”

Currently, Glór is seeking funding for a €2 million extension to the facility that will provide a new theatre space for Glór.

“I’d love to see it happen. I think it would be an amazing facility for us to have and the costs base in Glor wouldn’t increase,” she said.

Five years on, Ms Verling said, “I am happy. It has been hugely challenging, but by God, it has been rewarding.”

Ms Verling also revealed that Glór Irish Music Centre will soon just be Glór.

“Glór means a lot to people now and can stand on its own,” she concluded.

THE long-awaited Ennistymon Community School looks set to face even more delay due to legal red-tape involving the transfer of lands from the Redress Board to the Department of Education.

The proposed school, which would see the amalgamation of Scoil Mhuire, the CBS and Ennistymon Vocational School, was first mooted more than two decades ago. It was officially announced by the Department of Education in September of last year and is due for completion in September of 2009.

A spokesperson from the Department of Education revealed that no further progress could be made on the school until the land was transferred from the Redress Board.

“The amalgamation is not taking place until the new building has been delivered,” said the spokesperson.

“Ennistymon is not yet included because the critical issue of a site is still outstanding. The department’s property management section is, however, in the process of acquiring a site under the terms of the Residential Institutional Redress Act 2002. The transfer of ownership of the site is currently being addressed.”

Local county councillor, Martin Conway (FG), has reacted angrily to the delay, describing it as “unacceptable” and “a classic case of footdragging”.

“This has been on the table for more than 20 years and it now looks like it will be another 10 before any progress is made. It is disgraceful and another example of the Government taking Clare for granted. North Clare and Ennistymon seems to be the poor cousin of Ennis, Shannon and Kilrush who have already got schools.”

The Redress Board was set up in 2002 under the Residential Institutions Redress Act to make fair and reasonable awards to persons who, as children, were abused while resident in industrial schools, reformatories and other institutions.

The board cherry-picked a number of Catholic Church-held properties to oversee their transfer to community organisation and individuals.

Other properties, such as those related to Project Ennistymon beside the proposed Community School, were transferred by mutual consent and for nominal fees from the Sisters of Mercy.

CLARE County Council has expressed concerns for the local bird population in the Burren if birds of prey from the proposed falconry centre at the Ailwee Cave escape.

Earlier this year, Aillwee Cave lodged plans for the country’s largest falconry centre to feature a large variety of raptors such as vultures, eagles, falcons, hawks and the country’s only snowy owl.

The applicants point out that the idea of a falconry centre is relatively new in Ireland, but such centres are very popular in Britain.

The application states that, during the summer months, there will be two birds flying at a time, in a very controlled manner and that there will also be flying displays for any school tours that may be visiting the facility.

“None of the birds will make any noise to cause a nuisance. They would make the odd call to each other as they would in the wild.”

In their submission on the proposal, the Clare Association of An Taisce has stated, “We find the idea interesting, but we are uncertain what effect falconry will have on the habitat of the Burren.”

However, putting the plan on hold, the council state that it has concerns that if any of the birds of prey escape, there will be significant implications for the native bird population as a result.

“Please address these concerns by management for the facility to include mitigation measures to counteract same and liaise with the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS),” the council states.

The applicants have also been told to state whether the facility is to operate as a separate entity to the cave, or in conjunction with the cave.

Aillwee Cave is one of the many thousands of ancient caves beneath the Burren with over one kilometre of passages. Its features include an underground river and waterfall, as well as stalactites and stalagmites.

The remains of bears can be seen inside the caves. Unlike many other caves, there is no evidence that the cave has been used by humans. Local man Jacko McGann, who discovered the cave while searching for his dog and explored much of the cave by candlelight, was perhaps the first human who set foot in it.

The cave, which is privately owned by two local families, first opened to the public in 1976.

ENVIRONMENT Minister, Dick Roche, has given the go-ahead for sewerage and water schemes for Kilkee and Broadford.

The minister announced that he had given approval to Clare County Council to invite tenders for a major contract to bring a new water supply to Kilkee from the West Clare Regional Water Scheme.

The works, estimated to cost some €9m, will give Kilkee a new connection to the regional scheme. The town is currently served by a small local source, supplemented by a limited supply from the reservoir serving the regional scheme.

The Minister said that the contract would be for 23km of new watermains to replace the present inadequately-sized connection pipes.

“In particular, it will eliminate the likelihood of water shortages, especially in the busy tourist season. It will also ensure that there is plentiful spare capacity to cater for residential, commercial and tourism development in the town,” he added.

This scheme is one of over 20 water and sewerage schemes in Clare, valued at more than €196m, that have been approved for exchequer funding in the minister’s Water Services Investment Programme for the period 2005-2007.

The Minister also announced yesterday that he had approved exchequer funding of more than €1.3m under his department’s Water Services Investment Programme 2005-2007 for a new sewerage scheme in Broadford.

The Minister said that he had cleared Clare County Council’s revised preliminary report for the scheme and that, “the way is now clear for the council to prepare contract documents and then to invite tenders”.

The minister highlighted the environmental benefits for Broadford, which at present depends mainly on septic tanks.

“The scheme will provide the sewerage infrastructure the village has been waiting for and that is needed to facilitate new development.”

He has confirmed that the €1.5m project includes the construction of a new sewage collection system and wastewater treatment plant that will meet the needs of the village well in to the future.

The Minister said that he would be asking Clare County Council to advance it to tender as quickly as possible.