The Clare People Archive

CLARE businessman, Paddy Whelan and the Whelan Group are set for an estimated windfall of up to €16 million in a major compensation deal that threatens the viability of Limerick City Council.

This follows an arbitrator ruling that Uniform Construction Ltd was wrongly fired from the city’s main drainage scheme in 2001. Paddy Whelan assumed control of 50 per cent of Uniform Construction following the council’s decision.

Now, the independent arbitrator has told the council to pay €32 million to Uniform Construction. The company has been precluded from tendering for work in the State since being removed from the €140m drainage scheme.

Uniform secured a contract for the work in 2000, but was removed from the works in November 2001, when the council claimed that the project was neither on time nor on budget.

Welcoming the arbitrator’s ruling, Uniform said that its professional competency had been “completely vindicated”. It said that it had encountered site difficulties when car-

rying out the work that had not origi nally been anticipated in the original tender.

Limerick City Council has expressed disappointment at the award, but claimed that its decision to pursue arbitration was vindicated given the claim lodged by the company was €85million.

Uniform maintained its tender was based on incomplete engineering information given by the council on rock types in the river bed. However, the company said it hit rock under the Shannon which it had not been advised of by the council reports.

CLARE businesses are set to reap a massive financial reward during this weeks Ryder Cup as a nationwide survey has positioned the county as the fifth most desirable location for foreign visitors to Ireland this year.

Clare has received six per cent of the total nominations to date for the 2006 Fáilte Ireland Irish Welcome Awards. This competition is voted on by foreign tourists who are asked to select which county best exemplifies the traditional Irish welcome.

Nominations have been received by tourists from 48 countries to date with majority of nominations coming from Ireland’s biggest tourist markets including including the USA, Britain, Germany, Australia and France.

The competition particularly targets guesthouse and bed and breakfast operators as the main point of one-to-one contact between tourists and the Irish public.

“So far, there is a tremendous number of nominations in and with over one month to go before the closing date for entries, so there is still time to tell us about that exceptional holiday experience,” said Shaun Quinn, Chief Executive of Fáilte Ireland.

“The Irish welcome is one of Ireland’s most unique characteristics and with 86 per cent of visitors saying the reason they come to Ireland is because of the friendly people, its importance cannot be stressed enough.”

On the ground, reports from around the county show an upturn in tourists visiting Clare over the last ten days. It is believed that this upturn will continue over the next two weeks if not farther.

“It has already had a massive impact on tourism in Clare,” said Paddy Maher of the Atlantis Holiday Group. “Hotels and guesthouses have been well booked with foreign golfers coming to play Lahinch and Doonbeg.

“We noticed the upturn from last weekend and I think that it will last at least until the end of next week. The real benefit will be felt next year, Ireland Inc is being giving the chance to show itself off and we have already taken a number of bookings for next year.”

Meanwhile, the Green Isle Hotel owned by Clare hoteliers the Lynch Family has been selected as the base for International press covering the Ryder Cup.

CLARE County Council has been asked to commit in the Development Plan to encouraging more businesses and households to use green energy.

Councillor Brian Meaney (GP) said in a motion before last night’s meeting that the local authority should plan for an “uncertain energy future” through measures including encouraging responsible environmental management in building and ensuring high standards of energy efficacy in building developments.

The councillor said that with the cost of home heating increasing considerably, “we have to make serious provision. What I am proposing is something which has been successful in other area plans.”

The was supported by a number of councillors, including Cllr Martin Lafferty (Ind) who said that he could see “nothing wrong with putting an encouragement into the plan so long as it is not mandatory and it is commendable that we should commit to support more sustainable construction methods.”

But councillor PJ Kelly (FF) said that if the measures suggested by the Green Party councillor were implemented “people won’t be building because they would never be able to afford the mortgages.”

PLANS by Swiss-owned multi-national, Roche Ireland, to demolish a derelict house at the site of its Clarecastle plant, have run into trouble.

Clare County Council has refused the company permission to demolish the house, on the basis of tough Government rules in relation to the protected of certain structures.

Earlier this year, Roche Ireland lodged plans to demolish the uninhabited home at the corner of Clarehill and Patrick Street and to replace it with a stone dwarf wall and a galvanised and painted steel fence.

However, in a report to the council’s planning department, Conservation Officer, Risteard Ua Cronín, pointed out that the building was an 18th-century or early-19th century five-bay single-storey gabled dwelling with an iron roof.

Mr Ua Cronín said, “the cottage appears to be of high architectural and heritage interest”, and claimed that the proposed development didn’t comply with the policy relating to demolitions in Architectural Conservation Area (ACA)”.

Mr Ua Cronin said, “The house, uninhabited for some time, is not beyond repair or re-use and by its traditional design and materials makes a significant contribution to the streetscape and the ACA”.

The planner’s report states, “I consider that the form of the existing cottage, together with its location, makes a positive contribution to the ACA, notwithstanding that it is unoccupied and has no windows.

“I do not consider that the existing structure is beyond repair or re-use and in relation to the reasonable infrastructural condition and architectural merit of the existing dwelling and its contribution to the ACA of Clarecastle, the proposed demolition would be unwarranted.”

The planner also stated that the proposed demolition “would seriously injure the amenities of the area and be contrary to the proper planning and development of the policy of the Ennis and Environs Development Plan, which seeks to protect structures that contribute positively to the character or appearance of an ACA and not one beyond repair or reuse”.

Roche Ireland has the option of appealing the decision to An Bord Pleanála.

Roche has invested almost €200 million at its Clarecastle plant in the past 12 years. The company has been successful in securing planning permission for a series of developments at the 80-acre site, where 240 people are employed.

A YOUNG man who was involved in an altercation on a street in Ennis in the early hours of the morning has been jailed for a fortnight.

David Gormley, of Maiville, Kilrush Road, Ennis, appeared before Ennis District Court on Friday, accused of two offences under the Public Order Act.

Garda Albert Hardiman said the accused was involved in an altercation on Abbey Street, at 1.20am on August 20. He said Gormley had suffered an injury but he would not make a complaint to gardaí in relation to it.

“There was a bottle used. He (the accused) had blood coming from a head wound, but he refused to make a complaint,” said the garda.

Defending solicitor John Casey said his client was pleading guilty and that drink was central to his problems.

“He is blaming nobody. He accepts himself what he has done. He is a young man who badly needs help,” said Mr Casey.

“This is a young man who is going to go one of two ways. It is his choice,” he added. “He obviously has a serious problem with drink. He loses track of everything and remembers little of what happens the following day,” he said.

The court heard the accused was fined €250 for an offence under the Public Order Act in July. Judge Joseph Mangan said, “He got an opportunity. That was his first chance.”

Mr Casey replied, “This is his last chance. I ask you what you can do.”

Judge Mangan imposed a 14-day jail term and fixed recognisances in the event of an appeal.

MEMBERS of the Labasheeda and Carrigaholt communities have resolved to go to Dublin to argue the case for a speedy solution to the sewerage crisis in the coastal villages.

Labasheeda School principal Liam Woulfe told The Clare People , “We believe that we are now left behind because of our coastal location.

“Pollution of water will still go on contrary to department guidelines while they debate money issues,” he said.

Cooraclare has been removed from the group sewerage scheme, which also included Carrigaholt and Labasheeda, as it did not require a foreshore licence. The acquisition of a licence could hold up a sewerage scheme by up to two years. An economic review of the Cooraclare Scheme shows that it now meets the Government’s water pricing policy. The report is now with the Department of the Environment and a decision on the scheme is expected in the next week.

Meanwhile, a draft economic review of the Labasheeda and Carrigaholt schemes shows a cost of €17,000 and €15,000 per house respectively.

These revised costings are also expected to be with the council soon.

According to Mr Woulfe, there is room for manoeuvre with the Labasheeda scheme, such as an alternative discharge mechanism or temporary storage on land.

“There isn’t room for change in Carrigaholt, outflow will have to be piped out to sea,” he said.

Senator Brendan Daly (FF) said the priority now was to get the schemes for the three villages completed.

A LACK of volunteers has forced the suspension of scouting activities in Ennis.

The 1st and 4th Clare Scout Group which is based in Station Road, Ennis, has been forced to suspend all scouting activities until enough volunteers come forward to help continue the service.

The association currently caters for 150 children from around 130 families in and around Ennis.

Letters have been sent out to parents and a public meeting on the issue will be held on Thursday, September 21, at 8.30pm in the Scout Hall.

Scout leaders say that suspending activities is a “drastic measure” but felt they were left with no other option.

The association has operated in Ennis for 79 years and scout leaders say a number of steps have to be taken for scouting to continue.

The group is looking for ten people to be members of a Parents and Friends Committee which is required under the constitution of Scouting Ireland.

In the letter, the group states; “Without this committee we should not be operating, our Group Leader with the help of scouters has carried out the burden for the past 12 months. A practice which is now going to stop. The scouters have enough work to do giving life skills to your children”

The group also say that at least eight new scouters are required in order to meet Child Protection Guidelines

“Under our Child Protection Guidelines, we have to keep within the recommended ratio of adults to children and should not operate if we do not have enough scouters to ensure the safety of your children.”

If the numbers are not met, the group say children looking to join the scouts may have to be placed on a waiting list until places become available.

All people applying for positions in the scouts will be vetted by the Gardaí and trained by Scouting Ireland.

The group say activities may be suspended indefinitely unless a committee is appointed at Thursday’s meeting.

The decision came the same week as Taoiseach Bertie Ahern claimed the spirit of volunteering was dying out in Ireland.

Addressing a taskforce on active citizenship, Mr Ahern said, “It is not just about the practical, day-today pressures which shape how we live. There is a concern that we have become more materialistic, maybe even more selfish. And if we have, I believe many people would conclude that, for all our new wealth, we are much the poorer.”

AS WORK begins on the Western Rail Corridor today, the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, has reiterated his commitment to having the Ennis to Athenry section of the track up and running by 2008.

Responding to a question put to him by The Clare People , Mr Ahern cited the completion of the Ennis by-pass and the “reopening of the Ennis to Athenry rail line in 2008” as two of the main investments in infrastructure in the county.

Iarnród Éireann began clearing work on the unused railway line between Claremorris and Collooney this morning. This €5 million project, using funding received under the CLÁR programme, represents the first physical work made in the reopening of the corridor.

“The people of rural Ireland have a right to expect top-class, 21st-century infrastructure,” said Éamon Ó Cuív, Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs.

The announcement by the Government of the phased re-opening of the Western Rail Corridor is the largest ever re-opening of a rail line in this island.

The purpose of the works, begun today, is to re-establish the boundaries, prevent further deterioration of the line section and prevent any development that may otherwise impinge on the proposed detailed works required for the reopening of the line.

A MAN charged in connection with an investigation into a spate of car damage in Ennis and Shannon has been handed a 10-month detention sentence.

Shannon District Court heard that Erol Ibrahim’s fingerprints were found on three cars which had either been broken into or damaged, last April.

Ibrahim (18), of 87 Hilltop, St Patrick’s Road, Limerick, stole a mobile phone from a car parked outside a house at The Hawthorns, Limerick Road, Ennis; a CD player and CDs from a car outside a house in Tullyglass, Shannon; and damaged a car at Ballycasey, Shannon.

Detective Garda Stephen Ryan told the court that 20 cars were either broken into or damaged in Ennis and Shannon, between April 25 and 27, 2006.

During the subsequent garda investigation, fingerprints were taken from three cars and they matched those of the accused.

The garda said that the total cost, between the theft and the criminal damage, in respect of the three cars, amounted to €1,000.

Defending solicitor, Caitriona Carmody, said her client left school last year and has been trying to find employment. The court was told the accused has a number of previous convictions, including for criminal damage, theft and public order.

Judge Joseph Mangan imposed two 10-month detention sentences and a five-month sentence, at St Patrick’s Institution, with the sentences to run concurrently. He fixed recognisances in the event of an appeal.

ENNIS Chamber of Commerce has said proposed large scale retail parks on the outskirts of Ennis will not have a draining effect on the town centre providing there is a balanced “retail-mix”.

In recent months, plans have been lodged with Clare County Council and Ennis Town Council for the development of a number of retail parks at locations on the outskirts of Ennis.

The most recent example was when plans were lodged by a Galway businessman for a series of commercial developments at a 48-acre site in Skehanagh, Clarecastle. Other similar developments have been mooted for locations on the Clare Road, Quin Road and Ballymaley.

The chamber says such developments are welcome, but according to chamber CEO Rita McInerney, it is important that the ‘retail-mix’ is appropriate to the type of development.

“We have committees appointed to review all of these applications and we will make our own submissions to the council.

“With these type of developments, the retail mix is very important.

“In many cases, ‘white goods’, which are bulky items such as furniture or appliances that require transportation, are usually sold in retail parks.

“Shops selling boutique goods, as is the case in Francis Street, should be sold in the town centre. We have got to get the mix right. Ennis is unique for shopping compared to many other large cities. This independence should be preserved and protected,” she said.

The chamber is concerned over the growing number of vacant commercial units in the town centre and say the cost of changing the use of a building is prohibitively high.