The Clare People Archive

PLANS to bring the body of Vincent Hehir to its final resting place were postponed at the weekend, after it emerged that a second post mortem examination was to take place.

A post mortem examination took place in Limerick last Friday and his body was due to be returned to his family for burial in Kildysart.

However, a request by one of the three men questioned in connection with the death for an independent post mortem meant that the funeral had to be postponed.

While no charges have been proffered in relation to the death, this request is the legal right of the man in question, through his solicitor.

The second post mortem examination was carried out in Limerick yesterday (Monday) evening, by Belfast Pathologist Dr Carson, and the body was due to be released to the deceased’s family by County Coroner Isobel O’Dea.

Friends of the deceased had travelled from England to Kildysart over the weekend, intending to attend his funeral, before it emerged that the second post mortem procedure was to take place.

The 32-year-old had been due to celebrate his youngest daughter’s christening last weekend.

His two-month-old daughter Margaret was baptised in a private ceremony at his bedside in the Intensive Care Unit at Ennis General Hospital on Thursday morning.

Mr Hehir had agreed to donate his organs after his death. A surgical team from Beaumont Hospital in Dublin travelled to Ennis on Thursday to ascertain the compatibility of his organs.

While many organs were damaged as a result of injuries Mr Hehir sustained in the alleged assault, some were deemed compatible and were rushed under Garda escort to Dublin.

The community in Kildysart has rallied behind Vincent’s distraught family over the past week.

Fine Gael Deputy Pat Breen said everybody in Kildysart and surrounding areas was heartbroken.

“There is an air of doom and gloom around Kildysart and surrounding parishes. There have been a number of tragedies in the area over the past number of months,” he said.

IT’S every family’s nightmare. A young man goes out for a few drinks and a laugh, but never makes it home.

Vincent Hehir was enjoying a break with his family last weekend. He escaped the hustle and bustle of his home and business in London and visited his parents and family, at Glencanane, just three miles from Kildysart.

Vincent regularly visited his family and enjoyed catching up with his friends over a few drinks in the village of Kildysart. And last Sunday GARDAÍ investigating the death of Vincent Hehir have taken statements from up to 80 people who were in Kildysart on the evening he suffered his injuries.

They still believe that a number of people who may have useful information have yet to come forward.

As part of the investigation into the incident, gardaí interviewed a number of people on the streets and was no exception. He enjoyed himself that evening and prepared to return to London, after his break with his children.

But fate was to intervene and Vincent never made it back to his parents’ house at Glencanane.

He sustained head injuries in an incident outside Mitchel’s Corner Bar shortly after 11pm, and was brought to Ennis General Hospital. He underwent a CAT-scan at Limerick Regional Hospital on Monday morning and returned to hospital in Ennis.

He remained in a critical condition throughout the week and, sadly, lost his fight for life on Wednesday in the pubs in Kildysart late on Sunday night, exactly one week since the incident, which has shocked the close-knit west Clare community.

Three local men, aged 21, 23 and 33, were arrested in connection with the incident last Tuesday morning. All three were detained at Kilrush Garda Station throughout the day and were all subsequently later released.

Three homes in the area were also searched, as part of the investigaevening.

Although he was in a critical condition during those three days, his family remained by his bedside and hoped against hope that he would make a miraculous recovery.

The people of Kildysart are still in shock at the tragic death, at such a young age. Vincent was only 32.

Many knew him well before he moved to the UK, where he managed a bar. Others did not know him, but are acquainted with members of his large family, who are well known in the area.

Kildysart, like most villages in rural Ireland, is not alien to tragedy tion.

A full file is currently being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions, who will decide later whether charges are to follow.

Initial results from the post mortem examination carried out by Deputy State Pathologist Dr Michael Curtis last Friday showed that Mr Hehir died as a result of head injuries. The Pathologist’s full report will take some weeks to complete.

Superintendent Joe McKeown, of and the pain of Vincent’s death cuts deeper, given recent heartbreak in the community.

Less than three months ago, the Corry family, from Moyfadda, Labasheeda, lost their son Stephen (21), when he was killed after his car crashed into a wall at Main Street, Kildysart, in the early hours of June 12.

Stephen’s parents, Michael and Vera, are trying to slowly come to terms with the death of their son.

Stephen, like Vincent Hehir, had left his home on a Sunday evening, and spent hours socialising with friends, but never made it home. Kilrush Garda Station, said he believed some people still had information and he urged them to come forward.

“We carried out questionnaires in Kildysart, between 10.30pm and midnight on Sunday.

“We interviewed people in pubs and on the streets and stopping cars. We spoke to a number of people who were in the village on the night in question,” said Supt McKeown.

Gardaí believe Vincent arrived in Kildysart village shortly after 8.30pm, and visited a number of pubs, where he met up with friends.

He sustained injuries outside Mitchel’s Corner Bar on Main Street, some time after 11pm and was brought to hospital, where he died on Wednesday evening.

“We are still appealing for anyone out there who witnessed this incident and haven’t come forward. We are trying to track down his (Vincent’s) final hours,” he said.

“People who live in the area, who reside close by or who were walking down the street at the time may have information that could assist,” said the superintendent.

A special Garda conference on the investigation took place at Kilrush Garda Station – where a conference room was set up last week – yesterday evening, as gardaí continues to sieve through information.

“We have more statements to take and we will see what direction we will take then,” said Supt McKeown.

POLLUTION, water extraction for housing development and the introduction of new species have wiped out the population of a fish, the Arctic Char, in Clare waters over the last nine years.

An extensive survey conducted in north Clare’s Lickeen Lake last week failed to find any trace of the ancient trout-like species.

The survey, which was conducted by Scottish expert Ron Green with the support of the Irish Char Conservation Group, Shannon Fisheries Board, the Heritage Council and the Lickeen Development Co-op, failed to uncover a single Arctic Char, but found that the Rudd population has exploded in the lake.

“It is difficult to prove an extinction, but from the evidence of the study, that is the situation in Lickeen,” said Fran Igoe of the Shannon Region Fisheries Board.

“In Lickeen, in appears that pollution is the most likely source of the problem. We found large quantities of Rudd, which was introduced into the lake in the 1960s.

“Rudd thrives in dirty water and this pollution has essentially changed the ecology of the lake.”

Fears have also been raised about the future viability of trout in Clare’s lakes.

The survey uncovered 69 Rudd, 10 trout and no Char in Lickeen.

The target for a non-polluted lake the size of Lickeen would be 40 Char and 100 trout.

“From a biodiversity point of view, this is a real warning for Clare, and other species unique to the county could also become extinct if this continues,” said Mr Igoe.

The Arctic Char came to Ireland after the last Ice Age and has fascinated scientists because of the unique way that different strands have developed in different lakes.

“The pollution has been the knockout blow for the Char in Lickeen,” said Ron Green.

“We are finding similar problems in Scotland and in Scandinavia but Ireland seems to have a bigger problem with pollution and also the extraction of water due to a lot of developments in rural areas.”

Records of Arctic Char exist for five freshwater lakes in Clare – Lough Gortglas, Cloonsneachta, Inchiquin and Finloe, as well as Lickeen.

AN investigation has been launched into a “very peculiar” suspected fish kill in a section of the River Fergus.

Tests on dead salmon found in the river near Doora bridge will be carried out in Limerick, after officers from the Shannon Regional Fisheries Board were called out last Thursday.

In total 10 dead fish were found on the river – five near Doora bridge; four further down the river near Clareabbey and one in Clarecastle.

The discovery was made at low tide by two local fishermen, Alan Considine and Martin Considine, earlier in the week.

Catherine Hayes, assistant director with the Shannon Regional Fisheries Board, inspected the river and admitted the incident was unusual.

“It is very peculiar for it to happen in an area where there is such a high turnover of water.”

This section of the river is affected by tidal surges that raise water levels when fresh water is forced back up the system by a dam in Clarecastle. Fish kills usually occur due to a lack of oxygen in the water.

Mrs Hayes stated that no evidence of discharge had been found.

Local fishermen say their concerns over the condition of the river are being ignored.

Fred Coffey of the Fergus Salmon anglers association said, “You’d normally see a lot of trout in the river and a lot of small fish jumping about, but I haven’t seen a thing. When the tide rises, a lot more could be brought up”.

Cllr Joe Carey (FG) said the source of pollution must be determined as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, a meeting is being organised between farmers in Doonbeg and Kilmurry to fix a broken model, or type of weir, which threatens salmon stocks in the areas and could also lead to extensive flood damage to the local area.

The model, which is located at Cloghar Beach, has been at the centre of a long-running dispute between Clare County Council and the Office of Public Works with neither organisation willing to claim juristiction over it.

The meeting will take place over the next couple of weeks and organisers hope that a consensus between the farmers on how to move forward will be arrived at. It is likely that the first step will be to appoint an architect to examine the model and seawall located at Cloghar Beach.

In 2002, damage sustained by the model led to some 80 acres of local land being submerged.

WITH 1,350 Clare teenagers awaiting their Junior Certificate results this week, concerns have been raised that the widespread availability of fake identification will lead to many students drinking illegally and to excess.

Fionnuala Sheehan, CEO of Mature Enjoyment of Alcohol in Society (MEAS), believes the problem of forged and borrowed ID is increasing both in Clare and nationally.

“We know from our own research that there is a very big problem with faked and borrowed ID’s being used to buy alcohol,” said Ms Sheehan. “This is a widespread problem and parents, licensees and the guards have a role to play in tackling it.

“Much more has to be done to tackle the problem of fake ID’s. It seems to us that it is fairly easy to forge an ID and we need to make the cards better and more tamper-proof.”

In a statement to The Clare People, the Vintners Federation of Ireland said that, “the introduction of mandatory, tamper-proof ID cards to assist publicans to establish that a customer is old enough to drink, would be an important stepping-stone in tackling the many issues that underage drinking poses.”

MEAS believes that a trend has developed for Junior Certificate students to use alcohol as a means of celebrating their results.

“The Junior Certificate has been getting more problematic in recent years, but particular effort is being made to minimise this,” continued Ms Sheehan.

“I do believe that the problem has gotten smaller in recent years because of the increased awareness and I hope that this year that would be the case again.

“Schools are organising it so that children only receive their results when they are leaving school, so that parents are available to bring them home.

“Parents are starting to sit down and look at the role that they themselves have to play.”

Earlier this month, MEAS launched a campaign in which they asked parents to consider their own alcohol use and what impact that was having on the thinking of their children.

“Parents influence their children with everything thing that they do. How much I drink has an influence on my own children and their own attitutes towards alcohol,” continued Ms Sheehan.

The Clare People contacted the Garda in relation to this story but no comment was forthcoming at the time of going to press.

A STAGGERING 43 per cent of Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to Clare’s local authorities last year were refused. This is the highest in the country.

Just over a third of FOI requests to the county’s authorities were given full responses, despite assurances from the minister responsible that the majority of requests nationwide were now being answered.

Figures released this week show that 15 of the 52 FOI requests dealt with by Clare County Council and its four town councils in 2005 were granted. A further 11 requests were part-granted, while 21 of the requests were refused.

One of the requests was transferred to another public body while one was also withdrawn.

The majority of the FOI requests made to the local authorities in Clare were described as “non-personal”, while just three was personal.

Fourteen of the requests came from journalists, seven from businesses and interested groups, one from a public representative and one from a client. The remaining 26 applicants were simply described as “others”.

Meanwhile, the majority of requests made to the HSE Mid-West under the Freedom of Information Act last year were personal.

A total of 288 patients requested information from the Health Services in Clare, Limerick and North Tipperary.

Some 334 requests were made in total in 2005, but 109 requests were carried over from the previous year.

Of these requests, 292 were of a personal nature, while 42 were classified as non-personal.

A large number of the people looking for information – 250 – were granted their request, but 61 were refused. A further 51 of the requests resulted in part of the information being granted. Twelve were withdrawn.

While patients made up the largest number in the mid-west to look for information, 18 journalists, 15 businesses of interested groups, seven staff members and six public representatives also accessed the service.

Minister of State at the Department of Finance, Tom Parlon (PD), said that more and more people were accessing the service.

“The statistics show that the majority of people who apply for information under FOI are successful in getting the information they want,” he added.

Last October, plans to include some 130 additional public bodies to the FOI Act were announced.

These plans will bring to over 500 the number of bodies covered by FOI, compared to 67 when the Act was introduced eight years ago.

The site – which is zoned for com-

mercial development in the Ennis A MASTER plan has been unveiled and Environs Development Plan for Clare’s biggest ever retail devel– borders the Ennis bypass to the opment on lands purchased from south-east of the town. Clarecastle man JJ McCabe in a In total, the developments are to multi-million euro deal last year. provide over 30,000 m in commer-

Galway developer, Stephen Harris, cial floorspace. This will include has lodged plans with Clare County 15,300m in retail units; 8,000m in Council for a retail park which will warehousing; 3,500m in the travelhave an annual turnover of €33 milhotel; 3,200m in a motor-sales villion. lage; 610 m in a restaurant and 120

The development will incorporate m in a petrol station, giving an overa warehouse park, motor sales “vilall total of 30,730m . lage”, Travelodge hotel, drive-thru For now, only planning permission restaurants, storage and distribution, is being sought for the retail park in as well as a petrol station for the 48the south-east quadrant of the site. acre site at Skehanagh, Clarecastle. Already, three other retail parks in the greater Ennis area are at various stages of development, at the Quin Road, Clare Road and Ballymaley. All four are set to radically alter the commercial make-up of the greater Ennis area. The Harris plan involves a 10-unit retail warehouse park with a total floor area of 15,300m , including a 4,800m anchor unit with 1,000m garden centre and 800 car-parking spaces. According to a Retail Impact Statement (RIS) lodged with the plan, the anticipated annual turnover of the project is €33 million and its first year of operation is expected in 2010.

The RIS concludes that there is sufficient capacity to support the development. The proposed development will not have any significant adverse socio-economic or environmental impacts, but will be beneficial for residents.

Outlining the “distinct advantages” of the proposed retail park, the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) states that the retail park will have direct access onto the Western Retail Road of the Ennis bypass, the site is of sufficient size to accommodate additional warehouses, and it is located outside the floodplain.

A decision is expected on the application later this year.

WHEN Vincent Hehir died last Wednesday – three days after he was the victim of an attack on Kildysart’s Main Street – one of his last gestures ensured that others will benefit from his tragic death.

The 32-year-old Kildysart native, who was on life support at Ennis General Hospital after he was found unconscious late last Sunday week, had donated his organs to Dublin’s Beaumont Hospital.

Mr Hehir’s youngest child was due to be christened at the weekend. In a moving ceremony, two-month-old Margaret was baptised in a private ceremony at his bedside at the Ennis hospital on Thursday morning.

A surgical team from Dublin travelled to Ennis on Thursday to ascertain the compatibility of his organs which he agreed he would donate after his death.

While many organs were damaged as a result of injuries, some were retained and were brought to Dublin.

The father-of-five, who grew up at Glencanane, Kildysart, never recovered from serious injuries he sustained in an incident on Kildysart’s Main Street, late on Sunday night. He remained critically ill until his death at 5pm on Wednesday, with his heartbroken family by his bedside.

A major garda investigation got underway in the aftermath of the discovery of Mr Hehir, in an unconscious state, close to Mitchel’s Corner Bar, shortly after 11pm last Sunday week.

Gardai say they believe he was subjected to a number of blows, before falling to the ground and hitting the back of his head in the impact. They say they understand he was kicked a number of times while on the ground, but do not believe any implement was used.

Three local men, aged 21, 23 and 33 were arrested last Tuesday and questioned at Kilrush Garda Station, before being released without charge.

Mr Hehir had moved to England several years ago where he managed a pub. He built up many friendships while living there and returned home regularly to visit his parents and siblings.

Mr Hehir’s wife, Mairead, who hails from Mayo, travelled from London last Monday. The couple have five children, aged between two months and nine years.

A post mortem examination was carried out on Mr Hehir’s remains at the Mid Western Regional Hospital, Limerick, on Friday afternoon. Preliminary results suggest he died as a result of head injuries. His funeral was due to take place in Kildysart at the weekend.

However at request of one of the men questioned in connection with the death, an independent autopsy was carried out by Belfast Pathologist Dr Carson yesterday (Monday) evening.

THE mother of a toddler who died from a rare bowel condition says she does not blame anyone for the tragic death and is struggling to cope with the devastation.

Shannon Canny, a twin daughter of Sharon and Michael Canny, of Plunkett Drive, Kilkishen, died in hospital just 36 hours after she suffered her initial excruciating pain at home on January 6, 2005.

She was two years and two months at the time.

Shannon had suffered from constipation since she was born. However, her parents later learned that she had an undiagnosed condition, known as volvulous, which meant her bowel had become twisted, restricting blood supply. Her final journey of pain was recalled at Dublin City Coroner’s Court last week.

CLARE County Council has issued planning enforcement notices against four landowners living along the route of the West Clare railway for excavating part of the route of the line at Quilty.

In separate actions, the Council has served enforcement notices against PJ Murnane, Martin McGannon, Henry Molohan and John Daly all of Quilty.

The four landowners were told by the Council to cease excavations immediately and submit a schedule of re-instatement works prepared by an engineer.

The four have also been told to reinstate the embankment in accordance with the schedule of re-instatement work agreed with the Council.

They were also directed to refund to the Council costs and expenses of €271 incurred in investigating and detecting the alleged unauthorised development.

The Council stated that in the event of non-compliance, the four men may be liable to additional costs.

The Enforcement Notice issued stated that the West Clare railway is protected under a number of headings in the West Clare Area Local Plan and the Council has warned that if steps aren’t taken, the four may be guilty of an offence and may be liable to a €1905 fine.

One of the four, Martin McGannon said yesterday that he has written to the Council to explain his point of view which was shared by the other three landowners.

He said, “We are all in the same situation.”

He declined to state what he has told the Council on the issue.

One of the other landowners contacted, Henry Molohan declined to comment.

The Council is shortly to publish a feasibility study which has assessed the potential of the West Clare railline as a recreational facility and/or walking route for the west Clare area.

The 27-mile railway line from Ennis to Miltown Malbay was the last narrow gauge line to be closed by Government in 1961 as it was suffering annual losses of £23,000.

This followed an earlier decision not to press ahead with a £700,000 plan to convert the line to a standard gauge.

The line operated between 1892 and 1961 with the first sod turned on the project by by Charles Stewart Parnell in 1885.

Immortalized in song by Percy French, the railway has become part of Co Clare folklore and in recent years, tourists have travelled to Moyasta where 1.5 miles of the track has been restored.