The Clare People Archive

NORTH Clare is set to receive one of the biggest jobs boosts in its history with the announcement by Clare County Council yesterday of 100 new jobs at the Cliffs of Moher.

A major recruitment drive is expected to begin early next month with all positions likely to be filled before the start of the 2007 season.

The new jobs will consist of admission staff, rangers and grounds and maintenance personnel, with the council hoping to draw people from all over the county.

“The creation of over 100 jobs at the world famous site is excellent news not only for north Clare, but for the entire county,” said Katherine Webster, Director of the Cliffs of Moher New Visitor Experience.

“The new positions will also compliment the site’s improved visitor facilities, which are currently under construction.

“They include a major Interpretative area called ‘Atlantic Edge’, containing exhibits and displays on a range of aspects of the Cliffs of Moher.”

The announcement was made at the Milwaukee Irish Fest in America, where a delegation from Clare County Council are promoting the county as a tourist destination to more than 135,000 festivalgoers.

The Cliffs of Moher project has come in for an amount of criticism in recent times, but the President of Ennis Chamber of Commerce and owner of the Temple Gate Hotel, John Madden, has urged the people of Clare to get behind the project.

“Clare County Council’s commitment to improving the visitor experience at the Cliffs of Moher is a very positive one as far as many of those involved in the tourism sector are concerned,” commented Mr Madden. “It builds on the optimism, which we can already see around the county, in terms of new hotel developments.

“It will also encourage other businesses in this sector to further expand as the number of visitors to the county increases.

“The improved facilities, once opened next year, will create hugely positive knock on effects for the entire economy in Clare.

“Therefore, it is imperative that the local business community pledges its support to the project.”

Yesterday’s announcement came less than a week after Clare County Council announced that three leading tour operators from the USA, United Kingdom and Ireland had committed their 2007 tourist programme to the Cliffs of Moher New Visitor Experience.

The council also said that they expected more than one million people to visit the Cliffs of Moher New Visitor Experience in 2007.

A FULL frontal assault on the Government’s handling of the Open Skies aviation negotiations and the sale of Aer Lingus was launched last night.

In a blistering attack, former Clare TD Madeleine Taylor-Quinn (FG) accused Minister Martin Cullen of presiding over a “farce”. Her colleague, Deputy Pat Breen demanded written assurances on transatlantic passenger numbers from Aer Lingus.

Taylor-Quinn said that the sale of Aer Lingus was “not in the national interest. We are leaving ourselves very vulnerable, both economically and from a security point of view.”

She was commenting on the news that Open Skies has floundered over major opposition in the US to foreign ownership of American airlines, at the same time that Aer Lingus, the national airline, is being readied for sale on international markets.

“The US is concerned about its future in Open Skies. America is a huge global economy and here are we, a small island nation, selling off a national assest without a backward glance,” said Taylor-Quinn.

US Transportation Under-Secretary, Jeffrey Shane, confirmed US objections: “We’re not going to make the timetable we initially contemplated by the end of this month or early September. We can’t do it”.

Meanwhile, it has emerged that the Transport Minister has nothing in writing from Aer Lingus on its promise to maintain 400,000 transatlantic passengers through Shannon Airport, after Open Skies.

Deputy Breen said the minister has “led the region on a merry dance. I want immediate answers from the Minister as to why he did not bother to request or receive assurances from Aer Lingus in writing.” The Transport Minister told the Dáil that he “did not request or receive these assurances in writing from the company”.

Last year, Minister Cullen said that he “sought and obtained assurances from Aer Lingus that . . . it will maintain the current level of transatlantic traffic with regular year round scheduled services”.

A HEARTBROKEN horse owner whose pony, Lizzy, went missing from a field in East Clare last month have been re-united with her after an appeal in The Clare People.

Sonny Hughes left the 19 year old pony grazing on land at Kappantymoore in Meelick, but she went missing from the field more than a month ago.

After an appeal in The Clare People , Sonny said he received a number of tips about Lizzy’s whereabouts.

The search led him to the Puck Fair in Kilorglin, Co. Kerry recently, where he finally tracked Lizzy down. Luckily, she had an ID mark which enabled gardaí to take her back.

“Now they are investigating how she came into the hands of the man I found her with. I just wanted to say a very big ‘thank you’ to The Clare People for helping me and taking an interest in the story.”

THE Clare show circuit moved west to Mullagh this weekend as hundreds of enthusiasts flocked to the village to taste the craic and atmosphere of one of Clare’s biggest agricultural events. The Community Sports Field in Mullagh was packed with people on Sunday as the show enjoyed a good crowd despite the distractions from Croke Park. While the men in saffron and blue came home disappointed there are few who left unhappy from Mullagh.

On of the highlights of the show was the foal competition which was won by Shellagh Barry from Inch with Anthony Clohessy fro Kilimer and Michael Walshe from Shannon qualifying for the All-Ireland final at the Mountbellew Show in September.

Other winners were Flan Casey from Kildysart in the sheep section, Deirdre Sexton from Mullagh in the dairy cattle section, Paul Devitt from Ennistymon in the commercial suckler cow section, Martin T from Mullagh in the commercial beef section and Michael Sexton in the purebred limousine section.

In the horse section Anthony Clohessy from Killimer took the prize for the brood mare, Alex Burns from Ruan in the riding pony section, Francis Murphy from Rineen in the hand fed pony and registered pony section and Shellagh Barry from Inch in the foal section.

The show also had plenty for everyone with amusements and athletics for the children, an information centre run by Michael Gleeson of West Clare Community Resources as-well-as a farmers market.

TWO people charged in connection with an attack on two Lithuanian brothers in Shannon last December have been returned for trial to Ennis Circuit Court.

Arturas and Aivaras Segzda sustained stab wounds in an incident, in the early hours of December 9 last.

David O’Loughlin (19), of Finian Park, Shannon, is facing four charges, while Jessica O’Leary, of Cronan Lawn, Shannon, is facing five charges.

At a sitting of the District Court in June, Mr O’Loughlin was charged with two counts of assault causing harm; possession of a knife; and possession of a knife with intent to cause injury.

However at Ennis District Court yesterday, one of the charges of assault causing harm was withdrawn and he was charged with assault causing serious harm, in relation to Arturas Segzda.

Detective Garda Andrew Hayes told the court the accused made no reply to charge after caution, yesterday morning.

Ms O’Leary is accused of two counts of assault causing harm; possession of a screwdriver; and possession of a screwdriver with intent to cause injury.

She is also accused of obstruction.

Inspector Tom Kennedy said the Book of Evidence was served on the two accused and said the Book had been adjusted to reflect the new charge in relation to Mr O’Loughlin.

Judge Leo Malone returned the two accused for trial, to Ennis Circuit Court in October.

MEMBERS of SIPTU working in the Shannon Airport Great Southern Hotel have voted in favour of a deal which would allow the sale of the hotel group to go ahead.

The 60-strong SIPTU group took part in the ballot last week of 750 workers at eight hotels around the country.

The hotel workers voted to accept a deal finalised in the Labour Court which would tie any new owners of the hotels to on-going negotiations with SIPTU.

Buyers would also have to maintain the same level of contributions to the employee pension scheme.

The package also includes eight weeks’ redundancy for workers leaving and a six-week loyalty payment to staff who stay on.

It’s expected that 300 workers will take the redundancy deal, although three-quarters of the current staff have less than three years service with the group.

Others have much longer service and will qualify for redundancy payments of up to €230,000 or loyalty transfer payments of up to €175,000.

The transfer conditions will apply to all of the 40 firms and consortia which have submitted tenders to buy all or part of the state-owned chain, valued at between €200 and €300 million.

The company said they do not expect the conditions will cause any delay on the sale but it is likely that the deal will affect the price which rival non-union hotel groups are willing to pay.

A MAN accused of robbing a shop in Ennis has been refused bail, after gardaí expressed concerns that he may not appear to stand trial.

Peter Flynn, of 4 Tower View, Battery Heights, Athlone, is accused of robbing €500 in cash and cigarettes valued at €100, at Hynes’ shop on the Gort Road in Ennis, on September 29 last year.

He is also charged with stealing a car, at Garrymore, Kilconnell, Ballinasloe, County Galway, on the same date.

Inspector Tom Kennedy told Ennis District Court yesterday (Monday) that the Book of Evidence had been served and the accused was to be returned for trial to Ennis Circuit Court in October.

He said he was objecting to bail, as the accused failed to appear in court on a previous occasion.

“There is a risk he may not answer the charge,” said the inspector.

Defending solicitor Tara Godfrey said her client had been receiving treatment in Athlone.

“In the absence of any evidence of threatening witnesses, there is a minimum risk of flight. My client lives in Battery Heights, Athlone,” said Ms Godfrey.

However, Inspector Kennedy said the accused “failed to honour commitments that he would present himself, prior to coming here on July 28 last.”

Ms Godfrey said, “It is a long time between now and October. He is innocent until proven guilty.”

Judge Leo Malone said he was refusing bail. “On the basis of the submissions by the inspector, there is a likelihood he might not turn up for trial,” he said and remanded the accused in custody.

Another man, Brendan Quinn (27), of Cracepark Site, Longford, charged in connection with the same incident, was also returned for trial to Ennis Circuit Court in October. The court heard the DPP consented to a return for trial, for both accused.

AN BORD Pleanála overturned more than a third of one-off housing planning decisions made by Clare County Council last year, a marked increase on the previous year.

In 2004, the planning appeals board was in agreement with the local authority in 79 per cent of its decisions on one-off houses. Last year, however, the two agreed in just 64.44 per cent of cases. According to the council, a number of permissions were overturned on appeal by the National Roads Authority.

The figures, published in the past week by the Minister for the Environment, Dick Roche, show that 985 individuals applied for planning permission last year. Of those, 422 were decided within eight weeks, while 499 required further information. The average length of time then taken to decide on applications was 75 days.

There was a 28 per cent increase in housing development applications, with 155 in 2005. The local authority attributed the hike to an increase in zoned land around the county under Local Area Plans.

In 2004, there were 585 planning applications, such as extensions, that did not require an environmental impact assessment. A total of 92.8 per cent were granted, although a quarter of the decisions were overturned by An Bord Pleanála.

In 2005, applications not requiring EIAs had increased to 940, 90.85 per cent of which were granted. An Bord Pleanála reversed the decision on 15 per cent of these. Clare County Council investigated 285 planning cases that were subject to complaint, a slight increase on the previous year. Forty-one were dismissed, with 45 resolved through negotiation. As many as 212 warning letters were sent by the council and a further 146 enforcement notices. There were 28 prosecution cases.

In the last 12 months, Clare County Council has received criticism relating to the unavailability of its planners to meet applicants face to face. According to the 2004 figures, applicants had to wait an average of 20 days following a request for a formal pre-planning consultation with a local authority planner.

A note specific to Clare County Council has been recorded in the national report, stating it had “highlighted this area for particular attention in 2005”. In 2005, it had reduced the wait for the meeting to 16 days.

HOME OWNERS in Clare are being advised to have their homes tested for Radon levels, with current testing procedures regarded as inaccurate.

Anthony McLaughlin of the Clarecastle-based Radon Aware Group says that many homes in Clare are not sufficiently safeguarded against the naturally-occurring, cancer-causing gas. Recent figures released by the RPII have shown that levels of Radon gas were above the national safe level in 15 per cent of Clare homes, a figure twice the national average. Mr McLaughlin warned that inadequate Radon inspections are leaving those who certify buildings open to litigation.

“The law states that a fully sealed membrane should be installed over the entire footprint of the building, but inspections on building sites are not being done to a high standard at all. It means that the person who certifies the building will be wide open to legal action. Many people in Clare have not had their homes tested so would be unaware if any problems existed.”

The RPII are recommending that all homes being placed for sale on the open market should be tested for Radon gas and, where necessary, remediation should be approved in the mortgage approval process.

It is recommended in other jurisdictions that one of the solicitors retain a sum from the sale proceeds pending the result of a Radon test. This sum is usually around €3,000.

If the test results fall below the action level, the money is returned to the vendor, normally within six months. If above the action level, the money is used to carry out mitigation work that usually costs between €500 and €3,000, with the surplus returned to the seller. It is not yet known whether this system will be introduced in Ireland, but the RPII has already made submissions to the Law Reform Commission and all major banks on the issue.

Radon Aware Group are currently working a new smoke detection system that would highlight leaks in the protective membrane. Homeowners are also advised that the radon extract sump which vents the gas should be capped as many have been left open after houses are built.

The RPII estimates that 10-15 per cent of the 1,500 lung cancer deaths caused in Ireland each year can be linked to radon gas.

THE GARDAÍ and the Vintners in Clare are advising young people not to over-indulge in alcohol as they celebrate their Leaving Certificate results.

Ennis Superintendent John Kerin said gardaí will liaise with the Vintners in Clare, in an effort to ensure people under the age of 18 do not consume alcohol as they celebrate their results.

“If young people are under 18, they are not allowed to consume alcohol from licensed premises or off-licences. If people are over 18, we ask that they be conscious of the fact that there are other people living in the town and they should be restrained in their celebrations,” said Supt Kerin.

He pointed out that extra gardaí will be on duty on Wednesday night and anyone found to sell alcohol to underage people will face the rigours of the law.

“We will be taking firm action against off-licences and licensed premises if drink is sold to underage persons,” he said.

PRO of the Vintners Federation in Clare, Scarriff publican Michael McNamara, said publicans and off-licence operators should show responsibility.

“The advice we have is ongoing. Our advice to our members is under no circumstances do we tolerate underage drinking. Most publicans would have families of their own and would see it in that light,” said Mr McNamara.

He pointed out that, despite calls over the years for ID to be mandatory, this has not happened.

“We have been calling for mandatory ID for years,” he said, adding that those wishing to consume alcohol on his premises must have ID.

He said problems created by a minority of young people paints an ugly picture on the issue.

“I would say the majority of kids don’t really indulge in the practice at all. So few can make so much noise on the streets and in housing estates.

“I am not sure the problem is as widespread as some people would make us believe,” said Mr McNamara.”