The Clare People Archive

FIFTY new gardai must be deployed to Clare, to deal with the spiralling number of incidents under investigation, according to the head of the Clare Garda Division.

Chief Superintendent Liam Quinn was speaking to The Clare People in the wake of the publication of the crime statistics for last year, which shows that gardai in the county dealt with almost 11,000 incidents last year — an increase of 19 per cent on the previous year.

The figures show that serious crime — headline offences — dropped by six per cent last year, when compared with the figures for 2004.

The detection rate in Clare increased from 33 per cent, to 36 per cent last year.

“It is always good to see crime down. The crime rate in Clare is 15.5 per cent per 1,000, compared to the national average of 25.9 per cent. That is 40 per cent lower than the national average,” said Chief Superintendent Quinn.

Non-headline offences — including minor assaults, criminal damage and public order and motoring offences — increased dramatically, by 31 per cent, from 5,142 in 2004 to 6,755 last year. This compares with an average national increase of 12 per cent.

“We are dealing with almost 11,000 incidents a year. That is a demand on our resources and is a significant increase.

“We are noticing that, on the ground, there is less and less time to deal with incidents and that is causing us difficulty. There is a huge stretch on resources and we have applied for more resources,” he said.

One of the areas poised to expand is the division’s Traffic Corps, which is to increase from its existing 12 to 31. That will include the establishment of a traffic corps in Killaloe, which will also deal with crime rates in the east Clare area.

“We have made a substantial application. We are looking for 50 gardai, under new national resources,” he said.

There are currently 267 gardai in the Clare Garda Division, which includes 24 who are based, temporarily, in Shannon.

“We have made the case on what we need. We are dealing with definite numbers,” he said.

There have been repeated calls for additional gardai to be deployed in various parts of Clare, not least Kilrush and west Clare.

Chief Supt Quinn said this is being monitored on an ongoing basis.

“We have set up very specific operations in west Clare. We have deployed and continue to deploy significant resources and that is ongoing,” he said.

THE number of offences being committed by juveniles in Clare has risen sharply, by almost 50 per cent.

Official statistics contained in the Garda Annual Report show that 576 referrals were made from the Clare Garda Division to the Garda National Juvenile Officer throughout last year.

This is a 48 per cent increase on the figure for 2004 (388).

Some 459 individual children were referred, under the Juvenile Liaison programme, last year.

This is an increase on 355 during 2004.

Fifty-nine of the 459 were deemed unsuitable for inclusion under the programme. Sixty-nine were issued with formal cautions; 267 received informal cautions while no further action was taken against 33.

Cases involving 31 of the youths are still pending.

Nationally, thefts accounted for 18 per cent of offences committed by youths, with criminal damage accounting for 10 per cent, followed by public order (nine per cent).

This trend is similar in Clare, according to Chief Superintendent Liam Quinn.

A second juvenile liaison officer (JLO), Garda Margaret Purcell, was appointed last year and works in conjunction with Garda John O’Neill.

“We have sent up a second JLO and that has increased our capacity to deal with that,” said Chief Superintendent Quinn.

“This is focusing on anti-social behaviour in the town,” he added.

The fight against crime in housing estates in Ennis has been boosted through the appointment of four community gardai in separate geographical areas.

Garda Tim Ryan is based in Ennis town, Garda Albert Hardiman is responsible for Cloughleigh, Garda Irene O’Flynn is based in the Lahinch Road area and Garda Jeremy Murphy is focused on the Tulla Road.

ENNIS solicitor and member of Opus Dei, Brian McMahon, has branded Dan Brown’s novel and upcoming film The Da Vinci Code as destructive, fraudulent and dangerous, and warned Clare filmgoers not to view it as a work of fact.

Mr McMahon has been a member of Opus Dei since 1992 and is worried that some people way view some elements of the film as historical realities.

“The most destructive thing is that it holds itself up as fact but in reality it is a work of fiction,” said Mr McMahon.

“If you analyse the research it is all a puff of smoke, it is fraudulent and has no historic basis.

“It is taking people in and that is wrong and dangerous.”

Opus Dei is an international organisation within the Catholic Church comprising of lay people and secular priests.

Its stated mission is to spread Catholic teaching that ordinary life is a path to sanctity.

However, the organisation has been accused of secrecy, a right-wing political agenda and even cult-like methods.

“Opus Dei has been treated appallingly, (Brown) went absolutely bananas in his book. It is distorted and smacks of poor research,” continued Mr McMahon.

“He could have used any organisation he wanted, fictional or real, but he used Opus Dei. He thought we were a soft touch. It was malicious and done on purpose.”

While some sections of the Vatican have encouraged people to boycott the film, Mr McMahon welcomes the debate that its arrival has prompted.

“There is a lot of ignorance from the general public about the situation.

“A lot of people are lacking in information and are not encouraged to research it,” he said.

“We are living in a time where we accept whatever the soundbite says.

“I see this as an opportunity to stand up and disseminate the truth,” he added.

Mr McMahon is one of 12 Opus Dei members in Clare while the national membership is believed to be in the region of 1000.

He is particularly unhappy at the links drawn between Opus Dei and self-mortification, or self-harm, as a penance, which are drawn in The Da

. Vinci Code

“One of the book’s main characters is Silas who is portrayed as a monk, but there are no monks in Opus Dei,” concluded Mr McMahon.

“The self mortification has nothing to do with Opus Dei.

“It is historically part of the Church, like climbing Croagh Patrick.

“He exaggerated it to the point of being offensive.”

The Da Vinci Code open in the Ennis Movieplex on May 19.

RESIDENTS of Flagmount and surrounding areas could be sitting on pots of silver and gold, and a Co Meath-based mineral explorations company is set to find out.

Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, Noel Dempsey has published a notice confirming that minerals, including silver and gold, appear to be under the lands in and around Flagmount, in the waters of Lough Graney and the islands it contains. These minerals are not being worked.

The Minister has confirmed that he intends to grant a license to Arum Mineral Resources Ltd, Aurum House, 40/41 Watergate Street, Navan, Co Meath.

The license will enable the company to explore the designated area for mineral deposit, though it does not authorise the holder to mine the areas.

The actions permissible under a prospecting license are, in general, non-invasive and have a minimal environmental impact.

Flagmount is one of three areas being targeted by prospectors. Minister Dempsey has also published his intention to give two separate licenses to Central Mining Finance Ltd, 52 Grosvenor Gardens, London, England.

The English firm is intending to prospect for silver and base metals in townlands around the Bunratty area and also in the east Clare townlands of Keelderry, Newtown and Ballymacdonnell.

On the prospect of gold under the lands at Flagmount, Clare County Councillor Pat Hayes (FF) told The Clare People: “I would be delighted if there was a gold mine under the land here. Whatever comes from that, the local community should benefit first.”

Cllr Hayes said that the prospectors have been coming to the Maghera area for a number of years seeking out minerals.

“Since I was a young fella, they have been coming to the area. I remember they found a little known mineral called diorite in the 1960s, though it was never mined.”

“It would be a massive boost for the area if gold was found in Flagmount. I am not sure if landowners have any rights to minerals under the ground. There is a query on that.

“We are so used to companies coming to east Clare looking for minerals, but they have never found enough to justify a commercial operation,” he added.

A NEW daily flight service from Shannon to New York will see an additional 283 passengers through the airport every day.

Delta Air Lines today announced it is adding a further 14 weekly flights from Ireland to the US, tripling the number of services it operates from Ireland.

As part of Delta’s international expansion, which will see Delta Air Lines launch 11 new transatlantic routes across six new markets to become the largest carrier across the Atlantic between Europe and the US, Delta today started daily services from Shannon and Dublin to New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport.

In addition, the airline is also increasing capacity on its services to Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson Airport during the peak summer season.

From today, Delta will be the only US carrier to serve both the Southeast and the Northeast US from Ireland.

The good news for Shannon Airport comes just after Continental Airlines launched its new daily Shannon – Newark service, which began on Thursday, May 4.

This service is bringing an extra 25,000 seats annually and will provide a major boost to tourism and business activity in the region.

Loren Neuenschwander, Delta’s managing director for the Atlantic Region, said: “After 20 years, Ireland remains an important market for Delta, with particularly strong bilateral trade and industrial links, not to mention a thriving tourism industry between the two nations.

‘Over 900,000 visitors travel from the US to Ireland every year, with over 40 per cent coming from New York and the South-eastern states.

“Hence Ireland plays a key role in our major international expansion strategy.

“Demand for our new service between Shannon, Dublin and New York has been strong to date on both sides of the Atlantic and we are confident that this demand will continue.”

Delta’s new route between Ireland and New York-JFK forms an integral part in a series of 11 new transatlantic routes to be launched by Delta this summer, including six brand new markets – Kiev, Budapest, Edinburgh, Copenhagen, Tel Aviv and Düsseldorf.

In total, Delta will offer non-stop service to more than 60 international destinations from Atlanta this summer, including 23 routes across the Atlantic. From New York-JFK, Delta will offer customers non-stop service to more than 28 international destinations with 18 routes across the Atlantic.

THE relatives of three members of Clare County Council could profit from rezonings proposed by the Council in the South-East Clare Economic Corridor Plan.

At its May meeting, the council adopted the proposed rezonings in the absence of Councillor Patricia McCarthy (Ind), Cllr John Crowe (FG) and Cllr Pat McMahon (FF) as the proposals affected lands owned by their relations.

Two of the rezonings that may benefit relations of Cllr McCarthy and Cllr Crowe relate to plans by the council to rezone lands at Sixmilebridge to facilitate the re-opening of the railway station and to provide zoning for car-parking associated with the railway.

The third rezoning related to lands at Ballymurtagh that belong to Cllr Pat McMahon’s first cousin’s son.

Cllr Patricia McCarthy explained that her father lives in the Station House that forms part of the rezoning.

She said, “I have followed everything to the letter and ensured that I was not present for any of the discussions on the rezoning.”

Cllr McMahon said, “I have been consistent on this issue right along. I left the council chamber last Monday when the issue came up for discussion and at four or five local meetings attended by councillors and planners, I made it known consistently all along of the family interest in the land and absented myself from the discussions.”

Cllr Crowe said that he absented himself from the meeting to ensure that “everything was above board”.

The rezonings proposed by the council are part of a large raft of rezonings in Bunratty, Newmarket-onFergus, Shannon and Sixmilebridge.

In relation to Shannon, the council is proposing a series of rezonings at Smithstown, Ballymurtagh and Ballycasey at Shannon, while in Newmarket, the Council is proposing the extend the town boundaries in a southerly direction.

The plan also provides for rezonings at Parteen, Clonlara and Blackwater. It further allows for the extension of Shannon town centre to the north, with the council recognising that certain areas can be developed without adversely affecting the provision of the rail-link.

The draft variation also confirms that a masterplan for residential development at Ballycasey has been drafted by Murray O’Laoire architects. The amendments to the plan are to be shortly published to allow the public make submissions.

ALMOST eight per cent of doctors practising in the West of Ireland are carrying the MRSA super bug, according to research released last week.

A study of 120 general practitioners in the HSE western region revealed that 7.7 per cent of those tested carried the MRSA in their nasal passages.

The research was carried out by the Department of Bacteriology at NUI Galway and the doctors from the GP training programme in the HSE western region and involved carrying out nasal swabs on each of the GP’s.

The results of the survey were described as “significant” by officials at the annual meeting of the Irish College of General Practitioners which took place in Galway last week. Many people, including healthcare professionals, can be carriers of the MRSA bug without showing any ill effects themselves.

The virus is normally only serious when it is transmitted through an immunocompromised procedure such as surgery. The authors said that their findings emphasise the need for high standards of infection control in primary care to prevent transmission of the bug from doctors to patients.

Meanwhile, the uptake of the Government’s new GP visit cards in Clare is significantly lower than the rest of the country, it was revealed last week. Only 710 of the new cards have been issued to date in Clare, Tipperary and Limerick, making it the lowest regional uptake in the country.

Only 12,860 of the cards have been issued nationally to date, which falls well below the Government’s target of 200,000.

The highest number of recipients were in the Cork and Kerry region where 2,633 cards have been issued. The cards allow for free GP visits for people on low incomes.

These low figures are despite attempts by Health Minister Mary Harney to relax eligibility guidelines last October.

CLARE County Council is to place details in relation to all new planning applications on its website later this year.

However, the Council’s Director for Planning, Bernadette Kinsella said that in response to concerns expressed by the Data Protection Commissioner on the level of detail to be made available online, the Council is in consultation with the Department of the Environment on the issue.

She said: “we are awaiting guidance from the department with regard to the treatment of applicants’ personal data.”

In the annual report of the Data Protection Commissioner published last week, the Commissioner stated that it has “an issue with the placing of the submissions in relation to planning files in their entirety on a web-site”.

The Data Protection Commissioner cites a case study in his report on the issue where he states “even where there is legislation providing that information must be made available to the public, this may not always mean that it is appropriate to place such information on a website”.

The Commissioner Office states: “where details of submissions are being placed on a website – thus being made available to a potentially huge audience – our advice is that the minimum of personal information should be disclosed.

“In our opinion, it should be sufficient in such cases to give the name and address of the person concerned. It should not be necessary for the general public (as opposed to Council officials) to have the phone numbers of the people concerned – the scope for abuse (e.g. in the form of harassing phone calls) is obvious in such cases.

“Where submissions are being scanned in order to be placed on a website, our advice is that any phone/ email contact details contained in them should first be ‘blacked out’.

“While this involves extra work for already hard-pressed Council officials, we believe that the effort involved is worthwhile in order to protect the privacy of the people concerned.

Ms Kinsella stated: “the Council commencerd scanning documentation relating to Planning applications in May, 2005.

“Since 1st January 2006 all new applications being lodged are scanned and available for viewing on the four computers located in the Public Office of the Planning Department.

“These computers provide members of the public with the ability to search Planning Files and view documents which have been scanned.

“We intend having these scanned images available on the Council website. It is planned that this would happen in the latter part of 2006, subject to the resolution of some technical issues.”

QUERIES have been flying in to the Citizens Information Centre in Ennis concerning improved maternity leave conditions.

“We have been receiving quite a number of calls from around the county since March 1 in relation to the changes to the amount of time you can take for maternity leave,” said Paul Woulfe, manager of the centre.

Improved maternity leave provisions came into force on March 1, giving women 22 weeks’ maternity leave and 12 weeks’ additional unpaid leave.

There is still a lot of confusion in relation to the leave, Woulfe said.

“If you become pregnant while in employment, you are entitled to take a basic period of paid maternity leave followed by a further period of unpaid maternity leave,” he continued.

“The entitlement to maternity leave from employment extends to all female employees, including casual workers, regardless of how long you have been working for the organisation or the number of hours worked per week.”

At least two weeks of paid maternity leave have to be taken before the end of the week of your baby’s expected birth and at least four weeks after.

Women can decide how they would like to take the remaining weeks.

“Generally, employees take two weeks before the birth and the remaining weeks after,” Woulfe said.

Following the recent changes, women who start on paid maternity leave on or after March 1, 2006 are entitled to 22 weeks paid maternity leave.

Those who started on paid maternity leave before that date are only entitled to 18 weeks.

Those who start on the further period of unpaid maternity leave on or after March 1 are entitled to 12 weeks unpaid maternity leave.

Women who began unpaid maternity leave before that date are only entitled to eight weeks, the CIC boss explained.

Further increases are planned for next year when, from March 1, 2007, paid maternity leave increases to 26 weeks and unpaid maternity leave increases to 16 weeks.

Payment during paid maternity leave is normally provided through Maternity Benefit from the Department of Social and Family Affairs.

The period for which the benefit is paid has also increased in line with the increase in paid maternity leave.

Ennis CIC located at Bindon Lane Bank Place offer a free and confidential advice Service on rights and entitlements and is open daily from 9.30am-5pm.

Telephone: 065 684 1221.

VISITORS to Lahinch will be forced to foot the bill for the proposed new public toilet and shower facilities that are planned for the town. At last night’s meeting of Clare County Council, a motion was unanimously passed to double the cost of parking on the village’s promenade and in the Liscannor Road Parking lot.

The cost of parking in both locations will increase from €1 to €2 for a three hour parking disc and from €2.50 to €4 for an eight hour disc. With tens of thousands of tourists parking on the promenade each Summer the increase is likely to bring in more than €90,000 extra for the local authority each year.

“If you compare it to the cost of parking somewhere like the Cliffs of Moher, where people are charged €6 to park, it is excellent value for money,” said Ennistymon-based Councillor Martin Conway, who has been campaigning for toilet and shower facilities for surfers in Lahinch.

The extra revenue generated from the increased charges is also likely to be channelled towards improving the lifeguard facilities in Lahinch. While passing the motions at last nights meeting, councillors insisted that all the money collected must be redirected into the local area.

“We have been given a firm commitment from the director of services that all the extra money received from the increase in charges will go directly to provide toilet facilities and other amenities for the promenade,” continued Cllr Conway.

“More money will be invested in the prom than will be collected through the increase. The lack of public toilets in Lahinch is a disgrace and it has been neglected for many years while other towns have received resources ahead of them.”

It is hoped that the public toilet and shower facilities should be up and running in the village by the beginning of the 2007. However, no firm timetable has been put in place for their development. The proposed facilities are likely to be located on the promenade, in a area believed to be close to the Seaworld building.

In recent years Lahinch has seen a massive growth in the amount of surfers coming to the village each week. The numbers are believed to be in the region of 300 people a week.