The Clare People Archive

A SLIGHT rise in the levels of the parasite cryptosporidium present in the Ennis water supply has prompted Ennis Town Council to re-issue a warning over water usage.

The council has reissued the notice after tests revealed increased levels of cryptosporidium in the water supply servicing Ennis and its surrounding environs. A period of heavy rainfall is being blamed for the rise.

The council took the precautionary measure to remind members of the public that infants, pre-school children and immuno-compromised patients, should not drink the water.

“The notice is only a reminder there has been absolutely no change in the status,” said Ennis Town Engineer Tom Tiernan.

No cases of human crytosporidiosis have been notified to Ennis Town Council, or to the Health Services Executive. In July 2005, a notice was issued to all households stating Ennis Public Water Supply was considered a high-risk supply for Cryptosporidium presence.

A temporary water treatment plant for the town is expected to be completed by May, while tender documents for a permanent €13 million water treatment facility for Ennis recently received Departmental approval.

LONG serving Fianna Fáil politician Senator Brendan Daly has warned his Government colleagues that unless they address some of the ongoing contentious issues in the county, they can firmly rule out a third seat for the party in the next general election.

“I am concerned that issues not being dealt with by the Government would exacerbate an already contentious situation,” he said.

The west Clare Senator referred to the ongoing delays in securing an adequate sewerage scheme for Mullagh, Quilty and other smaller villages in west Clare, local concerns about the future of the accident and emergency department in Ennis General Hospital and the future of Shannon Airport.

“Unless there are serious commitments given on these issues the possibility of three seats in Clare is remote in the extreme,” he said.

The former minister, who did not make it onto the party ticket at last week’s convention, said he was now considering his future in politics.

He consulted with his local Comhairle Cheantar in Kilrush last evening on the issue. He is to take a few more days before announcing if he is available for the next election.

A spokesperson for the Fianna Fáil Party admitted that the four times minister and junior minister was the favourite to be added to the Clare ticket, along with Senator Timmy Dooley and Junior Minister Tony Killeen.

When asked by The Clare People if a contingency plan had been put in place to find a candidate should Senator Daly retire, the spokesperson said “it hasn’t been thought that far through”.

Just days before the Fianna Fáil convention, the party’s headquarters directed that the Clare delegates select just two candidates to represent the county in the General Election. The party would later add a third candidate.

Speaking following the convention, Junior Minister Tony Killeen reminded delegates that he was defeated at the last convention and was later added to the ticket by headquarters. He then went on to top the poll for the party in Clare.

Minister Killeen also admitted that a candidate was needed in West Clare. Having been selected on to the ticket on the first count, Senator Timmy Dooley told the convention delegates that “we have lost out in the last four years since Minister de Valera was taken from the cabinet table.”

He said it was critical for the party to return three seats if Clare was to have a representative in cabinet.

A YOUNG man has been charged with assaulting a woman in the accountant’s office where she worked.

Patrick Hall (20), of 8 Beech Park, Kilrush, is charged with assaulting Bernadette Adams and with burglary, at Francis Street, Kilrush, last Thursday, April 6.

Detective Garda Michael McDonagh said he arrested the accused at lunchtime on Friday. After charges, the accused replied, “I did not do it.”

Ms Adams said she was working upstairs at Leahy’s accountants, last Thursday.

She went to the toilet and while there, heard footsteps.

She was then confronted by two youths. She said they tried to push her forward and she ended up at the bottom of the stairs. She was taken to hospital for treatment and was discharged later that night.

“I am in great pain. I have never been confronted like this before and I find it very distressing,” she said.

Defending solicitor, William Cahir applied for bail, saying his client was willing to surrender his passport. Inspector Tom Kennedy said he was opposing that application, based on the “seriousness of the charges and the weight of the evidence against the defendant.” He said there would be a fear of intimidation and a fear the witness would abscond. The solicitor said, however, that there was no basis for the fears of intimidation.

Det Gda McDonagh said he was aware that the accused purchased sterling in the last few days and planned to visit his mother in the UK. Det Sergeant Dave Sheedy told Judge Mangan that he could not understand why so many members of the defendant’s family were in court.

“It is obviously distressing and intimidating for the witness,” he said.

The judge said he was refusing bail, based on the seriousness of the charges, the weight of evidence against the accused and the fears that he may abscond.

“I have to confess I have an open mind on the intimidation issue at this stage,” he said. He ordered six members of the Hall family, who were in court, not to contact the witness and to stay out of Leahy’s shop, until the case is finalised.

A damning picture of staff shortages and accusations of restrictive practice in the planning process, was painted at yesterday’s monthly meeting of Clare County Council.

During a lengthy debate, council officials were urged to take immediate action to alleviate staff shortages in Clare County Council’s planning department. The situation at the planning office was said to be at “crisis point”. The council was also advised to adopt a common-sense approach to addressing the accommodation needs of people with physical and mental disabilities.

Councillor Christy Curtin (Ind) said resources for the planning department had remained static, even though the workload had dramatically increased.

“We need more planners and resources for the people of Clare. We have to carry on this campaign as the service is suffering,” said Cllr Curtin.

County Manager Alec Flemming accepted that problems existed, but admitted his hands were tied because of strict staffing regulations.

“There is a staff embargo in force and there’s not much we can do about it. Even if I did manage to be successful in allocating new resources there is still the question of money,” said Mr Fleming.

Earlier, the council heard that planning restrictions in the County Development Plan discriminated against the “physically incapacitated and the mentally dependent”.

In a motion tabled jointly by Councillors Peter Considine (FF) and P.J Kelly (FF) it was proposed that the plan be amended to ensure disabled people living with their families weren’t forced to seek residential care because they were denied permission to amend their households.

Cllr Tony Mulcahy (FG) said he knew of cases “where people with cerebral palsy had been treated appallingly”, while Cllr Tommy Brennan (Ind) said in such cases, planners should adopt a “common-sense approach”. Accusations were also made that the County Development Plan inhibited rural regeneration.

Cllr Tom Prendeville (FF) said planning guidelines, in particular Section 47, made it impossible for people to settle in rural areas.

Comparing the situation to one faced by Jews in the film Schindlers List, Cllr Prendeville asked, “are we forcing people to locate to towns and villages of County Clare.”

“Cromwell had an expression ‘to hell or to Connaught’ and now it seem to be the case of ‘to hell or to town’” said Cllr Martin Lafferty (Ind).

A MAN with an address in Ennistymon has appeared in court on a series of motoring charges, arising out of a hit and run road crash.

David Wheeler (30), of Apartment 2, The Glen, Ennistymon, appeared at Ennistymon District Court, in relation to an accident on October 1 last, at Killura, Ennistymon.

Superintendent Eamon Dolan said the accused, who was driving a friend’s car, hit another car and carried on driving, before hitting a ditch and overturning.

Defending solicitor, Eugene O’Kelly, said his client was attempting to go home to his mother on the night in question.

He lost control, hit the ditch and the car turned over. He paid compensation for the damage to the other car.

“He was the first black person to captain a county championship team, when he captained Inagh to the hurling championship, some years ago,” said Mr O’Kelly.

He said his client has started coaching football in schools.

The court was told the damage to the car he collided with was almost €3,000 and the accused had paid €1,000 compensation.

“I was asked to pay €1,000 by the garda,” said the accused.

The owner of the car told Judge Joseph Mangan he received €1,000 in compensation and said he was satisfied with that, as the car was a 1988 car.

Judge Mangan adjourned the case to finalise the compensation issue.

A 14-year-old boy who ran away from a residential centre in Clare five times last week has begged a judge not to send him to a boys’ centre in Dublin.

The boy, from Ennis, had been ordered to stay at the centre, as part of his bail conditions.

He is facing several charges, including burglary and criminal damage to cars.

The court heard last Friday that the boy was arrested in Ennis that day, on foot of a bench warrant. Garda Albert Hardiman said the boy was in breach of a bail condition.

“He continuously leaves the premises without authorisation and goes to Ennis,” he said.

He said the boy ran away five times last week, and disturbed his family when he arrived back in Ennis. Inspector Michael Gallagher said the boy’s mother was unable to control him and a place was available for him in Oberstown in Dublin.

Defending solicitor, Billy Loughnane, said his mother consented to this, but the boy wanted to stay in Clare.

When Judge Joseph Mangan said he was remanding him to Oberstown, the boy burst into tears and begged for one more chance.

“I’m sorry for running away. Can I get one more chance? I beg you so hard. I get down on my two knees and I pray. Please . . . I miss my family as well. It was just too hard to settle in,” he said.

Judge Mangan said to him, “You are making mugs of us.”

The boy then knelt down, saying, “I don’t like being on remand. I swear to God I’ll do everything I’m told to do.”

Judge Joseph Mangan remanded the boy to Oberstown Boys’ Centre, to appear again in court later this month.

MORE than 200 women in Clare are estimated to have opted for elective Caesarean sections last year.

According to the Tánaiste and Minister for Health Mary Harney, 44.8 per cent of Caesarean sections performed in the country’s public hospitals in 2005 were elective.

The Minister was responding to a question by Clare Deputy James Breen (Ind).

She informed him that a new collating system, allowing separate classification of elective and emergency sections, was not available before 2005.

Last month The Clare People revealed that 27 Clare women who gave birth in the National University Hospital Galway, opted for an elective Caesarean section.

One in three Clare women giving birth in the Regional Maternity Hospital, Limerick also had a caesarean section. But it is unknown exactly how many were classified as emergency and how many were elective.

According to the Perinatal Statistics for 2002, the Caesarean section rate in Irish hospitals increased by 72 per cent in less than a decade. In 2005, 30 percent of births in the Regional Maternity Hospital, Limerick were be c-section.

MUCH needed shower and toilet facilities should be in place in Lahinch by the beginning of the 2007 tourist season according to local Fine Gael Councillor, Martin Conway.

The town has been lacking in toilet facilities for the last number of years and plans are in the pipeline to construct shower facilities along with new toilets on the promenade, in a area believed to be close to the Seaworld building.

These plans are in response to the growing number of surfers who come to the village each week. With the numbers travelling to Lahinch to surf each week currently estimated to be in the region of 300 people, it has become big business and the town where three surf schools and a surf shop ow operate.

The toilet and showers facilities will not only allow bathers and surfers to wash after the water but it will also allow surfers to clean their equipment after surfing and protect it from the expensive damage that can be incurred from the salt water.

“Surfing is now big business for county Clare with thousands of people coming from all over the country to surf in Lahinch, winter and summer. Lahinch is benefiting enormously from surfers who come 52 weeks of the year,” said Cllr Conway.

“In the region of €90,000 was collected in car parking charges alone last year and a significant amount of this revenue was generated from surfers. It is shameful to think that they cannot even have a cold shower after coming out of the water.”

The news has also been welcomed by Tom Buckley, owner of the Lahinch Surf Shop.

“We have been looking for facilities like these for year,” said Mr Buckley. “Every time a politician came knocking on the door during an election we mentioned it but noone seemed to take any notice.

“It is about time that Clare County Council start to put some of the money that is raised from parking along the promenade back into the town.”

Cllr Conway has also expressed his hope that the facilities will be delivered sooner rather then later and also commented that shower facilities are needed in other beaches such as Spanish Point and Fanore.

“More and more local people from the parish and from all over county Clare are surfing on a regular basis and it is embarrassing that no showers are available,” concluded Cllr Conway.

ONE of two teenagers accused of involvement in a crime spree in Kilrush last week has claimed he has been threatened in a detention centre.

The 17-year-old said he was threatened in St. Patrick’s Institution, where he was been held in connection with damage to two houses and four cars in the John Paul Estate.

His solicitor asked Ennis District Court last Friday that his client be transferred to another place of detention.

The teenager, who cannot be named because of his age, and his co-accused, John Casey junior (19), of Crawford Street, Kilrush, are both charged with six offences, arising out of alleged incidents, after 2am on April 4.

At Ennistymon District Court last Wednesday, gardaí successfully opposed bail for the pair, because of the “seriousness of the charges”.

Both appeared again at Ennis District Court on Friday, where solicitor, Eugene O’Kelly, detailed the claim made by the 17-year-old.

“We are consenting to a remand, but we are requesting that he not be sent to St. Patrick’s Institution . . . He has been threatened on numerous occasions,” he said.

He told Judge Joseph Mangan that his client had made several complaints to the governor there and he was told to bring it to the attention of the court.

“If there is a problem with St. Patrick’s, I can’t administer St. Patrick’s. If you conceive that your client has problems, you can communicate with the Minister. If that is not satisfactory, you can go to the High Court,” said Judge Joseph Mangan.

He remanded the accused to St. Patrick’s Institution and refused bail for Casey.

In opposing an earlier bail application last Wednesday, Detective Garda Michael McDonagh said John Casey did “not have regard for law and order in Kilrush.”

“I believe Mr Casey is capable of approaching a witness. I have no doubt about that,” he said.

“The injured parties are in a vulnerable state. For their own safety, we would strongly object to Mr Casey getting bail here today,” he added.

Defending solicitor, Tara Godfrey, said her client, who was unemployed and lived with his mother, had “never been convicted of threatening or attempting to tamper with a witness.”

Both accused will appear again in court later in the month.

CLARE politicians have appealed to their Limerick city council colleagues to withdraw their application to extend the city boundary into Clare, in light of a statement from Minister Dick Roche during the week.

The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, said he was not convinced that an expansion of the city boundary into Clare was an option, “given the attachment of the people in the area affected to their county”.

The minister was responding to an application by Limerick City Council to extend its boundary into counties Clare and Limerick, an application that has been opposed by the two county councils.

“As a first step, I propose to invite the three (Limerick city, Limerick county and Clare county) managers to meet with me, to see if a suitable process can be put in place.”

Senator Brendan Daly (FF) has now also called on the city council to withdraw its application to extend into Clare.

“There is no point in following this application, when the Minister has said it is not an option,” he said.

The senator said that if the application was withdrawn, it would show goodwill between Limerick City and Clare County Council, allowing a good working relationship to develop for the benefit of the people living in the 1,621 hectares in Clare under dispute.

Meanwhile, Fine Gael Deputy Pat Breen has accused the Minister of “fudging” the issue.

“The Minister has taken a long time to deliberate on this. He said at the Ógra conference that he would make a definite decision. I believe he has now fudged it.”

While welcoming the Minister’s indication that the boundary should not be extended into Clare, Deputy Breen said, the issue had “not gone off the agenda unfortunately”.

Limerick City Manager Tom Mackey told The Clare People that he expected to get notification of the meeting with the Minister and two county managers shortly.

Minister Roche said there were a number of options which should be explored by the three councils.

“These range from increased cooperation on a voluntary basis, formal co-operation/service provision across existing boundaries, possible changes to the boundaries between the two Limerick authorities, right up to novel institutional arrangements, which could apply across the whole metropolitan area – for example in the area of planning.

“I strongly believe however, that the maximum consensus on such issues should be arrived at locally, in advance of any direction from central government,” he added.