The Clare People Archive

CLARE newest singing super star will be the focus of an hour-long radio documentary which will be aired this Friday, April 26.

Over the last five years Ballyvaughan’s Naomi O’Connell has become one of the brightest young stars in world opera. Having recently graduated from the prestigious Juilliard School in New York, Naomi is currently starring in a production of Offenbach’s ‘La Périchole’ with the New York City Opera.

Naomi began her singing career at just 13 years of age when she joined the Lismorohaun Singers. While with the Lismorohaun she quickly became the prize student of Lisdoonvarna’s Archie Simpson, who continued to tutor her while she was in Ireland.

Naomi graduated from the DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama in Dublin, where she won a host of national and international singing competition under the guidance of Mary Brennan and then undertook a four-year post graduate course at the Juilliard School. After all of her practice, she finally made her Carnegie Hall debut last month. Her story will be told in the hour-long documentary ‘Witches, Bitches and Women in Britches’ which will be aired on RTE’s Lyric Fm this Friday at 7pm.

The documentary was produced by Doireann Ni Bhriain who visited Naomi’s home in the Burren to get a sense of her early influences and also travelled to New York to spend a few days with the singer as she prepared for her Carnegie Hall recital.

She also spoke with many of Naomi’s current mentors and admirers in New York including opera director Stephen Wadsworth, composer Christopher Berg and Steve Shaiman of Concert Artists Guild.

A SURVEY of the Clare tourism sector shows evidence of growing confidence in the industry.

Up to 300 people involved in tourism in Clare gathered at the Inn at Dromoland on Thursday night to participate in the annual Clare Tourism Forum Gala Networking Evening.

During the conference participants were informed of the findings of a survey, which found that 57 per cent of operators are confident that 2013 will bring an increase in tourism business for their attraction/business.

A quarter of those surveyed said that business levels would be similar to 2012. Meanwhile, the majority of those surveyed say they are more hopeful for a recovery in the Irish tourism sector this year than they were last year, while 87 per cent said they plan to either maintain or increase existing staffing levels during 2013.

Just 13 per cent of operators said they were planning to reduce staff numbers this year.

Maureen Cleary, Marketing Executive, Clare Tourism Forum explained that Clare tourism operators have responded well to the shift in visitor trends in recent years with a significant increase in the number of people holidaying at home.

“While not neglecting the potential offered to Clare tourism by the international visitor market, a huge amount of work is being carried out by operators, both individually and collectively, to market the County’s many wonderful attractions to the domestic market. There is growing confidence in the Clare tourism sector as evidenced by the results of a recent Clare Tourism Forum survey of more than 100 local tourism operators,” she added.

Donnagh Gregson, Chairperson of the Clare Tourism Forum stressed the continued need for tourism operators to work together to increase tourism business in the County.

“The local tourism sector continues to face challenges in an increasingly competitive and commercial marketplace. However, Clare tourism and hospitality operators are actively working together to capture and increase visitor numbers to the County.

“Networking events such as this help consolidate Clare’s growing status as a competitive and appealing destination to both domestic and international visitors alike,” she said.

“This event also helps to promote collaboration between our members and other agencies involved in the promotion of tourism at home and abroad.”

The purpose of the free businessto-business event was to provide tourism providers with the opportunity to showcase their respective operations to the wider County Clare tourism Industry.

THE family of Ennis man Frank Hassett whose dead body was concealed in a shower for 19 days say questions remain unanswered about the circumstances of his death.

Mr Hassett’s badly decomposed body was discovered by gardaí in an apartment at Lifford Lodge on July 3, 2011.

The 25 year old had been reported missing in Ennis by his family on June 20, 2011.

He died sometime between the hours of June 14 and 15, 2012, in a bed-sit rented by Ennis man Bernard Flaherty (38).

In February, Mr Flaherty, with an address at 3 Lifford Lodge, received a three year suspended sentence at Clare Circuit Criminal Court after pleading guilty to making a false statement to gardaí on June 24, 2011.

An inquest into the death of Mr Hassett yesterday returned a verdict of death by misadventure.

Speaking afterwards at Ennis Courthouse, the deceased’s brother Ian Hassett said; “In one way it’s good it’s over, but we still have a lot of questions we don’t have the answers for.”

Asked about the suspended sentence handed down to Bernard Flaherty, Ian Hassett said the family are ‘not happy with it but what can we do’. He added; “The whole justice system in Ireland is a shambles.”

During the inquest, Mr Flaherty said; “I apologise to the Hassett family for the hell I put them through and the guards for wasting Garda time…If I could turn back the clock, I would. I really would.”

Mr Flaherty told gardaí that he panicked because he didn’t know what to do when he discovered Frank Hassett was dead.

MORE Kilrush businesses will close under the new local government structure, that will see a new Clare County Council take over the responsibilities of Kilrush Town Council, its longest serving member has warned.

Cllr Tom Prendeville (FF) said, “When Clare County Council takes over we will see rates going up and more Kilrush businesses going to the wall unfortunately,” he said.

Kilrush businesses have shown a consistency when it comes to paying the rate in the last number of years.

A total of 76 per cent of commercial rates have been collected in the town for 2012, and the figure continues to rise as some cash strapped businesses have opted to pay the local tax in instalments.

At the end of 2012 more than € 221,000 was colleted in rates from businesses in the West Clare town, up € 5,000 on the previous year.

The most up to date figures also show that write offs were down from more than a € 107,000 at the end of 2011 to € 71,678.50 on December 31, 2012.

Kilrush Town Council accounts also show that business people in the town managed to pay a substantial amounts of the rates owing from 2012 during the first month of this year – almost € 28,000.

At the end of 2012 uncollected rates reached € 123,532.49, but this had dropped to € 95,744.51 by the end of January.

Describing commercial rates as “a crucial part of our funding”, town clerk John Corry said that Kilrush Town Council is making every effort to recover these outstanding payments, while being mindful of the economic climate.

He explained that the local authority had engaged various methods of payments with businesses, including payment by instalment.

“We are trying to be as flexible as we can,” he said.

“The outstanding balance for 2012 continues to reduce due to the instalment payment we have introduced,” he said.

At the end of 2011 the rate collection in Kilrush was also 76 per cent, making it the highest collection rate in the county.

TWO men that had been living rough on the streets of Ennis have secured temporary accommodation at a tourist hostel in Galway.

It emerged last week that Czech national Josef Pavelka (58) and his Polish friend Peter Baram (35) had spent a period of time living in public toilets in Ennis town centre.

The men’s living arrangements were disclosed in a report by the Probation Services at Ennis District Court where Mr Pavelka appeared on charges of public intoxication.

On viewing the report, Judge Patrick Durcan commented that it was a “scandal” that a person is “living in a toilet in a prosperous nation”.

Mr Pavelka’s solicitor Daragh Has- sett said that if it wasn’t for the help of the church, his client “would be dead”.

The court heard Mr Pavelka has chronic problems with alcohol. Ennis Town Council operates the Automated Public Conveniences (APC), more commonly known as superloos.

In a statement last week, the council said it “has no evidence of any parties using public toilets in Ennis as accommodation facilities”.

The statement continues, “Having checked with the Gardaí, a similar view has been expressed. Furthermore, the company contracted to maintain the public toilets says there is no evidence to suggest that the toilets are being used in such a manner.

The council says the toilets are “subject to an intense maintenance regime which involves a daily inspection by the said company”.

It continues, “The toilets are automated and the mechanism provides for a voice warning, an alarm activation and an automatic opening of the door after a 20 minute period. This includes an early morning inspection on at least five days each week. Ennis Town Council does not comment on individual housing circumstances, which are a personal matter. The relevant agencies and bodies have, however, been involved in addressing housing needs of the parties involved.”

Yesterday Pat Cahill, Manager of Laurel Lodge temporary accommodation centre where the men lived for two years, confirmed that Mr Pavelka and Mr Baram are now living on a temporary basis in Galway City. Mr Cahill said the men can stay in the hostel until May 7. He said the accommodation was secured following a multi-agency case conference.

Fr Tom Hogan, Ennis Parish administrator, said the men are “delighted to have a roof over their heads and a bed under them”. He said the men, who received meals from the St Vincent de Paul and the Church, “fell through cracks in the system”.

Fr Hogan said Mr Pavelka lived in public toilets for three weeks while Mr Baram lived there “on and off”.

Last Wednesday, Ennis District Court heard that Mr Pavelka was unable to take up an offer of re-patriation to the Czech Republic due to family issues. The court heard Mr Pavelka’s habitual residency has lapsed and as a result no state agencies can provide him with assistance.

TWO peace activists, including a 78year-old woman, look likely to stand trail for an incident which took place at Shannon Airport last October.

Margaretta D’Arcy (78) and Niall Farrell (60), claim to have received letters from gardaí in Shannon last week stating that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) is planning to press charges against them and that a summons would be issued at a future date.

The pair are accused of possible criminal damage and causing a security breach at airport on October 7 last. The pair gained access to the airport and disrupted a number of flights by holding anti-war placards on an airport runway for a number of minutes.

The protest was organised but the Galway Alliance Against War to mark the 11th anniversary of the war in Afghanistan. Since 2001, Shannon Airport has been an important logis- tics distribution point for American soldier and equipment heading to and from Afghanistan the Iraq.

A number of private jets used to carry out special rendition missions have also used the airport but it is unclear of any prisoners were on board while they were on Irish soil.

Margaretta D’Arcy is one of the leaders of the regular anti-war vigils which take place at the airport. She and her husband, the late Booker Prize nominated playwright John Arden, wrote performed a play based on the Ralahine Commune in Newmarket on Fergus in 2010.

“Our protest was part of an international week of action to oppose killer drones, which along with other deadly weaponry and troops are transported daily through Shannon’s Warport,” said Niall Farrell.

“Prosecuting us will not silence us, it will not prevent us from raising our voices in protesting against the death of Irish neutrality and this craven government’s role in the imperial wars of the 21st century.”

THE meltdown of the Green Party as a force in Irish elected politics could be re-enforced in the coming days with the possible defection of sitting member of Clare County Council and Ennis Town Council, Cllr Brian Meaney, from the party. The Clare People has learned this week, that Cllr Meaney is sensationally on the cusp of cutting ties with the Green Party, with sources within the Clare County Council chamber revealing that the 47-year-old is pre- paring to join Fianna Fáil.

A source within Fianna Fáil in the Ennis electoral area that Cllr Meaney represents has revealed that he has applied for membership of the party and is in the final stages of severing ties with the Green Party. The Clare People

THE THREE bottlenose dolphins who have made Bunratty their unlikely home for the past two weeks, may now have moved on the deeper waters. The dolphins, who attracted large crowds to Bunratty, were last spotted around the bridge in Bunratty on Saturday morning, April 13.

It is thought that the recent rain may have caused the fish that the dolphins had been feeding on to move upriver. The creatures had been spending less and less time in the area in recent days, appearing only once on Saturday and three times on Friday.

A planned rescue attempt for the dolphins was aborted last week when the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) carried out a detailed assessment to determine if the dolphins were trapped in the area – as had been thought.

The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) and members of the Killaloe Unit of the Irish Coastguard were present during the day if a rescue attempt was needed.

IWDG Executive Officer Dr Simon Berrow, led the assessment and witnessed the mammals surfacing normally in a narrow strip of water around 100 to 150 metres up river of the bridge.

As water levels rose later in the day the IWDG deployed hydrophones into the water to track the dolphins movement and actions. They discovered that the dolphins were not trapped by the traffic noises on the bridge – as had been previously thought – but were able to pass freely under the structure.

In fact, the dolphins were so comfortable in the local environment that they began foraging for food and hunting fish.

Dolphins have a limited ability to survive in fresh water. After prolonged exposure to fresh water they can develop kidney and skin problems – eventually resulting in kidney failure and death.

However, in this instance, it appears that that the biggest threat faced by the dolphins was man with a number of recorded instances of stones being throw at the creatures as well as two men in scuba gear who attempted to swim with them.

Anyone who spots the dolphins is asked to email details to sightings@iwdg.ie.

MORE than half of the entire Traveller population in Clare is aged 17 years or younger.

According to The State of the Nation’s Children report released last week, there were a total of 468 Traveller children in Clare in 2011 – the last year on record.

The 2011 census revealed that there were 855 Travellers resident in the county, 417 males and 438 females. These figures mean that just under 55 per cent of the Travellers based in Clare are under 18 years.

The report also indicated that the number of Clare children born to members of the Travelling community has skyrocketed over the last decade. According to the 2002 State of the Nation’s Children report, there were just 401 Traveller children resident in the county. This amounts to an increase of 16.7 per cent in a nine year period.

Meanwhile, the number of children living with a lone parents has also increased dramatically over the past 10 years. According to the report there was a total of 4,348 children living in a single parent household in 2011. This amounts to 14.7 per cent of all children resident in the county for that year.

This number shows a marked increase on the same report carried out in 2002 when there were 3,412 children living in lone parents household in Clare, or 12.3 per cent of the total number of children in Clare.

The annual State of the Nation’s Children report compiles a variety of statistical information about young people in County Clare. Figures in the report show that there were 933 reports of child welfare and protection issues reported to the HSE concerning Clare children in 2011.

The report also revealed that there were a total of 1,163 families with children in need of social housing in Clare in 2011. Of these families, 667 are lone parent families, while 496 are families with two or more children.

This means that 2.7 per cent of Clare families with children were identified as being in need of social housing. However, the total of lone parent families in need of social housing is much higher at 15.34 per cent.

CLARE children are almost twice as likely to be admitted into a psychiatric hospital as children born in the rest of Ireland. According to the State of the Nation’s Children report, published by the Department of Children last week, a total of 20 Clare children were placed in the care of a psychiatric hospital in 2011 – the most recent year on record.

This means that Clare’s rate of committal per 1,000 children is 65.2 – the second highest in Ireland after Tipperary. Clare’s committal rate is almost twice the national average, which stood at 37.9 children per 1,000 in 2011.

The counties with the highest rate of children being admitted to psychiatric hospitals were all located in rural areas. Each of the counties with the highest rate of children placed in the care of a psychiatric hospital have suffered a major downgrade of their primary hospital in recent years with Clare, Tipperary, Roscommon, Monaghan and Leitrim having the highest ratios.

According to the report, 435 young Irish people were admitted to psychiatric hospitals in 2011. The vast majority of these young people were under the age of 18, however information concerning three people who were over the age of 18 but treated in child and adult units was also in- cluded.

Meanwhile, the report also revealed that Clare has the lowest rate of children with a registered intellectual disability in Ireland. According the State of the Nation’s Children report, just 148 Clare children had a registered intellectual disability in 2011.

The county’s rate of children with a registered intellectual disability is 4.8 per 1,000 children – almost half the national overage of 7.7 per 1,000 children.

The report does not give any indication as to why Clare should have such a low rate of intellectual disability compared to other counties. Besides being a possible indicator that Clare has a low level of children with intellectual disability, it could also be interpreted to indicate that Clare children with intellectual disabilities are less likely to be diagnosed or are less likely to be officially registered with the statutory bodies once diagnosed.