The Clare People Archive

THE position of Chief Executive Officer of the new entity that will run Shannon Airport has been advertised nationally.

The appointment process will be handled by Merc Partners, a renowned executive search recruitment company based in Dublin.

The job description offered in the national newspapers highlighted the fact that the CEO of Shannon will be just that, having a wider remit beyond the operation of the airport.

The new role of CEO will include managing a broad property portfolio, much of which will be inherited from Shanon Development Company as well as being responsible for the establishment of a global aviation cluster.

This is in reference to the stated aims of the plan for Shannon encompassing the rejuvenation of the aviation industry reputation and base, which was once a mainstay for the airport and the Free Zone.

The position did not specify a salary but the successful candidate can expect annual renumeration in the six figure range.

The advertisement for the job states “remuneration will be within the guidelines set for Irish public enterprises”.

That stipulation can be widely interpreted, with some Irish Public Enterprise CEOs like those in the ESB, DAA, Bord Gais, Bord na Móna and An Post, to name but five, all commanding salaries and perks worth above € 250k per annum. A ceiling of € 250k was put on CEO salaries with State owned commercial entities in 2011.

This new post of Chief Executive could be considered to be at the higher end of the public enterprise scale, the CEO’s responsibilities being publicly seen as wide ranging and vital to the economy of the region. The new person at the helm will also have a fairly visible public profile.

The job spec highlighted the need for experience, stating that the role ‘requires an experienced and inspirational leader of exceptional calibre with aviation experience’.

The new CEO will report to the board charged with running the new Shannon entity, chaired by Clare native Rose Hynes. The position was advertised in The Sunda y Times last week as well as online.

Rose Hynes appeared before an Oireachtas Committee on Trans- port last Wednesday and outlined ambitious plans to increase passenger traffic at the airport as well as creating up to 3, 500 new jobs over the coming years through expansion and development of Shannon as an international centre of excellence in the aviation industry.

The new CEO will be expected to play a leading role in driving that aviation expansion.

While it is to be assumed there will be candidates applying for the position who already have a connection to the airport and Shannon Development Company, potential applicants currently based outside of Ireland are also expected to be in the frame.

“The role of CEO in such a new venture is seen as a very attractive one within the industry and there will definitely be foreign interest in it,” an insider told The Cla r e People .

The appointment process will not be concluded for a number of weeks and it could be as late as April or May before the successful candidate is officially named.

The New Co as Shannon Airport is currently described as, does not officially become fully automonous until July of this year.

CLARE is one of the top five best performing counties in Ireland in terms of reducing roads deaths, with fatalities on our county’s roads down by 80 per cent in the last five years.

A publication by the Road Safety Authority (RSA) shows a 79 per cent reduction in road deaths in Clare during the Government Road Safety Strategy 2007 to 2012, when compared to the period of the previous strategy from 2004 to 2006.

The national average is just 57 per cent, suggesting that Clare has some of the safest driving conditions in the country.

Road deaths in Clare fell from 12 in 2007 to two in 2012.

The report, ‘2007 to 2012 Road Traffic Deaths By User Type And County’, shows that, since 2007, 22 drivers, five motorcyclists and cyclists and seven pedestrians have been killed on roads in the county.

Last year, two people died on roads in Clare.

Noel Brett, Chief Executive of the Road Safety Authority said, “The reduction in road deaths in Clare shows just what can be achieved when communities come together and say enough is enough, we don’t want any more people dying on our roads. All it takes to make a difference is for one person to say, I’m going to change my behaviour on the roads so that I can keep myself and others safe when we’re out on the roads.

“So, on behalf of the RSA, I would like to thank each and every person in Clare for the contribution you have made to keeping roads in your county safe. It is the efforts made by each and every one of you that has helped make Clare one of the top five best performing counties in Ireland in terms of reducing roads deaths.”

He also paid tribute to An Garda Síochána, emergency services personnel and the local authorities for their work in reducing the death toll on Clare’s roads.

“If we all redouble our efforts in 2013, there is no reason why we can’t make Ireland’s roads the safest in the world,” said Mr Brett.

As many as 162 people died on Irish roads in 2012, 24 fewer fatalities than the previous year when 186 people died and 51 fewer than 2010 when 212 people died on the nation’s roads.

A RESOLUTION to the ongoing dispute over Blake’s Corner in Ennistymon could be more than five years away, following a decision from the National Roads Authority (NRA) not to fund an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed development in its 2013 allocation of funding last week.

Early last year, Clare County Council requested that the NRA allocate money for the completion of an EIS. This followed threats from a local heritage group who said they would appeal the project to An mBord Pleanála if an EIS was not completed.

Following the decision by the NRA not to include the EIS, the funding allocation last week now looks likely that it will be 2014, at the earliest, before funding for the EIS is made available.

Once funding is made available, it will take up to a year for consultants to be selected and a statement to be prepared. This statement will then be referred back to the NRA for approval. Only then can funding be sought to create a new junction in Ennistymon.

The issue came to light at yesterday’s Ennistymon area meeting of Clare County Council when a proposal to construct a pedestrian crossing on the Ennistymon bridge was turned down.

“We are now back in limbo about a pedestrian crossing on the bridge in Ennistymon. It is totally unacceptable that we are going to have to wait for a decision on Blake’s Corner before getting this situation resolved,” said Cllr Richard Nagle (FF).

“We all know, if we are all realistic and tell the the truth, we are not going to get a resolution to Blake’s Corner until 2015 at the very earliest.”

Council engineer, Stephen Lahiffe confirmed that funding for the EIS was not made available by the NRA last week. He also confirmed that senior county engineer Tom Tiernan is to make fresh enquiries to the NRA about securing funding for the EIS. This further delay is likely to add at least another year to progressing work on Blake’s Corner, which could now be more than five years away.

It was also revealed at yesterday’s meeting that local company Data Display, who employ more than 100 people in Ennistymon, have to bring all deliveries to the factory at 4am – because of the junction at Blake’s Corner.

“A woman was hurt at the spot last year and was injured. We are hearing this, day in and day out, from people. The truck drivers going to Data Display have to come at 4am in the morning with their deliveries,” said Cllr Bill Slattery. “Can the brains at Clare County Council not come together and come up with some temporary resolution for this, until the Blake’s Corner issue is resolved?” See page 62 for more from the Ennistymon Area Meeting.

ALMOST four in every 10 children born in Clare are born to unmarried parents.

Figures released for the first quarter of 2012 show that there were 430 children born to Clare mothers in the first three months of last year. Of these parents 292 were born to married women with 138 born to unmarried women.

It is likely however, that many of the Clare children born to unmarried mothers are still raised in two-parent families. According to Central Statistic Office figures, a total of 77 babies born to unmarried Clare mothers over this period register an unmarried father living at the same address.

According to lone parent organisation One Family, a variety of different family structures has now become normal and accepted in Clare. New research carried out by the organisation also shows that the biggest issue arising from lone parenting is financial, and not the development and socialisation of the child.

“One in eight children in Ireland are now in a one-parent family so it is becoming much more normal. I think the real pressure on one parent families is very much an economic pressure,” said Stuart Duffin from One Family.

“From a child development point of view, it doesn’t really have an impact. A single parent can give as much attention to a family as a two-parent family and often times the parent in a one-parent family can even be more focussed on their children than a two-parent family.

“We are also seeing other types of families appearing in Clare. We see a lot more shared parenting relationships where people have split up in a friendly way and they can have a different type of relationship with their children than what we might have seen in the past.”

One Family works to provide information to one-parent families in Clare and also has a lot of information for lone parents, shared parents and lone parents who wish to introduce a new parent into a family situation. For more information visit www.onefamily.ie.

OVER € 31,000 was donated through the Court Services in Clare last year to local groups in the community, healthcare and volountary sector. The funds were handed out to 28 groups as part of the 2012 court poorbox payout.

Instead of imposing a conviction, a district court judge can order that the defendant donate a sum to a charity nominated by the judge.

The St Vincent de Paul and Bushypark treatment centre were among the main beneficiaries of poorbox orders made by Judge Patrick Du- rcan last year. The SVP in Ennis and Kilrush received payments of € 5,000 and € 3,000 respectively.

The St Vincent de Paul operates 14 teams throughout the county, providing support and assistance to harpressed individuals and families. SVP’s ‘Carefully Chosen Fashions’ shop is located at 84, Parnell St. Ennis. The Clare SVP administrative office is located overhead the shop.

The shop is staffed by volunteers and provides training for FÁS and Community Employment (CE) scheme participants.

BushyPark Treatment Centre for people addicted to alcohol, drugs and gambling received € 2,000

The Ennis office of Rape Crisis Midwest and TLC 4 Cystic Fibrosis each received € 1000.

The full list of recipients and the amounts received are listed below: Glebe House Kilrush (€ 500); Kilkee Marine Rescue (€ 500); Regina House Kilrush (€ 500); Rape Crisis Midwest, Ennis office (€ 1000); Breakthrough Cancer Research, Cork (€ 1000); Tipperary Limerick Clare for Cystic Fibrosis (TLC4CF) (€ 1000); Acquired Brain Injury Ireland (€ 1000); Foroige Youth Scariff (€ 1000); AMEN (€ 500); Aisling Group International (€ 500); Killaloe / Ballina Community and Family Resource Centre (€ 500); Clare Crusaders (€ 500); Clarecare (€ 1000); Bushy Park Treatment Centre (€ 2000); Cahercalla Hospice (€ 2000); The Samaritans (€ 1000); St Vincent de Paul, Ennis (€ 5000); St Vincent de Paul, Kilrush (€ 3000); Poor Clare Sisters, Ennis (€ 1000), Garda Suíochana Benevolent Trust Fund (€ 2000); Solicitors Benevolent Trust Fund (€ 2000); Clare Haven (€ 500); Alzeimher’s Society, Clare Branch (€ 500); Doolin Search and Rescue (€ 500); Killaloe/Ballina Search and Rescue (€ 500); St Joseph’s Training Centre (€ 500); Home Share Clare (€ 500); St Caimins Search and Rescue, Mountshannon (€ 500)

FORMER Clare psychiatric nurse and chairman of the HSE West Forum Committee Tom McNamara has raised concerns that the psychiatric nurse specialising in assessing patients out of hours is often redeployed due to staffing issues in other areas of the mid west region’s hospitals.

The liaison mental health nurse is appointed in the area’s three hospitals, including Ennis, to assess people presenting with mental health issues between 4pm and 3am and at weekends.

Cllr McNamara said that these ex- perienced nurses are also familiar with the case of many patients of the mental health service who may call out of hours, and this experience plays a vital role.

“The crisis nurse [liaison nurse] would know some patents straight away and would be able to access them there and then. If the nurse is not available an ambulance may have to be sent out unnecessarily to bring the patient in,” he said.

“The system works well when the nurse is there. He or she then puts the information into the system, and the day hospital the patient attends knows the following morning that there had been an issue the night before,” he said.

“At a time when suicide is so prevalent it is disappointing that the HSE is taking out crisis nurses to fill in vacancies within the system.”

The former nurse said that while he was disappointed that the “crisis nurse” was often moved on to the hospital floor leaving the position vacant, he encouraged anyone concerned about their mental health to ring the hospitals or Shannondoc if it is out of hours, as there is still help available through the psychiatric services.

“I would encourage people to call and that there is help out there and there is a way out of it [feeling of depression],” he added.

THERE is immediate help for people with suicidal intentions, thoughts or people who may have attempted to take their own lives 24 hours a day, seven days a week in Clare.

According to the HSE this service is provided out of hours through the region’s accident and emergency service as a liaison mental health nurse liaises between the emergency service and the mental health serv ices.

Bernie Carroll, Resource Officer for Suicide Prevention, said the nurse is available from 4pm to 3am through A&E at the Mid Western Regional Hospital, Limerick.

In Ennis however as the A&E is no longer available 24 hours a day, the liaison nurse is available from 4pm until 8pm through the A&E department.

The nurse can then be contacted through the out of hours GP service – Shannondoc after 8pm.

Ms Carroll said that even outside of these hours people should present to the hospitals and the psychiatrist on call will see them.

The liaison nurse or psychiatrist will then assess the patient and the most appropriate course of action for the individual is taken.

Ms Carroll added that if anyone is worried about their mental health however, the best person to call is their local GP.

The GP will then treat the patient or refer him or her to the mental health services.

As well as seeking help through the GP or the accident and emergency services, there are direct counselling options – either privately or through voluntary organisations such as Pieta House, Life Suicide Prevention Helpline, Console, Living Links, Samaritans and Red Ribbon Project.

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline number is 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

THE number of older people in the county dying by suicide has increased and is likely to increase further.

That is according to the HSE’s Suicide Prevention programme, which is now targeting this group for special consideration.

HSE teams in Clare and throughout the mid-west have begun working with groups and organisations that work specifically with older people, educating them on suicide prevention and informing them where help can be found.

Figures show that while young men remain the highest group at risk from death by suicide, there is also an increase in the number of people taking their own lives after the age of 60 years old.

Bernie Carroll, Resource Officer for Prevention of Suicide in the mid west region, said that as the population continues to get older this will become even more of an issue and so the HSE is moving now to educate the relevant groups.

It is also providing education in schools and in the community.

The stigma attached to this type of death however has meant that public information evenings have been left empty as people fear being seen asking about the topic explained Ms Carroll.

“There is a lot of fear and hysteria in a community after a death by suicide. The difference between suicide and other deaths is the intensity of the emotions because we don’t know why any one person took their own life,” she said.

Early intervention and preventative measures is the best way forward according to the expert.

She explained that as many as 80 per cent of people who took their own live, looked for help at some point. A further 80 per cent had alcohol or drugs in their system at time of death.

OFFICIAL records show that four times more people from Clare died by suicide than on the county’s roads last year, and those working in the field of suicide prevention say the number in reality is much higher.

Yesterday (Monday) there were seven cases of suspected suicide listed for the coroner’s court relating to deaths last year.

Preliminary figures from the CSO suggest that there were eight deaths by suicide in 2011, but local Resource Officer for Suicide Prevention Bernie Carroll maintains that when the preliminary figures are finalised they will be higher.

She also pointed to the number of undetermined deaths recorded every year, including drowning and gun shot wounds, many of which are thought to be people taking their own lives.

“A number of road traffic accidents in Ireland are considered to be suicide but that is difficult to prove so it is returned as an undetermined death,” she said.

Suicide is the leading cause of death in men aged 15- to 34 years in Ireland, accounting for a quarter of all deaths in this age group.

The rate of suicide in Clare is aver- aged at 13 per 100,000 of the population, making it the 10th highest county in Ireland for deaths of this nature. And while young men remain the most likely to die by suicide, the number is increasing across the age demographic.

“Information coming from the CSO would suggest we could expect a rise in suicide for young women,” warned Ms Carroll.

On average there are 500 suicides in Ireland every year, but when the figure includes undetermined deaths that number is as high as 600.

As many as 1.5 per cent of all deaths are thought to be suicide.

As well as dealing with cases of suicide, emergency services in Clare dealt with 16 attempted suicides in the Ennis district, four times more than death by suicide, last year.

Ireland has had the highest increase in suicide. The number of people dying by suicide in Ireland began to rise significantly in the 1970s and peaked in 1998. As many as 80 percent of those that die from suicide in Ireland every year are men.

Ms Carroll explained that the break down is best explained by the methods each gender is more likely to use when taking their own lives.

The majority of male suicides in Ireland were by hanging, while women were more likely to overdose on drugs giving emergency services time to save them.

Ms Carroll also works to make people aware of intentional self-harm.

While the country has a National Register for “self harm” the majority of people who hurt themselves do not present for any medical assistance.

“It is important to note that not everybody who engages in self harm wants to die. Roughly 600,000 people engage in self harm but the majority do not seek help as it is very much secret.”

While more women that men self harmed in the past, latest studies show that the number of men selfharming has increased.

A MARRIED couple have received jail sentences after being found in possession of a stolen table at their home in Ennis last year, following a lengthy hearing during which the judge described one of the defendant’s evidence as a ‘cock and bull story’.

Martin Joyce (22) and Annie Joyce (22), both with addresses at 113 Dun na hInse, Ennis were found guilty of handling stolen property at Ennis District Court on Tuesday.

The couple, who were each sentenced to five months in prison, had denied the charge of handling stolen property at their home on June 4, 2012.

The court heard Mr Joyce has 33 previous convictions and Ms Joyce has 60 previous convictions, mainly for road traffic offences.

In passing sentence, Judge Patrick Durcan said those in receipt of stolen property often commit a more serious crime than those who steal goods.”

He added, “The message must go out that there is no incentive to carry out behaviour of this type.”

Sarah Conway of Home Gallery Interiors, Kilrush Road, Ennis gave evidence that a three legged table went missing from the store in May 16, 2012.

The court heard that Martin and Annie Joyce later admitted to being in the premises on May 16.

A garda search of their car and home at Dun na hInse, carried out on May 16, did not uncover the missing table. The couple were not charged with the theft of the table.

The court heard that gardaí called to the couple’s home on June 4, 2012 on a separate matter.

Garda Colin Egan, of Ennis Garda Station, told the court that he noticed a table similar to the one reported stolen from Home Gallery Interiors in May.

He said that when he asked the couple where they had got the table, Martin Joyce became aggressive, picked up the table and threatened to smash it.

Garda Egan added, “They didn’t tell me where they got it, how much they paid for it. They wouldn’t tell me anything about it.”

Ms Conway said that when the table was returned to the shop by gardaí, the marble top had been replaced by glass.

Ms Joyce denied that the table had been stolen, saying that it had been a present from her mother.

Judge Patrick Durcan refused an application from Defence Solici tor Tara Godfrey to have the charge against her clients struck out.

Judge Durcan said, “I am compelled to absolutely accept the evidence of Garda Egan which was quite clear.

He added, “I am compelled that the story outlined by Annie Joyce is a total cock and bull story.”

Judge Durcan said the couple were guilty of the offence.

Ms Godfrey told the court that Mr Joyce, who is currently on remand awaiting sentence for witness intimidation, is participating in a pilot programme from the Department of Justice aimed at negotiating peace with feuding Traveller families in the Midlands.

She said her client had previously suffered from a drugs problem and that his “upbringing had been one of extreme cruelty and violence.”

Ms Godfrey added, “As parents of three children they are horrified to find themselves in this situation.”

Judge Durcan said that for many businesses crimes of this nature are a “tipping point.”

He said the accused’s record of previous convictions weighed “heavily” on him.

He imposed sentences of five months each. Recogances were fixed in the event of an appeal.