The Clare People Archive

IN Feburary, it was revealed that the population of Clare is predicted to swell to almost 150,000 people over the next 10 years, with numbers set to continue growing despite the current economic crisis and reports of mass emigration from rural area.

According to the preliminary results of the 2011 census, the population of the county actually grew by 5.3 per cent since the recession began.

Population numbers grew from 110,950 in 2006, just before the start of the recession, to 116,885 last year.

According to a new research document released by the Mid West Regional Authority in Ennistymon on February 17, the population in Clare is projected to reach 131,321 by 2016 and 141,600 by 2022.

If these projections prove to be true the population of Clare will grow to its highest level since before the Famine over the next 10 years.

The Mid West Regional Authority Factfile, which was released at the organisation annual meeting at the Falls Hotel in Ennistymon, also set out a number of short-term regional predictions with North Clare predicted to be a major growth area over the next five years.

According to the report the population of the North Clare area is set to grow by an impressive 14.36 per cent over the next five years with the local population reaching 15,675 by 2016.

West Clare has also been earmarked for major growth with the local population set to expand from 16,736 to 18,836 in 2016 – a growth of more than 12 per cent.

While the number of new people coming to live in Clare continues to more than those leaving the county, the rate of migration has slowed over the last 10 years.

Between 2002 and 2006, 4,169 more people came to live in Clare than left the county to live elsewhere. However, according to preliminary figures from the 2011 census, the number of people coming to live in the county was only 986 people more than the number who left the county to live elsewhere in the five years between 2006 and 2011.

Despite the overall growth gain in population numbers, some parts of the county have experienced a dramatic drop in numbers in recent years.

In West Clare, the Loop Head Peninsula and the area around Doonbeg suffered a decrease in population as did the a large section of North Clare between Liscannor and Fanore.

THE world of prostitution and exploitation was brought home to Ennis in February when it was revealed that the county capital of Clare had a key role in a vice ring being operated at locations around the country that involves non-nationals.

The fact that there are now working brothels in Clare was exposed in a Prime Time Special – the brothel specifically identified in the RTE programme prompted Gardai to reveal that a criminal case was immi- nent against those involved.

Clare viewers of the Prime Time Special were shocked to see footage of three young women being ferried into and out of the brothel in Clare, which was located just off the Mill Road in Ennis, less than 500 yards away from the office of The Clare People .

According to a garda spokesperson, the brothel had been under investigation at the time of the Prime Time Special, was closed down shortly after the footage was recorded and criminal prosecutions are likely in regard to activity in the building. Garda sources told The Clare People that brothel start-ups like this are not uncommon in Clare but they usually close as quickly as they open. “What happens is that girls will advertise online for a few days to gauge if there is a demand for their services. They will then arrive in Clare, set themselves up in an apartment or hotel room and see clients. “Of course, before long they will come to our attention or that of a member of the public. “When this happens, they will move on straight away,” our source said.

Internet advertising and mobile phone technology means that brothels can be set up and dismantled in a matter of hours and garda sources in Clare have identified these operations in a number of Clare towns.

“We are working all the time with the National Bureau of Criminal Investigations,” a garda spokesman told us.

“This means that very often we are aware almost immediately if these persons enter Clare, but sometimes they are here for a couple of days before we are alerted and can act.”

THE future viability of smaller nursing homes in Clare was called into question in January following the leaking of plans by the government to move a number of publiclyowned nursing homes into semi-private ownership.

Fears were raised that the Minister for Health, James Reilly (FG) planned to effectively force smaller nursing homes, with under 50 beds, into funding their own existence and not be grant aided each year by HSE funds.

This news prompted fears for homes such Ennistymon and Ra- heen, which have 22 and 33 beds respectively, that the local communities would be forced to take over the running of nursing home units from the HSE.

The news came fast after a number of drastic cuts in the number of HSE nursing home beds in the county in recent years.

St Joseph’s Hospital in Ennis has borne the brunt of these cutbacks, with bed numbers slashed from 270 down to the current number of 166 over the past three years.

And a Government commitment to close up to 900 community nursing home beds over the course of the year led to fears being expressed that a number of nursing homes in the county could be closed, forcing them down the privatisation route as the only feasible way to keep their doors open.

Regional Health Forum West member, Cllr Brian Meaney (GP) blasted any privatisation plans, saying that “the onus is on the Government to keep as many community care beds as possible”.

“A level of service has to be maintained,” he says, “and you can’t compromise on that. It will be hard for the public to support privatisation when that means beds will be about making profit.”

Speaking at the time, Tomsie O’Sullivan of the Friends of Ennistymon Hospital, said that many local community groups would not be able to cope if the proposals put forward by the health minister lead to a greater funding burden being placed on the local community.

“There is not a hope that we would be able to cope [if the recommendations from Minister O’Reilly come into force].

“We are in ongoing talks with HSE West in relation to the future of Ennistymon Community Hospital,” he said in January.

“The cutbacks will make it very difficult but we have been in very difficult situations before. And the way that we got out of those situations was through communication from all sides.”

CLARE County Council voted unanimously to place an explicit ban on hydraulic fracturing or fracking in the Clare County Development Plan at the January meeting of the local authority.

More than 50 West Clare residents and members of the Clare Fracking Concerned group packed the public gallery of Clare County Council for the meeting to express their support for moves by the elected members of the local authority to ban fracking in Clare.

Despite a number of procedural objects from the executive of Clare County Council, the councillors voted unanimously to amend the County Development Plan to specifically ban fracking – making Clare the first county in Ireland to take such a step.

Councillors also voted unanimously to write to the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Pat Rabbittee (LAB) asking that the process of fracking be banned in Clare.

This follows a motion put forward by West Clare councillor Gabriel Keating (FF) calling for a ban to fracking in Clare.

Speak on the proposal Cllr Joe Arkins (FG) said that fracking was “raping the natural environment” for the benefit of “gamblers” in the petroleum industry.

“I say this as a land owner but in reality we don’t own the land, we hold it in trust for the next generation. It is bad enough that we have managed to bankrupt the next generation never mind poisoning the land as well,” he said.

Meanwhile, in a separate motion, Cllr Brian Meaney (GP) criticised what he described as a lack of support from the executive of Clare County Council to change the County Development Plan to include a specific ban on fracking.

“We need to put into action the words that we have said today. I completely reject the directions coming from the executive of Clare County Council regarding the change of the County Development Plan – I reject this out of hand,” said .

“This actions bring Clare into the spotlight of the petroleum industry’s attempts to scrape the bottom of the barrel. Clare is the bottom of the barrel for these people. We have an opportunity to send a clear signal that we are not willing to participate and sit idly by.”

Despite the unanimous vote of Clare County Council, the County Development plan had not been altered with council official stating that to include an explicit ban on any activity in not within the scope of a development plan.

A NEW future of Shannon Airport began to emerge in January with the confirmation by the Minister for the Transport, Leo Varadkar (FG), the airport would remain in state ownership and will not be sold off as part any fire-sale of state assets.

The minister also indicated that any decision on the future of Shannon Airport would have implications for the workers at Shannon, saying that the company “should not be run in the interest of the workers”.

This ruled out the possibility of an all-out privatisation of the airport and the idea of extending a long-term lease, or between 30 and 50 years, to the property sector. Clare County Council welcomed the development saying that it opened the door for the council to have a larger role in the operation of Shannon Airport.

“It is intended that the airports will stay in public ownership but that is not to say that there cannot be private sector investment and involvement in the airports in a way that is not the case currently,” said Minister Varadkar.

“Shannon Airport has a great future as a passenger airport but also as one which is concerned with avionics and aero-industry but the status quo there is not working and the airport is in decline, which is why we need to have a change of policy in that regard.”

The minister was speaking after receiving the Booz report, the findings of which would not be made public until later in the year.

Clare County Council said the news was a step in the right direction.

“Recent comments made by Minister Varadkar concur with the council’s own views. The comments also are in line with the detailed submission made by the council to Booz & Company during 2011. We look forward to playing a key role in the progression of a new framework for Shannon Airport,” said a council spokesperson.

As the year rolled on, it became clear that a separately operated Shannon Airport, with full independence from the Dublin Airport Authority, was the government plan. Shannon Airport officially decoupled from the Dublin Airport Authority later on December 31, 2012, and a new entity, currently called NEWCO, comprising Shannon Airport and parts of Shannon Development will be created.

A SPATE of aggravated burglaries targetting elderly people living in the West Clare area is causing huge concern in the community, as gardaí believe the culprits have local knowledge of their victims.

In a latest attack, two elderly brothers were targetted in their home in Lack West Kilmihil during the weekend before Christmas.

At least two intruders, yielding iron bars, broke into the frightened men’s home between 2am and 3.25am on Saturday, December 22.

They terrorised the elderly occupants and forced them to hand over what is considered to be a sizeable amount of money. The thugs then fled in a car.

The only description available to the gardaí of the intruders was “that they were big”.

“A car with a loud exhaust was heard near the scene at the time,” a garda spokesperson said.

This crime was very similar to burglaries committed in Moyasta on December 8 and in Boolyneaska Kilmaley on December 6. Again, older people were targetted and robbed.

In the Moyasta incident, three individuals broke into the farmhouse of two elderly sisters and demanded money.

The trio broke down the door of the rural house in Kildymo, Bansha, near the seaside town of Kilkee, between 10.30pm and 11.30pm on December 8 and entered the premises where the women had lived all of their lives.

A frightening ordeal then began for the two ladies in their 80s as the robbers ripped the phone from the wall and demanded money from them.

There was very little money in the house and the thugs eventually got away with a small amount of cash from the old age pensioners’ purses.

The three who had targeted the two vulnerable older women in their own home covered their faces during the robbery. Gardaí believe there may be a connection between at least two of the three burglaries.

They are appealing for anyone with any information to contact them at Kilrush and Ennis Garda Stations.

“A substantial amount of money was taken in the latest crime. We believe the culprits in this case had local knowledge as all houses are off the main roads and in relatively isolated areas.

“These criminals are now flush with money and we are sure they are going to spend it,” said the garda spokesperson.

Meanwhile, a file has been sent to the Director of Public Prosecution in the case of an aggrivated burglary on the occupants of an isolated house between the Kilrush road and Kilmurry McMahon on September 21.

Gardaí arrested three men less than an hour after they were suspected of robbing an elderly woman and her family at knifepoint in their West Clare home. The elderly woman has since passed away.

A NEW York marketing manager who threatened to headbutt an airline pilot and forced an emergency landing at Shannon Airport was ordered to pay € 3,367 in compensation to British Airways and a sum of € 1,000 to the court poor box at Ennis district Court yesterday (Friday).

Judge Patrick Durkin struck out the charges against Damian Kington with an address at 105 West, 29th Street, NY, 10001 taking into account a number of factors including the affect a new medication combined with alcohol had on the defendant at the time of the incident over the Atlantic.

On Wednesday, Mr Kington, an Australian native, was taken from BA Gunb flight 004 to Ennis District Court and charged with threatening, abusive and insulting behaviour contrary to Section 2A(3) and Section 2A(4) of the Air Navigation and Transport Act 1973 as inserted by Section 65 of the Air Navigation and Transport (Amendment) Act 1998.

He was also charged with engaging in behaviour likely to cause serious offence or annoyance to any person on board the aircraft under the same Air Navigation and Transport act.

Garda Noel O’Rourke told the court he had arrested Mr Kington that morning at 9.15 after the flight from JFK New York to London City airport was diverted to Shannon.

At 7.30am the captain and commander of the flight Niall Jones told air traffic control that he had an unruly passenger on board and requested to land at theCounty Clare airport.

The court heard that when Mr Kington had boarded the 32-seater business class plane he was observed by the cabin crew to be in a sober state.

During the course of the flight, he was served four to five aircraft bottles of wine and in his luggage were found two different types of medication.

Two hours into the flight, the 35year-old got out of his seat and stood over two other male passengers across the isle, in what they said was a “threatening manner”.

He then referred to them as “c@*ts and paedophiles”. He started “F-ing and blinding at staff and other passengers”.

The frequent flyer was served with a verbal warning by the crew and then a written warning. A few minutes later, the captain was called again. As he came down the aisle, the defendant came towards him and pushed him.

“He pushed me and tried to head butt me,” the captain told gardaí in a statement.

As there was no marshal aboard, the crew then struggled to restrain and handcuff the defendant as they considered him “a serious risk to passengers on the flight.”

Later when Gda O’Rourke went on to the flight at Shannon they found the accused to be in a subdued and “dozy state”.

He was extremely pleasant to us,” he said. “There was a strong smell of alcohol and he was unsteady on his feet.”

Mr Kington works in New York as the head of marketing team in a very high profile company and was travelling to England for Christmas.

Solicitor for the Defence Úna Moylan said that her client was in a state of shock after the events aboard the plane.

She told the court that he had an ongoing depression condition and had taken one and a half Xanax and one anti-anxiety tablet coupled with the alcohol. She said he remembered nothing of the incident.

Yesterday (Friday) Mr Kington told the court that he was on a new medication at the time.

“It is fair to say I was and still am mortified by the accounts given by the witnesses. The fact I have no recollection is more frightening.”

He apologised to the airline, passengers, captain and crew and the gardaí. He said he would no longer be taking that form of medication or drinking on an aircraft.

Judge Durkin said that the charges against Mr Kington were very serious but he dismissed them and ordered him to pay € 3,367 to cover the costs of the landing charge in Shannon, the ground handling cost and the fuel cost and ordered him to pay a further € 1,000 to the court poor box.

The judge said he was taking into account that the Damian Kington onboard the flight was not the man reflected in his many references.

He also took into account his early guilty plea, describing the defendant as “a man of impeccable character.”

“I accept your responsibility was seriously diminished,” he said adding that he hoped Mr Kington would visit Ireland again under different circumstances.

BALLYALLA is in mourning today following the tragic death of fiveyear-old Megan Malone in a New York hospital on Thursday.

Megan, who will be laid to rest in County Cork later today, December 22, defied all the odds last year by recovering from a rare form of cancer. She was diagnosed with a deadly form of brain cancer called SPNET-Medullablastoma in October of 2010. However, following groundbreak- ing treatment at hospitals in New York and Boston last year, Megan made a miracle recovery and seemed to have put her illness behind her.

Tragedy struck again earlier this year, however, when the cancer returned and, despite emergency treatment in America, the brave five-year- old passed away in New York on Wednesday night.

Megan is survived by her father John Malone from Ballyalla, her mother Sheila, as well as her three brothers and sister. She’s also mourned by her grandparents Michael and Kay Malone from Ballyalla and a large number of relatives and friends from all around Clare.

“Our beautiful little princess, Megan, lost her brave fight for life last night. She battled her terrible disease for over 26 months and it finally got the better of her little body and soul,” said John Malone yesterday.

“We will never ever forget you Megan. We love you so, so much. No more suffering, no more pain. Poor, poor little darling Megan, may you rest in peace.”

Megan’s plight touched hearts in Clare, Ireland and the United States. A number of fundraisers took place across Clare to help fund her groundbreaking treatment in America.

Megan’s aunt, Aine Watts, said the timing of Megan’s death so close to Christmas was particularly cruel.

“We are all devastated by the news. The entire family and extended family are devastated by losing Megan who was so, so brave all through her illness. Megan will be sadly missed and we’ll miss her little face, beautiful smile and personality,” she said.

Megan will will be buried in Ballyvourney Cemetery following a 2pm funeral Mass today, December 22.

A CLARE homeless charity has began donating food to hungry Ennis families – who are not homeless but are unable to feed themselves as a result of the recession and government cutbacks.

According to Josie O’Brien of Help the Homeless in Clare, the situation among poor Clare people is as bad as it has ever been. The group are expecting their largest ever turnout at the Christmas Day dinner this year – with more than 100 people likely to attend.

According to Ms O’Brien, the situation is now drastically worse than it was just 12 months ago.

“Besides the homeless, we’ve started helping other people who look for food. We’ve been helping some families around Ennis. Someone will contact me and say that they know of a family who don’t have any food and we provide the food. It’s not just people who are homeless – there are now families out there, living in houses and they don’t have food,” said Josie.

“It’s very sad. We’re talking about families with children – and they are hungry. It’s gotten worse this year a lot worse. It can be very difficult for families out the now. But the other side to that is that people are so generous. All I have to do is put up on facebook that food is needed and without fail someone makes a donation. The people of Ennis and of Clare are so so generous.

The Help the Homeless in Clare Christmas dinner will take place from 3pm to 7pm at Fahy Hall in Roslevan on Christmas Day.

“It’s not just for the homeless. Anyone can come – anyone who is on their own or needs a dinner,” she said.

“I normally cook for around 60 or 70 but I’ll be cooking for 100 or more this year because it looks like it is going to be busier.

“I’ve been doing this for eight years and I’d say that this is going to be the biggest year. So we are preparing lots and lots of food. That said – there will be no shortage of food. People have been very generous so we will have plenty of food.

“People are becoming way more aware of the problems that are out there. It’s not just homeless people anymore. Its a lot of different people. Some people just need food now,” she said.

A large number of Clare people and businesses donated food to Help the Homeless in Clare this year. To find our more search for “Help the Homeless in Clare” on Facebook.

EIGHT people were treated in hospital on Thursday following an incident at the Chemifloc plant in Smithfield in Shannon.

Seven people, five men and two women, were hospitalised directly following the incident on Thursday evening with an eighth person presenting to the Mid West Regional Hospital in Limerick on Friday morning.

It is understood that staff were attempting to load a batch of bleach at the Smithstown Industrial Estate when a chemical reaction took place.

The reaction sent a vapour cloud of chlorine into the air, which also filled the building.

Eight units of the fire brigade from Shannon and Ennis attended at the scene and quickly dealt with the situation.

According to the Clare County Fire and Rescue Service, the chemical incident was “quickly contained”.

Gardaí set up roadblocks at the entrance to the estate – allowing only emergency vehicles entry.

A number of premises in the vicinity of the plant were evacuated by gardaí while fire crews investigated the extent of the spill.

Fire crews wore special protective suits over their fire fighting clothing as well as breathing equipment before they could enter the building and deal with the spill.

Clare Chief Fire Officer, Adrian Kelly, on the advice of Chemifloc chemists, confirmed on Thursday night the gas emissions, which were caused by the chlorine reaction, do not pose a public health risk.

It is understood that none of the of the eight people hospitalised as a result of the incident are in a serious conditioned.

Most reported breathing difficulties are were retained at the hospital for treatment.

The seven people who were brought to the hospital on Thursday had to be decontaminated or washed down by fire personnel in a specially constructed tent outside the hospital, before they could be admitted and treated at the emergency department.

The company confirmed the workers were taken to hospital as a precaution, but that none had been seriously injured.

Chemifloc in Shannon are a water treatment chemical importer and manufacturer.

Products include aluminium sulphate, ferric sulphate, ferric chloride, and ferric nitrate.