The Clare People Archive

A SHANNON man has received a six-month prison sentence for offences committed while on bail last year. Martin O’Callaghan (23) with an address at 156 Cluain Airne, Shannon, pleaded guilty to charges of criminal damage and theft at Ennis District Court on Wednesday.

O’Callaghan was charged with damaging the fly window of a car at Dun na Rí, Shannon on November 1, 2011. O’Callaghan was also charged with taking a wallet, valued at € 55, from the car.

On the same date at Bothar Na Luachra, Shannon, O’Callaghan was found by gardaí to be in possession of a screwdriver with the intention that it could be used in the course of, or, in connection with a theft.

Insp Tom Kennedy told the court that the cost of the damage to the car was € 150. He said that O’Callaghan has 52 previous convictions.

The court heard that the offences were committed while the accused was on bail.

Solicitor Turlough Herbert said that his client had been in the grip of a serious drug addiction at the time.

The court heard that O’Callaghan is currently serving a sentence for his role in an aggravated burglary committed in Sixmilebridge in January 2010. Mr Herbert said that O’Callaghan had not been in contact with drugs since going into prison. He said his client had made admissions to gardaí and had returned with them to the scene of the car break in to help look for the discarded wallet. He said that O’Callaghan, a father of two, wished to apologise to the owner of the car.

Judge Aeneas McCarthy stated that as the offences had been committed while the accused was on bail, then any sentence would have to run consecutive to the current prison term.

In respect of the criminal damage charge, Judge McCarthy imposed a six-month sentence to commence on the lawful termination of the threeyear sentence currently being served by O’Callaghan.

AN East Clare ent repreneur is hoping a new online guide can spark a r ush i n tourist bookings n t he Banner Count y.

Eoin O’Hagan recently met with Gover nment ministers to highlight the potential of his website, www. clarevi r t ually.ie.

The website was launched at the end of August 2011 as Eoin saw the potential for a new and innovative way to promote tour ism products, in Clare and t hroughout t he rest of t he count r y.

The prospective visitor logs on to t he site, clicks on t he relevant l ink and watches a 60-second video tour of the selected B&B. He/She gets to see the exterior and interior of t he premises, including some shots of the bedrooms, sitting rooms and dining room.

But, accordi ng to Eoi n, t he most i mpor t ant par t of the video is when t he potential visitor is greeted by t he owner or manager wit h a smile and céad mí le fáilte.

After viewing the video tour, the prospective visitor can then book the product through t he link to the provider’s website. The t agline for the site is ‘Look Then Book’.

Eoin believes the video tours take away any doubts that t he prospective visitor may have about booking accommodation, rest aurants or ot her tourism products through a website.

The father of three, who lives in Scariff, believes the project could also generate employment local ly. He explained, “There is the poten- tial for the creation of highly skilled positions within t he organisation. Trai ned camerapersons, editors, IT and suppor t staff wil l be requi red as the site grows to include the 25 other counties i n the Republic.”

He added, “There is the possibility of 600 video tours in Clare alone. When t his is multiplied by t he other 25 counties, there would be many thousands of videos showing the tour ism products in a way t hat prospective visitors to Ireland would really appreciate.”

Eoin, who is involved in t he Clare Tourism For um, stated that there is huge potential to fur ther develop vi r t ual tours of Clare.

Earlier this mont h, he met with Mi nster of State wit h responsibility for Transpor t, Tourism and Spor t, Michael Ring and Clare Labour TD, Michael McNamara.

In a subsequent meeting wit h Minister of St ate Alan Kelly, Eoin and Deputy McNamara discussed tourism in the mid-west and specifically the potential for promoting angl ing on Lough Derg and sur rounding areas.

IT WAS a case of 40 minutes of fame for farmer James Lynch and his family on Sunday as they were the toast of Chinese vice-president Xi Jingping during his short stopover on their 215-acre holding in Cappagh, Sixmilebridge.

“He’s a pure gentleman,” said Lynch after giving Mr Xi a guided tour of his farm, the crowning glory of which was when he was shown a new-born Friesian heifer calf named after him.

“It arrived just in the nick of time,” said Mr Lynch to his host. “He was very knowledgeable and very interested in learning more about the quality of the grass and how Ireland produces high quality milk and beef. He even went to see the silage and wanted to know when it grew and when it was cut.

“He was very much at ease with us, chatting with my mother and he even drank an Irish coffee. He came across as a very friendly and modest man and an extremely courteous one,” he added.

As vice-chairman of Dairygold Coop, last November Mr Lynch went to Chinia as part of an Irish agricultural trade mission, travelling to the city of Hothot in inner Mongolia and its dairying hinterland.

During the Mr Xi’s visit to Sixmilebridge, he also visited the Lynch homestead, chatting with James, his wife Maura and his mother, Ann, and met the couple’s three children, fiveyear-old James, three-year-old Olive and nine-month-old Ronan.

They were accompanied by Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney and a host of Chinese civil servants, television camera operators, photographers and representatives from the agrifood business.

“Having the opportunity to bring the Chinese vice-president to a family farm in Ireland will leave a lasting and positive impression of the natural source of Irish agrifood products,” said Minister Coveney.

“Ireland is renowned for its high quality and safe food production and was strategically placed to provide increasing volumes of quality food to China given the higher levels of increased production of dairy products, meats, sea-food and beverages that will take place over the coming years in Ireland. The Chinese associate Ireland with high quality and safe food.

“This visit will help with expanding dairy production in the next few years as EU quotas are abolished. We plan for an increase in dairy production of 45 per cent between now and 2019,” he added.

These words were echoed by the president of the Irish Farmers Association, John Bryan. “Mr Xi sees Ireland as a good source of food imports for China. His visit here is hugely significant,” he said.

TENS of thousands of extra Chinese tourists look set to flock to North Clare this year – and possibly for many years into the future – following discussion on establishing educational links between the Cliffs of Moher and a number of Geoparks in China.

The link was suggested by China’s president elect, Xi Jinping, during his historic visit to the Cliffs of Moher on Sunday morning. While in conversation with the manager of the Cliffs of Moher Visitors Experience, Katherine Webster, the Chinese vice president suggested forming a number of education links between the Burren and a number of Geoparks in China.

“I told him that the Cliffs of Moher and the Burren had recently been granted UNESCO Geopark status and he was very interested in this. He suggested that a major educational exchange be set up between the Geoparks in China and the Cliffs of Moher. This would be a very significant development for us and something that we definitely intend to follow up on,” said Katherine.

“He was very interested in the history of the Cliffs and in the natural landscape of the area. He told me that he has previously seen the Cliffs in a film, which must have been Harry Potter, and he told me that he had been looking forward to coming to see the Cliffs even before the state visit was announced.

The Cliffs of Moher has already recorded a dramatic increase in the number of Chinese visitors using the North Clare facility so far this year. More than eight Chinese tours, amounting more than 250 holidays makers, have visited the Cliffs of Moher since January – and this figures is expected to swell into the tens of thousands once the tourist season gets into full swing.

Thousands of extra Chinese visitors are also expected in North Clare during this year’s London Olympics.

“We have already seen a large increase in the numbers of Chinese visitors coming to the Cliffs this year so we are very hopeful of what will come this year,” continued Katherine.

“He will be taking a bit of Clare back home with him – we presented him with a painting of the Cliffs set in a Liscannor Flag frame and I know that the Mayor of Clare, Pat Hayes, spoke to him about Irish music and gave him a few CDs of traditional music. So there will some Martin Hayes heard in Beijing soon no doubt.”

THE visit of Chinese vice-president, Mr Xi Jingping to Clare on Saturday and Sunday can have huge spin-off effects for the Shannon region in terms of trade and tourism, the chief executive of Shannon Development has claimed this week.

Dr Vincent Cunnane made his comments after being part of the delegation that welcomed Mr Xi to Shannon on Saturday and after playing host to the vice-president and his entourage at a Bunratty Castle banquet.

“Shannon Development has long established links with China dating back to the 1980s.

“We were honoured to be invited to brief the Chinese Vice President during his visit to Ireland,” said Dr Cunnane.

He pointed out that the objective in briefing Mr Xi was to “to create the environment to enhance good relations between Irish and Chinese businesses” and to educate the Chinese delegation “on all aspects of Shannon Development’s regional economic development remit and particularly on activities at Shannon Free Zone”.

“The linkages between Shannon Development and China began in 1980 with the visit of Mr Jiang Zemin, who was then Senior Vice Minister of State Imports and Exports Administration, and later became President of China,” continued Dr Cunnane. “Mr Jiang led a Chinese Govern- ment delegation to Shannon to study the Shannon Free Zone and the Shannon Development ‘model’ of a regional development company. “The knowledge gained by the Chinese delegation was subsequently used by the Chinese authorities in the development of their very successful Special Economic Zones.” “Mr Jiang Zemin’s visit to Shannon was the beginning of a steady stream of visits which saw two Chinese Pre- miers, and many Chinese Government delegations, come to hear the Shannon Development experience, initially focusing on the Shannon Free Zone and Shannon Development itself, but latterly focusing on our work in regional economic development.

“China has a population of over 1.3 billion, which represents 20 per cent of the world’s population.

“The fact that the Chinese Vice President spent almost three days in Ireland is a major boost,” added Dr. Cunnane.

In highlighting the tourism benefits attached to Mr Xi’s stay in Clare, Dr Cunnane said “the visit to Bunratty Castle and indeed the Cliffs of Mo her will have an enormous impact on Ireland’s tourism promotional efforts in China.

“We are delighted to work with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and our Government colleagues to ensure the success of the visit and to raise Ireland’s tourism and business profile in China,” he added.

KILLALOE has received a huge boost in the past week with news that Clare County Council has given the green light for the development of a major sports facilities project for the East Clare town.

Conditional planning permission has been granted to the Ballina/Killaloe Sports and Community Facilities Development Company for a major development that is set to begin later this year, provided there are no hold ups due to any appeal at An Bord Pleanala level.

The alliance between communities in Clare and Tipperary is behind the development of two new full-size playing pitches, an all-weather pitch, floodlit training areas, walking and cycling trails, changing and carparking facilities at a site in Moys, Killaloe.

The planning application for the development was lodged on June 15 last and an original deadline of November 9 last year was set for a final decision date on the proposal.

However, the decision was delayed on foot of a request from the planning authority for further information, which was duly submitted by the applicants on December 22 last.

Planning permission was granted last week, with the final judgment saying that “having regard to the nature and scale of the proposed development, the existing use of the lands that the proposed development would not seriously injure the amenities of the area or of property in the vicinity” and would “accord with the proper planning and sustainable development of the area”.

Commenting on the planning decision, a spokesperson for the Ballina/ Killaloe Sports and Community Facilities Development Company told The Clare People the positive planning decision “is great news for sport and leisure facilities in Killaloe”.

“This is a major development for the Killaloe and Ballina areas and we are looking forward to progressing the project in the next couple of months,” the spokesperson added.

SOCIAL housing needs in Clare is at its highest level on record and almost twice what it was just four years ago according to figures compiled in the Mid-West Regional Authority (MWRA) Factfile, which was published in Ennistymon on Friday.

According to the report, there was 1,383 people in need of social housing in Clare last year. This compares to 796 in 2008, representing a 73.7 per cent jump in just three years.

Indeed the social housing list in the county is more than 400 per cent greater than it was at the end of the last recession in Ireland in 1993.

Despite the need for social housing in Clare, the county also possesses more vacant dwellings than at any other time in the history of the state.

According to the MWRA, there were 11,892 dwellings vacant in the county in 2011.

The number of vacant dwellings has increase by 21.3 per cent in the five years between 2006 and 2011. With Clare’s overall housing stock rising from 48,834 in 2006 to 55,826 in 2011 this means that one in every five houses in Clare are currently vacant.

Indeed, according to the report, Clare has one of the highest rates of vacant houses in Ireland with only six counties having a higher vacancy rate.

The MWRA includes Clare County Council, Limerick City and County Councils and South Tipperary County Council.

The factfile highlighted a number of issues, including maintaining employment and improving competitiveness as key steps forward for the mid-west region.

The report recommends a “sustainably increase” of the population in Shannon, as a gateway town and Ennis, as a hub town, in the immediate future.

“Population growth is crucial for attracting employment and improving infrastructure in the region. In order to maintain a high net disposable income level, the mid-west must continue to create highly skilled employment in areas such as ICT and med-technologies to counterbalance the high level of educational attainment in the region,” said a spokesperson.

“Reducing unemployment levels and preventing out migration are crucial to the region’s competitiveness and economy going forward. Key employment sectors require Governmental stimulus reshaping, particularly in the public sector.”

The report also calls for the completion of the Atlantic gateway corridor linking the M18 at Gort to the M6 Galway to Dublin motorway.

COUNTY councillors from Limerick City, Limerick County and Tipperary may look to have a position on the board of the Shannon Airport Authority (SAA) if it is decoupled from the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) later this year.

With details of the Booz Report into the future of Shannon Airport yet to be officially made public, it is widely expected that some Clare organisations will be given a role to play in planning the future of the airport.

Last year, Clare County Council made a submission to the Booz Re port suggesting a role for the local authority on the board of the future Shannon Airport Authority.

Given the central role that the airport has in future plans for the region, as set out in the Mid West Regional Authority Factfile which was published in Ennistymon last Friday, it is also now likely that representatives from Limerick and Tipperary may also look for a place on the board.

“Shannon Airport is the single most important piece of transport infrastructure that we have in this region. Everyone has a stake in it and everyone, whether they be from Limerick, Clare or Tipperary, would be concerned about the declining passenger numbers,” said Limerick City Councillor, Joe Leddin (LAB).

“There are challenges there but there are opportunities as well. If the motorway to Galway was completed, you would have a motorway linking Shannon to Galway and, with the subsidies ended for Galway Airport, I think that people in that area will consider using Shannon instead of Dublin or Galway airports.

“I wouldn’t get too hung up on who should or should not be on the new board, the Minister for Transport will decide that. My focus as chairman of the Mid West Regional Authority is to take a more macro approach to this because the airport does affect the entire region.

“I say, put the best calibre of people on that board and let them drive it. It is about driving the airport for the region and, as long as that is the approach taken by the new board, I don’t care who will sit on it.

“I also believe that it must be separated from the DAA debt-free. For any new board to go in there and take that airport by the scruff of the neck, ad drive it both in terms of domestic traffic and tourism and trade, they need to go into this debt-free. It has to be written off or at least written down.”

EAST Clare farmers and landowners, whose land will be subject to Compulsory Purchase Orders to facilitate the construction of the longawaited Killaloe Bypass, received letters from Clare County Council last week informing them which parts of their land will be affected.

The Killaloe Bypass has been identified as a Strategic Infrastructure Development, which means that planning for the development does not need to go through the local planning process with Clare County Council but instead go straight to An Bord Pleanála. Clare County Council last week lodged two documents with An Bord Pleanála, in relation to the Compulsory Purchase Orders and the Environment Impact Statement for the project.

“Any submission made to An Bord Pleanála will be very carefully considered. Ultimately, it is Clare County Council’s objective to achieve development of a high-quality road scheme in a manner that will address any concerns they may have as effectively as possible,” said Barry Keating from the Transportation Sector of Clare County Council.

“It will not be possible for Clare County Council or Roughan and O’Donovan, Consulting Engineers, to engage with the public in respect of this project during the course of the presently ongoing formal public consultation process. This is to ensure that everyone affected by the project is treated equitably and to protect the integrity of the process.”

The public consultation process finishes on March 30 of this year after which time An Bord Pleanála will make the final judgement on the future development of the bypass.

“It is most important that the views and concerns of all landowners in relation to the proposed road scheme are submitted in writing to An Bord Pleanála in the manner outlined in the correspondence they would have received recently by the specified closing date,” continued Mr Keating.

“Each individual landowner and occupier affected by the scheme received a letter and a map and schedule dated Monday, February 6, indicating the portion of their land and property associated with the aforementioned CPO.”

Further correspondence clarifying Clare County Council’s role during the current statutory public consultation process was issued on Tuesday, February 14.

Information on the Killaloe Bypass, including the Environmental Impact Statement and Natural Impact Statement, are currently available to to be viewed at www.clarecoco.ie.

CLARE VEC has been urged to write to Minster for Education and Skills to highlight concerns expressed over admissions policies in Limerick schools.

The February meeting of Clare VEC heard claims that children living in south east Clare had been refused admission to several schools in Limerick City.

Cllr Cathal Crowe (FF), a teacher at Parteen National School described any decision by a school to turn down an application as an “awful crush to the confidence of the student”. He said parents were concerned at the policies.

Cllr Crowe told the meeting that south east Clare is not serviced directly by a secondary school with many students going to schools in Killaloe, Shannon or Limerick.

He said it had been brought to his attention that Gaelcholáiste Luimní had turned down applications from young people in south east Clare. He called on the Clare VEC CEO, George O’Callaghan, to write to Gaelcholáiste Luimní, highlighting these concerns.

Cllr Crowe said the letter should be sent to the Gaelcholáiste as it is under the patronage of another VEC (Limerick City).

Mr O’Callaghan said the VEC had no authority to intervene in the ad- missions policies of schools in Limerick.

He said that while a letter could be written to “register” the committee’s concerns, it would be unfair to single out one school. He suggested that a letter be sent to patrons of all schools in Limerick City.

Cllr Peter Considine (FF) said school admissions are also an issue in Ennis. He told the meeting that the admission policies in place at Rice College and St Flannan’s College meant many students are not being accepted there.

Cllr Crowe claimed that the is aware of some Limerick schools where admissions are based on names being drawn randomly from a drum, something he described “as a very crude process”.

Cllr Crowe continued, “This has caused a lot of hurt. These are people living in our county and I’d like a letter to go the Minister outlining these concerns.”