The Clare People Archive

A MOTHER took items from a jewellery shop in Ennis to pay off moneylenders, a court has heard.

A six-month prison sentence was imposed on Mary Ann Jackson at Ennis District Court on Wednesday.

Jackson (39) with an address at 35 Hyde Avenue, Ballinacurra, Limerick, had previously pleaded guilty. The court previously heard that Jackson, who has 118 previous convictions, entered Collins Jewellers, O’Connell Street, Ennis, on January 18. She took a tray of bracelets, placed them in her handbag and left the shop. The court heard that Jackson was stopped by the owner who called the Gardaí. The accused admitted taking the bracelets, which were all recovered.

Insp John Galvin told the court that the bracelets were valued at € 1,800 and were fit for re-sale.

Solicitor Daragh Hassett said his client had borrowed from moneylenders to pay for fuel for her father. He said she had taken the bracelets, as she had no way of paying the money back. He said that Jackson, a mother of one, “was under huge pressure to pay back these people”. The court heard that the accused suffers from diabetes and serious heart problems.

Judge Aeneas McCarthy noted that the accused does not have a good record. Acknowledging Jackson’s plea of guilty and other mitigating factors including the accused’s health, Judge McCarthy imposed a six-month sentence. He said the sentence is to be served concurrent to a nine-month sentence Jackson is currently serving.

A SHANNON graduate has been told he cannot take part in the muchpublicised Government Internship Scheme because of his disability status.

Padraic Hayes is in receipt of the allowance and therefore according to the rules of the scheme he is not entitled to get the much-needed work experience.

Under the programme, participants must be on job seekers allowance to avail of the support.

“I am getting my qualifications, but at the end of the day you apply for positions and they look for experience, and I am willing to work for the experience but because I can’t apply to get the experience I am stuck,” said the frustrated LIT student.

Padraic already has an honours de- gree in Office Management Systems and completed an ECDL course to make him more employable.

He has returned to college to do a higher diploma and said next year he will do his masters degree if he cannot find work, but he would prefer to find a job.

He has applied for numerous positions and has come close to success on a number of occasions.

In recent weeks he was second in line for a job but lost out to a candidate that had more experience.

The young graduate also registered with the Clare Supported Employment Service.

“I looked into an internship with my job coach but he found out that you had to be on job seekers allowance or job seekers benefit to qualify for an internship,” said Padraic.

Alice O’Carroll, Team Leader with the Clare Supported Employment Service, said she was surprised to discover that Padraic had no access to an internship.

“It is not right to be excluded from anything. He should have that opportunity to prove himself like everyone else,” she said.

“There is a recognition that people with disabilities should be included in the labour force, and I would like to see people with disability having access to internships.”

Fine Gael Senator Tony Mulcahy, a long time advocate for people with disabilities, described the situation as “ridiculous”.

“This is something that has to be sorted out and added to the programme,” he said.

“The Government has to take responsibility for this and I am part of that Government. The issue needs to be addressed,” he added.

A GARDA was driven 500 metres down a country lane in Whitegate while on the bonnet of a car, a court has heard.

The incident occurred as two gardaí attempted to interview a man they had stopped driving a black BMW in Whitegate on March 2, 2011.

As Sgt Joe Fallon inspected the front of the car, the driver, Frank Shanley, drove forward with Sgt Fallon on the bonnet, Clare Circuit Court heard last week.

Shanley (36), formerly of 8 Church View, Boyle, Roscommon, had previously pleaded guilty to four counts arising out of the incident.

Shanley, who is currently serving a sentence in Cork prison, was charged with unlawful use of a mechanically propelled vehicle; dangerous driving; giving a false name and failing to stop at Cappa, Whitegate, on March 2, 2011.

Garda Gerry Slattery told the court that gardaí had received a call from their colleagues in Clifden about Shanley.

He said, that after telling the accused that he was arresting him for theft, Shanley drove forward.

Garda Slattery said Shanley ignored his pleas to stop the car. Garda Slattery said he threw a rock to break the window of the car. He told the court that travelled 500 metres before stopping. “He didn’t give Garda Fallon any chance to get off the car,” he added.

Garda Slattery explained that the owner of the house in which Shanley had been staying had called gardaí. He said the owner had also blocked the entrance of the house with his jeep to prevent Shanley from leaving.

Counsel for Shanley, Enda O’Neill, told the court that his client had been staying in a remote rural location and had been “put on edge” when he saw the jeep parked across the entrance.

He said that psychiatric assessment of Shanley determined that “when he is stable psychiatrically, his legal problems decrease significantly”.

Shanley told the court that he was scared and that he dialed 11850 and 999 because he didn’t know what was going on. “I was tense and frightened,” he added.

Judge Caroll Moran said, “The most serious matter is that Mr Shanley drove a car for 500 metres without stopping with a person on the bonnet and as to whether Mr Shanley didn’t realise it was a garda, it doesn’t matter, he should have stopped.” Judge Moran imposed a three year sentence backdated to September 26, 2011, for the unlawful taking of a vehicle. Court Reporter A MAN has appeared in court charged with wasting Garda time arising out of a three-week search for a missing person in Ennis last summer. Bernard Flaherty (37), with an address at 3 Lifford Lodge, Ennis, was arrested in Ennis last week. At Ennis District Court on Wednesday, Sgt Catherine Houlihan gave evidence of arrest, charge and caution. Sgt Houlihan told the court that after being cautioned, Flaherty said, “I’m sorry for wasting your time.” Jurisdiction of the case was refused

and a book of evidence will now be served on the accused.

It is alleged that on June 24, 2011, at Ennis Garda Station, Flaherty did knowingly make a false statement tending to show that he had information material to Garda enquiries and thereby causing the time of the Gardaí to be wastefully employed.

Solicitor John Casey made an application for legal aid. He said there was no objection to bail.

Sgt Houlihan told the court that Gardaí received a report of a missing person on June 20, 2011. She said that in an interview, Flaherty told Gardaí that he had not seen the person in question. She said a major Garda operation was underway at the time to locate the missing person.

Insp John Galvin said the deceased body of the person was subsequently found by Gardaí in an apartment occupied by the accused. The court heard that the person died of natural causes.

Details of the Garda investigation and search were heard in court. Sgt Houlihan said 40 people were interviewed while Gardaí viewed 50 hours of CCTV footage. Eight Gardaí carried out door-to-door enquiries and 14 separate searches took place, the court heard.

Sgt Houlihan said community and voluntary groups had been significantly involved in the search. She said members of Clare Civil Defence had searched the River Fergus on a daily basis. Insp John Galvin said the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had approved summary disposal of the case.

Judge Aeneas McCarthy refused jurisdiction, saying he did not deem the matter fit to be tried summarily. He fixed bail and remanded the accused on bail to appear at Ennis District Court on March 14 for service of the book of evidence. Judge McCarthy said the usual reporting restrictions apply.

A NEW initiative to help regenerate the old traditional shopping streets of Kilrush by improving the streetscape has been introduced by the local authority.

Kilrush Town Council has agreed to fund up to € 750 of the cost of giving shops on Moore Street and Henry Street a facelift.

The Shop Front Initiative will follow on from the resurfacing of Moore Street last year.

The town council is working with the Chamber of Commerce, Shannon Development and the Tidy Towns in this second phase, which will encourage new business in these streets and assist existing businesses in improving their shop fronts.

The scheme will apply to owners and occupiers of existing businesses and also to new businesses in Moore Street and Henry Street.

The scheme will operate on a points basis with the maximum number of points being awarded in the case where new businesses are created.

Traditional shop fronts will be encouraged as will hand painted signs.

People will also be encouraged through the scheme to paint all of the buildings’ façades.

All applications for assistance under the fund must be received by April 30 and all works must be completed by August 2012. Following an assessment of applications, approval in principle will be given to successful applicants and monies paid out on the satisfactory completion of the works, together with evidence of invoices paid and signed declaration of owner or occupier. The maximum grant that will be available is € 750 or 50 per cent of the cost of the works, whichever is the lesser value. However applications for premises where arrears of any statutory local authority charges are unpaid will not be considered. Kilrush town councillor and local business woman Mairéad O’Brien said she was more encouraged by the scheme once she realised that people did not have to completely overhaul their shop front, and that those that under took painting work could also apply. She said, however, that she did not believe it would attract new businesses. “I don’t think 20 businesses will take it up because they won’t have the where with all to pay 50 per cent,” she added. Town Manager Nora Kaye said, “The scheme is intended to be flexible to encourage people to do up the buildings.” There is a budget of € 10,000 available for the project.

KILRUSH’S Tourism and Marketing Officer Siobhan Garvey will promote the maritime town as ‘Kilrush on the Shannon’ at every opportunity.

She made the commitment following a suggestion from the father of the council Cllr Tom Prendeville (FF) to re-brand the town incorporating its maritime history.

“I would be fully supportive of including ‘Kilrush on the Shannon’ at any available opportunity and incorporating this phase into future promotions in conjunction with the use of the image of the Shannon Dolphin and Scattery Round Tower,” she said.

According to Cllr Prendeville, “The origins and development of Kilrush can be traced back to a time, particularly in the 19th century, when it was the hub of commercial maritime traffic on the Shannon Estuary. In those halcyon days, paddle steamers plied between Kilrush and Limerick bringing passengers and produce to and from the Treaty City.”

“In recent years, the Kilrush Creek Marina has renewed Kilrush’s links with its proud maritime tradition through the development of top-class marine leisure facilities and services. The Kilrush Marina has opened up the magnificent natural resource of cruising waters right up to the ports of Limerick and Foynes.

“The commissioning of the ESB electricity generating station at Moneypoint also offers exciting opportunities for developing the deepwater jetty there and that will surely form the central plank of the Shannon Foynes Port Authority’s Strategic Plan for up to 2012,” he said.

He added that the rebranding of Kilrush as a tourism product should seek to maximise the vast potential of Ireland’s most magnificent waterway.

“It is a linkage between the historic sixth century monastic settlement of Inis Cathaigh and the necklace of ports and creeks along the estuary. The Shannon Dolphin tourism product has captured the public’s imagination and for those who dare broader horizons, Kilrush is the gateway to cruising on the western seaboard while unrivalled access to rich fishing grounds make the open Atlantic a centre for angling connoisseurs,” said Cllr Prendeville.

Ms Garvey said that there are already some tourism links between tourism in Kilrush and the Shannon.

“It has been useful that the Dolphin and Whale Centre at Merchant’s Quay is known as the ‘Shannon Dolphin and Whale Centre’ in all promotional literature and the only operator in Kilrush offering Dolphin Watching trips brands his business and vessel as the ‘Shannon Dolphin Discovery’, which also helps to reinforce the fact that Kilrush is very much part of the River Shannon and shows that there is as collaborative approach to branding Kilrush in this way,” she said.

THE HOUSEHOLD charge will have no implication whatsoever on local services.

That was the message that came from the February meeting of Kilrush Town Council, with councillors maintaining that the tax has not been thought out beyond what it can financially redeem.

Town clerk John Corry told councillors, “It is giving the understanding that it is an extra funding that is being made available, which is not the case.”

Cllr Tom Prendeville (FF) questioned the cost to the local authority of collecting this tax that will provide no extra funding to local services.

Caroline O’Connor, Management Accountant at Clare County Council, explained that the household charge is collected centrally with all monies collected remitted directly to the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government.

“Consequently this new charge has no impact on the council’s budget for 2012,” she said.

“Income arising from the new charge will allow a reduction by an equivalent amount of the cost of the centrally controlled local government fund.

“This fund is paid out to local authorities and supports that provision of local services for example public parks, libraries, open spaces and leisure amenities, planning and development, fire and emergency services, maintenance and cleaning of streets and street lighting.”

However, there will be an administrative cost to the council, a cost that cannot yet be calculated.

“Local Authorities were only made aware on December 20, that they would have a role in collecting this money, as we are only a month on from this it is difficult at this stage to establish the total administrative cost to the council of collecting this charge,” said Ms O’Connor.

“It is expected that these costs will become more apparent as the dead- line for the due date draws nearer and procedures for collection post March are clarified.”

“I don’t think any of us here would be against local taxes if it supported local services,” said Cllr Prendev ille.

“I don’t think the minister is being strictly honest when he introduced this,” he said.

“The elected members and manager are very aware of the public’s resistance to the new household charge.

“Socialist elements, on weekend surfing jaunts to West Clare, and egged on by Dublin’s ‘Reds-underthe-Beds’ brigade, are stirring up matters on the local front.

They realise that this charge is a prelude to a full-blown property tax on domestic dwellings coming down the tracks on the instructions of the Troika. If there is to be a local taxation to pay for local services, then let the Minister be upfront with his new stealth taxes,” added Cllr Prendeville.

“Otherwise, the public will have strong grounds for believing that the € 160 million to be collected from the household charge will be interpreted as our initial contribution to the recent € 1.2 billion paid out to unsecured bondholders last month.”

Owners of residential properties are expected to register and pay the household charge of € 100 on or before March 31.

CONSTRUCTION work began yesterday on a major restoration of Thoor Ballylee, the Gort residence of William Butler Yeats. The historic tower and tourist attraction has been closed to the public since it was badly damaged by flooding in 2009.

The redevelopment of Yeat’s West of Ireland getaway will take an estimated three months to complete and will be fully operational ahead of this year’s busy summer season. The decision to fund the restoration of Thoor Ballylee comes after top-level meetings between Fáilte Ireland and the Office of Public Works (OPW), who manage the facility.

The tower at Thoor Ballylee, which is located just outside of Gort, was purchased by Yeats as his family home in 1917. It was used as a summer home for Yeats during his frequent visits to Gort where he spent much of his time at the residence of Lady Gregory at nearby Coole Park.

Local senator, Lorraine Higgins (Lab) has begun a campaign to secure enough government funding to reopen the tower as a tourist attraction.

Higgins hopes that the combination of a renovated Thoor Ballylee alongside Coole Park will be enough to win literary tourists away from Yeats’ childhood home in Sligo and down to the Burren region.

“We need to reclaim our strong association with one of the English language’s foremost and renowned poets by ensuring Thoor Ballylee is restored as a prime tourist attraction in the region,” she said.

“Thoor Ballylee is steeped in connections with Yeats and should be just as important a tourist landmark as his grave in Drumcliffe in County Sligo. More than 100,000 tourists visit the poet’s grave in Drumcliffe every year and there is no reason whatsoever why Thoor Ballylee cannot achieve similar status as a mustsee tourist destination.

“Thoor Ballylee has been extensively damaged by flooding, particularly in 2009. The River Coole which runs beside the tower is prone to flooding and overflows onto the road, and this has added to the difficulties from a tourist attraction point of view.”

AHEAD of the annual Ennis Book Club Festival that takes place on the first weekend in March, the event has been recognised internationally thanks to being nominated for EDGE Awards that take place in Edinburgh every year.

The Ennis festival is the only Irish nominee in the 2012 awards scheme pioneered by Edinburgh City Council, which are are designed to reward innovation and creativity in library services.

The award winners will be announced on March 1, the eve of the Book Club Festival that has become a key part of the Irish literary festival circuit over the past seven years by being able to attract some of the biggest names in Irish literature.

“Ennis Book Club Festival is organised by a voluntary committee in association with Clare County Library,” said festival chairperson Ciana Campbell. “We really value that support. Ennis is a festival dedicated to book club members and readers and given that there are over 150 library-based book clubs in the country it makes complete sense to work together in this way. The organisers of the EDGE 2012 Conference obviously feel that we are a good example of how the public sector can support community organisations like ourselves,” she added.

“The festival has enabled the library service to reach out, make contacts and create goodwill with a broad sector of the community,” said county librarian, Helen Walsh. “Over the years, links have been forged with local writers, artists, musicians and youth groups and the library service, through the festival, has contributed to the cultural life, tourism and economy of the region and proved that local authorities can play a vital role in projects such as this.”

At the cutting edge of digital technology, the EDGE 2012 Conference will show how libraries – physically, virtually and socially are revolution- ising local authority service deliver. The two-day conference in Edinburgh will bring together top local government figures from the UK and beyond to explore how libraries are key to delivering council services, e-government, learning and digital inclusion.

Ennis Book Club Festival 2012 will be held from March 2 to 4. Visiting writers include Lynne Reid Banks, author of the L-Shaped Room , English novelist Patrick Gale, Maureen Gaffney and Shelia O’Flanagan.

AFTER her star turn on RTÉ radio, singer Siomha Brock is looking forward to a triumphant homecoming concert in Ennis on Saturday.

The 24-year-old embarks on a nationwide tour this week with stops in Galway (Kings Head, Thursday), Cruises Bar, Ennis (Saturday), Limerick (Office Bar, February 21), Cork (Crane Lane, February 24) and Dublin (Sweeneys, Dame Street, February 26).

The former Coláiste Muire student, who has been tipped as one of Ireland’s rising music talents, released her self-titled EP in Ennis last December. Reaction has been positive, with one track ‘Right From The Start’ being added to the RTÉ Radio One playlist.

Siomha and her band also appeared on Pat Kenny’s popular morning show with the veteran broadcaster hailing their performance.

She says, “He really liked it. He’s into that jazz style of music so he seemed really happy with it. He was very nice and we were really well looked after. It was great to go up and play in such a great studio. It was really a good boost. I sent up the CD and, because they liked it so much and because I had the tour coming up, they said they’d bring us on to do a bit of promotion.”

Joining her on tour are Ennis man Eoghan Judge (guitar), who has been writing songs with Siomha for the past year. Bass player Karl Clews has worked with artists such as Jamiro quai, Gary Barlow (Take That) and PJ Harvey. Drummer Pat Corless has worked with artists such as Jerry Fish and the Mudbug Club and The Blizzards.

Siomha says, “We’ve a good few new songs for the tour. We’ve just over an hour of new stuff. Eoghan and myself work really well together because we’ve known each other for so long and because we’ve very similar taste in music.” She adds, “The guys are great. They know exactly what we want to do with the song.”

Siomha, who has performed regularly in Cruises and around Ireland, is hugely influenced by jazz singers such as Ella Fitzgerald and Billy Holiday, She says, “I stick to a lot of the old jazz stuff because that’s the way I like to sing. I got all my influences from them.”

A GROUP of colleagues went to Lisdoonvarna to the matchmaking festival this year for a day out – nothing note worthy in that.

Like so many others they travelled by bus and looked forward to a bite to eat, a few drinks and plenty of music and craic.

After a few beers and orange juices in a local establishment some members of the group needed to use the facilities, but soon discovered they couldn’t.

The facilities were working perfectly and others had been using them all day, but still the members of this group had to leave the public house and go to the other end of the town to use the toilets in a small café.

They went to another pub and once again, when they had to use the facilities they were forced to go outside in the cold September air and travel hundreds of yards to use the toilets in the same café.

The local primary school had agreed to allow the group to use their facilities and a local hotel would also have been available to them except it was closed on that day, but their comfort would have been disrupted in any eventuality.

So their day continued like this and all because they were dependent on wheelchairs for mobility.

This experience is not unique for people who rely on wheelchairs to get around County Clare, nor is it exclusive to the North Clare town.

Despite the change in laws and a growing philosophy of inclusiveness, wheelchair users are continuously penalised for needing mobility assistance.

The freedom to move around, use the facilities their tax euros pay for, and access buildings and social settings remains limited. One group of young wheelchair users who meet regularly on a Friday night, explained how their meeting places are limited, especially in Ennis, as access and space remains an issue. As the group spoke they explained how they have legally enshrined rights to integrate socially with everyone else yet they cannot. Shannon woman Majella Nihill explained how she likes to visit the Shannon shopping centre with the assistance of her mother. She said she can navigate the area quiet well but it is not without it difficulties as pointed out by fellow Shannon citizen Padraic Hayes. He does a lot of his shopping in the new Shannon Town Centre, as toilet facilities is an issue in many shop- ping centres.

“I go to the old one [Shannon Shopping Centre] in the Gort Road. That is the best one for me and my chair to get in and get out. The other one you can manage but there is a bit of struggle. I can get in but it is tight,” he said referring to the “disability toilets”.

“I go to Limerick a lot. O’Connell Street (Limerick) is a dream for me because it is so level even if shop accessibility is not great,” he said.

Connie Commane is a regular face in the county town of Ennis.

A proud wheelchair user she makes her way through town with purpose.

But all of the county town is not accessible to wheelchair users like Connie, and the shopping experience is often limited to lower O’Connell Street and the market.

Gerry Quain told how a coffee shop he use to frequent in the Tesco shopping centre in Ennis has since closed limiting the places he can meet his friends.

Ger Arthur from Shannon enjoys the freedom and space of the Friday night catch-up of young wheelchair users in Hassets pub in Barefield, where he can relax and have his pint without worrying about facilities, access and space. This he cannot do everywhere.

As the dinner was served in the Barefield bar last week and the group settled in to a night out, Padraic remarked “everyone has their own definition of accessibility”.

For this group of young people however the definition in Clare leaves a lot to be desired.