The Clare People Archive

MEMBERS of an interfaith group from Clare were honoured to be included on the President of Ireland’s diary in recent weeks.

President Mary McAleese hosted a garden party for various groups from around the country and the interfaith group from the mid-west was included on her schedule.

Members of the Mid-West Interfaith Network hail from Ennis, Shannon, Sixmilebridge, Broadford and Limerick.

The group was set up a year ago and consists of all religions including Catholic, Hindu, Sikh, Jewish, Baha’i and Zoroasterian. The members meet regularly and take part in meditation, prayer vigils and organise general meetings.

One of the members, Trish FallonBarry from Shannon, said the interest in the group has been significant and the meetings focus on positivity.

“It was set up by Alan Hillard, a Catholic priest from Ennis and Abed Aldaka, the integration officer with Doras Luimní. They were talking about the desirability of setting up an interfaith group. It would be very close to my heart. I believe all the religions are one,” said Ms FallonBarry, who is a member of the Baha’i group in Shannon.

“We have a core group. We meet up and broaden it out when we can, with meditation evenings, and we will go on a walk soon,” she said.

“It is faith based. It is very positive and peaceful. We share what we have in common and foster an understanding,” she said.

“We have more to celebrate together than we do separately. There is such a positive atmosphere at our gatherings,” she added.

Among those who visited Áras an Uachtaráin were Bart Gruzalski from Sixmilebridge, Alan Hillard from Ennis, Gurmukh from Sixmilebridge and Trish, who lives in Shannon. “We wrote to the President and she included us. She is so positive and supportive of us,” said Trish.

THE tragic victim of last week’s house fire was still in mourning for his father, whom he had buried just over a month before he died.

Mike Kennedy, who was born and grew up in Killaloe, lost his life in a housefire in neighbouring Ballina on July 3.

Last Wednesday and Thursday, huge crowds turned out to pay their final respects to the family man and musician.

Mike had buried his father, Timmy, who owned an electrical shop in Killaloe just over a month before his own death.

Mike – known as ‘Caddie’ – was well known for his interest in mu- sic and regularly played the banjo at sessions in Killaloe and Ballina. He also loved fishing and handball and, in his younger days, played under-age hurling for the local SmithO’Brien club.

Friends of the 53-year old said that the community is deeply shocked at his loss. “He was a very happy go lucky kind of person; a lovely man and very interested in music. He played music and he collected CDs and DVDs of well known musicians,” a friend told The Clare People .

Mike is survived by his wife Margaret, sons Kevin, Anthony and Declan, their partners Lisa Grace and Elaine, his mother Eileen, sister Geraldine, mother in law, relatives and friends.

GARDAÍ across Clare are investigating a string of break-ins over the past week.

A range of property including electrical items, a generator and mobile homes were stolen during the burglaries, while homes were ransacked.

In one incident, at Ballynote West, Kilrush, a house was broken into between 1am and 9am last Monday. A range of goods was stolen including a digital camera, laptop, three mobile phones, and Nintendo DS.

Also in West Clare, a house in Carrigaholt was broken into and a petrol generator was stolen at around 12pm on Saturday.

A farm was targeted in Kilkee on Monday night, as five Freisan heifers with tag numbers were stolen from a field in Newtown. Tents camped in Spanish Point were targeted and personal belongings including hand- bags, mobile phones and money were taken, between 5pm and 6pm last Wednesday.

Machinery that was parked in a quarry at Moveen East, Kilkee, had its windows broken over the weekend.

A house in Cusack View, Ennis, was broken into and ransacked between Tuesday and Friday of last week. A flatscreen television was stolen in a break-in at the Ashford Court Hotel, Ennis, overnight on Wednesday.

A house in O’Briensbridge was searched overnight on Friday, after thieves forced open the front door. However, nothing was taken.

In Clarecastle, a container at Creggaun na hIlla caught fire in what gardaí say are suspicious circumstances, at around 10pm on Friday.

Anyone with information on any of those crimes should contact Ennis Garda Station on 065 6848100 or a local Garda station.

COUNCILLORS in Ennis have recommended that large tracts of development land in the Clarecastle be included in Ennis and Environs Development Plan.

At a special meeting of Ennis Town Council, councillors proposed a number of amendments to the proposed variation.

Senior planner Gordon Daly told the meeting that phase one of the plan could only include 88 hectares of land zoned for residential purposes.

In total, across a number of amendments, councillors are seeking the inclusion of 38 hectares of land in the Ennis area, which the manager’s report said should be excluded from phase one of the variation. To balance their proposals, councillors are proposing that 38 hectares of land in the Roslevan area be excluded from phase one of the variation. Members are seeking the inclusion in phase one of the variation, lands in the Clarecastle area.

In their submission, councillors Tommy Brennan, Frankie Neylon, Brian Meaney and Michael Guilfoyle state, “It is important to the implementation of this plan and to generate a sufficient population base in these areas to justify the upgrading of the Clarecastle treatment plant and other community facilities along with road networks that residential development is promoted in these areas in a balanced way.

The amendment supports submis- sions made by: Therese McCarthy on lands at Ballybeg, which were zoned residential in 2003 and 2008; James Malone, on lands at Kildysart Road, Clarecastle and Ballybeg. (In his submission Mr Malone states “developers with lands in Clarecastle are looking at the possibility of working in partnership with the Council in order to bring these lands to planning by resolving the existing services issue. These discussions are now put in jeopardy if the current phasing as proposed proceeds); McCarthy Bros, on lands at Ballybeg; M Fitzgibbon (Builders) Ltd, on lands at Ballybeg Clarecastle.

Councillors are also seeking the inclusion of land at Ballycorey as set out in submissions by Luxury Homes and land at Ballymaley, as set out in a submission by Michael Keating on behalf of Paddy and Mary O’Donoghue.

Councillor Tommy Brennan proposed the amendment “to introduce a more balanced zoning in order to optomise land use in the overall plan area”. Other amendments proposed the inclusion of lands at Tulla Road as set out in a submission by Drumquinn Construction Ltd.

Mr Daly said the manager’s report recommended the inclusion of lands at Roslevan as they are in a better location and have access to better facilities.

The variation will now go back on public display and will be subject to a further manager’s report. The variation process is expected to be completed by October.

COUNCILLORS in Ennis have expressed support for the development of large retail parks on the outskirts of Ennis.

At a special meeting of Ennis Town Council yesterday, members discussed a proposed second variation to the Ennis and Environs Development Plan 2008-2014.

Thirty-one submissions were received in relation to the variation, which was drawn up in response to concerns raised by the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government.

The Department had expressed concern over the amount of land zoned for residential purposes in the Ennis area.

Yesterday, councillors presented a number of modifications to the proposed variation. They included an amendment proposed by Cllr Frankie Neylon (Ind), stating, “It is the policy of the Council that, subject to assessment of retail impact PS7 (site at Limerick Road and Clonroadmore) would be a suitable location for a district centre scheme or new large food store.”

He said he was proposing the amendment “in the interest of balanced retail development”.

Cllr Neylon told the meeting that councillors should positively consider developments that have the capacity to create jobs and encourage young people to stay in Clare rather than emigrate.

He said Ennis had lost shoppers from Kilrush and Miltown Malbay to large retail developments in West Clare. He told the meeting that the only new businesses setting up in Ennis town centre are “€ 2 shops, phone shops and betting shops”. He claimed that shoppers are refusing to come to Ennis because of the cost of parking charges.

The proposal was backed by the Mayor of Ennis, Cllr Michael Guilfoyle (Ind), who told the meeting that he was “pro-development” provided it was on sustainable basis.

Cllr Brian Meaney (GP) expressed concern over the amendment. He warned that it could lead to a “doughnut effect” whereby jobs would be lost in the town centre. “You would lose a certain amount of vitality from the town centre,” he added.

The amendment, along with others proposed by councillors, will now go back on public display.

Planning permission has been sought by Michael Lynch Ltd for the development of a retail park at five hectares of land at Limerick Road and Tobertascáin.

It is projected that as many as 500 jobs could be created if the development gets the go-ahead. According to planning consultants DPP (Development Planning Partnership), 300 temporary jobs will be created in construction while with a further 200 full-time jobs in retail on completion.

THE sun shone on Tubber over the weekend as hundreds descended on north Clare for the annual Tubber Agricultural Show. One of the main attractions of Saturday were the show-jumping classes, where a large entry ensured a high standard in all competitions.

The pony classes saw a notable double win for Noelle Barry who took the overall first place 1.1 and 1.2 metre classes on Cottage Flight. Other winners in the pony classes were Amy Johnston on Amber Leaf, Kevin McCabe on Cradle Oberdash, Olga Burke on Little Bob and John Murray on Heather Molly.

The main competition in the horse section was dominated by Gabriel Slattery, who took an unprecedented treble in the Connacht Grand Prix. He took first place on Castlelawn Kannan, second on Captain’s Magic Touch and third place on Ballintoghr Bud. Fourth place in the competition went to Stephen Egan on Le One with John McManus on Dino coming in in fifth place.

The Amateur Leddy League and HSI Qualifier was won by Peter Brady on Hollymount Cruise Hill, while Jacinta Fahy won the Amateur Speed on Chicken Wall.

Other winners in the horse section were Amanda Fahy who won the 1.1 metre competition on Lackyle Limited Edition, and Niamh Quinn on Cloon Cappain who won the 1.2 metre competition.

Meanwhile, on Friday, the Rosengrave Perpetual Cup for the Best Pin of Lambs went to Frank Donoghue from Tubber. There was also a huge interest in the dog show on Saturday and the festivities continued on Sunday with a fun day with food and craic in and around Finnerty’s Pub.

A CLARE student, with dreams of reaching for the stars, is over the moon this week having seen his research launched aboard the last flight of the space shuttle.

Third-level student Gerard Newsham (24), a post-graduate student at Limerick Institute of Technology (LIT), is currently working at the Space Life Science Lab in Florida. On Friday, he was on countdown at the NASA Kennedy Space Centre for lift-off of the final space shuttle mission which has his science project onboard.

Speaking from the Space Centre, the Corbally student said, “I can’t describe how I feel; amazing is just not a strong enough word. Most of the time it just seems so unreal. I have to keep pinching myself.”

Gerard is working on a project entitled, ‘Symbiotic Nodulation in a Reduced Gravity Environment (SyNRGE)’, which set out to learn how plants and bacteria work together in space.

In an interview with The Clare People , Gerard revealed that his sights have always been on the heavens.

“Ever since I was younger, I always wanted to be involved in the space program but never thought it would happen. I had always told myself if I could just see the Kennedy Space Centre and see a shuttle launch, I’d be more than happy. Today and every day since October 2008, it’s to my delight I get to go there, do research and watch the shuttle launch.”

Gerard has been in Florida at the Kennedy Space Centre since October 2008, courtesy of an internship at the FÁS Science Challenge. His project was selected for flight in 2010, as his research at Limerick Institute of Technology at the Controlled Environment Lab for Life Science (CELLS) is directly linked to SyNRGE.

Staff and fellow post-graduate stu- dents from LIT watched live feeds from the Kennedy Space Centre, where the final mission for the 30year-program took off. The space shuttle Atlantis is destined for the International Space Station.

The Clare student says that he hopes to continue his exploration where no man has gone before.

“I hope to be here for the rest of my career. The staff and the facilities at the Kennedy Space Centre are worldclass and second to none,” he told The Clare People .

‘MISTERMAN’, one of the most important theatre pieces at this year’s Galway Arts Festival, was inspired by a tragedy which led to Clare man Brendan O’Donnell being convicted in 1996 of the murders of Imelda Riney, her three-year-old son Liam, and Galway priest Fr Joseph Walsh.

The playwright Enda Walsh revealed in an interview this week that he was inspired to write the drama after reading about O’Donnell and the three tragic deaths in Whitegate.

“I like characters who are always on the edge and there’s something about a one-man show; it feels very, very concentrated and it’s like cracking open someone’s skull and dropping the audience in there and going, ‘There you are now, what do you think of that?’” he said.

O’Donnell was arrested after a massive manhunt following the disappearance of 29-year-old Imelda, her three-year-old son, Liam and local priest Fr Joe Walsh. All three had been shot and O’Donnell was subsequently convicted of killing them. He subsequently died in prison.

Clare author Edna O’Brien came in for a storm of criticism when she wrote In The Forest , a book based on the murders.

Landmark Productions and Galway Arts Festival’s co-production of ‘Misterman’ is written and directed by Walsh and stars Cillian Murphy. Walsh described the reworked version of the one-man show as a psychological examination of a sympathetic yet unnerving character living on the periphery of a small town.

THE demographic of Clare people taking park in adult education courses has changed dramatically in the last three years – with the recession leading to a dramatic rise in the number of young Clare men taking part.

That was the opinion of one of the county’s most experienced adult education coordinators who also believes that the demand for adult education courses will far outstrip supply in the years to come.

This comes following the launch of a free guide to adult education and training oppor tunities launched last week by Clare VEC.

“If you go back a number of years in Clare there was a tradition of lads leaving secondar y school early because the money was good for them to go and work in construction. It was very difficult to get some lads to continue on and finish their leaving Certificate,” said Marian O’Callaghan, Adult Education Co-ordinator in Lisdoonvarna.

“Now they have a real difficulty as there is nothing for them now in construction and they don’t have the skills or the qualifications to do something else. I have noticed the gender balance had change in recent years. A few years ago all of the course would have been very much dominated by females but that isn’t the case anymore.

“It is ver y hard to go anywhere without having some piece of paper. The choices at the moment around the North Clare area are they you either do training or you emigrate. That what is facing a lot of people at the moment. It is tough – but there is very very little out there for people now.”

The demand for adult education courses has also increased in recent years but so too has the range of qualifications that the courses open up for people.

“Quite a number of people involved with us have gone onto third level in Limerick or Galway and one person in now a lecturing in nursing, so the courses do give people a great scope,” continued Marian.

“I would say that at the moment we are all over subscribed for courses. All over the county I’d say that there is a huge demand.”

The Clare VEC Adult Education free guide is a comprehensive list of all courses available at the statutory and private education providers throughout the county.

The courses are broken down in to areas of interest from general education including Leaving Certificate to information technology to community healthcare and counselling.

The guide is available in libraries, shops, post offices, social welfare offices or local organisation around the county or contact the Clare VEC Adult Education Centre by calling 065 6824819.

CLARE couples who want to marry with the backdrop of a romantic view or to have a civil ceremony in the hotel where their reception is to be held will have to go join a queue more than a year long in Limerick.

At present, although some of Clare’s most beautiful spots would get the thumbs up as places where civil ceremonies would be allowed, staffing at the Clare registry offices is such that all civil marraiges are being dealt with through Limerick.

And with the recruitment ban in the public service, staff in the Limerick office can’t meet all the requests for civil ceremonies.

Bride-to-be Jennifer Flynn from Westbury was told the next date on which a registrar could come to her chosen hotel is a weekday a year from now.

“I was amazed because I was told three months notice was necessary but I never would have thought they were so booked up,” she told The Clare People .

Staff at the the Ennis registrar’s office confirmed that civil ceremonies for couples in Clare are currently being conducted in the Limerick office.

“We go through Limerick for the civil ceremonies at present. The couples have to contact the registrar there and give three months notice and the Limerick office will take it from there,” she said.

Sources in the registrars office also confirmed that the staff there are stretched and could not meet the growing demand in Clare for civil marraiges in situ.

For Jennifer, who plans to marry partner Colm next year, it means thinking it out again.

“We have the option of getting married in the registry office and then going to our reception and that’s probably what we will have to do. Neither of us are religious so we don’t want a church wedding. But the registry office seems so cold and impersonal and it means we’ll only be able to have our witnesses and a couple of other people at the actual marraige. I’m sure the registrar is very nice and will do everything possible to make it special but why make it legal to marry outside the office and then not have enough people to make that a possibility?” she said.