The Clare People Archive

A DRIVER who failed to remain at the scene of a road accident has been banned from driving for five years and warned he will face jail if he fails to pay compensation.

Ennis District Court heard that De- clan O’Dea was involved in a crash close to Francie Daly’s garage in Ennis, on October 17, 2006, during which €1,500 worth of damage was caused to another vehicle.

O’Dea, of Hazelwood, Ennis, who

was driving a car, was ‘eventually lo- cated’, the court was told.

JS CSBUIDLSE-VO MAC CoreN(eOm POO) A(cre eles slmm alone later admitted his role in the incident. He pleaded guilty to a number of charges arising out of the accident.

Inspector John Galvin told the court that on March 30, 2007, the accused “admitted it was him when there was evidence put to him by the gardai”.

Defending solicitor Daragh Hassett said his client lost his job in Septem- ber 2007. Otherwise, he would have

paid compensation, he said.

Judge Joseph Mangan said _ to O’Dea, “You were working for al- most a year after this and you haven’t paid a penny compensation.”

He noted that the accused did not admit his role in the accident for sev- eral months, adding, “You dragged this out. You behaved dishonestly on the night.”

“I am giving you a month to pay that (€1,500) and you are going to prison if you don’t come up with it,” added the judge.

He banned O’Dea from driving for five years and fined him €1,600 for failing to keep his vehicle at the scene and failing to stop.

He imposed a two-month jail term for failing to produce appropriate in- formation to gardai, but substituted this with community service.

He fixed a bond in the event of an appeal, of his own surety of €6,000; €4,000 of which was to be lodged to the court.

He adjourned the case for payment of compensation.

A YOUNG man who was deliver- ing leaflets to homes succumbed to temptation and stole a wallet he Saw in one of the houses, a court has heard.

Igor Kudriashov (23), of Oakfield, Fr Russell Road, Raheen, Limerick, admitted entering a building as a trespasser and stealing a wallet with

€20 cash, on November 12 last.

Inspector John Galvin told Ennis District Court that the property has been recovered and the accused was co-operative.

Defending solicitor Vincent Shields said his client delivers leaflets to eters

‘On the date in question, he was de- livering leaflets and he passed by this open window. He put his hand in the

window and took the purse.

‘He had passed by the window earlier. When he passed it the sec- ond time, he was tempted,’ said Mr See else

“He doesn’t know what overcame him. He panicked and took €20 from the wallet and threw the wallet into the bushes,” added the solicitor.

JS omT-NICMMY Use MN CSIRO Iota e-em erO ee fronted by gardai, he immediately

brought them to the bush where he had thrown the wallet.

Kudriashov, a native of Lithuania, has lived in Ireland for more than a year and has never been in trouble before, the court heard.

Judge Joseph Mangan remanded him on continuing bail and ad- journed the case to establish if he has any previous convictions in his na- tive country.

, Cllr Meaney said that he had been in contact with his solicitor re- garding comments which appeared on the front page of a local newspa- per last week.

Meaney described the comments as being “wild rhetoric” and “tanta- mount to intimidation.”

Senator Dooley had last week threatened legal action against any members of Clare County Coun- cil who supported the ban on TD’s meeting planners in non-public areas of the planning office.

‘There is nothing cut and dry about this yet, the TD’s are certainly mov- ing among their own groups. There is talk of legal action,’ said Cllr Meaney.

“I have had to go and get my own legal advice in relation to comment I read on the front of a local publica- tion last week. My legal advice are watching the situation and have de- scribed the comments as idle threats and tantamount to intimidation.

“It was wild rhetoric and it was ill

thought-out. The notion of suing a councillor who chooses to support a motion is a limit to our free speech.”

Cllr Meaney was speaking after an in camera meeting of Clare County Council last night.

SW slow antec nestcom yd eNCONMM Nc: enrel sere LUE tere! to last just 45 minutes, spilled over

into the time allocated for the gen- eral council meeting and lasting for more than a two and a half hours in KO)E-YB

Journalists and spectators were re- fused access to the meeting, but, ac- cording to Cllr Meaney, the situation regarding access I’D’s gaining access

to non-public areas was clear. “There was an awful lot of resist- ance to introducing a procedure that would interfere with the County Councillors right to engage with the planning system. Certainly, it was made clear at the meeting that the TD’s have no rights in terms of ac-

cess to the planners,” continued Cllr Meaney.

“They have rights to make repre- sentations, they have rights in terms of making planning legislation’s, but they have no rights in terms of ac- cessing the non public areas.

“We don’t have to reinvent the Wheel on this issue. The four plan- ning authorities in the Dublin area do not allow any access by TD’s to the non-public areas of the planning office. It has to be done in a transpar- OLA Nl

According to Cllr Meaney, the situ- ation regarding County Councillor access to the non public areas of the planning section has been deferred to next Mondays meeting of Clare County Council.

Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Martin Conway described the pro- ceedings as “constructive”.

“I’m not in a position to discuss anything that was discussed at the in camera meeting, except that I felt that it was a very productive meet- ing,” he said.

“We had a very detailed and frank discussion and I would be confident that we will have a very satisfactory resolution to the issued that council- lors were faced with.”

THE proposed controversial right of way accessing Doughmore beach is to be part of an oral hearing.

Kilrush area councillors voted for the proposal outlining plans to close part of the Caherfeenick road and open a new pedestrian access through Doonbeg Golf Club on to the beach, to go on public display.

An inspector will then be promoted and an oral hearing held on the is- sue.

Under the proposal, a right of way on to the beach will be handed over to Doonbeg Golf Club Limited in exchange to alternative access to the beach and further conditions.

Clare County Council executives maintain that the proposal will have no affect on a high court judicial re- view taken by the golf club against An Bord Pleanala.

Under the proposal, which must fi- nally get the approval of the elected members of the council, the right of way over part of the public road at Caherfeenick, Cree will be extin- guished for 120 metres.

The extinguishment will only take place when certain criteria are met

by the golf club. Among the commit-

ments is the provision of a car park County Council’s specifications and

of 35 spaces constructed to Clare

supervised by local authority staff. An area of land including the car

park and a further estimated 0.6 acres for 35 more car park spaces must also be transferred into the ownership of Clare County Council.

A new “turn table at the new termi- nal point” on the Caherfeenick road to Clare County Council’s specifica- tion in size and standard must also be constructed and bollards installed.

“A clear legal grant of a pedestrian right of way to be given by Doonbeg Golf Club to Clare County Council from the turn table” at the end of the road to the beach is another part of the controversial proposal.

A document circulated to the coun- cillors also points to “a clear legal grant of a vehicular right of way for emergency vehicles” to be given by the golf club to Clare County Coun- cil and this right of way to be three metres wide. The final criteria to be met by the golf club states that Clare County Council is to be “indemni- fied against any claim on the Doon- beg Golf Club property by Doonbeg Golf Club.”

on January 1, Davy Fitzger- ald confirmed on Friday that he will return to the Clare panel in the com- TP OTSMR ere) Oe

Having parted ways with the Clare set-up under Tony Considine while on the cusp of eclipsing Christy Ring’s championship appearance record, the Sixmilebridge goalkeep- er 1S now Set to resume Clare training next month.

Fitzgerald picked up a serious injury playing for his club in the champion- ship last autumn and says his injured finger “still isn’t 100% right” and that his “doctors think I am mad” to CLoyeTSleCosmBUCLAUDM ON DETSS

“All I want to do is play,” said Fit- zgerald on Clare FM. “I could go out and coach a team and stay writing and make a pile of money, but I’m in-

terested in going out and seeing how the hand will react. I want to give it a right chance.”

His return to the inter-county scene at 36-years-of-age marks one of the highest profile combacks in modern hurling history and represents the first stern test for Philip Brennan, one of Clare’s best performers in the championship last season.

“Philip Brennan’s performances of class and skill have pushed him to the forefront of goal- ies, not only in Clare, but goalies in Ireland. Philip did a great job last year under pressure and I know the way Mike Mac oper- ates,’ said Fitzgerald on Friday. “He would make no promises.”

Mike McNamara him- self added that Fitzgerald will be given the same

treatment as every other player.

“A fully fit Davy Fitzgerald would make a massive contribution to Clare,” the manager said.

‘The aim of this management team and the ambition of this management team is to stabilise [Clare] and move [Clare] back up the ladder of hurling counties. That’s quite a task and it re- quires all the better players in Clare.

“In that line, David and myself have spoken and hopefully in a week or

two, the medical advice will be that he can return to attempt to regain the strength in his hand.”

Fitzgerald also pointed out that he has kept his counsel on events in 2007.

“Last year, I don’t think I said anything to anyone and I’ve no intention of doing it. It’s in the past.

For me, my county is the most im- portant thing, whether I play or not.”

Speaking in Meelick on Sunday af- ter his LIT side eased past Clare in the Waterford Crystal Cup, Fitzger- ald wouldn’t be drawn further on his return.

“Tl give it a try anyway and see what happens,” he said. “I don’t re- ally want to talk anymore about it. Whatever happens, happens and the most important thing 1s to play. We’ Il leave the talking until later on in the year.”

ANYONE who travelled to Meelick on Sunday expecting to see Mike McNamara and Davy Fitzgerald pro- duce some public display of affec- tion would have been disappointed. Last week, when it became appar- ent that Cork would not be fielding a team against LIT, the media focus switched to Davy Fitzgerald and his return to the Clare panel under Mc- Namara.

In order to counteract this and to nip the hype in the bud, the two men spoke on radio on Friday to publi- cally announce their intentions.

While the result overwhelmingly favoured LIT, after the game, both managers expressed opinions that were contrary to the scoreboard.

Firstly, McNamara was positive in defeat, recognising that LIT are in a far more advanced state of prepara- tion as they bid to defend their Fitz- gibbon title next month.

“It’s their August now. In our Au- gust I think we will be snapping them balls up nicely as well. So you would also have to look at that. On the bright side, some of the better players on the opposition today were members of the panel so that’s some brightness in a bit of gloom.

“You probably learn more from losing than you doing from winning. Last week, everything was flying and points were going over from differ- ent angles but we tried a whole new bunch again today. It’s particularly up to the younger members to show what they have or haven’t in January, February, March and April so in that sense all wasn’t lost. It’s nice to see Tony Carmody back in the frame, way off the pace of course but he has to be shoved out at this stage and get ready for the months ahead.”

Due to some college involvement from a Clare perspective and opting to experiment with the new players, Clare were clearly understrength but

McNamara believes that the young players have to be given a chance if Clare are to unearth new talent for the season ahead.

‘Everybody who takes part in the training regime has to get games and has to show what they have. So it’s just another step along the way and it’s going to be a long and a difficult task. There is a hump there which is high and we have to get to the top of that mountain through thick or thin and days like this along the way are a help.”

On the other side, despite a compre- hensive victory, LIT manager Davy Fitzgerald was not completely satis- fied with his side’s performance.

“That was OK but we won’t win a Fitzgibbon playing like that because Clare were poor today. Clare know they were poor today, very poor.

“Saying that, our goalie made three ereat saves. He made three saves he mightn’t have made on another day and if Clare had got any of those chances, it would have been a dif- ferent game. There is no point in fooling ourselves. Mattie [Ryan] did make two or three good saves and our backs were good but the chances we got we took them while they got chances and they didn’t take them. That would have been a different refelction on the scoreline and I think it’s very important that we say that. They had three or four good chances and our goalie brought off two saves and I don’t know how he pulled them off but he did.”

LIT’s first half performance provid- ed the foundation for their ten point victory. Not daunted by the county opposition, they exposed Clare’s in- experience repeatedly, carving open the defence. Still, Fitzgerald conced- ed that Clare more than matched his side after the restart.

“Clare probably came out and thought that they would take care of us easily enough and it’s hard to change your attitude halfway

through the game. When you are out- side in the field and you are playing a college team, you think that you should be beating them. But when the college team is ripping into you, it’s very hard to change and maybe When Mike got them at half-time, they were a different team. As you saw in the second half, it was way more even and as | say they got a lot more chances in the second half. So I would agree that in the second half, Clare more than held their own.”

Fitzgerald wasn’t thinking about his impending return to the county set-up on Sunday, his immediate fo- cus 1s on his LIT side who are look- ing to win back-to-back Fitzgibbon titles for the first time in the college’s history. So while a ten point victory over Clare was significant, he under- stands that they still have a lot more work to do before they are ready to defend their Fitzgibbon crown.

‘The result didn’t bother me today. The thing I liked about today was the way we played and the fight. We had fight and determination and the lads threw themselves into it. But I know going down playing WIT in Water- ford in the Fitzgibbon, we are going to have our work cut out and I know from this performance we’re going to have to up it again. So don’t, even for one minute, think we’re happy with that, we’re not because I know we could have conceeded two or three goals easily.”

Now that Clare are our of the com- petition, the focus shifts to the league campaign starting with Galway in Salthill on February 10. Before that, they have challenges with UCG and Portumna, two additional opportuni- ties to test more players and experi- ment before the panel is reduced.

ANOTHER ledge climbed and the summit of the McGrath Cup is com- ing into sight. Flanked by Kieran Kelliher and James Hanrahan, Frank Doherty, the leader of this group of men with the future of Clare foot- ball in their hands, is making for the dressing room in Cooraclare.

Alone on the plains of West Clare, the Galwayman says he’s satisfied that things are moving in the right direction.

“T hope people can see a little im- provement as we go along,” he says. “You have to remember that these players have been kicked around the place for the past number of years and their own self-worth was at an all time low. When I came in at the start, lads were fumbling the ball and it was difficult to get through even some basic drills. They’re train- ing hard now, there’s a smile on their face and there’s a buzz amongst them. They’re a good bunch of lads, a genu- ine bunch, but they’re been through the mill over the last few years. Now, hopefully, things are turning slowly and gradually.”

Doherty is transparent and honest. Unveiling the manager’s opinions on his team’s progression isn’t laced with the cryptic (football) or dismiss- ive (hurling) post-match comments that pockmarked Clare’s early GAA season last year. For that alone, let us be thankful.

‘The mindset at the moment is 1m- proving. You could see lads not want- ing it at the start, but having won the last two games, lads are starting to show for the ball and that’s great. The longer we can stay in the McGrath Cup the better, it brings us closer to Carlow in the league.”

As that game on February 3 edges closer, Doherty’s aim is to pin down a starting 15.

“I can see probably 11 or 12 guys from last week and this that will start the league. There’s maybe three plac- es that I haven’t seen enough of to make my mind up on. We’ve brought on a lot of young lads and nobody can say we’re not giving them a chance. We’re over two thirds of the way there with the team that played last week and this week and that’s down to games. It’s about filling in the rest of the spaces now.”

And on Sunday’s performance?

“UL beat Clare by a few points last year so you’re talking about some- thing like a twelve point turnaround. I believe we could have won it by another four or five scores with a bit more composure in the final third of the field.

“We were going well enough and lads got into the comfort zone again and lads started trying out these silly 40 50 yard screamers. I’d rather be more productive in the last third and use the ball properly to get ourselves into a scoring position, but you’d have to be satisfied overall.

A good solid performance in the first half is what did it for us and against a fairly strong wind that was positive. Lads took their scores clini- cally and we were well on top.”

IT Tralee enter unchartered territory on Wednesday as they contest their first ever match in the Waterford Crystal tournament against Water- ford – with four Clare players on- board. The game marks a huge step for the emerging college and it’s a testament to the work put in over the past few years that they are now seen as one of the top hurling colleges in the province.

Hurling in Tralee IT has steadily improved over the last few years cul- minating in Ryan Cup success last season.

The Ryan Cup is the second tier competition of the Fitzgibbon Cup and to win it last year definitely boosted the hurling profile of the college as GAA Officer Eamon Fit- zgerald explains.

“Winning the Ryan Cup last year was a great achievement and with only four changes from last year’s

team, it will give us a good boost going into this year’s competition. We could have chosen to contest the Fitzgibbon Cup this season, but we feel that our players need to establish a firm footing first and as there is still such a big gap between the Fitzgib- bon and Ryan cups, it would be easy to fall back 1f we weren’t careful.”

A benefit of this success has been the attraction of more hurlers to the college and in addition, there are currently four Clare natives on the IT Tralee side: Stephen Kelly (New- market-on-Fergus) at centre-back, Stephen Guilfoyle (Eire Og) and Ja- son Murphy (Sixmilebridge) lining out in the full-back line while Eire Og’s Thomas Downes will be based in the forwards. Fitzgerald is quick to compliment the hurling talent that is now being attracted to the college, including an increasing Clare contin- ele

“The fact that we have been invited to take part in the Waterford Crystal

Cup shows how much the standard of hurling has improved in the College. This year we have four Clare lads on our hurling panel and they have strengthened and brought valuable experience into the squad.”

IT Tralee’s debut in the Waterford Crystal competition couldn’t have been any harder by drawing Munster champions Waterford but rather than dwell on such daunting opposition, Fitzgerald sees the game as a ben- eficial learning experience for the young side.

“The Waterford Crystal cup is a fantastic opportunity for the lads to play against players of the calibre of Dan Shanahan.”

“It will certainly be a learning curve for the lads and more impor- tantly it will give them valuable ex- perience for the future”.

AS planning permission for a new hospital for the mid-west was lodged this week, a Clare County Council- lor was calling for work to begin on Ennis General Hospital, which has al- ready received planning permission.

Fianna Fail Cllr Bill Chambers, who is also one of Clare’s four rep- resentatives on the HSE Forum West, said that in order for work to progress, the long overdue review of acute health services in the mid-west region must be published now.

The Cooraclare man said the so- called Teamwork Report needs to be in the public domain so people can object to parts of it they disagree with and get on with securing acute health services for the people of Clare. It 1s widely believed that the report will suggest the closure of 24 hour A and E at the county’s hospital.

Meanwhile, a private company maintains that it can have a state-of- the-art hospital built on the grounds of the Mid-West Regional Hospital Limerick within 30 months of the start date.

The Beacon Medical Group (BMG) applied for planning permission to construct a co-located hospital on the grounds of the public hospital on Thursday. Plans for the €250 million hospital comprise 175 single rooms

with eight CCU (critical care) beds, six operating theatres, ambulatory surgery and full diagnostics incorpo- rating some €24.7 million worth of new generation equipment.

The hospital will mirror the case- mix of the public hospital, as all spe- cialities catered for in the public hos- pital will also be catered for in the co-located hospital – both medical and surgical, with the exception of national specialities. As recommend- ed by the SARI Report 2005, which made recommendations for infection control in hospitals, all rooms will be single occupancy, each with its own en-suite facility.

BMG is seeking the planning per- mission under the controversial Co- located Private Hospitals Project.

The project, which the Government claimed would free up additional beds for public patients in public hospitals, will see privately operated hospitals for the provision of health care to public and private patients on the grounds of public hospitals.

The new co-located hospitals will allow for 24/7 admission from the public hospital, the public Emergen- cy Department (ED), primary care centres and through GP referrals.

Critics of the policy have claimed, however, that this policy will further increase the divide in our two-tier health system.

THERE are now almost double the number of holiday homes in Kilkee to homes used in the resort on a per- manent basis.

In statistics cited by Clare County Council in refusing to allow a por- tion of 64 new homes be used as holiday homes, the local authority points out that there are now just un- der 1,000 holiday homes in the west Clare seaside resort.

According to figures secured from the Central Statistics Office (CSO),

there are now 996 holiday homes in Kilkee representing 83 per cent more homes that the 544 permanent holiday homes in Kilkee.

The council points out that 67 per cent of homes in Kilkee are unoc- cupied. Last year, Keelgrove Con- struction secured planning permis- sion for 64 homes in the resort.

However, the council inserted a condition that the homes be used only for permanent occupation in response to the high percentage of holiday homes already in Kilkee.

In response, Keelgrove lodged a

fresh application seeking to modify the planning permission so that a percentage of the homes can be used as holiday homes.

Consultants for Keelgrove Con- struction Ltd argued that the clause insisting that the homes be for per- manent occupancy is not supported in the West Clare Local Area Plan.

The consultants argue that if the council applies the permanent oc- cupancy clause to all future housing in Kilkee, “then the plan is failing to provide for a key sector of the housing and tourism market and

this could adversely impact on the economy of the town”.

The developers argue that “in the interest of fairness and equality, only a percentage of the residen- tial units within the development should be restricted to permanent occupancy — similar to the concept of providing social and affordable jaLO)UESS EO Toa

However, in the planner’s report, the council cited an An Bord Pleana- la inspector’s report on a previous application for holiday homes.

The report stated that “having

visited Kilkee on June 2, albeit mid-week, it was starkly evident the extent of holiday home develop- ment present in the town and on its fringes and its underutilisation”.

The council planner recommended “that this development proposal be refused as it would further contrib- ute to the loss of community, lack of housing choice for permanent residents in Kilkee and lead to an unsustainable demand for all year round services and would therefore materially contravene an objective in a local area plan for the area.”