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Latest News

Council to charge ship owners with clean-up cost

Thursday, 09 September 2010 15:20

Clare County Council is to pursue the owners of a cargo ship that lost seven containers overboard in rough seas off the southeast coast in January, resulting in beaches in Clare being polluted with thousands of empty plastic butter containers. Council staff have over the past two months removed hundreds of Kerrygold, Sainsbury and other branded butter containers from beaches along the west coast. The local authority says it expects to seek to recover the cost of the clean-up from the ship’s operators. The 9,500-tonne MV BG Dublin was travelling from Rotterdam to Cork when it encountered winds measuring force nine and 10 off the Waterford coast on January 11th last. Seven shipping containers broke free from their strappings and fell into the sea .

Pat Flynn

Above: The MV BG Dublin that had some of its cargo washed up on the Clare coast

Registered in Ireland as Clare College News Limited, Registered office Mill Road, Ennis, Co Clare, Registered Number 217214

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Department seeks contractors to tackle Burren scrub

Thursday, 09 September 2010 15:10

The Department of the Environment is taking action to prevent the Burren National Park from being strangled by scrub. And they have broken new ground by tendering for the first time for a company to conduct a scrub control programme over 230 acres which includes the area around Mullaghmore. The move by the department follows work by the Burren Life programme, which found that measures should be put in place to avoid large tracts of the EU protected habitat being overtaken by scrub. The Director of Burren Farming for Conservation Programme, Dr Brendan Dunford said: "The Burren is one of the most fantastic places in the country. There is an amount of work to be done and this is a welcome step in the right direction." Invasion of the limestone and grassland habitats by scrub threatens to reduce the conservation value of these habitats.

Gordon Deegan

Above: Mullaghmore with scrub in the foreground.

Registered in Ireland as Clare College News Limited, Registered office Mill Road, Ennis, Co Clare, Registered Number 217214

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Ennis council considers car park at Post Office Field

Thursday, 09 September 2010 15:00

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Ennis Town Council is to assess the possibility of developing 200 car-parking spaces on one of town’s few remaining green areas, the post office field. In a motion submitted to yesterday’s monthly meeting of Ennis Town Council, Cllr Johnny Flynn (FG) called on the council to develop a modular deck 100-space car park along with an additional 100 spaces on a gravelled surface underneath. Cllr Flynn said the project could be achieved as the field was already in the ownership of the council while €1 million had already been collected for the provision of new car park in Ennis. Cllr Flynn told the meeting a 2008 parking study, commissioned by the council, had found Ennis would need 213 extra spaces by 2013.

Ronan Judge

Above: The Post Office Field

Registered in Ireland as Clare College News Limited, Registered office Mill Road, Ennis, Co Clare, Registered Number 217214

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Clare runner aiming for 50 marathons

Thursday, 09 September 2010 14:44

He has run twelve marathons in the past six months and now Sixmilebridge man Pat O’Keeffe has set his sights on completing 50 marathons. So far this year, the father-of-two has run eight regular marathons (26.2 miles) and four ultra marathons (39.3 miles, 52.5 miles, 100 kilometres and 100 miles). Three of those were within a 10-day spell. This brings to 29 the number of marathons he has run to-date. While he is taking a well-earned break for the next few months, he is already focusing on adding to his tally in 2011. Pat (42), who lives in Quin, thrives on challenges and is enjoying every race. “I ran my first one in 1988 in Dublin. I swore I would never do one again. Then in 2001, I ran another and again in 2003. I took a break then until 2008 when I ran four. I got into it and ran 10 last year and 12 this year,” he said.

Emer Connolly

Registered in Ireland as Clare College News Limited, Registered office Mill Road, Ennis, Co Clare, Registered Number 217214

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Hoteliers seek local agency for marketing fund

Thursday, 09 September 2010 14:44

The Shannon branch of the Irish Hotels Federation is to lobby to have the Shannon Airport marketing fund restored and handled by a local agency. The €2 million annual fund was ring-fenced to promote the airport abroad, post Open Skies. The money was taken out of local control in recent budgets and given to Tourism Ireland. Now demands are growing for the money to be put back into the region. “Tourism Ireland have made no job of marketing Shannon Airport. There has never been a better time to take back regional control of the airport,” said chairman of the Shannon branch of the Federation Michael Vaughan. “We will shortly be making a pre-budget submission to have the airport fund put back into the hands of a regional body and we have suggested that Shannon Development should have control of it.”

Bernie English

Above: Michael Vaughan of the Hotels Federation

Registered in Ireland as Clare College News Limited, Registered office Mill Road, Ennis, Co Clare, Registered Number 217214

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Only one dissenter as council opposes boundary extension

Thursday, 09 September 2010 14:39

Clare county councillors yesterday expressed near-unanimous opposition to a proposal to have part of the county under the control of a new unitary Limerick authority. They were speaking at a special meeting of Clare County Council called to discuss the recommendations of the Government-appointed Limerick Local Boundary Committee, chaired by Denis Brosnan. It has proposed that Limerick city and county councils merge and assume control of Limerick city suburbs in southeast Clare, Shannon Banks and Westbury. This would result in an area in Clare with a population of 3,000 transferring to the new Limerick authority. Councillors agreed to write to Environment Minister John Gormley to ascertain the status of the report and to submit a comprehensive response to the recommendations when the status of the report is established. The sole dissenter was Green Party councillor Brian Meaney who supported the findings of the Brosnan report and said that talk of “not an inch” was disgraceful. He hoped progress would be made with the report as “we have to begin to work on a regional basis”.

Gordon Deegan

Above: Green Party councillor Brian Meaney

Registered in Ireland as Clare College News Limited, Registered office Mill Road, Ennis, Co Clare, Registered Number 217214

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Little benefit from Shannon's €21 million US

Thursday, 09 September 2010 14:29

The Shannon Airport Authority (SAA) has failed to attract a scheduled service based on its €21 million US-Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in the 12 months since the service was introduced. The SAA also declined yesterday to provide the numbers of additional private or corporate jet traffic that has been brought about by the CBP facilities since the service was opened in August 2009. However, Airport director Martin Moroney said they were "very pleased with the performance of the US CBP facility at Shannon during its first year of operation. We are already seeing the benefits of CBP in terms of new and expanded services using Shannon, but a facility like this must be judged over the longer term rather than on merely 12 months of operation – particularly during a major downturn in global aviation", he added.

Gordon Deegan

Registered in Ireland as Clare College News Limited, Registered office Mill Road, Ennis, Co Clare, Registered Number 217214

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Department intervenes in Doolin pier row

Wednesday, 08 September 2010 16:04

The Department of the Environment has intervened in the row between surfers and Clare County Council over a planned €6 million pier at Doolin. Surfer representative bodies, along with the current World Pro-Surf Champion, Australian Mick Fanning, have lodged objections against the proposal over fears that the pier will destroy 'world class' waves. For the proposal to proceed, the council requires sanction from the Department of the Environment as the development needs a foreshore licence. A department spokesman yesterday said it had "requested an assessment of the effects of the proposed development on breaking waves at Crab Island and Doolin Point". The council official in charge of the project, Tom Tiernan, confirmed that funding for the scheme was contingent on its completion by the end of next year.

Gordon Deegan

Above: World champion surfer Mick Fanning

Registered in Ireland as Clare College News Limited, Registered office Mill Road, Ennis, Co Clare, Registered Number 217214

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Airport chairman called to council over Ryanair cuts at Shannon

Wednesday, 08 September 2010 15:38

The Mayor of Clare has called on the Chairman of the Shannon Airport Authority (SAA) to appear before Clare County Council to clarify the authority’s role in managing the airport. The call follows this afternoon’s announcement by Ryanair to axe 21 per cent of existing scheduled services from the airport in protest at the proposed rise in passenger charges by €1.58 per passenger. The airline also cited the of the Government-imposed €10 travel tax as a further disincentive for continuing to operate from Shannon. From November 1, the Ryanair Shannon-Paris route (currently 4 rotations a week) will be discontinued, the Shannon-Gatwick route will be cut from 7 to 6 rotations a week while the Shannon-Stansted service will be cut from 13 to 11 rotations a week.

Tom McCullough

Above: Shannon Airport Authority (SAA) Chairman, Brian O'Connell

Registered in Ireland as Clare College News Limited, Registered office Mill Road, Ennis, Co Clare, Registered Number 217214

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US Ambassador's support for Clare projects

Wednesday, 08 September 2010 14:30

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The United States Ambassador to Ireland has backed proposals to develop Shannon Airport as an international cargo hub. Daniel M Rooney said that while passenger numbers remained essential to the airport’s survival, a cargo facility would make Shannon more attractive to major international businesses. Global air cargo firm Lynx have expressed an interest in developing facilities at Shannon but the project has stalled because a request for €7 million in Government funding has not been met. It is anticipated that the hub would create hundreds of jobs in the Mid West region. Mr Rooney said, “This idea of a cargo hub would be a good one. Everything would be brought in and separated there. You’d have planes flying from Shannon all over the place. It would provide a lot of money, but you still want to get people to come here and so that’s another thing”. Mr Rooney was speaking at an open forum in Ennis yesterday when he met with local politicians, officials and business representatives. He also commented on concerns that a new pre-clearance service for US bound passengers had not generated greater traffic through Shannon, stating that it will “take a lot of time” before Shannon sees the benefits of the service. He also supported a call to bring the annual conference for the American Ireland fund to Dromoland next year. The fund, of which Mr Rooney is a co-founder, is dedicated to building bridges of peace, culture, charity in Ireland and Northern Ireland. Mr Rooney, whose brother Pat owns a house in Lahinch, said he had been he had been a frequent visitor to Clare over the years.

Ronan Judge

Above: US Ambassador Daniel M Rooney

Registered in Ireland as Clare College News Limited, Registered office Mill Road, Ennis, Co Clare, Registered Number 217214

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New challenge for former Ennis councillor

Wednesday, 08 September 2010 10:55

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Former town councillor Donal Ó Bearra, who gave up his position on Ennis Town Council last year just before the local elections, is taking on an entirely different challenge this month. Having been away from the round table at Drumbiggle for over a year, Ó Bearra will now tackle one of Europe's toughest marathons and he's doing it for the TLC4CF charity. The marathon takes place on September 25 over the Millau Viaduct, a cable-stayed road-bridge that spans the valley of the river Tarn near Millau in southern France. It is the tallest bridge in the world, with one mast's summit at 343.0 metres And, as far as he can establish, he will be the first Irish person to tackle the might of the Millau. “I understand that nobody from Ireland has done this marathon before,” he explains. “TLC4CF is a great organisation and is doing wonderful work for those with Cystic Fibrosis in the region. My own daughter, Bróna, has CF and this is why I'm running for TLC4CF.” To sponsor Donal, contact TLC4CF's Linda Drennan at Claureen, Lahinch Road, Ennis or phone her on 087 2255650. Donal can also be contacted on donalobearra@eircom.net.

Shane Murphy

Above: Former Ennis councillor Donal Ó Beara

Registered in Ireland as Clare College News Limited, Registered office Mill Road, Ennis, Co Clare, Registered Number 217214

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CAT scan recommendation from Clare woman's inquest

Wednesday, 08 September 2010 10:50

Patients who present at hospitals with persistent and severe headaches should receive CAT scans within a minimum time frame, a jury in the inquest of a 21-year-old Clare woman who died from a massive brain haemorrhage has recommended. Louise Butler from Cappa Lodge, Sixmilebridge, died at the Mid Western Regional Hospital in Limerick on November 16, 2006, a month after she was mistakenly diagnosed with a migraine. Last July the HSE apologised at the High Court for the deficiencies and failures which led to the death, which was caused by a large subarachnoid haemorrhage. The Clare woman’s family claimed the HSE failed to properly diagnose that she was suffering from the condition when she presented at the hospital on October 6th 2006 with a severe headache. They argued that a CT scan carried out in time would have alerted medical staff to the existence of a “herald” bleed, which was a precursor to the large bleed which tragically caused her death a month later.

Kathryn Hayes

Above: Louise Butler's mother, Christine, with a painting of her daughter

Registered in Ireland as Clare College News Limited, Registered office Mill Road, Ennis, Co Clare, Registered Number 217214

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Council approval for €1.9 million Doolin coas

Wednesday, 08 September 2010 10:45

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Clare County Council has finally granted planning permission for a €1.9 million coastguard station at Doolin. It represents a significant step in the 12-year long battle to provide modern facilities for the Doolin coastguard unit and will end the practice of hauling the unit's lifeboat by tractor over a mile to the coast in response to an emergency. The current base is not equipped with either shower or toilet facilities for the unit's 23 members. The new station will have capacity for three boats will be one of the biggest of its kind in Ireland.

Tom McCullough

Above: The existing Doolin coastguard station

Registered in Ireland as Clare College News Limited, Registered office Mill Road, Ennis, Co Clare, Registered Number 217214

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Busy times for Clare fire service

Wednesday, 08 September 2010 10:22

Clare County Fire and Rescue Services dealt with just over five times as many forest, bog and grass fires for the first six months of 2010 compared to same period in 2009. The Council has been called out 205 times so far this year compared to 36 for the same period last year. In total, the service dealt with 1,232 incidents in 2009, with the majority of the call outs (209) relating to chimney fires. The figures were presented yesterday by Chief Fire Officer Adrian Kelly at the monthly meeting of Ennis Town Council. The meeting heard the majority of the Council’s 5.37 million euro budget was spent on pay and salaries (3.6 million euros). Fees for 2009 totaled 200,000 euros. The Service employs 78 firefighters in five stations in Clare.

Ronan Judge

Registered in Ireland as Clare College News Limited, Registered office Mill Road, Ennis, Co Clare, Registered Number 217214

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Ryanair set to cut services from Shannon Airport

Wednesday, 08 September 2010 10:01

Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary has called a press conference this afternoon to announce that the airline is planning to drop more of its services at Shannon airport this winter. Ryanair currently operates 11 routes out of Shannon, where it bases one aircraft and employs about 40 staff. Mr O’Leary will blame the planned increase in passenger charges at Shannon and the €10 Government-imposed air travel tax for the decision to cut services at the Clare airport. It is expected that the airline is set to reduce its number of services from Shannon to seven with flights to Edinburgh, Malaga, Nantes and Palma Mallorca most likely to be hit. Earlier this year the airline reduced its winter capacity blaming the government's €10 travel tax and Shannon has also been hit by the cancellation of Aer Lingus' transatlantic services from for the first three months of 2011.

Tom McCullough

Above: Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary

Registered in Ireland as Clare College News Limited, Registered office Mill Road, Ennis, Co Clare, Registered Number 217214

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Ennis cutbacks hit patient care at regional hospital

Tuesday, 07 September 2010 16:01

Patient care at the Mid-Western regional hospital in Limerick is "severely compromised" because of overcrowding brought on by the closure of 24 hour accident and emergency services in Ennis and Nenagh hospitals. That's the view of the Irish Nurses’ and Midwives’ Organisation (INMO) who have called for an urgent review of services at the hospital. The INMO claims that 45 patients are currently waiting for a bed at the regional hospital. According to the union, an additional 135 beds were required at the hospital as part of a “reconfiguration” of services in the mid west over the last 18 months. The union said it had predicted the closure of beds in Ennis and Nenagh would cause “huge difficulties” for Limerick without the implementation of this key recommendation of the Teamwork consultants’ report. That claim had been rejected by the HSE, the union said in a statement today.

Tom McCullough

Above: The Mid-Western regional hospital in Limerick

Registered in Ireland as Clare College News Limited, Registered office Mill Road, Ennis, Co Clare, Registered Number 217214

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Burglary and drug cases down but assaults up in Kilkee

Tuesday, 07 September 2010 15:50

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The numbers of burglaries and possession of drugs cases in Kilkee have dropped significantly this year, while serious assault rates have more than doubled. A meeting of the Joint Policing Committee (JPC) in Kilkee was told last night that incidents of minor assaults and public order incidents have increased this year, compared to the figures for 2009. The figures were presented to Kilkee town councillors by Kilrush Superintendent Gerard Wall. He said that there were three serious assaults in the Kilkee sub-district between January and September last year and this has increased to seven this year. There were 25 burglaries last year and this has reduced to 12 this year. Thefts from shops reduced from three last year to one so far this year. There was one theft from the person last year and none so far this year. There were 13 other types of thefts last year and this has increased to 16 this year. There have been seven drugs seizures so far this year, while there were 14 last year and 28 in 2008.

Emer Connolly

Above: Garda Superintendant Gerard Wall

Registered in Ireland as Clare College News Limited, Registered office Mill Road, Ennis, Co Clare, Registered Number 217214

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Customs probe continues into Shannon cash seizure

Tuesday, 07 September 2010 15:45

Customs officers have been given a further three months to investigate the circumstances surrounding a package containing €207,000 in cash detained at Shannon Airport in May. The ruling, at Ennis District Court on Friday, was made despite an objection by the solicitor for a company based overseas which it is alleged owns the money. A package containing €207,000 was detained by customs officers on May 17, after an individual arrived in to the airport from The Netherlands on a private aircraft. Customs officers then went to court seeking a three-month detention period for the cash. This was granted in June. As the three-month spell expired last week, Customs sought an additional three months. However, solicitor Patrick Moylan, representing the overseas company, said he was objecting. Solicitor Caitriona Carmody, representing the Shannon company – to where the court heard the money was being brought – said she was consenting to the application.

Emer Connolly

Above: Solicitor Patrick Moylan

Registered in Ireland as Clare College News Limited, Registered office Mill Road, Ennis, Co Clare, Registered Number 217214

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Over a year waiting for speech therapy

Tuesday, 07 September 2010 15:39

Over 20 per cent of Clare-based speech and language patients are waiting more than a year for treatment after assessment. The shock figure of 201 patients waiting more than 12 months for treatment is contained in a HSE Healthstat report that finds that the HSE’s speech and language service in Clare “demands urgent attention”. The Healthstat is the HSE’s own reporting system aimed at identifying areas that are performing satisfactorily and others where shortcomings are present. Its ‘red’ ‘amber’ and ‘green’ marking system has marked Clare’s speech and language therapy service ‘red’.

Gordon Deegan

Registered in Ireland as Clare College News Limited, Registered office Mill Road, Ennis, Co Clare, Registered Number 217214

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700 children take part in Cliffs balloon release

Tuesday, 07 September 2010 15:14

700 schoolchildren from across north Clare took part in a spectacular visual display at the Cliffs of Moher today as part of the tourist attraction’s campaign to be selected as one of the ‘New7Wonders of Nature’. The children formed a giant ‘7’ on the cliff side and simultaneously released 700 biodegradable balloons, marking the start of the ‘Great Cliffs Balloon Race’. Each balloon is printed with the ‘Vote for the Cliffs’ logo and a contact message to encourage people who find the balloons to contact the Cliffs. A prize will be awarded to the person who finds the balloon that has travelled the furthest distance. The Clare landmark was shortlisted in the New7Wonders of Nature competition in July 2009, along with 27 other sites, from over 440 participants representing 220 countries. Over one hundred million votes were cast in a global poll to determine the shortlisted sites.

Tom McCullough

Registered in Ireland as Clare College News Limited, Registered office Mill Road, Ennis, Co Clare, Registered Number 217214

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