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Tag Archives: Rats

“It’s horrible, it’s a wart, it’s a pustule, it’s horrendous”-Ennis parklet slammed

THE parklet on O’Connell Street in Ennis has been described as an “aesthetic abomination” and “a pustule” this week, by a local trader, who has said there have been reports of rats being seen around it. Meanwhile Clare County Council have defended the parklet, saying it was brought in to support elderly people and those with reduced mobility, that the public reaction to it has been positive and that the parklet hasn’t led to an increase in vermin in the area. In a letter sent to the HSE and Clare County Council, a local trader complained of seeing rats at the parklet, close to their premises. “I, myself, observed rodents scurryting around and under this structures on Thursday, March 11, as I was cleaning the outside of my premises. I approached the street cleaning lorry and my observation was corroborated by them. Another street cleaner can bear witness to this also. “Before this sighting, I have never seen rats in …

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Lahinch family living in rat-infested home

Eight-month-old twins have to sleep in Moses baskets in their rat infested home near Lahinch with their parents and seven young siblings, the High Court was told today (Friday). Counsel for the Traveller family James O’Reilly (SC) told the court that John and Caroline Sherlock and their nine children had been living in unhealthy, deplorable and dangerous temporary accommodation at Carrowgar, Lahinch, for the past three years. Mr Justice Henry Abbott granted the family leave to seek an order directing Clare County Council to provide them with suitable accommodation under the Traveller Accommodation Programme. Judge Abbott also directed the local authority to carry out an assessment of the family’s circumstances. He allowed the Sherlocks leave to seek an injunction requiring the county council to take such measures as are necessary to provide them with suitable and permanent accommodation. One of the grounds on which leave for a judicial review was sought and granted was based on a Statement of Recognition …

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Rats seen near Ennis house

RATS have been spotted near a house in Ennis that has been used as a dumping ground, it has been claimed, as calls were made to address illegal littering described as a “plague” on the county. Rubbish has been dumped behind the house on the Gort Road for the past two years, according to Councillor Tom McNamara. At this week’s meeting of the Ennis Municipal District, the councillor said, “When the Environment Section of Clare County Council have fully investigated the illegal dumping of waste and cannot find anyone responsible, they contact the area office to remove it to landfill. What process has the area engineer in place to insure that this waste is removed to landfill?” He gave an example of the house on the Gort Road, saying, “There has been sightings of rats in the vicinity. I request this waste to be removed to landfill immediately.” Eamon O’Dea, senior executive engineer, responded, “The municipal district office is tasked …

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All for the birds

SPRING is finally here and our wildlife needs a bit of help as they prepare for the mating season and raising their young. Our small birds are busy at this time of year so here are a few tips to help them. Check your bird feeders condition. Feeders need replaced so they don’t injure or make the birds sick. Check them regularly to ensure the rain isn’t making the seeds mouldy; mould means death to a small bird trying to survive and care for young. There are many diseases such as  salmonella and conjunctivitis and an unclean feeder may be inadvertently doing birds more harm than good. Birds are messy things so make sure the paving and areas around their feeders is kept clean, this will prevent unwanted wildlife such as rats sharing the feast you put out for the birds. Birds like to come back to the same feeders that have the food they want. Many people buy the …

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Dogalogue with Bev and Daisy

Reptiles difficult to keep THINK very carefully before buying a reptile as a pet. Have you decided on the species of reptile that you want to keep? Read as much as possible about the different species available and talk to some local herpetologists and other keepers. Find out if there is a reptile club in your area that you can ask for advice. Take into consideration the space you have for the vivarium, the animal’s home, and how much you can afford. A good set-up for a small animal can be around €200 to 300. Many factors come into consideration; snake, lizard or amphibian? What size will it reach as an adult? Will it need high humidity or dry desert conditions? What size should its vivarium be? What do you feed it?  Where can you buy good quality food for it? Start small, get used to having a small animal and get used to the equipment you will need. Some …

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Shannon overrun with rats

“RATS the size of cats” are causing issues for residents in various parts of Shannon. This week’s meeting of the town council heard of one case where a child cannot be let play on a lawn because of the amount of vermin. The size might be a slight exaggeration but the scale of the problem isn’t. The matter was raised by Councillor Cathy McCafferty, who called on Clare County Council to “take urgent and immediate action to address the rodent problem in Aidan and Finian Parks that is a cause of much concern for residents”. She said several people have contacted her about the issue. “Over the summer, we had a number of complaints over the rat infestation in Aidan and Finian Parks and nothing appears to have been done.” The independent councillor wasn’t impressed with the response shown by Clare County Council.  “I understand that one of the engineers responded to a complaint but his solution was to tell …

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