CLARE County Council has declared plans for the construction of a permanent family home for Deputy Cathal Crowe are withdrawn after he opted not to respond to a Further Information Request from the planning authority. In its request for Further Information, Clare County Council considered the information submitted in the planning application for a private dwelling house, detached garage, wastewater treatment system and associated site works at Heathmount, Cratloe for Maeve Fehilly and Cathal Crowe is insufficient to make a complete planning assessment of the proposal. The applicant was requested to submit a site layout plan with a slope of 1:8 or less as per the EPA guidelines and was advised it may be necessary to carry out revised percolation tests and a trial hole evaluation. With regard to the proposed water supply, it is noted the application form states that there will be a new connection to a private well. However, the site characterisation form indicates a connection to …

Refugee and migrant rights organisation Doras has expressed grave concern about moving more than 80 international protection applicants into tents in Knockalisheen, Meelick. As sub zero temperatures returned in Clare, Irish Refugee Council chief executive officer, Nick Henderson said it is a matter of real concern that refugees find themselves back in this position in Ireland, which is one of the richest countries in the EU. Notwithstanding the accommodation challenges, he said that placing refugees in tents is not acceptable. “This is disappointing, given Minister O’Gorman’s assurances in December that tented accommodation would cease to operate,” said Doras CEO John Lannon. “Less than four weeks later they’re back in operation. As a result, it’s very difficult to be optimistic about the government’s response to the need to provide stable and safe accommodation for refugees.” “We’ve seen the tents. They’re cold and damp. People have to go outside to get to the toilets. They certainly don’t meet people’s basic needs. And …

CONTROLLING the water levels on the River Shannon and the Head Race Canal continues to be a key aspect of Ardnacrusha Power Station, according to an experienced retired electrician. Looking back on his 44-year stint in Ardnacrusha, Francis Moloney (73) from Clonlara has outlined other statutory obligations staff fulfilled, apart from vital electricity generation. In the winter time, he recalled during high water levels Ardnacrusha was responsible for maintaining certain levels on the River Shannon. “People working up along the Shannon in places like Killaloe and Portumna would report what the water levels were to staff in Ardnacrusha where they are logged to determine the input into the River Shannon, which dictates what generation is going to be done at a particular time. “If the levels in the River Shannon go above the statutory level, you commence spilling of excess water down the Old River Shannon where people like Bertie Poole would operate the gates at Parteen Weir on behalf …

NATIONAL HSE chiefs have defended the controversial removal of 24-hour Emergency Care from Ennis and Nenagh Hospitals following claims University Hospital Limerick is a “centre of death” and a “centre of disaster” for some patients who were left lying on trolleys. The latest criticism of this downgrading came at a Joint Health Committee meeting on Tuesday just days before thousands of hospital campaigners are expected to attend a major protest march in Limerick from Merchants Quay this Saturday. Deputy Cathal Crowe paid tribute to the frontline staff that have worked very hard to keep the hospital system some way functional. “There has been a perpetual crisis in the Mid-West and in particular UHL. We have a population in the mid-west of almost 500,000. There was a time when this population had five Emergency Care Departments, patients were provided with a level of care were discharged and went home. “Sometimes old ways are better. I think it is time the HSE …

CLARE people have been urged to attend a protest march in Limerick to highlight the impact of persistent overcrowding in University Hospital Limerick (UHL) on January 21. Noeleen Moran of the Mid West Hospital Campaign has requested Clare sporting organisations, community groups and individuals to attend this demonstration, which starts at Merchant’s Quay at 11am. “We need a strong Clare presence at this march to get our message across that 24-hour casualty cover needs to be returned to Ennis and Nenagh Hospitals.” She believes the recent HSE acknowledgement about the danger posed by overcrowding is a direct result of the work of campaigners such as Marie McMahon from Ennistymon among others. “For 82 patients that are left on a trolley for six to eight hours, there is at least one fatality. This increases with the number of hours patients are left waiting. There were at least 77 days when there were more than 82 patients on trolleys in UHL in …

AN Ennis Elvis fan has recalled the contrasting emotional high of being on “cloud nine” after meeting Lisa Marie Presley in Graceland to an “unimaginable feeling of grief” after learning about her sudden death a few days later. Looking back on the annual Elvis Birthday Proclamation, Priscilla Lernihan remembered a very poignant moment when Lisa Marie admitted Elvis fans were the only reason to leave her house, having been a virtual recluse since her son’s tragic death. In an interview with the Clare Champion, Priscilla recalled Lisa Marie was a different person from the one that appeared at the Golden Globe Awards after she spent an hour meeting and greeting fans in Graceland. Still on holidays in New York when Lisa Marie (54) was taken to hospital, Priscilla was shocked to learn from her husband, Kevin, she had died following a suspected cardiac arrest. “It was a huge shock. It might seem a bit silly to be upset over someone …

CLARE County Council has approved the subdivision of an industrial building at a business park in Gillogue to facilitate the retention of its use as a training and education centre for aerial dancing. Retention planning permission has been granted subject to one planning condition allowing the Irish Aerial Creation Centre (IACC) to construct a three-storey internal partition and insulating of the building fabric at Unit 2, Burlington Business Park, Gillogue. The Irish Aerial Creation Centre in the Old Burlington Industrial Estate, Gillogue, Corbally, is the first and only purpose-built aerial dance centre anywhere in Ireland. The IACC is a not-for-profit organisation, which is committed to the education and development of Irish aerial arts. It has over 625 square meters of space dedicated to nurturing dancers of all ages. A submission from Europlan Engineering on behalf of the IACC outlined the proposed use is for education and training for the Irish Aerial Arts. “It is proposed to construct an internal three-storey …

SOME rental properties in Clare are not being advertised because local auctioneers don’t need to advertise them. The so-called market rate for some executive properties has increased dramatically in recent weeks due to the chronic shortage of houses and the departure of some small landlords that had one or two dwellings. A four-bedroom property in Fanore and a three-bedroom property in Tulla were advertised for a €2,200 rental cost a month, while a four-bedroom detached house in Lahinch was on the rental market for €2,250 a month. Douglas Hurley of DNG O’Sullivan Ennis said in a lot of cases they don’t need to advertise rental properties because they have clients with references who can be contacted from their enquiry waiting list. Mr Hurley acknowledged some of the rental prices being quoted at the moment are “crazy”. He said they primarily deal with letting rental properties in Ennis and the surrounding areas where a four-bedroom house can attract monthly rental of …