FOLLOWING a series of false dawns, it looks like works are finally on track to replace a 40-year-old sewerage treatment plant in South-East Clare that is causing foul odours for local residents. Householders in Ballycannon Heights, Meelick, have campaigned for years to get Clare County Council, and in more recent years Irish Water, to replace a waste water treatment plant that is no longer fit for purpose. Responding to Clare Champion queries, Irish Water confirmed land acquisition for this project is underway and it is expected that a CPO will be submitted in the coming weeks. “The construction start date will be subject to the completion of this process and planning approval,” said an Irish Water spokesman. Fianna Fáil TD for Clare Cathal Crowe is insisting that works to put in place a proper wastewater treatment plant for Ballycannon Heights should be separated from the ongoing Limerick Northern Distributor Road project. Temporary infrastructure was put in place back in the …

THERE was no evidence of oil contamination on the ground area in any part of the Burrenside Oil site at Ballygassane, Crusheen or in nearby watercourse, according to an inspection by the Environment Department of Clare County Council. On foot of a complaint received by the Environment Department last September, this department carried out two site inspections of the company, according to a report completed by an EPA complaints co-ordinator, which was obtained by the Clare Champion. The site inspection report outlined the fuel tanks on the site are all stored in bunds. The report stated, “There was no evidence of oil contamination on the ground area in any part of the site or in nearby watercourse. “An oil interceptor was observed in place at the site. There was no odour detected at the site at the time of the inspections. “The managers of the facility were advised both during the site inspections and in writing of their obligations to …

THE brother of a Kilrush woman, who was murdered 17 years ago, is seeking a meeting with Justice Minister Helen McEntee to address a number of issues affecting families who have lost loved ones in similar circumstances. Ann Walsh from Kilrush, was 23 years and four months old when she was strangled by her former boyfriend, Raymond Donovan from Cooraclare in the grounds of St Senan’s Church, Kilrush on August 24, 2005. Donovan was convicted of her murder at the Central Criminal Court in Ennis with Justice Paul Carney imposing a mandatory life sentence following a unanimous guilty verdict by a jury. Ann had been going out with Donovan for three years but had split from him a year previous to the attack. Mr Donovan was recently transferred from Shelton Abbey Open Centre to Castlerea Prison, which is a closed medium security prison. It is understood that Mr Donovan was transferred to a closed prison after allegedly contravening prison rules. …

Plans for the construction of a family home for Deputy Cathal Crowe have been put on hold after the local planning authority requested further information on the application. There has also been a strongly worded submission to the planning application that questions among other things what transpired at extensive pre-planning meetings between Deputy Crowe and Clare county planners. The submission also highlighted the potential environmental impact of the proposed dwelling and questions whether unauthorised development may have taken place in clearing the site. Permission has been sought for a private dwelling house, detached garage, wastewater treatment system and associated site works at Heathmount, Cratloe, for Maeve Fehily and Cathal Crowe. In its request for Further Information, Clare County Council considered the information submitted in the application 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 …

MEMBERS of a Crusheen family who have suffered “unexplained medical issues” have been let down by Clare County Council and other agencies, a North Clare civil engineer has claimed. Michael Duffy has made a Section Five referral to Clare County Council, which in turn referred it to An Bord Pleanála concerning Burrenside Oil on behalf of Maire O’Grady, Ballygassane, Crusheen. First established in October 2001, Burrenside Oil has been servicing domestic oil customers, the agricultural sector and the commercial industry in Clare and surrounding areas with its “low cost, efficient and friendly service ever since”. The company website also states it supplies fuel to more than 10,000 homes, delivering to all of Clare, Galway and Limerick. Their services include supply of home heating oil, agricultural fuels, commercial fuels, lubricants and oil tanks. Mr Duffy has alleged that Padraig and Maire O’Grady have been short changed by Clare County Council, the EPA and the HSE after they raised serious environmental concerns. …

Despite confessing to Ann Walsh’s killing, Raymond Donovan remained defiant when gardai charged him with her murder, members of the Walsh family recalled on last week’s Marú inár measc programme. In fact, Donovan pleaded not guilty to this crime, arguing it wasn’t premeditated. Ann’s brother Stephen Walsh was present for all of the trial which began on May 26, 2006. “It was hard. Ann was now gone, dead, buried never to be seen again. Raymond Donovan was still sitting there breathing, still alive, denying what he did, putting us through hell. “He was dragging and dragging it out. He never showed one bit of remorse throughout every bit of it. Throughout the whole trial he tried to claim he wasn’t in the right frame of mind. “They were saying he didn’t mean to kill her, they were having sex in the back of the church and he had his hands around her neck and next thing was he couldn’t wake …

A WEST Clare patient was directed to seek GP out-of-hours treatment outside their own catchment area, a local councillor has claimed. Speaking at a recent HSE West Forum meeting, Councillor Cillian Murphy said he was contacted by a person in West Clare who stated they were directed to other centres in Ennis, Limerick or Nenagh instead of Kilrush. “If you want to shut a service in an area, the easiest thing to do is to refer people onto another service in a different area. This reduces your client base for the service in the area.” He said it is not good enough to expect people in West Clare to drive to Miltown for an out-of-hours GP service when the Kilrush centre is not operational. He proposed there should be some way of improving this service for West Clare patients. Speaking to the Clare Champion, he said it takes longer to travel from Kildysart to Miltown than it is to go …

The tragedy of a young life being cut short, hopes and dreams dashed was crystalised this week on TG4 when Stephen Walsh recalled how his sister Ann had just received her first passport ahead of a trip to Spain, but the photograph ended up adorning her headstone instead after she was murdered. On Wednesday, August 24, 2005, three days before flying out to Spain for the first time in her life, the 23-year-old was getting ready for a final night out before this holiday. Stephen recalled it was Ann’s first passport. “Ann never had a passport before. Her passport picture ended up on her headstone.” Stephen’s mother, also named Ann, recalled speaking to her daughter on the phone that day and the last word she told her was “I will see you later Ma”, but she never saw her alive again. When Stephen saw Ann and Raymond outside the door of Crotty’s Kilrush, he entered the premises and found him …