News

PROPERTY developer and Lisdoonvarna native Bernard McNamara could face bankruptcy within the next few weeks after it emerged that a group of private investors are pursuing him for €2.24m.The group is pursuing up to 40 properties owned by the former Clare Fianna Fáil councillor who was reputedly worth €240m at the height of the Celtic Tiger but now has debts believed to be in the order of €1.5bn.Mr McNamara is also being pursued by investors for €62.5m over unpaid loans advanced to his company, Donatex Limited to acquire the Irish Glass Bottle site at Ringsend in Dublin. During a recent hearing in the Commercial Court in relation to the Glass Bottle site investment, Mr Justice Peter Kelly was told that McNamara was facing personal ruin and was “no longer a person of significant net worth”.In a subsequent television interview, Mr McNamara admitted his “head was on a plate” and “that everything I have had since I was a young fella …

WE are getting ourselves all worked up over issues that are irrelevant to the way most of us are living. Stag hunting, dog breeding, an invitation to the Queen of England to visit us and the Fine Gael front bench reshuffle are issues that should not arouse too much debate.Those matters might be important to some people but at a time of recession when more than 4,000 people are out of work and cannot pay their mortgages or cannot afford to put food on the table they are merely distractions.Of course we should be concerned about animal welfare and of course John Gormley’s two bills that are aimed at protecting animals should pass through the Dáil without a vote. But politicians will always be politicians and they will play their political games.I always thought, for example, that the Labour Party was opposed to stag hunting. I presume they still are but couldn’t get themselves to support or even abstain from …

COUNCILLOR Christy Curtin and former Taoiseach Jack Lynch may not have always shared the same political ideals or ideology but both of them were reluctant to seek the highest office.It took a lot of persuasion to get Jack Lynch to run for the Fianna Fáil leadership in the midst of major political upheaval in the party back in the ’80s.Unlike most county councillors, Councillor Curtin never actively canvassed or sought the position of chairman or Mayor of Clare despite being put forward against numerous Fianna Fáil candidates in the ’80s and ’90s when the Soldiers of Destiny held an overall majority in the council chamber.In fact, The Clare Champion has learned that it took some arm twisting by his colleagues in the Independent grouping for the retired Miltown Malbay secondary school teacher to accept their proposal, despite serving as a local politician for 31 years.“I suppose you could say I am a bit like Jack Lynch – the reluctant Taoiseach,” …

COUNTY councillors have slammed the NRA (National Roads Authority) for not providing adequate signage on motorways and dual carriageways around Clare.At the June meeting of the local authority, it was claimed that Ennis has seen a reduction of between 30 and 40% in visitors since the town was bypassed.At the council’s meeting this week, Councillor Pat McMahon introduced a motion asking that representations be made to the NRA to ensure that there be “adequate signage” on motorways and dual carriageways, as he claimed it was “essential for travelling motorists to be aware of the facilities and services available off the national route”.In a written report, Nora Kaye of the council’s planning section stated that the NRA tend to put up signs sparingly. “The NRA tends to receive some criticism in relation to its signage policies, usually because signage does not always provide details of destinations or certain facilities, which some people would expect to see on the signage. “Policies endeavour …

Last Sunday morning a report appeared on the net quoting the newly crowned British Prime Minster David Cameron uttering the following partial truth, “BP wants to cap the well, it wants to clear up the mess, it wants to pay compensation, it wants to compensate, particularly the fisherman, the hotel owners and the people who suffered.”One third of his statement we can take as true. British Petroleum does want the oil well capped but it does not want to clear up the mess and it most certainly does not want to compensate anyone for what has happened.Politicians dressing up fiction in the swaddling clothes of comforting truth is not new to us but is it not a valid query to ask why a prime minister is issuing a statement on behalf of a private company? He has done it for a number of reasons. One, he is the new boy and doesn’t want to upset Obama, who is being royally …

THE separation of Shannon from the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) could come back on the agenda next year, according to Transport Minister Noel Dempsey.Responding to a question in the Dáil from Clare TD Pat Breen, Minister Dempsey said, “The deputy is incorrect in claiming I shelved plans for the separation of Shannon and Cork Airports from the DAA. Due to the severe economic downturn and its effects on the international aviation industry, the chairs, boards and management of the various airports requested me to postpone the planned separation of the Dublin, Cork and Shannon airports from the one authority. They believed it would not be prudent, considering the economic positions in which they found themselves.“Next year it is intended to examine the various possibilities for separation. I will listen carefully to the board and management of Shannon Airport if they want it to be separated from the DAA to run their own affairs. Their decision will carry much weight with …

THERE is no attempt being made by the Dublin Airport Authority to undermine or hold back the development of Shannon, Declan Collier claimed, as he addressed the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Transport last week.The DAA CEO said that it was completely untrue to say that the body had worked against the Clare airport. “First of all, I want to completely reject any notion that the DAA is holding back either Shannon or Cork. In the period from 1997 to 2010, the DAA has invested €370m in Cork and €230m in Shannon. In the last five years over €100m of that investment has been in Shannon,” he stated.He said Shannon management have a sizable amount of money to spend, largely as they see fit. “It’s certainly not true to say that for the purchase of a biro they have to go back to the DAA to get approval. There’s a budget of around €95m agreed for this year in Shannon, the …

Clare’s most popular tourist attraction drew national attention this week after The Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience announced that it would be implementing a new pricing system later this month.Groups of adults travelling by car to the Cliffs of Moher will see the cost of their trip increase considerably, in some cases, while those travelling alone will see the price fall when the new pricing structure is implemented. The centre has announced the introduction of a single price per head of €6 for individual adult visitors, while children under 12 will go free. The single charge will replace the €8 charge per car and the admission charge of €4.95 per adult to the Atlantic Edge Exhibition and will provide access to all aspects of the visitor centre building, cliffs exhibition and outdoor areas at the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience. Therefore, a group of adults wishing to park at the Cliffs and visit the exhibition will now pay less. Access …