News

COMMENT Prevailing winds were mentioned briefly over the tinny loudspeaker but they figured little on my consciousness as Helen and I crossed the short stretch of water between Scotland and Northern Ireland on a ferry packed with dog owners precluded from flight by the vagaries of air travel. As land loomed into view I looked at Helen and said “I’m home”.

UNEMPLOYMENT in Clare showed a drop in the month of March, according to figures from the Central Statistics Office.

THE total payout to Clare families under the Mortgage Interest Supplement Scheme (MISS) has increased 10-fold over a five-year period to €1.2 million, The Clare Champion can exclusively reveal.This is reflective of the fact that more people are in receipt of social welfare due to growing unemployment. Almost 300 Clare families are now availing of the scheme.Clare County Councillor Martin Conway has predicted that the amount of money paid out under the scheme could reach €3m by year end, as the number of applications received by the Health Service Executive (HSE) continues to rise significantly due to spiralling unemployment.Councillor Conway has also warned that an increasing number of Clare families are resorting to moneylenders to keep a roof over their head.According to figures obtained from the HSE under the Freedom of Information Act, 55 families received a total of €96,072 in 2005, 64 families were paid €127,086 in 2006; 79 families got €241,564 in 2007, while 182 families received €580,081 …

Gardaí in Scariff are investigating an alleged threat to “shoot down a seaplane” following a test demonstration held in Mountshannon on Saturday, March 27.Arising from a complaint made by Harbour Air Ireland to the gardaí about an alleged threat to damage one of their aircraft, a legally held firearm was voluntarily handed into a gun dealer pending the outcome of the investigation.A local garda source confirmed, “Alleged threats are under investigation. A complaint has been made and we are investigating it but no incident has taken place, other than what was complained of.”A person named as having allegedly made these threats has vehemently denied any such accusations to The Clare Champion. “I deny all allegations made against me,” he said.A garda said, “We have received no report of damage to a plane. A statement has been made [in relation to alleged threats] and the matter is being monitored tightly. No threat has been made with a firearm. What was [allegedly] …

ENNIS Town Council has moved to make it much more difficult for headshops to open in the town area.The council has passed a notice of motion, proposed by Councillor Brian Meaney, calling on Clare County Council to amend the town retail strategy and Ennis and Environs Development Plan to confine headshops to locations at least 10 kilometres from schools. Ennis Town Council appears to be the first council in the country to pass such a motion.The councillor is to propose a similar notice of motion at next week’s meeting of Clare County Council. The move will, within a number of months, prohibit operators of headshops from trading within 10 kilometres of any school, effectively creating an exclusion zone restricting the operation of headshops.Councillor Meaney said that there is a need for creative thinking to “close down” headshops. “We have to be careful how we approach this issue, because legally a council cannot ban anything. There is no supporting legislation for …

QUESTIONS have been raised over the ability of Clare County Council to comply with statutory requirements under an European Union Water Framework directive, due to the lack of national funding.Clare County Councillor Christy Curtin questioned the wisdom of producing a detailed plan to improve surface and ground water throughout the county, without adequate information on the overall cost of the measures and the likely source of finance.Councillor Curtin claimed at a recent joint Strategic Policy Committee meeting of Environment and Water Services and Planning, Land Use and Transportation that there is a sense of “déjà vu” as councillors are left with the option of adopting the plan or leaving the county manager to approve the blueprint with or without their consent.“Clare County Council doesn’t have the funding to carry out this plan. Our performance is poor in relation to a water services investment programme due to the lack of national finance.“I believe that a more realistic and flexible timeframe should …

TWELVE revellers had a lucky escape in Lough Derg when their boat started to take on water late on Friday night.Killaloe Coast Guard Unit spokesman, Michael Quigley has confirmed that a major tragedy was averted thanks to the quick response of the unit.“Twelve lives were saved on Friday night. Things could have gone horribly wrong only for the intervention of emergency services. The occupants of the boat were very lucky,” he said.Ten people had to be rescued from a speed boat about three and a half miles south of Killaloe bridge after two others had tried to swim ashore.The drama unfolded when the local Coast Guard Unit got an emergency call at about 11.40pm on Friday night to come to the assistance of a boat that had got into difficulty.It is understood that the 22-foot long speed boat, which was only licensed to carry 10 people or 820kgs hit something, which caused it to take in water.One rescue boat was …