News

SAINT Tola’s National School marked the recent opening of its class for pupils with multiple disabilities on Thursday of last week. The new facility opened earlier in the year and the class is entitled Aoibhneas, translated to English as ‘joy’. School principal Mary Dunlea Fitzgerald said, “We have opened the new multiple disability class and we’ve got a new prefab. We’re going to be putting a new extension onto the school for the children. “We currently have four pupils enrolled, a fifth starting in September and we’re delighted with the success of the class so far and delighted to meet the needs of very vulnerable pupils within our community.” Speaking about the class, she added, “The children have multiple disabilities so they have challenges in relation to communication and movement and daily living skills. “Typically children with these sorts of disabilities would have gone to a special school and being able to provide the facility in a mainstream setting and …

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 …

THE architectural significance of Quin has been safeguarded by the planning appeals board, who have rejected attempts to erect a mast of over 20 metres in height in the village. The decision of An Bord Pleanála to refuse permission to Vantage Towers for a telecommunications tower at Quinville South has copper-fastened a refusal late last year by Clare County Council.  An inspector from the board recommended rejection of the appeal, and this was backed by the executive of An Bord Pleanála. A direction from the board found that the tower “would have an adverse effect on the character of the Quin Architectural Conservation Area, and would seriously detract from and injure the visual amenities of the area”. The direction added that in terms of the visual impact, the closeness to the ACA and the village, the proposed lattice tower did not comply with either the guidelines on telecommunications structures or those on the protection of architectural heritage. It concluded that …

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 …

EXPERT engineer, Simon Beale, has warned of aspects of the forthcoming defective blocks grant scheme which could penalise homeowners who have struggled to maintain their properties.  Mr Beale is a chartered engineer who has tested more than 250 pyrite-affected homes to-date, and has been working with Clare County Council to make the case for access for Clare to the grant scheme. At a major conference last week, hosted by the Technological University of the Shannon (TUS), he outlined his concerns about some of the terms of the revised grant scheme. “The new requirement for a building condition report will prove difficult,” he said. “In some cases, homeowners have tried to hide the damage. This is almost a penalty for those who have tried to maintain and upgrade their homes. Another problematic aspect of the new scheme, which is due to come before Cabinet next Tuesday (June 14), is that of partial repairs to properties with defective concrete blocks. “Demolition, to …

A SUGGESTION last week from Sinn Féin’s transport spokesman Darren O’Rourke that Shannon staff be transferred to Dublin Airport to help deal with the crisis saw him heavily criticised in Clare. Responding on Tuesday, he said his suggestion (and in the Dáil the Transport Minister indicated attempts had been made to do exactly what Mr O’Rourke suggested) had been slammed in Clare for political reasons. “I thought it was mischief making and those who were critical were doing so for political reasons. They know very well that they are in the parties that have overseen a totally lopsided aviation policy. “All of the dominance of Dublin Airport is directly as a result of their policies, not because of Sinn Féin’s policy. “They know too that the suggestion was made in the context of a national embarrassment, a national emergency, it was made in the context of a number of suggestions, everything on the table. “That was the position we adopted …

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 …

ACTION on bullying in schools is to be reviewed and updated to take account of cyberbullying, Clare’s Fianna Fáil TD has been told. In response to a parliamentary question from Deputy Cathal Crowe, the Minister for Children outlined a number of responses being undertaken to make the online sphere safer, including a review of school policies that date back to 2013. Responding to Deputy Crowe’s question, Minister Roderic O’Gorman said the Department of Education is soon to update its interventions in relation to bullying. He noted that Minister Norma Foley’s Department has already published a strategy document for schools.  “My colleague the Minister for Education has also brought forward significant policy initiatives in this area this year including the publication of the new Digital Strategy for Schools in April, which focusses on further embedding the use of digital technologies in all teaching, learning and assessment activities and includes building awareness and knowledge around online safety,” Minister O’Gorman said. “The Department …