West Clare

A RECORD number of floats made for an excellent St Patrick’s Day parade in the West Clare capital town.

THE 2013 tourist season at Loop Head Lighthouse commences this weekend as the West Clare landmark opens to the public for the first time this year.The 19th century lighthouse will be opened for its third successive season on Saturday and will remain open each weekend, including Easter Weekend and Bank Holidays, up to and including September. Clare County Council says 12 full-time and part-time jobs will be created when the lighthouse reopens.17,423 people (13,441 adults, 3,982 children) visited the lighthouse during the May to September opening period in 2012.  Seventy-one per cent of the total visitor figure was represented by domestic visitors, of which approximately 50% were holidaymakers and 35% were day-trippers, with local visitors accounting for the remainder. Overseas, visitors accounted for 29% of the total figure. It is estimated that the 18-week opening period was worth approximately €650,000 to the local economy.“Clare tourism, particularly the sector in the Loop Head Peninsula, has benefited greatly from this visitor project …

SAMARITANS’ signs are to be placed on the Cliff Walk in Kilkee and at the bridge on route to St George’s Head on the opposite side of the resort. One sign apiece is to be placed in each location. The matter was discussed at the February meeting of Kilkee Town Council, while councillors decided upon the location for the signs at this week’s meeting. “I propose that we put them up at the start and at the end of the Cliff Walk on a low level. I’m still not sure if there’s a necessity for them but I can understand people feeling that there should be signs,” Councillor Paddy Collins commented. “Personally, I think they should be strategically placed on the cliff walk. If people are in a difficulty and are going on for their walk and they see that sign, it may help that person. I think they should be placed there at a low level,” Councillor Claire Haugh …

KILKEE town councillors have expressed annoyance that just two Clare County Council staff are available to clean the town, for two hours daily, on busy weekends. Staff work Monday to Friday from 8.15am to 3.45pm in Kilkee when the town is significantly quieter.

KILDYSART Drama Group will present their production of Michael J Ginnelly’s A Wake in the West in the community centre this Saturday and Sunday night.  

ESB Wind Development will have a second chance to address environmental concerns over its proposed €30 million windfarm development at Moneypoint Generating Station.Clare County Council recently refused ESB Wind Development a 10-year planning permission to construct five wind turbines with a maximum overall dimension of 152m from ground level to the tip of the turbine blade in the upright position.The company has appealed this refusal to An Bord Pleanála, who will now be asked to adjudicate the application and it will be expected to examine its potential impact on the largest resident bottlenose dolphin population in Europe following previous objections submitted to the local authority.In its refusal, the council stated that one of the objectives of the Clare County Development Plan was to afford the highest level of protection to all the designated Natura 200 sites in accordance with the relevant directives and legislation.The authority claimed the Natura Impact Statement (NIS), which was received by the planning authority on November …

AT the February meeting of Kilrush Town Council, Fine Gael councillor Ian Lynch requested support for legislation on Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, which would help to identify people in cases of cyber bullying. “Where any case of cyber bullying is reported and found to be true, the IP address from which the bullying has occurred could be suspended and in more serious cases that legal action may be taken against perpetrators,” he said when asking that the Government introduce legislation to prevent cyber bullying.“We are in an age now where  the world is now a  small place, the internet has provided us with information at the click of a button and we can stay connected 24/7 to people anywhere in the world. However, the effects of abusing this technology are never as evident in the cases of suicide caused by bulling. We have to take a stand on this and with immediate effect. The Government must introduce legislation that prevents …

KILRUSH Town Councillor Ian Lynch has requested Minister for Justice, Alan Shatter, introduce a community alert scheme using internet phones. He said the system he had in mind would ensure up to 15 people could be contact at the same time, in the event, for example, of a person’s house being broken into.