Tag Archives: clare county council

THE first chairman of the new West Clare Municipal Authority is seeking at least 33% of Clare County Council’s budget to be spent in the west and north of the county. Councillor PJ Kelly was elected chairman of the body at last Friday’s AGM, attended by all eight of the recently elected county councillors, who serve in the enlarged West Clare constituency. The meeting also decided to restrict to six the number of the public who can attend the bi-monthly meetings, while senior engineer, Cyril Feeney, acknowledged the council is facing challenges in adequately staffing the district, which stretches from Loop Head to Ballyvaughan. Councillor Kelly produced figures which he said proved Clare County Council collected millions of euro in rates from West Clare. “The county council takes in €36.2m in rates. Ennis takes in €5.4m and Kilrush €0.7m. That comes to a grand county-wide figure of approximately €42m. One establishment in West Clare, ESB Moneypoint, pays €13m. That is …

Planing permission has been granted for the development of a clay pigeon shooting range at Tullassa, close to Inch. Clare County Council gave the go-ahead to Michael Haren of Tullassa to construct the range, which will include four shooting huts, a car park, tea room, access road and associated works subject to six planning conditions. Among the conditions imposed is that the clay shooting range only operates between the hours of 10am to 6pm on Saturdays and Sundays unless otherwise agreed in writing with the planning authority. According to the planning file, three people will be employed in the proposed development. Initially, according to the applicant, the grounds are to be used as a facility for current licensed gun owners to utilise and such persons attending the grounds will supply their own guns and ammunition. According to the applicant it is not proposed to store any equipment or guns at the development. He explained that when required the clay launchers …

Councillor John Crowe of Sixmilebridge was elected Mayor of Clare at the county council AGM held on this Friday afternoon. Councillor Crowe was nominated by poll topper Joe Cooney and seconded by Independent Gerry Flynn. The Fine Gael councillor is the county’s outgoing deputy mayor. Councillor Crowe will  be the only Fine Gael member to hold the position of mayor over the five-year term of the new authority. Two Fianna Fáil  members will have the honour of holding office, while the “technical group”, consisting of the seven Independents and one Sinn Féin, will also have two terms of office. Fianna Fáil’s Councillor Tony O’ Brien of the Killaloe Electoral area was elected deputy mayor for the coming year. Councillor O’Brien was re-elected to the council last month having lost his seat in the 2009 local election. Mayor Crowe paid tribute to the councillors who lost their seats and who retired. He said he was “delighted to be part of a power-sharing agreement …

There are signs of a Fianna Fáil resurgence in West Clare as party men will occupy four out of the eight council seats in the electoral area for the next five years. Sitting councillor Michael Hillery (FF) was elected in the 11th count. He puts part of his vote down to the elimination of Fine Gael’s Corofin-based candidate Gerry Kennedy. “When the tally came in yesterday and I had almost 1400 votes I thought I was in fourth position so I thought I was quite safe. Looking at the overall tally I knew there were a lot of candidates in the Southern section of the area and when they would be eliminated I wouldn’t get many votes from that particular area and that is what would happen but when Gerry Kennedy was eliminated that is when the thing changed around and it looked good from there on in and I’m delighted that it resulted in me being elected in Clare,” …

FINE Gael’s Johnny Flynn has retained his seat on Clare County Council, exceeding the quota after 12 counts. Speaking just before his victory was confirmed the Ennis man said; “I was delighted with my vote and I’m grateful to everyone who supported me and to my family. This election is a clear indication to Government parties that people are feeling the pain of the austerity measures that unfortunately were required. Certainly I’ve learned from the canvass that people believed hard decisions had to be made but it’s how they impact on people’s lives.” He said that the reduction of numbers on the county council and the abolition of town councils will increase the level of responsibility for those elected and that they need to “roll up their sleeves and get stuck in”.  

AS we count down to the opening of the polling stations for Friday’s local and European elections, The Clare Champion this week talks to five people with a deep knowledge of  Clare politics about the candidates and their prospects of success. With reporter Dan Danaher posing the questions in a round table discussion at Cairde in Barrack Street, Ennis, former TDs, Donal Carey (Fine Gael),  Moosajee Bhamjee (Labour) and Tony Killeen (Fianna Fáil), Clare Sinn Féin’s  Kevin Halpin and political observer, Mike Torpey from Tulla, gave their assessment of how the new 28-seat Clare County Council will shape up.

Clare County Council is marking National Biodiversity Week 2014, which runs until Saturday, with the official launch of a new strategy aimed at promoting, protecting and enhancing the biodiversity of the county. The Clare Biodiversity Action Plan 2014-17, approved by the council, has identified how biodiversity can boost tourism, enhance the local environment, and assist organisations and individuals working in the area of conservation and heritage. Key objectives of the Plan include supporting the recording of biodiversity across County Clare and to submit all biodiversity records to the National Biodiversity Database Centre; raising awareness of the role of biodiversity in climate change and the importance of wetland management in preventing flooding, and encouraging proposals relating to the positive management and additional planting of native tree species. Among the agencies that have contributed to the preparation and delivery of the plan is Clare County Council, the Clare Biodiversity Group, Coillte, Burren LIFE, Burrenbeo Trust, County Clare Bat Group, Celt, the Shannon …

A RESTRICTION on the height of headstones in the county’s graveyards is just one of the conditions outlined in draft bylaws being planned for burial grounds by Clare County Council. According to the draft, a maximum height is to be imposed for headstones, not exceeding 1.5 metres above ground level. The proposed bylaws, if given the go-aheadm will mean that no tomb, monument, vault, headstone, tablet or permanent structure of any description or material can be erected or constructed on any place of burial in the ground, unless it has been approved of, in writing, by the council, after submission of a formal written application. The draft bylaws were put before this week’s meeting of Clare County Council’s Strategic Policy Committee for Community and Enterprise, Tourism and Emergency Services. Betty Devanny of Clare County Council outlined to the meeting that the council’s predraft consultation into the proposals have seen positive feedback. She added the bylaws incorporate national regulations, while also …