Tag Archives: clare county council

HOME some weeks and after having conquered Everest, John Burke has been honoured by Clare County Council, as the local authority awarded him a civic reception on Monday. He was accompanied by his wife, Aoibhín, friends and family members, as a presentation was made to the West Clare hotelier and county council members paid tribute to his achievement. Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council, Bill Chambers said, “I know John is a keen outdoor enthusiast and mountaineer so there was always an air of inevitability about him one day attempting to climb Mount Everest. The slopes of Mount Callan or the dunes at Spanish Point were never going to be enough to satisfy his thirst for adventure. “By becoming the first Clare person to stand on top of the world, John not only achieved something that very few have achieved but he also demonstrated a steely demonstration that will no doubt inspire others.” The cathaoirleach also lauded the foundation of Elevate, …

CLARE County Council has decided to appoint a part-time caretaker for one of the smallest graveyards in South-East Clare, in a bid to resolve the impasse over out-of-hours access. While pedestrians can access a pathway leading to the Kilquane Cemetery near Parteen via a stile, people with disabilities and the elderly cannot drive up close to the entrance, unless the locked gate at the roadside is opened. In the latest development to the saga, which started almost four years ago, the council has decided the new caretaker will be a key holder. The caretaker’s mobile number will be displayed at the entrance to the graveyard and on the council website, with a list of other caretakers’ contacts. By appointment only, this will facilitate people who wish to visit their loved one’s grave and require vehicular access. Pedestrian access will continue. The council will be utilising the appropriate panel for caretakers, having regard to the competitive process. Rural development director Leonard …

Expenses totalling €12,329 were incurred by 20 Clare county councillors for their attendance at a training conference in Donegal last year. Councillor Gerry Flynn, who did not claim any of his statutory annual training allowance of €3,300, has called on the Government to provide in-house upskilling for councillors at local level, to eliminate the need to travel to the four corners of the country. His call came after almost three-quarters of the 28 elected members travelled up to Buncrana for the Association of Irish Local Government (AILG) conference on May 5 and 6 of last year. Councillors Michael Begley, James Breen, Pat Burke, Bill Chambers, Clare Colleran-Molloy, Joe Cooney, John Crowe, Christy Curtin, Pat Daly, Pat Hayes, Michael Hillery, Gabriel Keating, PJ Kelly, Pat McMahon, Paul Murphy, Richard Nagle, Tony O’Brien, PJ Ryan and Bill Slattery each made the round trip of 672 kilometres. They received payments ranging from €453 for Councillor Christy Curtin to €680 for Councillor Bill Chambers, …

CLARE County Councillors have dismissed claims they are on a “gravy train”. Councillor Pat McMahon said councillors are not benefiting in terms of their expense claims. The Newmarket-on-Fergus councillor told The Clare Champion he knows of several professions who are earning much more. “I know councillors are easy meat and we can be taken out as part of a ‘one-day wonder’. In my honest opinion, we are only getting what is laid down by the minister – no more no less. “Councillors have no say whatsoever in terms of what expenses or allowances they are paid,” he said. Councillor Bill Slattery outlined even if he won the National Lottery, he would still like to work as a councillor, as he isn’t doing the job for the money. The Fine Gael councillor said he gets great satisfaction from being able to help a constituent who has a genuine concern or difficulty. Political representation is part of his family’s tradition, as his …

CLARE County Council’s refusal to grant The Clare Champion access to three incident reports about the “toxic release” of chlorine dioxide gas at Chemifloc Limited in 2012 was “not justified”, according to a ruling by the Commissioner for Environmental Information, Peter Tyndall. Mr Tyndall found a request by the newspaper under the Access to Information on the Environment (AIE) should have been granted in full. He ruled that grounds for refusal did not apply to information contained in the incident reports concerning the time, location and composition of chemicals emitted from the Smithstown facility. On August 6, 2015, The Clare Champion made a request to the council under AIE regulations for access to “all correspondence and documents relating to Clare County Council’s response to the chemical incident at the Chemifloc Plant on December 20, 2012”. It requested access to correspondence between the council and Chemifloc concerning the incident, as well as documents relating to the cost incurred by Clare Fire …

INDIVIDUALS and groups around Clare are being encouraged to to get involved in National Heritage Week 2017 by registering an event in their community before next Wednesday. National Heritage Week – the theme of which is ‘It’s In Your Nature’ – takes place nationwide from August 19 to 27. Coordinated nationally by the Heritage Council, more than 450,000 people are expected to participate in over 2,000 heritage events. Each year events range from night-time bat walks, wildlife walks and lectures, classical music and poetry recitals, traditional music sessions, storytelling, historical re-enactments, and local history walks and talks. Congella McGuire, Clare Heritage Officer said, “Clare County Council encourages people to view Heritage Week as an opportunity to display their own area of heritage, be it natural, built or cultural, to the broader public. She explained, “Events can be held at a variety of venues, such as monuments and historical sites, parks and gardens, woodlands, wildlife reserves and inland waterways, schools, libraries and heritage …

Clare County Council will provide updates on conditions at the county’s Blue Flag beaches on its Twitter and Facebook accounts from Saturday next. The updates will feature latest sea, water quality and weather conditions, as well as tide in and tide out times for Ballycuggeran (Killaloe), Cappa, Fanore, Kilkee, Lahinch, Mountshannon, Spanish Point, Whitestrand Doonbeg and Whitestrand Miltown Malbay. The updates coincide with the commencement of lifeguard cover at County Clare beaches this June Bank Holiday Weekend. Lifeguard cover will be provided at Clare’s Blue Flag beaches from 11.00am to 7.00pm this Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Cover will continue on Saturdays and Sundays during the month of June, while there will be full-time time cover at these locations as well as at Bishops Quarter (Ballyvaughan) and Seafield Quilty during the months of July and August and the first two weekends of September.

CLARE County Council has confirmed that it has received 18 written submissions to the Draft Inis Cealtra Visitor Management and Sustainable Tourism Development Plan. Submissions were made by members of the public and statutory authorities to the draft plan and the associated strategic environmental assessment, the habitats directive assessment and the strategic flood risk assessment. The process of reviewing and considering these submissions is underway. When it is complete, the draft plan will be amended to become the final plan. Brian McCarthy, senior planner, outlined the details on foot of a motion by Councillor Pat Burke. He asked the local authority to detail the number of submissions received from the public following the launch of the draft plan and to outline the next steps in the process. Mr McCarthy said, “It is intended that the Inis Cealtra Visitor Management and Sustainable Tourism Development Plan will be presented to the local community in July 2017, thus concluding the plan-making process”. Councillor …