Tag Archives: Dermot Hayes

AN emergency housing unit for homeless people is set to be established in Ennis. Clare County Council is searching for a property in the town for the unit, director of service Liam Conneally has confirmed. At a meeting of the Strategic Policy Committee (SPC), Mr Conneally said a bid was made for a property last year but it proved unsuccessful. A second option was considered but the cost of the fit-out was higher than anticipated. The council has now increased its bid for the first property. SPC member Dermot Hayes said, “Homelessness has more than quadrupled and it’s tragic to see so many houses lying idle.” Mr Conneally acknowledged that the acquisition of a property “has taken a lot longer” than anticipated but he said it would be operating as soon as possible. In terms of location, he said the unit “has to be central”. Trade union representative Tom Guilfoyle urged the council to borrow money to allow more houses …

FRUSTRATION has continued to build amongst people with disabilities due to the lack of action on firm commitments made by Government across all parties, according to Clare Leader Forum chairman Dermot Hayes. As a result, M Hayes said, “Due to the level of apathy shown by TDs, the Clare Leader Forum has taken the difficult decision to picket the offices of all Clare- based TDs from this Thursday afterenoon.” Continuing, Mr Hayes said, “The reality is that thousands of people with disabilities are living in poverty. Research has continually laid bare this fact including the ERSI report, Nevin Economic Institute, and research by the Government’s own National Disability Authority, of which one of the Clare Leader Forum participants is a sub-committee member.” Mr Hayes said the decision to commence this action has not been taken lightly. However the Clare Leader Forum believe that people with disabilities have been left with little option, given the decision by Government to continue to …

AN Iranian author whose family fled from persecution before settling in Ennis seven years ago, will be giving away ‘Je Suis Charlie’ t-shirts near the O’Connell Monument from 12 to 1pm this Saturday. The move is in response to the heinous murders of the staff of Charlie Hebdo magazine and their police protectors in Paris on January 7. Friends Hassan Faramarz and Kevin Quinlan, who are passionate in their desire to protect freedom of speech, which they believe is under threat, had hoped to sell the t-shirts cheaply to recover their costs but, without a licence, they have decided to give them away and to hope for donations. The friends will, “make a little bit of noise, hang around and make fools of ourselves”, while waving a larger than life pen inscribed with the words, ‘Ink not Blood’, said Kevin. For both men though, this is a deadly serious matter. “I come from Iran and I have already lost a …

WHILE Clare TD Michael McNamara has backed Eamon Gilmore to continue as leader of the Labour party, he feels the party’s ageing front bench needs to be shaken up. He has predicted that Labour will do well in the local elections in the Banner County, where, he says, their campaign is being well received. Regarding the leadership of the party, which has long been the subject of debate and which was questioned again this week by European election candidate, Phil Prendergast, Mr McNamara said a change of leader wouldn’t make any lasting difference. “If you changed the leader, I’m sure you would get a bounce for a while, until the next leader had to make unpopular decisions and then you’re back to where you were.” While he isn’t backing a change of leader, he does feel Labour has to make changes. “I don’t see an alternative to him (Gilmore) presenting itself at the moment and I don’t see an alternative …

THE Labour Party and Sinn Féin have added further candidates to the upcoming local elections. The Labour Party have decided to run a second candidate, Dermot Hayes, in Ennis area. Seamus Ryan was already selected by the party. According to the party, they have been getting a positive response on the canvas and believe there is a good opportunity for two candidates to be elected to Clare County Council. Dermot Hayes comes from Kells, Corofin from a family of 13 children. He attended Ennis Community College and, as a mature student, studied Community Development in Galway and Maynooth Universities. He has lived in Ennis since 1974, is married to Marian and they have two teenage daughters. He worked in Belvedere Carpets, Studio Eyewear and Interton Electronics and more recently in a number of community and voluntary organisations, including The Disabled People of Clare, Clare Supported Employment and People With Disabilities in Ireland. Dermot has been unemployed on three occasions and …