Tag Archives: clare county council

PAYMENTS totalling almost €13,000 weekly were paid by Clare County Council to Michael Houlihan and Partners for legal services over the past three years, new figures have revealed. Councillor P J Kelly has expressed concern about the amount of money spent securing legal advice over the last three years after tabling a motion seeking a breakdown of this expenditure. In 2019, Michael Houlihan and Partners were paid €853,323 in total, which included €513,208 for revenue and €340,115 for capital projects. This fell to a total of €574,392 in 2020, which broke down to €333,184 on Revenue and €241,208 capital accounts a year later. The figure for 2021 was very similar – €577,740, which included €327,190 on Revenue and €250,549 on Capital accounts. Councillor P J Kelly told a council meeting on Monday he was unaware that the contract with the authority’s existing legal provider was finishing at the end of the year or that a new one was about to …

AIR pollution in Ennis has been described as “dangerously high” with levels of particulate matter associated with burning solid fuels more than seven times higher than Shanghai in recent days. Community group Better Ennis are among those voicing concerns about the “health hazard Ennis residents and visitors are exposed to”, while during one evening a UCC professor took to social media urging Ennis residents not to go outside. Green Party Senator Roísín Garvey says, “People are afraid to go for a walk in the evening because of the quality of the air.” Ennis Fine Gael Councillor Johnny Flynn is seeking a report on air quality in Ennis from Clare County Council to be included in the monthly management report, and is reiterating calls for an Ennis Clean Air Strategy. “Short term poor air quality events or spikes have very significant adverse health impacts, they result in significant  spikes in hospital admissions for up to two days after such events,” he stated. A …

A dedicated bus service for the town of Ennis could be operational by late next year or early 2024. That’s according to Fianna Fáil TD for Clare Cathal Crowe who raised the issue with Ann Graham, chief executive of the NTA this week at the Oireachtas Transport Committee meeting A service for the town has long been spoken about and work is underway between the NTA and Clare County Council on finalising a route. “I’m delighted to be told by the NTA that a dedicated bus service for Ennis town is just around the corner,” said Deputy Crowe. “I raised this vital service with Ann Graham, chief executive of the NTA, in last evening’s Oireachtas Transport Committee meeting to get the latest update and was assured that the bus service will be up and running as soon as possible. “The hope is that an operator will be procured and it’ll be tendered by the end of next year, with early …

CLARE people must be at the forefront of all decisions made in Clare County Council, according to the newest co-opted councillor. Councillor Tom O’Callaghan, who formally became a council member at a meeting this week, has identified housing, health, issues affecting trade and business as well as the rising cost of living as the key challenges that need to be tackled over the coming years. The chairman of the Independent Postmasters’ Group identified Clare’s tourism amenities, sport, Shannon International Airport, heritage, music and agriculture as some of the key positive aspects in the county. “Details in the new draft County Development Plan 2023 to 2028 and at municipal district level set out lofty objectives. I believe we have an important role in achieving those goals, working and weaving the plans of local communities and groups in with the overall strategic plans to secure the best outcome for Clare.” Mr O’Callaghan said he was extremely privileged to be co-opted onto the …

TEMPERATURES weren’t very far above freezing on Friday, but a number of Shannon Heritage workers still assembled outside Bunratty, looking to vent frustration over the uncertainty around Shannon Heritage’s future. The delays around the transfer are widely seen as farcical and workers outside what was once one of the country’s top tourist attractions brandished signs indicating their disillusionment. ‘Political ping pong’, ‘Master Plan to Master Sham’ and ‘Staff in the dark’ a sample of them read. “We’re gutted at this stage, it’s going on for over a year and a half at this stage,” said Caroline O’Sullivan, one of the protesting employees. “We were told in February of last year it’d be taken over in June. In June we were told Christmas, and here we are another year down the road and we still don’t know. It’s very uncertain for people with mortgages, children going to school or college. It’s a tough time,” she added. Workers are very disappointed with …

CLARE County Council is working at full capacity to grit 17% of the road network in the county, local councillors have been told. Senior engineer, John Leahy confirmed at a council meeting on Monday priority routes were salted twice a day and during the weekend with the help of ten drivers in recent days. Mr Leahy said 25 pick up trucks came into the yard on Monday morning and left with salt for areas in municipal districts. “It is not possible to cover the whole road network. We cover the national primary, national secondary, most regional roads and busy local primary roads. “We are operating at full capacity. We emptied a full salt barn in the last week, but we have adequate salt stocks in place for the cold snap. It is a difficult situation over the last few days because of weather conditions. “We are salting 17% of the road network,” he said. Councillor Joe Garrihy said rural roads …

“VIGOROUSLY” growing flower beds along an Ennis cycling route are sowing the seeds of discontent among local residents experiencing difficulty accessing and leaving their homes, a meeting of councillors has heard. Planting carried out as part of efforts to improve cycling facilities in the St Flannan’s area has strongly grown during the summer with the Ennis Municipal District acknowledging this can “hinder” sight-lines. A review of the planting of these flower beds is now set to be carried out, the local authority has confirmed. Traffic calming and cycle lane infrastructure was introduced along the route linking St Flannan’s to the Kilrush Road in 2019. Councillor Johnny Flynn urged the Ennis Municipal District at a recent meeting to “carry out alterations to the cycling infrastructure installed along by St Flannans to the Kilrush road in order to improve access in and out of houses particularly those affected by flower beds constructed in that scheme.” Householders living in the area are being …

SIX months after the government agreed to open a grant scheme to Clare homeowners affected by pyrite, more than one thousand people in this county continue to live in defective homes. As the first cold snap of the winter bites, many face the prospect of sky-rocketing costs for heating, much of which will escape through the severe cracks in their homes.  Despite what was described as a “positive” meeting, this week, between Council officials and members of Clare Pyrite Action Group (CPAG), there is no clarity on when exactly homeowners in this county will be able to apply for the grant. The current estimate is that the scheme will open in Q1 of next year, but no exact date has been set. Dr Martina Cleary, Linda O’Callaghan and Geraldine Kennedy attended the meeting on Wednesday (December 7). “It was a very positive meeting,” Dr Cleary said, “but the Council doesn’t seem to know much more than the homeowners. The Department …