A roundup of today's other regional news in brief
Wind farm could take five years to be operational
The businessman behind plans to construct a €200 million wind farm in west Clare has admitted that it may be five or six years before it becomes operational.
Director of West Clare Renewable Energy Ltd Pádraig Howard said that the project may not be operational until the Government changed how connections to the national grid were allocated.
Earlier this year, the company lodged an application for the 31 turbine 410 ft high wind farm on 3,000 acres of upland around Mount Callan over the Atlantic, that would produce sufficient energy to power 59,000 homes.
The project is facing local opposition, but during its 20-year operational phase, the wind farm could provide a windfall of €15.5 million to 30 farm families in the area.
For wind farms to proceed, they require a connection to the grid; currently grid connections are being allocated through the Government’s “gate three” process.
Mr Howard has admitted that the company is towards the end of the queue for the grid connection. “We applied in 2007,” he said. “We are well down the list.”
Man died when trapped under his car door
A former garda died after he became trapped under the car door as he was giving a friend a lift home. Jim Fitzgerald (52), Drimnabeg, Sneem, had been socialising in a local hotel on September 26th, 2009, the inquest in Caherciveen heard.
Trevor Snyman told the inquest Mr Fitzgerald had joined him at about 11pm. They left Sneem at about 1.30am. About a kilometre from Sneem, the car ran out of diesel and stalled.
Mr Fitzgerald told Mr Snyman to get out and push the car.
As the car was going backwards, Mr Fitzgerald opened the door to see where it was going. He put out his leg and it became caught in the driver’s door; he was pulled out of the car which rolled back over him and into a ditch.
Toxicology tests showed a concentration of 86mg of alcohol in his blood.
Extending sympathy to the family, coroner Terence Casey said it was a most unfortunate accident which nobody could have foreseen.
Permission granted for Sixmilebridge hotel
A small town in Co Clare is set to get its first hotel after An Bord Pleanála approved plans for a site in Sixmilebridge.
When completed, the hotel will employ 20 people full-time while a further 50 jobs will be generated during construction.
An Bord Pleanála has confirmed its decision to grant planning permission to Gerard and Martha Kearney for the demolition of an existing guesthouse and commercial development and the construction of a 28-bedroom hotel.
Clare County Council had originally granted permission for the development. However an objection from a local resident forced the matter to be taken up by An Bord Pleanála.
While no start date has been set, a spokesman said the Kearney family is hopeful that work will get under way “as soon as possible.”