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Mar 14 2024
FITZGIBBON HUP! HUP! ‘Dodgiest
of dodgy developers’ l McNamara takes aim at Council by Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie
l Cratloe’s Diarmuid Ryan with his parents Philip and Aileen and girlfriend Sarah Canny at the Fitzgibbon Cup medal presentation for the Mary Immaculate College hurlers Photo by Brian Arthur
A CLARE TD has described Clare County Council “the dodgiest of dodgy developers” for the manner in which they have initiated the demolition of the Francis Street cottages. As first reported by The Clare Echo, the Council applied for a Section 179 planning exemption which enabled the granting of planning permission without any submissions from the public or elected representatives to begin knocking the row of cottages on Francis Street in Ennis. Deputy Michael McNamara (IND) admitted he was “shocked” to learn the High Court had granted Leave to judicially review the permission the Council had granted
Careys work on succession plan? by Páraic McMahon
paraic@clareecho.ie
SUCCESSION plans are understood to be underway in the Carey household as the prospect of Clare TD, Joe Carey (FG) returning to politics becomes increasingly unlikely. T w e l v e months ago Deputy Carey suffered a major health scare which has kept him out of action on the political front since.
His sister Leonore is understood to be touted to enter the political stage with party insiders acknowledging that Joe’s prospects of appearing on the ballot for the next General Election are increasingly thin. Members of the Carey family are keeping very tight-lipped on what succession plans may be in place while no official decision has been made by Fine Gael nationally or locally.
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itself to develop the site. “In such circumstances, the usual practice is for developers to await the outcome of the Court case before proceeding. Clare County Council is now acting like the dodgiest of dodgy developers,” he added. Meanwhile the Chief Executive of the Council, Pat Dowling has accused the individuals involved in regularly questioning and highlighting the activities of Ennis 2040 DAC of having an ulterior motive. Dowling’s comments at Monday’s sitting of the Council sent Cllr PJ Kelly (FF) into a rage as he declared, “there is no ulterior motive”. He said, “friends of mine with businesses are being strangled with the most stupid proposals ever known, there are businesses choked, in the name of heaven press the reality button, I’ve never seen such a disaster in all my life, daft DAC”.
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