The Limerick Blogger: latest Limerick news and Limerick events

A 29 year old man who was seriously injured on Friday in a traffic accident just north of Limerick City has died of his injuries in hospital.

At around 1000 hrs, the car the man was travelling in was involved in a collision with an articulated lorry on the Condel Road.  It is reported that the truck went out of control and veered into the path of the oncoming car, which was travelling towards Shannon.

The man’s three children, who were travelling in the car with him, were treated for minor injuries, and the driver of the lorry was treated for shock.

The Condell Road was closed for several hours following the accident..

Choke Comedy Improv takes place almost every month at the Red Cross Hall on Cecil Street.  At present they are embarking on a short tour, but are returning to Limerick in September.  More information on the tour can be found in the interview with Myles Breen below.

They can also be found on Facebook

Below are scenes from their show on Wednesday, July 23rd.

Choke Comedy Improv from Limerick Blogger on Vimeo.

The one week severance pay for each year served at Element Six has been described as derisary by local activists and union reps.

Following the announcement of 370 job losses at the industrial diamond manufacturer in Shannon, it emerged that workers would receive a mere one week  per year served on top of statutory redundancy.  Element Six is entitled to claim back from the government 60 percent of the statutory redundancy paid out.

SIPTU organiser Mary O’Donnell is quoted on RTE Online as saying that some workers have been with Element Six for over 30 years and the severance package being offered is poor reward for their commitment.

SIPTU was due to meet representatives from Element Six in a bid to improve the offer.

Describing the move as a “stab in the back,” David Vallaly of the Socialist Party called for more direct action.

“Losing your job in this economic climate means long term unemployment, that is why workers must fight not just for improved redundancy, but also to save the jobs. The sit in protest in February in Element Six  is a miniature example of the kind of fight that now must be waged. Workers in Waterford Crystal and the Visteon factory in Belfast have shown that through organisation and workplace occupations, concessions and victories can be won. This fight is needed to draw a line under the race to the bottom being imposed by the bosses in an attempt to slash and burn all wages, making the crisis worse.”

Meanwhile, spokesperson for Sinn Féin in Limerick East called on the government to prioritise Limerick in efforts for job retention and creation

“Limerick City needs to be treated as a priority as unfortunately we currently have amongst the highest unemployment rates in the state, we have more than 21,000 people on the live register and we have a large number of unemployment blackspots contained throughout the City. The Government must target job creation and job retention in unemployment black-spots such as Limerick City. “ 

Histrionic Productions Songs for a New World opens this evening at Kilmurry Church Arts and Cultural Centre at 2000 hrs, and runs until Saturday

Below are a few snippets from the dress rehearsal which took place last night

Note: ignore the testcard pattern, the video plays normally.

Excerpts from Songs for a New World Dress Rehearsal from Limerick Blogger on Vimeo.

Two men in their early 20s are in hospital after a major bust-up in the Elm Park area of Castletroy last night.

The row, amongst a large group of males and females occurred at approximately 2200 hrs, and while no arrests were made, one individual was said to be “helping Gardai with their enquiries” at Henry Street Station

Four ambulances were sent to the scene of the row, however, only two were needed.  The two injured men are said to be in a stable condition.

Reports suggest that a baseball bat was used during the attack.

Just a quick note to bring to your attention a project which gives youngsters an appreciation of classical music

Now in it’s sixteenth year, Summer Music on the Shannon is a four week programme being run at University of Limerick which will allow over 200 youths along with visiting musicians to product an opera.

Anyway, if you want more information, you can have a look at their weblog here.

Shannon based diamond manufacturer, Element Six is to lay off 370 workers, it was confirmed this morning.

Whilst manufacturing and distribution facilities will be wound down, Element Six will keep 80 staff involved in Research and Development as well as global customer Support.

From Element Six Statement:

This decision is the result of a comprehensive strategic review of Element Six’ global manufacturing operations to improve cost competitiveness and secure the Group’s long–term future.”

“The Shannon operation is the highest cost manufacturing site in the Element Six Group. Despite a series of cost reduction programmes in the past few years, continued production at the Shannon site is no longer sustainable or viable, and the primary business it serves is loss-making.”

The complete wind down of manufacturing and distribution should be completed by year end.  These parts of the Shannon facility will be relocated to other Element Six sites.

Responding to the announcement, Limerick East TD for Labour, Jan O’Sullivan Said:

Of course, my thoughts today first and foremost are with those people who have learned that they are to lose their jobs, and in a period when unemployment is still spiralling upwards, it is likely to be very challenging for people to get back on their feet in the short term.

“I am extremely concerned by the seemingly relentless increase in unemployment throughout the Mid West. The Government must immediately publish the Dell Taskforce report, and then act on its recommendations as a matter of urgency. I am calling on the Minister for Enterprise Trade & Employment to immediately focus on this region with the IDA and the other state agencies, with a view to stemming the jobs flow.

UPDATE: Staff can expect a whopping one week redundancy pay on top of statutory redundancy per year served from the biggest diamond company in the world.  That coming from the Irish Independent.

And irony of ironies, the chief executive of Element Six in Shannon is on the Midwest Jobs task force, set up following the closure of Dell.

The death has taken place of author Frank McCourt, after a two week long battle with meningitis.

Frank McCourt was born t on the 19th August 1930, in Brooklyn, New York to Angela and Malachy McCourt.  The eldest of seven children, four of whom died in childhood his early years were at the height of the great depression of the 1930s.

Unable to find work in the US, his family moved back to Ireland, ending up in Limerick City in 1934.   He received a primary education at Leamy’s School.  His time in Limerick was chronicled in his autobiography “Angela’s Ashes,” which gave an account of a life of religious repression, illness, and destitution.  In his teenage years, McCourt worked as a telegram deliverer, and did a spot of moonlighting as a letter writer for a local loanshark.

During his time in Limerick, his father, Malachy, turned to alcoholism, and could rarely hold down a job.  He eventually went to the United Kingdom to seek employment, but only sent money back to his family on rare occasions.

He returned to the United States in 1949, and worked for a time in a New York hotel before being drafted into the army.  During his military career, he was stationed in Germany.

After his discharge, he took up a series of jobs before taking advantage of the US GI Bill, an initiative introduced by the US Government to assist former soldiers in gaining further education, to train, and later become a teacher.

He received his Masters Degree from Brooklyn College in 1967  He worked as a high school teacher for 30 years after receiving his masters.

It was in 1996 that he came to prominence as a writer after his book “Angela’s Ashes” sold over a million copies.  The book earned McCourt a pulitzer prize in 1997.  He was conferred with an honorary degree at the University of Limerick the following year.

Whilst Angela’s Ashes was hailed as a literary masterpiece in the United States, it came in for strong criticism from prominent people in Limerick, mostnotably broadcaster and author Gerard Hannan, and actor Richard Harris.

McCourt used his critics to his advantage however, suggesting to media outlets that they speak to Hannan in the run up to the launch of the film adaptation of Angelas Ashes in 2000.

Amongst the accusations levelled at McCourt by Hannan, was that he scandalised the family of a teenage girl named Tereasa Carmody, who McCourt claimed to have had sex with just days before she died of Tuberculosis.  McCourt maintained however that it was a  ficticious name.  However, Hannan maintained that this was untrue as her mother is also named.   A claim in Angelas Ashes against a man named Willie Harold, was  conceeded to be untrue when Mr. Harold himself confronted McCourt at a book signing.  In the book, McCourt claimed that Harold confessed to spying on his naked sister, even though Harold did not even have a sister.

The row between Hannan and McCourt came to a head on a live broadcast of RTE’s The Late Late Show in 1999. Watch the video here

Despite their disagreements, Hannan described both himself and McCourt as “kindred spirits” in a Sunday Tribune interview in 2000.

It was around this time when McCourt released his second book, “Tis” which chronicled his life from the time he left Limerick, to when he became a teacher in New York.

Hi third book, “Teacher Man” further chronicles his teaching career, and described his methods for getting students to take responsibility for their own learning.

In 2007, McCourt took a change in direction and wrote a book for children, Angela and the Baby Jesus.  The book, based on a story told to him of his mother, was set in 1912 Limerick when she took a model of  the Baby Jesus from a church crib and took it home because she thought it was cold.

In 2008, it was revealed that McCourt had been diagnosed with skin cancer, which he had been fighting for over a year.

Two weeks ago, he contracted meningitis, and his health deteriorated rapidly.  He died this evening in New York.

News of his death emerged on the Twitter website from Iranian author Julie Klam.

Frank McCourt is survived his wife Ellen, one daughter, one granddaughter and two grandsons,

The report into possible expenditure cuts has been released, and those it targets most, are the poor, and the west.

Firstly of interest in Limerick is the proposal to abolish Shannon Development.  The responsibilities of the agency would be distributed to both the IDA and Enterprise Ireland.  It is believed that this move will save the government approximately €2m each year.

Assets owned by Shannon Development such as land, which is not required by Enterprise Ireland or the IDA would be sold for the benefit of the exchequer if the recommendations of the report are implimented.

Another recommendation is the amalgamation of Limerick City and County Council into one local authority.  Local town councils would also be merged into their respective county councils.

The report also recommends that the RAPID schemes operating in disadvantaged areas around the country, including Limerick, be scrapped.

In education, it proposes the merger of smaller rural schools, and cuts in spending on school travel.  It also recommends the closure of Tipperary Institute of Technology

The poor would get it in the neck if the recommendations of the report were implimented.  Recommendations include the lowering of income limit for entitlement to the Medical Card to the basic Social Welfare amount, an increase in Accident and Emergency charges, increasing the amount required for the drugs repayment scheme to €125 a month, and a €5 charge for a prescription for medical card holders.

It is also recommended that a scaled rate of social welfare payment be introduced based on the recipient’s age.  A five percent reduction in welfare payments is also recommended.

The full report can be read by clicking here.

Angelas Ashes author Frank McCourt is unlikely to survive following a deterioration in his health in the last fortnight.

That is according to his brother Malachy, who spoke to the Associated Press from New York City.

McCourt, who is a month away from his 79th birthday, was making good progress following his battle with skin cancer, however, he contracted meningitis and is now in hospice car.

Speaking to AP, his his brother said that his “faculties are shutting down.”