Month: January 2009

PROTESTERS turned out in En- nis last week to hand out leaflets at O’Connell Street and O’Connell Square urging shoppers to boycott Israeli products.

The protest was part of a day of ac- tion in support of the people of Pal- estine.

The leaflets, designed by the Ire- land Palestine Solidarity Campaig n, were produced and distributed on their behalf by local Sinn Féin AYE WARSI

The partys Ennis — candi- date, Séan Hayes, speaking af- ter the event saidthe day “was about sh-owing support for the people of Palestine and in particu-

lar, those of Gaza, who are suf- fering appallingly As the hands of the Israeli military. It was also important to let’ the people of Clare know how they can help to force the Israelis to stop such savage attacks and ne- gotiate a two state solution with the elected representitives of the Palestinian people. Rock- ets fired by Hamas have killed 19 Israelis in the last six years so the massacre of hundreds of palestinians and wounding = of thousands more 1s totally dispro- portionate and unacceptable.”

Europe is the largest trad- ing partner for Israeli goods and last December the EU granted Is- rael further preferencial terms of tr

ade, Hayes said.

“It is worth noting that the EU cut all aid to Palestine follow- ing their democratic decision to elect Hamas to govern them. Sinn Féin’s MEPs will be fighting hard to have those trade terms reversed in light of Israel’s disre gard for the lives of innocent c1- aU br. N sh

A WEST CLARE man who pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a 16 year old girl had to be extradited from America to come back and face the case, a court heard.

Ennis Circuit Court heard that the 32 year old had pleaded guilty to the assault on the young girl as she lay sleeping in her bed.

On February 9, Judge Carroll Mo- ran was told, the man had been out socialising with the girl’s parents and came back to the house with them.

Around 4am, the girl told gardai, she woke to find the accused naked in the bed beside her. He put his hand under her night-clothes and touched her breasts and private parts.

In a statement to gardai made three days after the event, the girl said she was crying and trying to push the ac- cused’s hand away.

The Judge was told that the girl had to go for counselling for a number of years and was skipping school, be-

lieving people were staring at her.

She is engaged but has had some strain on the sexual relationship with her fiancé as a result of the incident, the court heard.

Speaking in mitigation for his cli- ent, Mark Nicholas BL said he had a severe drink problem, which he has dealt with. “He has voluntarily brought urine analysis which shows week after week that he is not drink- ib ito

Mr Nicholas said the man is “thor- oughly ashamed of this despicable act and I offer and apology to the in- jured party.”

He added that while his client had gone to the USA “he was not hiding. He was working and had applied for a residency permit so he was on the iecTOre hal

Judge Moran said he did not want to make an instant decision and ad- journed sentencing to January 29 to the court in Limerick.

A WOMAN sustained a black eye after she was pushed down the stairs at her place of work in Kilrush, a court heard yesterday.

Arising out of the incident, Michael Sweeney (20), of Wood Road, Kil- rush, admitted assaulting Bernadette Adams at Leahy’s accountants in Kilrush, on April 6, 2006. He also admitted stealing a mobile phone from the office.

Garda Donal Corkery told Ennis Circuit Court that Ms Adams had been pushed down the stairs, after two youths had entered the office.

She sustained a black eye and suf- fered from headaches in the after- math of the incident.

Gda Corkery said the two young men appeared to have entered the of- fice – located upstairs – after they saw the door open and climbed the stairs. However he said that Sweeney’s character had improved significantly since the incident.

‘He’s not associated with the peo- ple he used to associate with. These people were his downfall,” he said.

Judge Carroll Moran told Sweeney he hoped he appreciated that the garda had been very fair to him.

He imposed a 12 month jail sen- tence and suspended it.

THE solicitor for a woman who had asked to be sent to jail in order to get treatment for her heroin addiction has now said that Limerick prison is ‘conducive’ to her habit.

The comments were made in the case of Cora Mulqueen, of Kin- cora apartments, Shannon, who has pleaded guilty to a number of charges under the Theft and Fraud Offences Act.

She pleaded guilty to altering a Department of Social and Family Affairs cheque and three other of-

fences, arising out of an incident in December 2007.

She spent a week in jail in Decem- ber, after her solicitor had requested this, in the hope that she could enter a detoxification programme.

However she was released after her solicitor told a court that no treat- ment was made available to her in the prison. She has remained on bail since.

Jenny Fitzgibbon, representing Mulgqueen, told Shannon District Court last Thursday that she wished to have the matter disposed of that day.

“She is under the care of Dr Bhamjee at the moment,” she said.

She said that her client was clean of heroin and while she suffered a set- back during the Christmas, “she feels if she goes back to Limerick prison she will go back on the heroin.”

“The environment is conducive to her habit,” she added.

The case was adjourned for two months for preparation of a proba- tion report and the accused was re- manded on continuing bail.

that there has been no consultation with GPs in the county, who will be asked to take on extra responsibility as a result of the oe nee

“If casualty goes, there is an expec- tation that GPs will fill the gaps but no one has spoken to us to ask how this will be implemented. We feel we are not the appropriate people to become A and E doctors overnight,” he said.

He said insurance, manpower and qualifications won’t allow it and dis- puted the figures used by the HSE to change the 24-hour A and E service

to a 12 hour service to deal with m1- nor injuries.

According to the HSE, the average number of attendances between 8pm and 8am at Ennis A and E 1s 9.2 and of these many are self-referral who “would be more appropriately dealt with by GP out of hour services”. There 1s no indication if these figures are contemporary.

PUKE IE Noe Iioke) MORON eon cy ambulance calls in Ennis at night. While A and E will be transferred to Limerick, plans are also in place to transfer all surgical emergencies from July. The HSE said it is clos- ing the A and E service as the night numbers is so small.

The Ennis General Hospital Action Committee, who has campaigned against such an eventuality has de- scribed the plan as “a murderous pol- icy’ which will “sound a death knell to the ability of rural areas and pe- ripheral towns to attract investment and jobs into areas with restricted access to acute medical and surgical Services’.

‘The report is a missed opportuni- ty, containing very little primary re- search and recommendations which are based on inappropriately used Statistics.”

THE Christmas and New Year sales were On a par with previous years, despite a slow start, according to En- nis Chamber of Commerce.

“The reports from talking to busi- nesses were good. Things were pretty good and on a par with other years,’ said Chamber Chief Executive Of- ficer Rita McInerney.

“Although the Christmas period didn’t pick up until quite late, it was busy after Christmas because the sales hit so strongly, with up to 50 per cent off in some shops,” she added.

“Consumers are returning to pre- boom shopping habits. Everybody shops in the sales,” she added.

Sunday shopping didn’t do too well with shoppers staying away on Sun- day, December 28. “That day was slow enough. People weren’t used to shopping in Ennis on Sundays as such,’ she added.

However, she expects that business will slow down in the next number of weeks, as the downturn in the econo- my takes effect.

‘Businesses are indicating they feel things will slow down. Mid-January and February are always quiet,” she said.

She is hopeful that businesses in Ennis will survive the downturn. “With the boom, we have seen new

businesses in Ennis. A lot of them have picked up. We have a lot of tra- ditional family-owned long-standing quality in shops. People are being a lot more practical in what they buy. They are looking for quality goods and that is something that will stand to us now,” added Ms McInerney.

Ennis businessman Gearodid Man- nion, of Tom Mannion Travel, said the decision to pedestrianise the streets of Ennis for four days in the run-up to Christmas worked very well.

“It was worth it. They were perfect- ly chosen and I think we got it spot on,” he said.

Meanwhile, the manager of Sky- Court in Shannon said that while footfall was slightly down, overall business was brisk during the sales.

“Our footfall was a little bit down on previous years, which was to be expected. Overall we were quite hap- py with it,” he said.

“People are not spending as they used to. The spending power just isn’t there,’ he added.

He expressed disappointment that the corporate sector didn’t buy into the gift card scheme launched last year.

‘There was a great take-up from the local people as opposed to the factories. We were a bit disappointed that the corporate market didn’t avail of it as locals did,” he said.

ONE prominent Ennis pub plans to beat the bust by drastically cutting alcohol prices.

In a move aimed at stimulating business in the traditionally quiet month of January, the cost of a drink at the Queen’s Hotel is set to fall by 30 per cent.

The price reduction will be in ef- fect until the end of January. “We had a reasonable Christmas and we wanted to give something back. It 1s

something we wanted to do to try and stimulate the market,’ said a spokes- man for the Queen’s.

He added, “As everyone knows Jan- uary 1s typically a quiet month and, given the worries that are out there are the moment we expect to be qui- eter than normal.”

Job losses and the effects of the credit crunch mean consumers are likely to be more cautious about how they spend their money.

“You’re getting a situation where people are going out less. People are

worried about credit card bills. You might have a household where there is one less job. So this year is going to be harder. But we think that this will stimulate more business,” said the spokesperson

The move may be good news for consumers but it may spark a price war in the Ennis bar trade that could potentially make for a very competi- tive business environment.

“It certainly will be very competi- tive around Ennis, that’s for sure. By taking these kind of actions there is

the possibility that you could cre- ate a price war,’ added the Queen’s spokesperson.

The move by the Queen’s comes a month after the Vintner’s Federation of Ireland and the Licensed Vintner’s Association announced a year long freeze on drink prices.

At the time, the VFI and the LVA said they urging members to intro- duce the price scheme “in light of the deteriorating economic situation and the growing pressure on consumer spending”.

THE Clare hurling team has been strengthened with news that both Niall Gilligan and Colin Lynch will play for the county team in 2009. Manager Mike McNamara con- firmed that both former All-Stars have given at least another year’s commitment to the county. He was speaking following Clare’s five- point win over IT Tralee at Meelick on Sunday – a game which Clare fin- ished with 13 men as a result of new rules from the GAA which stipulate that following a yellow card, a player must leave the field of play. Speaking of the decision of Lynch and Gilligan to commit for ’09, Mc-

Namara said it paints a bright picture for the county.

“Tm happy that all of last year’s panel with the exception of Frank Lohan have committed for at least another year and that added to the emerging talent looks for a very, very bright future,’ he told The Clare People. “The bar is very, very high and we have to stand up there and stand up to the challenges.”

On the new rules, while acknowl- edging the need for some, he said others were unnecessary.

“I suppose some of the new rules have to come into play — tackles around the head and abuse of offi- cials but after that there is very little wrong with hurling. Why tinker with

a game that is studded with excite- ment and passion and aggression and everything that is good in it? I don’t think there is any need to tinker with hurling. Can you imagine some of those rules in the ferocity of a Mun- ster championship game?”

Speaking on Monday, Clare foot- ball manager Frank Doherty echoed McNamara’s comments and said that asking players to adhere to the rules having just returned to training was a step too far.

“The whole thing is crazy,’ he said. “On one hand they’re telling us not to train until January and then they expect us to come in a couple of days later and adhere to these new rules. It makes no sense.

‘Lads have been playing this game since they were eight and ten years of age and to expect them to change the way they play overnight is ask- ing a lot. If they want us to take these changes seriously, then they should give us proper time to adapt.

“Gaelic football can be a great game when it’s played properly but you can’t take the physical aspect out of it. Otherwise lads will be back to kicking a soccer ball.”

IN excess of 20 juvenile handball players from Clare took part in the annual Munster Juvenile Handball Open hosted by the Liscarroll Hand- ball Club.

In all, almost 60 players from In- ver in Galway to Waterford took part in this prestigious juvenile handball competition, which concluded on New Year’s Day.

This tournament is always very popular as it prepares the young play- ers for the upcoming juvenile provin- cial championships which by the way commence in late January this year and it also gives a good indication of who’s who in the juvenile circuit.

As always Clare had a strong entry in both the under 13 and under 15 categories and hopes were high from all the followers that Clare would produce not one but two champi- ons, a feat that has not been repeated since the very first open was held in 1996 when Adrian Kelly and Seamus Lawlor of Clare took the honours in the under 13 and under 15 competi- tions respectively.

In the under 13 category, of the eight quarter finalists, five of them

were from Clare, namely, Colin Crehan, Colin Corbett, Barry Nash, Owen Tuohy and Paddy Fitzgerald. This shows how strong Clare juve- nile handball is at present and what the future lies in store for Clare Handball.

In the semi-final Colin Crehan of the Mills fought off a very brave challenge from Colin Corbett of Tul- la to win on a 15-13, 15-12 scoreline. In the other semi-final Barry Nash of Tuamgraney beat Martina McMahon

of Cappagh 15-10, 15-6 which set the scene for an all Clare final.

The final proved to be exciting fi- nale to a fantastic competition with both players giving it their all to claim top prize. Both players showed great agility and prowess but in the end it was young Nash who walked away with the title on a 15-13, 15-13 scoreline.

In the under 15 category, all eyes and hopes were now on young Jamie Lynch of the Mills who was as they

say the last man standing when it came to the quarter finals, but he didn’t stop there and reached the fi- nal in emphatic form.

In the final he was up against the favourite in Michael O’Connor of Leixlip in Kildare.

From the start young Lynch showed great match intelligence and outwit- ted and outclassed his opponent. He did not relinquish during the match at any stage and claimed the title on

a 15-12, 15-1 scoreline.

BRIDGE Celtic survived a strong second half comeback to see off the challenge of Bridge United on Sun-

day

Celtic raced into a three goal first half lead but let their guard slip after the break.

United, who are loitering around

the lower reaches of the table, forced their way back into contention with two early goals. Only a late Barry O’Connell ensured all three points for the home side.

The win sees Celtic climb into fourth place level on points with third place Avenue and seven behind league leaders Bunratty.

With Ger O’Connell and Daniel

Aherne still to return to the fold, Celtic will hope they can maintain their recent run of good form.

A win looked a foregone conclu- sion on Sunday after the home side completely dominated the first half. Shane Byrne opened the scoring for Celtic who doubled their advantage through Kieran Aherne’s goal soon Nilo

Wesley Flemming knocked in the third goal as Celtic rubberstamped their authority on the first half.

But Celtic aren’t the first team and they certainly won’t be the last to rest ONO eloi Dum E-1UNus) KEN AKo) UOT @Detcam: Meese nce manding lead.

The job was by no means complete. United regrouped for the second half and a converted penalty made it 3-1.

A shock really looked on the cards when Kieran Aherne put through his own net to reduce Celtic’s lead to one with 20 minutes still to play.

Celtic manager Johnny Flynn made a few changes to his side and they had the desired effect. Celtic kept United at bay and Barry O’Connell popped up to seal the victory with a late goal.

A good win for Celtic but equally encouraging will be the performance of debutant Tommy Lynch. Lynch was part of the Clonlara team that won the Clare senior hurling cham- pionship and he looks set to play an important role in the remainder of Celtic’s season.

Next up for the east Clare side is a home encounter next Sunday against second place Lifford.