This article is from page 12 of the 2006-06-20 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 12 JPG
PLANS to erect a statue to celebrate the late Hollywood actor, Richard Harris in Kilkee are facing opposition from residents in the west Clare resort.
Earlier this year, the Richard Harris Memorial Committee lodged plans with Clare County Council to erect a statue to celebrate Harris in the Wellington Square area of Kilkee.
The statue is to depict Harris playing racquet ball, in memory of the Limerick man winning a racquet ball competition four years in a row, in Kilkee, where he used spend much of his summer holidays.
The twice-Oscar nominated actor and star of Gladiator and The Field had strong associations with Kilkee. The cost of the project to commemorate him is €40,000.
Project director for the plan, Manuel di Lucia confirmed to The Clare People yesterday that Richard Harris’s three sons had confirmed that they would contribute €21,000 to the project.
Mr di Lucia said that fundraising would raise the remaining €19,000 and that the committee was planning to officially unveil the statue at a major ceremony on September 30.
Mr di Lucia said that proposals to invite Hollywood star, Russell Crowe, were being advanced for the unveiling of the statue by local sculptor, Seamus Connolly.
However, Mr di Lucia yesterday AS the CAO change-of-mind date of July 1 approaches, the IT Tralee have announced the introduction of two new degree programmes commencing this September.
The first of these programmes is a Bachelor of Business (Honours) four-year degree, which has been designed to give students a clearly structured business education that provides a solid foundation for a successful business career.
In years three and four, students can specialise in accounting, marketing or management. This structure allows students to choose specialist disciplines in which they have demonstrated strength in years one and slammed the objectors, claiming that almost all were full-time residents of Limerick city. Four of the five objectors supply Kilkee addresses attached to their objections.
“I can’t understand how these Limerick people could be objecting to a statue to one of their own. It doesn’t make sense. Most of these objectors own holiday homes here and the claims in the objections are ridicutwo of their studies.
As well as offering a wide range of subjects from IT to Interpersonal Communications to Law and European Studies, the course offers students a variety of continuous assessments, with an excellent mix of theory and practical work throughout the programme.
The employment opportunities for graduates vary from career options in accounting/finance, financial services, marketing, business information systems, retail, HR and general management fields.
The second new ITT course is a three-year Bachelor of Arts (Ordinary) in Information Systems Manlous,” said Mr di Lucia – who used to accompany Mr Harris on his trips around Kilkee. Mr di Lucia also stated that it is clear that the ownership of the site in question was with Clare County Council.
In his objection, Kieran Walsh of Bella Vista, West End, Kilkee said: “This statue, while well meaning, will become a focal point for people diverging to three or four different agement. Many Government reports have identified skills shortages and significant employment opportunities in the ICT (Information Communications Technology) sector.
Graduates of this programme can expect to demonstrate a range of technical, business and creative skills and find employment in the areas of administration and business, multi-media and education and MIS and web development. Those who successfully complete the three-year programme are eligible to progress to the Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Information Systems Management.
Graduates from both the Bachelor of Business (Honours) and the Bachresidential areas at night and unruly behaviour is likely to cause severe inconvenience to the local residents.
Arising from the objections, Clare County Council has put on hold plans for the statue. The council has now asked the committee to provide a letter of consent from the owners of the site to lodge the application and also provide details of the height and dimensions of the statue. elor of Arts (Honours) programmes wishing to pursue further studies can then proceed to postgraduate studies at the Institute.
Both courses will be delivered at the IT Tralee North Campus where over €50 million has been invested in state-of-the-art teaching facilities. In addition to academic support services, IT Tralee offers a wide range of additional learner supports including counselling, health, disability support, sport and recreation, chaplaincy, and careers services.
Further details on these course are available at www.ittralee.ie or by contacting the Admissions Office at 066 71 45638.