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has learned.

Raymond Donovan, of New Houses, Cooraclare, had been in custody in Limerick Prison, since August 26. He has been moved

to Cloverhill prison in Dublin, following claims that he was subjected to threats in Limerick Prison.

A spokesman for the Prison Services confirmed the move was made during the past week. “‘It is not uncommon to move prisoners from time to time, for operational reasons. Our number one obliga- tion would be to hold prisoners in safe custody.”

Donovan made his fifth court

appearance, charged with inten- tionally or recklessly causing harm to Ms Walsh, last Friday week. It is alleged he was as- saulted in the courtroom, on that occasion.

The Prison Services spokes- man said the allegation of assault in the courtroom “would also be taken into account,” in his move to Cloverhill

Donovan is due in court again later this month.

MEMBERS of the Ennis Tidy Towns Committee received the royal treatment last night when they were guests of hon- our at a celebratory banquet at Knap- pogue Castle.

The event was organised by Shannon Development to acknowledge the tre- mendous achievement of the Ennis Com- mittee in winning this year’s National Sroyenelesislere

“This celebratory event is our way of giving due recognition to all who worked so hard on behalf of Ennis Town. It al- lows us to pay tribute and thank the En- nis Tidy Towns committee members,

communities and individuals for their great support and contribution to the en- hancement and protection of the environ- ment in Ennis,’ said John King, Heritage and Tourism Director, Shannon Develop- ment.

Among those who joined the voluntary committee at the Knappogue Castle cel- ebrations were the Mayors of Ennis and Clare, Management and Staff of Ennis Town Council and Clare County Coun- cil, Ennis Chamber of Commerce, and Ennis Civic Trust.

Entertainment for the evening was pro- vided by the Shannon Castle Entertain- ers who devised a special programme to give the prestigious group a flavour of the

entertainment provided by Shannon Her- itage at Knappogue, Bunratty and Dun- guaire Castles, and the Traditional Irish Evening at Bunratty Folk Park.

“A well protected and well presented environment is a major promotional as- set, and down through the years Tidy Towns Committees have made countless environmental improvements in_ their communities,’ said King.

‘Tourism remains one of our most im- portant indigenous industries. It is Ire- land’s third largest industry and is worth over €5.1 billion to the economy annual- ly. In 2004 a total of 6.4 million overseas visitors came to Ireland, an increase of 3 per cent on the previous year.”

AFTER decades of talk, graft and no little work the three secondary schools of Ennistymon are finally to unite and form the Ennistymon Community School.

In a historic development for edu- cation in North Clare, plans for the school along with 22 other schools nationwide, were announced by the Minister for Education and Science Mary Hanafin last Thursday.

The school will be located on a site obtained from the Sisters of Mercy and will have the most up-to-date facilities for science, languages, art, woodwork and construction studies, home economics, IT and engineer- ing. It is envisioned that the school

will cater for some 650 students and will boast a full-sized sports hall.

The final stumbling block in the way of the proposal was overcome last week as a final price for the site was decided upon by the Depart- ment of Education and the Sisters of Mercy. An independent valuator was brought in following a disagreement over the price of the site which is be- ing handed over to the department as part of the Redress Board settle- ments. The announcement has been widely welcomed by the principals of each school who have expressed their hope that the high level of co- operation between the schools will continue until the new Community School is in place.

Hopes are high that the school will

be among the first bundle of schools approved for funding, which could see tenders for contractors being made as early as mid-2006. Alter- natively, it could be as late as 2009 before progress can be made.

While the announcement heralds the beginning of a new and exciting time for education in North Clare it also marks the end of three rich and proud traditions.

“The Christian Brothers have made an enormous contribution to the youth of North Clare through the values expressed by Edmund Rice and these values will live on in the new school,” said Michael Concan- non, Principal of the CBS.

“The young people of the area de- serve first class facilities.”

The site of the Vocational School has been earmarked for the creation of an Adult and Community Centre for North Clare.

It is expected that much of the staff currently employed in the school could be absorbed into this facility.

“Often with things like this peo- ple walk out the door and the place is locked up. Then three years later, when all the windows are broken, someone gets the idea to do it up,” said Enda Byrt, Principal of the Vo- cational School. “When we walk out of here we want someone to be walking back in that same day.”

Of curse with any amalgamation like this the co-operation of all con- oer e mE

“A steering committee of repre- sentatives of management, staff, par- ents and students of all three schools will oversee the change to the new community school and insure that a smooth transaction will take place,” said Seosaimhin Ui Dhomhnallain, Principal of Scoil Mhuire.

In total €555 million was allocat- ed for projects by the Minister for Education and Science last week.

Aside from the 23 post-primary schools, four new primary schools have been announced as-well-as a number of third level projects.

Ennistymon County Councillor and former CBS student Martin Conway (FG) has welcome what he described as a ‘long overdue development’. “The people of En- nistymon and the surrounding area deserve the very best of facilities,” said Cllr Conway. “The three school have done great work over the year with an archaic infrastructure and I appeal to the Department and the Minister to deliver in 2006 rather than in the later bundles.”

THE people of Bally- vaughan are in for a mu- sical treat this October as the renowned German BASF choir will perform in the St. John the Baptist Church on Tuesday the 25th. The Ballyvaughan concert 1s one of only two dates that the choir will perform at during their short Irish Tour.

The BASF choir was founded in Ludwigshafen in 1892 and recruits its members not only from the BASF factory but from all over the area as a whole. The lay choir boasts some of the regions most gifted voices and is also one of the countries most professional as it employs a full-time pro- fessional conductor.

On the programme will

be songs from musicals and films as well as a number of classical piec- es. During their short stay in Ireland, the 84 strong choir, will also perform in Dublin.

This is the choir’s first visit to Ireland, but in the recent past they have toured in Italy, Hungary, Switzerland and the Czech Republic. They have ap- peared in many television and radio programmes in their native Germany and around Europe.

All proceeds raised from the concert will go to for Ballyvaughan Nation- al School and the Bally- vaughan Christmas Task SLO) KeKomay idee r-Tnemr-LAKesee] OND OTS to stage Ireland’s first out- door Christmas market later this year. Tickets are on sale locally. Admission €12, call: 065 7077377.

THE Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern has denied recent claims that the UN Commission on Human Rights is set to in- vestigate whether the Irish Government has allowed US intelligence agencies to transport suspected al Qaeda prisoners through Shan- non Airport.

Speaking in the Dail last week the Min- ister said: “I am aware of a media reports that Martin Scheinin, the UN Commission on Human Rights’ special rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms while Counter- ing Terrorism, has been contacted by Irish

citizens regarding allegations about the use of Irish airports by the US to transit prisoners who are suspected of terrorist activity.

“Last week my department was contacted by Professor Scheinin’s office to confirm that neither he, nor any other special rapporteur, is currently investigating, or inquiring into this matter. I understand that the British and US Governments have received similar com- munications from Professor Scheinin’s of- fice,’ the Minister added.

Media reports earlier this month suggested that the UN had launched a major investiga- tion into the use of Shannon and other air- ports in the UK, as stop off points for prison- ers being transported to Guantanamo Bay in

Cuba for interrogation.

Last October, a group of mid-west based ac- tivists made a formal complaint to gardai fol- lowing claims that a CIA plane, a corporate- style Gulfstream aircraft with the registration N379P and nicknamed the “Guantanamo Bay Express,” had been used by the US to “effec- tively kidnap so-called high-value targets and transport them around the world.” The plane has been sighted at Shannon on several occa- sions in recent years.

Minister Ahern said that the US Govern- ment had assured him that they had not trans- ported prisoners through Shannon Airport.

“The US authorities have confirmed that they have not done so and that they would not

do so without seeking the permission of the Irish authorities. No request for such authori- sation has been received from the US authori- ties,’ the Minister said.

“This Government has on several occasions made clear to the US authorities that it would be illegal to transit prisoners for rendition purposes through Irish territory without the express permission of the Irish authorities, acting in accordance with Irish and interna- tional law.”

Last August,

THE BOIL notice in place on the Ennis wa- ter supply should be lifted this week.

According to Tom Tiernan, Town Engi- neer, the notice will probably be lifted by Wednesday, because the Council is expect- ing that results of further analysis carried out on the water supply over the weekend will be clear. The news comes following a meeting between Mr. Tiernan and the Health Services Executive (HSE).

He said that the quality of the water at the source of the supply had improved and that no new traces of e-coli had been found. The announcement was made at yesterday’s meeting of Ennis Town Council. The boil notice, which has been in place since Sep-

tember 14 has imposed an extra financial burden on 30,000 homes in Ennis and the Surrounding areas. Mr. Tiernan said that he had been assured by the HSE that there had been no evidence linking recent illnesses in the area to the quality of the water supply. Cllr Taiwo Matthew (Ind) challenged Mr. Tiernan’s assertion by claiming that he knew of at least two children from the Ennis area that had been admitted to a Limerick hospi- tal with water borne infections.

Cllr Matthew also claimed that neither child had been asked to fill out forms stating where they lived. This prompted Mr. Tiernan to say that there had been a small number of incidents recorded, but that there were rea- sons to suggest that the illnesses might have been associated with other factors. Ennis

Town Mayor, Frankie Neylon, also claimed he knew of incidents where people had been ill as aresult of drinking the water. Concerns were also raised about the level of effort that had gone into notifying the public that the water was unsafe for consumption, with Cllr Neylon stating that it wasn’t sufficient to just advertise on the local radio station.

Councillors welcomed the news that Min- ister for the Environment, Dick Roche, had approved tender documents for the new En- nis Water Scheme. With the scheme not due for completion until 2007, questions were raised about what measures would be taken to safeguard the quality of water in the inter- im. Mr. Tiernan stated that he had instructed consultants advising the Council to explore all options.

THE Minister for Community, Ru- ral and Gaeltacht Affairs Eamon O Cuiv has called on farmers to face up to the fact that farming as a profes- sion 1S going to continue to decline in the future. Speaking at the Nation Ploughing Championships last week Minister O Cuiv called for radical and broad rural development policies. According to the Agrivision 2015 Report, it 1s estimated that by 2015, there will only be 105,000 farmers in Ireland, of whom only 40,000 will earn their full-time living from farm- ing. This compares to 225,000 farm-

ers in the 197/0’s.

“The recent European Negotiations were a watershed in European Rural Policy with a clear shift from a pre- dominant focus on agricultural in- come support to a new integrated ru- ral development approach with special emphasis on the rural environment and rural economic development out- side the farm gate,” said Minister O Gina

‘For the first time significant funds have been clearly ring-fenced for gen- eral rural development. Because of our unique situation we are very well placed to play a significant lead role in developing the new rural Europe.”

The Department of Community, Ru- ral and Gaeltacht Affairs will shortly be engaging with the wider rural community in relation to this plan and seeking submissions to it. The Min- ister urged people to think outside of the box and to take a full part in the most radical realignment of rural pol- icies that has ever taken place at both European and national level.

Minister O Cuiv added that a ma- jor part of this radical programme for rural renewal is the Government’s Decentralisation Policy, where it was consciously decided to focus decen- tralisation in a special way on smaller towns and rural communities.

THE IFA National Treasurer, Pad- raig Walshe has thrown his hat in the ring to become the next president of the organisation and has written to every IFA branch in Clare, canvass- ing for their support.

In a personal letter to the chairmen of all IFA branches in the county, Mr Walshe said that the new challenges facing Clare farmers demand a radi- cal new approach from the IFA in its dealings with the government, the EU and with all sectors of the food processing and retailing industry.

Mr Walshe, who is a beef and dairy farmer from Laois, also said

that his top priority as President of IFA will be to ensure a level playing field for farmers in the market place and in the operation of EU and na- tional schemes.

‘Farmers are being subjected to an increasing level of regulation which is unnecessary and unjustified and 1s putting them at a major competitive disadvantage relative to their coun- terparts in other EU states,” said Mr AWAD ates

‘Tam determined to eliminate the police-state mentality within our government departments and at EU level, which implies that farmers cannot be trusted to produce safe, quality food.”

Mr Walshe claims that more than 20 years of experience at the highest level in farming organisations puts him in a strong position to lead the IFA with commitment, energy and enthusiasm. He is a former President of Macra na Feirme and has served in a large number of senior positions in the IFA at national and county level, including National Chairman of the Dairy Committee.

“IT will also build new relation- ships with the processors, marketers and retailers of food with the aim of clawing back the margin that has been transferred from farmers into the supermarket bottom line,” he Loyal paLetsrem

Mr Walshe’s competition for the job will come from Raymond O’Malley from Louth and Rory Deasy form Roscrea. Both Walshe and O’ Malley ran for the presidency in 2001 when they lost out to the out- going president John Dillon.

Each of the 950 IFA branches in the country will be asked to elect the new IFA president when the election is held in early December. The suc- cessful candidate will be elected for two years with the option to run for a second two year term afterwards.

Traditionally, IFA presidents seek- ing a second term run unopposed for the position.

THIS weekend saw a huge increase in the pulse rate of doggie people with the opening of the coursing season and a meeting in Liscannor. The main focus on the track however was the final of the Tote Retention stake at Limerick on SP TMUU Ker Nyap eu rca ale

Despite a big entry of Clare dogs in the first round heats there was no Clare representatives in the final. Victory went to Galdare Romeo, owned by PJ Fahy and Dermot Cox of Glenamaddy and trained by Paul Hennessy.

This valuable stake was worth €10,000 to the winner. There was a very good run by Redzone Run in Race 9 over 300 yds. The dog, which is owned

by Kathleen Carroll of Newmarket on Fergus, came in with a winning time of 16.45 seconds.

Three Clare dogs will be in the final of the Galway Tote A5 stake after win- ning place finishes at the Galway track on Thursday. Drinking Solid, owned by Sean Allen of Shannon, finished second in the first semi final, Cricket Player owned by Janet Downes of Killaloe finished second and Now It’s Nancy owned by Eimhear Lillis and Ian Kelly of Cooraclare finished third in the sec- ond semi final.

Going to traps also this weekend at Galway for the final of the Buster 525 stake will be Baby Leyton owned by Bertie and Mary O’Doherty of Clare- castle. The dog is handled by Johnie

Burke of Tubber and finished third in the semi final.

Supporters of Fianna Fail are turning out in big numbers for various stakes presently underway. Also at Galway the finals of these stakes are set for Friday night, October 14. Glengall Lad, owned by Joe Longe of Ballyea continued his good run with another win in Race 10 on Thursday night.

Sharon Sexton of Mullagh , who owns Sharon’s Bonus – the winner of Race 4 on Friday, will be hoping to capture some of the Fianna Fail prize money.

Other Clare winners over the past weekend were Burrow Twilight owned by Patrick Cronin and Niall Heaney of Ennis, and Clonreddan Tina owned by Thomas Keane of Cooraclare.

WHILE some might feel it’s a classic case of ‘closing the stable door after the horse has bolted’, Clare County Council nonetheless last week issued the second edition of its ‘Clare Rural House Design Guide’, aimed at setting higher stand- ards for rural housing design.

According to the council’s planning office, these design guidelines will make it very clear that housing develop- ment in rural areas needs to be of a high quality and should complement rather than dominate its surroundings.

The new rural house design guide takes account of new national guide- lines on sustainable rural housing. Liam Conneally, Acting Director of Planning with the Council said “it is the princi- ple aim of the new House Design Guide to create a clearer understanding of the components of good house siting and design. Without a well informed public it 1s difficult to achieve the high qual- ity building design that the landscape of Clare deserves”.

Conneally commented that “the land- scape of County Clare is one of its greatest natural assets and the achieve- ment of a high quality built environ- ment in the county is important to its physical and economic well-being. We all share in the responsibility to achieve this end; local authorities, design and building professions, building industry, chents who commission buildings and the community itself,”

He emphasised “the new House De-

sign Guide recognises that contempo- rary design can develop interesting and attractive buildings that contribute to the landscape character of the county.”

He stated that “the guide does not pre- scribe design but draws to the attention of applicants, architects, builders and their agents the benefits of drawing on traditional design elements in the design of new buildings and to give special consideration to siting, materials and orientation in the design process.”

Responding to the launch of the De- sign Guide, Liscannor based architect Alex Russell commented, “in the ideal world the proper profession would do the proper job, and there wouldn’t be any need for planners to impose design parameters. However, in the context of Clare, where a broad range of people think they can design, and have had a go at doing so in the past, with disastrous consequence, the council obviously felt that the need had arisen to produce such parameters”’.

Russell views the guidelines as a “kind of rescue mission’, although he concluded, “for large swathes of the county, they arrive, after the event”.

Russell aired concerns that the guide- lines seemed to be misguided in that they are directed towards the visual look of a house and also relied on a cer- tain interpretation of traditional archi- tecture. He suggested, “it would be bet- ter to guide in terms of proportion and scale and the arrangement of the build- ing, rather then prescribing in terms of visual or aesthetic appearance”.

Paul Conway, partner at Leahy and Conway Architects, Ennis said, “ a number of rural counties have produced House Design Guides in recent years. Considering the extremely poor quality of siting and design of much of what was built throughout the countryside over the past few decades, these guides have, at least, been well intentioned, though some are more successful than others.

He continued, “The new Clare De- sign Guide is aimed at the ‘user’, whom I understand to mean the people who will live in the houses. It is a reason- ably good effort, with new sections on modern design, conservation and an improved section on sustainability, and most professionally qualified architects will welcome it. A lingering concern re- mains as to how it will be operated by the planning authority, with the danger that it will be used as a rule book where the ‘good’ examples illustrated are to be badly copied without reference to the particular siting or circumstances, and an innovative design is reyected because it does not match one of the approved models”.

Conneally, for his part encouraged members of the public and house plan designers to use the design guide when preparing planning applications for one-off houses in the county.”

The House Design Guide is available at libraries throughout the county and at the offices of Clare County Council, Unit 1, Westgate Retail Park, Kilrush Road, Ennis at a cost of Eurol5 per

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