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MORE and more children as young as seven and eight are being put through rigorous beauty regimes in the run up to their First Holy Communion, according to reports received by The Clare People .

It is not uncommon now for Holy Communion children to have fake tans and make-up applied for their big day, with use of sun beds being reported in extreme cases.

And while tanned holy communicants are the exception rather than the rule in Clare, Ennis beauticians are reporting a growing trend in requests for fake tans and leg waxes for children as young as 10 and 11 years old.

Ennis beautician Martina Costelloe said that she has been approached by mothers of children of Confirmation age, requesting eyebrow re-shaping, waxing and other beauty procedures. With the wide availability of tanning products in shops and chemists, Ms Costelloe says this can also be done at home.

The Ann Levy’s Health and Beauty beautician also confirmed that she knew of cases where children of Communion age had their “tan done”.

She lays the blame with parents, who she says are taking their own vanity out on their children.

Ms Costelloe said that she, like most of her peers, refuses any beauty procedures on girls and young teens, unless there is an unnatural facial hair growth and the child herself has a complex about it.

Demands for hiring hotels, booking limousines and purchasing not one, but two outfits for the day, are also coming from the school yard to already pressurised parents, adding to emotional and financial stress.

The Catholic Church in Clare is attempting to take the focus off the commercialism, with a new programme for First Holy Communion.

“Do this in memory” started as a pilot scheme three years ago and now runs throughout the Diocese of Killaloe. It helps parents with the spiritual development of their children.

Diocesan Advisor of Primary Catholic Schools, Fr Maurice Harmon, told The Clare People that it was based around the Eucharist and parents had the option of becoming involved in 10 Sunday Masses as part of the programme. Each parent also receives information to help prepare their child for Holy Communion and back up what they have learnt at school.

“It’s the child’s day and this can so often get lost in the affluence of the society we live in,” said Fr Harmon.

IRELAND’S most high profile Muslim has appealed for calm within the country’s growing Islamic community, as outrage over the publication of a cartoon lampooning the prophet Mohammed stretches into a second week.

Dr. Moosajee Bhamjee, who created Irish political history in 1992, when he became the first Muslim elected to Dáil Éireann, has hit out at the cartoons that were published last week in a Danish newspaper.

However, the South African born Muslim is supportive of what he calls, “the majority Muslim view” of a peaceful reaction to the publication of the Prophet Mohammad cartoons.

One of the offensive cartoons was published in The Irish Star , the editor of which is Quin man, Gerry Colleran. Dr. Bhamjee has urged Muslims to react by starting a letter writing campaign.

“By peaceful means is the proper way to react to this controversy and is to use freedom of speech to voice anger at this ridiculing of the Muslim religion,” Dr. Bhamjee told The Clare People .

“Reacting with violence is not good. This is an emotional outburst from Muslim fundamentalists, who feel that their religion has been ridiculed. It has been ridiculed but it should not be met with violence.

“Muslims in Ireland should write to the Danish Embassy expressing their outrage at the way in which their holy prophet has been branded a terrorist by this cartoon. They should also write to An Taoiseach,” added Dr. Bhamjee.

The former Labour TD claimed that the decision of The Star to publish one of the cartoons was very unhelpful and that this highlighted the need for the establishment of the long-mooted Press Council.

“I would go so far to say that it was silly and stupid on the part of The Star . It could affect multi-cultural relations in Ireland,” concluded Dr. Bhamjee.

CLARE’S INTO District Representative, Declan Kelleher, has expressed disappointment at the reluctance of the Department of Education to increase the number of grants for building expenditure in the case of small and medium sized schools.

In January of this year, the Department announced that 54 primary schools could proceed to early architectural planning for major projects, but none of these were in Clare.

Just last week, the Department announced that 12 Clare primary schools would benefit from improvements under the summer works scheme.

These were Coláiste Mhuire, Harmony Row, Ennis; Ennistymon Vocational School, Ennistymon; Shannon Comprehensive School, Shannon and Kilrush Community School, Kilrush

These works include improvements to toilets, roofs, windows and electrical matters.

At a meeting between the INTO and department officials in Tullamore the teacher’s union asked for a further extension to the scheme and sought to highlight the dire conditions of playgrounds in schools throughout the country.

“Children need safe, secure and well designed playing areas and this is still far from the situation which obtains in many primary schools in Clare and elsewhere. There was also a chronic shortage of PE Halls throughout Clare and this is taking from the emphasis which should be placed on PE especially during the winter months,” Mr. Kelleher told The Clare People.

GREEDY taxi drivers who refuse to bring passengers on longer journeys outside the town of Ennis during peak hours, are a rare exception rather than the norm.

That is according to Union Taxi Federation representative, Martin White. He was responding to claims that a young woman, living miles outside Ennis, was left in town on a busy weekend night, in preference to shorter taxi runs.

Other late night party goers have also told The Clare People that they were asked to wait for half an hour for a taxi, until the driver was finished with local runs.

“I can imagine it happens,” said Mr White. He said, however, that 99 per cent of drivers would take the person home immediately.

“Once a person gets into the taxi to hire you, they must be taken home.

“I know I have never refused such a fare. I can’t see any taxi driver seeing any girl left there.”

The only exception is if a passenger has taken drugs or alcohol and is abusive or threatening to the driver.

There are currently 115 taxis in the county town, an increase of 400 per cent over the last two years. New legislation is currently being considered that will allow taxi drivers refuse fares over 18 miles.

THE Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Dick Roche (FF), received a hostile reception from a group of Clare farmers when he visited the Temple Gate Hotel in Ennis last Friday.

Some 50 farmers door-stepped the Minister outside the hotel and challenged him on the implications for farming in the county if the new Nitrates Directive is enforced.

“If it comes in, it will destroy the very fabric of rural life, there are still 200,000 jobs dependent on farming in rural Ireland,” said Clare IFA President, Seamus Murphy. “It will lead to massive de-stocking, put fulltime farmers out of business and put a huge amount of pressure on the whole sector.”

The controversial regulations were introduced before Christmas and limited the amount of nitrates and phosphates that can be used on farm land. It has prompted an unprecedented response from farming organisations and has even seen the IFA boycott Teagasc over its role in introducing the regulations.

“We feel that this legislation is totally over the top,” said Clare farming activist, Jim Enright. “As farmers we are custodians of the environment and we know what is good for it more than some civil servant in Dublin.”

Speaking outside the Temple Gate, Minister Roche defended his position to the farmers.

“The directive is the law and we have broken that law for 13 years,” said the Minister. “One of the reasons we are in a difficult position here is that we haven’t put in place a nitrates action programme.

“We are the last country in Europe to do it, even the 10 new member states have their programmes in place, so what we have done is put ourselves up a cul-de-sac. If we continue as we are, we will have daily fines and disruption on our farm payments.”

Mr Murphy said that the large turnout showed the level of anger that Clare farmers had with the current directives.

“It just goes to show you how committed these farmers are,” he said. “There are a lot of cattle in Clare who will be having a late breakfast this morning. But if this goes through, there will be no feed for them at all.

“Wherever Dick Roche goes, we will be there to meet him, lobbying him as intensely as we can. We won’t go away, we can’t. This is our livelihood.”

The people of Clare can now assist a children’s charity by helping to preserve the environment.

From today The Clare People will be collecting empty toner and inkjet cartridges and mobile phones on behalf of the Jack and Jill Foundation, at our Carmody Street Office in Ennis.

For every item collected, the charity will receive a donation, which will be used to help sick children.

The charity aims to help the families of children up to four years of age, who suffer from extensive brain damage.

It provides emotional support through frequent visits to affected homes from the professional liaison team, finances home care, listens to what parents want for their child and helps to access the services required.

The charity now hopes to recycle the 20 million old mobile phone sets being hoarded all over Ireland to raise money for the charity.

As well as depositing the used phones and carridges in The Clare People Offices, people can also respond to the Jack and Jill Foundation Recycling Appeal by calling 1850 525 545.

A NEW plan that would spark a major overhaul of taxi services in Ennis has been given the green light by Ennis Town Council.

The plan was warmly welcomed be members of Ennis Town Council at yesterday’s meeting of the local authority.

The proposal incorporates six sub-proposals, which will see the existing taxi rank on the south side of the O’Connell Square removed and re-designated as a loading bay; and the removal of the taxi rank on the north side of O’Connell Square.

The existing taxi rank at Bank Place will be redesignated as a parking facility, while a new overnight taxi rank will be provided at Market Place. A new 24 hour taxi rank is also due to be provided at the Parnell Street car park.

A proposal which would have seen an overnight taxi rank provided on Abbey Street near the Queen’s Hotel, was not recommended to the council due to concerns raised by Mulqueen’s Florists over possible security issues.

In total, 16 submissions were received by Ennis Town Council regarding the Draft Ennis Appointed Stands Bye-laws 2005. There was broad support for the proposals from the Ennis Chamber of Commerce, the Taxi Federation and the gardaí.

Ennis Town Engineer, Tom Tiernan, said that the plan was the first step in an eventual redevelopment of O’Connell Square and that the selection of new locations for taxi ranks was based on the current existing use of the location.

Cllr Johnny Flynn (FG) said that there should be an onus on shopping centres to provide taxi ranks for customers.

“With over 100 plates in the town, the taxi service is crucial to the Ennis economy and it is good that there is this level of agreement. It should succeed and will lead to a better environment in Ennis. All shopping centres in the town should also provide taxi ranks”.

THE prospects of Tullycrine National School in west Clare holding onto its two-teacher status, have improved, following the securing, by Rural Resettlement Ireland (RRI), of planning permission for four houses in the depopulated area.

“We are delighted with the decisions. It is something very positive for the school,” Principal of the two-teacher school, Mary Lynch said this week.

“With the possibility of four new families moving into the area, the outlook is looking more healthy and it will also help us to move away from our borderline figure of 12 that allows the school to retain two teachers.

Ms Lynch said that three students were set to the leave the 14-pupil school this summer reducing the numbers to 11, but added that the school was confident of a new in-take of students in September.

“Our younger classes have stronger numbers than so that is a good sign.”

Director of RRI, Jim Connolly said, “I am very happy to get these decisions. The school, provided that the project reaches fruition, will be saved by the four families moving into the area.”

The decision to lodge the applications for housing at Tullycrine was in response to a direct plea from the Chairman of the Board of Management of Tullycrine National School, John Deely.

Asking the council to take into account the school’s situation when making a decision, Mr Deely said, “That is not a happy situation and the future of the school is in doubt.”

The Council’s Acting Director of Service for Planning, Liam Conneally, said that each RRI application would receive a fair, transparent and professional planning assessment.

The decision by the Council in relation to the homes in the Tullycrine area are the only successes RRI has enjoyed in its rural housing programme of 11 proposed homes lodged last May with the Council.

A LITTLE Clare girl, who celebrates her twelfth birthday tomorrow, feels like all her birthdays have come together.

Caroline Kelly from Lissycasey has been chosen from thousands of entrants to the FÁS Science Challenge Competition. The lucky youngster will be part of a team of 15 who will receive a place on a five day training programme at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, USA.

They will train to be part of a space mission crew, learn about space food, learn about GPS systems and launch an air weather balloon.

The winners will also learn about the role of robotics in space and on Earth amongst many other activities.

Caroline entered the competition for the trip – which will take place in March – under the supervision of her teacher, Gearoid O’Sullivan at Lisseycasey National School.

When she got the letter telling her she had won, “our teacher gave us the night off homework,” said Caroline.

Caroline said she “doesn’t know” what she wanted to do when she grew up but she was “really excited” about the trip.

Her mother, Rita is just as excited as she will be going with Caroline on the all expenses paid adventure.

“We’re just delighted for Caroline. It’s a marvellous chance for her,” said Rita.

The rest of the family – dad, Vincent, three sisters and a brother – will all be cheering her on from home.

“We’ve always talked about going to the States and now it’s all arranged. My credit card is ready and waiting for shopping action,” said Rita.

This is the second time someone from Clare has won this prize. In 2004, a student from Ardnacrusha made the trip.

The FÁS Science Challenge competition required applicants to complete a series of multiple choice questions aimed at getting children to realise the importance of science in our world.

VISITING restrictions remain at two Ennis hospitals with four cases of the winter vomiting bug reported yesterday.

Two cases of the highly contagious infection were detected in the Mid-Western Regional Hospital in Ennis yesterday, with a further two cases suspected at St Joseph’s Hospital, Ennis.

The Health Service Executive Mid- West Region first confirmed an outbreak of the virus in the Ennis hospitals eight days ago.

Eleven cases in total were confirmed among patients at the time. These patients have since recovered.

The winter vomiting bug is described as a community infection. Outbreaks in hospitals are thought to simply be a gauge or reflection of what is happening in the community.

“Attendance at the Accident and Emergency Department should only be if absolutely necessary,” said a HSE spokesperson.

Out-patient, day care services and routine hospital admissions are not affected by the restrictions however.