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A MEMBER of An Taisce has warned opponents that even if it were delisted as an official body, it could still object to planning applications, “the same as a pri- vate citizen”.

Grier som COWZ INO MR eee kor sponding to Kilbaha’s Jim Con- nolly, secretary of the Irish Rural Dwellers Association (IRDA).

Ms McMullen argued that An Taisce had objected to just one one-off house in the county last year and, even if the organi- Sation did not exist, members could still have objected as pri- vate citizens.

She made her objections from the floor of the IRDA conference in Kilkee, after Mr Connolly said that the way An Taisce operated was “completely undemocratic”.

“My arguments are completely removed from personalities. Of- ficials and elected officers of An Taisce come and go. My argu- ment revolves around the basic principles that never change,” he Tne

‘An Taisce is a listed body un- der the Planning Acts. Planning

authorities are obliged to seek their opinion in certain specified situations.

“However, An ‘Taisce stands apart from all these other bodies in one vital aspect, and that is, it is an independent, voluntary

organisation whereas all the rest are statutory bodies,” he argued.

“An Taisce 1s, in effect, a se- cret society in that they refuse to publish names and details of their members. They claim privilege as a voluntary organi-

sation for private membership, but this presents an immediate contradiction with democratic principles, when they are listed to perform a statutory function.”

‘There is no place whatsoever in a democratic society for either a statutory body, or any other organisation performing a statu- tory duty, to function as a secret society,’ he said.

Ms McMullen said An Taisce was not a secret organisation, but under the Data Protection Act, could not publish members name. She said the aim of An Taisce was to protect Irish herit- age.

‘We have a very open system. Any letter we write is on file in the planning office. We are not obliged to follow Government policy.

“The impression is given that An Taisce objects to every one- off house. In 2004, in Clare, only three appeals were made by An Taisce and only one was made on rural houses.

“The majority of appeals are not against one-off houses. Plan- ners often ignore us completely,” she argued.

ENTERPRISE, Trade and Employment Minister Micheal Martin is to enter into a process of discussions with unions representing Shannon Development about the company’s future, follow- ing a meeting of the parties last week.

Talks involving SIPTU, the NUJ, the Minister and his of- ficials will commence over the coming weeks and are not expected to end until at least October.

A spokesperson for the unions told The Clare Peo- ple they would be asking the Minister to justify his pro- posal to transfer its industrial portfolio to the IDA.

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, on a visit to Clare on Saturday, sought to justify his Muinis- ter’s decision.

“The analysis, which is in the public domain, was that this was the best way forward and the Government made a decision on that basis. It’s a democracy and people are entitled to put forward their counter views and they have done that, and I understand Minister Martin is looking at those issues,” he said, after

meeting a deputation from Shannon Development.

Radical proposals from SIPTU to overhaul the role and structure of Shannon Development, including the abolition of its present board, were rejected by the Govern- ment.

The SIPTU document was lodged prior to Minister Martin announcing a reduced mandate for Shannon Devel- opment in July. The Board of Shannon Development also lodged a 10-year plan with the Miunister. Both papers were ignored.

The SIPTU document stated serious concern about the reasons behind the Gov- ernment’s focus on changing Shannon Development.

“We are deeply concerned that an overly simplistic, al- most chess-like game with the company and the Shan- non region’s future is being played out from a remote dis- tance in Dublin. In our view, this is motivated by an exces- sive and dangerous over-con- centration on the neatness and tidiness of admiunistra- tive structures.”

It proposed a more inclusive board, with members drawn from organisations such as IBEC, the Mid-West Region-

al Authority, the Shannon Airport Authority and local chambers of commerce.

Reduced staff numbers, from 165 to 120/130 through voluntary redundancy and natural wastage, were also eebaviteee

It claimed that rents from properties in the Shannon Free Zone accruing to the agency, amounted to a net figure of between €lm and €1.5m, rather than the €6 million previously thought. The figure doesn’t take into account the substantial capi- tal investment that the Shan- non Free Zone requires.

Among the new roles for the agency, the paper pro- posed Shannon Development would undertake major new development projects in stra- tegic areas of opportunity such as the Burren.

The document stressed that the “new role for Shannon Development will not result in any duplication with other national, regional or local public bodies.

It envisaged a dedicated unit of experienced people, solely concerned with find- ing and building relation- ships with new private sector investors, in Ireland, Europe and, in particular, the USA.

OANA See beebeblocmm on lece tled to cash to help with back-to-school expenses may be missing out be- cause they don’t know Weare LEL-UOER YA

The Department of Community and Social PaWOE-U NUMER CK IBDOOT-I Comma O:II 50,000 families nation- wide are missing out on the Back-to-School Clothing and Footwear Allowance.

The allowance helps towards the cost of uni- forms and footwear for schoolchildren. The Scheme operates from Ist June to 30th Septem- ber each year. The al- lowance is €80 for each eligible child aged 2-11, on or before 30th Sep- tember 2005 and €150 for each eligible child aged 12-22 years.

People who may quali- fy include those who are getting a Social Welfare payment, a Health Serv- ice Executive (HSE) payment, a Back to Work Allowance (Em- ployees), a Back to Work Enterprise Allowance, or a Back to Education Allowance; and _ those who are

ENNIS has been selected for one of the first five prestigious Regional Resource Centres, under the new €27m five year Development Programme of Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eire- ann.

It will be hosted by Cois na hAbhna, Clare’s traditional music centre and will service counties Clare, Limerick, Galway and Kerry.

There will be an outreach centre in Kil- rush, where the Church of Ireland has do- nated the local church.

The first five Regional Resource Centres, which are at the hub of the Development Programme, will be Dundalk, Ennis, Dub- lin, Gurteen and Cashel.

The five year plan aims to make our cul- tural assets a part of everyday life, visible, accessible and fully realised in terms of the

benefits they bring to the economy.

Dr Charlie Lennon, the well-known tra- ditional musician and composer, introduced the first year’s progress report of the pro- gramme and said that Comhaltas were pleased to announce that it was “now well ahead of target.”

A SUCCESSFUL weekend at the All-Ireland Fleadh in Donegal saw Clare musicians and dancers take home a total of nine All-Ireland titles and 158 medals.

The biggest wins went to young Alisa Mc- Mahon from Tradraighe CCE, who won two All-Ireland titles in the under-12 Rogha Gleas eM NeM wk-by oy

Corofin’s Eimear Arkin took one gold med- al, along with several silver and bronze, for her Comhra Gaeilge.

Cathal Mac An Ri agus Tara Breen won

the Ceol Beirte and Siobhan Hogan won the senior flute competition. ;

In the group competitions, Inis Og claimed the under 18 Banna Cheoil competition, while the under-15 Grupa Cheoil title was won by the Burren Group.

Mullagh won the under-18 set dancing com- petition and Craobh na Coradh took home the senior Grupa Cheoil title.

But there was disappointment for Turlough- more Ceili as they once again came second in the senior Banna Cheoil.

A prize winners evening will take place in Cois na hAbhna in Ennis on September 17.

THE Garda Commissioner, Noel Conroy, has said that Garda resources to combat anti-social behaviour in Kilrush will be kept under review, but in the context of demands countrywide.

According to a letter from the Commissioner’s office to Clare’s Minister for La- bour Affairs, Tony Killeen “the needs of the Kilrush District will be fully con- sidered within the context of the overall needs of the Garda Districts throughout the country.”

Garda numbers in Kilrush have increased by 16.6 per cent in the last seven years. There were 35 members of the force, of all ranks, in GUT ar ote lameatomn one mmoymmed hy compared to 30 in January 1, 1998.

The letter also stated that four superintendents had been allocated to the West Clare district over the past eight years.

He outlined a number of initiatives implemented by the Clare Division over the last year.

“Operation Acid” was initiated to stop incidents of

intimidation and criminal damage in Kilrush in late 2004 and earlier this year.

“Operation Night watch” was implemented in each urban centre throughout the county on weekend nights, to ensure public order and anti-social behaviour was addressed.

“Strict enforcement of Liquor licensing laws and the inspection of licensed premises during opening hours for underage drinking coupled with an increase in foot patrol presence has helped reduce incidents of public disorder,’ he said.

A GARDA was kicked in the face and a man was bitten on the ear, in a incident out- side a nightclub in Ballina, Killaloe, in the early hours of Sunday. A melee broke out at around 2am in what has been described as “a highly volatile situation.”

Two men – aged 19 and 26 – were arrested, before being released without charge. One was a local and the other from Limerick.

It’s believed that the incident was started after a bottle was thrown down a stairs and a crowd gathered. The man who received the ear injury was taken to hospital where he was detained overnight.

“Things could have been far worse if gardai were not there when the incident oc- curred. A large crowd had gathered and one incident led to another. Two people broke away from the group and one person was assaulted,” said a Garda spokesman.

PEOPLE in Clare are 1.1 times more likely to live in poverty compared to the rest of the country.

According to a Combat Poverty report, the Midwest is at the highest risk of poverty in the country, with those living in Limerick City 1.3 times more likely to live in poverty.

The study used a combined meas- ure that looked at both income levels and levels of enforced deprivation of basic necessities.

The income level for an adult is defined as below 60 per cent of the average income levels for the popu- lation and basic necessities include the ability to afford adequate cloth- ing, food and fuel.

The report showed that the Banner County’s unemployment rate was be- low the national average of 8.8 per cent, at 7.6 per cent.

The study also reports that more than a fifth of the Clare population have left school with no education or only primary education, while a quarter have third level education.

A total of 34 per cent of the popu- lation are dependant on others for food and shelter.

Meanwhile 3.1 per cent of Clare people are over the age of 65 and liv- ing alone, a figure similar to Limer- ae

The aim of the statistics, gathered through the national census for the report “Mapping Poverty”, is to in- crease the understanding of the loca- tion of poverty. The higher poverty rates were found to be in the Border, Midland and Western regions.

THE IFA has reacted angrily to claims made by celebrity chef Richard Corrig- an that chicken produced in Ireland are sub standard and “full of antibiotics”.

Chairman of the IFA Poultry Com- mittee Alan Graham has dismissed the claims made by Mr Corrigan as false and incorrect. Mr Graham claimed that there are strict regulations in place when it comes to using animal rem- edies and suggested that Mr Corrigan may simply be trying to drum up pub- licity for his new restaurant.

“A Chicken Quality Assurance Scheme has been in place in this country since January 2003 that sets out strict regulations to safeguard the health and welfare of chicken flocks,” said Mr Graham. “Mr Corrigan may need some publicity for his new restau- rant but he should not abuse a platform afforded to him.”

Richard Corrigan grew up on a 25 acre farm in Meath but now runs the Lindsay House restaurant in London. He has been widely quoted in recent days as urging people not to buy Irish chicken and claiming that badly fed, poorly exercised and full of antibiot- ne

“Tm appalled at the standard of chicken in Ireland. It’s not good enough, people should demand better,” said the celebrity chef. He also claimed that some chickens were “stacked in some shed probably, fed a load of antibiotics and a load of crap.”

The IFA’s Mr Graham went on to challenge Mr Corrigan to examine

the Quality Assurance Scheme. He claimed that if he did he would find over 30 pages of detailed regulations for chicken producing that are aimed at protecting the welfare of chickens and providing consumers with a product that is produced to the highest stand- ards.

‘All houses must have a controlled environment, which ensures that ambi-

ent temperature, air quality and lighting meet the needs of the flock throughout the growing cycle,” said Mr Graham.

He also pointed out that the welfare and health of a flock depends on the implementation of good stock manage- ment and the provision of a suitable environment.

THE residents of Shannon town could be sitting on pots of silver and gold and a Dub- lin-based mineral explora- tions company is set to find out.

The Minister for Communi- cations, Marine and Natural Resources, Noel Dempsey has this week published a no- tice confirming that it appears that there are minerals, in- cluding silver and gold, under the lands in and around Shan- non town and that the miner- als are not being worked.

Some of the townlands that might contain silver and gold are well-known and include Ballycasey Beg, Ballycasey More, Tullyvarraga, Smiths- town and Clonmoney West.

The Minister has confirmed that he intends to grant a l- cense to Belmore Resources Ltd., a prospecting license in respect of silver, gold and Bartyes

The license will enable the company to explore the designated area for mineral deposit, though it does not au- thorize the holder to mine the areas in question.

Fine Gael councillor, Tony

Mulcahy remarked this week: “The people of Shannon could be sitting on a fortune and with the help of God there could be some gold or silver in our own back garden.”

He said: “Any finds would be a source of welcome income for the people of Shannon and I would have no objection to

any exploration in the area as long as there are no risks and no disturbance to the local people.”

The move by Belmore to se- cure a license to prospect for gold and silver in the Shannon area is not the first piece of exploration the company has done in Clare.

Currently, the company is

giving priority to its zinc ex- ploration in Clare.

It has a 50% interest in eight prospecting licences covering 330 sq kilometres.

A preliminary report of its Zinc exploration activities in Clare show that it has com- pleted six holes of an ongoing programme on its zinc pro- spective licences in Clare.

Drilling started in March and a company statement said: “A resource of 400,000 tonnes grading 12 per cent zinc plus lead and 75 grammes per tonne of silver had previously been identified at Milltown.

“Because of its geological position at the base of the reef and the high grades in six of the previously drilled holes, the Milltown resource could represent part of an undis- covered ore-forming system SAUD DOM Mele KercalO) IE

“In the Milltown further drilling may add to the resource already delineated. However, holes now drilled elsewhere on the licences have intersected the Waulsortian Limestone which hosts most of the zinc- lead-silver deposits in Ireland including the resource de- lineated at Miltown.”

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