Author: admin

AS A member in the prestigious ‘five-in-a-row’ club that carved out their own piece of history with successive provincial crowns at minor (2) and Under 21 (3) levels, Aaron Cunningham was inevitably one of Clare’s leading lights in their latest triumph on Wednesday.

Described as a ‘savage outlet’ by joint-manager Gerry O’Connor af- terwards, chief targetman Cunningham raided for four points as Clare blitzed the Rebels on home soil.

“It’s a brilliant achievement for everyone and for a few of us, that is our fifth Munster title back-to-back so that’s kind of unheard of in Clare and we’re delighted with that.

“And definitely doing it in Cusack Park in front of a home crowd is what we’ve always wanted to do and I’m sure if it was on down in Cork, they would love to be playing in front of their home crowd.

“In fairness, the last couple of occasions when we’ve been playing here, the crowd have been the 16th man for us and have really got behind us.”

The crowd didn’t have to be as influential as the Tipperary match as Clare led with a degree of comfort from start to finish in another consummate display.

“We were always confident but I would never say we were cocky. We always know we have more in the tank but we never took Cork for granted at any stage there, even with ten minutes to go.

“The supply to us in the forwards was excellent. In fairness to the lads out the field, they’re unbelievable at picking out the pass inside and I suppose when Cork took their sweeper out midway through the first half, it opened up a lot more for us inside so the ball coming in was of a higher standard.”

However, their unprecedented suc- cess in recent years has also provided a large dollop of experience not to take any team for granted in their pursuit of a three-in-a-row of AllIreland titles.

“It is the ultimate goal but we aren’t even thinking about a third All-Ireland because we know the upset that Antrim caused in semi-final against Wexford last year and we certainly won’t be taking them for granted at all. So we will be only focusing on that game in the next few weeks.”

THIS was the night that the Munster cup was handed over to Clare for the third successive year. As such it was a coronation, with a party atmosphere wrapping around Cusack Park when provincial chairman Robert Frost handed the silverware over to Tony Kelly.

But in real time out on the field and amid all the hoopla that’s building up all around him, joint-manager Dónal Moloney seems able to take a few steps back. Steps back two weeks to the day in fact.

He defaults to the Tipperary game.

“Tipperary nearly put paid to this,” he says, “and when we reflect back on that night, that was the night the Munster Championship was won. We displayed enormous courage when we were flat. When we weren’t playing well we displayed enormous courage and that was the night the championship was won.”

But what about this night? The shock and awe of that first 30 minutes!

“These guys have created certain standards over the last few years,” begins Moloney. “In the first half they surpassed all of that. We knew there was a huge performance in them, but they really expressed themselves in the first half and it was a joy to watch them. We are so fortunate to have such talented guys available to us, players with the capability and the capacity to do that. “It’s not easy to come out when you’re red hot favourites. There’s a lot of talk about three-in-a-row, you’re playing Cork who have just dumped Waterford out and for those guys to get their focus exactly right to turn in a performance like that – there’s some credit due to them. “Right from the full-back line, the way they were creating space and moving the ball. Cork were struggling and gaps just opened up. We hit a purple patch for seven or eight minutes and the game finished as a con- test at that point in time,” he adds.

With that it was just about holding firm – a case of enjoying the journey, without doubt the easiest of Clare’s five provincial titles over the past five years at both minor and under 21 level.

Mention of those five provincial titles, not to mind the two All-Irelands, and it’s no wonder that Moloney et al are nearly at a loss for words to explain it all – but not quite.

“It’s been an incredible journey and to be quite honest with you, it’s been a fairytale,” he says. “We never thought any of this would happen to us. The reality is that we’ve been very fortunate to come across not just some of the most talented players that the county has ever seen, but also guys who had a massive desire.

“It isn’t always that you find the two in the one package, but we have a whole bunch of guys who have both. We should really cherish that because it won’t last. It won’t last, we won’t have underage teams turning out that kind of performance. They’ll be very competitive, but we won’t have them turning out that kind of performance every year,” he adds.

Two more will do for this year as Clare now home in on more glory.

The Munster three-in-a-row bagged; now to repeat the dose at All-Ireland level.

PLANS have announced for a major face-lift of Clare’s largest business and industrial park.

Shannon Development is proposing upgrades to both buildings and public lighting at the Shannon Free Zone – a multi-sectoral business park that is home to over 100 manufacturing and international service companies, employing 6500 people.

The planned series of upgrades include work on Airport House – “a signature building” in the Shannon Free Zone.

Shannon Development is inviting tenders for work on Airport House – a large four-storey multi let office building.

The tender notice states, “The building was originally constructed in the 1960s and is a signature building within Shannon Free Zone and is adjacent to Shannon Airport.

“The Company now wishes to commence major upgrade works to certain elements of the building namely upgrade of the front entrance lobby/ reception area and upgrade to the fit out on the first floor. Works will be completed in Q3 2014”.

Shannon Development is currently in transition to become part of Shannon Group plc – an umbrella group comprising Shannon Airport, Shan- non Development, Shannon Heritage and the International Aviation Services Centre (IASC).

The plans to revamp the Free Zone form part of the Shannon Group’s aim to “to emphasise a more commercially focused property remit” for Shannon Development, which will be renamed Shannon Commercial Enterprises Ltd, trading as Shannon Enterprises.

The company is also inviting tenders for upgrades to the public lighting system in the Shannon Free Zone,

“Shannon Development has decided to commence major upgrade works to the existing public lighting infrastructure for the entire Shannon Free Zone area.

“The initial phase of upgrade works will including new ducting, power distribution and cables, lighting columns and light fittings to replace existing light fittings in Shannon Free Zone West”, the tender notice states.

Shannon Development is also inviting expressions of interest for a “complete overhaul” of the company’s largest building, Block B in the Shannon Free Zone.

The Block B building is located in Shannon Free Zone West and was constructed in the 1960’s and modified/upgraded in the intervening years since then.

The tender notice states, “The building is presently designed as large scale high bay warehousing and distribution.

“Block B is the largest Company owned building in the SFZ (both in terms of floor plate and internal height) with over 100,000 sq ft of floor area. In 2012 part of the building (44,755 sq ft) was refurbished and leased.

“The remainder of the building (56,300 sq ft) also requires refurbishment and it is proposed to undertake this refurbishment work in 2014 with a view to leasing the building on a phased basis.

“Block B Unit 2 has a covered floor area of 56,300 sq ft, is currently unoccupied and now requires a complete upgrade to return the building to good lettable condition.

“The roof covering of the entire 100,000 sq ft Block B building is at the end of its serviceable life and needs to be recovered. Internally, the fabric of the building needs a complete overhaul while elements of the external of the building also need to be upgraded”.

Construction of the Shannon Free Zone commenced in 1959. It currently encompasses 600 acres of land and four million square foot of buildings adjacent to Shannon International Airport.

IN a week that saw the Kilkee unit of the Irish Coast Guard called out an unprecedented 11 times, water safety officials in Clare are urging swimmers to think safe when they visit the water.

With temperatures set to soar over the next seven days and beyond, large crowds are expected to descend on the Clare coastline.

Meterological sources are predicting temperatures as high as 24c by early next week.

Last summer saw four fatalities from drowning in Clare waters, three of which occurred within a month of each other and coincided with a steep rise in temperatures.

This summer lifeguards are continuing to deal with incidents on a daily basis.

Water safety officials are urging visitors to the county’s 12 lifeguarded beaches and lakes to only swim in designated areas.

“I keep saying it all the time, swim within the lifeguarded areas.

“Swim within the zones that the lifeguards set out and obey their directions,” urged head of Clare Water Safety, Clare McGrath.

“Don’t swim in unknown spaces. We don’t want people going to water holes and quarries. I would say swim in the lifeguarded areas.”

Ms McGrath believes however that swimmers are now beginning to heed warnings on water safety.

“I think they are, I think people are beginning to notice.

“But all the time, they need to watch the flags and watch the notices that the lifeguards put out.”

Ms McGrath’s warning came just hours after the Irish Coast Guard, Kilkee unit responded to its 11th callout in eight days on Sunday night.

The Kilkee unit was among the busiest in Ireland last week, responding to three calls before 12 noon on Tuesday alone.

TENDERS are being invited for a planned € 4m upgrade of flood defences in Ennis and Clarecastle.

Last March, An Bord Pleanála approved an application from Clare County Council to construct the Ennis South Flood Relief Scheme which when completed will deliver flood defences in Clonroadmore, Ballybeg and Clareabbey.

The works include a flood overflow culvert from St Flannan’s Stream to the Clareabbey flood plain, a flood overflow culvert from Ballybeg Stream to the Clareabbey flood plain, and an upgrade of the existing flood defence embankment between the Quin Road and the Clarecastle tidal barrage. The estimated cost of the project is € 4 million.

Details of the project are contained in a notice posted by Clare County Council on the e-tenders public sector procurement site.

The project involves the c construction of 2 No. flood alleviation culverts (1,200mm diameter, 1,120m and 520m in length in congested ur- ban environment), along with service diversions.

The development will see the upgrade of 2.7km of existing flood defence embankment (50,000 – 100,000 cubic meters of imported material) with associated works to back drain, sluice valves and construction of a new pumping station, located in Ennis and Clarecastle.

According to the notice, works will be required within the Lower River Shannon SAC Natura 2000 Site. Following a short-listing process, 5-7 candidates will be invited to tender, provided that there is a sufficient number of suitably qualified applicants. Work on phase two of the Ennis Flood Relief Scheme between Bank Place Bridge and Doora Bridge is ongoing at locations around Ennis. On completion, it is hoped the project will lead to the protection of 849 residential and 425 non-residential properties on completion.

Defences including enhanced river walls, pumping stations and new drainage systems are included in the project, which is aimed at protecting Ennis against a 100-year flood event.

GARTH BROOKS for Ennis? That just might be a possibility as Clare County Council has been urged to investigate the potential of holding music festivals at the home of Clare GAA, Cusack Park. The Clare GAA owned grounds in the centre of Ennis emerged as one potential venue for large-scale music or community events in a submission on recreations and sports to the Ennis and Environs Development draft local area Plan. Clare County Council is currently drawing up the plan, which will guide the development of Ennis from 2015 to 2021. In his submission, Chair of the Ennis Municipal District Committee (MDC), Johnny Flynn, proposes the “development potential of Cusack Park music festivals” be examined under the plan. The submission states that Cusack Park could be the venue for a revived version of the “Lisdoonvarna Festival” – the iconic music event previously staged in North Clare. The development of ‘Spoiti Ceol’ (music public performance locations) and the drafting of a busking code are also contained in the submission. Cllr Flynn proposes that the Fair Green or Tim Smythe Park, be designated as a public events centre. The submission proposes the development of an international artist workshop at the old Garda barracks buildings and the “development of large arts spaces for Macnas type works over winter preparing for St Patrick’s Day and other parades”. The submission also contains proposed changes and improvements along the River Fergus, Ballyalla Lake and the Lees Road sports and recreation facility. Cllr Flynn has suggested the “creation of recreational boating in Ennis from Post Office field to Knox’s Bridge to maintain minimum boating depth of water during Summer and to deal with flow issues”. For Ballyalla Lake, the submission proposes the designation of a physical connection from Lees Road to Ballyalla; the potential development of a European standard campervan site near Ballyalla Lake; playground and public toilet facilities; the repair of the old Pier and the installation of a zip wire and a general physical activity centre at Ballyalla. The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) has previously warned that there is limited scope for development at Ballyalla due it’s designation as a wildlife sanctuary, special area of conservation and special protection area. Cllr Flynn suggests that buoys be provided across the middle of the lake to protect the designation of the Western side as an overwintering bird and wildlife sanctuary. He has also proposed the banning of outboard engines other than for approved public safety boats at particular events.

SEANIE McMahon take a bow.

Your influence stretches long beyond your status as one of the greatest hurling men to ever have the number six on your back.

“Has there ever been a better centre-back in the world” thundered Michéal Ó Muircheartaigh in one of his commentaries on Clare back in the day.

It was rhetorical, of course. And it was preaching to the Clare converted, even all the way out Miltown Malbay way, deep in football country.

Yes, there was always a bit of a hurling enclave here thanks to Tom Malone’s Clonbony, while there was a county hurling final played there in ’99. And, it’s there that Conor Cleary would have seen Seanie McMahon in hurling flesh.

“It was Seanie, Seanie McMahon,” he says minutes after becoming a Munster championship winning centre-back like his hero. “I took to him as a young lad and it was the team he was a part of and the success that they had that got me interested in hurling.

“To be part of a Munster championship winning team! Growing up seeing the likes of Seanie McMahon and the lads doing it in the late 1990s, it’s just a dream come through. Little did I think when I started hurling that I’d end up here. To win a Munster title on the field of play – it’s incredible, it means so much,” he adds.

The first Miltown man to win a Munster hurling medal on the field; Martin Flynn and Karl Walsh were part of the football win in 1992; Clare is the latest in a long line of Munster champions from Miltown that includes famous names like Eddie Carroll and PJ Killeen, who were on the 1917 football team and Georgie Comerford was the hero of the 1929 minor football team.

“It’s all the people who have helped me down through the years,” says Cleary. “It was my father, the people in Kilmaley and there’s great thanks to Davy (Fitzgerald) for bringing me into the seniors this year. For a while I didn’t know where I was going with my hurling and being in the senior panel really brought me on a lot.

“Paul Kinnerk always says to us, ‘at the start of every game, get your hands on the ball as early as you can’. That happened for me and we tried to set down a marker, not to let any ball pass the half-back line. Nine times out of ten it worked. It’s incredible to be part of this.”

Incredible too that Clare’s hurling revolution is now touching the west Clare coast.

Thanks to Conor Cleary, who can take a bow with Seanie McMahon.

AN unemployed electrician whom a court heard spent € 700 a week on drugs has been sentenced to 11 months in prison.

Shane Kerin (26) became involved in drug dealing in order to fund his own habits, Ennis District Court heard on Tuesday.

Mr Kerin, with addresses at Connolly Villas, Ennis, and Stonecourt, Ennis, pleaded guilty to multiple drugs offences committed between April and October, 2013.

He pleaded guilty to being in possession of cocaine at Ennis Garda Station on April 9; possession of cannabis for sale or supply at Connolly Villas on April 25 and possession of cannabis and possession of cocaine also at Connolly Villas on April 25;

He further admitted charges of possession of cannabis and possession of cannabis for sale or supply at Gort Road, Ennis on October 13.

He pleaded guilty to a charge of driving without due care or attention

Detective Garda Dominic Regan of Ennis Garda Station explained Mr Kerin drove away from gardaí at speed when they attempted to stop him on the night in question.

The court heard he was eventually halted near the Aughanteeroe hous- ing estate. Mr Kerin pleaded guilty to using a forged prescription at Flynn’s Pharmacy, Gort Road, Ennis, on October 15. The court heard he altered the prescription to include the addition of 90 xanax tablets.

He further admitted a charge of having cocaine for sale or supply at Sandfield Hall, Ennis on October 24.

Defence solicitor John Casey said his client’s father died in tragic circumstances when he was young. He said Mr Kerin left school at 16 but qualified as an electrician. He said Mr Kerin, normally a nice, quite young man, started smoking cannabis before moving onto prescription drugs, cocaine and then heroin.

Mr Casey said his client’s condition deteriorated in recent months.

“He has gone down. And the only way I can describe it is like speaking to someone under water,” Mr Casey explained.

He said a report furnished to the court disclosed that Mr Kerin was spending € 100 a day on drugs.

Judge Patrick Durcan said there was no evidence Mr Kerin had won the Lotto. He said the € 700 had to come from somewhere. Mr Casey said Mr Kerin sold drugs in order to support his habit.

He urged the court to follow the recommendation of the Probation Services and adjourn the matter for three months to allow his client to re-engage with addiction treatment services.

Judge Durcan said he was not impressed that the accused had not engaged fully with the services to take the steps required to deal with his addiction.

Asked for his view on the accused’s situation, Det Gda Regan said Mr Kerin has a “serious heroin addiction”. He said he could not see Mr Kerin’s life improving until he beats the addiction.

Judge Durcan said this was a young man who committed “very serious offences”.

The Judge said that he was not satisfied on the basis of the evidence that Mr Kerin has engaged in any meaningful way with the services.

He said he was not prepared to accept the recommendations of the Probation Services, neither was he compelled by the arguments of the defence.

In sentencing, Jude Durcan also noted the accused was spending € 700 a week on drugs.

He said he was drawn to the conclusion that that burden was in some way borne by society.

He imposed sentences totalling 11 months and fixed recognizance’s in the event Mr Kerin decides to appeal.

A WEST Clare farmer has won rave reviews for developing a tractor that can be operated by remote control, allowing him to farm the land from the comfort of his own home.

Miltown Malbay man Michael Shannon has combined his passion for farming and machinery to develop his remote controlled tractor in what has been a labour of love over many years.

In what has been hailed as an unbelievable feat of engineering, Mr Shannon has taken a tractor that’s over 30 years old, remodelled and modified it so it can operate at the flick of a switch.

Now the 1983 registered Massey Ferguson MF250 is fully operational using a remote control device and can be let loose to work away on his family farm in Miltown Malbay.

It was Michael’s ambition when he gave up being a tractor dealer ten years ago to develop a fully working, reliable remotely operated tractor.

The farmer, along with son Tony, totally overhauled the engine and hydraulic systems as well as painstakingly redoing the wiring to make his dream possible. Not only can it be used remotely and with a human physically sitting on it, it can also run with the use of a Garmin GPS unit.

If a field is digitally mapped, you can let this tractor off by itself and it’ll spread fertilizer using GPS coordinates. “Once it’s set up to go the machine will spread to the required width and then return to the gate and stop in order to be driven home by a human on the road,” Mr Shannon revealed.

AN Ennis dog has become an internet star after his owner posted videos of his exploits on social media sites.

Charlie the beagle has attracted thousands of viewers to his own YouTube Channel and Facebook page. The sites were created by Charlie’s owner Daniel Drzewiecki, a Lithuanian man who works at a shop in Ennis.

Daniel and his partner Julia bought Charlie three years ago and started teaching him tricks and tasks.

Charlie formed a special bond with the couple’s daughter, Laura Olivia, who also features in the popular videos.

They began filming their canine companion as he helped them care for her – rocking her cradle back and forth, and even assisting Julia with diaper changing.

A video that shows Charlie bringing toys and household items to the five-month-old baby after accidentally making her cry has attracted hundreds of thousands of views on the video sharing website, YouTube.

Daniel set up a YouTube channel for Charlie last January.

When the couple’s daughter was born, it became a way of sharing videos with family in Lithuania and to collecting footage for Laura Olivia to have when she’s older.

Charlie’s YouTube channel currently has over 20,000 subscribers, and his Facebook page is nearing 13,000 likes. Daniel said he has been blown away by the response to the video.

“I just put it up on YouTube and nothing was happening for a long time but then it started to go up bit by bit,” he explained,

“The number of people looking at it started to grow and all of sudden, it exploded.

“It was shared by a couple of websites and that brought more people to it. It’s been amazing, the number of people that have looked at the videos.”

Last year, the animal loving cou- ple were plagued by pranksters after launching a poster appeal to find their missing pet ferret.