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AFTER three years of community effort a new € 114,000 playground will be officially opened in Quin on Saturday, June 18.

Mayor of Clare, Cllr Christy Curtin (Ind) will be joined at the event by the Minister for Children, Frances Fitzgerald.

Funding for the project was secured from Clare County Council (€ 84,333) and the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government (€ 30,000). Money was also raised by the local community.

The need for the playground in Quin is highlighted by the fact that over 250 children attend the primary schools of the Clooney Quin parish.

In early 2007, a community survey carried out by the playground committee identified a playground for the Quin area as critical infrastructural requirement.

The project was spearheaded by committee members – Cllr Sonny Scanlon (FG), Liam Conneally, Nancy Cantwell, Carmel Crosse and Alison Deane.

Cllr Scanlon said, “This is an important day for the Clooney Quin parish and in particular the people of Quin. It is important that we develop facilities such as this for the children of our community and the playground will only enhance the amenities for the existing residents of Quin village.”

Commenting on the opening, Liam Conneally stated, “During the recent economic boom, much development took place in the parish of Clooney Quin resulting in significant population increases for the area.”

He added, “The construction of a community playground will add another important piece of infrastructure to the area to be enjoyed by children of current and future generations.”

Mr Conneally said the committee are also thankful to Cyril O’Reilly, local business people and the staff and members of Clare County Council, in particular the community and enterprise section in bringing the Quin playground to fruition.

He added, “The playground will allow Quin village to reach its potential in terms of being an attractive place to live for its citizens and visitors alike.”

Cllr Scanlan also acknowledged the support of local businessman John Beirne, farmer Pat Scanlon and landowner Martin Liddy.

He said the project was also supported by Brian McCarthy and Pat Hassett.

KILMALEY woman Emma Healy got a little help from her friends – 15 of them to be precise – last week when she went to run the Flora Mini Marathon in Dublin. The Clare ladies organised themselves to run alongside Emma and raise sponsership for her trip as a volunteer with the Building of Hope next year.

“They were absolutely fantastic and we had a great day,” said Emma, who works in Ennis General Hospital.

But this is not the first time she has been given a helping hand, or in a recent case a helping head, chest and lots of legs. “We had a waxathon and, fair play to them, the Kilmaley United soccer team turned out to be waxed and shaved. One chap got his whole head of hair and beard shaved off, another got his chest waxed and lots of them got their legs waxed – it was a brilliant night,” Emma told The Clare People .

Also helping on the night at the Bogdale House in Kilmaley were pals Lorraine Tuohy and Anne Killeen, who fed the starving hoardes, as well as Emma’s sister Martina, who did the waxing, and local barber Joey Woulfe, who took care of the shaving.

Irish Pride and Brendan Keane butchers sponsored the barbecue for the waxathon and Barry Lynch of Lynch’s Centra on the Gort Road sponsored lunches for the women on the marathon.

Now Emma – who teaches Irish dancing to adults and children – is planning a fundraising ceili for October 14 in the Auburn Lodge when Michael Sexton’s two-piece ceili band will be playing. The fun will start at 9.30pm.

This will be 27-year-old Emma’s first trip to Africa and she doesn’t know, as yet, what she will be doing.

“Olive told me it could be anything but she did ask me to bring my dancing shoes to teach some of the local kids how to do a bit of dancing.”

A SECTION of the historic Ennis Friary will not be available for wider public use or community-based events when it re-opens next year, according to the Office of Public Works (OPW).

A roof has been installed over the 18th century church in order to provide protection for the collection of carved features, which survive at Ennis Friary.

The OPW also plans to improve visitor access at the site. A design for the display of the Friary’s carved stone features is also being finalized. The project is expected to cost € 100,000.

In a letter to Ennis Town Council, Marie O’Gallagher, of the OPW’s National Monument’s section, explained that the OPW is implementing “plans for the protection and presentation of the significant collection of medieval carved stone features and in improving visitor access to the site”.

Cllr Johnny Flynn had called on the OPW to open up the Friary for “wider public use, educational, cultural and community purposes within a management plan to increase its relevance to residents and visitors”.

Ms Gallagher said that work on the project, which will include a wire mesh to provide security for the display area and deter birds and wildlife, is due to be complete by the end of 2011.

She added, “However it is not envisaged that this space will be available for wider public use or communitybased events. It is anticipated that the site will re-open to visitors in 2012.”

A MAJOR piece of research into the social condition of family carers in Clare will be launched today as part of National Carers Weeks.

The research, which is being launched by Professor Eamon O’Shea from NUI, Galway, will be used to find out how well family carers in the county are able to remain connected with society and not become isolated as a result of their role as carers.

A host of other events are taking place all over the county to mark the fifth ever National Carers Weeks. On Wednesday, June 15, there will be a wellness and relaxation session for carers with Geri Quinn in the Ennistymon Public Library, while Tai Chi for Carers with Margaret O’Connor will take place in De Valera Public Library in Ennis. Also on Wednesday, Caring for Carers West Clare will be promoting positive mental health in Regina House in Kilrush at 8pm.

On Thursday a ‘Go for Life’ session, which involves 60 to 90 minutes of relaxing, fun activities for carers, will be held with Kathleen O’Connor in the Ennistymon Community Centre from 11am, and in Shannon Library from 11am with Deirdre Daly.

On Friday, June 17, MEP Marian Harkin will present certificates for the Leonardo da Vinci Lifelong Learning Project to carers in the Old Ground Hotel in Ennis at 2.30pm. The festivities will culminate on Friday with celebratory dinners for family carers in the Clare Inn Hotel at 7.30pm.

The week’s events are being organised by Caring for Carers in Clare in partnership with Clare County Library, the Clare Volunteer Centre, Clare Sports Partnership and the Health Service Executive Health Promotion Services in Clare.

The aim of this week of activities is to recognise and celebrate the invaluable work that family carers do and to provide them with the opportunity to take time for themselves to concentrate on their own health and well-being. The theme of well-being will run throughout the week and carers will be encouraged to get active and enjoy a programme of fun and recreation.

Family carers are typically immediate relatives who provide very high levels of care at home, for children and adults with severe disabilities, frail older people and people who are terminally ill. According to the 2006 census, there were 4,507 carers based in Clare. For more details on the events taking place during National Carers Weeks, visit www.caringforcarers.org.

KILRUSH Town Council has backed the introduction a new rates reduction scheme to breathe new business life into the West Clare capital, but has challenged landlords in the town to play their part by reducing rents.

This twin-track approach to attracting new business to Kilrush is set to form the basis of a new Retail Incentive Scheme being pioneered by town leaders on the back of startling figures revealed by The Clare People

THE man behind a new multi-million shopping centre in Miltown Malbay believes that a number of businesses have been lost to the town in recent years because of delays in the planning process.

John Jones, whose family have been in business in Miltown for nearly 200 years, gained planning permission for a € 4m supermarket last week – after six years and three different attempts at through the planning process.

According to Mr Jones, the new development could help the town attract other businesses and generate new employment in Miltown Malbay.

“I think this would have made Miltown more attractive for other businesses to come in. Miltown has no factories and it has no large scale employer. It needs something to get more people working and get money generating in the area and that will help the area to prosper. Hopefully this can help kick-start the rest of the town,” he said.

“There should be up to 50 employed in the shop and obviously there would be extra seasonal employment. Miltown hasn’t exactly developed as well as other towns in recent years. What- ever you say about the [planning] objectors, they have definitely put Miltown on the back foot because this project has been held up. Other towns might have factories to provide employment but Miltown doesn’t have that; Miltown has suffered over the last few years.

“I’m delighted to get it finished. I think I always knew that I would get there in the end but some people used the system to hold me up. What we were proposing was always going to go through eventually.

“The last time at we went to Bord Pleanála we were told that we had too much car parking, which was strange in itself. But we decided that we would use that space for an Astro Turf field instead.”

The development consists of a 10,000 square foot supermarket, 150 car parking spaces, a relief road for the town, children’s playground and an Astro-Turf facility with associated dressing rooms and lighting.

Building work is due to begin on the development later this summer and could be completed by Easter of 2012. As well as the 50 full-time jobs, the development will generate as much as 150 new positions during the construction phase.

NEW figures show that Ennis Town Council issued 11 fines against people for drinking in public places in 2010.

No fines have been handed out so far this year, while seven were issued in 2009 and 18 were issued in 2008. Town Clerk Eddie Power outlined the figures at last week’s meeting of Ennis Town Council.

Mr Power was responding to a motion tabled by Cllr Mary Howard (FG). Cllr Howard urged the council to compile a report on the amount of convictions under the council’s byelaws, with particular reference to recent difficulties with anti-social behaviour at Tim Smyth Park/Fairgreen.

Cllr Howard explained, “Over the past number of years, there have been problems with daytime and indeed night-time drinking.”

Cllr Howard added that the council erected a sign in the area to highlight the issue.

She said local people were concerned by the behaviour.

She told the meeting that groups of young people had been seen holding “drinking parties at night, sometimes by candlelight” near picnic tables in Tim Smythe Park.

Mr Power said, “The Garda Super- intendent has been contacted in relation to this matter and I will revert to you on receipt of his reply.”

Town Manager Ger Dollard said he had been told by gardaí that people caught drinking in public places have been dealt with under the public order act.

Concerns over anti-social behaviour at a new playground at Tim Smythe Park have led to calls for fencing to be installed.

Local residents say a six-foot fence, CCTV cameras and public lighting are required to prevent teenagers causing disruption.