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BILL SLATTERY is set to fill the Clare County Council vacancy in the North Clare electoral, while there will be a two-way contest between Sean McLoughlin and Marinella Rafferty for the county council seat in the Shannon electoral area.

The closing date for nominations for the two county council positions was last Thursday and The Clare People has learned that Slattery, who stood for election in the 1985 and 1999 county council elections, will be unopposed for the council vacancy in North Clare, as he was the only candidate nominated for the position.

“I’m steeped in Fine Gael politics and have been a member of the party since 1977,” Mr Slattery told The Clare People this week.

He continued, “While my grandfather, Bill Murphy, was a member of the county council and a TD for 16 years between 1951 and 1967, I would be honoured to serve on Clare County Council.”

The north Clare vacancy was created by the election of Fine Gael’s Martin Conway to Seanad Éireann last month, which meant he had resign his council seat under the dual mandate rule.

A host of possible candidates were mooted for the council seat in the wake of Senator Conway’s election to the upper house of the Oireachtas on April 28 last.

These included the national president of Young Fine Gael, Eric Keane, local party activist Peter Davenport and David Quinn, son of former TD, Senator and Mayor of Clare, Madeleine Taylor Quinn.

However, Mr Slattery was the only name submitted to Clare Fine Gael Constituency secretary Sean Chambers by last Thursday’s 5pm deadline.

He will be confirmed in his new council role after a meeting of Fine Gael members of the North Clare electoral area on June 9th and his election will then be ratified by the national organisation.

It will represent fourth time lucky for the Lahinch man – he first stood for election in 1985 when he polled 645 first preferences, while in 1999 he polled 573 votes.

In 1995, he was the Fine Gael candidate for the vacancy caused by the death of party colleague Frank Henchy, but was election was blocked by Fianna Fáil who used their then council majority to elect Tom Burke instead.

Meanwhile, this Thursday a tight vote is expected in the race to succeed former Mayor of Clare, Tony Mulcahy as a member of the council for the Shannon Electoral area.

TOM Howard from Ennis thought he was going to Kenya with the Building of Hope to do something for other, less fortunate people. But he came back knowing, in his own words, that he had done himself a favour.

“I think those 10 days were 10 of the best in my life,” he told The Clare People .

Tom had previously supported friends who were going on similar missions, but had not considered going out himself. The boss of his own conservation building company, he had felt the best role for him was a supportive one.

“Then I went to a fundraiser for the Building of Hope volunteers in The Old Ground and there was such an amazing atmosphere, I signed on there and then. I thought I was doing something good for others but what actually happened was that I had one of the most amazing experiences. It was great to see how the little bit you do can make such a difference to people’s lives,” he said.

Now Tom is heading back to Kenya after seeing the plight of the children in the School for the Blind and Visually Impaired and the courage of the people living in Migombani.

“We met a woman who was HIV positive whose husband had left. She got up at 5am every morning to go and try to find work so that she could put food on the table and send her children to school, to give them a chance of a better future. However hard things are here for us, they’re a hundred times worse there. You have to feel what parents there feel, knowing what is in store for their children. If you think about how it would feel if you didn’t have the money to feed your own children or bring them to the doctor when they get sick, you can feel the pain of those parents,” said Tom.

But the impression Tom left with was one of a welcoming people struggling to make a life.

‘It was just the most fantatstic experience to actually be there and get involved. I’m a builder but I ended up tiling because that was what was needed when we were there. Everyone rolled up their sleeves and did what had to be done and it was fantatstic. I can’t wait to go back. And I would urge everyone to support the fundraisers that are being held. This project is going to make such a difference to the lives of those children but it can’t be done without funds.”

A GARDA campaign which is focused on preventing burglaries and thefts will get underway later this week. Thefts from cars in the tourist areas of Lahinch, Miltown Malbay, Spanish Point and Bunratty generally rise during the summer months and gardaí are advising car owners not to leave valuables in their vehicles.

The campaign gets underway on Wednesday and will continue until the bank holiday weekend. The aim is to engage with and raise awareness within communities of initiatives aimed at preventing crime. It is also geared towards promoting road safety during the summer months.

According to the Crime Prevention Officer in the Clare Garda Division, Sergeant Joe Downey, the primary focus will be on “burglaries, thefts from vehicles, theft of farm machinery, theft of pedal cycles and road safety”.

“Twenty-seven per cent of all burglaries occur through the front door. Thirty-two per cent of burglars enter your home through an unsecured door or window. 23.5 per cent of all burglaries take place between 12pm and 4pm. Thursdays and Fridays are the most likely days on which to be burgled,” said Sgt Downey.

Gardaí are making specific recommendations in relation to preventing burglaries. “Lock all your doors and windows, especially when the house is vacant. Never leave a window open for ventilation when the house is vacant. Use your alarm if you have one, no matter how short the period of absence,” advised Sgt Downey.

“Lock and secure all garages and sheds and secure away any property that could assist a burglar to commit crime,” he added.

He said that almost half of the re- ported thefts from cars last year took place between 12 noon and 9pm. Saturday was the most common day for this type of crime.

“Cash was taken in 27 per cent of incidents, mobile phones accounted for 15 per cent, handbags 14 per cent and sat. Navs. 13 per cent. There has been a 12 per cent increase in laptops stolen and an eight per cent increase in mobile phones stolen,” said Sgt Downey.

“Never leave valuables in the car or visible from the outside. Never leave property under the seat. Avoid parking in isolated areas and use well lit areas during the hours of darkness,” he added.

Gardaí are also advising farmers to take care of their machinery, as statistics show that more than 1,300 items of farm equipment have been stolen during the past year across the country. “Consider installing a CCTV system and an intruder alarm and consider joining a community alert group,” said Sgt Downey.

In relation to road safety, gardaí say that inappropriate speed is the single biggest factor in fatal and serious injury accidents and are advising drivers to slow down and avoid using mobile phones while driving.

AN ENNIS woman has been honoured as an Irish Pride Hospice Hero for her work with Cahercalla Community Hospital and Hospice at a ceremony at the Mansion House in Dublin. The award was given at an event to mark the launch of Sunflower Days which takes place throughout Ireland on June 10 and 11.

Mary Guerin was chosen by the Clare Hospice at Cahercalla as their 2011 Hospice Hero as a representative of the entire Guerin family. Mary’s late husband Michael, who passed away in July 2010, was a leading figure back in 1985 when the very first hospice inpatient bed was provided at Cahercalla Community Hospital and Hospice.

Mary Moloney of Cahercalla Hospice paid tribute to Mary’s work. “It was mentioned several times last year, at the time of Michael’s passing, that there were many times when people were looked after by the Guerins when life and coping with its challenges were a struggle. Mary is the kind of person who never says no.”

She continued, “The entire family are stalwarts of the hospice. Mary Guerin is one of the faithful draw promoters and every week, quietly and without any fuss or fanfare, collects funds for our weekly draw. Mary also assists with Sunflower Day by selling merchandise in the family’s shops and by standing in the street at various locations during the two days in June. Any fundraising event that happens at Cahercalla will surely have some member of the Guerins assisting, be it the weekly draw, Sunflower Day or collection boxes.”

Describing her as a “golden nugget of love and compassion and caring”, Mary Moloney sent congratulations to Mary and family saying, “We are sure that Michael is looking on with pride as Mary receives this award.”

On Sunflower Days, the people of Clare will be able to support their local hospice service by buying a sunflower pin or sunflower seeds for € 2 each from collectors on the streets of cities, towns and villages around the country. Sunflower Days, which is sponsored by Irish Pride, is a major source of income for hospices and voluntary hospice groups countrywide. The IHF coordinates the event on behalf of the hospice movement but all of the funds raised locally stay locally.

There is an urgent need for volunteers to sell sunflower pins and anyone who has a few hours to spare on June 10 or 11 is asked to please contact Cahercalla Hospice.

EIGHTEEN-year-old Alanagh Hunt was the toast of Shannon at the weekend when she scooped the coveted Miss Clare title.

Alanagh was chosen as the winner, amid competition from 12 other hopefuls, at a function in the Queen’s Hotel in Ennis on Friday night.

Alanagh, who was cheered on by her family and friends from Shannon, is no stranger to success, having previously won the Miss UL competition at the University of Limerick, where she is currently studying for an Arts Degree.

Alanagh will now go on to represent Clare in the Miss Universe finals in Dublin on June 10, after the adjudicators – DJ Johnny Hammond, dancer Michael Donnellan, events co-ordinator Dave Shelly and last year’s winner Sinead O’Leary – deemed her to be the winner.

Comedian Danny Dowling compered the event, in front of a huge crowd on the night.

“The night was a great success. There was stiff competition,” said organiser Charlotte Casey.

“Alanagh is an amazing girl. We have no doubt she will do well and do County Clare proud. She has a fabulous personality. She is very bubbly and she is exactly what we are looking for,” she added.

The prizes Alanagh received on the night included clothes and jewellery.

All contestants had their make-up done by Susan Fox, while their hair was done by Ken Bradley on the night.

TEACHERS and parents along with students past and present gathered on Sunday to celebrate the official opening of the recently renovated 16-classroom Barefield National School.

Completed last year, work on the latest extension at the school included the construction of eight new classrooms, six special education teaching rooms, a general purpose/sports hall and multi-purpose rooms, stores, offices, toilets, boiler room, separate external store and a new roadside drop-off zone, as well as a new sewage system.

Work on an initial eight-classroom school was completed in 1997 with previous developments taking place at the site in the 1950, 1993, 1995 and 1996. The school has been a part of community life in Barefield for 115 years. Sunday’s ceremony was attended by staff, members of the board of management, parents association, local priest Fr Jerry Carey and local politicians.

Ronan Connolly, chairman of the board of management, said, “We are justifiably proud of having played our part as the Executive of the school who saw this project through to fruition and I thank all my fellow Board members for their countless hours of unselfish and voluntary dedication in achieving this outcome. We only could do so, however, as a result of the huge level of support and guidance we received from all of the relevant stakeholders who have vested their time and energies in this project.”

Mr Connolly also paid tribute to the work of principal John Burns and said that the school building project “exhibits very clearly all the wonderful attributes of the Irish meitheal concept and the force which a volountary community of parties working together can generate”.

He continued, “We were fortunate indeed to receive the necessary Government funding to allow this very positive development to proceed at a time when our country is sadly blighted with so much financial pain and negativity and the new school represents a wonderful beacon of hope for the future”. Michael Butler, chairperson of the parent’s association, said, “As parents of the children who attend Barefield National School, we know how fortunate we are to have such a dedicated team of people who look after our children’s education and development on a daily basis. Up to now, the conditions were not as we would have liked them to be. Now, however, with the opening of the new school, we can be truly proud of what is a first-class and future-proofed environment in which they will receive their education.” John Burns, principal, said that a striking feature of life at Barefield National School has been the “continuing generosity displayed by parents over the decades in supporting a range of activities at our school”. He said, “Barefield National School is a focal point for our community, educating generations of girls and boys since 1895. Our school’s close link with our community has always been an important feature of our growth and development over the years.”