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A LOCAL music education partnership has been established by Clare Vocational Education Committee to harness U2-aided funding.

This follows the announcement that a national body, Music Education Network, under the aegis of the Department of Education & Skills, will be administering funding for music education provided by U2. The programme, enabled by a € 5 million donation from U2, with a further € 2 million being raised by the Ireland Funds, gives children and young people across the country access to music education in their own communities.

The chief executive officer, George O’Callaghan, explains that the Clare committee set up the local network to involve a number of agencies including the committee itself which is already involved in supporting Maoin Cheoil an Chláir in Ennis through provision of co-operation hours.

The national music education net work is expected to shortly begin seeking applications to the new fund. They have to be made through the vocational education committee as lead agency and Maoin Cheoil an Chláir as the administrative and employment body for the purposes of the fund, he explained to committee members at their monthly meeting.

On the proposal of the chairman, Cllr Tommy Brennan, seconded by Cllr Pat McMahon, committee member Kathleen Tuohy, music teacher in Ennis Community College and Gaelcholáiste an Chláir, was elected a member of the local partnership.

Funding for up to 12 Music Education Partnerships will be awarded on a phased basis from 2011-2015, most likely in three locations at a time. Music Education Partnerships are eligible to apply for 50 per cent funding, up to a maximum of € 200,000 per annum over three years. The closing date for Round 1 applications is Thursday, March 31.

Music Generation will provide three-year seed funding to establish local services, which will be sustained by Music Education Partnerships on a long-term basis. The music education partnership model, developed by Music Network, has been successfully piloted in Donegal and Dublin.

PLANNING permission for a planned train station at Crusheen is due to be lodged with Clare County Council in the coming weeks. The Clare People has learned that details of the much anticipated station will be release this February, when final plans are lodged with the planning section of the local authority.

While no firm timetable has been announced for the construction of the station, Iarnród Éireann confirmed last week that construction will commence in the summer of 2011 with the stations being completed by early 2012 – should planning permission be granted.

This follow a long running campaign by a local group to secure a stop on the Western Rail Corridor in Crusheen. The corridor, which was officially reopened last year, currently has stations at Sixmilebridge, Ennis and Gort. Locals believe that a large number of commuters living in the north and east Clare areas will use the service once it is completed.

According to Clare Fianna Fáil General Election candidate Dr John Hillery, the new station could prove to be a “shot in the arm” for the local economy. The construction phases of the project will provide a number of jobs for the local area while there could also make the region more attractive for business people looking to set up new operations.

The new station will feature a platform and ticket vending machine, with a number of help points for those with mobility and sensory impairments. Bicycle parking and car parking facilities will also be provided.

“It makes economic sense for a rail stop to be provided at Crusheen as it will become the only stop on the stretch of the Western Rail Corridor between Ennis and Athenry. Crusheen also is an ideal location for people coming from Ruan, Gort, Ballyline, Corofin, Tubber, Boston and elsewhere in north Clare as well as Tulla and other areas of east Clare,” he said. “I would like to congratulate members of the local community and Clare County Council for working together to putting forward the strongest possible case for the opening of a rail stop at Crusheen. I also wish to acknowledge the contribution of my colleague Deputy Tony Killeen in the campaign.”

THE pioneering work of renowned Clare musician Peadar O’Loughlin dating over 50 years has been brought to a new generation of traditional music lovers thanks to a decision by Na Piobairí Uilleann to re-release of the storied Seancheol ar an Seannós album.

The famous album, originally recorded in 1960 on the short-lived SPOL label set up by Breandán Breathnach, featured the legendary Kilmaleyman on flute and east Galway fiddler Aggie White.

“It is a measure of the musicianship of both Peadar and Aggie and indeed the depth of appreciation of Breandán Breathnach that this beautiful recording resonates today,” a spokesperson for Na Piobairí Uilleann told The Clare People .

In describing the recording as “an archival gem”, the Piobairí Uilleann has called the historic recording as “a perfect blending of fiddle and flute these two musicians illustrate in well chosen melodies the richness of Irish folk-music”.

“In his original sleeve notes, Breathnach extols the virtues of this wonderful duet and details Peadar and Aggie’s contemporary achievements as prominent traditional musicians during the 1950s.

“Aggie Whyte, who hails from the Ballinakill district in Galway, comes from generations of musicians; her father, Tommy Whyte, was a member of the famous Ballinakill Céilí Band. She was awarded the Gold Medal in the competition for traditional fiddle playing at the Oireachtas in 1958 and in the same year with Peadar O’Loughlin won the competition for duets at this musical festival.

“Peadar O’Loughlin, who had four years previously won the competition for flute playing, comes from Kilmaley, County Clare. He is an all-round musician, having many firsts to his credit for flute, fiddle and pipe playing,”

‘Seancheol ar an Seannós’ was officially launched as as part of the Breandán Breathnach Commemoration at Henrietta Street in Dublin. O’Loughlin, a longtime member of the Tulla Céilí Band, was awarded the Hall of Fame Award at the annual TG4 Gradam Ceoil awards in 2005.

A BUNRATTY singer has thrown his hat into the ring, in an attempt to represent Ireland in this year’s Eurovision song contest.

Gari Deegan (27) is involved in one of the acts vying for a place in the competition in May, having received an phone call from a music promoter a few weeks ago. Gari is part of a four-person band which will take to the stage on The Late Late Show on Friday week to participate in the Irish final of the competition. Although Jedward are the hot favourites to secure the right to represent Ireland in the Eurovision, nevertheless Gari believes that he is in with a shout.

His call-up came out of the blue and he grabbed the opportunity to shine on the national stage.

“I got a phone call from Willie Kavanagh of EMI in December. I thought it was a joke. I had recorded with songwriter Ray Fean who is originally from Shannon and who is based in Belgium. EMI got hold of one of the songs I sang, ‘Ode To A Woman’. He said he had put together a group and asked was I interested in getting involved. I was honest and said I was not a fan of Eurovision but I said I would go and see how it goes. He asked me to go to Dublin and we recorded at Windmill Lane Studios,” he explained. Gari and his fellow band members, Shane Creevy (Dublin), Marlyn Bane (Galway) and Tammy Browne (Kildare), have been signed up by EMI records and their grouping has, as of yet, not received an official name – Gari refers to them as a “mystery quartet”!

“We are not going to have a name until nearer the time,” Gari told The Clare People .

Gari did not know any of the others prior to meeting them to record the Eurovision entry, but has enjoyed getting to know them over the past few weeks and says their four voices blend well together. They will sing a motown-type song titled ‘Shine On’, in their efforts to win votes.

Gari has performed musically for several years, while he also models with Assets in Dublin. He features in television advertising, the most recent of which has been his role in the 3 mobile advertising campaign. He is also a DJ with Spin South West and divides his time between the midwest, Dublin and London. Although a big music fan, he has never had any major fondness for the Eurovision – but is slowly coming around and has enjoyed the past few weeks! “I have got rid of all the hesitation of Eurovision now and will go for it,” he said.

In advance of the live performance on The Late Late Show on Friday week, Gari and his fellow Eurovision hopefuls will feature in a documentary to be shown on RTÉ television this Friday evening. Gari is urging the people of Clare to support him on Friday night week, by casting their votes. “The vote will be divided into 50 per cent from a jury of industry professionals and 50 per cent public vote,” he said.

“The focus will be on Jedward. They are favourites to win it but you would never know. We are going to go and enjoy it. The song is good,” he said.

CLARE’S only retiring member of Dáil Éireann, Deputy Tony Killeen, is set to receive over a quarter of a million euro lump sum for his years of service in Leinster House, which also takes into account his time as being both a Minister of State and full member of Cabinet.

The lump sum pay-off to Fianna Fáil’s biggest vote-getter in Clare over the past two decades with 19 years Dáil service to his name is part of overall payments to retiring TDs, which is set to cost the Irish exchequer over € 10m during the next cou- ple of years.

Deputy Killeen will receive a € 276,163 once off payment for the 19 years he represented Clare in the Dáil, while his pension will be worth € 68,984 when it kicks in.

Deputy Killeen first entered political life when he was elected to Clare County Council in 1985. He retained his seat in the 1991 election and he served as both chairman of Clare County Council and the Shannon Status Committee before winning his Dáil seat in 1992 and retaining it in subsequent elections in 1997, 2002 and 2007.

Deputy Killeen’s distinction of holding down junior ministerial and full-ministerial portfolios over the past seven years will ensure that he will benefit from better pension terms than retiring deputies who were backbench TDs.

Under the pension structures for retiring TDs, former ministers are deemed to be office holders and are therefore paid an office holders’ allowance on top of their TDs salary.

Deputy Killeen was elevated to ministerial rank by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern in 2004 when he was made Minister of State for Labour Affairs. After the 2007 election he became the first ever Minister of State for Environment and Energy, while in 2008 he became Minister of State for Fisheries and Forestry. His elevation to full Cabinet status came in 2010 when Brian Cowen became Taoiseach and made him Minister for Defence.

Deputy Killeen is one over 40 current Dáil deputies, who have announced their retirement ahead of the General Election, the most high profile of these being the man who appointed him to Cabinet, Taoiseach Brian Cowen.

CLARE County Council this week confirmed that it had spent almost all of the money it was allocated to care for the county’s roads – completing all work with the exception of two projects.

Fears were expressed at the end of last year by Deputy Joe Carey (FG) that the roadwork’s budget would not be spent and therefore lost.

In total the local authority spent € 22.687 million on all road works.

The allocation confirmed by the Department of Transport in relation to Regional and Local Roads for 2010 was € 15, 586,498, € 15, 281,462 of which was spent by the council.

The shortfall of approximately € 300,000 was attributed to the fact that a sum of € 500,000, allocated in respect of the Killaloe By-Pass/ Shannon Crossing, could not be spent as planning and design stages documentation were under consideration by the Department of Transport.

According to senior engineer Tom Tiernan, “To all intents and purposes the council completed its Roadworks Programme in 2010. Any minor elements, which were not completed, were as such due to circumstances outside of the council’s control. For example, it became apparent in early summer 2010 that it would not be possible to spend a sum of € 300,000 allocated to Blakes Corner, Ennistymon, due to the complexity and sensitivity of the procedures involved because of the conflict between the proposed junction improvement and the location of adjacent protected structures.

“The Roadworks Programme was implemented systematically while taking account of the specific needs of the various work sites involved, the climatic conditions required in each case, optimisation and allocation of plant resources available etc. Certain difficulties were encountered both at the beginning and the end of 2010 because of the very severe weather conditions, which pertained. Certain improvisations and strategy alterations were required but ultimately the job was completed as effectively as it could be in the prevailing circumstances.”

Among the routes to benefit from road improvement works were the N68 at Edenvale, Caherea, Lissycasey and Kilrush, the N67 at Moyasta and the R352 in Tulla. The main road north of Lisdoonvarna to Corkscrew Hill has also been upgraded while the road between Corkscrew Hill and Ballyvaughan is currently being upgraded. Works are scheduled to take place in the coming weeks at Ballyduff beg, Inagh on the N85.

A CHANGE to the Litter Pollution Act proved a potentially costly lesson to two Clare candidates.

Independent candidates Cllr James Breen and Jim Connolly were told to remove their election signage or face a hefty fine from Clare County Council.

The warning came following a reminder being issued by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government stating that changes to legislation last year meant that election posters could not be erected until after the Taoiseach went to the President and dissolved the Dáil.

Under an amendment to the Litter Pollution act in 2009 the time period from which posters can be put up commences on the date of the order for the holding of the poll or 30 days prior to the date of the poll, whichever is the shorter period.

Both candidates said they were unaware to the changes to this legislation when they began work on their poster campaign.

Mr Connolly was particularly critical of the council’s speed and eagerness to implement this legislation.

He told

ENNIS’ reputation as a haven and hotspot for traditional music was given a shot on the arm on Friday night’s Late Late Show as local Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann activists prepare to crank up their campaign to bring Fleadh na hÉireann back to the county to the county capital.

And, the boost to the county capital’s traditional music came from the unlikely source of Bob Geldof – the former Boomtown Rat and Live Aid promoter, who told Late Late Show host Ryan Tubridy of the time he spent in Clare that helped him reconnect with Ireland and realise what he was missing.

“I went on a brief holiday a number of years ago to rediscover,” said Geldof.

“I’d forgotten how beautiful it was. I’d told my friends to lay out a plan – I want to do Ireland – but that I may not know the places to go. I went down to a couple of sessions in Ennis and I said to myself ‘I miss this so much. This is so cool’,” he added.

Geldof’s praise of Clare traditional music in Ennis – a reputation developed on the back on the huge success of the Fleadh Nua event in the 1970s – comes as amid a growing wish among Comhaltas Ceoltóirí activists that Clare be chosen as a Fleadh na hÉireann venue for the first time since 1976.

Geldof’s association with Clare dates back to the late 1980s when he became a key component in the efforts of the late Dr Brendan O’Regan at fostering world peace.

Along with media mogul Ted Turner, President Patrick Hillery and others, Geldof was a keynote speaker at the 1988 International Peace Conference organised by O’Regan’s Shannon-based Centre for International Cooperation.

THERE was celebrations in Liscannor over the weekend as Dennis Vaughan was crowned Irish Seafood Chef of the Year. Vaughan, who runs Vaughan’s Anchor Inn Bar and Seafood Restaurant in the village, was officially presented with the prestigious accolade by the Minister of State with responsibility for Fisheries, Sean Connick, last week.

“We are very happy to get the award. We have always aimed to produce the highest quality of seafood in the restaurant. It’s what we have always done, we were brought up on it with all the fishing so even from a very young age we have aimed to produce top quality seafood,” he told The Clare People yesterday.

“In the restaurant the focus was always primarily on fish. The total focus of the restaurant is on local fish and shell fish. We are one of the few restaurants in the country who proc ess all their own stuff – from crabs to prawns to fish – everything that we use comes in either on the bone or in the shell and we work with it from there. Everything is as it comes out of the sea.

“I think that the public do recognise a product. You could be in a restaurant beating yourself up and going down the road of putting cheaper products on the menu but I think you will lose the loyalty of people who come to you looking for that grade of product. It’s is about giving people what they want and not cutting any corners.

“We give it as good as we can give it, with a premium product that peo- ple seem to like and so far it is working out well for us.”

While a number of restaurants around the county have closed for the winter months or have installed limited opening hours, Vaughan’s Anchor Inn Bar and Seafood Restaurant has been able to remain open all year round, seven days a week.

Meanwhile, it was also being confirmed over the weekend that 13 Clare eateries have been named as part of the BIM Seafood Circle – with the majority of the chosen restaurants located in the north and west of the county.

There are currently 200 members of the Seafood Circle nationwide. It was set up to champion retail and hospitality outlets that offer the best quality seafood and service to customers.

THE West County Hotel, which forms part of the Clare-based Lynch group, will remain under Lynch management, the group’s managing director has confirmed.

The Clare Inn Hotel became the second hotel in the Lynch Hotel group to enter receivership along with the Breaffy House in Castlebar on Friday. Around 150 people are employed at the Clare Inn and Breaffy House.

Michael McAteer of Grant Thornton was appointed receiver last Friday. Pat McCann, founder of Maldron Hotels has been appointed to oversee the management of the Clare Inn and Breaffy House. Michael B Lynch told The Clare People on Monday that “The West County will remain under Lynch management and its business as usual.”

Mr Lynch added that the recent weeks “had been very difficult time” for everyone associated with the business.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Mr McAteer confirmed that, “Michael McAteer was appointed receiver of the Clare Inn Hotel in County Clare and at Breaffy House Resort in Castlebar in County Mayo on Friday, 28 January, 2011.

“As the appointed receiver, it is Mr McAteer’s duty to realise the maximum value from the assets over which he is charged, and discharge any receipts in accordance with the priorities as set out in the Companies Acts.”

In a statement last week, Mr Lynch said he will work with the receivers and the banks to ensure that the jobs are protected and that the affected hotels remain open.

He said, “We had a duty to move to protect the 500 employees’ jobs in our seven properties and do right by their families in these harsh economic times. It is with great regret that we have had to make this decision but I am happy that in our discussions with the bank and receiver we have secured a position where the properties will remain open and continue to trade.”

Mr Lynch said the decision of Bank of Scotland (Ireland) to withdraw from this market “had a serious impact” on its “ability to source working capital over the winter months”. The Lynch Hotel group successfully emerged from examinership in 2009.