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CLARE farmers are facing financial ruin this winter as one of the wettest Summers on record has stunted grass growth and now looks likely to cause a severe feed shortage this winter.

Indeed, reports from around the county indicate that some animals are still being housed in sheds at night in particularly wet areas.

According to figures released last week by Met Eireann, Shannon Air- port experienced its wettest July for more than 50 years, with twice the average rainfall being recorded.

“The weather has made the situ- ation very difficult for farmers al- ready this year, with grass growth well behind all year long. The land is as wet now, in August, as it usually is in mid-winter,’ said Clare IFA chair- man, Michael Lynch.

“Grass growth has been disastrous this year. Besides a short spurt in June, it has been behind all year and is putting farmers under real pres- sure.”

According to Mr Lynch, farmers have begun to offload stock in the last number of weeks as the weather means that they won’t have enough fodder to feed them this winter.

“The heavy rainfall has affected all of Clare but there are some areas where cattle have had to be rehoused and put back inside – which is un- thinkable,” continued Mr Lynch.

“We have seen farmers selling stock much, much earlier than they

normally would because of the fear of a lack of grass. It is essential for Clare farmers that the weather im- proves. A lot of farmers are counting on a good August to allow them to make their second cut of silage. ‘The first cut 1s already very light in a lot of areas and if the second cut is not better, then there could be ser1- ous problems. This is costing farm- ers money all over the place and it’s going to get worse unless the weather

improves drastically.”

According to Met Eireann, the wet July was caused by a series of Atlan- tic depressions tracking over Ireland. Despite the rain, there was some con- solation for sun-seekers, with higher than average sunshine also being re- corded at Shannon Airport.

Despite the record rainfall, Clare was spared the worst of the weather. Newport in County Mayo recorded a record 42mm of rain in a one-hour

spell last month, with Dublin Air- port’s wettest ever day long rainfall on record.

The Valentia Observatory also re- corded its wettest July since records began in the area in 1866.

A COMBINATION of factors is playing a role in extra pressure being exerted on Clare Haven.

The organisation provides support to female victims of physical and emotional abuse at its facility in En- nis and also at its outreach centres across the county.

As the organisation’s figures show that the numbers of women requir- ing help has increased significantly, Services Manager Denise Dunne says that an increased level of aware- ness has played a role.

Ms Dunne said that the statistics have increased, right across the board.

‘There is a combination of things. We have been doing a lot of aware- ness raising. We have been call- ing to doctors’ surgeries and health centres with our leaflets and posters. We have increased awareness of our service. The downturn in the econo- my has also played a role. We have a lot of women coming to us who are not well off,’ said Ms Dunne.

“I don’t think domestic violence has increased. I’m hoping people’s awareness has increased and people are less tolerant of it,’ she said.

Women visit the centre due to a number of reasons, such as emo- tional abuse, financial abuse, sexual abuse or social abuse.

“It covers not just physical abuse. It would be mostly physical abuse for those who come into the refuge. Peo- ple only come to the refuge as a last resort,’ said Ms Dunne.

Clare Haven engages in a number of initiatives, one of which 1s a pilot pro- gramme in schools and youthreach centres. The sessions are educational and the feedback from teachers and students alike has been positive.

“The more we can educate people around violence in general, the bet- ter,’ said Ms Dunne.

Many women seeking help from Clare Haven turn up at the refuge with their children. “If it’s danger-

ous to be at home, they will take the children with them. Lately we see a lot of older women coming in. Finan- cially, they wouldn’t have the means to alternative accommodation. A lot of the time, women are coming to the refuge waiting for a barring or- der, protection order or safety order (taken out in court),” she said.

While the majority of women visit- ing Clare Haven have been abused by their partners, others are abused by

their grown-up children.

She said that alcohol and drugs may play a role in abuse, but is not the only factor. “Certainly if alcohol and drugs are involved, it might exacer- bate the violence. It doesn’t cause it. We have plenty of clients coming in where the partner doesn’t abuse alco- hol or drugs,’ she added.

CLARECASTLE and _ Kilmaley joined Sixmilebridge and Newmar- ket in the Minor A semi-finals at the weekend when they accounted for Eire Og and Inagh/Kilnamona respectively in their quarter-final clashes. Clarecastle had five points to spare in their local derby with the Ennis side, with Clare minor Aaron Considine grabbing 1-10 in the 1-17 to 2-09 victory.

Leading from the outset, Clarecas- tle got an early boost when Consid- ine soloed through for a goal in the Sth minute to lead by I-2 to 0-1. He followed up with a free but Eire Og grabbed a lifeline in the 12th minute when goalkeeper Philly Walsh’s long free ended up in the Clarecastle net.

The Magpies reocvered well from that setback to pull four points clear once more but Eire Og refused to lie down and in the 27th minute, claimed a second major when a goamouth scramble was finished to the net.

Again Clarecastle responded im- mediately though with late points from Niall Quinn and Considine to lead by 1-10 to 2-04 at the break.

The second period was a seesaw af- fair with both sides going point for point for the majority as Clarecastle held a five point lead approaching the finish.

They still had to endure a nervy final few minutes before finally se- curing victory and had goalkeeper Jamie Coughlan to thank for an ex- cellent point blank save in the 56th minute.

Meanwhile, in Monday evening’s quarter-final, a Daire Keane goal in the 28th minute proved the dif- ference as Kilmaley knocked out defending champions Inagh/Kilna- mona on a scoreline of 1-15 to 0-14. That goal turned the game on it’s head as Kilmaley took a 1-5 to 0-6 lead into the interval and they held that slender advantage until the final minutes when a brace of points en- sured victory.

Kilmaley will now meet Newmar- ket-on-Fergus in the last four while last year’s finalists Sixmilebridge renew acquaintances with Clarecas- tle in the other semi-final in what is a repeat of last year’s minor league nue

THERE are two ways of looking at this minor final that saw Kilkenny complete a unique four-in-a-row of All-Ireland titles.

Either you can take the positive approach and promote the fact that Clare underage camogie are bridg- ing the gap at national level in reach- ing their second successive minor fi- nal and closing the margin from last year’s decider or alternatively you can despair at the fact that realistical- ly Clare never looked like capturing a historic first title after Kilkenny’s superior movement and ruthlessness up front produced five first half goals to lead by 13 points at the break.

Either way it’s difficult to grumble with the result that re-enforces Kil- kenny’s hold at underage level. They thoroughly deserved their victory and ultimately revelled in the wide open space of Semple Stadium.

Clare, for their part, never dropped their heads at any stage and should be commended for taking the game to their opponents in the second pe- riod, outscoring Kilkenny by 2-4 to O-5. However, the nightmare of the first half left them with far too much to do after Kilkenny had hit them for five goals.

Clare will point to a luckless first period when Shonagh Enright twice hit the woodwork with goal efforts and they also had two half chances in the second half, both of which were denied by the Kilkenny full-back line. In addition, the refereeing was erratic at times but in truth, Clare got the rub of those decisions as much as Kilkenny over the hour.

Clare started with seven of last year’s side while the defending champions had six survivors but in order to break their Kilkenny hoo- doo, Clare craved a good start.

Instead, however, it was Kilkenny who took the initiative from the out- set with full-forward Denise Gaule converting a 50 metre free after only 40 seconds before adding a goal in the third minute. The decision for the goal was harsh in the extreme as Anne Marie McMahon was pulled up for over-carrying when the ma- jority of the crowd assumed she had earned the free herself.

It came after Karen Duggan passed to Gaule close to goal and when her shot was batted clear by goalkeeper Ailish Considine, McMahon caught the ball but was adjudged to have over-carried and Gaule crashed the resultant 20 metre free to the net.

Clare’s response was swift and just as effective as Shonagh Enright dis- possessed full-back Alison Walsh and offloaded to the unmarked Rot- sin O’Brien who found the net but crucially Kilkenny cancelled it out in the next passage of play through Michelle Farrell to lead by 2-1 to 1-0 by the seventh minute.

Three Shonagh Enright frees were equally matched by Gaule (2) and Michelle Farrell by the 22nd minute before Kilkenny upped the ante again with well-worked goals from Gaule and Claire Phelan.

By now, Kilkenny’s full-forward line had totted up the entire 4-5 total between them and it forced Clare to

alter their last line by moving Chloe Morey to her more natural position of centre-back in a switch with sub- stitute Carol Kaiser.

With Morey now influencing great- ly, Clare began to open up and play and it was one of those clearances that sent Shonagh Enright through on goal, only to see her shot some- how kept out by a combination of goalkeeper Emma Staunton and the post in the 28th minute.

That miss was magnified only sec- onds later when Gaule handpassed to Aisling Phelan for her second goal of the game but it didn’t derail a resur-

gent Clare who created another goal chance soon afterwards but this time, Enright was denied by the crossbar as a luckless Clare went in trailing by 5-5 to 1-4 at the interval.

Three further points had Kilkenny 16 points clear by the 36th minute but credit Clare for their response as they stopped the supply to the Kilkenny full-forward line and proceeded to outscore Kilkenny by 2-4 to O-2 for the remainder.

Shonagh Enright finally got her just reward in the 38th minute when she received a pass from Katie Cahill to flick past goalkeeper Staunton and

after two more points, Roisin McMa- hon cut the deficit to nine when she gathered a break to rifle a ball to the net via the stick of the goalkeeper by the 54th minute.

Despite the brave fightback how- ever, time was ultimately against them as Kilkenny emptied the bench to hang on for the remaining minutes to claim their fourth All-Ireland title in a row and condemn Clare to their second successive final defeat.

Whether you took the positive or negative viewpoint of this final, mor- al victories are of scant consolation to this group of players.

THEY certainly made hard work of it but Cratloe’s second win of the championship on Sunday puts them within touching distance of a place in the semi-finals. Leading for the majority, a nervy last quarter saw them ship four unanswered points to only lead by the minimum approach- ing the finish before a 54th minute Cathal McInerney goal sealed the win for the south east Clare side.

Cratloe, who had a sizeable repre- sentation from both their minor win- ning side of last year along with their current Under 21 side who are due to meet Ennistymon in the A decider in their side, were full of energy and running but found it difficult to keep the experience of Kilmurry Ibrick- ane at bay.

That was mainly due to their waste- ful shooting that saw them kick 13 wides over the hour in contrast to Kilmurry Ibrickane’s one miss but at the same time, the fact that they had so many opprortunities demon- strates the amount of possession they enjoyed.

A bright start saw Cratloe surge two points clear by the sixth minute through Cathal McInerney and Pad- raigh Chaplin as Kilmurry Ibrickane took time to adjust to Cratloe’s tactic of using Paudge Collins as an extra midfielder.

Aidan Moloney opened Kilmurry Ibrickane’s account a minute later before the game had to be stopped for five minutes after a nasty clash of heads between Wesley Deloughery and Martin O’Connor that saw both players replaced.

That stoppage seemed to disrupt Cratloe’s flow and Kilmurry Ibrick- ane took full advantage when they produced a goal at the turn of the Opening quarter. It came after Sea- mus Lynch played an inch perfect crossfield pass into the path of Paul O’ Dwyer who found the net and they

could have grabbed a second only seconds later when Barry Lynch weaved his way along the left endline but his shot was saved by goalkeeper Jamie Joyce.

A relieved Cratloe did recover though and after Joseph O’Connor’s free had reduced the deficit to the minimum in the 21st minute, Cratloe manufactured a goal of their own ina

superb counter-attack move. Break- ing down a Kilmurry I[brickane at- tack, the ball was moved upfield where Padriagh Chaplin did well to keep the ball in play by the right touchline and it was his pass to the overlapping Martin ‘Oige’ Murphy that attracted the defence before the wing-back passed across the square for the waiting Cathal McInerney to

finish. By the break, Cratloe enjoyed a two point advantage at 1-4 to 1-2 and they built on that on the restart to push five clear with further points from minors Paudge Collins (2) and Conor Ryan by the 38th minute.

It should have cemented the win but perhaps it was their lack of experi- ence that saw them take their foot off the gas and Kilmurry Ibrickane, led

by Aidan Moloney almost grabbed something out of the game. With Cratloe misfiring, Kilmurry Ibrick- ane kicked four unanswered points, three from Moloney to slash the ad- vatage to only a point by the 52nd minute.

Cratloe’s nerves were finally eased when Conor Ryan found Cathal McInerney for his second goal in the 54th minute, a score that finally killed off Kilmurry Ibrickane’s chal- lenge.

While Cratloe have one foot in the semi-finals, Kilmurry Ibrickane’s campaign isn’t over yet either. How- ever, if they are to force a play-off, they will need to beat O’Callaghan’s Mills and hope that Cratloe maintain their perfect start against St Breck- an’s.

CLARE’S Kieren Fallon has issued a challenge to Frankie Dettori ahead of his comeback from suspension in September — calling on the Italian to go head-to-head with himself and reigning champion Ryan Moore for the British jockeys title in 2010.

The six-times champion jockey and multiple Classic winner makes his eagerly-awaited return to the sad- dle next month following his well- publicised suspension for failing a drug test in France, and is intent on regaining his crown from Moore, but also wants his long-time rival Det- tori to be up for battle.

“Frankie and I have a good rela- tionship and a healthy rivalry in the saddle and | think it is sad that he doesn’t ride more than he does,” Fal- lon revealed.

“T will be going all out to win the jockeys’ championship off Ryan Moore in 2010, and it should be some battle. But the icing on the cake would be if Frankie set his stall out and took us on as well.

“IT remember that amazing battle between Steve Cauthen and Pat Ed- dery in 1987 when “The Kid’ (Cau- then) won on the final day of the season, and of course more recently when Jamie Spencer and Seb Sand- ers shared the title.

‘The public love to see these battles that go on over a whole season. What it needs is for someone to put up a really big pot and really promote the concept.

“T would love to take on Frankie and Ryan. It would be great for the three of us, and without sounding sentimental, it would be fantastic for Flat racing in Britain.

‘So come on you gents in authority, how about setting it up,” he added.

Fallon has kept active during his suspension by riding out horses for Sir Michael Stoute.

And while the watery skies might have tried to flood the festival out, there was still a lively interest in free boats trips on the river, courtesy of Waterways Ireland.

The outdoor market carried on bravely, and one thing that the weather couldn’t ruin was the music and the craic that was evident in the pubs in the town.

Unusual skills were one aspect of the festival that visitors found fasci- nating, regardless of the weather.

A two-man Donegal-type currach was built over the festival weekend

to give the public a chance to see this ancient Irish tradition in action.

By the 1970s and ‘80s, currach fishing out of west Clare was dy- ing out and the traditional wooden hull covered by hide or canvas and painted with tar was replaced by fi- bre glass. Recognising the need to protect its heritage, local fishermen and boatbuilders decided to build a local-style currach and pass on asso- ciated skills including the language and terms that go with it. Six boats were built over a two-year period with the help of a LEADER-funded programme and were made avail- able to regatta clubs along the Clare coastline.

In the week running up to the festi- val, another currach – this time a west Clare type – was constructed by by 23 young people from west Belfast and east Clare as part of an initiative funded by the Leargas Causeway Youth Exchange Programme, and with the support of Waterways Ire- land. The young people also took part in a range of other activities aimed at promoting integration, exploring diversity and building relationships. “The Scariff Harbour Festival is es- pecially proud to give a new genera- tion of young people, both north and south of the border, an opportunity to learn these skills and hopefully to carry them with them for a lifetime,” said Mike Rodgers, Chairman of the Harbour Festival Organising Com- nap LAKoten

AVENUE United face off against some of the best teams in the coun- try this week when they compete in the fifth international Umbro Galway Citi}

The Ennis club have been drawn against Templeogue United, Salt- hill Devon and the Gawlay District League in Group A in the under 13 section of the competition.

The tournament will take place at Drom Soccer Park, home of Salthill Devon FC, in Galway City and will run from August 5-8. The Galway Cup is aimed at talented soccer play- ers from 12 to 17 years of age. It at- tracts teams from the UK, the US, Canada, Mexico, the Middle East and Europe, as well as a strong rep- resentation of Irish clubs. The aim of the Galway Cup is to bring inter- national class teams together to test them against quality opposition to develop their skills.

Thousands of spectators are ex- pected from Ireland and overseas to capture the action in Drom Soccer Park. Tickets can be purchased at the entrance gate each day.

“The Galway Cup is now in its fifth

successive year and is considered one of the leading underage soccer competitions around the globe’, said Liam Brady, FAI. “This tournament offers the FAI and overseas repre- sentatives the opportunity to assess players who are on the fringe of the international squad. It also gives the best of our home grown talent a real opportunity to perform at the high- est levels and showcase their ability in front of scouts from the UK and Ireland.”

The Failte Ireland Elite U13 Group includes the first Mexican entrant to the cup from Mexico, Sports Clinic which is associated with Cruz Azul, one of the top Mexican sides. Other teams include the Donegal School Boys, Athlone, North Tipperary, St. Kevins Boys, F.C. Carlow and Gal- way. Salthill Devon enters into this Elite section having won the Galway & District League Cup, and the Con- nacht Cup in 2008-2009.

Fiona Monaghan, General Man- ager Failte Ireland West Region, said, “Failte Ireland is delighted to partner with the Umbro Galway Cup as sponsor of the U13 Elite Tourna- ment. The Umbro Galway Cup is one of the key events on the sporting

calendar in the West of Ireland and has gained strong international rec- ognition since its inception five years ago. Failte Ireland West region has positioned itself as the outdoor and activity region of Ireland and this sponsorship is in line with our stra- tegic goals. The Umbro Galway Cup is a great opportunity to promote the West Region as a destination for sporting events combined with activ- ity based holidays to a wide audience and to showcase Galway as a fam- ily friendly holiday destination with plenty to do for all ages. We look forward to welcoming the players and their families both from home and overseas to Galway in early Au- gust”.

This year Lifestyle Sports and Fail- te Ireland have signed up as “Elite Group” sponsors. Lifestyle Sports will be sponsoring the UI5 Elite competition which includes the FAI Emerging Talent Squad and leading UK clubs such as Sunderland, Ful- ham, Leicester City, Ipswich Town and Aberdeen. Cherry Orchard and St. Joseph’s Boys will represent the DDSL and leading Norwegian Club, Valerenga will also compete for the UI15 Elite Cup.

Clare Shell protester jailed

CLARE’S championship challenge came to a grinding halt on Satur- day as an experienced Wexford side eased to a comfortable victory in east Clare. Essentially this was a straight semi-final play-off as both sides had started the day on level points in the eroup, the 2007 All-Ireland champi- ons led from start to finish and gave Clare another hurling lesson of the standard required at the top level. Wexford’s smooth interplay and scoring ability up front were the main differences between the sides and Clare, aside from a gritty second quarter, were never allowed to settle into their stride. The margin could have been greater too only for anoth- er superb display from centre-back Deirdre Murphy who never threw in the towel at any stage and in truth, the entire defensive unit coped admi- rably considering that the game was predominantly played in their half. Clare were also tactically naive, especially in the first half with the aid of a stiff breeze that blew to- wards Tuamgraney as they opted to use Claire Commane as a third mid- fielder. While it did work to an extent as the Corofin player gathered a lot of possession, it also took away any threat close to goal as the majority of Clare’s supply went straight down the centre to the spare Wexford player. In a period when Clare were firmly on top and battling to get back into the game, this was hurling suicide and seemed an impulsive tactic to Wexford’s bright start of five un- answered points. Also if Clare had

rehearsed it beforehand, they would have surely been drilled to play eve- rything down the wings and keep the ball away from the spare player at full-back.

Clare did manage to score their only three scores of the game through Sharon O’Loughlin (2) and Fiona Lafferty during this period but with the majority of the forward line below par, essentially they needed a goal to instill some belief but in truth, it never looked like coming due to Wexford’s extra defender.

Instead, Wexford simply soaked up the pressure, weathered the storm and tacked on a brace of points before the breakthrough to lead by O-7 to O-3. With the stong breeze to come, Wex- ford would have been quite content

with their lofty position but it was only when Michelle Hearne weaved through the Clare defence for Wex- ford’s first goal in the 39th minute that Clare’s heads finally began to drop. The home side received sev- eral warning signs on the restart with Josie Dwyer’s pull going just wide of the post, Katrina Parrock’s effort grazing the top of the crossbar while Una Leacy’s shot was saved by Clare goalkeeper Denise Lynch. However she could do nothing about the goal as Parrock attracted several defend- ers before offloading to Hearne who shipped a tackle before rifling to the net from close range.

That goal sucked the life out of Clare’s challenge and for the remain- der, it was damage limitation stuff

for the home side who rarely got out of their own half. Five more points would be added before Wexford’s second goal, a carbon copy of the first as substitute Lenny Holohan played in the unmarked Parrock to goal in the 56th minute. Clare prayed for the final whistle but had to en- dure a brace of Kate Kelly points first before realising that eventuality as Wexford march on to a semi-final meeting with defedning champions Cork.

Hardly the way Clare would have wanted to end their campaign but it was never expected to be anything other than a difficult first season back at the top level.

How they actually take those les- sons on board will be much more

significant for Clare’s long term de- velopment.