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Maverick McCabe stepping into the ring

SINCE January of this year, the Building Energy Rating (BER) scheme has been extended to cover all residential property. This means a BER certificate is now legally re- quired when selling or renting hous- es and apartments.

Roger Leyden of Leyden Auction- eers Ennis, is a qualified BER As- sessor, accredited by Sustainable En- ergy Ireland (SEI). He explains, “A BER Cert rates the energy efficiency of a property. The Cert is designed to make it easier for prospective buyers or tenants to calculate how efficient a property is to heat.

Anyone selling or renting resi- dential property is now obliged to provide a BER Cert and solicitors require a BER Cert as part of the documentation needed to close the sale of a property”.

The good news is that the Cert re- mains valid for ten years from the date of issue, unless there is a ma- terial change to the building, which could affect its energy performance, for example an extension or a sig- nificant change to the building fabric or a change in the heating system or fuel used.

Although there has been much con- troversy about the cost of certifica- tion, Roger commented that while he could not speak for others, “we oper- ate a three- tiered pricing structure. A BER survey and certificate for an apartment is €225, which includes

the €25 obligatory fee to the SEI. We charge €250 for a semi-detached or town house and €275 for a larger detached house of up to 2,000 sq. ft

— again those prices are inclusive of price”.

the SEI fee.

For landlords with a portfolio of | with properties to sell is, “don’t wait

properties, Roger will “negotiate on

His advice to landlords and those

until the last minute to get your BER

cert in order, after all, once issued it remains valid for ten years”.

Roger 1s critical of the Govern- ment’s performance in communicat- ing this scheme to the general pub- lic.

“The Ratings are graded from Bands A- G, ‘A’ being the highest level of energy efficiency. Most of the second hand houses that are 10 to 15 years old, are commonly re- ceiving a C or D rating and many of the owners are disappointed by what they perceive to be a low rating, but that’s as much as they should expect because to make the leap to an ‘A’ rating they would need to have so- lar panels and geo-thermal heating installed and that is the exception rather than the norm’, said Roger.

He issued a word of caution to landlords, “Storage rads, which are prevalent in so many apartments greatly reduce energy efficiency and they alone can bring the ratings right Kenyan lee

From now on letting agencies will have to include the energy rating of all apartments and houses on their books, so landlords should act sooner rather than later to get their proper- ties assessed.

Roger’s final word of advice is to “ensure your BER assessor 1s regis- tered with the SEI, otherwise your Cert will not be valid”.

A RESEARCH and development di- vision of the Intel computer corpo- ration based in Shannon more than doubled its operating profit to $1 million to the end of 2007.

But according to accounts recently returned to the Companies Office, Intel Shannon Ltd incurred a pre-tax loss of $10.6 million after writing off a capital contribution to a subsidiary costed at $12 million.

The Shannon site is the European research and development arm of Intel’s Digital Enterprise Group (DEG).

According to the figures, the com- pany increased its turnover by 16% from $24 million to $28 million while cost of sales increased by 19% from $20.7 million to $24.8 million.

The company’s pre-tax loss of $10.6 million followed a pre-tax profit of $611,843 for the previous year.

The accounts show that the com- pany had accumulated funds of $11.1 million. This followed a non-refund- able capital contribution from Intel Ireland Ltd of $12 million. No divi- dend was paid during the year.

The site in Shannon hosts a number of divisions focusing on_ server chipset, security and communication silicon and software design and pro- vides business, technical and market- ing support for European customers and field sales.

Intel Shannon employs 103 of its 142 employees in R&D with the re- mainder engaged in management and administration

Its parent company, Intel Corpora- tion, is the world’s leading semicon- ductor chip maker, employing over 80,000 people worldwide, and sup- plying the computing and communi- cations industries with chips, boards, systems and software building blocks that are integral to computers, serv- ers, networking and communications products.

The company’s Shannon and Leix- lip plants work in close association and together launched the first com- munications processor to be fully de- signed developed and manufactured in Ireland.

The design and development of the [XP425 processor was carried out by ICE in Shannon before being manu- factured in Leixlip.

Intel Ireland employs over 5,000 employees at its Leixlip campus and the corporation’s overall investment in its Irish operation is in the region of €5 billion

Shannon is the European base for the embedded businesses of DEG and home to the technical marketing and business development teams.

In relation to risks facing the com- pany, the directors state that legal action by third parties and loss of, or damage to the company’s fixed as- sets are the principal risk factors that could materially and adversely affect the company’s future operating protf- its or financial position.

IT’S days like this that Bunratty real- ly earn their badge as league leaders. A tricky away tie to newly promoted Bridge United, torrential rain, a driv- ing wind and treacherous underfoot conditions combined to thwart the form side of the division but through Sheer obstinance and determination, Bunratty dug in to complete their sixth successive league victory.

The key to the victory was strik- ing early and catching the home side cold. Bridge Utd have struggled to adjust to the top division this season but with a plethora of games in hand and coming into some decent form recently, they would have felt confi- dent in taking on the league leaders at home. Undoubtedly, their team talk would have consisted of keep- ing things tight in the early stages in order to frustrate Bunratty but that plan went out the window as early as the third minute when Con Collins stooped at the back post to guide a curling David Hogan free kick into the left corner of the net.

With Bunratty backed by a strong breeze, it was a sucker-punch for the home side who had to resort to long balls to their lively front pair- ing of Trevor Maxwell and Derek Fahy. Instead, Bunratty used the lead and wind advantage to control the midfield with Shane O’Connor pre- dominantly foraging alone up front as Peter Ballough dropped deep to make a midfield five. It worked well

as Ballough found space in the hole between United’s defence and mid- field but despite a 12th minute effort that went straight at goalkeeper Tuo- hy, the Oscar Traynor player often preferred to become provider rather than striker.

It took the home side 25 minutes to produce their first clearcut oppor- tunity but after a neat build up that saw playmaker Greg Deegan set up Tadgh Keogh at the edge of the box, the midfielder blazed his shot over deem KOlis10y- 0

As the half wore on though, Bun- ratty began to up the tempo and it had to take some brave defending to keep them at bay. In the 34th minute, a Noel Collins inswinging corner had to be clawed away by goalkeeper Paul Tuohy and the subsequent shots were repelled by the Bridge defence. Then in the space of a minute, Bun- ratty had two efforts deflected to safety, first from Con Collins which ended up in Tuohy’s arms while the second from Shane O’Connor just squirmed wide of the right hand post Kou mee) ute

Bridge Utd meanwhile had to de- pend on counter-attacks and right before half-time, the ball fell nicely to winger Geoffrey Flynn but his shot held up in the mud, much to the delight of Bunratty keeper Gary Mc- Gettrick.

The second half was a complete transformation as it was the home side who now had the advantage of the gale that blew towards the vil-

lage. They were also helped by the fact that Bunratty goalscorer Con Collins was substituted at the break and right winger Ryan Kelly soon followed after picking up a knock PNM RABE O MU eComOr-N Ee

In fact, Bridge Utd could have equalised as early as the first minute when Greg Deegan’s free kick was spilled by McGettrick but neither Trevor Maxwell or Tadgh Keogh could reach the ball in time. It did give the home side confidence how- ever, and even though Bunratty did have a goal ruled off for offside, it was a rare attack in a sea of United pressure

For all their endeavour though, the Sixmulebridge side’s final ball was repeatedly disappointing and Max- well and Fahy seemed to receive the ball in non-threatening areas and had to feed off scraps. There were several goalmouth scrambles but McGettrick was rather untroubled in goal and it led to increasing frustration for the home side.

In fact, for all Bridge Utd’s pressure, it was Bunratty who arguably creat- ed the best chances of the half, with Ballough the main threat. In the 63rd minute, his effort from distance went straight at Tuohy and twenty minutes later, he produced the best out of the Bridge goalkeeper with two succes- sive shots, the first from a free kick that was tipped over the bar and the second a stinging attempt from that set piece that made Tuohy scramble through the mud to save at the front

post. Substitue Christy Griffin also had a late effort saved but there was still time for one final opportunity for Bridge Utd when Derek Fahy re- ceived the ball at the edge of the area but his curling effort just evaded the top of the crossbar.

Bunratty’s relief was compounded by the news that Bridge Celtic had beaten second placed Lifford, thus Open up a seven point gap for the leaders at the summit. It’s still early days yet and their other rivals still have games in hand but if Bunratty can keep churning out results lke this, it will be difficult to stop them.

LAST week the county A doubles juvenile champonships took place at various venues in the county and culminated with the finals on Satur- day and Sunday in Clarecastle and Clooney.

On Saturday in Clarecastle, it was extra busy as the under 11 league commenced. Three teams took part in a round robin fixture namely Clarecastle A & B and Tuamgraney. All the youngsters who participated on the day showed great potential for the game which is an advantage and encouraging for Clare handball. Clarecastle A bt Clarecastle B by 72- 59 and then they beat Tuamgraney OAL

At the same venue two county dou- bles finals were contested, namely the under 12 A and under 14 A. First up was the under 12 competition in which Fergal and Natasha Coughlan of Clooney took on Padraig McNa- mara and Sean Cotter of O’Callaghan Mills. This contest went down to the wire before the O’Callaghan’s Mills pair won the decisive third game by 15-12.

The under 14 A final was more clearcut with Barry Nash and Patrick Fitzgerald of Tuamgraney beating Colin Crehan and Pat McMahon of O’Callaghan’s Mills on a 15-13, 15-8 scoreline.

The under 13 final was an all

O’Callaghan’s Mills affair, with Sean Donnellan and Ciaran Cooney scor- ing a 15-13 and 15-6 win over Jacob Loughnane and Pat O’Brien.

Second up on the card was the un- der 15 A Doubles final which was contested between Evan Corbett and Niall Bolton of Tulla and Keith Hog- an and Orlaith Duggan of Clooney. It went the Tulla pair’s way on a 21-16, 21-10 scoreline.

The final contest of the day saw the big guns of Newmarket-on-Fergus, Chris Ryan and Liam Clancy take on home favourites Ryan O’Neill and Joe Clune.

The Clooney pair held the early advantage until the scales tipped in Newmarket’s favour when Chris Ryan stepped up a gear to clinch the first game on a 21-17 scoreline.

They then added the second on a 21-15 scoreline to clinch the title. The under 16 doubles final was post- poned due to illness of one of the fey anh olein Key Ece

On the adult scene, Shane and Ciaran Walsh of Tuamgraney pro- gressed in the Junior B provincial championships with a well deserved win over Tipperary.

Clare’s John Nihill of Clooney re- ceived a walkover aganist his oppo- nent and proceeds to the next round in the Masters B singles champion- ships when he takes on John Mc- Donagh from Cork in his semi-final Coe

2008 will go down in the annals of the club as the year of the breakthrough at senior level — the culmination of a long road travelled since the club had its maiden voyage in 1994.

Under manager Joe Reidy, trainer Gerry Keane and selection commit- tee JJ O’Dea, Patricia Ryan, Dr. Paul McKenna and Pat Crotty the senior team laid down a marker very early on that they meant business.

Undefeated in the senior league the team progressed to a final victory over West Clare Gaels and team cap- tain Michelle Delaney became the first Banner Ladies player to lift a Clare senior trophy.

More was to come however with the club remaining undefeated through- out the Eleven-A-Side Championship which culminated with a Banner La- dies victory over Fergus Rovers on a 4-5 to 2-2 score line.

The Banner Ladies then entered the All Ireland Intermediate Sevens Championship and despite not hav- ing the services of their Clare county panellists the team went all the way to the All Ireland Shield final and were decidedly unlucky to lose to

Cork divisional side Beara on a 4-4 to 4-6 score line.

But best was served last with the crowning glory of the senior county final win over West Clare Gaels. In the group stages victories were

Secured over Miltown, West Clare Gaels and Cooraclare to earn a sem1- final spot. Crusheen were the semi- final opponents and the Banner la- dies emerged victorious on a 4-15 to 3-4 score line.

The club had reached only its sec- ond senior final ever and this time there was to be no regrets as the Banner Ladies overcame final op- ponents West Clare Gaels by 2-10 to Q-8. It was a magnificent sight to see

Michelle Delaney raise the county championship trophy in the spiritual home of Clare ladies football in Co- Oe A elu

The Banner raised once more in 2008

FEARS have been expressed that the Clare County Board’s desire to em- brace technology through having an up-to-date website could lead to the board being held to ransom by un- scrupulous web designers.

That was the claim made by county board secretary Pat Fitzgerald af- ter Wolfe Tones delegate Joe Kelly requested that for the coming sea- son up-to-date league tables posted weekly on claregaa.ie.

However, in response Fitzgerald pointed out that this could prove too costly in the short-term, while he also claimed that handing over the responsibility for updating the web- site to an outside authority could ex- pose the board to longterm financial loss.

“My concern is that if you hand something like that to a company

that in two years time it could cost this board about €10,000,” said Fit- zgerald.

“Tt would be irresponsible for me to

put a board or a group in the future in the hands of somebody that can hold you to ransom. Our view, it 1s a bit over the top to give that money

to build the software, but it does give you independence, it does give the Clare County Board jurisdiction over their future going forward.

“We could hand over control of it to an outside body who in my opin- ion, when they get it all up and run- ning, could charge telephone figures. It would be irresponsible for us as a board to allow that to happen,” he added.

The new Clare GAA website only went online early last year, but since then has had many teething prob- lems. The site fails to provide contact details and information relating to club secretaries, something that was included in the original claregaa.ie site that was taken down off the web last year.

A major new fundraising drive among the Clare GAA public will be necessary to pay for redevelopment works at Cusack Park, delegates to last Thursday night’s special meeting of the county board heard.

As the county board continues to consider its options after the En- nis Town Council decision to turn down a re-zoning application for the Cusack Park site, county board sec- retary Pat Fitzgerald revealed that “fundraising” was the only way to pay for remedial works at the county grounds in the short-term.

“We are doing the drainage again — it only lasts for a certain amount of time. It is going to be an expensive one,” warned Fitzgerald. “I think we will be putting another fundraising drive in place — that’s the only way it can be done. The money isn’t there, end of story. Once you do anything in a structural situation the money has to be found,” he added.

This plea for financial help harks back to the County Grounds fund- raising drive of 30 years ago when a £200,000 investment in Cusack Park was made possible thanks to a Debenture Loan Scheme among the public that had a target of raising £50,000.

Meanwhile, county board chairman Michael O’Neill revealed work on Cusack Park is an ongoing project, but stressed that the board was still keen to explore the possibility of finding a new site within the Ennis catchment area to develop a new Cu- sack Park.

“We have done some remedial work

on the pitch itself,’ he revealed. “We will have to carry out a lot of work there in the next month to six weeks. We don’t even have that length of time to have the park ready for some big matches in the National League. We have to spend a few pounds, that’s the way it Is.

“We haven’t moved too far yet on looking for other grounds within the environs of Ennis, but we are look-

ing at other potential sites as we were asked to do so by the Ennis Town Sonia

“We are pursuing that, but it is fair to say that we are living in differ- ent times that we were this time last year, but we’re not going to give up on anything. You can take it that Cu- sack Park will be quite good before the year is out and will be well wor- thy of playing matches on it. That’s

all I have to say on the park,’ O’ Neill added.

THE crowd disturbance that marred the end of last July’s Munster Under 21 hurling final between Clare and Tipperary has roared to public atten- tion again this week — all because the GAA authorities have issued a stark warning to the Clare County Board to get its house in order or run the risk of facing heavy fines and losing out on big-time fixtures at Cusack Park.

On Thursday, county board secre- tary Pat Fitzgerald admitted to club delegates from around the county that the GAA authorities have rapped Clare on the knuckles over the stew- arding arrangements in place for the provincial decider that ended in a

welter of controversy when Limer- ick referee Jason O’ Mahony awarded Tipperary a match-winning 65-metre free.

‘There was a lot of discussion here about the Under 21 final, but the next time we have a big game we have to have ourselves organised. We will not get away with what we did be- fore,” said Fitzgerald.

“T can tell you that that’s coming from way higher than us and we have to comply. I hope and I know that Clare was never found wanting in the past and we won’t be this time.

“We have given a commitment that there will be a team of stewards put in place and trained and ready for 1

Fitzgerald’s words of warning about

the county board’s responsibility for dealing with potential crowd trouble at Cusack Park were echoed by the chairman of the Clare GAA’s Facili- ties Committee, John Fawl.

“It is coming from other higher au- thorities. We are not going to be let away with what we did with Tipper- ary and Clare in the Under 21. We have to be able to control these situa- tions,” he said.

To this end, the county board have appealed for clubs to come for- ward with names to boost steward- ing numbers at Cusack Park for big games. “We would be asking clubs to go back and look at potential people to help to manage fixtures in Cusack Park,” said Pat Fitzgerald.

“We have some games come up in

the near future. We now have to have stewards who are trained and who know what they are doing. The next two weeks we will be hoping to put together a group of 20 or 30.

‘We would ask that the people are nominated are suitable for the job — not just a name.

“We all realise what happened in the past and it is important that when it does come down to it that we put people forward who are going to be are capable of doing the job when the time is right,” Fitzgerald added.