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A RESIDENT in Shannon is oppos- ing plans to demolish a local com- munity hall. People living in the Drumgeely area of the town want to see their local hall, Park Hall, demolished and another one built to replace it.

They say that the hall has become derelict and has become a haven for anti-social behaviour in its existing State.

The hall has not been used for a considerable length of time and they say that it is of no benefit to any- body.

However, resident Terry Kelly, who has lived in Corrib Drive for more

than 20 years, is opposed to this and wants the existing hall redeveloped.

“It doesn’t make sense to me to have it demolished and to have noth- ing put in its place. My intention is to fight for something in this area,” he said.

“Corrib Drive would be one of the early areas in Shannon. To me there is a greater need now for community development as people are getting old and can’t travel too far from their homes,” he added.

Fine Gael Town Councillor Sean McLoughlin raised a query on the matter at a meeting of the Shannon electoral area committee last month.

“It is an anti-social attraction. If it is derelict, it should be knocked and

identify a more suitable site for a community hall for meeting rooms. It is needed. There is no point in hav- ing it there if it is beyond repair,” he said, at the time.

He was told, in a written response from Senior Executive Officer Michael McNamara, that several years ago, Shannon Development had agreed arrangements for the lease of the hall to Shannon Youth Service Sonia

‘The council has had no input into the operation of the facility since the transfer of the town and does not re- ceive a rent in relation to the prop- erty,’ he said.

He pointed out the council will meet with representatives of the

committee responsible for the hall, “to ascertain current status and seek to address any relevant issues.”

Cllr McLoughlin told

A NATIONAL funding project, which is expected to be scrapped, could spell bad news for the pro- posed arts centre in Shannon.

The provision of an arts centre in the town has been on the cards for several years. However, it will be de- pendent on funding.

According to the mayor of Shan- non, Councillor Gerry Flynn (Ind), the “Gateway Innovation Fund’ is to

come to an end.

The fund was put in place to facili- tate regional community initiatives and was to pump €3 million into projects across the country between now and 2010.

It was hoped that money would be funded for the Shannon arts centre under this initiative.

Cllr Flynn said he was in receipt of a report that suggested the scheme was going to be scrapped.

“T think it spells alarm bells for us.

We were hoping for funding under that,” said Cllr Flynn.

He said the centre ties in with the master plan for Shannon and given the economic downturn, he had fears for the overall project.

“It was an area of funding that put forward the idea of regional and bal- anced initiatives. For TC2 and TC3 (the master plan for Shannon), there is every chance the developers we have on standby might decide not to develop. It cuts down our options,”

he said.

However, Cllr Patricia McCarthy (Ind) pointed out that while it was 1m- portant for the arts centre to be built, there were other potential sources of funding. “It is going to challenge us. It was a potential source of revenue, but not the only source of revenue,” she said.

Sixmilebridge-based Cllr John Crowe said the revelation was a “bombshell”, given that so much work had been put into the centre.

A RESCUE operation was launched after a man got into difficulty while snorkeling in Kilkee on Saturday.

The man, in his mid 20s and from Limerick, suffered a bruise to his forehead and cut to his nose after he appeared to misjudge the depth of the water and hit the rocks.

A rescue operation, involving Kil- kee Marine Rescue, Shannon coast- guard helicopter, ambulance services and local gardai, was sprung into ac-

tion and the man was flown to Cork University Hospital.

Manuel Di Lucia of Kilkee Ma- rine Rescue said it was the first time a helicopter landed on the Pollock Holes.

‘Because of the nature of his inju- ries, we felt it was not a good idea to have him moved by ambulance,” said Mr Di Lucia.

Initial fears were that the man had sustained a spinal injury, but this was not so and he was later discharged from hospital.

THE newly established Miultown Malbay Farmers’ Market is looking for a new venue.

The market, which began in June, is having trouble sustaining operations in it’s current location and 1s appeal- ing for any local group of business

people who may have a suitable loca- tion to get in contact.

“We are operating in the Miltown Business Centre at the moment and we are having a lot of problems with itin terms of accessibility,’ said mar- ket secretary Kate Harrin.

“The market is going well and we are really appealing to anyone who

might have a suitable venue to let us know.

“If there was any suitable outdoor space, possibly with access to elec- tricity, it would be ideal.”

The market takes place on Friday evenings and has created a lot of lo- cal interest despite the difficulty in finding a suitable location.

PRESSURE continues to mount on Ennis Town Council to solve parking difficulties caused by ongoing con- struction work in the Parnell Street car park.

Traders and taxi drivers operating in the area say that the reduction in car-parking space brought about as a result of the works is contributing to a gradual but noticeable decline in business activity.

Figures put forward be representa- tives of the Parnell Street Trader’s association at the July meeting of Ennis Town Council suggested that as many as 13 businesses have closed in recent months.

The Office of Public Works (OPW) commenced work on the upper section of the Ennis Flood Relief Scheme two months ago.

The main works include the con- struction of new river walls and three dedicated surface water pumping stations at Island car park, Parnell Street car park and Mill Road

Brendan Rochford owner of Roch- ford’s pharmacy located on Parnell Street, said the loss of 26 parking spaces is having a major impact on the area.

He said, “The work that is being done is needed and 1s definitely wel- come but there is no doubt that it has created definate obstacles for busi- eas

“If the Council were able to provide alternative areas for parking within the town for staff then that would free up quite a lot of space for cus- events) ace

John Dillane, owner of Banner Motor Factors said, ““We are not the town planners. The responsibility

for solving ongoing problems with parking in Ennis should not lie solely 21 eb eae

He added, “I know they are talk- ing about freeing up the top level of car park in Dunnes, but how is that meant to help customers who are shopping in Parnell Street?”

Taxi driver Martin White said that further meetings are being sought with the council.

Council officials recently ruled out the prospect of temporarily relocat- ing the taxi rank in Parnell street to another site in Ennis.

The council has however agreed to open 30 parking spaces in Waterpark house on Saturdays.

Meanwhile, planning restrictions mean it is unlikely that the former site of Western Garages on the Mill road would be made available for parking.

RESIDENTS in several housing estates in Shannon do not have ad- equate parking spaces, while oth- ers have a lack of vehicular access to the rear of their homes. That was the message delivered last week by county councillors in the Shannon area, who called for measures to be

taken to address the issue.

Councillor Patricia McCarthy (In- dependent) said there was “chaos” in O’Brien Park on occasions.

Councillor Gerry Flynn (Independ- ent) said that a similar situation exists in De Lacey Park and said that that estate, along with Purcell Park, Col- lins Park and O’Brien Park should be looked at.

“Every house now has at least two cars,’ he said.

Cllr Flynn said that some house- holders in Cill Cais were “crying out for an entrance to the back of their houses. These older parts of Shannon are isolated and for a lot of older peo- ple, they can’t get in the front or the back,” he said.

Clare County Council Senior Ex-

ecutive Engineer Donal Hogan said that communal parking is the way to go in future, in high density develop- Ne

“It would take an awful lot of funding to retrofit those particular situations. I can’t see myself getting money to put rear access roads to houses and there is a lot more than Cill Cais,” he said.

A SEVERE shortage of burial spaces in Shannon and surrounding areas is leading to huge concerns among lo- cals, who are finding it increasingly difficult to acquire graves for their JEVOOBE BLE

Three cemeteries in the area may not be extended, due to the presence of archaeological remains.

That was the view expressed last week by Fine Gael Councillor John Crowe, who raised the issue at a Shannon electoral area meeting.

He asked were extensions to Bal- lysheen, Clonlohan and Bunratty graveyards held up due to archaeo- logical issues.

In response to his query, Acting Senior Executive Officer with Clare County Council’s water services Myles Carey clarified the issue.

In a written response, the council offical said that the Clonlohan cem- etery was deemed unsuitable for extension, due to the presence of ar- chaeological remains in the area of WRK Ae

He said that an archaeological as- sessment had been carried out at Ballysheen and had been forwarded to the National Monuments Section AW OCG M RoLON LMAO) KOM AUDIKO

He pointed out that an archaeologi- cal assessment is to be carried out at Bunratty burial ground and suitable firms are currently being sourced for this work.

“We have a major problem with burial grounds. I believe it is all over the county. Bunratty is completely full, Ballysheen is full and I think Oi CoyelCo)sk: tem iwaeel mrerer

“It is being held up by the National Monuments Section. We will just

have to break down these barriers,’ said Councillor Crowe.

He said that a site was available for the extension of the cemetery in Bunratty for a number of years, but the plans did not proceed.

“The one thing communities have is their graveyard. It’s very, very wrong,” he said.

“In the last 10 to 15 years, these ar- eas have grown so much. They have no place to bury their loved ones. Some people have had to moved out of the area to get a graveyard,” he added.

Councillor Pat McMahon (FF) agreed with Councillor Crowe.

“It’s absolutely crazy where you have voluntary groups putting in a lot of work and obstacles are being put in place. These are voluntary groups. They are doing magnificent work and are being hindered by depart-

ment rules. People get so frustrated,” he said.

SCR VCCMO erm asses DO MONT M Or velIOR Newmarket-on-Fergus, has found it difficult to get a grave, despite living there for 20 years.

Councillor Gerry Flynn added that IIlaunamanagh graveyard was al- eee aUOUE

“Tt is at a critical stage now. I don’t know hoe many spaces are left. It is pretty limited. They are putting the onus on community groups. If we can’t provide for people who have died, we are going down a very bad road,” he added.

Councillor Patricia McCarthy (In- dependent) pointed out that the areas in question were fortunate to have archaeology and this must be pre- served. However the importance of balancing this with people’s needs was critical.

A GROUP of talented young musi- cians have been presented with bur- saries, through the Shannon Music Project.

Clare County Council’s Arts Of- fice provided the bursaries for the 13 musicians to attend the Ennis Guitar and Rock School workshops in Shan- non last week. The recipients were Simon O’Donnell, Frank Goggin, Natasha Miller, David Park, Andrew Park, Garry Mc Kee, Patrick Collins,

Barry Shannon, Lindsay Carroll, Pa- draig Bambury, Steven Rainsford, Chris Quigley and Elsa Mann.

The Shannon Music Project (SMP) is a Clare Youth Service project based in Shannon. It provides young people aged between 15 and 25 with opportunities to get involved in musi- cal events and avail of practice space and high quality musical equipment.

The project is run by a committee of young people who are supported by the Shannon youth workers.

The SMP has been running for over

10 years and this year received fund- ing from Clare VEC and Shannon Community Grant Scheme to help with equipment purchases.

The project has organised bands nights, acoustic performances and competitions in Shannon and also liaises with Ennis Music Project for similar events and workshops.

‘This is a great opportunity to work with community groups in Shan- non. We have worked previously with Clare Youth Service Ennis and now we hope to further develop the

partnership between the Arts Office and the Clare Youth Service here in Shannon,” said Tara Connaghan, Traditional Arts Co-ordinator based bom) ercbeyeCeyee

“T am delighted to see Clare Arts Office come on board with the work the music project is doing in Shan- non. The funding provided for these workshops is of great benefit to the young people involved and no doubt will help them further their own in- dividual skills,’ said Shannon Youth Worker, Cathal Dillon.

ST JOSEPH’S Secured their division one status with this remarkable win that condemns Eire Og to relegation.

This was must win for both teams with both hovering dangerously close to the bottom of the table be- fore throw in.

Level at half time, Joseph’s pulled away in spectacular fashion. Goals from Paul Dullghan and Sean Mc- Mahon put Barefield seven points clear by the 39th minute. Dullaghan pounced again for Barefield’s fourth goal in the 44th minute, by which time the Eire Og challenge had well and truly expired.

The end was slow and painful for the townies. Joseph’s took full ad- vantage of their collapse, hitting their opponents for seven points in the final quarter.

Barefield impressed in midfield where Kevin Dilleen and Conor Has- sett covered a lot of ground and con- tributed ten points. Ken Kennedy was

again the lynchpin at centre back and McMahon is adjusting well to life at full forward. Strong enough to cause a bit of bother under the high ball, McMahon exhibited a sure touch when the ball came in hard and low.

Manager Kevin Kennedy can be pleased too that his side never eased up despite the blatantly one-sided nature of the contest in the closing NE TLoe

The second half was the stuff of nightmares for Eire Og. They con- ceded and 3-12 and scored just two points. The townies drop down a lev- el, but of more pressing concern will be the psychological damage inflict- ed ahead of the club’s make or break championship clash with Kilmaley.

It started promisingly for Eire Og. Danny Russell’s struck two points from placed balls either side of a free from Hassett. Russell was then involved as his swift handpass set up Cathal Whelan for a goal in the 6th eepeeleikon

Hassett (2) and Russell traded points

before McMahon forced an opening for Michael Cullinan to strike a goal on the 15th minute.

Dullaghan’s point put Joseph’s 1-4 1-3 ahead. Tadgh McNamara’s point levelled it and points from Hassett and Adrian Flaherty ensured a half time score of 1-5 1-5. Barefield were soon in charge after the re-start. Kennedy hit over a point before Dullaghan poked a goal in the 37th minute as the Eire Og full back line dithered over Marty O’Regan’s clear- ance. Still, it was nothing compared to the destruction about to be visited upon Eire Og.

McMahon turned Whelan and fired a goal in the 39th minute. Even at this stage, and Barefield ahead by seven points, Eire Og looked shot of one

Hassett, Dilleen and McMahon added three points before Dullaghan rifled in his second goal, to leave 4-9 1-6 ahead.

The townies were done for. Damien Kennedy picked of four late points.

Hassett and Dilleen added a couple more. Eire Og’s sole response came from Ronan Cooney who scored two late points.

THE race for the Clare Cup heats up this week as four out of the six re- maining fixtures in the top three d1- visions have relevance to the fight for the four semi-final places.

In Division 1, leaders Sixmileb- ridge will top the group if they can overcome Crusheen but even if they lose, they could still guarantee a spot in the penultimate stages if either Cratloe or Newmarket-on-Fergus lose to Clooney-Quin or Clarecastle respectively. The only game at the

weekend saw St Joseph’s record a comprehensive victory over Eire Og, relegating the Ennis side in the proc- ess along with Kilmaley.

The sole remaining fixture in Divi- sion 2A — Inagh/Kilnamona v Scariff – has connotations at both ends of the table with the Combo topping the di- vision if they win and thus claiming the semi-final spot while a win for a revitalised Scariff would guarantee a relegation play-off with neighbours Whitegate to see who will join Kil- lanena in Division 2B next year. Tulla were the big winners at the weekend

as they completed their fifth succes- sive league victory to jump to the summit and gain promotion but it will all depend on the Combo’s last outing to decide the group.

In Division 2B Clonlara secured the top spot with a four point win over Feakle, thus becoming the first Clare Cup semi-finalist while the other winners at the weekend, Ogonnelloe and Broadford will have to wait until Wednesday to realise their fate when Smith O’Briens take on Corofin. A win for the East Clare side would guarantee promotion but a draw or

defeat would mean a three way play- off to see who gains promotion.

In Division 3, Ennistymon and Clarecastle will contest the interme- diate league final after both won at the weekend with Ennistymon guar- anteeing the Magpies place after a late goal saw them surprise Meelick.

The Division 4 final between Eire Og and Newmarket-on-Fergus’ sec- ond strings is fixed for Sixmilebridge on Saturday while in Division 5, Bal- lyea will play Sixmilebridge’s third team in the first of the semi-finals in Clareabbey on the same day.