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“?M GOING to give politics back to the community”. That’s the vow of the newly-elected mayor of Shannon, Councillor Gerry Flynn (Ind).

Mr Flynn (54) assumed the new role last week, after serving on the town council for the past nine years. He has also been a county councillor for the past four years.

The outspoken councillor said he was thrilled to take up his new role.

“I’m excited. It’s fantastic. I’m very pleased more than anything that I got unanimous backing from my fellow councillors,” he said.

‘“T see the role for me as mayor to facilitate debate. I will try to do my best to be fair and impartial. I am go- ing to meet the community and make myself available to the community in

Shannon,” said Cllr Flynn, who is a full-time public representative.

The Miltown Malbay native moved to Shannon over 30 years ago, hav- ing spent two years in London and a period in Limerick. The lure of a good job and decent home attracted himself and his wife Phil (nee Col- lins, from the Burren) to Shannon and they never left. The couple have two daughters, Irene (26) and Jac- queline (24).

‘Shannon has been good to us. You feel the sense of achievement. Little do you think when you come into a town that you will achieve so much,” said the former Fine Gael councillor.

Issues such as the local airport, the development of the town centre in Shannon, estate management and the provision of services for the elderly will be among his priorities over the

next 12 months, while he will also be preparing to mount his challenge to retain his seat on both the county council and town council.

“If I have my health I am to run again for both. Pll put my best foot forward next year,” he said.

“Tt is an exciting time for the town, with the development of the master plan. However the fact that our air- port is suffering 1s worrying, while funding has dried up for the elderly. We are now refusing housing aid for the elderly. I am big into that. My own mother spent several years in a wheelchair before she died,’ he pointed out.

“We need to tighten up on estate management. Joint policing will be rolled out to all local authorities in Ireland. It will mean local elected representatives will enter into a part-

nership with gardai and we need that,’ he said.

Given the developments relating to Shannon Airport in recent years, Cllr Flynn is acutely aware of the importance of its future, to the local area. He firmly believes that Dublin, Cork and Shannon airports should not have been split up.

“Treland is too small an island to have three airports competing with each other. I think it’s not good news for Shannon (the split). I fear the fu- ture will be privatisation of Shannon Airport and that could spell trouble for all of us,” he said.

THE Shannon Musical Society has once again achieved national recog- nition, through two Association of Irish Musical Society (AIMS) awards in Killarney last week.

The awards were for their most re- cent production of “Seussical”’.

Aodan Fox won best comedian for his role as “Cat in the Hat’. Aodan 1s no stranger to the AIMS stage, hav-

ing taken this award twice before.

Dave Halliday received runner-up for best house management. Dave has been part of the front of house team for many years and has been front of house manager for the last two.

Shannon Musical Society has re- ceived this award several times in the past.

As the society’s members celebrate the prestigious accolades, prepara- tions are underway for next season’s

production “All Shook up” which will take to the stage next February.

This Broadway musical is written by Joe Di Pietro and is based on the music by Elvis Presley.

For the fourth consecutive year, the society has retained the services of Oliver Hurley as director and chore- Oyaeese

The committee for the coming year has been elected as follows: Dara Gough (chairperson), Kevin He-

hir (vice-chairperson), Maria Kelly (secretary), Richard Stapleton (treas- urer), Deirdre McNelis (patrons and sponsors) Mary O’Loughlin (PRO), Siobhan Linton (membership) and David Halliday.

Anyone interested in joining the Shannon Musical Society should browse through the website on www. shannonmusical.com or telephone Siobhan on 086 2142554 for details on membership.

THREE decades of laughter, local happenings and community spirit are captured in the latest event to be hosted at the X-PO project in GTi eyey’7

“An Udder View” is an exhibition with a difference – a collection of community photographs spanning 28 years taken by Kilnaboy native Peter Ree. The photos mix the old and the new, people and places, and track the very heart of the small community and how it has evolved since 1980.

‘“T’ve been taking photographs since I was a child. I don’t leave the door in the morning without the camera with me,” said Peter.

“This exhibition is nothing to do

with photography really. It’s about getting people together and com- municating, about getting people to meet and chat the way they used to do in the post office long ago.”

From the vantage point of his truck, Peter has taken more than 50,000 pictures. These were sorted, dated and 1,000 were chosen to be part of the exhibition. Of these photos, 150 were chosen to be in a special slide- show projected in the X-PO.

“There are pictures in there you can’t get back again. Things change – people hair, fashion, their appear- ance – you can’t stage pictures like these again. The beauty of being in the truck is that you get to see a lot of things that people might not oth- erwise see,’ continued Peter.

‘The reaction of the locals has been brilliant. ’’ve seen families coming back three nights in a row to give themselves time to look through the albums properly and slowly. Some people have gotten emotional about it, walked out of the room shaking their head. But the next night then they’re back for more. They are look- ing at their own lives and the lives of their family and friends down the years.”

“An Udder View” is the final exhi- bition in the X-PO project. Project organiser Deirdre O’Mahony is hopeful that the revival of the former post office as community space will continue long after the project itself.

“The local people have reacted so brilliantly to this project,’ said Deir-

dre.

‘The time that people have to talk to each other, just passing time with your neighbours is not the same as it once was. The places where you can do that has diminished. The question is how can we hold on to the won- derful community that we have in Kilnaboy and places like it all over the country.”

An Udder View continues at the X- PO until July 13.

FINAL preparations are being made for this year’s Burren Leadership Fo- rum which takes place at the Burren College of Art in Ballyvaughan this weekend.

This year’s forum is entitled Ena- bling Leadership to Flourish Within Organisations and will feature some of the most distinguished minds in the leadership field including Dr Simon Western, Lynne Sedgemore OBE, John Housego, Zoe van Zwanenberg and Dr Ehat Aram.

“This year we are taking an inno- vative approach to leadership for-

mation, which is a new term in the Whole areas of leadership develop- ment,” said organiser Barry Walsh.

“It’s really about creating a cul- ture in an organisation which allows appropriate leaders to develop for the needs of that organisation. The premise of all of this is that leader ship can be formed. It’s about work- ing with people in their own situa- tions and helping to bring about the qualities that are necessary for that person.

“So it’s not about creating leaders at the front, it’s about having differ- ent types of leaders at all levels of an organisation. If you have a business

or organisation that is formed in this way than you are really going to fir- ing on all cylinders.”

The forum itself focuses on devel- oping leadership in many different types of organisations from private businesses to the voluntary organisa- tions and public services.

“It is focused on organisations as well as businesses. Some of the speakers work in the public sector, especially with the health service in the UK. But we also have a lot of speakers from the private sector, so there 1s a good mix,” continued Bru MA

“This year we will cater for a very

small group of about 50 people. We purposely wanted an intimate group. The forum is very action-orientated and there will be a lot of experiential work done. We are going to operate in small groups with lot of workshops for small numbers and then come to- gether for bigger lectures with the whole group.

‘There are still a few places avail- able so if people do want to get in- volved they should get in contact as soon as possible.”

For more information or to book a place contact the Burren Leadership Forum on 065 7083949 or check out www.burrenleadershipforum.ie

AS WE speak, a young Clare tra- ditional musician is mixing it with the very best in the world at the Blas Summer School in Limerick. Six- teen-year-old Ballyvaughan student Caoimhe Greene has spent the last 10 days playing with and learning from some of musical idols.

After spending her transition year work experience at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance at the University of Limerick Caoimhe was hooked. Finding no scholarships easily available, she set about taking matters into her own hands.

“After the work experience [| start-

ed making up a Blas music biogra- phy and sent it out to a few different places, just to see what would hap- pen. One of the organisations that I sent it to was Clare County Council and they got back to me and said that even though they don’t usually spon- sor scholarships, they would make an exception for me,’ said Caoimhe.

“We have a master-class each morn- ing with one of the lecturers. There are so many brilliant teachers down here. Then we have lectures before a lunchtime concert with some of the teachers. Then there are more classes and lesson in the evening.”

This year’s Blas features some of Ireland’s foremost musician includ-

ing Donal Lunny, Mairtin O’Connor, Steve Cooney, Iarla O Lionaird, Mar- tin Hayes and Dennis Cahill.

“Tt’s really amazing. Take today for example. I just had a two hour one- on-one lesson with Steve Cooney. Something like that is just unbeliev- able. A private lesson with Steve Cooney and he’s off to Glastonbury on Friday. You couldn’t dream it up,” continues Caoimhe.

“T love to get into music as a Ca- reer. If you look at the people who are here then it would have to be your aim to try and emulate what they are doing. I like trad and classical but I’d love to get into some jazzy music and different things like that.”

Some 70 students from all over the world are taking part in this years festival. Besides a large Irish con- tingent, students have travelled from Israel, Columbia, Finland, Russia, France, the UK and America to learn from Ireland’s best.

Caoimhe will continue her mu- sic lessons and concerts at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance until the Blas Summer School come to aclose later this week.

DETAILS for this year’s Gort Show were Officially announced last week with organisers predicting that this year’s event would be the largest and most popular to date.

The show, which takes place on Au- gust 10, will this year boast one of the largest children’s sections in the country with more than 30 classes on display. Along with the increas- ing number of categories, the prize- money for the winner is also on the Tb NOusreRos

“We are delighted this year to be able to increase the prize money in

every category. We are now able to offer over €10,000 in prize money, including over €2,000 in special prizes,’ said show chairman lan N)Koy ales

‘Due to the high interest in the pho- tographic section at the Gort Show over the last few years we are pleased to introduce the Minihane’s Super- Valu photographic competition.

‘This 1s a competition that is open not only amateurs but also semi-pro- fessional and professional photogra- phers, and has a prize fund of €100 per class.”

The number of categories in the outdoor event is also on the increase

with perennial favourites like the dog show and poultry section being joined by a host of new events. This year’s flower show will be housed in it’s own marquee while the horse, pony and donkey sections will be held in the grounds of the Gort Com- munity School.

Organisers this year have put a spe- cial emphasis on creating a family friendly day out with bouncy castles, face painting, games, prizes, a pup- pet show, candy floss and ice-cream.

There will be a vintage car and mo- torbike rally, an old farm machinery and tractor show, a sale of local arts and crafts and a rescue display by the

local fire brigade.

The full schedule of events will be available from the entry office at the Gort Family Resource Centre from ordered ©

Schedules will also be available from Minihane’s SuperValu and other retail outlets in Gort. Entries will be accepted from Monday, July 7, until Friday, August 1. Opening times for entries will be from 9.30am to lpm and from 2pm to 4pm.

For more information on the show check out www.gortshow.com, e- mail secretary@gortshow.com or phone show secretary Fidelma Lar- kin at 087 6506683.

Another priority for Peter’s year at the helm will be securing improved sporting facilities for the town.

“We have a fabulous facility at Lees Road and a facility at Ballyalla that is not being used to anything like it’s full potential. I would like to progress plans to link the two, which would give us a wide rang of sport- ing facilities.”

The Fianna Fail councillor took the chain of office on Friday night from outgoing Mayor, Tommy Bren- nan after being unanimously elected Mayor on the proposal of Frankie Neylon (Ind) and being seconded by Fianna Fail’s Joe Reidy.

“It is an honour to be elected unan- imously after 33 years. I believe I came back from the brink and I will do everything I can to represent and advance Ennis,” he said.

He told the meeting of Ennis Town Council that he hoped his colleagues “will be conscious of my physical

limitations over the next eight to ten weeks. I would ask for your support during that time.”

There were tributes to the outgo- ing mayor from council members and staff and Cllr Brennan himself thanked the council members and the council staff for their work, sup- port and co-operation during his year in office. Tom Glynn (FF) was elected Deputy Mayor. But the meet- ing did not agree to his suggestion that the Deputy Mayoralty be shared between himself and Green Party councillor, Donal O Bearra.

A ROMANIAN man and woman who admitted their role in an ATM bank skimming scam that ripped off several Bank of Ireland customers, have been ordered to leave Ireland.

Last February, Pavel Cirpaci (24) and Gabriela Lupu (20) were in- volved in what was described as an elaborate scam. It started by damag- ing an ATM machine at SkyCourt, Shannon, before access was gained to customers’ accounts, via a pass machine in Killarney.

Cirpaci, of Carrig Court, Fortunes- town Lane, Tallaght, and Lupu, of Triogue Manor, Portlaoise, admitted damaging the machine, to the value of €300, and possession of a Sony Ericsson mobile phone, with intent to use it in connection with a theft.

At Ennis Circuit Court, they also pleaded guilty to unlawfully with- drawing money, totaling <€4,860, from nine Bank of Ireland accounts, in Killarney, on February 11 last. The two were arrested the following day and were later charged. Cirpaci also admitted escaping from custody at Shannon Garda Sta- tion, on February 12. Sergeant Seamus Mulligan told the court that at 4.30am on February 12, gardai were alerted to two people behaving suspiciously at the ATM machine at the Bank of Ireland in Shannon. According to witnesses, they were “coming and going” for the previous hour or so. The ATM machine had been dam- aged and the front panel was slightly loose on the machine. Further exam- ination showed it had been taken off and attempts made to replace it. ‘There was other damage. A small hole had been drilled behind the face of the machine and a mobile phone was inserted. The camera from the phone was looking down at the key- pay and was recording from the ma- chine. If someone put in their PIN, it would be recorded on the mobile phone,” he said. The phone was bought by the de- fendants at the Crescent shopping centre in Limerick, on January 31. “They specifically looked for longer memory time so it could record PIN numbers for six to eight hours. They probably would have returned the following night and have PIN num- bers from the whole day. “At stage two, the front was fitted on the machine, so when someone puts an ATM card into the machine, it would record details from the strip of the ATM card and reproduce someone’s ATM card, without them knowing, and access their bank ac- counts,” said Sgt Mulligan. They initially told gardai they were living locally, but this proved to be false. They were searched at Shannon Garda Station, where two Dunnes Stores gift cards. were found. “On each of the cards, there was a little white sticker on the front, with a four-digit PIN number on them. On the back of one card, there was a se- ries of numbers. That was a bank sort code and bank account number of an injured party and the number on the white sticker was her PIN number. Several withdrawals had been made from her account,’ he said. €4.780 had been withdrawn from that particular Ennis woman’s ac- count, but of that, there was just one charge before the court, relating to a €700 withdrawal in Killarney. Neither of the accused co-operated and Cirpaci initially produced ident- fication for another man. Cirpaci, a father-of-two, has lived in Ireland for at least six years and has 39 previous convictions. 10 of those were for theft and were appealed at Mullingar Circuit Court, which ruled that the sentence would be suspended if he agreed to leave the jurisdiction. His co-accused, Lupu, did not have any previous convictions. Asked was any of the money recov- ered, the garda said that €4,500 was recovered on the persons that night, while €4,950 was recovered in a subsequent search. Cirpaci’s barrister Michael Fitzgib- bon said his client didn’t co-operate as he was “fearful for the safety of his wife and children”. Sgt Mulligan replied, “It hardly ne- gates the fact he undertook to take part in those crimes. I have to think of the injured parties who had money taken from their accounts.” Mr Fitzgibbon said his client would undertake to leave Ireland forever. Sgt Mulligan said he had no prob- lem seeing him leave the country if there was a lengthy sentence waiting for him if he returned. Mr Fitzgibbon said that while the figure €190,000 had been men- tioned, the charges before the court, referred to only a fraction of this. Lupu’s barrister Michael Hourigan said the guilty pleas saved the State the trouble of having to give evidence in court. He said his client would also undertake to leave Ireland. Sgt Mulligan replied, “The inves- tigation was more complicated than the evidence we'd have to give. We had a number of people working on this full-time over the past three to four months. It was a significant in- vestigation. I think the hard work is done at this stage.” Judge Rory McCabe said it was a well-executed operation. “This has all the hallmarks of a well-planned operation. It doesn’t seem to be opportunistic in any way. I’m suspending the sentences on the undertaking that they leave the juris- diction and never to return,” he said. He imposed an 18-month term on Cirpaci and a six month sentence on Lupu, suspended for 10 years, on con- dition that they leave the country. Counsel for the State, Stephen Coughlan BL, said Cirpaci is due to be released from custody on July 16 and on that date the State will pay for his removal from the jurisdiction. Lupu had sufficient funds to arrange for her own departure forthwith.

THE trial of an 18-year-old student, accused of murdering an Ennis schoolboy a year ago is expected to take place in Ennis in February.

John McGovern, of Ballyduff, Barefield, Ennis, is charged with murdering Michael Doherty (14), on June 23 last year.

Mr Doherty, a settled Traveller,

died as a result of an altercation on O’Connell Street, having sustained Stab wounds to the chest.

The case was listed for mention at the Central Criminal Court in Dub- lin yesterday, with a view to fixing a CHK KOU CembUEADE

Mr McGovern’s barrister Mark Nicholas, BL, said the Senior Coun- sel in the case, Patrick Gageby, was seeking that the case be heard on the

week beginning February 2 or Feb- UE aaezer

Mr Nicholas said the case is likely to last between five and seven days.

The court registrar said he wasn’t in a position to fix a date at this stage.

Mr Justice Liam McKechnie told Mr Nicholas, “We will take a note of that. We will communicate with you.”

In May, Mr Justice Paul Carney

ruled that the trial will go ahead in Ennis, despite objections from gardai, who asked that it take place in Dublin.

On that date, Mr Gageby applied for the trial to be heard in Ennis.

He noted that the objection to the trial going ahead in Ennis was “on the grounds of safety”.

“If there is any real apprehension that attendance of numbers of the

Travelling community would have any adverse effect, the gardai in En- nis would be well qualified to deal with it,” he pointed out.

However, Caroline Biggs, BL, for the prosecution, said, “There are fears for security, based on knowl- edge and intelligence. If it is in Dub- lin, a large number of individuals would not come to Dublin. The con- cerns are genuine.”

AN intoxicated defendant who shouted at a judge that he wanted to go on his holidays got his wish. But instead of making a hotel reservation Michael McCarthy (26) of 6 Watery Road, Ennis found himself a guest of the State for a week.

McCarthy appeared in_ court charged in connection with an al- leged incident in Corofin.

But his case was held over because, solicitor Tara Godfrey said, it was tracking another case before the Cir- cuit Court.

When McCarthy heard that the case was not to be dealt with on Fri- day , he shouted that it was “now or never. I’m going to walk. I’ve to go on my holidays.”

As he left the courtroom he told a garda who remonstrated with him to “fuck off” and Judge Joseph Mangan ordered that McCarthy be brought back into the body of the court.

Judge Mangan asked the court Garda whether there was a smell of alcohol from McCarthy and was told that there was. “Is this man intoxi- cated?” the judge asked, to which the garda relied “he is.”

McCarthy told the court “I’ll lose my job, coming here.”

Ms Godfrey told the court that it would not be possible to deal with the case because of the Circuit Court proceedings and Judge Mangan said it “is not possible to dealt with it when he is intoxicated”.

He ordered McCarthy remanded in custody until July 4.