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MORE than 300 representatives of the western seaboard’s biggest busi- nesses, tourism concerns, unions and politicians came together on Friday with one message for Aer Lingus — hands off our Shannon slots.

Among the powerful names to con- tend with at a closed but reportedly heated two-hour meeting in the Park Inn at the airport on Friday were GE, Element Six, Westpark, Aughinish Alumina, Digital River and Lufthan- 8

Smaller business interests were also represented. Among these were the Old Ground Hotel and Limerick Travel.

The trade unions turned out in force with representatives of SIPTU, Aer Lingus workers and IMPACT and the Limerick Institute of Technology were also present.

The meeting was also attended by politicians from each of the regions affected, including Minister Moira Hoctor, MEPs Marian Harkin and Sean O’Neachtain, deputies Timmy Dooley, Michael Noonan, Dan Nev- ille, Jan O’Sullivan, John Cregan, Peter Power, Jiummy Deenihan, Tom Hayes and Noel Coonan, as well as elected councillors from Clare, Lim- erick and Tipperary.

A spokesperson for Shannon De- velopment, which organised the meeting, said it was a “mark of the seriousness with which this decision is regarded that such high-profile business people have taken so much

time out to be here in person and the huge attendance is reflective of the concern that people feel on the 1s- sue.”

In a press conference held after the meeting, business and union repre- sentatives announced they intend to form an alliance and elect a steering committee of six key people repre- senting the various sectors to orches- trate a campaign and ensure there is a Shannon-Heathrow route going forward.

Shannon Development’s John Brasil said that the strategic alliance group will look at every possible solution. It will be calling for an EGM of Aer Lingus shareholders to ask that the decision be reversed.

It will also be calling on the Gov- ernment to issue a statement in sup- port of the Shannon Region and it will be seeking to have the Dail re- called.

“Key information in support of our cause is being put together by IBEC and we want everyone affected to write to the Taoiseach and the min- ister,’ said Brasil.

He said that all of the concerns at- tending the meeting were 100 per cent supportive of the decision the fight the ending of the Heathrow slots.

“The overriding concern is_ that we have to find a solution. We can no longer go from crisis to crisis in Shannon’.

Michael Houlihan, lawyer and Chairman of the regional tourism board, said the possibility of mount-

ing a legal challenge to the decision is also being examined.

Brian O’Connell, Chief Execu- tive of Westpark and Chairman of Atlantic Way, said that while it was certain that current jobs are being endangered by the decision, it is the creation of future employment and investment in the region which is also causing major concern.

‘The severance of these slots is the collapsing of a bridge — I am asking the Taoiseach and the Government to re-build that bridge, not just to protect the thousands of jobs in the region but to ensure that we can con- tinue to grow and attract investment and job creation.”

Ken Sullivan of Element Six said that there has been “incredulity” in the business community over the decision while David Silk of Nortel said his directors “see this as being one of the most significant issues we’ve had to deal with since setting up here.

“We bring 150 customers in through Shannon every year. The way we market ourselves with regard to ac- cessibiliity to Shannon via Heathrow is vital.”

Pat Shanahan told the gathered me- dia that the board of Shannon Air- port had met on Friday morning and looked at costs which Aer Lingus have in Shannon.

“If these costs are addressed by Aer Lingus and the airport addresses the landing charges in Shannon, then I believe there is an extra saving of €4 million on the route,’ he said.

FINAL preparations are being made for this year’s Annual Connemara Pony Show, which takes place in Clifden this weekend. A large Clare contingent is expected at the show, which takes place this year for the Jes Ke NEN ALon

Organisers of the show have claimed that sales of Connemara po- nies could double over the next five years if a proper marketing plan can be implemented. Marketing the Con- nemara Pony at home and abroad is the primary focus of the Connemara Pony Breeders Society.

In 2006 the three main annual pony sales in Clifden Mart yielded a turno-

ver of €5 million. “This is a fantastic achievement,’ said Tom MacLoch- lainn, President of the Connemara Pony Breeders Society.

“However, with the development of a focused marketing plan we believe that this figure can be increased to €10 million by 2012.

According to Padraig Heanue, Manager, Clifden Pony Sales, there iS an ever-increasing interest in the Connemara Pony from a sales per- spective. This year sees the biggest ever entry for a one-day mart with 320 ponies already catalogued for sale at Clifden, this Friday, August 17.

‘There is a very good mix of fillies, in-foal mares, riding ponies, broken

and ridden geldings and young colts from one year upwards. Guide price for a young mare in-foal is between €7,000 and €10,000 while riding ponies, broken and ridden geldings four years and upwards fetch be- tween €3,200 to €5,500,” he said. The temperament, stamina and versatility of the Connemara Pony marks it apart as an unique native breed and a desirable animal for multi-purpose use. The week-long schedule of events from August 13 to 17 includes a mixture of in-hand, performance and educational events that highlight the potential and dis- position of the Connemara Pony. Events throughout the week include loose jumping, dressage demon-

stration and the new worker hunter classes where the ponies will be challenged over a particular course of fences.

A new stallion list will be launched on August 15 while the highlight of the week is undoubtedly Show Day on August 16. Apart from the pony events there will also be a dog-show, domestic arts show, Irish Dancing and a photography competition.

With the latest fear of a major Foot and Mouth outbreak starting to abate, the Minister for Agriculture and Food, Mary Coughlan TD, has announced a range of measures de- signed to protect the Irish horse in- CliamtA

Speaking during last week’s Dublin Horse Show, the minister announced that she has stepped up measures to protect Irish horse breeders with stricter enforcement and inspection of passports and identification for horses to ensure compliance with the regulations.

Coughlan said her department of- ficers will have enhanced powers in the enforcement of the EU regula- tions on identification of horses. In

addition, marts, sales yards and other premises where horses are assembled are required to ensure that horses entering their premises have valid passports. Department Inspectors will carry out random inspections to ensure compliance with these regula- tions by both horse owners and other operators in the country.

“Complhance with the new regula- tions is essential for the protection of the country’s equine population and industry, with the sport horse sector alone now worth in excess of EUR400 million and involving 53,000 peo- ple,’ said Minister Coughlan.

It 1s now just over a year since Ireland experienced its first case of Equine Infectious Anaemia (EIA), a threat that almost forced the can- cellation of last year’s Dublin horse

show.

“Of the many lessons learned, we now appreciate the necessity of hav- ing an effective identification sys- tem for horses. The department will therefore be supporting new regula- tions being drafted by the EU Com- mission to provide for a national database for horses in each Member State,” she continued.

Minister Coughlan expressed her appreciation of the bloodstock in- dustry and, particularly, the sports horse sector, for its co-operation and patience during the outbreak and said that the efficient and expeditious manner in which the outbreak had been contained and eradicated could not have been achieved but for the commitment of the Department and the industry working together for the

benefit of all involved.

The minister concluded by remind- ing horse owners, stud managers and others in the industry to remain vigi- lant and to continue to exercise the highest standards of biosecurity to minimise the prospects of any fur- ther outbreaks of the disease.

Equine Infectious Anaemia also known by horsemen as “Swamp Fe- ver’, is a horse disease caused by a retrovirus and transmitted by blood- sucking insects.

The virus is endemic in the Amert- cas, parts of Europe, the Middle and Far East, Russia, and South Af- rica. EIA can be transmitted through blood, saliva, milk, and body se- cretions. Transmission is_ usually through blood-sucking insects, such as the horse-fly and deer-fly.

ame) aale gust 10 just 22 people had taken ad- vantage of the “cheaper flights” from Belfast to London Heathrow from

January 14 to 21, 2008. The total revenue from these fares was a mere £412 sterling.

The airline has the capacity to carry as many as 9,/44 people in its four slots from the Northern Ireland airport during that period.

The three slots that would have been used during this winter period in Shannon could have carried 7,308 passengers.

More than 6.5 per cent of the ca- pacity of these flights for January 14 to 21, 2008 had already been booked when Aer Lingus announced it was

cancelling the route.

Instead, the coveted slots were be- ing transferred to Belfast.

Critics of the decision have argued it makes no business sense.

Last year, more than 321,000 peo- ple travelled the London Heathrow/ Shannon route. Of that number, 25 per cent were estimated to be busi- ness passengers while 33 per cent came through London Heathrow from the USA or Europe.

Chief Executive of Limerick Cham- ber Maria Kelly said, “The Shannon- Heathrow service has been operating

successfully and profitably for over half a century and the removal of these services will effectively cut off the West of Ireland from all major European cities and key destinations in the Middle and Far East. This will have serious implications for both tourism and business in the region.

“Cork, Dublin and Belfast will continue to have links to Heathrow and the other great European hubs to connect travellers to long-haul inter- national flights but the west and mid- west regions will now be deprived of this,” she said.

Tadhg Kearney, Limerick Chamber transport spokesperson, added, “It is important to emphasize that the Shannon-Heathrow route is success- ful and profitable and is one where Aer Lingus has for decades enjoyed an effective monopoly because of slot capacity restrictions in Heath- row Airport. They are now abandon- ing this profitable monopoly route to instead enter the highly competitive Belfast-Heathrow market against two other significant operators. One must question the commercial logic behind such a decision.”

CPSSL have preparations well un- derway for the Kennedy Cup compe- tition to be held at the university of Limerick in June 2008.

This is an annual national event aimed at showcasing the best un- der 13 soccer talent from across the country. The event is attended by numerous head scouts from all the best clubs, both from Ireland and England, and is regularly attended by English Premier League clubs.

Each season Clare’s showing im- proves, and in June of this year, under the management of Michael Guilfoyle and Tommy Molloy, Clare improved their seeding up to 13th in the country.

Following the appointment of Dave Kerin and Clive Slater as joint man- agers, their first move was to appoint

Avenue United coach expert Tommy Molloy and meet up with FAI Re- gional Development Officer, Denis Hynes.

Arising out of this meeting the fol- lowing detailed plan has been pro- duced, which will see Clare pushing to improve even further on last sea- son’s success.

Management –

Emerging Talent Head Coaches and Kennedy Cup Managers – Dave Kerin and Clive Slater.

FAI Regional/County Development Officer – Denis Hynes

Kennedy Cup Expert Advisor and Assistant Coach – Tommy Molloy Other Coaches/Positions – To be CLoyibebuaaterem

Programme –

August 2007 – Clubs to submit names of county standard players

02/09/07 – Weekly Trials and Train- ing commences at Lees Road 23/09/07 — Selection of panel of ap- proximately 25 plus goalkeepers. Early October 2007 — Parent and player’s evening to explain commit- ments and expectations.

October 2007 (Depending on com- pletion of league season) — Increase training to | Emerging Talent (tech- niques and skills) plus 1 Kennedy Cup (tactics) session per week. January 2008 — Panel of 20 selected. Easter 2008 — Travel to a tourna- ment (possibly abroad).

May 2008 — CPSSL organised county tournament at Lees Road 09/06/08-13/06/07 — Kennedy Cup Tournament at University of Limer- ick (Dates to be finalised).

Training and Trials All training sessions will be run in

accordance with the Emerging Talent programme and taken by David Ker- in, Denis Hynes and Clive Slater.

The panel will be divided amongst the coaches available and, when ap- propriate, rotated through the ses- sion. Clubs will be permitted to submit three or four players, born in 1994, of county standard for trials.

Clubs are required to take a respon- sible attitude before submitting play- ers for trials.

In the event that a club considers they have more than three or four players of a suitable standard, they will be permitted to advise the man- agement of this.

The trial format will be open in that we will be happy to receive comments from other managers and coaches in attendance and take these into consideration when assessing players.

CLARE’S under 18 game against Galway, which was set for Sunday evening last, was postponed. Clare were all set for this game but it was postponed at the last minute at a meeting of Central Council in Nolan Park on Saturday afternoon.

Galway had looked for a postpone- ment of this game as members of their under 18 panel were also in- volved with their county senior panel who played in the senior semi-final against Wexford which they lost.

With fixture congestion, it was im- possible to fit in the game if it was put off, with the county junior side

in an All-Ireland semi-final this Sun- day and the winners of the Under 18 play-off due to play in a quarter-final on August 25.

However, when Central Council met on Saturday evening, they rear- ranged the play-off for August 25 and put the quarter-final back until September 16.

Tae) ee CoMM WE YACME OOD KMB OSE: hYAN ULE OU E-TKe as they will know their fate in the Junior Championship and the players who were in doubt over the weekend due to recent injuries should be fit for that renewed encounter with Galway and be able to claim their spot in the squad for the quarter-final in Sep- tember.

THE Mayor of Shannon, Cllr Sean McLoughlin, has warned that the battle to retain the Shannon-London link 1s only just beginning.

Shannon’s first citizen is now ask- ing people from across the west and particularly from Clare to join a solidarity walk this Friday evening, from the Drumline roundabout to the Ballymurtagh roundabout, start- ing at 7pm.

The Drumline roundabout is lo- cated on the flyover at the off ramp of the main Limerick to Ennis road,

which leads into Shannon and the airport.

The Ballymurtagh roundabout 1s located at the end of the dual car- riageway at the interchange for Shan- non Town Centre, the airport and the turnoff for the Newmarket-on-Fer- gus road.

‘We are asking anybody who wish- es to show solidarity with the cam- paign to bring the necessary pressure to bear on both our government and the Aer Lingus management team to withdraw plans to cease the air-link between Shannon and London Hea- throw.

“The walk is about one mile in length and we will welcome peo- ple from all over who feel that they would like to do something positive to ensure our vital link with London Heathrow is maintained,’ he said.

“We invite people of all ages, from senior citizens to parents and chil- dren, to demonstrate that the residents of the west of Ireland have the power to gather as one and walk shoulder to shoulder in a dignified and peaceful manner to overturn this commercial decision and hold onto our right of passage to London Heathrow and thus the rest of the world.”

THE decision by Aer Lingus to halt its Shannon-Heathrow service and transfer to Belfast’s Aldergrove Air- port has been described as the “dying kick for the midwest”.

Mayor of Ennis, Tommy Brennan was speaking at a special meeting of Ennis Town Council convened to discuss the implications of Aer Lin- gus’s controversial decision.

He also said that cross-party politi- cal support was critical to securing the future of Shannon as a strong in- CLUE Neon aKSe

Councillors present at the meeting said unless the Heathrow service was retained, there would be dire conse- quences for industry and ancillary Services in the mid-west.

The council will also write to the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey and Aer Lingus to protest the move.

Cllr Brennan said, “None of the Dail can be found. This was made up with Paisley and there is nothing that suggests otherwise. We cannot afford to lose the flight to Heathrow, otherwise we might as well close down the mid-west and west coast

completely.”

Fianna Fail councillor Tom Glynn said, “We have to protect those slots in Heathrow.

“They have an obligation to cus- tomers and businesses who helped set up industry in the region.”

Fine Gael councillor Mary Coote- Ryan said it was a “black day for Shannon”.

Cllr Taiwoo Matthew questioned the decision to terminate the profit- able Shannon-Heathrow route.

“I don’t see the economic benefit for Aer Lingus to go from a position Where they had a monopoly to one

where they will be in competition. It could be devastating for the region,” he said.

Independent councillor Frankie Neylon challenged the Green Party to stand up to Fianna Fail.

“When it comes to birds and by- passes, the Greens are everywhere. But now they don’t seem to want to know about it. They were going to be the watchdogs for Fianna Fail. Now it’s time for them to prove their eyKeyee none

Fianna Fail councillor Peter Con- sidine questioned the legality of the decision to transfer to Belfast.

AS THE county board and the clubs of Clare continue their search for a new football manager at tonight’s board meeting, news that Seamus Clancy has ruled himself out of the race will have strengthened the body of opinion calling for the reinstate- ment of Donie Buckley.

It is thought that over the past few days Clancy made known to the county board his wishes not to be considered for the position.

The former All-Star was widely touted as one of the best options for the county due to his experience both as a player and manager and because of his forthright and honest views of Clare’s dismal season.

His withdrawal means there’s one less option for Clare right now and on the back of this weekend’s club championship showing, the county needs as many options as possible.

It was another weekend of sub- standard club championship football in which the quality was low and the scores were even lower. It took 272 minutes for the first championship goal this year, with a total of four goals altogether in round one.

Goals apart, the points tallies are just as unimpressive and paint a wor- rying picture of the state of Clare football at present.

After two complete rounds of the senior championship, only four sides managed to get into double point fig- ures and kick more than nine points over an hour.

In the first round, Shannon Gaels

managed ten points and Wolfe Tones scored eleven. In the second round, Cooraclare kicked eleven points while Lissycasey notched up ten. It means that out of 32 opportunities over the 16 games so far, the magical figure of ten points was only reached four times.

On Saturday, Liscannor managed to beat one of the favourites for the championship by scoring only five points against a Doonbeg side that managed only three points — all from suueKy

It harks back to the dark days of Clare football when county champi- onships were won on meagre score- lines.

On top of this, the so-called top teams are not exactly leading by ex- ample. Defending champions Eire Og again stuttered and stumbled to victory for the second week running and notched up 14 wides in the proc- ess, while Shannon Gaels went under to an unfancied Ennistymon outfit.

Elsewhere, St Joseph’s Miultown couldn’t even put a point on the board in their second-half against Eire Og and St Breckans went 34 minutes without raising a white flag.

On this showing, perhaps other op- tions may go by the wayside in the quest for a new manager.

CALLS for the resignation of Fianna Fail ministers, the holding of an Aer Lingus EGM and for councillors to protest at the airport with banners came from an emergency meeting of the council last night.

Councillor Madeleine Taylor-Quinn proposed a motion on behalf on the Fine Gael members at the emergency meeting called by Mayor of Clare, Cllr Patricia McCarthy.

She called on the Minister for Fi- nance “to immediately call an EGM of Aer Lingus to discuss the matter and reverse this decision.”

She said that despite having a spa- tial strategy “the Government is about to allow the withdrawl of these critical slots which provide vital con- nectivity”.

Her colleague, Cllr Joe Arkins further proposed that if the slots are withdrawn that the Government lead a legal challenge to the decision.

He described news that a new route may be on the way to Paris as a “smoke and mirrors exercise’,

The Fine Gael members also asked that the council seek an immediate meeting with the Taoiseach on the matter, while Mayor Mccarthy told the meeting that she has made con- tact with all of the mayors in Tipper- ary, Limerick and Galway to seek a

joint meeting with the Fianna Fail leader.

Labour councillor, Pascal Fitzger- ald, called on the “mid-west minis- ters to state publicly that they will resign if these slots are taken from Shannon. People’s livelihoods are at stake and the Government is doing yatelee vb sree

Cllr Colm Wiley (FF) said that “calling does nothing. What I am proposing is that two members of this council go to the airport with placards and protest until we get what we want and rotate the protest so that there are members of this council there at all times until this 1s resolved.”

Cllr Gerry Flynn (Ind) accused the Government of having “no function- al regional policy” while Fianna Fail councillor, Richard Nagle, said that the “only satisfactory outcome to this is the retention of our slots into Heathrow”.

He said the Fianna Fail councillors have jointly sent letters to the minis- ters for transport, tourism and trade and employment outlining the poten- tial seriousness of the consequences of the decision.

He said that the council “should call on the Taoiseach to recall his minis- ters and set up and interdepartmental eroup to deal with what can only be described as a crisis for this region.”