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THERE was a time when the Pope, JFK and De Valera graced the walls of Irish homes.

For Fianna Fail supporter Ethna Cleary her wall will soon be adorned with photos of more modern day politicians.

The native of Darragh has already a photo of herself and former Tainiste and current Minister for Health Mary Harney on the wall of her home close to the Kilmaley Daycare Centre.

This will soon include a picture with Taoiseach Brian Cowen who dropped into say hello during his visit to Kilmaley.

Ms Cleary, who had spent 40 years living in Dublin before returning to the assisted living houses in Kil- maley four years ago, was delighted with her visitor.

“T think I will put the picture of Brian Cowen above Mary Harney,” she said pointing to the wall.

“Although she was lovely too.”

Brian Cowen got a rousing wel- come to Kilmaley and the Daycare centre, which he admitted made a nice change to his week.

With the clients singing as he ap- proached, the Offaly man was in good spirits.

“When the contest 1s over after June 5 and we are all out trying to get our votes, when it is all over and you have made your decision, the job

for us all will be to work together and come behind whatever priority you have identified and make sure we make further progress in the months and years ahead,” he said.

‘And it is that spirit, that type of ap- proach and that positivity that may I say 1S a great antidote to what I have to listen to a lot of the time within the belt way. In the beltway, which is within the two mile radius of Dail Eireann, where everyone starts talking to each other and talking to themselves, and media people and they are all around and everyone is saying everything is very bad and we will never get out of this and we will all be in terrible trouble.”

‘I think really we need to see a bit of balance into the argument, and the balance in the argument is when you come down to communities like this that are getting on with their lives, getting on with building up their communities, getting on of course with contributing and quite rightly with critiquing us and having a go if necessary but doing it in the right spirit because at the end of the day even though I am an Offaly man we are on the same team.”

The Taoiseach also received a posi- tive reception in Shannon, at St Ca- main’s School.

The Leaving Cert Applied class, who were studying IT and spread sheets, were gracious enough not to offer any words of advice when it

came to accounting and the econo- my, despite the Taoiseach broaching the subject.

In Leaving Cert physics the topic quickly turned to hurling, as council

candidate and minor selector Eamon Fennessy spotted young hurler Kevin Lynch in the front seat.

All in all, press conferences aside, Brian Cowen’s visit to Clare was

sportingly positive.

Two councillors bow out of race

has learned that one last meeting of the current incar- nation of Clare County Council has been scheduled to take pace on June 8, three days after polling will take place for local election.

Counting for the local elections will take place on June 6 with a decision likely late on Saturday evening, June 6 or early on Sunday, June 7.

However, it 1s understood that all current member of Clare County

Council will be invited to attend the full council meeting scheduled for Monday, June 8.

Barring the unlikely situation that each sitting councillor going for re- election is returned, this will mean that some councillors will have the opportunity to make decisions, de- spite losing their mandate from the people.

Meanwhile, the May meeting of the local authority ended in a whimper last night as a host of motions were moved as several of councillors were not present to discuss their own mo- tions. At one stage it appeared that the meeting would not be able to maintain its quorum of nine coun- cillors and would have to be aban-

doned.

“It was the dying sting of an old council. The meeting was finished up early because all of the remaining motions had to be moved because the people who proposed were not there to discuss them,” said Cllr Christy Curtin (Ind) after proceedings were completed.

‘‘T suppose you would have to ques- tion the wisdom of having a meeting so close to election time. Most of the councillors had their main focus on the elections and were more inter- ested in getting out and canvassing,” he said.

The meeting was completed after just over an hour, with a large number of motions still up for discussion.

LAHINCH banker turned artist Michael Hanrahan will have the hon- our of being one of the first artists to exhibit paintings in the newly re- stored O’Brien’s Tower at the Cliffs of Moher.

Michael, along with Lisdoonvarna painter Doreen Drennan will pro- vide all the artwork for the official reopening of the historic building which takes place later this month. After holding a senior position with AIB for a number of years, Michael retired three years ago to explore a career in painting.

“The painting has really started to

take off in the last number of months. Jam now based full time at the Court- house Studio in Ennistymon which has been a great help and I have also developed my own web-page which is attracting a lot of people from abroad, America in particular, to my work,” said Michael.

‘“T have just finished a three months long exhibition with Doreen Dren- nan at the Cliffs of Moher and now that O’Brien’s Tower is reopening we were asked to put together a number of painting particularly to do with the Cliffs of Moher.

“It is a huge honour and I am ab- solutely thrilled. It 1s such an iconic building and it is very exciting to

be one of the first artists to exhibit in there. I have been working on a number of painting specifically for it over the last few months so I can’t wait.”

Michael first made his name as an artist by a number of successful ex- hibits in local art auctions.

“Painting is a tougher business than it was three or four years ago and people are looking for good value and things like art auctions are becoming more and more popular. Dolan’s Art Auction in Galway have been fantastic, they have sold more than 30 of my paintings over the last few months so it’s been a great suc- cess,” he said.

‘Also I have recently taken a real interest 1n painting scenes from the horse fair in Ennistymon. The horse fair takes place twice a year in En- nistymon and I have come across some great scenes from the fair including local people like Willie Daly.

“I have also been invited to take up a position as artist in resident in Roundstone in Galway, as well as an- other similar position in Kerry later in the year, which is a great honour for me.”

For more information check out www.imichaelhanrahan.net.

NO APPLICATION has been made for a taxi licence in County Clare WTA ore

According to the Commission for Taxi Regulation, the number of l- censed taxi plates remained at 196 at the end of April — the same as at the end of last December.

But there has been a decrease in the

number of hackney licences which dropped to 226 at the end of April from 237 at the end of 2008. There has also been a drop in the number of limousine plates from 46 at the end of 2008 to 41 at the end of April.

The only sector of the public li- censed vehicle business to show an increase was wheelchair accessible taxis which rose by one from 14 to 15 over the same period.

In all, the number of licences from public service vehicles has dropped from 503 to 488.

The figures show that while now having reached a plateau of 196, the number of taxi plates increased ten- fold since deregulation.

Prior to deregulation, the Ennis taxi market was one of the most re- stricted in the country resulting in exorbitant prices for one of the 20

taxi plates available. In a couple of instances, plates were sold for sums in excess of €100,000. It now costs only €6,250 to purchase a plate.

Director of Ennis-based firm, Bur- ren Taxis, Brendan Tuohy said yes- terday that the current situation is “a CN Riko uae

“If you are not a member of a com- pany like Burren Taxis and you are out on your own, it 1s very hard to

make a living. If a survey was taken of the 196 existing taxi licence hold- ers “you would find maybe a quar- ter that are not working, because the business isn’t there”.

He said that taxi drivers in Burren Taxis — which has 40 drivers — are working 70 hours a week.

Mr Tuohy added that vehicle stand- ards must be increased “as anyone can come in and be a taxi-driver”.

THE unique geology of the Burren will form the centre piece for a new festival which takes place in north Clare later this month. The Burren Rocks! festival, organised by the Ennistymon-based Burren Connect Project, will take place from May 25 to 31 in a variety of locations around north Clare.

Some highlights of the festival will include a rock identification day at the Burren Outdoor Education Cen- tre in Bellharbour on May 28 and a

caving trip, due to take place on Sat- urday, May 30,

A number of family focussed events are also taking place including a range of themed walks and illustrat- ed lectures. Many of the walks and lectures are crossover events linking the Burren’s geology to its flora, ar- chaeology and culture.

A landscape-themed art competi- tion for children and teens will also take place, culminating with the winning entries being displayed at the Burren Centre in Kilfenora. Chil- dren are also invited to help make a

sandcastle city on Fanore beach on Saturday, May 30.

“There 1s an amazing wealth of geology in the Burren but it is often hidden or overlooked,’ said geologist Dr Maria McNamara.

“The Burren Rocks! festival is a really fun way of celebrating and raising awareness of the Burren’s fantastic geology, and will hopefully become a major annual event in the Burren calendar.”

All events are free of charge and most do not require booking. For full programme details, see www.bur-

renconnect.ie/geopark/events.html. The programme is also available lo- cally at libraries, visitor centres and selected public noticeboards or for more information ring 065 7072295 or email info@burrenconnect.ie.

The Burren Connect Project was established in December 2007 with funding from the Failte Ireland De- velopment Scheme Fund, in part- nership with Clare County Council, Shannon Development, National Parks and Wildlife Service, National Monuments Service, Geological Sur- vey of Ireland and Burrenbeo.

A MAN convicted of drug dealing — for the second time — in Shannon has been handed a jail term. Father-of-three John Paul Meaney (30), of Cluain Airne, Shannon, ad- mitted possession of cocaine for the purpose of sale or supply and posses- sion of cocaine, at his home on June

6, 2008.

Garda Pat Harte told Shannon District Court that he carried out a search of the accused’s home, under the Misuse of Drugs Act, and met the accused at the door.

“He immediately brought me to the kitchen and produced a lump of white powder. He admitted the pow- der was cocaine,” he said.

He said that 14.87g¢ of cocaine, along with a silver weighing scales and small plastic bags, were found. He gave €47/0 to the garda, which he admitted was the proceeds of drug ler Nba atee

Gda Harte said the cocaine was valued at €1,200.

The court heard the accused has a previous conviction, in 2001, for the

sale or supply of drugs. A suspended sentence had been handed down on that occasion, in the circuit court. Defending solicitor Caitriona Car- mody said her client had been before the courts nine years ago, having suffered from addiction problems at the time. “He was a cocaine addict. Unfortunately there was a relapse. It was in those circumstances that

he built up debts and he arrived at these circumstances. He was very small-scale engaged in the selling of CTU UTA MAMES) OLoeCT- BOR

Judge Joseph Mangan noted that the accused has a previous conviction for a similar offence and imposed a 10- month jail term.

He fixed a bond in the event of an appeal.

THE NORTH Clare tourism sector will receive a boost this week with the news of a €1 million investment by Cliffs of Moher Cruises, which will create four new jobs in the lo- cality. The company is set to for- mally launch the Doolin Discovery which will allow for the creation of two new routes to and from the Aran Island.

According to Eugene Garrihy of the Cliffs of Moher tours, the new expansions will help attract more tourists to the Doolin area and help all businesses 1n north Clare.

‘The boat is called the Doolin Dis- covery and it is the sister ship to the boat we already operate, the Jack B. The boat will be used on the Aran Island’s routes as well as the Cliffs of Moher cruises. We are develop- ing the business; we have not gone to Inis Mor and Inis Meain before now, so these are two new routes that we are putting on because of the new boats,” he said .

‘As everyone knows all businesses in Clare, and north Clare in particu- lar, are going through a difficult time because of this recession. So I think that this is a welcome addition to the facilities that are on offer in north Clare for tourists. As well as that,

it is a substantial investment on our behalf so it shows that we are confi- dent that we can develop the business there more in the future.

“It’s a very difficult time for the tourism sector at the moment, espe- cially for the people who run hotels and bed and breakfasts. So it is all about an area being able to offer dif- ferent services to tourists. One of the big problems traditionally with tourism in north Clare is that a lot of people have traditionally gone from Kerry to Galway and bypassed a lot of north Clare.

“The Cliffs of Moher has done a lot to tackle that over the last number of years through the centre that they have build up there and the area is starting to hold more people over night. That is what we are hoping to do – even if it’s just a case of hold- ing people for one extra night in the area.

“Tt will also see the creation of four extra jobs in the area which is an ex- tra boost. The tourism businesses in north Clare are all linked together. We think that this will help other businesses in the area and we would be hopeful of getting support from the business community in the area as well.”

THREE prison officers ended up in hospital after a prisoner lashed out and attacked them, during a court sitting in Ennis on Thursday.

One sustained a broken arm and was bitten, another received head and shoulder injuries and was detained overnight in hospital, while a third sustained a badly swollen wrist.

The incident occurred after a pris- oner – in custody at Limerick prison – became irate when his solicitor was not present in court.

Daniel Darcy (30), of Tannery Wharf, Rathangan, Kildare, ap- peared in court on foot of a bench warrant that had been issued for his arrest on July 17 last year.

He is accused of assaulting Berna- dette Phiri, at Tullyvarraga, Shannon, on June 13 last. He is also charged with stealing a jeep at Ballymore Road, Naas, Co Kildare, on June 12.

He initially appeared before a spe-

cial court sitting in June last year but failed to appear the following month and a bench warrant was issued.

Solicitor Daragh Hassett told the court that the accused is represented by Limerick-based solicitor Chris Lynch. However he was not available to appear in court last Thursday and Mr Hassett was acting as agent.

As he was telling the court that the accused wanted to see a copy of statements in relation to the alleged offences, Darcy interrupted and de- manded that he be represented by Mr yee

“Don’t say any more. I’m waiting for my solicitor,” he shouted to the court. He told Judge Joseph Mangan that Mr Lynch was in the corridor and was on his way into the court- room.

The judge replied that it would take Mr Lynch about 15 seconds to get to the courtroom as the corridor was not a long one. He then moved on to the next case and Darcy was taken

from the packed courtroom by prison officers, amid commotion.

It took several prison officers and gardai to control Darcy, who was handcuffed, as he shouted outside the courtroom and later in the hold- ing cell downstairs.

At one stage, the roars on the corri- dor were so loud that Inspector Tom Kennedy suggested adjourning the court sitting until the noise abated, but Judge Mangan continued with the sitting.

This occurred around noon and the court was addressed by a prison of- ficer after the lunchbreak. Melissa Kiely told the court that the prisoner had become “extremely volatile” while being escorted from the court- room by three prison staff.

She said that one of the staff was bitten twice, another sustained an arm injury, while another received a wrist injury, when Darcy resisted be- ing removed from the courtroom.

She said she had contacted the pris-

on chief officer Pat Desmond, who instructed that the prisoner be held IMA NROOER

A specially trained control restraint team was dispatched to the court- house and transported him back to the jail.

‘He has a well-documented psychi- atric history and is currently receiv- ing treatment at Limerick prison,” she said.

Judge Mangan remanded him in custody for a week and said he ex- pects Mr Lynch to be in court on the adjourned date.

The judge later returned to the issue and asked why Mr Lynch was not in court. He was told he had commit- ments in Limerick. The judge stated, “I don’t for a moment want to con- done what happened but if Mr Lynch was here, things might have taken a CHS Rosle) Uso

Mr Hassett replied that Mr Lynch had arranged for consultations with his clients.

SOME of Clare’s leading business lights were in New Quay last week for a meeting of the Clare branch of Network Ireland.

The meeting, which allows local businesswomen to network and trade ideas, was hosted by Brid Fahy of Linnalla Ice Cream. Linnalla will be celebrating it’s third year in opera- tion in north Clare later this month, and to mark the celebrations it will be hosting its third annual free ice- cream day.

“We started making ice-cream here in July of 2006 so we are nearly three years there now. We decided to diversify from the farming. We still milk cows, most of the milk goes to the creamery but we keep some of it here for the ice-cream,” said Brid.

“We started off with about five fla- vours and now we are up to about 25. We use real fresh milk and cream and that is the basic ingredient – without them we would have nothing.”

The ice-cream is 100 per cent home made using milk from the Fahy’s own cows and local fruit and berries as flavouring whenever possible.

The ice-cream 1s available from the Linnalla shop in New Quay as well as being on a number of local restau- rant and hotel menus.

Recently Linnalla have also reached an agreement to be distribut- ed throughout the western seaboard with Keane’s Distributors in Ennis.

This year free ice-cream day in support of the Jack and Jill Founda- tion and takes place on June 14.

“When we started planning it last year the Burma Cyclone was af-

ter happening so we decided that it would be a very worthy cause. We contacted Trocaire who gave us a lot of information and on the day we had more than 1,000 people here and raised more than €2,000,”’ continued Brid.

“This year we will have some ab- seiling with the help of the Burren Outdoor Education Centre. Down here we had a ‘digging for gold com- petition’ for younger kids who can dig in our sandpit for some gold nug- gets and whoever finds a nugget gets a free tub of ice-cream.

“We will have donkey rides and other water games, milking the cow, bouncy castles – it’s all about having some fun. And having some free ice- cream of course.”

To learn more about Linnalla check out www.linnalla.com.