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ALREADY 100 people have signed up to take a stroll in aid of the first of two very good causes in east Clare on Easter Monday.

The second sponsored outing, this time around the Kilkishen area in May, will give participants a chance to walk, jog, run or cycle also in aid of a cancer charity.

The second annual Broadford 10k, planned for Easter Monday, will start from Broadford Community Hall and tour the beautiful scenic route through Kilbane and back to the valley, with musical entertain- ment en-route.

The proceeds of the day will be split between the Mid Western Can- cer Foundation and the Broadford Parish Funds.

On Saturday night, a draw in Vaughan’s Bar for a jersey signed by the Munster Team and a pair of tick- ets for the match on Saturday gave a further boost to the parish funds.

“We have given out all 100 sponsor- ship cards now, so that’s an improve- ment on our first walk last year.

“Even then we had eighty people but this time, we’ve gone all out and put up posters all over east Clare so that is paying off,’ said Joanne Moloney, one of the organisers of the event.

“But we still want to raise as much money as we can, so people can come on the day and pay the €20 registra- tion fee or just make a donation if they don’t want to do the walk.”

Registration will take place from lpm in the community hall with the VCO ea ev mB0 brome 14 O00 8

The Mid Western Cancer Founda- tion was established to streamline donations to the Mid Western Cancer Centre. The money received helps to Support and improve services and facilities for patients suffering from cancer and their families.

It also endorses research which ul- timately will help future treatments for patients with cancer in the mid- west.

Meanwhile, plans are going ahead for the East Clare 12k in aid of the Irish Cancer Society, which partici- pants can enjoy on-foot or astride a saddle.

The East Clare 12k starts at noon on May 4 from Kilkishen GAA Club and wends its way to Craggaunowen, Cullane Wood, Cullane House, by Cullane Lake and back to the club- house in Kilkishen via the Tulla INCer: Tee

There will be prizes for the first four four men and women in the run- ners section plus lots of spot prizes.

The main sponsors of the event, the first East Clare 12k, are Lenmac Services.

For sponsorship cards and further

queries call 087 9691415.

Entry Fee is €10 or €5 for students. Family entry is €20, plus there’s a free ride back for tired limbs.

THE determined youngsters in the under 10s Mountshannon Celtic Soc- cer Team are back on track, having got themselves a mentor.

The club were delighted with the team, but were concerned that the mentor of another team was looking after the youngsters as well as his

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“We had a great bunch of lads playing at under 10 last season. Ow- ing to the dedication of Gary Dear, we managed to enter them in a few blitzes last season, but this was not entirely satisfactory as Gary has his own team to look after,’ a spokes- man for the club said.

But with the new season just start-

ed, the club sent out an appeal for help in the Scariff Newsletter and got a good response.

Now they are concentrating on the club’s ethos of player development above results, and are kicking off with a new season.

The under 11s and under 13s train on Tuesday while the under 15s take to the field on Wednesday, all ses-

sions at 6pm at the Scariff show- grounds.

The club is “delighted to have won the Fair Play Award for the behav- iour of our players and for the first time now we have four teams in the schoolboy soccer league,’ the spokesman said.

Last season, the club got to the fi- nals of the under 13s and under 14s

cup and came in as runners-up in the under 14 league.

They also now have several players with county teams.

Anyone who would like to know more or who thinks they might fan- cy a shot at ‘the beautiful game’ is welcome to come along and speak to mentors at the club training ses- sions.

PLANS by the Health Services Ex- ecutive to downgrade services at Ennis General Hospital will cut pa- tient safety “to the bone and perhaps cut safety beyond”, according to the Chairman of the Clare branch of the Irish College of General Practition- use

Dr Michael Harty was speaking in Ennis last Saturday at a protest against the planned removal of serv- ices from Ennis General Hospital.

Dr Harty told an estimated crowd of 3000 people that the argument for the provision of medical services in TRAE MICRO oKcemO IM stom IEC m ie ices should be centralised or whether most acute services should be pro- vided in “peripheral hospitals like Ennis and Nenagh”.

Dr Harty said, “This tiered system has worked very well in the past. But over the years Ennis and Nenagh have been systematically downgraded and undermined by a failure to develop the hospital in terms of staff and equipment, while at the same time concentrating development services in Limerick almost exclusively.”

“To minimise errors and mistakes, one has to practice safe and sensible medicine. And systems would be in place where there is sufficient safety to allow as complete safe and sensible care as possible. What is being pro- posed, by the transformation team, 1s to cut safety to the bone and perhaps cut safety beyond”, he said.

Consultant geriatrician at Nenagh General Hospital Dr Christine O’Malley said the HSE was going to “lock” Ennis General Hospital at night, after 24 accident and emer- gency services are withdrawn.

She said the HSE had deliberately deceived the public on the issue of patient numbers. Dr O’Malley told the crowd that the real night time attendance of patients at Ennis Gen- eral Hospital is 5,500 and at Nenagh General Hospital is 4000.

She said, “I know it is not going

to work, it can’t work. They haven’t got the ambulances they don’t have the beds in Limerick. They are go- ing to take your doctors away and leave nothing behind here and they don’t want you in Limerick. I’m sor- ry; I don’t know what to say to you. It can’t work, its not going to work, they are going to do it anyway”. Gerry Byrnes, a retired surgeon who worked at Ennis General Hos- pital for 27 years also doubted the capacity of the Midwestern Regional Hospital, Limerick to cope with in-

creased numbers of patients.

He told the crowd “If this planned change of the A&E in Ennis goes through, followed in July by taking acute surgery out of the hospital, I’m not sure that the infrastructure is there for Limerick to cope.”

STUDENTS from Clare Youth Serv- ices are hoping to clean up in more ways than one at a car wash in Ennis this Saturday.

The event is being organised by a group of students taking part in the service’s Leaving Cert Applied (LCA) programme.

All money raised from the car wash, which will be held in the erounds of Ennis National School, will go towards increasing the range of activities provided through the LCA programme.

Teacher Laura Griffin explained that the service is looking to expand

the programme throughout the sum- mer months.

“The LCA is a very activity based programme and this summer we are hoping to do a lot of different activi- ties like sailing and horse-riding. We actually had two reasons for doing this. Obviously we wanted to raise money for the LCA and also by do- ing this, the students are fulfilling the enterprise test of the programme. So, we’re looking to kill two birds with the one stone,” said Laura.

Local schools and businesses are also supporting the event. “Ennis National School are providing the car-park on the day and Jimmy’s Discount Store are giving us some

materials. They have been very help- ful,’ said Laura.

She continued, “We had looked at doing a few different things. We were going to do an Easter themed treasure hunt around the town or we had this idea for an Ebay shop, but the carwash was the cheapest op- tion. And we’re hoping, with it be- ing Easter Saturday, we’ll get a good crowd around town.”

There are currently 11 students enrolled in the LCA programe. The LCA is a recognised Leaving Certifi- cate from the Department of Educa- tion. It encourages students to apply their knowledge, skills and experi- ences acquired on the programme, in

preparation for future work, and/or further education. The programme is a full-time two-year course and is divided into four sessions over the two-year period. These sessions are sub-divided into periods of study known as modules.

“It involves the usual subjects like Maths and English but a lot of the work is project-based,” added Laura.

A NEW centre offering affordable office, meeting and training spaces has been established at the centrally located Clon Road Business Park in J Spay AvESe

Since it was set up in January, the Clare Training Resource Centre (CTRC) has attracted a wide range of user groups from across County OK

Currently running at the multi-pur- pose facility are employee training sessions, preparation for interview classes, a series of workshops fo- cusing on women and the economy and various local and national or- ganisation’s meetings. Users can also participate in classes in yoga, pilates, meditation, floral art, and a

range of other personal development programmes. Up-coming courses include exam revision for secondary students and interior design.

“Tightening budgets brought on by the economic recession have left many community organisations and businesses with little scope to invest in training space or meeting rooms,’ explained Lorraine Tracey, Training Centre Coordinator.

She continued, “We are offering an affordable and accessible, high qual- ity, multi-functional space. Our aim is to combine community values with a professional delivery. Rooms are set-up with equipment such as pro- jectors, flipcharts and whiteboards as needed and catering services can be arranged.”

Ms Tracey added that the new fa-

cility offered organisations and ind1- viduals the flexibility and opportu- nity to reserve space on a once-off or on a regular basis.

The CTRC is also currently pro- viding the space for the delivery of a range of courses on behalf of its parent company the Clare Family Resource Centre (CFRC).

The CFRC runs a FAS scheme with 21 Community Employment partici- pants providing a wide range of staff training including Basic Childcare Training, Highscope Training, Spe- cial Needs Training, Equal Oppor- tunities, First Aid, Arts and Crafts, Music and Drama, Manual Lifting and Handling and Health and Safety. Among the other courses delivered by the CTRC are Fire Prevention, Stay Safe Child Protection Pro-

gramme, HACCP food safety, and Personal and Social Development.

According to Maureen Keane, Manager of the Clare Family Re- source, “Staff training is a key ele- ment to the success and development of our staff and créche service.”

“We encourage and empower our Community Employment _partici- pants by providing these opportuni- ties leading to Certified Childcare Training Skills, personal develop- ment and employment. Providing a suitable training environment for staff is of utmost importance to us,” stated Ms Keane.

Trainers or groups interested in using the facilities may contact Lor- raine Tracey; Training Centre Coor- dinator; Tel: 065-6895458; Email: info @ctrc.ie.

THREE Clare-based organisations claimed three of the top prizes at the National Glor na nGael awards in Donegal at the weekend.

The Ennis-based An Clar as Gaeilge was awarded third place at the ceremony in Gaoth Dobhair.

The Shannon-based Club na Sionna Irish language group won the Herit- age Council Award while local sta- tion Clare FM won the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland award for the local commercial radio station that best promoted Irish in its broadcast- ing schedule.

Speaking after the presenta- tion, Breandan MacFhionnghaile, Oifigeach Forbartha An Clar as Gaeilge Teo, which co-ordinates the competition in Ennis, said that the award was a reflection of the work that was being done to promote Irish as part of everyday life.

“The response from so many com- munity groups and statutory organi- sation has been so positive and this reflects in the success we have had in the national competition in recent years” he said. “It 1s a tribute to the hard work of the many groups that are affiliated to and support the En- nis Glor na nGael Committee, this is a true community award,’ he con- LiKe (ere

The award for An Clar as Gaeilge caps a busy month for the organisa- tion and comes two years after it won the overall Glor na nGael national AMEN KOE

Seachtain na Gaeilge, which was launched back on March 2, was ex- tended to the end of the month to take in the Féile na hInse prizewin- ners concert, which was held in Cois na hAbhna on Sunday night last.

Club na Sionna won a Heritage Council Award worth €1,500 in recognition of the committee’s work on place-names and its publication ‘Know Your Place’, which has been so popular that it is now on its third print run.

The awards were presented jointly by Liam O Maolmhichil and Liam O Cuinneagain, Cathaoirligh of Foras na Gaeilge and Udaras na Gaeltachta respectively.

Speaking at the event, Glor na nGael director, Lorcan Mac Gabhann said, “I want to congratulate Club na Sion- na on receiving their award tonight –

a great recognition for the committee and for Shannon.”

Paul Moriarty, Controller of Pro- grammes in Clare FM, said he was proud to accept the BCI Award on behalf of the radio station.

“All the staff, in both management and presentation, worked hard togeth- er to achieve this award and it shows how a co-ordinated approach can be so successful and this is something we will continue to develop within Clare FM,” he said.

CLARE’S impressive start to the year finally reaped the deserved re- wards on Sunday but they had to dig deep before finally claiming their first points of the campaign. Admi- rable displays against Tipperary and Kilkenny yielded only moral victo- ries but this time, their hard work and perseverance paid off with a confidence-boosting win ahead of their senior championship return.

Far from being comfortable though, Clare’s good work in build- ing up a five point advantage by the 49th minute was almost undone in the final moments but a combina- tion of stubborn defending and some inspired goalkeeping from Denise Lynch meant that Clare held on for the narrowest of victories.

With neither side picking up any points in their opening two games, both sides would have fancied their chances of taking all the points here and it was Dublin who started bet- ter with Sarah Ryan having the ball in Clare’s net as early as the second minute.

It took six minutes for Clare to fi- nally get off the mark when the lively Carina Roseingrave palmed a point but it was cancelled out almost im- mediately by Alison Maguire and despite playing into the conditions, Dublin appeared sharper.

Clare though, true to recent form, finally settled and holding their op- ponents scoreless for the next 22 minutes, they hit 1-3 without reply with Claire Commane grabbing the

goal and Shonagh Enright, Carina Roseingrave and Sharon O’Loughlin adding points. It could have been more only for Dublin goalkeeper Eimear Butler, who produced an ex- cellent save to deny Deirdre Murphy in the 16th minute as Clare led by 1-4

to 1-2 at the break.

GENK cicoms re) asrureUhaptiMss(omelu hie ing seat but on the restart, three wides in aS many minutes frustrated them and gave Dublin hope, espe- cially when Joeleen Hoary pointed for in the 32nd minute. In a see-saw

period, a brace of points from Sha- ron McMahon sandwiched another Hoary score and goalkeeper Butler also denied Carina Roseingrave be- fore Shonagh Enright pushed Clare three points clear with a free at the turn of the final quarter.

Debutant Rachel Costelloe did reply with a point but Clare got a signifi- cant shot in the arm when a defensive lapse saw Carina Roseingrave pick up the break and grab a goal and now five clear with only eleven minutes remaining, Clare looked to be head- ing for a comfortable victory.

Instead, Clare failed to register an- other score as Dublin hit them with everything in their armory for the remainder. In the 54th minute, Clare had to twice clear off the line after a Niamh Taylor long free was dropped into the square but the Dubs finally made the breakthrough when Anne Griffin offloaded to Alison Maguire who made no mistake with a shot to the Clare net.

Clare were beginning to creak for the first time and Amy Murphy al- most took full advantage but Den- ise Lynch stood up to the effort to maintain Clare’s slender two point lead. Unperturbed by that set-back, Dublin continued to lay siege on the Clare goal and it almost earned them a full reprieve when Alison Maguire was brought down for an injury time penalty but Ciara Lucey’s effort was saved for a “45. Lucey did point in the 63rd minute but time was against them and a thoroughly relieved Clare held on for the one point victory.

While there were no knock-out

places at stake, it was still a signifi- cant result as a third successive defeat could have been a real set-back for Bertie Sherlock’s side. However, hav- ing ground out a much needed win, Clare can now approach the champi- onship with optimism and won’t be overawed by the tough challenges of last year’s All-Ireland senior finalists Galway, Limerick and Wexford.

KILMALEY are back in the final for the second successive year after finally seeing off the challenge of Whitegate on Saturday. However, in what was a repeat of last year’s semi- final, Kilmaley never had it easy and indeed were four points down mid- way through the second half after Michael Dooley had goaled for the east Clare side.

That Kilmaley finally prevailed was down to the contribution of Daire Keane, who for the second consecutive game, was inspirational for his side and managed to notch up 2-6 over the hour. With White- gate having the aid of the breeze in the first half, it took a spectacular Keane goal to pull his side level at 1- 3 to 0-6 at the break and again when things were looking bleak for Kilma- ley in the second half, he was there

again to flick to the net after getting on the end of a sideline cut into the area. That goal pushed Kilmaley two points ahead and further points from Eoin O’Malley and Michael O’Neill cemented the win and earned them a place in this year’s decider.

SCARIFF is expected to have a 24-hour ambulance service by next Monday. As the county loses its 24- hour A&E services, it is expected to gain a round-the-clock ambulance service for the east of the county.

According to Fianna Fail TD Tim- my Dooley, the long awaited 24-hour service is imminent. “I have consist- ently sought to have the service level upgraded to 24-hour-a-day service thereby eliminating the lack of cover from 7pm to midnight each day.

“Following protracted negotiation with the HSE and the Minister for Health, I am confident the service will be upgraded by April 6 as part of the increased deployment of am- bulance personnel in Clare,’ he said.

The purpose-built, state-of-the- art station in Scariff was opened in 2003, but since then it has opened for just 19 hours a day.

From 7pm to 12 midnight, the sta- tion closes. A series of campaigns lo- cally have been calling for the station to be open all night and all day.

Deputy Dooley said the upgrade of the station to 24 hours a day has come about thanks to the hard work of the HSE, the Minister for Health and the ambulance personnel. “It will take a lot of resources to bring the 24-7 service into place,” he said.

The east Clare deputy said, how- ever, that there will be “an element of on-call facilities” used to keep the service open 24 hours a day.

“This is a result of protracted dis- cussions for some time. A great debt of gratitude is owed to the local cam- paign group that worked so hard, and I would like to compliment Cora Long and her campaign members for their efforts.”

The Scariff ambulance serves a catchment area of 601 square kilo- metres, and a population of 9,220.

A HEAVY WEIGHT clash and it cer- tainly didn’t disappoint, going virtu- ally to the wire before Inagh-Kilna- mona edged home with four points to spare to assume favouritism for the 2009 Under 21A title.

The only real surprise was _ that Inagh-Kilnamona didn’t have a big- ger cushion at the end. When Sean McGonigley rattled the Newmar- ket-on-Fergus net in the 45th minute to put Inagh-Kilnamona ten clear it looked as if they’d freewheel into the semi-final.

McGonigley’s strike came 30 min- utes after Martin Barry’s goal had put Inagh-Kilnamona ahead for the first time. It was that half hour either side of half-time that won it for In- agh-Kilnamona — they put 3-9 up on the board, a tally that left Newmarket with too big a mountain to climb.

However, they still stoked up a barnstorming finish as Colin Ryan led the comeback charge with Eoin Hayes at his shoulder. In the end Rory Hickey’s final whistle couldn’t come quick enough for Inagh-Kil- namona who were grateful that Ni- all Arthur stemmed the tide towards their goal with two breakaway points near the end.

It never looked like coming to this for Inagh-Kilnamona once they set- tled into the game. They played with the aid of the strong breeze in the first half, but were slow to make the

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The Blues were first on the board with a Darren Duggan point and led O-3 to O-2 after ten minutes. Ger Arthur equalised in the 13th minute and then Inagh-Kilnamona hit the front two minutes later when Eamon Glynn’s long free was batted down into the path of Martin Barry whose low ground shot beat Ronan McCor-

netlee

It was the cue for some champagne hurling from Inagh-Kilnamona — they hit 1-4 in the next 11 minutes, the goal coming in the 19th from Damian Lafferty, while Conor Tier- ney stamped his class on proceedings with the four points.

The Blues did score a breakaway goal from Colin Ryan in the 27th

minute but still found themselves in arrears by double scores at the break — 2-8 to 1-4 for the Combo.

Points inside two minutes of the resumption from Conor Tierney and Damian Lafferty sign helped Inagh- Kilnamona serve notice, while a fur- ther 1-3 by the three quarter-stage had them coasting to success.

But credit the Blues, they never did

die and Colin Ryan’s goal in the 48th minute teed up a grandstand finish. The Blues thundered forward, look- ing for Ryan to pull victory from impending defeat and points by Eoin Hayes and Darren Duggan brought it back to a goal as the game entered PON LUUMYAnB bee ee

A goal would have saved the day, but it was Niall Arthur who had the final say to finally kill off the Blues’ challenge with a point in the Olst minute.