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WHAT better way to spend Valen- tine’s Day than amidst the breath- taking scenery of north Clare. More than 500 people are expected to turn out for the annual sponsored 10k walk organised by the Clare Branch of the Alzheimer Society of Ireland, which takes place in Fanore on Feb- ruary 14.

The annual walk, which usually happens on the first Sunday of the new year, was postponed this year because of the poor weather condi- tions but organisers are confident that a large crowd will still come along and show its support.

Now in its eighth year, the walk has become a charity institution in the north Clare area.

Sponsorship cards are still available locally or from the Alzheimer Socie- ty office in Ennis, but people are also encouraged to come along on the day and donate what they can.

“We have had great support from people in Clare, Galway and Lim- erick and all over getting behind the walk for the last eight years and it’s been a pleasure to do it.

“It’s a very nice walk. It goes from the main road to the green road and then it goes to the grass green road up in Fanore. There is a lovely view out over the sea and over all the Burren,”

said co-organiser, Gerry Howard.

““Tt’s a nice relaxed walk. We have a great celebration on the day with traditional music, dancing and sing- ing in O’Donoghue’s Pub after the walk. We have a great evening after ro

AS in previous years, all proceeds from the walk will go to improve and extend both daycare, homecare and respite services for the Clare branch of the Alzheimer Society.

‘There are very few families who haven’t had some sort of brush with it – either Dementia or Alzheimer’s. When you are organising something like this, you are very much pushing an open door with people. Anyone

who has had experience of it is al- ways great when it comes to pitching in,’ continued Gerry.

“Every bob we make goes into the services in County Clare – there isn’t anything at all spent on administra- tion or anything like that.”

This year’s walk will take place from 12.30pm on Sunday, Feb- ruary 14, starting and _ finishing O’Donoghue’s Pub in Fanore.

Sponsorship cards are still availa- ble from the Alzheimer Society local office at Unit 17 Clonroad Business Park, Ennis on 065 6868621.

Cards are also available locally from Gerard Howard and Brendan Cusack.

GARDA reinforcements had to be brought in during a domestic dispute at a house on the outskirts of Ennis town, a court has heard.

Thomas Quinn (36), of Ashline, Kilrush Road, Ennis, was convicted of breaching the peace at his home on August 11, 2009.

Inspector Michael Gallagher told Ennis District Court on Friday that gardai were called to a disturbance at the house.

He said that a woman had a large cut to her head and wounds to her body.

He said the accused asked gardai to leave the house and became ex- tremely agitated.

“He kept saying to his wife, * You are not going to complain, are you?’,” said Inspector Gallagher.

He said that a broken shovel was found in a room in the house.

The court was told that garda rein- forcements had to be called in and it took three gardai to restrain the ac- Leer

The court heard that Quinn has a string of previous convictions.

Defending solicitor Andrew Darcy told the court that there has been a lot of tragedy in his client’s family in Kero nN DON Tere

“There have been two suicide at- tempts recently in his immediately family. His first cousin died tragi- cally last week,” he said.

Referring to the offence before the court, Mr Darcy said his client had been off drink and drugs for a number of years, but had indulged on this occasion, resulting in a domestic situation.

The defendant’s wife Margaret told the court that the incident was “out of character.”

‘“He’s a very good husband; a very good father. He was only after losing a sister at 39.

“He lost a nephew at 31. It was too much,” she said.

She said that she and her husband “are getting on like a house on fire now.”

“T’ve got six kids. If Thomas goes to prison, I don’t know how I’d man- age,” she said.

Judge Timothy Lucey said, “Even though she doesn’t make a lot of it, I think it was a serious incident that required gardai to be called.”

“Anybody who defies the gardai, that aggravates the whole thing. He made it difficult for everybody. It merits a suspended sentence. He’s got to watch himself and make sure he doesn’t lose the head,” said the judge.

He imposed a three-month jail sen- tence, suspended for a year, on con- dition that he keep the peace for that period of time.

A LITTLE taste of Italy is now be- ing cooked to order every night in Doolin following the opening of the La Strana Coppia Restaurant in the village.

The new restaurant, which is owned and managed by chef pair Carlo Sa- gnotti and Ornella Testa, opened last month and, despite the recession, it has been proving that there is always an appetite for good food in north Clare. They promise a mixture of simple and complex foods, all taken from their native region of Piedmon- te and their home town Turin.

“It’s the cuisine of the poor and the cuisine of the kings. Torino and Pied- monte, our native land, was the first capital of Italy in 1860 and the home of the Savoia royal family, crowned by the Alps high mountains where poor people lived. In the restaurant people will discover completely new dishes, with daring and unusual com- binations of ingredients you’ve never tasted in Ireland,’ said Carlo.

Carlo and Ornella moved to Ire- land last year and spent a number of months searching out the perfect lo- cation. Despite the difficult econom- ic conditions, they are hopeful their new venture will be a success.

“We were looking for a place in Ire- land that would suit all of our needs and our ideas and I think Doolin was always the place. After all we both love Doolin so we were happy to find a place here,” continued Carlo.

“We moved to Ireland back in June and since then we have been look- ing around, trying to find the perfect je e-Terer

“We think we have found it now. We have a very big menu, both dish-

es that people might know but also some more unusual recipes.

“We are optimistic about the res- taurant. We know that we are selling good authentic Italian food. We have imported it directly from Italy so we believe in what we are doing. So ina way it doesn’t matter if we are opti- mistic or not.

“But of course we are optimistic. We believe that it might be slow, but we think that we can have a good place in Doolin with this restaurant, because of the quality of our food. We won’t be an Italian takeaway serving just pizza and things like that. It’s all about the quality of the food.”

For more about La Strana Coppia

or to read a sample menu check out http://italianrestaurantdoolin.com or ring 087 7465982.

A WOMAN who complained about loud music got more than she bar- gained for as the neighbour she com- plained to arrived at her house a few hours later with a spade.

Arising out of the incident, Seamus Nestor, of Cluain Ard, Clarecas- tle, was charged with threatening a woman in the course of a dispute, at Cluain Ard, on July 7, 2009.

Inspector Michael Gallagher told Ennis District Court on Friday that loud music was being played at a house at around 7pm and a neighbour complained to the accused.

“She asked him to turn down the music as it was loud,’ he said. How- ever, Nestor laughed in the woman’s face and closed the door. At around 10.45pm he arrived at her house with a spade. The incident was witnessed by another neighbour and the court was told the witnesses were very traumatised as a result of what had

happened.

Defending solicitor John Casey said those involved live very close to each other. “At the time he (Nestor) had a serious drink problem. He had dif-

ficulties with Clare County Council at the time. It is council accommoda- tion,” he said.

‘He was wrong and he accepts he was wrong. He realises his neigh-

bours are entitled to quiet enjoyment of their own property,” he said.

“I suggest an adjournment for a pe- riod of time to leave the sword hang- ing over him. If he offends again he will face the full rigours of the law,” said Mr Casey.

However Judge Timothy Lucey was told that Nestor is still drinking and asked, “Is there any reason why it won’t happen again next week? He is still drinking.”

Mr Casey said his client is not drinking as much as he used to and has “quietened down. Perhaps in time it will settle. He would rather get on with his neighbours.”

The judge said, “It’s up to him to address his own difficulties. I can’t address them for him. He’s on the edge of a suspended sentence but perhaps a sentence would be too much, given his plea.” He imposed a fine of €400.

THE majestic view from the Cliffs of Moher stretched all the way to Sanya in the southern Hainan Province of China last week as a delegation from the Cliffs of Moher Experience took part in a special trade mission look- ing for new tourism business.

Representatives from the cliffs, along with a number of other tour- ism partners from around Ireland, were involved in the trade mission which was organised together with Visit Britain and Tourism Ireland in China.

The trip consisted of a number of face-to-face workshops, presenta-

tions and networking events with influential Chinese travel agents, the trade mission provided an excel- lent platform for the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Centre and other participants to showcase their tourism product and to communicate what is unique about the island of Ireland.

Through the course of the two-day mission, face-to-face meetings were conducted with more than 60 key Chinese decision-makers, encour- aging them to include the island of Ireland in their future holiday pro- eae DOOD ENLACE

‘The majority of overseas tourists to the island of Ireland continue to come from the core markets of Brit-

ain, mainland Europe and North America and, while this will con- tinue, it is important that we expand our focus beyond these markets and look to the long-term opportunities presented by the markets in Asia like China,’ said Jim Paul, Tourism Ire- land’s Head of New and Developing Markets.

“Britain 1s a very popular desti- nation for Chinese travellers, so it makes sense for Tourism Ireland to co-operate with Visit Britain, to tar- get those Chinese visitors travelling to Great Britain and encourage them to visit the island of Ireland as part OM slo pum nul Oe

“Tourism Ireland believes that the

Asian outbound travel market is set for significant growth in the coming years. In particular, China offers sig- nificant business potential for tour- ism enterprises around the island of Ireland. According to the United Nations World Tourism Organisa- tion (UNWTO), the Asia-Pacific re- gion will be one of the fastest-grow- ing outbound regions, expanding by more than 6.5 per cent on average over the next I5 years.

“Visitors from markets like China stay twice as long as the average hol- idaymaker, are more likely to travel throughout the island and make a significant economic contribution to numerous tourism sectors.”

A WOMAN has told a court she feared she would be killed after a car came towards her zig-zagging over and back on the road, along the En- nis bypass.

Arising out of the incident, Kath- leen McCarthy (29), of Acha Bhaile, Lahinch Road, Ennis, was charged with driving without due care and consideration, on November 19, 2008. She denied the charge.

Kathleen Gibbons, from Lisdoon- varna, told Ennis District Court on Friday that she was driving on the Ennis bypass, near the Claureen roundabout, on the date in question.

She said she was travelling at a speed of between 45 and 50 mph when she noticed a car coming to- wards her, zig-zagging over and back the road. “First of all I thought it was somebody doing wheelies. I hoped it would straighten up. I thought, ‘I’m going to be dead’,” she recalled.

She said the car moved onto her side of the road and crashed into the side of her car. As a result, Ms Gibbons’ passenger door flew open. The airbag burst and there was blue smoke for a few seconds. She said the incident has “severely damaged my confidence.”

Defending solicitor Tara Godfrey said her client lost control of the steering wheel and spent several days in hospital after the crash. She received 21 stitches to the side of her head and suffered internal bleeding.

In a statement to gardai made some time after the accident, the accused said she did not know what had hap- pened.

“All of a sudden the steering wheel went free from me. I had no control,” she told gardai.

The court heard that the accused’s car was examined by the PSV in- spector and this found there were no defects with the steering wheel.

The solicitor said the accused was “driving carefully with all due care. There has to be an element of doubt. It was the middle of the day. It was highly unlikely she would be engag- ing in boy racing tactics.”

Judge Timothy Lucey said there may be another explanation for what had happened and said Ms McCa- rthy “may have had a blow out, but who can tell?”’

‘There is no question but the State have proved their case. There may be other explanations. It’s up to the de- fence to produce any evidence,” said the judge.

He convicted the defendant and fined her €250. He fixed a bond in the event of an appeal.

He told the solicitor, “If what you are Saying is correct, you should ap- peal it but you’d want to get better proof, better evidence.”

Road funding not nearly enough

BEN Escorcio is going for all Ire- land glory, having already won West Clare’s Got Talent and numerous other competitions in his young life.

He will showcase his singing abil- ity this Sunday evening on the popu- lar RTE television competition, The All Ireland Talent Show.

The teen will not only represent Clare but the whole of Munster when he does battle for judge John Cree- don’s team.

The second-year student in St Flan- nan’s College, Ennis, has not revealed the song he will sing in an effort to

make it to the semi-final, but he is hoping the people of his new home in Milltown Malbay, Clare and Munster will like it.

Born in London, Ben moved to Australia with his parents Sandy and Leo, and his brothers when he was young. He went to school there- and was educated before the family moved to Ireland and settled in Mil- town Malbay.

Ben is no stranger to performing, competition or even television. Last year he won not only the local com- petition West Clare’s Got Talent, but also made it to the final of RTE 1’s ‘Jam the Musical’.

While living in Melbourne, he was part of the largest dramatic society in the city. As well as playing a main role in ‘Les Miserables’ and ‘Oliver’, he also had a part especially written into “The Pirates of Penzance’, and won the Guild of Victoria.

On moving to Clare, he continued to work on his singing. Just months in the county, he joined Clare’s famed Lismorahaun singers, and took up singing lessons with the choir’s founder, Archie Simpson.

Then a few short weeks ago, the talented teen auditioned for the All Ireland Talent Show in Cork. On the first day of auditions, John Creeden

put Ben through to his final 16.

“Tt was brilliant. When John said I was through, I could have run and shrieked with joy. Luckily I remem- bered I was on camera,” he laughed.

On day two of the auditions, the judges had to narrow down their se- lection to just eight acts and Ben was once again called up.

‘As soon as we got back home, we began brainstorming for song ideas, with only a few weeks to prepare,” he said.

GARDAI investigating the death of Brian Casey last night issued a fresh appeal for information – in advance of the file on the case being sent to the DPP this week.

The 26-year-old from Lissycasey sustained serious head injuries in an incident in Ennis on St Stephen’s Night and died in hospital two days later. After the file is received by the DPP, a decision will be taken on whether charges will follow.

Two men are charged with as- sault causing harm to Mr Casey, at O’Connell Square, Ennis, on De- cember 26/27. The accused are Har- ry Dinan (29), of Waterpark Heights, Ennis, and his nephew Kevin Dinan (22), of Clarehill, Clarecastle. They were charged on December 28 and re-appeared before Ennis District Court on Friday where they were further remanded in custody to ap- pear again next Friday week.

A team of gardai have been work- ing on the investigation and the case file is nearing completion. Several statements have been taken and CCTV footage from the area has been viewed.

FIRST year students from Mary Im- maculate Secondary School in Lis- doonvarna have been chosen to take part in a pilot EU project to explore the European Charter of Human Rights.

The Mind Mosaic project, which is being trialed by the Léargas group in just 13 Irish schools, aims at helping

secondary school children to come up with their own opinions about the charter. The school which does the best will win the chance to see their ideas turned into a giant mosaic by a professional artist.

‘The idea is to develop the kids un- derstanding of the European Charter of Human Rights. The charter itself is quite technical so what we have been working on is finding ways of

helping them to understand the char- ter and how it impacts on their own life,” said teacher Shane Slattery. “Over the weeks they are being asked to try and understand what the charter is about and put it into their own words. The next step is to take the words of the charter and then come back with their own ideas about it. So they might draw a picture about what freedom means to them

or write a poem about equality.”

More than 300 children are tak- ing part in the project across five EU countries. If the students in Lisdoon- varna find the course acceptable, it may be rolled out to every EU sec- ondary school in the coming years.

“We have been compiling all the work here on the display wall in- cluding the pictures and poems that the children have made. The idea 1s then that, if it’s good enough, some- one will come along and construct a physical mosaic from their work,” continued Mr Slattery.

“We have a lot of work done al- ready. Right now we are taking all of our rough work and putting them together for the mosaic. The kids re- ally like it – it’s very hands-on from their point of view. They can have discussion and really get involved in it, rather than just reading about it in a text book.

“Our job after this is also to as- sess this as an educational tool. Some parts of it are quite difficult for them to understand, like some of the words, because it is essentially a legal document.

‘“[ have been keeping a record of the progress and when we are finished I will compile a report on how we have got on with the project as a class.”