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ST FLANNAN’S stayed alive in the Harty Cup by the skin of their teeth on Wednesday as their never-say- die attitude saw them dig out a draw against Ard Scoil Ris at the refixed venue of the LIT grounds. In truth, in what was a nervy final quarter, the Ennis school’s survival instincts and character alone to keep their heads up despite having to repeatedly fight for parity earned them their second bite at the tie. However, they were extremely fortunate as Niall Arthur’s free in the 63rd minute to level it up for the fifth time in 20 minutes could have gone the other way as the Inagh/Kilnamona player appeared to pick the ball off the ground and then in a last gasp attack to steal vic- tory, Ard Scoil Ris subtitute Brendan O’Connor made a great catch from Kevin Downes’ pass and looked to be wrestled to the ground as he turned for goal only for referee Wil- lie Barrett to allow play to continue and a relieved Flannan’s cleared the ball to the welcoming sound of the nUOT-U MAYA euKialoe

On the flip side, it was a disappoint- ing result for the Limerick school, who were never behind once St Flan- nan’s conceded an extremely soft goal in the 11th minute, scored by Cratloe’s Conor Ryan. Captain Ryan and fellow clubmate Cathal MclIner- ney were instrumental in building up Ard Scoil Ris’ first half lead along with Meelick’s Eanna Mulvihill and the stylish 16 year old Declan Han- non at centre-back. For Flannan’s, Niall Arthur’s unerring freetaking

was a major factor in their survival along with a solid defensive unit and midfield.

Indeed, St Flannan’s had made a positive start hitting three succes- sive wides before opening up a O-3 to Q-1 lead by the 9th minute, all from the stick of Arthur, who was equally impressive from frees as he was as a P-NEXoL BOUT TIS URC MN YCO)IM LOMO) mr DUMN Slo DE endevour were finding it difficult to penetrate the Flannan’s defence, only scoring from a Declan Hannon free from half-way in that period.

The goal though changed the pat- tern of the game, coming from a hopeful punt from halfway by cap- tain Ryan, whose effort caught goal- keeper Niall Woods wrongtooted and the ball slipped from his grasp into the net.

Bouyed by this, the Limerick side took up the ascendancy, although they didn’t score for twelve minutes due to some dogged defending by the Ennis side. First, a superb hook by wing-back Stephen O’Halloran denied a goalscoring opportunity for Kevin Downes who was baring down on goal and then an outstanding re- deeming save from Woods from a Pat McCarthy bullet kept Ard Scoil Ris from building up an command- ing lead.

However, a much more physically strong Ard Scoil Ris side did receive a further boost before half-time, af- ter Downes and Arthur had swapped points, when a Niall Kennedy ball in- side was broke and flicked to the net by centre-forward James O’Brien. Niall Arthur, St Flannan’s only first half scorer, did add another free in

injury time to leave the half-time OKs KO One

A retvitalised St Flannan’s side emerged for the second period and in fact, opened the scoring through mid- fielder Alan Leamy after only 35 sec- onds, only to see that score rebuffed by points from substitute Kevin Keane and Robert Henehan to open up a four point advantage. However, not content to lie down, St Flannan’s regrouped and found some success when driving at the Ard Scoil Ris’ defence with successive scores from Arthur, Leamy and Conor O’ Donnell by the 39th minute. James O’Brien did reply only a minute later but by now, the Ennis side could smell blood and two Arthur frees cancelled out the lead by the 43rd minute.

Still, they couldn’t seem to grab a leading score and on four more occa- sions, Ard Scoil Ris pushed slightly ahead only to be dragged back on each occasion. That the Limerick side didn’t cement victory was par- tially due to the amount of wides hit in the second half, a obvious sign of nerves in what was an exceedingly tense finish. Arthur, again was the rock for St Flannan’s hitting three of those equalising scores along with one from Clarecastle’s Aaron Consi- dine. There were some controversial moments towards the finish also with David O’Halloran seemingly taken down in front of goal for St Flan- nan’s while the Limerick side will feel aggrieved to have conceded the last free to Arthur as well as ‘the foul that never was’ on substitute Brendan O’Connor at the death.

All-in-all, a draw was probably the

fairest way to end it as neither side really deserved to lose such a capti- vating tie. In saying that, improving their firepower up front has to be a priority for St Flannan’s manager Jamesie O’Connor while Ard Scoil Ris’ inability to kill off the game certainly cost them a second semi-fi- nal place. Plenty of food for thought ahead of Wednesday’s crunch re-

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FOLLOWING the success of their New Year’s Eve knees up, the Bou- doir Sessions crew bring their col- ourful mix of music and madness back to Ennis.

This time the session’s crew turn their attention to a themed single’s event on Valentine’s night.

So if you want to experience and be a part of an authentic pre-60s party, get down to the upstairs of Brogans, O’Connell Street on Saturday Feb- ruary 14. Cost of entry is 10 euros, doors open at 10 and the show begins SBE gare eke

Ennis based organisers and host- esses on the night, Lesley Ann Hull and Celeste Barnard are thrilled to be offering singles an alternative meeting place to the usual club and pub scene with an opportunity for more socialising from 10pm.

The Boudoir Suite singles dinner party can accommodate twenty sin- gle women and twenty single men from 30 – 45 years of age.

Places are strictly limited and tick- ets are €60pp available in advance only from the vintage shop, Olive (Barrack Street). Early booking is advised. Dress code for the night is vintage/boudoir.

Music kicks off at 10pm courtesy of DJ duo the Boudoir Boys (Elec- tric Picnic 06-08). Oliver Moore and Paul Ryan will be playing upbeat tunes from the 1920s-1950s featur- ing everything from be-bop to bo- ogie-woogie.

According to photographer and stylist Celeste Barnard, an evening of superb entertainment is on the or Neh

‘Joining us in the Boudoir Suite are a host of performers. Comedi- enne Angie Holland Victoria Wood and BBC comedy sketch writer, will loosen us up with her quirky stand- up. Miss Guided and Little Miss

Match will serenade us with their sultry sounds. Also performing is DJ Miss Takeable (Gramophone Disco hostess) playing “songs l’amour,’ she Crate

Film will form another element of the night’s entertainment. The pro- jectionist from the Magic Lantern Film club will flash quirky film and home movie moments from the far- flung corners of the early 20th cen- eats

For further information check: www.boudoirsuite.synthasite.com www.myspace.com/boudoirsessions. com Tel. – 087 2030898 or E-mail – boudoirsuite@ gmail.com

Charity hopes Kenya survives

FIVE Clare villages are celebrat- ing the commencement of work on a wastewater treatment project that has been in the pipeline for more than 40 years.

Clare County Council has signed a €4.3 million contract with Treat- ment System Services Ltd (TSSL) to construct treatment facilities for the villages of Scariff, Tuamgraney and Feakle in east Clare, as well as Quilty and Mullagh in the west of the county.

The contract complements the ex- isting €7 million network contract, which is now nearing completion. Under the contract TSSL will design and build three new treatment, trans- fer and outfall facilities, including a sea outfall at Quilty, on the west coast of Clare. The contractor will then enter a 20-year operation and maintenance period bringing the ultimate value of the contract to €9 million. The scheme will be opera- tional by the end of 2009, and fully commissioned in early 2010. Welcoming the contract signing at Aras Contae An Chlair, Mayor of Clare Cllr Madeleine Taylor-Quinn (FG) expressed her delight that a project that had been on the politi- cal agenda of Clare County Council for over 40 years had finally been brought to fruition.

“I would like to pay tribute to the many current, former and deceased county councillors who have worked

tirelessly to ensure that the depart- ment would sanction this long over- due project.

“IT also wish to compliment the engineering staff of Clare County Council who have always done their utmost to advance the project despite repeated alterations by the Department to the criteria for such schemes,” added the Mayor.

Councillor Taylor Quinn noted that for many years the lack of adequate infrastructure had led to pressure being placed on the rural areas con- cerned in relation to development.

The Mayor explained, “Due to the lack of such vital infrastructure in- creasing numbers of people have ap- plied to the county council for per- mission to build and to provide their own septic tank and water supply. I believe that the completion of work on the schemes will relieve much of this pressure and provide for the

rural regeneration and sustained eco- nomic development of the respective regions.”

Clare County Council has a sig- nificant water services programme underway at present. Water Supply Schemes are nearing completion in Newmarket-on-Fergus, Kilkee, En- nis, and Ballyvaughan. In addition sewerage schemes are underway or nearing completion in Tulla, New- market-on-Fergus and Corofin, with further improvement schemes to start in Quin and Killimer this year.

Loneliness a factor in alcoholism

that he has not yet decided which electoral area he will stand in, but will make the announcement in the coming weeks.

The colourful politician took some time to consider his future after los- ing his seat to Fine Gael’s Joe Carey in last May’s General Election.

The Kilnamona man was never too far from the world of politics howev- er, as he remained a regular attendee at public meetings and kept a firm in- terest in the Ennis General Hospital Development Committee and MRSA and Families Network.

Having previously served as a Fi- anna Fail councillor in the Ennisty- mon electoral area, it may be prudent for the Kilnamona native to consider Ennis West this time around, as the boundary changes could see most of his area in the new Ennis electoral area.

Mr Breen was elected as an In-

dependent candidate to the Dail in 2002, after leaving the Fianna Fail party when he failed to get the party pLeveaupar-la(eyee

His formative years growing up in Kilnamona had a strong influence on his later life.

Although not politically active his father was a Fine Gael supporter while his mother’s allegiance was to Fianna Fail.

Throughout his early life he took an interest in political life but de- scribed himself as a freelancer at the time with no allegiance to a particu- lar party.

In 1966 he was approached to form a local cumann for Fianna Fail.

In 1979 he ran for local election on the Fianna Fail ticket and while he was not elected at that stage he was successful in 1985.

The Kilnamona man represented the party in Clare until 2002.

On February 11, 2002 James walked away from the Soldiers of Destiny after 36 years and decided to march alone when he did not make the party ticket.

He will begin the march again – door-to-door next year.

Maverick McCabe stepping into the ring

SINCE January of this year, the Building Energy Rating (BER) scheme has been extended to cover all residential property. This means a BER certificate is now legally re- quired when selling or renting hous- es and apartments.

Roger Leyden of Leyden Auction- eers Ennis, is a qualified BER As- sessor, accredited by Sustainable En- ergy Ireland (SEI). He explains, “A BER Cert rates the energy efficiency of a property. The Cert is designed to make it easier for prospective buyers or tenants to calculate how efficient a property is to heat.

Anyone selling or renting resi- dential property is now obliged to provide a BER Cert and solicitors require a BER Cert as part of the documentation needed to close the sale of a property”.

The good news is that the Cert re- mains valid for ten years from the date of issue, unless there is a ma- terial change to the building, which could affect its energy performance, for example an extension or a sig- nificant change to the building fabric or a change in the heating system or fuel used.

Although there has been much con- troversy about the cost of certifica- tion, Roger commented that while he could not speak for others, “we oper- ate a three- tiered pricing structure. A BER survey and certificate for an apartment is €225, which includes

the €25 obligatory fee to the SEI. We charge €250 for a semi-detached or town house and €275 for a larger detached house of up to 2,000 sq. ft

— again those prices are inclusive of price”.

the SEI fee.

For landlords with a portfolio of | with properties to sell is, “don’t wait

properties, Roger will “negotiate on

His advice to landlords and those

until the last minute to get your BER

cert in order, after all, once issued it remains valid for ten years”.

Roger 1s critical of the Govern- ment’s performance in communicat- ing this scheme to the general pub- lic.

“The Ratings are graded from Bands A- G, ‘A’ being the highest level of energy efficiency. Most of the second hand houses that are 10 to 15 years old, are commonly re- ceiving a C or D rating and many of the owners are disappointed by what they perceive to be a low rating, but that’s as much as they should expect because to make the leap to an ‘A’ rating they would need to have so- lar panels and geo-thermal heating installed and that is the exception rather than the norm’, said Roger.

He issued a word of caution to landlords, “Storage rads, which are prevalent in so many apartments greatly reduce energy efficiency and they alone can bring the ratings right Kenyan lee

From now on letting agencies will have to include the energy rating of all apartments and houses on their books, so landlords should act sooner rather than later to get their proper- ties assessed.

Roger’s final word of advice is to “ensure your BER assessor 1s regis- tered with the SEI, otherwise your Cert will not be valid”.

A RESEARCH and development di- vision of the Intel computer corpo- ration based in Shannon more than doubled its operating profit to $1 million to the end of 2007.

But according to accounts recently returned to the Companies Office, Intel Shannon Ltd incurred a pre-tax loss of $10.6 million after writing off a capital contribution to a subsidiary costed at $12 million.

The Shannon site is the European research and development arm of Intel’s Digital Enterprise Group (DEG).

According to the figures, the com- pany increased its turnover by 16% from $24 million to $28 million while cost of sales increased by 19% from $20.7 million to $24.8 million.

The company’s pre-tax loss of $10.6 million followed a pre-tax profit of $611,843 for the previous year.

The accounts show that the com- pany had accumulated funds of $11.1 million. This followed a non-refund- able capital contribution from Intel Ireland Ltd of $12 million. No divi- dend was paid during the year.

The site in Shannon hosts a number of divisions focusing on_ server chipset, security and communication silicon and software design and pro- vides business, technical and market- ing support for European customers and field sales.

Intel Shannon employs 103 of its 142 employees in R&D with the re- mainder engaged in management and administration

Its parent company, Intel Corpora- tion, is the world’s leading semicon- ductor chip maker, employing over 80,000 people worldwide, and sup- plying the computing and communi- cations industries with chips, boards, systems and software building blocks that are integral to computers, serv- ers, networking and communications products.

The company’s Shannon and Leix- lip plants work in close association and together launched the first com- munications processor to be fully de- signed developed and manufactured in Ireland.

The design and development of the [XP425 processor was carried out by ICE in Shannon before being manu- factured in Leixlip.

Intel Ireland employs over 5,000 employees at its Leixlip campus and the corporation’s overall investment in its Irish operation is in the region of €5 billion

Shannon is the European base for the embedded businesses of DEG and home to the technical marketing and business development teams.

In relation to risks facing the com- pany, the directors state that legal action by third parties and loss of, or damage to the company’s fixed as- sets are the principal risk factors that could materially and adversely affect the company’s future operating protf- its or financial position.

A TENANT who stole electrical goods from his landlord committed a “particularly mean crime,’ accord- ing to a judge.

Bartosz Szutta (25), of Lios Rua, Ballycasey, Shannon, admitted stealing a plasma screen television, laptop computer and dvd player, at Ballycasey Court, Shannon, on Sep- tember 28 last. Ennis District Court was told the value of the stolen goods amounted to more than €3,000.

Sergeant Annette Ryan told the court the owner of the house re- turned after a weekend away to find his tenant, the accused, sitting in a van along with the contents of the SJLMBUNTcapKeLONeeF

‘He asked what he was doing with the contents and he told him he was stealing them and he was about to drive off,’ she said.

She said that €500 in cash had been taken from a drawer in the owner’s bedroom. “The defendant left the scene. Before doing so he put

the €500 cash into the letter box of the house. All of the property was recovered,’ said Sgt Ryan.

Defending solicitor Jenny Fitzgib- bon said her client was having dif- ficulty with work at the time and had gone through a “dark period.”

‘His performance at work was not up to scratch. He was suspended and ultimately he was let go. He was be- ginning to panic. He has a loan for €8,000. He wishes he could turn back the clock,” said the solicitor.

Judge Timothy Lucey said it was a “particularly mean crime.”

‘He was in a position of trust. He was a tenant in part of the house. He used that to steal substantial amounts from his landlord. It was fortuitous the landlord came back. He was caught red-handed,” he said.

He imposed a six-month jail term, suspended for 12 months on con- dition he enter a bond to keep the joerleen