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FEARS have been expressed that the Clare County Board’s desire to em- brace technology through having an up-to-date website could lead to the board being held to ransom by un- scrupulous web designers.

That was the claim made by county board secretary Pat Fitzgerald af- ter Wolfe Tones delegate Joe Kelly requested that for the coming sea- son up-to-date league tables posted weekly on claregaa.ie.

However, in response Fitzgerald pointed out that this could prove too costly in the short-term, while he also claimed that handing over the responsibility for updating the web- site to an outside authority could ex- pose the board to longterm financial loss.

“My concern is that if you hand something like that to a company

that in two years time it could cost this board about €10,000,” said Fit- zgerald.

“Tt would be irresponsible for me to

put a board or a group in the future in the hands of somebody that can hold you to ransom. Our view, it 1s a bit over the top to give that money

to build the software, but it does give you independence, it does give the Clare County Board jurisdiction over their future going forward.

“We could hand over control of it to an outside body who in my opin- ion, when they get it all up and run- ning, could charge telephone figures. It would be irresponsible for us as a board to allow that to happen,” he added.

The new Clare GAA website only went online early last year, but since then has had many teething prob- lems. The site fails to provide contact details and information relating to club secretaries, something that was included in the original claregaa.ie site that was taken down off the web last year.

THE proposed new Graduated Driv- ers License could bring an end to a host of youth related events in rural Clare – with a night-time curfew for drivers and age restriction for pas- sengers now being considered.

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) last week announced a period of pub- lic consultation on the details of the proposed license.

While stating that safety was pri- mary, young farmers group Macra Na Feirme, called for a balanced approach to be taken to ensure that young people in rural Clare can have a safe social life.

Other proposed elements of the new license include a zero alcohol limit, increase in the penalty points and a restriction of the power of the car.

“The first thing to say about this new license is that safety is the most important thing,’ said Ivan Hayes, head of Macra in Clare.

“That said it is very hard to see how a curfew on young drivers would be possible. It would be impossible to enforce and unworkable for young

people in rural areas.

“We had a Macra social event in Ennis on Saturday night. There were a lot of young people there from dif- ferent parts of the county. There were two brothers who drove to the event and brought a full car with them. One brother drove in and the other was designated driver – he didn’t drink and drove all of them home.

“If there was a curfew then situa- tions like this, when people are act- ing responsibly would not be able to take place.

“Having said all of that however, the most important thing is road safety. We need to improve this but at the same time not make things un- duly difficulty for rural young peo- ple,” he said.

Macra na Feirme national president Catherine Buckley called for any measures suggested by the RSA to be debated to see if they are practical to implement.

Ms Buckley said that as well as using enforcement, the RSA should also use “the carrot approach” to en- courage young drivers to be respon- sible road users.

A major new fundraising drive among the Clare GAA public will be necessary to pay for redevelopment works at Cusack Park, delegates to last Thursday night’s special meeting of the county board heard.

As the county board continues to consider its options after the En- nis Town Council decision to turn down a re-zoning application for the Cusack Park site, county board sec- retary Pat Fitzgerald revealed that “fundraising” was the only way to pay for remedial works at the county grounds in the short-term.

“We are doing the drainage again — it only lasts for a certain amount of time. It is going to be an expensive one,” warned Fitzgerald. “I think we will be putting another fundraising drive in place — that’s the only way it can be done. The money isn’t there, end of story. Once you do anything in a structural situation the money has to be found,” he added.

This plea for financial help harks back to the County Grounds fund- raising drive of 30 years ago when a £200,000 investment in Cusack Park was made possible thanks to a Debenture Loan Scheme among the public that had a target of raising £50,000.

Meanwhile, county board chairman Michael O’Neill revealed work on Cusack Park is an ongoing project, but stressed that the board was still keen to explore the possibility of finding a new site within the Ennis catchment area to develop a new Cu- sack Park.

“We have done some remedial work

on the pitch itself,’ he revealed. “We will have to carry out a lot of work there in the next month to six weeks. We don’t even have that length of time to have the park ready for some big matches in the National League. We have to spend a few pounds, that’s the way it Is.

“We haven’t moved too far yet on looking for other grounds within the environs of Ennis, but we are look-

ing at other potential sites as we were asked to do so by the Ennis Town Sonia

“We are pursuing that, but it is fair to say that we are living in differ- ent times that we were this time last year, but we’re not going to give up on anything. You can take it that Cu- sack Park will be quite good before the year is out and will be well wor- thy of playing matches on it. That’s

all I have to say on the park,’ O’ Neill added.

Marts hope to beat economic downturn

THE crowd disturbance that marred the end of last July’s Munster Under 21 hurling final between Clare and Tipperary has roared to public atten- tion again this week — all because the GAA authorities have issued a stark warning to the Clare County Board to get its house in order or run the risk of facing heavy fines and losing out on big-time fixtures at Cusack Park.

On Thursday, county board secre- tary Pat Fitzgerald admitted to club delegates from around the county that the GAA authorities have rapped Clare on the knuckles over the stew- arding arrangements in place for the provincial decider that ended in a

welter of controversy when Limer- ick referee Jason O’ Mahony awarded Tipperary a match-winning 65-metre free.

‘There was a lot of discussion here about the Under 21 final, but the next time we have a big game we have to have ourselves organised. We will not get away with what we did be- fore,” said Fitzgerald.

“T can tell you that that’s coming from way higher than us and we have to comply. I hope and I know that Clare was never found wanting in the past and we won’t be this time.

“We have given a commitment that there will be a team of stewards put in place and trained and ready for 1

Fitzgerald’s words of warning about

the county board’s responsibility for dealing with potential crowd trouble at Cusack Park were echoed by the chairman of the Clare GAA’s Facili- ties Committee, John Fawl.

“It is coming from other higher au- thorities. We are not going to be let away with what we did with Tipper- ary and Clare in the Under 21. We have to be able to control these situa- tions,” he said.

To this end, the county board have appealed for clubs to come for- ward with names to boost steward- ing numbers at Cusack Park for big games. “We would be asking clubs to go back and look at potential people to help to manage fixtures in Cusack Park,” said Pat Fitzgerald.

“We have some games come up in

the near future. We now have to have stewards who are trained and who know what they are doing. The next two weeks we will be hoping to put together a group of 20 or 30.

‘We would ask that the people are nominated are suitable for the job — not just a name.

“We all realise what happened in the past and it is important that when it does come down to it that we put people forward who are going to be are capable of doing the job when the time is right,” Fitzgerald added.

Prendeville wants return of health boards

IRISH soccer chief John Delaney has confirmed that Dennis Hynes will continue as FAI county develop- ment officer in Clare.

News that Clare County Council cutbacks had forced the local author- ity to opt out of a co-funding agree- ment with the FAI had threatened to jeporadise Hynes’ position.

However, speaking in Ennis on Saturday, FAI CEO John Delaney confirmed to

SPP TMC MOOLUICeB I MaTT BeNOR over ESB breach of contract

THE solicitor for a woman who had asked to be sent to jail in order to get treatment for her heroin addiction has now said that Limerick prison is ‘conducive’ to her habit.

The comments were made in the case of Cora Mulqueen, of Kin- cora apartments, Shannon, who has pleaded guilty to a number of charges under the Theft and Fraud Offences Act.

She pleaded guilty to altering a Department of Social and Family Affairs cheque and three other of-

fences, arising out of an incident in December 2007.

She spent a week in jail in Decem- ber, after her solicitor had requested this, in the hope that she could enter a detoxification programme.

However she was released after her solicitor told a court that no treat- ment was made available to her in the prison. She has remained on bail since.

Jenny Fitzgibbon, representing Mulgqueen, told Shannon District Court last Thursday that she wished to have the matter disposed of that day.

“She is under the care of Dr Bhamjee at the moment,” she said.

She said that her client was clean of heroin and while she suffered a set- back during the Christmas, “she feels if she goes back to Limerick prison she will go back on the heroin.”

“The environment is conducive to her habit,” she added.

The case was adjourned for two months for preparation of a proba- tion report and the accused was re- manded on continuing bail.

THE sale of defective cars to young people is at the root of many serious road crashes. That’s according to a Fianna Fail town councillor, who has urged car buyers to ask questions as to the history of the vehicle.

Shannon-based councillor Sean Hillery said a lot of cars are being sold, “but not in a legitimised way”. Faults in steering or brakes lead to bad accidents, he said.

“If you buy a car, it 1s supposed to be of a certain standard. There are a lot of terrible accidents. I see cars for sale in the middle of fields. Is that a proper way? Is that legal? I see other cars stuck on the side of the road and in parks for sale,” he said.

“Young lads today have money to go out and buy them. It doesn’t take a massive speed to kill you in a car. I don’t believe all these accidents are caused by drugs or drink. I believe there are other causes. These cars that are being sold don’t all have MOTs,” he added.

He said the onus on ensuring all cars on the road are roadworthy falls with both the buyer and seller of a car. ‘There was a time when there was a lot of cowboys around who would sell anything. I thought it was wiped out. I don’t think it 1s,’ he added.

While gardai in Clare say that the matter is not a major issue, however several car owners have been pros- ecuted for failing to have a national car test (NCT) disc displayed on their cars. Cars fail the NCT due to one or more defects. Gardai have the power to seize cars that do not have

an NCT three months after it should have been tested.

Meanwhile, the number of penalty points issued to Clare drivers has just topped the 10,000 mark.

Since the points were introduced six years ago, a net 10,021 were handed to drivers with Clare addresses. The gross figure of points issued is sig- nificantly higher than this, as points

are removed from licenses after three years.

Up to the end of December, five drivers had been disqualified from driving for six months each, having obtained 12 penalty points, while another 25 drivers are on the verge of being disqualified: 24 drivers have 10 points each, while one driver has 11 points.

The overwhelming majority of drivers – 7,/44 – have two points on their licenses. 1,484 drivers have four points, while 354 have six pen- alty points.

Speeding is the main offence for which drivers in Clare are getting points on their licenses, with almost 9,000 drivers caught for this offence.

Since the introduction of the of- fence in September 2006 of driving a vehicle while holding a mobile phone, 1,262 Clare drivers have been handed points for this.

Anyone caught using a mobile phone while driving faces a fine of €60 and two penalty points. Those who fail to pay the fine and end up with a conviction in court will re- ceive four penalty points and a fine of up to €2,000.

1,148 drivers have been penalised for failing to use their seat belts, while crossing continuous’ white lines, failing to obey traffic lights, failing to comply with traffic signs and driving without reasonable con- sideration have all resulted in dozens of points being amassed by Clare Cle Aone