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ATHLETES, sports people and coaches will flock to the Michael Cu- sack’s Centre in Carron next month for a new sports workshops run by Coaching Ireland.

The workshops, which will take place on February 5, 12 and 19 are sponsored by Lucozade Sport

The programme offers sports play- ers, clubs, schools, colleges and regional squads an opportunity to access education for their athletes, players and coaches in the area of sports science.

The workshops will include five modules including fluid for sport, fuel for sport, the female athlete, get

fit for sport and planning for success. The content of these workshops in- cludes issues such as hydration and nutritional requirements for sports, the importance of hydration and the role of food in optimising perform- ance and training.

“IT am delighted that the Cusack Centre has developed a partnership with Coaching Ireland to deliver these very valuable workshops,” said Martin O’Loghlen, Chairman of the Michael Cusack Centre.

“Coaching Ireland have an excel- lent track record in the delivery of Le LbTerTHCOyem ouesea es ReODO NCS MNIE CNM RM Ns lontoe We look forward to developing this relationship over the next few years.

‘The Cusack Academy has been set

up as a continuation of Cusack’s vi- sion and achievements. Cusack was a renowned academic and top class athlete. His journey through life saw him founding one of Ireland’s top class educational academies and the world’s largest amateur sporting or- ganisation, the GAA.

“The Cusack Academy is delighted to continue his legacy by offering a facility whereby coaches, athletes, and people with a sporting interest can further educate themselves to become excellent ambassadors in their field.”

Other topics covered in the work- shops include periodisation of train- ing, monitoring and evaluation of training plans and training responses,

and issues relating to the influence of hormones, eating disorders, weight training and the role of exercise in the prevention of osteoporosis.

The objective of this programme is to disseminate relevant, up-to- date Sports Science information to athletes, coaches, teachers, parents whose children have an interest in sports and those with a keen interest in furthering their knowledge so to promote and educate good coaching practices and standards.

For more information on _ these workshops or to book your place in this programme contact Liz Flynn on 065 7089944 or email info@michaelcusack.ie. Places are limited.

FIANNA Fail has confirmed the names of the five candidates it will field in Ennis for the forthcoming lo- cal elections.

The party has selected two candi- dates to contest the Ennis West elec- toral area. Three Fianna Fail candi- dates will battle for seats in Ennis Bete

Current Mayor of Ennis Peter Con- Ssidine and newcomer Garret Greene are the party’s candidates in Ennis west.

Peter Considine has served on Clare County Council for 35 years, having taken over the seat of his late father. A full time public representative since 1997 he previously ran a local

pub and restaurant. Cllr Considine was the first Chairman of the South- ern and Mid West Regional Assem- bly, and continues to be a member. He is also a member of the Mid West Regional Authority, Clare VEC, the Mid West Regional Tourism Board and the Shannon Marketing Consult- ative Committee Board. He 1s the current serving Mayor of Ennis

Garrett Greene, 34, is a first time candidate. He works as a healthcare recruiter and studied politics and public administration in the Univer- sity of Limerick. Garrett is the son of former Mayor of Ennis, Raymond Greene, who was also a former Clare County Councillor and Ennis Town Councillor.

In Ennis East, Fianna Fail has se-

lected Pat Daly, Bernard Hanrahan and Tom Malone.

Cllr. Pat Daly has been a member of Clare County Council since he was elected in 1999. He currently works as personal assistant to Minister for State Tony Killeen and is based in Ennis. Cllr. Daly is involved in a variety of different organisations in- cluding serving as a member of the HSE West Forum. He is also a mem- ber of local GAA club Eire Og and the Ennis Golf Club. Cllr. Daly is a nephew of the late Clare County and Munster hurler Haulie Daly who was also a former Clare County Council- roe

Cllr. Bernard Hanrahan has been a member of Clare County Council since 1995. A full time public rep-

resentative throughout that time, he previously worked as a transport manager and truck driver. Based in Clarecastle, Cllr. Hanrahan is Chairman of the Mid West Regional Authority, Chairman of Ennis West Partners and a member of Clare VEC as well as the Clare Local De- velopment Committee. He 1s also involved with Clarecastle GAA and the Clarecastle Sports Complex.

Mr. Tom Malone, 30, lives in Drim, Quin, situated between the parishes of Doora and Quin. Tom has run a mobile phone store in Ennis for the last five years. He 1s actively involved with Doora Barefield GAA Club and is also involved in numerous com- munity organisations throughout the locality.

BRIDGE Celtic survived a strong second half comeback to see off the challenge of Bridge United on Sun-

day

Celtic raced into a three goal first half lead but let their guard slip after the break.

United, who are loitering around

the lower reaches of the table, forced their way back into contention with two early goals. Only a late Barry O’Connell ensured all three points for the home side.

The win sees Celtic climb into fourth place level on points with third place Avenue and seven behind league leaders Bunratty.

With Ger O’Connell and Daniel

Aherne still to return to the fold, Celtic will hope they can maintain their recent run of good form.

A win looked a foregone conclu- sion on Sunday after the home side completely dominated the first half. Shane Byrne opened the scoring for Celtic who doubled their advantage through Kieran Aherne’s goal soon Nilo

Wesley Flemming knocked in the third goal as Celtic rubberstamped their authority on the first half.

But Celtic aren’t the first team and they certainly won’t be the last to rest ONO eloi Dum E-1UNus) KEN AKo) UOT @Detcam: Meese nce manding lead.

The job was by no means complete. United regrouped for the second half and a converted penalty made it 3-1.

A shock really looked on the cards when Kieran Aherne put through his own net to reduce Celtic’s lead to one with 20 minutes still to play.

Celtic manager Johnny Flynn made a few changes to his side and they had the desired effect. Celtic kept United at bay and Barry O’Connell popped up to seal the victory with a late goal.

A good win for Celtic but equally encouraging will be the performance of debutant Tommy Lynch. Lynch was part of the Clonlara team that won the Clare senior hurling cham- pionship and he looks set to play an important role in the remainder of Celtic’s season.

Next up for the east Clare side is a home encounter next Sunday against second place Lifford.

IN excess of 20 juvenile handball players from Clare took part in the annual Munster Juvenile Handball Open hosted by the Liscarroll Hand- ball Club.

In all, almost 60 players from In- ver in Galway to Waterford took part in this prestigious juvenile handball competition, which concluded on New Year’s Day.

This tournament is always very popular as it prepares the young play- ers for the upcoming juvenile provin- cial championships which by the way commence in late January this year and it also gives a good indication of who’s who in the juvenile circuit.

As always Clare had a strong entry in both the under 13 and under 15 categories and hopes were high from all the followers that Clare would produce not one but two champi- ons, a feat that has not been repeated since the very first open was held in 1996 when Adrian Kelly and Seamus Lawlor of Clare took the honours in the under 13 and under 15 competi- tions respectively.

In the under 13 category, of the eight quarter finalists, five of them

were from Clare, namely, Colin Crehan, Colin Corbett, Barry Nash, Owen Tuohy and Paddy Fitzgerald. This shows how strong Clare juve- nile handball is at present and what the future lies in store for Clare Handball.

In the semi-final Colin Crehan of the Mills fought off a very brave challenge from Colin Corbett of Tul- la to win on a 15-13, 15-12 scoreline. In the other semi-final Barry Nash of Tuamgraney beat Martina McMahon

of Cappagh 15-10, 15-6 which set the scene for an all Clare final.

The final proved to be exciting fi- nale to a fantastic competition with both players giving it their all to claim top prize. Both players showed great agility and prowess but in the end it was young Nash who walked away with the title on a 15-13, 15-13 scoreline.

In the under 15 category, all eyes and hopes were now on young Jamie Lynch of the Mills who was as they

say the last man standing when it came to the quarter finals, but he didn’t stop there and reached the fi- nal in emphatic form.

In the final he was up against the favourite in Michael O’Connor of Leixlip in Kildare.

From the start young Lynch showed great match intelligence and outwit- ted and outclassed his opponent. He did not relinquish during the match at any stage and claimed the title on

a 15-12, 15-1 scoreline.

THE Clare hurling team has been strengthened with news that both Niall Gilligan and Colin Lynch will play for the county team in 2009. Manager Mike McNamara con- firmed that both former All-Stars have given at least another year’s commitment to the county. He was speaking following Clare’s five- point win over IT Tralee at Meelick on Sunday – a game which Clare fin- ished with 13 men as a result of new rules from the GAA which stipulate that following a yellow card, a player must leave the field of play. Speaking of the decision of Lynch and Gilligan to commit for ’09, Mc-

Namara said it paints a bright picture for the county.

“Tm happy that all of last year’s panel with the exception of Frank Lohan have committed for at least another year and that added to the emerging talent looks for a very, very bright future,’ he told The Clare People. “The bar is very, very high and we have to stand up there and stand up to the challenges.”

On the new rules, while acknowl- edging the need for some, he said others were unnecessary.

“I suppose some of the new rules have to come into play — tackles around the head and abuse of offi- cials but after that there is very little wrong with hurling. Why tinker with

a game that is studded with excite- ment and passion and aggression and everything that is good in it? I don’t think there is any need to tinker with hurling. Can you imagine some of those rules in the ferocity of a Mun- ster championship game?”

Speaking on Monday, Clare foot- ball manager Frank Doherty echoed McNamara’s comments and said that asking players to adhere to the rules having just returned to training was a step too far.

“The whole thing is crazy,’ he said. “On one hand they’re telling us not to train until January and then they expect us to come in a couple of days later and adhere to these new rules. It makes no sense.

‘Lads have been playing this game since they were eight and ten years of age and to expect them to change the way they play overnight is ask- ing a lot. If they want us to take these changes seriously, then they should give us proper time to adapt.

“Gaelic football can be a great game when it’s played properly but you can’t take the physical aspect out of it. Otherwise lads will be back to kicking a soccer ball.”

ONE prominent Ennis pub plans to beat the bust by drastically cutting alcohol prices.

In a move aimed at stimulating business in the traditionally quiet month of January, the cost of a drink at the Queen’s Hotel is set to fall by 30 per cent.

The price reduction will be in ef- fect until the end of January. “We had a reasonable Christmas and we wanted to give something back. It 1s

something we wanted to do to try and stimulate the market,’ said a spokes- man for the Queen’s.

He added, “As everyone knows Jan- uary 1s typically a quiet month and, given the worries that are out there are the moment we expect to be qui- eter than normal.”

Job losses and the effects of the credit crunch mean consumers are likely to be more cautious about how they spend their money.

“You’re getting a situation where people are going out less. People are

worried about credit card bills. You might have a household where there is one less job. So this year is going to be harder. But we think that this will stimulate more business,” said the spokesperson

The move may be good news for consumers but it may spark a price war in the Ennis bar trade that could potentially make for a very competi- tive business environment.

“It certainly will be very competi- tive around Ennis, that’s for sure. By taking these kind of actions there is

the possibility that you could cre- ate a price war,’ added the Queen’s spokesperson.

The move by the Queen’s comes a month after the Vintner’s Federation of Ireland and the Licensed Vintner’s Association announced a year long freeze on drink prices.

At the time, the VFI and the LVA said they urging members to intro- duce the price scheme “in light of the deteriorating economic situation and the growing pressure on consumer spending”.

THE Christmas and New Year sales were On a par with previous years, despite a slow start, according to En- nis Chamber of Commerce.

“The reports from talking to busi- nesses were good. Things were pretty good and on a par with other years,’ said Chamber Chief Executive Of- ficer Rita McInerney.

“Although the Christmas period didn’t pick up until quite late, it was busy after Christmas because the sales hit so strongly, with up to 50 per cent off in some shops,” she added.

“Consumers are returning to pre- boom shopping habits. Everybody shops in the sales,” she added.

Sunday shopping didn’t do too well with shoppers staying away on Sun- day, December 28. “That day was slow enough. People weren’t used to shopping in Ennis on Sundays as such,’ she added.

However, she expects that business will slow down in the next number of weeks, as the downturn in the econo- my takes effect.

‘Businesses are indicating they feel things will slow down. Mid-January and February are always quiet,” she said.

She is hopeful that businesses in Ennis will survive the downturn. “With the boom, we have seen new

businesses in Ennis. A lot of them have picked up. We have a lot of tra- ditional family-owned long-standing quality in shops. People are being a lot more practical in what they buy. They are looking for quality goods and that is something that will stand to us now,” added Ms McInerney.

Ennis businessman Gearodid Man- nion, of Tom Mannion Travel, said the decision to pedestrianise the streets of Ennis for four days in the run-up to Christmas worked very well.

“It was worth it. They were perfect- ly chosen and I think we got it spot on,” he said.

Meanwhile, the manager of Sky- Court in Shannon said that while footfall was slightly down, overall business was brisk during the sales.

“Our footfall was a little bit down on previous years, which was to be expected. Overall we were quite hap- py with it,” he said.

“People are not spending as they used to. The spending power just isn’t there,’ he added.

He expressed disappointment that the corporate sector didn’t buy into the gift card scheme launched last year.

‘There was a great take-up from the local people as opposed to the factories. We were a bit disappointed that the corporate market didn’t avail of it as locals did,” he said.

PLANS to cut working hours at the Element Six factory in Shannon have been strongly resisted by staff.

Short time working hours were due to come into effect yesterday but staff have continued to work as per normal working arrangements.

Shannon SIPTU branch organiser Mary O’Donnell said management had failed to negotiate the proposals with staff

“The company decided in Decem- ber that they were going to intro- duce short-time working hours. But SITPU members, decided prior to Christmas, that, given the fact that there had been no negotiation or dis- cussions of a meaningful kind with the union, that we would not be ac- cepting the new conditions,’ she said.

Element Six employs over 500 peo- ple at it’s Shannon plant.

BUNRATTY Search and Rescue has just wound down after a particularly quiet year, in terms of rescue opera- tions.

It responded to just two alerts over the past 12 months, which is calm in comparison with previous years. It was one of the quietest years since the group was established in 1989.

One of the operations resulted in the body of a woman being recov-

ered in Limerick in November, while three men were rescued in the other incident earlier this year.

“We were out for 23 days in the search for the woman. Apart from those two incidents, we were quiet,” said treasurer of Bunratty Search and Rescue, Bob Potter.

However, although their services were not regularly required, the 23 members of the club were busy throughout the year as regular train- ing is part and parcel of its work.

“The training is important. Over the years, there were times when bodies were found while we were out training,” said Mr Potter.

It costs in the region of €20,000 to run the club annually and fundrais- ing is essential for its survival. A col- lection at Shannon town centre prior to Christmas yielded €4,000, while almost €3,000 was raised by gardai from Clare during their annual cycle for charity earlier this year.

The club held its New Year’s Eve

party in the Creamery Bar last week and the proceeds of the night went to WeCome tUloy

“Local support is important,” said Mr Potter.

IN one of his last official EU actions confirmed before the Christmas break, Clare TD and Junior Minis- ter at the Department of Agriculture, Tony Killeen, announced a total of €202 million in fishing quotas for Ireland in 2009.

This announcement came after weeks of negotiations at EU level and represents an increase of five per cent on last years figures.

The Hague Preferences again came under sustained attack from several Member States this year and their re- moval had been identified as a real risk with serious consequences for Ireland.

The preferences, agreed by Heads

of State in 1976, give Ireland addi- tional quota in certain species and are a fundamental part of relative stability. They give Ireland a bigger share of the traditional stocks around Ireland, if they are at low levels. They have become increasingly im- portant to Ireland as quotas of fish that fishermen are allowed to catch have decreased.

“The Hague Preferences almost doubled Ireland’s cod quota in the Celtic Sea and increased the cod quota in the Irish Sea by some 40 per cent,” said Minister Killeen.

“I cannot emphasise enough the difficulty we faced on a number of fronts in regard to the Hague Prefer- ences and I am both pleased and re- lieved that we have been successful

in our efforts to defend an issue of critical importance for Irish fisher- neoee

“IT am delighted to have been suc- cessful in delivering a_ balanced package of fishing opportunities for our fishermen in what were ex- tremely difficult negotiations. I have worked closely with our Industry Representatives, the Federation of Irish Fishermen (FIF), over the past number of weeks and especially dur- ing the negotiations to ensure that where possible Ireland’s priorities were delivered.”

One of the major objectives of Ire- land was the roll over of the Prawn quota in The Irish and Celtic seas. This was virtually achieved with the reduction being rolled back from the

proposed 15 per cent to just 2 per oom

‘This year we faced a severe range of cuts across many of the commer- cial stocks that our fleet are reliant on,” he continued.

‘After careful consideration of the Scientific advice for these stocks, I sought increases on the proposed quotas where I was satisfied that the state of the stock could sustain high- er catch level.

“IT accepted cuts on stocks where the science was strong and created cause for concern. In the final pack- age, a balance has been struck that will give our fishermen, whitefish opportunities to the value of €202 million for 2009 from €194 million on 2008.”