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IF variety is the spice of life, then biodiversity is the very fabric of life and the Clare Biodiversity group of the county council is celebrating the Banners rich heritage of plants and animals with a new website.

The new Clare Biodiversity web- site, 1s a central information point for biodiversity in Clare, linking up other organisations working in biodi- versity, biodiversity events, projects and competition, and gives useful information on how to help the en- vironment.

Biodiversity is the variety of all life on earth from the largest whale to the smallest micro-organism, includ- ing human beings, along the way. The website incudes information on how we can help stop the decline of biodiversity, with good advice about avoiding insecticides and herbicides in the garden, having a compost heap, recycling, using public trans- port, walking or cycling to save on fuel, turning off sockets to save en- ergy, feeding birds in the winter and buying local and/or organic foods.

The website, which is also as Gaeilge, has information about the various biodiversity initiatives and projects in Clare as well as sections on habitats, competitions, video clips, action plans, news and events, biodiversity areas, and links to other organisations involved with environ- mental concerns.

The site is designed as a tool for schools, groups, individuals and families who want to know more about taking care of the rich variety of life in the county.

The new site can be found at www. clarebiodiversity.ie

Among the projects which the Bio- diversity group has carried out in Clare are the mapping of habitats in the county and a survey of the Clare wetlands.

Approximately a third of County Clare has been mapped on a field-by- field basis and put into digital format and a desktop survey to accumulate all the information available on the wetlands of County Clare was car- ried out in 2008. This information is now accessible in digital map for- jeatelm

THE Diocese of Killaloe made its largest ever annual payout to vic- tims of clerical sex abuse last year, accounts published last night reveal. The Diocesan accounts for 2007 con- firmed that €619,717 was paid to vic- tims, bringing to over €1.4 million that has been paid out since 2003.

In a statement, the Bishop Willie Walsh pointed out: “The ongoing fallout from the tragedy of sexual abuse by a small number of clergy in

the distant past continues to demand time and resources for healing and reconciliation. €619,717 has been paid in 2007 for this purpose.”

The accounts show that the diocese funded the payout from the €1.5 mil- lion sale of six acres of land at the Dr Walsh’s Ennis residence in 2001.

The 2007 payout is the largest an- nual payment that the diocese has made and is three times the amount paid out in 2006.

The diocese paid out in €191,401 in 2006 and payments of €285,000,

€130,000 and €265,000 to victims of sex abuse by the diocese in 2005, 2004 and 2003 respectively.

The accounts also show that the diocese secured a net surplus of €165,517 last year. This follows the diocese’s income increasing by 24% to €1.043 million. The dio- cese increased its income from its investments in 2007 by 50% – from €290,000 to €437,000.

Dr Walsh also said that “a large portion of our income was derived through dividends from monies in-

vested over the years by the diocese Kom aUb ues mp LEMA\(O)u om

“The recent months of turmoil in financial markets will significantly reduce this particular income stream for 2009. The diocese will therefore have to depend more heavily on the income from parishes to meet its commitments in this climate,’ he SrHCGe

The accounts also show that the di- ocese’s salary bill showed a dramatic increase of 31% going from €141,793 to €186,167.

THE Hibernian insurance group’s Clare branch in Ennis 1s going green, following the decision to award a two year green energy supply contract to competitive electricity provider En- eae

In addition to enhanced environ- mental sustainability, the new supply deal will also reduce Hibernian’s en- Cea Ya OED ICE

The deal covers thirty sites nation- wide and the electricity requirement of 8.8 GWh (Gigawatt Hours) is the equivalent of supplying almost 1,900 homes.

The new green energy deal is an important element of Hibernian’s commitment towards _ sustainable practices and will represent an annu- al reduction of around 4,800 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the at- mosphere each year.

Commenting on the deal, Sheila Kelly, Manager of Hibernian’s Ennis branch said: “As well as looking out for the needs of our customers, Hi- bernian is also committed to looking out for the environment, by making our Operations as efficient and en- vironmentally friendly as possible, both in Clare and our other nation- wide branches.”

“Over the past year, Hibernian has implemented a number of initiatives to reduce our carbon footprint and this deal with Energia is one more example of that commitment. It’s also an example of the benefit of shopping around as Hibernian has been able to reduce its energy costs while also removing 4,800 tonnes of carbon dioxide per annum,’ said Ms Khe

Energia offers an energy efficiency programme to its customers which, if fully embraced, can reduce energy consumption by up to 20%.

Energia Sales and Marketing Di- rector Gary Ryan said they were working with companies and public sector organisations throughout the country to deliver cost effective en- ergy solutions that deliver real value iKo)upesleystente

Energia has a 25% market share of the business electricity market on an all—island basis with 40,000 custom- ase

The company also supplies one third of all gas consumed in Ireland by the country’s largest industrial and commercial gas users.

EOGHAN O’Sullivan of the Shan- non based UCB Group Schwarz Pharma Ltd was presented with the Excellence Award at the prestigious Engineers Ireland MEETA Awards ceremony last week.

The MEETA Awards, sponsored by PMI Software LTD, rewards ingenu- ity shown by employees in mainte- nance and asset management in pro- viding value to their companies.

Maintenance is a critical factor in an organisation’s ability to compete by increasing the availability of plant and equipment, improving produc- tion processes, producing additional capacity and ensuring resource man-

agement efficiency.

Engineers Ireland is one of the larg- est and oldest representative bodies in Ireland, with a membership which now totals over 23,000 covering all disciplines of the engineering pro- fession. MEETA 1s the national so- ciety within Engineers Ireland which represents the Irish maintenance and asset management community at na- tional and international level.

A 93-YEAR-OLD woman died in hospital after she fell and hit her head at a nursing home in Liscannor.

Winifred Agnes Keane had been staying at Dominic Savio Nursing Je Covet eeMNlomUUS lo KcOm-limlees (elon tal fall last December.

The proprietor of the nursing home, Desdemona Smith, told Ennis Coro- ner’s Court that Ms Keane moved in on December 5, 2007 and was trans- ferred to Ennis General Hospital on January 14 last. She was mobile and alert during her stay at the nursing home.

At 7.20pm on the evening of Janu- ary 14, Ms Keane was found lying on the bathroom floor and had sustained a laceration to the left side of her

head. She was seen by a doctor, who arranged for her transfer to Ennis General Hospital for further treat- ment. However, she later died there.

Pathologist Dr Stephen Finn car- ried out a post mortem examination on Ms Keane’s body at Limerick Regional Hospital. He concluded that the cause of death was haemor- rhage as a result of the fracture of the symphsis pubis.

Coroner Isobel O’Dea said it was quite clear that Ms Keane, a widow, had suffered an accidental fall. She said she was extremely impressed with the evidence from the proprie- tor of the nursing home.

“It was very sad for Ms Keane to die so suddenly after the fall when she was waiting for further medical treatment,’ she said.

CLARE petrol retailers have warned that if Tesco is allowed proceed with a new petrol station in Kilrush, a number of their stations will be forced to close with the loss of 43 jobs.

Last month, Kilrush Town Coun- cil granted planning permission to Tesco to construct a four-island pet- rol station on the Ennis Road despite strong opposition from local petrol station owners and independent re- tailers organisation, RGDATA.

Eleven petrol stations have now appealed the decision and they are: Oliver O’Shea and John Crowley, Kilrush; John Daly, Cooraclare; Michael Fitzpatrick, §Kilmihil;

Michael Sheedy, Darragh, O’Sullivan & Hansbury, Ennis; Maxol/Spar, Clarecastle; Padraic Hayes, Doon- beg; David Glynn, Killimer; Tony Nealon, Kilmurry McMahon and Tessie Power, Knockerra.

Lodged by the Irish Petrol Retailer Association (IPRA), the appeal states that a number of these stations will be forced to close along with local shops that provide the only shopping outlet within their local communiti- Woe

The appeal predicts that the planned Tesco station will take 43% of the petrol retail market in west Clare ac- counting for sales of €149,940 per week.

Outlining the impact of the pro- posal, the IPRA state: “This is likely

to result in an increase in unemploy- ment, far beyond that provided by the Tesco petrol station, in areas that are far more economically and socially Cl uAKoreb

The appeal states that the independ- ent petrol stations employ 100 and that the anticipated loss of 43 jobs “‘is unacceptable in a period of economic recession in an area that has already Zim Ovecdomtvatcanele)(@nses(oonlme:iiome

The IPRA claims that the applica- tion “fails to uphold the zoning of a site within the development plan area for a petrol filling station and that the current proposal does not provide the required retailing offer required under the Development Plan and will result in the over-profileration of pet- rol stations along the Ennis Road.

AN open verdict has been returned in the case of a man whose body was recovered from the water at Doolin last April.

The inquest into the death of Ivan Klima heard that he had visited the Cliffs of Moher on April 9, 2008.

Medical evidence provided by As- sistant State Pathologist Dr Michael Curtis, concluded that Mr Klima died as a result of multiple injuries consistent with a fall from a cliff.

County Coroner Isobel O’Dea told the court that an absence of evidence made it unclear how Mr Klima en- tered the water.

“The only verdict I can consider appropriate is an open verdict,’ said Mrs O’Dea.

Mr Klima, a Czech national, had been living in Mullingar. His house-

mate Janna Sulkova told Ennis Cor- oner’s Court that she had heard Mr Klima return to the house in the ear- ly hours April 5 2008. She said that Mr Klima had just returned from the Czech Republic. Mrs Sulkova heard the 29-year-old leave the house the following morning.

“The first I heard about Ivan was when his car was found at the Cliffs of Moher,” she said.

Concern for Mr Klima’s safety grew after his car was observed parked overnight at the cliffs on April 9. Local man Tom Doherty re- ported the owner of the car missing to the Gardai on April 10.

The body of a man was seen in the water near the cliffs on April 11, but poor weather meant rescue services were unable to remove it, the court heard.

The body was recovered by mem-

bers of the Doolin coastguard on April 2 and identified as that of Ivan Klima. Garda Alan Dowling who was called to the scene contacted Gardai in Mullingar. Asked by Mrs O’Dea if he could predict the exact time of death, Dr Curtis said it was not scientifically possible to do so.

Mrs O’Dea said Mr Klima had been pronounced dead on April 12. She returned an open verdict. Mrs O’Dea thanked the Doolin coast- guard and extended her sympathy to Mr Klima’s family.

Inspector John Galvin said, “I would like, on behalf of the force, to extend my sympathy to the Klima family on this tragic and untimely death of a young man.”

Solictor Frank Doherty, who rep- resented the Klima family in court, praised the efforts of the rescue serv- eh

JUST like he claims for his planes, Michael O’Leary arrived ahead of schedule in Shannon last week.

He revealed his plans for world domination to waiting journalists be- fore taking the podium for the after- dinner speech to the Shannon Cham- ber of Commerce lunch.

“My plan is to merge Ryanair with Aer Lingus to form one Irish cham- pion – a world beater. We would be one of the big four European airlines and we would be one of the few Irish companies that would actually be a leader in its field.”

This being Shannon, the budget airline boss didn’t flinch at promis- ing that if he gets his hands on Aer Lingus, there’s more than a chance that one of the Heathrow slots would elem uc Rel U Noe

After meeting with Minister Demp- sey the previous day, he learned “the Government were unhappy when Aer Lingus switched the slots to Belfast. That’s something that will be ad- dressed in the offer document.”

Wrorsshaateelaveycmme)e mms elomm ole wKOusetclelee of the slots in Belfast he said that the “load factor in Belfast 1s 57 per cent – the Shannon base, when it was open, had a load factor closer to 80 per cent. We still believe that Aer Lingus could do both.”

O’Leary said that Ryanair’s offer document, which will be revealed this week, would contain “compre- hensive commitments on lower fairs, removing fuel surcharges, doubling

the size of Aer Lingus’ shorthaul fleet, creating a thousand new jobs and transforming Aer Lingus from a declining, loss -making concern into a profitable airline that Ireland can be proud of”.

After lunch, he machine-gunned his way through a presentation on why Ryanair should be allowed merge with Aer Lingus, not just convincing Eskimos to buy ice but talking them into buying whole glaciers of it.

He predicted a marginalised future for Aer Lingus on its own, or a buy- out by one of the other big European ZNDUNN Noe

He painted a picture of all the Hea- throw slots being spirited away.

‘Never mind no connectivity in Shannon – the whole bloody country will be without connectivity if that happens.”

And then he was gone, apologising for leaving because “I borrowed a plane and that plane has to be back making money by four o’clock.”

SNe MOR eirocer Nm ciecoem- Mielke) sete iI welcoming the fact that O’Leary, is for the first rime willing to deal with a trade union. He’ll have to if he takes over Aer Lingus, the union pointed out.

A MAN charged in connection with an alleged axe attack at a salon in Ennis has appealed to the Supreme Court, after bail was refused in the High Court.

Anthony McDonagh (22), of Wa- terpark View, Ennis, is accused of producing an axe at Brownie’s hair salon in The Market area of Ennis on September 18 last. He is also accused of assault causing harm to his second cousin David McDonagh (24), on the

Same date.

Last month, the Book of Evidence was served on the accused and he was returned for trial to Ennis Cir- cuit Court last Friday. He has been in custody since his arrest, just days after the alleged incident.

His solicitor Daragh Hassett told the court that bail had been refused in the High Court, “and there’s a Su- preme Court appeal pending”. Free legal aid was granted for the Cir- cuit Court trial, along with a Junior Soo F

CLARE County Council is being prosecuted in connection with an accident on a construction site near Tulla in which a man was killed, two-and-a-half years ago.

Six charges are being brought against Clare County Council and eight against the manger of the site, in connection with an accident at a road realignment construction site at or near Lissofin-Cuttenmore Loughan, Tulla, on May 17, 2006.

Thomas O’Grady suffered serious injuries in an accident on that date when the dumper he was operating overran the embankment, throwing him from it. He subsequently died from his injuries.

In the case taken by the National

Authority for Occupational Safety and Health, Clare County Council is accused of failing to manage and conduct work activities and in par- ticular, the operation of dumper ve- hicles at or near an embankment, in such a way as to ensure, SO aS was reasonably practicable, the safety, health and welfare at work of its em- ployees and were thereby in breach of the Safety Health and Welfare at Work Act.

The manager of the site, Michael Scully, of Oakwood, Sixmilebridge, faces eight charges, also under the Safety Health and Welfare at Work aoe

The Book of Evidence was served at Ennis District Court last Friday. The case will be heard in the Circuit Court.