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MENINGITIS B remains the most common strain of the virus in Clare, despite the almost complete eradica- tion of Meningitis C thanks to vac- CHT IBCeyEF

While welcoming the news that there has been no cases of Meningi- tis C in the county since 2002, the Meningitis Trust said people must remain vigilant when it comes to the other bacterial form of the disease – Meningococcal B more commonly called meningitis B.

As many as 19 cases of the strain were reported in the mid west in 2006, with almost 150 cases notified from 1999 to 2006. There have been no deaths from this strain of menin- gitis in the mid west since 2003 when three patients died.

According to Geraldine Mills from the Meningitis Trust there have been more than 200 cases of Meningococ- cal disease notified since 1999 in the mid west region, including Clare Die e-rC Me blyoe-lae

Of those who survive meningitis, it is estimated that 15 to 20 per cent

can be left with mild to severe after- effects, including deafness, epilepsy, and behavioural problems amongst others. Where septicaemia has oc- curred, scarring and amputation can also be an after-effect.

Meningitis can strike in an in- Stant, but the effects can last a life- time according to the Trust. People are asked to be on the look out for early symptoms which can easily be mistaken for those of flu and include fever, headache, stiff neck, dislike of bright light, drowsiness, joint pain, vomiting, diarrhoea, confusion and in some, but not all cases, a rash. Symptoms can appear in any order and some may not appear at all.

Carole Nealon, General Manager of the Trust, said “With Winter upon us, it is all the more important to err on the side of caution, be aware of the signs and symptoms of meningi- tis, and seek medical attention as a matter of urgency if you suspect the Chere ional

The Meningitis Trust has a special 24 Hour nurse-led helpline that peo- ple can ring with any concerns. The number is 1800 523 196.

MEMBERS are this month celebrat- ing the 10th anniversary of the Can- tare Chamber Choir.

Formed by a group of friends who shared a love of singing, the Ennis based choral group have been regu- lar performers at numerous charity and community based events in the last decade.

The choir took its name from the Italian expression ‘Cantare’ which means ‘a love to sing’.

“That’s exactly what we are all about,’ explained choir director Geraldine Bradley, “Everyone in the group had a real love of singing. We’ve really enjoyed performing over the past ten years.”

That love of singing is reflected in the wide range of songs that can be heard at the group’s weekly rehears-

als in the St Peter and Paul Cathe- dral, Ennis.

“We sing anything really, from ren- aissance music right up to modern stuff,’ said Geraldine.

If you’ve attended a fundraiser in Ennis anytime in the last decade, then chances are that you’ve seen a performance by Cantare.

From supporting organisations like the Samaritans and Clare Haven to opening the Ennis Book Club Festi- val, the choir has always been keen to Support community themed events.

“We are very much a community based choir. We only enter the odd competition. Our main focus has al- ways been on supporting community based events,’ said Geraldine.

She added, “Last year we _ per- formed at the Christmas concert for the Samaritans. We’ve done the Mental Health Association concert,

which was in October. We were part of the 50th anniversary celebrations for the Poor Clares and we performed in the Cathedral when Cardinal Sean Brady was in Ennis”.

The big date on the calendar this year for the 14 members of Cantare is December 14, when, along with the Ennis Cathedral Choir and the Colaiste Muire Choir, the group will perform in the Cathedral at a special mass for Clare Haven.

Cantare also enjoy close links with the other groups and musicians in Ennis’s musical community.

“There are a lot of choirs in Ennis and I think that shows how much of an interest there is in music. We’ve performed with a lot of instrumen- talists and young talented musicians. Albert Hogan played with us. Fiona Walsh from the Ennis Gospel Choir has helped us out. Michael Hennessy

and his piano group have played with us. It’s a community effort,’ said Geraldine.

Cantare have performed at events outside Clare, in Enniscorthy and Limerick and Geraldine is hopeful that the group will get the opportu- nity to do so again.

After Christmas, the next big con- cert for Cantare takes place in March. “We normally break for the summer, with people going away and all that,” explained Geraldine.

And, as Geradine was keen to stress, new members are always wel- fey salen

THREE east Clare fire-fighters were among a group who were honoured for their long and heroic service last week.

At the sixth National Long Service Awards ceremony, held at the Red Cow Moran Hotel in Dublin, 20-year service awards were presented to Joe Moloney (retired Sub Officer), Dav- id Culloo (Sub Officer) and Martin Tuohy (Station Officer) of Scarriff Fire Brigade. Meanwhile, Kilrush Station Officer Martin Cahill re-

ceived a Long Service Award for 30 years of service to Clare County Fire and Rescue Service.

Congratulating the recipients, Min- ister of State and Clare T.D. Tony Killeen said, “the awards are a ges- ture of the appreciation of the people of Clare for the magnificent work these fire service personnel have done throughout their careers, which has helped all of us feel safer in our homes.”

“Significantly, the ceremony is also the State’s way of expressing its grat- itude for the huge contribution they

have made towards the security of its citizens,” he added.

Mr Killeen – who is a former Min- ister of State, with special responsi- bility for the fire service – praised the commitment and professionalism of the long serving fire fighters

“The service indicative of the high- ly experienced personnel employed by Clare County Fire and Rescue Service.”

Minister Killeen also offer effusive praised the Fire Services Council, which hosts the awards ceremony each year.

“The council, through its central training programme, continues to provide command and control train- ing for all officer ranks and specialist training in responding to road traffic accidents, hazardous materials inci- dents and command and control for ship fire-fighting while in port.

“The council also provides appro- priate courses in fire safety engineer- ing for suitably qualified fire service personnel. This suite of training courses supplements the training provided locally within fire authori- ties’, he said.

Post Office Field is people’s park

ENNIS Town Council should use money secured from development levies to develop the Post Office Field.

That was the view of Fine Gael councillor Johnny Flynn who broad- ly welcomed the proposals outlined in the draft concept plan.

“Significant planning and develop- ment levies have been got by both Clare County Council and Ennis Town Council over the last number of years,” said Cllr Flynn.

He added, “This project is ideally suitable to utilise the amenity recrea- tion portion of unused levies. If the plan is acceptable to all it could be developed in stages subject to fund- ito

Cllr Flynn, however said he was unhappy that a proposal to develop a library was included in the concept plan.

“The library building should be removed from the plan and the pro- posed amenity improvements should be put on public display in order to get the public’s views,’ said Cllr hare

He added “If the library building or any building is built at the Bind- on Street end of the field, important views from Parnell Street car park to Bindon Street and back from Bind- on Street to the river would be lost. These views were deemed important in environmental studies carried out by Brady, Shipman and Martin, in a consultants report to the Council in the 1980s.”

Previous reports and studies have proposed retaining the Post Office Field as an open space in the centre of Ennis accessible to the public.

A total of 21 submissions were re- ceived by Ennis Town Council fol- lowing a public consultation process in 2005 to determine the most appro- priate way to develop the field.

Nine submissions supported allow- ing public access to the field with a

futher three submission also high- lighting the benefits of making the area more accessible. Three submis- sions objected to developing direct public access to the field.

A report prepared by the Town Engineer Tom Tiernan in June 2005 concluded that following the public consultation process “it would be in- appropriate to consider building de- velopment”. He went onto state that

“the Post Office Field should thus be a natural amenity facility to be ap- preciated by the people of Ennis and visitors alike”.

A concept plan for the Ennis Town Centre drawn up in 2004 stated that “the River Fergus and adjacent Post Office Field form the greatest natural assets of Ennis town centre”’.

KILRUSH is a town that has been unnecessarily hard on itself.

It is a maritime town, with a herit- age that local history groups around the country can only dream about. It has a community spirit that 1s unique for an urban environment and its people have a sense of identity and belonging that is both welcoming TOO Ms Nu0F

Yet for so long the town has had a major concern over how the rest of the county and country perceives it.

It had – like many urban centres – its anti-social and crime problems, orchestrated by a small group that had for a while infected the psyche and self-belief of this charismatic town.

Many community and _ business leaders were critical that the town they loved was given negative public- ity on a daily basis and feared that all the good work was being ignored.

It became critical of the messen- gers, but failed to see the entire mes- SERSZoR

But of late, Kilrush has been win- ning significant battles in its cam- paign to become a centre of business to challenge the county town, while retaining its unique west Clare iden- WIAA

The town council began work on John Paul Estate, long before na- tional Government saw the merits in developing local authority estates

to include community facilities and tackle pockets of urban decay where criminal activities could fester.

The mothers and fathers of John Paul Estate will soon have a place to bring up their children in safety and happiness. These good people have for so long put up with unacceptable elements in their community but the Kilrush spirit has seen them fight to reclaim their homes and a decent quality of life for the next genera-

tion.

At the other end of the town, an- other chapter of the town’s story is unfolding at the Kilrush Creek Ma- unt

While a €50 million development may be delayed or altered because of the recession, there is no doubt that the people of Kilrush are determined to see such a development there some day in the not so distant future.

At the turn of this century when

the economy was just about to grow, Kilrush boasted a marina develop- ment that is impressive even by to- day’s standards, a development the people now plan to build upon.

Just a few hundred yards away, the Merchant Quay Development had brought a new lease of life to the rey aee

National and international retailers are also showing faith in the town with Super Valu, Tesco and now

Aldi jostling for position in the retail market.

Talks are in progress to build a new community building to house the many voluntary and semi-state or- ganisations supporting the town.

Thousands of visitors visit the area every year to see the spectacular Vandeleur Walled Gardens, Scattery Island and the Marina.

The Yacht Club has gone from strength to strength in the town, and now attracts regattas to the west Clare coast. The club has also brought in- ternational acclaim to the town with the successes of “Chieftain” and the “Spirit of Kilrush”’.

Festivals such as Eigse Mrs Crotty have attracted music lovers from all over the world, and as other Irish towns failed to attract civil servants under the Government’s decentrali- sation project, Kilrush secured more than 50 jobs in the new Revenue Of- fices.

A new hotel is badly needed in Kil- rush, but even that is at hand with L and M Keating committing itself to such a project.

From its town council to its cham- ber of commerce; from its volunteer groups to its sporting organisation, there is an openess dealing with dai- ly issues that gets things done.

In an era when political bodies and groups fear speaking their minds, in Kilrush there is an honesty of opin- ion that you may not always agree with but will always respect.

A LITHUANIAN man who was spotted “fool acting’ down Seafield beach in his jeep has been convicted of dangerous driving and banned from driving for two years.

Tomas Salaka (27), of Aughantee- roe, Ennis, pleaded guilty to danger- ous driving, arising out of an incident at Seafield beach, Quilty.

Inspector Michael Gallagher told Milltown Malbay District Court that the defendant was driving his jeep – with two passengers – along the beach at Seafield, when he was spot-

ted by an onlooker.

He said he drove along the grass first and then onto the beach.

He said it would appear the accused took a phone call while driving and then did a handbrake turn, causing the jeep to flip over. He said the ac- tions of the accused could have led to tragic consequences.

“He was fool acting down the beach,” he said.

Defending solicitor Daragh Hassett said his client was working in Cree at the time. On the date in question, he went to Seafield beach, which was completely clear.

“There was no-one else on the beach. He got a_ phone call to go back to work, hence the talking on the phone. He then tried to get back up on the grass, but missed his turn and the jeep flipped over,” he said.

He said the girl who received inju- ries in the accident was recovering AB

Mr Hassett said that while a plea to dangerous driving was being en- tered, “I’d say it’s very much on the lower scale in this type of case.”

He said his client had no previous convictions either in Ireland or in his native Lithuania.

OPPOSITION continues to grow among local residents in Ballina- Killaloe following the lodging of a planning application by developers to build a high-rise apartment com- plex at the Derg marina.

Now an information evening or- ganised in opposition to the planning application has been arranged by the Ballina Marina Action Group for 8pm on Thursday, November 27 at the Lakeside Hotel, Ballina.

Reacting to the planning applica- tion, BMAG spokesperson, Joe Ca- halane said today, “There is consid- erable unease here toward the marina development proposals. This project is masquerading as a marina devel- opment when it is, to all intents and purposes, a massive apartment com- plex rising to five storeys at its high- est point. We are urging all those concerned with the developer’s pro- posals to turn out in force at the pub- lic meeting in Lakeside Hotel.”

The deadline for acceptance of planning objections to the proposals is Friday, December 5.

Mr Cahalane said that “the design and scale is completely at odds with

the sustainable development of a heritage town and would be more at home in the Dublin Docklands than in the tranquil setting of Ballina and GTI elena

The developers of the €60 mil- lion Shoreline marina, housing and commercial development, Eclipse Developments had said they would have further public consultation on the plan, after they had filed for plan- ning permission.

The developers say the plan will create 70 jobs when finished, en- hance public amenities for visitors and locals in Killaloe and Ballina and bring a €6 million annual spend to the area and extend the tourism season.

Locals are also concerned that the proposed marina is abounds a Spe- cial Protection Area (SPA), a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and a National Heritage Area (NHA) in a recognised heritage town.

Mr Cahalane stated that the local residents had asked for a detailed copy of the marina plan and for the model of the development to be put on display in the area but claimed that neither of these requests were complied with.

SIXTH class students got a glimpse of day-to-day life in a secondary school in Ennis last week.

Timetables, German classes and bells ringing on the hour were just some of the newer aspects of school life experienced by pupils from Holy Family senior school taking part in a week-long pilot scheme in Colaiste Muire.

“We forget sometimes,” explained Colaiste Muire principal, “that for students coming in from primary school even something like a bell ringing in the middle of the morning is something completely different from what they are used to”’.

The scheme, initiated by Colaiste

Muire, allowed pupils from Holy Family to sample the routine of changing classes that they will be- come very familiar with over the next few years.

It is hoped that the experience will, in part, help smooth the transition from primary to secondary level education.

Over the course of the week, the students from Holy Family sat in on, among others, classes in foreign lan- guages like German and home eco- nomics.

As part of a broader approach to ease the transition, first year and leaving cert students guided their primary school counterparts through the process of switching classes and explained the kinds of extra-cur-

ricular activities on offer at Colaiste Muire.

Ms Pound said, “The aim was to offer them an experience of what secondary school is all about. We had our first years and leaving certs explain about class timetables and changing classes because when you are in primary school, you have the one teacher and you mainly stay in the one classroom”.

“Of course many primary school children will have sisters and broth- ers in second level education so they’ll know in a way what to expect. But we hope that through the pilot scheme, we can show them the ropes and explain what second level is all lerele lie

Parents will get the opportunity

to have their input to the scheme at open meetings to be held at Colaiste Muire.

“So far the feedback we have re- ceived has been very positive’, ex- plained Ms Pound.

She added, “The experience seems to have been beneficial to the stu- dents involved and it is something that we would look at continuing in the future”’.

SOME of Clare’s most talented voic- es will be at the Cliffs of Moher this December to raise money for a very worthy cause.

The Clare Tenors, Kate Daly, Helen Houlihan, Ruth Kelly and Mary Howard will all perform at the new Cliffs of Moher Centre to raise money for the Clare Branch of the NaN E

“I think this is about giving people the chance to support the lifeboats. Even over the last 12 months the Clare coast have had awful tragedies

and people want to support the life- boats and the work that they do,” said Joe Queally of the RNLI.

“There is a lovely line-up for the concert – it’s our own people in our own place and everyone is giving their time free for the lifeboats, as are the people from the Cliffs of Mo- her.

“The cliffs is one of the most vis- ited sites in the world and they now have a stunning venue for people to host events like this.”

Restaurant facilities at the Cliffs of Moher will stay open later to allow concert goers to have some food and

a drink before the show.

‘People can go up and have a glass of wine and a meal if they like and then come in for the concert. The restaurant itself is giving a donation to the RNLI from the night,” contin- LUTer6 Nn (Olen

“One of the things that makes this so special is that most of the sing- ers are from Archie Simpson’s fa- mous Lismourahaun Choir. Both the Clare tenors, Dean Power and Peter O’Donoghue, are making great strides with their own singing ca- reers while Kate Daly and Ruth Kel- ly are very talented and they were all

hatched out of that choir.

“The concert kicks off at 8.30pm and we will be all finished before 10.30pm so it will be a lovely two hours for everyone.”

While everyone is offering their Services free for this concert, Pat McDonagh of Supermacs has do- nated €1,000 towards the general running costs and expenses of the evening.

Tickets for the concert are availa- ble directly from the Cliffs of Moher Visitors Centre at 065 7086141 and from Record Rack in Ennis at 065 6820769.