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MAYOR of Clare, Madeleine Tay- lor-Quinn (FG) was not invited to last Friday’s announcement of US pre-clearance facilities at Shannon Airport, it was revealed yesterday.

In what was described as a “severe slight”, the Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey met with a number of Fianna Fail councillors during his visit to the airport but no opposi- tion councillors, including the Mayor Taylor-Quinn, were invited.

Indeed Cllr Taylor-Quinn only heard of the Shannon event during an informal conversation with the minister at the sod turning ceremony for the N18 Gort Crusheen Bypass on Duce hmrnleurnpace

“IT would see this as a severe slight to both the Mayor of Clare and the Mayor of Shannon town,” said Cllr Patricia McCarthy (Ind), who led the campaign to save the Shannon Hea- throw connection.

“T welcome Councillor McMahon’s meeting with the minister but I have never heard of such a select group of people getting together for a meet- ing. I certainly was not invited to the announcement and I know that the mayor were not invited to the meet- bee lieoe

“If this slight was of the ministers doing or if it was brought about by the management of Shannon Airport then shame on them – we have all supported them whole heatedly dur- ing what as been a very difficult time for the airport.

Commenting on that motion, Cllr Hanrahan (FF) said that no special treatment was shown to Fianna Fail councillors.

‘Invitations were not issued to any- body. Local councillors were invited to meet the minister but no indica- tions were given that there was a ma- jor announcement on the horizon,” he said.

Shannon mayor Cllr Gerry Flynn

(FG) told the council that he was given 45 minutes notice about the announcement and was unable to at- tend because he was “doing real work for his constituents in the offices of Clare County Council in Ennis”.

“T’m delighted that Minister Demp- sey showed that he still knows where Shannon Airport is at all and that the airport was still up and running by the time that he got there,” he said.

“As mayor of Shannon I did get an invitation to the announcement on Friday, I got about 45 minutes notice in fact.”

Cllr Joe Arkins (FG) call for a pro- tocol to be put in place to govern the visits of Government ministers.

CLARE County Council is on a collision course with the National Roads Authority (NRA) after they ignored repeated NRA pleas to tight- en restrictions for one-off homes off national routes.

At a special council meeting last week, senior council planner John Bradley said the decision to allow exceptions for one-homes along na- tional routes in the draft Ennis De- velopment Plan was not consistent with national policy and was going

against NRA policy.

In the draft plan, the council says it will not allow developments on national routes where the maximum speed limit applies.

But there are a number of excep- tions to allow one-off homes for farmers and their own children wish- ing to build a house for their own oc- cupancy.

This has proved too much for the NRA and in a submission to the council, the roads authority says the council policy allows exceptions to the general restriction on access to

national roads.

“The authority requests the inclu- sion of a clearly phrased policy, consistent with official Government policy, outlining the county coun- cil’s position in relation to access to national roads, whereby access to national routes, outside areas where SOkph speed limit applies, will be restricted.

As a result, the NRA requested the council to make amendments to its policies “clearly indicating a restric- tion on direct acccess to national routes outside where a 5Okph speed

limit applies in accordance with of- ficial policy”.

“While the authority considers that none of the exceptions to the re- striction on direct access to national routes listed represent exceptional circumstances, the council are wel- come to review proposals with the authority with a view of establishing an agreed approach,’ the organisa- tion stated.

However, at a behind closed door meeting held last week in Ennis, councillors rejected the NRA sub- HOD EstSI CO) IF

The NRA submission was support- ed by a separate submission from the Department of the Environment.

The department stated: “The na- tional road infrastructure represents a very substantial investment which needs to be protected.

‘In this regard, two issues are of particular concern. Firstly, the ex- emptions are not in line with national policy as set out in the “Development Control Advice and Guidelines’ and ‘Policy and Planning Framework for Roads’ issued by the Department of Environment”.

BEING water safety aware in west Clare is a matter of survival.

With most villages situated close to the sea, estuary or lakes, childhood summers are spent splashing about in the local swimming area.

Staying safe while enjoying the lo- cal amenities 1s a concern for par- OES

Schools in the west Clare area have taken it upon themselves to ensure the local children are prepared deal with many of the hazards associated with water.

As a result PAWS (Primary Aquat- ics Water Safety) programme has be- come part of the school programme in many west Clare schools.

The programme is exclusive to pri- mary school children and is broken up into two parts – land based paws and water based PAWS.

Three schools in west Clare have already completed the programme, Doonbeg National School, Cree Na- tional School and Shragh National School.

The programme taught the children about respecting water and the dan- gers surrounding it.

The teachers took their classes through the first three parts of the award without going near water by discussing and studying the theory of water safety, safe swimming, safety on the farm, and safety on open wa- ae

The pupils also simulated rescues on land, by throwing a rescue rope into a designated area.

Through PAWS pupils not only learn how to swim they also learn to understand and appreciate the water.

The pupils then attended swimming classes with swimming teacher Jen- nifer Mungovan at Quilty Swimming

Pool for a duration of six weeks.

Before receiving their certificates the children had to complete an oral exam and a swimming exam.

Having completed the PAWS pro- gramme the pupils had the ability to swim, interact with others, and be responsible around water.

“The main aim of PAWS is to sig- nificantly reduce the number of our young people lost to drowning each year,’ said Ms Mungovan

ENNIS Town comfortably saw off the challenge of St Brendan’s Park to make the perfect start to their Norton Cup campaign.

The home side dominated through- out, easily over running Park with four goals to spare.

Midfield dynamos Stephen Mc- Gann and Sean Corry grabbed two goals apiece with centre forward Emmanuel Obadeyi completing the scoring with a well-taken effort late in the second half. St Brendan’s Park never really got to grips with their opponents but managed to grab a late consolation goal in the last minute of the second half.

Town had by then well and truly stamped their class on the game. The win sets them up for a second round

clash away to either Bellevue United or Coonagh United.

Its an exciting time all round for Ennis Town. The club hosts its AGM in two weeks time with a wave of new members set to join the club’s management committee.

The coaching staff is set to be ex- panded and new members already include former Kimurry Ibrickane footballer and current selector Mar- tin Keavey who is looking after En- nis Town’s under Ils. Next season the club’s hopes to field teams at un- der 11 (3), under 12 (2), under 15 and under 16.

That would leave Ennis Town on the brink of fielding a team at youths level for the first time 1n the club’s five year history. Plenty of progress then in such a short space of time. And progress was the name of the game

on Saturday as Town were quickly into their stride in Lees Road.

The signs for St Brendan’s were ominous, even from an early stage as Town created a number of early opportunities. The home side didn’t have to wait long to take the lead though. Ten minutes, in fact, had elapsed when Stephen McGann fired Ennis Town in front.

Town doubled their advantage soon after when Sean Corry finished to the net to make it 2-0.

It wasn’t looking good for St Brendan’s. Ennis Town manager Michael Whyte can feel proud of the ruthless edge displayed by his side. There was no letting up from Town. Another Corry strike and a smashing free kick from McGann meant Town went in 4-0 up at the break.

The second half, from a St

Brendan’s perspective, was all about damage limitation.

Town did managed to find the net once more through Obadeyi and the visitors pulled back a late goal through a well taken free kick in the final seconds. It ended 5-1 to Ennis Town who are scheduled to play their second round tie on December 13.

WHEN Mick Darby landed back in the dressing room to tumultuous ap- plause, his first reaction was to turn on his heels and head back for the sanctuay of some open ait.

Not because he wanted to get away from the party, just because he felt it would be easier to field press queries if he was a few steps removed from the madding crowd that was gather- ing inside.

Once outside, the man from Rhode in Offaly talked about his team’s g1- ant step along the road to what he hopes will be a Munster champion- ship winning year.

A giant step, he agreed, but not a giant-killing one against the storied ‘Barrs from the Togher area of Cork City.

“What really pleased me about today was that this Kilmihil team showed St Finbarr’s the respect they were entitled to get, but then went about winning the game,” he said.

“These lads are still very young and are only learning, but they’re as good as what’s out there in this com- petition. It’s just a matter of applying themselves on the day and they did dere

“It was a great performance and it showed that they are maturing as a team. They defended really well near the end and held possession very well when they needed to. They worked very hard for each other.

“The points we got before half- time was the lift we needed going in. Those three points gave the lads that extra bit of self-belief,’ added Darby.

Thirty minutes were down, and

Darby sensed that there was more to come. “I knew in the dressing room at half-time that we were going to give it another 30 minutes of a blast in the second half.

“All we asked them was to give us everything they had for that 30 min- utes and they did that. They dug very deep to win. They played very good football to win and you can see that they’re enjoying it.

“We came under a bit of pressure like we did in the Ballysteen game, but we didn’t concede in either game and that’s down to the good workrate we have all around the field.

“If it had stopped here today, it

would have been a big blow to the lads because they’ve spent so much time together over the past year. They’d actually miss each other’s company. They’re determined to keep on winning.”

One will do as they face down St Michael’s Foilmore from deepest south Kerry.

“T don’t know who we’re playing,’ revealed Darby, “so we’ll give it a cut and see how we go.”

They’ve given it a cut all year.

KILRUSH was the big winner at last nights Community Environmen- tal Awards hosted by Clare County Council – taking the Clare In Bloom competition.

Communities around the county received awards in a number of com- petitions included Clare In Bloom, Best Public Seat and Co-operation Ireland Pride of Place.

Scoring highly in landscaping and the range of planting, colour, Lit- ter control and waste prevention, the people of Kilrush and the Kil-

rush Tidy Towns Group were over- Whelmed with achieving the top eV Aer

The “Clare in Bloom” competi- tion is a motivational mechanism for the many small local based groups throughout the county to enhance the visual impact of their towns and villages by means of flower, tree and shrub planting.

This year’s competition attracted marks towards waste prevention, maintaining bring banks and en- ergy initiatives. Judging which takes place from mid-July to mid-August, considers such factors as colour, size,

variety, location and appropriate- ness of the various planting schemes along with the management of litter.

The Category 1 award was won by Kildysart Tidy Towns Committee, who finished ahead of Quin Devel- opment Association and Shannon Tidy Towns.

Ballynacally Development As- sociation was named the winner of Category 2, with Tuamgraney De- velopment Association and Kilmihil Community Development Associa- tion achieving second and third plac- es, respectively.

Category 3 was won by Labash-

eeda Community Pride with Bally- vaughan Tidy Towns in second and Bridgetown Tidy Towns in third place

A Special Endeavour Award went to Knock for the huge community ef- fort demonstrated by the overall ap- pearance of the village and great use of colour in this west Clare village.

The Cathaoirleach’s Environmen- tal Award, as well as a cheque for €1,000 was presented to St Marys Community Development Lissyca- Sey.

The Best Public Seat Award went to Ballyea who scooped the prize for

a third year in a row with Ballyna- cally second and Knock third.

The Pride of Place competition is an annual competition, which is run with Co-Operation Ireland in conjunction with Local Authorities north and south of the border.

Clare County Council and Co-Op- eration Ireland honoured the local contribution that Tuamgraney De- velopment Association, The Bur- ren Centre, Kilfenora, West Clare Resource Centre, Miltown Malbay, OBAIR Newmarket on Fergus, and Gleann an Oir Residents Association Shannon have made.

JUST as business owners sometimes fear accounts, any accountant will tell you of the nightmares they expe- rience when a client arrives close to tax return deadline day with a basket full of receipts and cheque stubs.

With the right support, you can make the tax system work for you – minimise your tax burden and sched- ule payments in a way that suits your cashflow requirements.

It is advisable to get solid tax advice at least once every year to make sure your enterprise is on the right track.

Among the reputable accountancy firms who will be happy to advise on the regulations and requirements are Niall C Garvey & Co, 12, Carmody Street, Ennis; O’Halloran & Co, Mill Road, Ennis; FDC & Associates, 8, Carmody Street Business Park, En- nis, Murphy Accountancy, Inis Si- oda, Shannon and Michael Neylon, Ennis Road, Miltown Malbay.

THE FIRST sod has been turned on a building project that will become a place where the very young and older people can enjoy each other’s company.

After being allocated a government grant of £616,000, and finding a site beside Raheen hospital, the Brig- it’s Garden Community Childcare Project in Tuamgraney turned the first sod for work to begin on their purpose-built facility on Friday.

The community childcare facility took on the name when “in February 2000 we decided to open a space to meet the needs of very young chil-

dren in need of care out of the home’, a spokesperson for the facility said.

In temporary premises over the past eight years more than 100 children, between the ages of six months and five years have been catered for at the facility, which aims to do much more than babysit.

“We have the children outdoors every day for two hours or more. They come dressed for the weather. It’s important for them to get fresh air and exercise – they sleep better at night and they eat better and it’s important for their development”, the spokeswoman said.

Over the years, carers and commit- tee members realised that many chil-

dren don’t have as much contact with grandparents and older people as in previous generations.

“Coming to this site, with Raheen Hospital right beside us, we fulfil our vision of bringing older people into the lives of the young. We have plans for a vegetable garden as well as an orchard on the land. With the help of local organisations like Seedsavers and CELT, we will plant a heritage orchard and woodland. We envision our neighbours from Raheen coming to sit and work in this garden”, the spokeswoman said.

The building itself 1s based on a tra- ditional east Clare farmhouse, which will be pleasing to both young and

old. “The idea is to create a, a place of nourishment, peace and joy. Real activities of baking, cooking, clean- ing, mending and decorating will be a central focus. Gardening work and outdoor time will also be a major fo- CTS

To create a building which will be a healthy space to be in, we are building with clay blocks, a natural, healthy, breathable material with no toxicity. These blocks have a low impact on the environment while offering high thermal and sound in- sulation. We hope to have the build- ing up by spring of 2009, opening to new children in September °09”, she added.

SUNDAY was a busy day for Kilmi- hil folk – the ladies who have blazed a trail to the All-Ireland final were up with the worm as they trained in Doonbeg; come mid-afternoon the men folk had St Finbarr’s in their sights at St Michael’s Park; in be- tween one of Kilmihil’s great players of the past was hoping to guide Crat- loe to a famous first ever minor title.

Colm Collins did just that as the labour of love that is his promotion of underage football in Cratloe came of age when the club scored the most significant win over their scant foot- ball history.

The manner of the win left Collins, who won minor, under 21 and senior

medals for Kilmihil in their golden period that straddled the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, stuck for words at the NGF

‘IT don’t know what to say,” was his first reaction. “I just want to catch my breath, wait a minute” he added before being spirited away to ex- plain away Cratloe’s ascension to the throne of minor football in Clare.

But before he could be taken away, Collins paused for a few seconds and inhaled everything around him – the sight of players and mentors from other Cratloe teams streaming on to the pitch to offer congratulations to him and his team.

Club chairman and former Mayor of Clare, Patrick O’Gorman; former club chairman Jack Chaplin; Col-

lins’ own son and county senior star Sean; Railway Cup football winner and a legend of the game in Cratloe, Kilmihil and wider county beyond Martin Murphy; Michael Considine and James Murrihy from Kilmurry Ibrickane who were county minor selectors with Collins in °08; parents of the players; many others too.

They all wanted to toast this fa- mous day for football in the parish. And, Collins, his fellow selectors Jerome Deloughrey, Ger Lawlor and Alan Neville deserved it. It was them and their players’ day.

“Tt’s great for the players,” said Col- lins when there was finally a bit of calm around him. “They’ve worked very hard for this and we’ve put in a great effort at underage over the past

few years. It’s a huge thing to win a minor championship and great for football in the club.

“Tt was a tough game and we knew that Ennistymon were going to be very hard to beat. I think the winning of the game for us was when Liam Markham went up in the forwards near the end. I can’t claim credit for the move, but that’s what won it for in

As Collins talked, everyone in blue started to drift towards the dressing rooms and scan upwards to the bal- cony where Bord na nOg Peil officer Joe Kelly had begun the process of handing the championship trophy over to captain and one of the heroes of the hour Liam Markham.

“The fact that Ennistymon won the

title last year means that no one will begrudge us this year,’ added Col- lins before casting his mind forward to the future of football in Cratloe.

‘There are a lot of very good young footballers in Cratloe and I think the basis is there to have a good senior team in a few years.”

In other words, this minor title could be the start of something that could turn out to be special. That’s for other days though – now was for celebrating what they’d achieved al- usreKehe

Meanwhile, for Kilmihil/Cratloe folk like Collins and Martin Murphy there was always the game against the “Barrs over the road to think about.

Another game to win.

this week, “Cusack Park will have to be redeveloped if Clare wants to have a county grounds that passes heath and safety requirements into the future. That could cost anything between €5 and €10 million, be- cause it should be done right. With county board finances stretched, it

will be hard to raise money like that is arecession”.

In May 2003 the county board submitted plans to Ennis Town Councu’s planning department to redevelop Cusack Park. They were seeking permission from the plan- ning authority to “demolish the ex-

isting southern stand and construct a new stand complete with press/tv fa- cilities withing roof and ground floor accommodation of dressing rooms, toilets, first aid and hospitality, also a two story administration building to include gym, meeting rooms, dress- ing rooms and a café”.

The redeveloped Cusack Park as envisioned by the county board would have have had 6,000 seats and a capacity of 30,000 as well as an up- graded playing surface.

Permission to carry out these rede- velopment works was granted on De- cember 4, 2003, giving the board five years from that date to redevelop the ground that was opened in 1936.

That planning permission runs out in just over two weeks.

Meanwhile, Ennis Town Council member Frankie Neylon has told the county board this week, “if they don’t want to develop it, Ennis Town Council will gladly take it off of their JaF:NeV@ Kom NO OT-UOMCIER OFT Mm WaCoAm Ye DOL Om UITG! we’ll look after it.

“We’ll develop it as a municipal park and if they want it for the hurl- ing or the football, we’ll let them use it,’ the former Mayor of Ennis added.