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SHANNON will play host to the celebration of a major festival by the Indian community in the mid-west, this weekend.

An Indian cultural programme to celebrate Diwali festival is poised to attract some 200 people to the Oakwood Arms Hotel, on Sunday evening (starting at 6pm).

Diwali is also known as ‘The Fes- tival of Lights’ and is India’s biggest festival. Diwali, a religious and cul- tural festival, celebrated by Indians worldwide. Its celebration date is

today, October 28, but the special event in Shannon will be marked on Sunday.

The event is being organised by the Midwest Indian Irish Society (MIIS). One of the organisers Paramyit Neote said there are up to 80 people from India currently living in Shannon.

“There is a large community of Indians living in Shannon, Limer- ick and Ennis. The idea is to bring them together and celebrate the event together and also to promote Indian culture in the local community,” he nee

Mr Neote moved to Ireland 20 years

ago and has worked in the Shannon area since then. He was born in Ken- ya and his parents hailed from India. He lived in Malaysia with his fam- ily for some time, prior to moving to Nyat-veveteyel

On moving to Shannon in 1988, he set up Shannon Aircraft Motorworks in the Shannon Free Zone. It was later sold to an American company and Mr Neote currently works as a business consultant.

“When I moved to Shannon, at the time Tony Ryan was very active in trying to bring aviation groups here. We were very much encouraged to

come to Shannon,” he said.

“The MIIS was set up a couple of years ago. Its main purpose was to help people to settle in here. We got to the stage where we had to get a larger scale,’ he added.

‘We see there is a need to promote an awareness of our group,’ Mr Ne- ote said.

Sunday’s event will include a short prayer, a welcome speech by the MIIS and a speech from Tara Chand, the first secretary, Embassy of India. There will also be two hours of In- dian cultural events performed by lo- cal artists, a dinner and dance.

CLARECASTLE is famous for it’s sluice gates, but it’s the ones up in the great beyond and not down on the River Fergus that attracted most at- tention on Saturday afternoon. They just wouldn’t shut and were intent of spoiling the showpiece occasion of intermediate hurling year.

But even the rains failed to spoil the Broadford party that started up around the midfield area of Clare- castle’s second field just after Spm on Saturday. It was there that the play- ers gathered in one big scrum to cel- ebrate joining the elite of Clare hurl- ing for the first time in 14 years.

That’s a long time, before Ger Loughnane’s hurling revolution swept the county to Munsters, All- Irelands and high kingship of the game. Maybe that’s why the scrum was so big and why the rains failed to put a damper on a huge day for Broadford hurling.

In time the scrum became one big rolling maul to the sanctuary of a fence on the sideline from where county board treasurer Bernard Keane addressed the crowd from on high and presented the intermediate cup to Padraig Hickey.

A winning captain, Hickey was al- ways going to get to lift the cup, but if ever a man deserved the honour it was the stylish corner-forward. He led by example, scoring four brilliant points from play over the hour in a man-of-the-match display.

“Give me the ball and I’ll score, that’s my motto anyway, but it’s the men that give me the ball, it’s the men that put super ball my way,’ he said after his winning speech and when the scrum had finally left for the dressing room and the bars of Broadford.

“We knew we were going to be there or thereabouts this year. At the start of the year we lost a couple of games and we knew afterwards that we just

had to get things right. Parteen beat us twice this year. Fair play to them, but it was a kick up the backside for us. Once we knew we had a lot of work to do we really got down to it, especially over the last two months. We put the foot to the floor and drove on. The rewards are here by winning the championship.

“It’s a massive step up for Broad- ford hurling. We haven’t played sen- ior championship since 1994. We went up Senior “B’ in ’97 and again in 2003, but playing Senior ‘A’ now is going to be a massive step up again. We’re going to have to put our foot to the floor again to even stay in the gerade, but we’re not going to worry about it tonight.”

REGULAR readers will know that I’m a big fan of radios in cars. At home many of us turn to our televi- sion sets for entertainment, but while commuting we enter the varied world of radio.

My test car this week, the new Seat Ibiza, had great reception on its radio. I hit the scan button and straight away picked up good quality BBC2 and then Shannonside Radio. Amazing as I wasn’t up in the Dub- lin mountains, but in Baldonnel, the Irish headquarters of Seat.

Seat have just one button for the ra- dio, which acts as a volume control and station selector. It looks strange to see just one button where there are normally two, but like most things in life, you get used to it.

But before readers all go Radio Ga Ga, I can hear you saying, what was the car like to drive?

Well it’s a neat, solid, comfort- able and inexpensive supermini. The price of the car didn’t change in the budget, but emissions are low and the current tax rate of €150 will increase very slightly on January I.

There is room for three small adults in the rear and the boot is a decent SIZe.

This was my first-ever drive in a Seat. I have been reading up on

the company and found that it was formed in Spain in 1950 and initial- ly made cars for Fiat. In 1982 they broke away from the Italian giant

and built their own Ronda. The first Ibiza was produced in 1993 and this is the fourth generation.

Seat use the names of Spanish

districts for their cars and they are now a wholly owned subsidiary of Volkswagen. I always think of the sun when I hear names like Cordoba,

Alhambra etc. Ibiza is an ideal name for a supermini as we associate the island as a fun place for young peo- ple.

I found the car very lively and well able to handle anything that was asked of it, whether on city streets or motorways.

Internally it’s like most other new cars nowadays and predominantly black, with just the odd touch of sil- ver to brighten up the décor.

Externally the car was silver colour and I just feel that there are too many silver cars around right now. It might have been even more attractive in a bright red or dark blue, but that’s just my opinion.

Prices start at €14,850 for the 1.2 ‘R’ type, while the ‘S’ type I drove costs £16,290. After the recent budg- et we know that diesel is definitely the way forward and next year a 1.4 diesel model will be available. Seat now has 37 dealers in 23 different fo) t Tea lene

Pll finish with another mention of the radio controls. In addition to the main button there are slave controls just to the left of the steering wheel. They are so discreet, they are almost hidden away. And if you are not into radio, an iPod jack is standard.

MEMBERS of Clare County Coun- cil are set for a clash with Environ- ment Minister, John Gormley after they ignored department directions and loosened restrictions on one-off housing in the greater Ennis area.

At a special meeting on the adop- tion of the draft Ennis Development Plan, Senior Executive Planner, John Bradley said a submission from the department made it clear that the de- velopment plan was not compatible with National Policy and the Nation- al Spatial Strategy.

He was responding to a call from Cllr Bernard Hanrahan (FF) to make allowances for people within the Ennis urban boundary who were not allowed build on land they own in the countryside.

“This has been discussed ad nau- seum for the past two years with councillors and it is unfortunate that it is coming up today. We can do no more and are likely to be told by the department to remove what is in the plan,” he said.

Mr Bradley added that the council had loosened restrictions on one-off housing rather than tightening them.

Last year, when members of Mon- aghan County Council chose to ig- nore a department directive on what should be in the County Develop- ment Plan, Minister Gormley used special powers to make the changes.

Cllr PJ Kelly (FF) said that there were terrible clouds coming from the Department of the Environment circular. In its submission, the de- partment said that the controls on the establishment of housing in country- side areas should be reviewed.

“Councils should either remove this policy or tighten the definitions to ensure that settlement in the coun- tryside areas occurs in a sustainable and appropriate manner. The whole of the Ennis environs is an area which is under urban pressure and in such areas the aim should be to strictly limit opportunities for resi- dential development to those people who are local and/or have a genuine link to the rural area,’ the depart- ment submission stated.

A NEW gift card, similar to that which exists at the prestigious Dun- drum Shopping Centre in Dublin, will be launched at SkyCourt in Shannon this week.

In an effort to entice customers to spend their money at SkyCourt, management has designed its very own new gift card scheme, specifi-

cally for use in all of it’s 60 retail outlets in the Shannon complex. It will be launched at a fashion show at SkyCourt food court on Thursday at 7pm.

The gift card is similar in appear- ance to a credit card and is backed by MasterCard.

“It is really simple to use. You buy the card at the SkyCourt service desk, prepay what ever amount you

like and then offer it as a gift for use in any of our stores accepting Mas- terCard/Maestro,’ said SkyCourt manager Pat Kelly.

“We are really pleased to be the first in Munster to introduce this Gift Card Scheme which is currently operating very successfully in Dun- drum Shopping Centre,” said Mr Keath

“Tt helps solve the difficult decision-

making people have at Christmas and birthdays. It allows the receiver of the card to enjoy a shopping ex- perience and purchase exactly what they want,” he said.

An information and purchase point desk will be open in the shopping centre to coincide with Thursday’s fashion show launch. Complimen- tary food and light refreshments will also be available.

A MAN whose urine was left for two months before it was tested for the presence of drugs has been convicted of driving under the influence of an intoxicant. Niall O’Gorman (21), of Hurlestown Meadow, Broadford, Co Clare, pleaded not guilty to the of- fence, at Hurdlestown, Broadford, on

November 23, 2007.

During evidence in the case last Thursday week, it emerged that two months had elapsed before his sam- ple of urine was tested for the pres- ence of drugs at the Medical Bureau of Road Safety in Dublin.

While his urine sample was sent away for analysis just days after he was stopped by gardai, the test for

the presence of drugs did not take place for two months.

The sample was tested for the pres- ence of alcohol within weeks. He was notified in December 2007 that the result for the presence of alcohol was ‘nil.’ However, it was not until three months later that he received notification from the Bureau, indi- cating the presence of cocaine class

and cannabis class in the urine.

The Bureau said the delay was due to the Christmas backlog and gardai said the testing was done in accord- ance with procedures.

However, the accused’s solicitor Daragh Hassett said it was incum- bent on the gardai to get the samples off to the Bureau and for the Bureau to analyse the specimens as quickly

as possible. “There is a delay of three months here for a positive drug anal- ysis,” said the solicitor.

Judge Joseph Mangan adjourned a ruling in the case for a week. Last week, he convicted the accused and disqualified him from driving for four years. He fined him €800 and fixed a bond in the event of an ap- ered

THE developers of the €200 mil- lion Westpark development in the Shannon Free Zone have told Clare County Council the zoning of its site is out-dated and fails to address the contemporary issues facing modern business campuses.

The site is currently zoned ‘com- mercial’ but the owners of the 38 acre parkland site have told the Council that the ‘commercial’ zon-

ing should be changed to ‘enterprise and employment’ which would allow for the development of a variety of industries and allow the campus to adapt quickly and appropriately to changing market demands.

There are currently 700 people em- ployed in the business campus and in a submission on the Council’s South Clare Development Plan, Westpark say the main premise of their sub- mission is to secure a more flexible, dynamic and all emcompassing zon-

ing policy for the area.

“It is our contention that the zon- ing objectives and land use policies are overly restrictive, stifle business developments and do not allow the area to adapt to changing economic and market demands quickly”, their submission states.

Westpark is also seeking that the zoning would allow the development of apart hotel suites on the site.

“The lands are currently being un- der utilised and are ill-equipped to

meet changing market demands in a timely and efficient manner due to the prescriptive planning policies that relate to the site as present.

“The current economic climate suggests that it is becoming increas- ingly difficult to attract foreign in- vestment into Ireland, as the global market becomes more competitive. With this in mind, it is essential that innovative and adaptable enterprise zones are promoted so that compe- titeness is not hampered.

“Westpark would benefit enor- mously from a policy approach that promoted ancillary and supporting business uses within the traditional enterprise zones, as is now common practice throughout modern business campuses”

The submission states that the ra- tionale for providing the apart-hotels is that they “would act as a major pull factor for companies looking to invest in Shannon as they could pro- vide high quality accommodation.”

FARMING groups and opposition politicians joined in criticising the negative effects that the budget will have on agriculture with particular concern being voiced over cutbacks to the early retirement, waste man- agement, suckler cow and disadvan- taged area schemes.

Stating that it was time for the backbenchers in Fianna Fail to stand up and be counted, Clare Fine Gael Deputy Pat Breen asked if they would continue with the old Fianna Fail double-speak, saying one thing in the constituency and the opposite when they come to the Dail?

Referring to the Farm Waste Management Scheme, he said many farmers fear that they will not be paid because the allocation for the scheme has already been spent this year. He urged the Government to make a case to the European Com- mission on extreme hardship. Oth- erwise, the farmers of Clare and elsewhere will pay a huge price for its inaction in not protecting the ag- ricultural industry.

His party colleague, Deputy Joe Carey accused the Government of sidelining Ireland’s farming commu- nity and forgetting their needs.

The early retirement scheme, de- signed to give farmers who had

worked hard all their lives a small reimbursement at retirement, was been abandoned. The installation aid for young people beginning their farming careers was also scrapped at a time when there was a need to retain as many young farmers on the land as possible.

A 10% increase in rainfall was recorded at Shannon in the first 10 months of the year and it would have been entirely appropriate for the Government to extend the deadline for the Farm Waste Management Scheme by six months. Fine Gael through a private members motion sought this extension but it was de- feated as Fianna Fail and the govern- ment voted against it.

ICSA rural development chair- man Gabriel Gilmartin warned that budget cutbacks would be a central issue in next year’s local and Euro- pean elections.

He said the cuts in Disadvantaged Area payments and the halving of the Suckler Cow Welfare scheme were grave news for farmers. The average farmer in the west of Ireland farming 45 hectares of average land, with 40 cows was now facing a loss of €2,655 p/a on top of the one per- cent income levy. This compared with a banker earning €100,000, who would be only €1,000 worse off as aresult of the budget.

A WOMAN whose running career began in Shannon is returning to the town to encourage others to take to the track.

Deirdre Daly-Cahill, has, over the past three years, encouraged doz- ens of women to take up running, through her Meet and Train sessions in Ennis.

She selflessly gave of her time and organised weekly meetings on a vol- untary basis, since 2006. Now, under the auspices of the Clare Sports Part- nership, Deirdre takes a Meet and Train running group in Ennis every Monday night. The Ennis group started five weeks ago and there has been a phenomenal response, with more than 60 women attending every week. Given the resounding success of the Ennis initiative, Clare Sports Partnership co-ordinator John Sweeney decided to organise a pilot project in Shannon, starting tomor- row, Wednesday, at 8pm.

The group will meet at the Shan- non Development office at SkyCourt and will walk/run a one-mile loop, passing St Patrick’s Comprehensive School, the garda station and back to the starting point. The route is fully lit.

Deirdre emphasised that women of all ages and fitness levels are wel- come to attend.

‘The Meet and Train caters for all levels of fitness, from the walker that wishes to progress to jogging and to the jogger who wishes to run a 10k without stopping,” she said.

While she lives at Roslevan, Ennis, Deirdre is no stranger to Shannon. Her mother Christina hailed from Coolmen and her father Michael originally came from Ballyea, just outside Ennis. The family lived in Shannon for a period, when Deirdre was in school.

“History has come full circle. My mother was involved in the running craze in the 1970s and jogged that very same route when a group got to-

gether to keep fit,” she recalled.

While living in Shannon, Deir- dre attended St Conaire’s National School and was taken running by one Ger Loughnane, who taught at that school then. That was when her love of running was born.

“I do remember Ger Loughnane taking us out running. [ also ran with Shannon Athletics Club,” she said.

Although Deirdre gave up running for a number of years while living in London, her passion for the sport re-ignited when she moved to Dublin more than 10 years ago.

“One evening I saw a group of peo- ple out running in Chapelizod. It was the Donore Harriers Meet and Train Group, run by the famous Jim McNa- mara (former Olympian),” she said. Deirdre quickly joined that group and never looked back. Indeed, Jim was her inspiration when she began coaching three years ago. Along with her coaching, Deirdre also runs competitively with Ennis Track Club and ran the Dublin City Marathon

with Clare Crusaders two years ago. Deirdre is also a personal trainer, where she provides one-to-one train- ing from the proverbial couch potato to the fitness fanatic and is available for appointments.

She is optimistic that Meet and Train will take off in Shannon, given the huge interest in fitness among people of all ages.

“Shannon is a progressive town. I believe there would be sufficient in- terest,’ she said.

Anyone interested in joining Deir- dres Meet and Train group should contact Catherine Ryan at Clare Sports Partnership by calling 065 6865434.

ADULTS are buying alcohol for those under the age of 18, while they wait outside off-licenses for them, it has been claimed.

The revelation emerged in court from a 17-year-old girl from Ennis, who said she asked people to buy alcohol for her at three named off- licenses in the town.

The girl is accused of being in- toxicated in public at Abbey Street, Ennis, on May 18 last. Judge Joseph Mangan noted that “Drink seems to be at the root of all these problems.”

Ennis District Court was told on Friday that the young girl accepted that this was the case. Her solicitor Tara Godfrey said her client would be prepared to comply with the Pro- bation services.

Judge Mangan called the girl up before him and asked her where she was getting the alcohol. She said it was being bought in off-licences. ‘‘Any of them,” she said.

Asked to specify, she replied, “Fine Wines; over by MT Pockets; Carry Out. That’s all.”

Judge Mangan asked her, “How do you get drink?” She replied, “People that I hang around with are 18.”

He asked her where she was located when the alcohol was being bought for her. “Waiting outside the offie,” she replied. The judge asked her was it handed to her as the buyers left the off-licences and she said, “Ya.”

Inspector Tom Kennedy then told the court that a recent case in Shan- non had been brought to court, where a young man bought alcohol for a girl who was under 18. The judge asked,

“Is it a case with some people, Hear no evil, See no evil?”

The inspector replied, “We have carried out surveillance. It 1s difficult enough to detect. It is not always as blatant as that.”

The judge placed the girl on proba- tion for 12 months. He ordered her to comply with counselling and treat- ment and undertake to comply with a urine analysis programme.