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A TODDLER died from bronchial pneumonia on board a flight that was forced to make an emergency landing at Shannon Airport earlier this year, an inquest in Ennis has heard. Two-year-old Lemuna Armadan Osman, from Eritrea, fell ill on a

Lufthansa flight between Frankfurt and New York, on April 22 last. She was travelling with her family to be- gin a new life in the US under a re- patriation programme, when she be- came gravely ill and passed away. The inquest into her death was opened at the time and adjourned un- til last week, when details of the post

mortem examination into her death were revealed.

Assistant State Pathologist Dr Mar- garet Bolster told Ennis Coroner’s Court that the cause of death was bronchial pneumonia involving most of one of her lungs. She said the tod- dler had height and weight below nor- mal. She noted that the girl had been

in hospital with a cough, four days before she took the flight to the US. Dr Bolster also said there was evi- dence of female circumcision on the child’s body.

She paid tribute to the “amazing amount” of people who had assisted Lemuna’s family, on arrival at Shan- non in April.

A WIDE-RANGING programme of events will form the central focus of the Coole Park winter programme in Gort this year.

The programme was launched last week and will present an exciting calendar of events for adults and chil- dren alike. Coole Park is an impres- sive educational facility and manage- ment have capitalised on this, in the jeyueseaucheaventse

The programme aims to provide a series of high quality arts and herit- age events to as wide and inclusive local audience as possible, on an internationally renowned site. The events also endeavour to showcase

local-based artists and lectures on local topics.

The Gort Walking Trail is expected to attract much interest on Saturday next. It will consist of a presentation at Coole Park, followed by a walk in Gort, in partnership with Galway East Tourism.

Those keen to trace their origins will have an interest in the series on ‘Tracing your ancestors’ lectures, which will take place at Coole Park every Monday evening in November, between 8pm and 9pm.

A series of storytelling will take place every Thursday evening, start- ing on November 6. A children’s dance workshop will take place on November 9, between 12 noon and

4.30pm, while the Galway Early Music Ensemble will present a lively concert of tunes on Thursday, No- vember 13. The music will be played on Renaissance instruments.

Classical guitarist Rose Maria Robinson will play at Coole Park on Saturday, November 15. Her special guest will be Redmond O’ Toole, who has played at the venue previously.

Electric Bridget will present the drama ‘Waiting for Elvis’ on Thurs- day, November 20. The following day, Friday 21, will present a treat from the local schools as their en- tries in the ‘Beo’ project will be on display.

‘There is a variety of events. There is a good mix of talks, drama and

music,” said Hilda MacLochlainn, who is a supervisor guide for na- tional parks and wildlife services at Coole Park.

“There are a lot of events for chil- dren. We have always tried to include a variety of events, for adults and children and also focus on our educa- tion programme for schools in Clare and Galway,’ she added.

The education programme is par- ticularly popular and gives primary school students the opportunity to pursue indoor and outdoor activities. Through the project, the pupils can appreciate the beauty of Coole Park and its surroundings, while at the same time appreciate the history be- hind the site.

EVERY second level school in Clare will lose at least one teacher, with one school in Ennis losing five, due to Budget 2009 cutbacks.

According to the ASTI every sec- ondary school will be down one teacher come September, resulting in schools losing out in subject variety and choice, and special education needs.

Students’ extra curricular activities and field projects will also be greatly

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Ger O’Donoghue of the ASTI standing committee for Clare, Lim- erick and Nenagh said that the full extent of the loss of teachers is not yet known. All schools will lose and the cuts will “affect some schools more than others”.

Schools with an open _ policy will suffer most according to Mr O’Donoghue, as English language support teachers will be capped at two per school, irrespective of how many pupils in the school need as-

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“We have these newcomer students coming to our schools and we pride ourselves in welcoming them to the school,” he said.

“These students are in _ classes where teachers are going to have problems integrating them with the other pupils.”

Initially an English language sup- port teacher was provided for every 14 students in a school. This allowed for a certain amount of withdrawal from class for extra tuition for stu-

dents whose first language is not English.

In the Budget the Government de- cided to cap the number of English language support teachers at two per school.

Mr O’Donoghue also maintains that the broad base of education will be affected by the cuts.

“There are some subjects that a smaller number of pupils opt for. Schools will now be forced to decide whether or not to keep these classes. It may not be possible to separate

pass and honours classes come Sep- tember,” he said.

“Tt will also have a huge affect of extra curricular activities. These form the basis of a rounded educa- WO )s Maen OLomncT-n LOR

Under the terms of the Budget sub- stitute teachers will no longer be available to cover teachers who are involved in school sports or field we 1Oe

‘How are schools going to manage in cases like that?” asked the ASTI rep.

A DOOLIN woman died from hy- pothermia after her wellingtons got Stuck in mud in a field near her home, an inquest has heard.

Ann Doherty (51) was found dead outside her home at Ballyvara, Doo- lin, on December 12, 2006, after she had not been seen since the previous evening.

An inquest into her death heard from her brother John. He said he called to his family home – where Ann lived with another brother – on the evening of December 11.

At around 3.40pm he crossed to

the farmyard and saw Ann walk- ing towards the gate and going into the field. He said he presumed some clothes had fallen off the clothesline and she was going in to the field to retrieve them.

“When I saw her going into the field I presumed she was okay,” he said.

The following morning, his brother Tom telephoned him and asked him if he had seen Ann. He went straight to Ann’s house, where he met his brothers Tom and Martin.

In his deposition to the inquest, Tom Doherty said his brother Mar- tin had telephoned him on the morn- ing of December 12. He said there

was no-one at the house, which was unusual as Ann would normally be WeKer

He said he went to the house and they went into a field nearby and began to search around. There they found Ann’s body near a wall, some distance from the house.

Garda Andrew Monahan told the inquest he went to the Doherty’s home on the morning of December 12. There he met Tom Doherty, with who he was acquainted through his work with Doolin Coastguard.

He said he saw Ann Doherty’s body, part of which had been damaged by wildlife. Assistant State Pathologist

Dr Margaret Bolster carried out a post mortem examination on Ms Do- ates um YaecmoLere AA

She said there were multiple super- ficial injuries to the body, but they had not caused death.

“This is a difficult case,” she said. “It appeared her wellingtons had got stuck in mud. In my view, Ms Do- herty died from hypothermia, after getting stuck in muddy terrain,” she said.

Coroner Isobel O’Dea noted that the cause of death was hypothermia. “It seems most likely that Ann’s wel- lingtons got stuck in some mud and unfortunately she died,’ she said.

ALL roads lead to north Clare at the beginning of the New Year, for the seventh Annual Sponsored Burren Walk, which takes place on Sunday, AVE ha ae

All proceeds for the popular an- nual event, which begins and ends at O’Donoghues Pub in Fanore, go to the Clare branch of The Alzheimer’s Society of Ireland, who provide ex- tensive support to the sufferers and families of the estimated 980 cases affected with the disease in the coun- ty at present.

The event is organised by volun- teers, who first devised the idea in 2002 to aid the rapidly increasing

running costs of the Ennis-based branch.

“We thought of doing a fundraiser for the Clare branch and we decided on walking in the Burren as it is a breathtaking, inspirational place that is one of the main walking sites of Europe, not alone Clare,” explains Jerry Howard, one of the organisers of the walk.

“When you do things like this, they may be tough to organise but at the same time, you are pushing an open door with everybody because alzhe- imer’s and dementia has relevance to most houses and when you ask peo- ple to help you or get involved, they are very generous.

“All the money raised is sent to

the Clare branch. They provide two levels of care through day care and home care and it’s brilliant because normally, money raised goes on ad- ministration costs but they have the administration already set up at their office so everything we raise goes directly into the support of that day care or home care. I can genuinely say of all the things I have ever sup- ported or worked with, they are a re- ally, really great organisation.”

With alzheimer’s having an aston- ishing estimated growth of 9,000 per cent worldwide since 1979, Howard paid tribute to the ongoing voluntary work done by the Alzheimer’s Soci- ety in Ennis.

“People are living longer and it’s

becoming more of an issue. Years ago, there was only one person in a family working and there was one person left at home to mind a parent but now it’s a bigger issue because everybody is working.

“They are doing a great service with scarce resources because an aw- ful lot of the work they do in Ennis is all voluntary and they really are the unsung heroes.”

To get involved in the Burren Walk or find out more about alzheimer’s or the society’s services, contact the Clare branch of the Alzheimer’s So- ciety of Ireland at 065 6868621 or 065 6845835. Alternatively, call into the local office situated at Unit 17, Clonroad Business Park, Ennis.

THE level of personal information required from people applying for planning permission in Clare has been criticised as an “invasion of pri- vacy .

Residential policies contained in the Clare County Development Plan require applicants to prove that he/ she is local.

In that process, applicants are asked to submit bank statements, invoices or other forms of financial records in order, in part, to meet the qualifica- tions.

In one instance, according to one Quin councillor who has criticised the process, an applicant was asked

to provide 12 years of information.

“If policies require this type of detailed personal information then I do not consider them to be proper planning policies,’ said Cllr Sonny Scanlon (FG)

“You have planners looking for bank statements back 10 and 12 years. There is no one keeping bank statements that length of time today. I would like to know of there is any- one in Clare County Council that have bank statements kept this length of time,” he added.

Cllr Scanlon says there have been other instances where inconsistency has been applied to the planning ROS

“There are two planning appli-

cations 50 metres apart – one was granted by one planner and the other was refused by a different planner and both applications were facing forestry with the same surroundings. The planning applicant who was re- fused owned 15 acres of land for 20 years.”

He continued, “A son wanted to build a house on his father’s land which was over 100 acres. This in- cluded a particular piece of wooded land. The planner informed him to clear out of that particular area in the wood where the house would not be seen and he also carried out a per- colation test, which passed. He had spent €6,000 carrying out work and was refused planning permission by

the planner.”

Cllr Scanlon said he was concerned that sensitive financial information maybe contained in planning files. “Tt is an invasion of privacy to have bank statements in a planning appli- cation file. Anyone can come in and see them on file. Revenue keep files for six years only. The council keep files for seven years. Most people today use mobile phone on credit so they don’t have phone bills.”

He has called for the County Man- ager Alec Flemming to comment on this particular aspect of the County Development. Cllr Scanlon (FG) has also called for the requirement of “substantial personal information to be terminated”’.

THE body of a Whitegate man, who had been missing for 32 days, was recovered following a major search operation, an inquest has heard.

23-year-old James Burke went missing after a night out with friends in Killaloe on December 9, 2007.

His body was eventually seen float- ing in the water near the canal bank in Killaloe, on January 11, 2008.

A jury recorded an open verdict at the inquest into Mr Burke’s death.

County Coroner Isobel O’Dea said there was no evidence to indicate that Mr Burke had died as a result of an altercation nor was there any evidence to suggest that he had taken his own life.

State Pathologist Dr Marie Cas- sidy said Mr Burke died as a result of drowning with alcohol intoxication a contributory factor. Tests carried out during the post mortem revealed high levels of alcohol in his blood.

Tests also revealed the deceased had taken cocaine, but not to exces- sive quantities. Dr Cassidy said that

among the items recovered from the deceased’s clothing was a “small packet of white powder”.

Dr Cassidy also told the court she found no evidence to indicate that Mr Burke had been involved in a

struggle or an assault.

Shane Malone, who had _ been drinking with Mr Burke on the day he disappeared, said, “I’d seen no one taking drugs on that day. I’m sure of that.”

Adrian Dooley, a friend of the de- ceased, said he had met Mr Burke in Mountshannon at 1.30pm before the two had gone to Killaloe.

Mr Dooley said they were with a large group of friends and they vis- ited a number of different pubs. He said that most of the group had gone home around 10.30pm but he wasn’t sure what time Mr Burke left. Mr Burke, he said, had wanted to visit another pub, The Anchor. “I tried to ring James, but there was no reply,” said Mr Dooley.

Shane Malone recalled that a bar- man in the Seannachai bar had asked Mr Burke to leave.

Barry Boland told the inquest, ‘James Burke was a lot quieter that night than [’d seen him on other nights in Whitegate and places.” Elaine Burke, the deceased’s cous- in, contacted Gardai on December 10 after Mr Burke failed to return home.

THERE are some questions in life that one never thought of asking, and for a very good reason. No one really wanted to know the answer.

Then there are those questions that one never thought of asking, but once asked stirred a certain amount of cu- riosity and an answer was necessary to avoid sleepless nights.

Such as — how hairy are Fianna Fail TD Timmy Dooley’s legs and does he wax, shave or go au naturel?

Is Fine Gael councillor Joe Arkins really in touch with his feminine side and if so could he make a Christmas cake covered in delicate icing and pretty decorations?

And who in north Clare has a stom- ach strong enough, not just to eat Cllr

Arkin’s cake and have full view of a Clare TDs legs, but to drink a pint glass of raw eggs?

The answers to all of these thought provoking questions and many more will be available in Nagle’s Lounge Bar on November | at 10pm.

The event is not just a social scien- tific experiment but a fundraiser for the Kilfenora Residents Association so that it can put its best foot forward for next year’s tidy estate awards.

Treasurer and acting secretary Margaret Keane said the association has entered the village’s two estates — An Tronach and John Paul Estate — in the competition for the last two years.

This year the association was highly commended for its work and received a nominal prize from Clare

Seria Greltiere

“We are entering again next year and we want to get some shrubberies and rockeries done. We also prom- ised the teenagers goal posts if we raised enough,” she said.

The whole community has got be- hind the event. Deputy Dooley is having his legs waxed on the night, although rumour has it that it may be his chest, and Cllr Arkins is baking a Christmas cake that will be auc- tioned on the night.

Also up for auction on the night are the services of the areas county councillors.

Cllr Martin Lafferty (Ind) is offer- ing a day in the bog; Cllr Richard Nagel (FF) is offering a day saving hay, while Cllr Martin Conway (FG) is also offering his services — which

has yet to be revealed.

Adding to the mystery of the night local matchmaker Willie Daly is also supplying a surprise.

Cheryl and Patrick McCormack are offering afternoon tea for four at “Fr Ted’s house” for auction, while Rick- ie Healy will cook a three-course dinner for two 1n his own home.

Head shaving, moustache shaving and more auctioned prizes will make up the night.

Finger food will also be served and music supplied by the bar.

PARENTS and teachers from across the county are planing to march on the Dail tomorrow as Clare’s primary schools face losing up to 50 teachers, and every post primary school likely to lose at least one teacher.

For many of the county’s secondary schools the loss 1s much higher, as primary schools in Ennis report that under the current budget cuts they will loose 12 teachers. The figure was provided by the Ennis Education Forum – a group that represents pri- mary schools in the Ennis parish.

Secondary schools in the county capital are also set to suffer. A pub-

lic meeting in Colaiste Muire, Ennis last Friday heard that the reduction in English language teachers would result in the loss of four teachers at the school.

That meeting also heard from Fi- anna Fail TD, Timmy Dooley. He said the government would attempt to minimize the effect of the cuts, but added, “Neither do I want to give you false hope and say that I can change or redress the budget provisions that are there. We have to work to the best of our ability to minimize the impact. I do not see that the provisions will not be overturned as announced”.

Angered parents from Tulla Pri- mary School, who face losing one

teacher next year despite an increase in pupil numbers, have organised a bus to travel to Dublin to join the pro- test. Buses organised by the INTO will also leave Ennis at 1.30pm to- morrow.

Margaret Cooney, principal of Holy Family senior school encouraged parents to voice their concerns on the streets of the Dail. However Ms Cooney said, “There is no evidence to suggest that they will go back on them but I hope that sanity will prevail. We had the second highest teachers pupil ratio in Europe and now we’re on our way to having the highest. That’s extremely serious”.

INTO President Declan Kelleher

has this morning welcomed the for- mation of the Alliance for Primary Education, made up of teachers, management bodies and the parent’s etree e

Protest marches against the educa- tion cuts have also been organised for every Saturday until Christmas, starting on November 8 in Galway. The second march will be held in Tullamore and is scheduled to end at the Taoiseach Brian Cowen’s office. This will be followed in by marches in Cork, Donegal and Dublin.

“We picked Saturday as we did not want to sacrifice school hours. What- ever has to be done will be done,” said Mr. Kelleher.

CLONLARA and Jim Gully have shared some great days down the past 12 months, but nothing like Sunday.

The roar at the full time whis- tle. The goodwill pouring from the stands. The fireworks. The sound- track to a remarkable day and a re- markable team. Jim Gully stood on Cusack Park wearing a look of al- most stunned disbelief as his team sang and the world got used to Clon- lara as county champions.

He always knew his team were good and honest and capable of great things. He never doubted their poten- EE

But still, even back in January, in the aftermath of their defeat in the semi-final of the All Ireland inter- mediate championship when Gully said he would swap a day in Croke Park for a County Final in Cusack Park, he surely couldn’t have fore- seen an achievement of such stun- ning magnitude. A first county title in 89 years. A day of history and celebration. Clonlara’s greatest day.

And Jim Gully in the middle of it. Hugged, pulled and congratulated.

The man who gets Clonlara fired up. The man who has become the most engaging character in Clare GAA. And now the man who has delivered a senior county champion- ship to Clonlara.

“Ah sure look, what can I say. Tis only a dream like”, said the Clonlara manager afterwards,

“A team coming from Intermedi- ate that hadn’t won in such a long time, it’s fantastic. They are a fantas- tic group of players. It took a lot of determination and heart, it’s all out there. To go out and play in those conditions, it was going to men to go out there. I knew damn well we had 15 or 16 of them going out there”

He’s asked to sum up the game. “You wouldn’t be able to print it”, says Gully before zeroing on the one characteristic that has defined so much Clonlara’s odyssey to the promised land, “Sure look, it was going to come down to the hungrier team. They came out at the start of the second half with a gale behind

them and banged over three or four points and we fell behind. I said, one more score and we’ll get going again and once we took the lead I knew by Jesus it was going to take some team to stop us. I’ve seen these guys in op- eration. Once we get the scent of vic- tory, its hard to bring us back”’.

It took a while for Clonlara to get their bearings as Newmarket blitzed them early in the second and first half. But Gully wasn’t panicking.

“Tt didn’t look great but all our team needed was one score, that’s all’’, he said, “I knew we’d get going. We hit over the next score into the wind and I said, by Jesus, if Newmarket want it now they’re going have to fight harder than us.

‘There isn’t 15 fellas that will fight harder than us”’.

There isn’t. There hasn’t been ei- ther for the past 12 months. But now its official. The fighters are the champions. The world now knows what Gully long suspected. Clonlara are the best team in Clare. And the future stretches out gloriously ahead Om tetoeee