Category: Uncategorized

“we have returned to days we thought we would never see in education again”.

He said the only hope is that when the parents and teachers stood up to Minister for Finance Brian Leni- han’s aunt Mary O’Rourke in 1987 the proposed cuts in education were overturned.

The President of the INTO main- tains that if the current cuts proposed by the Government are not over turned, the Ennis primary school area, which includes the county town and Shannon, will loose a total of 35 Keres ace

In east Clare up to eight teaching posts are under threat, north Clare could lose two teachers, while west Clare is expected to lose up to seven teachers.

“Schools that had enough pupils on its enrolment for another teacher next September now cannot appoint the teacher,” said Mr Kelleher.

In Tulla next year rather than secur- ing an extra teacher to cope with an increase in pupils the school faces the loss of one of its current teaching

staff. The school is facing a 30 pupil to one teacher ratio.

In such cases junior infants are pro- tected with smaller class sizes, which could result in 35 and more pupils per class in senior classes.

Parents in Lahinch have begun a petition in an attempt to prevent the cutbacks negatively affecting the lo- cal school.

Teachers of English to non-national pupils are also facing huge cuts, re- sulting in knock on effects across the

education sector.

“There is a Minister for Integra- tion, and the key to integration is to be able to use the English language. It is a key learning service,’ said Mr Kelleher.

“Many of the parents of these pu- pils haven’t the language to articu- late their view points, so it 1s up to us. This budget is hitting the vulner- able,’ said Mr Kelleher.

“This is the budget from hell,” he added.

THE wait will go on. The hurt etched into faces of the Newmarket players as they left Cusack Park on Sunday suggested the pain of this defeat will not be easily erased either. There will have been moments, when for Newmarket supporters, too long liv- ing on the ever fading memory of a rich past, that they will have believed that this was the day when the Blues would announce their comeback.

The odds were stacked in their fa- vour. They had the players. They had the panel. They had been there be- fore.

When Martin Murphy crashed to the net, it looked like a rich new chapter of Newmarket hurling was about to unfold before our eyes. But Clonlara stayed cool and stayed in the game. The second half started and Newmarket had the wind. They reeled off three early points. Mo- mentum was building and it looked firmly behind Newmarket. But the power of the wind died a little and

the game entered one of those tense phases when games are won and lost. Newmarket dropped off. Cyclone Clonlara gathered strength. Darach Honan and John Conlon pounded the Blues. Tommy Lynch was eve- rywhere. In midfield, things had gone ominously quiet for Newmar- ket whereas Clonlara were zipping passes hard and fast inside to their dangermen.

Newmarket had no platform to build from. They stopped creating good chances. When they ran at Clonlara, they were ushered down blind allies or knocked off their feet.

Newmarket fans feared the worst. Those nagging doubts about their team’s resolve on the big days re- surfaced. Their fears came to pass. Darach Honan nailed a point in the final seconds. The Blues were cooked. Beaten by a team who want- ed it more.

It was quiet, dead quiet, outside the Newmarket dressing room after- wards. Manager Diarmuid O’Leary was one of the last to leave. He was

gracious in defeat and echoed his Clonlara counterpart, Jim Gully, and the point he made about hunger. “No complaints, the hungrier team won, simple as that, more power to them”, said O’Leary.

“We had the lead but we didn’t drive on. Fair play to them and more power to them. Best of luck to them in the Munster Championship”

O’Leary was forewarned about what to expect from Clonlara. They have impressed him all year.

“IT seen them against Scariff and they were very very impressive. They came through a tough campaign last year. They have a lot of hurling done. They are a good bunch of lads. They have the medals to prove it”.

So the wait goes on for a 23rd sen- ior title goes on for another year at least and the questions about New- market’s nerve continue. Will the Blues be back’?

“There’s no fear of Newmarket, no fear of Newmarket. Ah, with the help of God, they’ll stick at it”, said O’Leary.

THE WOMEN of Killaloe have a boast that would make Brigid Jones envious – they have all the men they F001

In fact what the ladies want is a few more women – to join the men on the catwalk. At the launch last week of the Fashion Extravaganza to raise funds for the Smith-O’ Brien minors, the lads were lining up to be super- models on the night.

“The men quite happily volunteered to model,” said Antoinette Ryan, one of the organising committee.

“The ladies are a bit more shy but we have more ladies boutiques in Killaloe than menswear so we need to persuade a few more ladies.”

The fun fashion event is to raise money to help fund the activities of the busy minors, who have 120 play- ers from under six and who have a team in every age bracket in the county competitions.

The Fashion Extravaganza, which will be held on Friday, November 14 in the Lakeside Hotel in Ballina is the first run by the committee but, they hope, not the last.

‘The boutiques and shoe shops and the businesses in Killaloe and Balli- na have given us fabulous support,” said Antoinette.

Killaloe businesses have rolled in behind the venture, and business con- cerns as far away as Nenagh, Scariff and Limerick have come on board.

“They are supporting us buy show-

ing clothes on the night and every one of them has donated a spot prize – they’ve been fantastic,’ Antoinette said.

The launch last week was spon- sored by Supervalu who provided a cheese and wine reception.

A beautician, hairdresser and two boutiques have offered their service and two €100 clothes vouchers for a make-over for two lucky people on the night.

“There will be boxes around the town in the shops and anyone who would like a makeover has to fill in a form and leave it in the box. We’ll have a draw for two names and they will have things like hair cuts and colouring done in advance with styl- ing, beauty treatments and clothes

picked for them on the night when they will show the “before and afters’ at the show,” said Antoinette. There will be plenty of spot prizes, includ- ing funkiest handbag and wackiest heels.

As well as raising money, the com- mittee are hoping that the show will prove to be a great social night and a Ke) meyas atten

“The main thing is we hope people will come along and support it and have a great time. It should be a fabu- lous night,” said Antoinette.

PLANS to remove settlement enti- tlements from the villages of Cool- meen, Darragh, Leitrim and Lisdeen has met with opposition, with one local politicians describing the pro- posal as “anti rural”.

Amid the pages of the draft West Clare Area Plan 2009-2015, due to go on public display next month, Clare council planners have said in order to address the quantum of overzoned land, four settlements have been pro- posed for removal from the settle-

TPeCoUOLASS BAS

“These settlements have showed little or no planning activity over the last six years and have some serious access difficulties,’ Eilis O’ Nuallain, Executive Planner, told members of the West Clare Area Council, as they saw the draft for the very first time.

“Leitrim is a lovely area, but it is in a structurally weak area. It may work to its advantage; no longer a settlement it would not have those limitations. It wouldn’t stop bailing in Lisdeen,” she said.

“You are hitting the small old core

communities. I won’t accept that. A Statement like that 1s anti-rural,” said Cllr Christy Curtin (Ind).

Fine Gael Cllr Oliver Garry said he did not understand why the settle- ment status should be removed.

According to the draft plan and its maps, 60 per cent of west Clare is de- scribed as structurally weak. Struc- turally weak areas have been rec- ognised as an area where “there is a level of economic decline exacerbat- ed by continued depopulation. These problems must be addressed through levels of growth beyond the housing

requirement of the local population. SUMNER Ceyer Dame) IOC DMmS le e-lKorca ami tee gests that any demand for residential development in such areas should be accommodated.”

This includes most of the central area of the west Clare peninsula, with the exception of a large area around Kilrush town and Kilmurry Ibrickane. According to the draft plan in structurally weak areas there is no “significant advantage for hav- ing in land zoned for housing”.

This policy also seeks “to encour- age the redevelopment of derelict or

vacated sites that present opportu- nities for development in the open countryside as an alternative to new one off housing developments.”

The brief for tourism within the draft has also been altered to encour- age activities with more local reve- nue generating potential than holiday home construction.

“The only reference before was holiday homes. The area is still suit- able for holiday homes, but we are looking at others that would bring economy to the area, for example hostels,” said Ms O’Nuallain.

COLM Honan was lost for words after watching his beloved Clonlara end their 89 year wait for a senior ti- tle on Sunday.

The former club and county star said Clonlara’s fierce work ethic and sheer belief saw them over the finish line.

“Tm stuck for words. It was a fan- tastic game’, said Honan. “It looked at different stages that they were go-

ing to take it away, or took over. They came at us real quicktake But the lads settled and just worked and worked and worked. They have a fantastic work ethic. They went in in twos and threes all the time. The scores were hard earned today. We just edged ahead at crucial stages”.

Clonlara have enriched Clare hurl- ing over the past few months with their remarkable ascent to the top.

Honan, who’s son Darach played a key role on Sunday, said Clonlara’s

ability, particularly in the second half, to deliver fast ball to the for- wards, proved crucial.

“Tt was very hard to hurl. Condi- tions were dire. You couldn’t turn. The ball wasn’t bouncing or rolling for both teams. But in fairness to both teams it was a superb game of hurling. Considering the conditions, the condition of the pitch was dire”.

One of the key moves of the game saw Darach Honan move out to the half forward line and John Conlon

move to corner forward. The switch saw Clonlara win a greater share of possession and the east Clare side, after a poor start, settled into the game. “We got the goal and kept the flow of the ball going back in. Play- ing with the wind as well it was hard to get a nice ball into them. The sec- ond half, our centre field gave them some nice ball”.

Honan was still shaking his head as Paul Collins finished his speech. Unbelievable.

TO MARK its 20th birthday, the Shannon craft fair is set to be a much bigger, bumper event this year.

A wide array of items, such as jew- ellery, pottery, knitwear, home bak- ing and handmade cards will be on sale during this year’s fair, which is scheduled to take place at the Sean Lemass library in Shannon, between

Monday, December 8 and Wednes- day, December 17.

“We hope to have up to 20 stands this year. We are encouraging peo- ple to support it and keep it going. It will be the place to get that special present. The majority of the stands are run by local people,” said one of the organisers Tess Barry.

“We have a lot to offer this year and we expect that it will be supported,”

she added.

Since the craft fair committee was first set up, there have been many changes in personnel over the years. Bridie Halton was a key member of the committee for many years and has handed the reins over, over time.

‘Many people over the years have helped to make the craft fair a suc- cess. We have had a lot of gifted crafters in the town,’ said Ms Barry.

Last year’s fair ran for just one week and the committee has decided to extend it this year, to cater for de- mand. The next meeting of the craft fair committee will take place next Tuesday, November 4, at the library, SITU BUNTcare lig ov eeF

Anyone interested in holding a stand at the craft fair should contact Tess Barry on 061 352241 or Carmel Daly on 061364266.

UP TO €100,000 damage was caused in a suspicious weekend fire in Killaloe that destroyed two boats and damaged two others.

The bank holiday weekend blaze which is being investigated by gardai, led to chaos at the moorings close to the Harbour Village apartment com- plex in Killaloe on Sunday evening, amid fears that the fire would spread

to dozens of other boats that were moored in the immediate vicinity.

A 36-year-old man was taken from the water by two people who dis- covered the blaze. He was taken to hospital in Cork, where he is being treated for burns to the body.

The pleasure boats were parked to the rear of the apartment complex and were privately owned by locals. Gardai are awaiting forensic reports before they ascertain how the blaze

started at around 8pm.

The boats were empty at the time, but several other boats were moved from the area, amid concerns that the fire would spread. Two of the boats are irreparable, while the other two were smoke damaged.

Killaloe Coastguard was dis- patched to the scene, where 15 crew were on duty. Killaloe and Ennis fire crews also attended the scene of the blaze.

THE amount of land zoned for hous- ing in west Clare is not justifiable on the basis of current or predicted de- mand. That is according to the Draft West Clare Local Area Plan 2009 – 2015, which also states that a third of all houses in west Clare are unoc- cupied.

Eilis O’Nuallain, Senior Executive Planner said that even with a high population growth prediction, the land identified as available for hous- ing is 903.85 hectares or 1,390 per cent more than required.

“The current pattern of applica- tions outside settlement boundaries suggest that a sizeable percentage of homes will be sought on unzoned land which will not place a demand on the quota,” she said.

Members of Clare County Council have argued that not all of this land 1s accessible. “There are people sitting on land parcels that see it as money in the bank. They do not want to sell,” said Cllr Pat Keane (FEF).

The draft plan also maintains that 597 new houses will be required in the next three years in the west Clare area, in what is described as a low growth scenario.

Senior Executive Planner in For- ward Planning, John Bradley, main- tains that in the current economic

climate the initial low growth sce- nario for the population of the west is now regarded as the high end of projections.

The low growth projection indicat- ed that by the end of the area plan the population would reach 18,191 peo- ple – an increase of 1,202 people on the 2006 census.

In a high growth scenario a popu- lation projection of 19,856 for 2015. This increase of 2,867 would require 1,019 houses to be built in the area.

As population growth is uneven throughout the area, house vacancy rates range from seven per cent to 65 per cent moving east to west.

According to the population sur- vey for 2006 contained in the plan, as many as 65 per cent of the houses in Kilfearagh and Kilkee are vacant, 55 per cent of the houses in Queerin are vacant, and 46 per cent of those in Rahona.

In its projections the draft plan maintains that Kilmhil will have a population decline of 48 people by 2015, and therefore predicts that 19 less houses will be required in the area. A population decline of 45 is predicted for Knock and 17 less homes.

Councillors said that the predic- tions and survey did not take into ac- count holiday homes and homes no longer fit to live in.

GARDAI believe that a Limerick gang was responsible for the rob- bery of the Ennis branch of super- market chain Lidl – it was the second time the store has been raided in 17 TneCOye ste

A sizable quantity of cash was taken in the raid at the Gort Road premises, which happened shortly after closing time, 9pm, last Tuesday evening.

Gardai believe that a gang of three or four masked men, wielding sledge hammers, broke into the premises,

forcing a door open with the imple- ments they were carrying.

While staff who were on the premises at the time were shaken by the ordeal, none of them was injured in the incident.

Gardai believe that the raiders were travelling in a UK registered silver Vauxhall Vectra car that had been stolen in Mitchelstown on Monday, and later found burnt out in Newport, County Tipperary on Wednesday.

‘There is a propensity to rob high value stores. This is actively under investigation and we are following a

number of lines of enquiry,” said En- nis Superintendent John Scanlan.

“This is a serious crime. We are very concerned that an attack of this nature would take place and we are appealing to retailers to be extra vigilant at closing time, in respect of suspicious activity,” he added.

Meanwhile, gardai are also con- cerned by a rise in the number of home burglaries in Ennis over the past fortnight. Several houses throughout the town have been tar- geted and valuables taken.

This comes in the wake of a report

from Eircom Phonewatch, which states that burglaries across Clare have almost doubled in the year up to June 2008, when compared with the previous 12-month period. In Clare, January was the month during which more burglars struck than in any oth- Hmmm 0eCO) OL O MME TB CO) er- NUR AME Ole K0)o\oi mma s-ks the most popular time of the year for home burglaries. Burglars targeted less in May, June and July than dur- ing the rest of the year.

The report also reveals that goods with an average value of almost €4.000 were taken from each home.

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.