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TOM Hogan Motors are delighted to announce they will be hosting a Munster Rugby Player evening in their Showrooms on Monday, Octo- ber 20, at Tom Hogan Motors in En- nis and Tuesday, October 21, in Tom Hogan Motors in Shannon.

Don’t miss your opportunity to meet some senior Munster Rugby Players, get autographs and have your picture taken with the Heineken Cup.

Munster Player Evening commenc-

es on both evenings at 5pm sharp until 7pm. Clare FM will be on-site with their outside broadcaster and there lots of Munster giveaway items up for grabs with the free raffle.

The Heineken Cup will be on display in the Tom Hogan Motors Showroom from noon on each day and everyone is welcome to come eM Ceyatee

You can contact [om Hogan Motors, Gort Road, Ennis, on 065 6821704 or Tom Hogan Motors, Smithstown, Shannon on 061 477600.

STAFF at a legal firm in Shannon have raised €4,000 for Cahercalla Hospice in Ennis, through organis- ing a coffee morning.

F B Keatings employees put their work on hold as they took time out to organise the event, at the SkyCourt shopping centre.

In the process, they raised €1,800

and management topped this up to reach a total of €4,000. The fund- raiser was organised by the officer manager at Keatings, Mary Forde, who was delighted with the generos- ity of the people of Shannon.

“From dealing with older people over the years, whose partners have died, a lot of them have got abso- lutely brilliant support from the Hos- pice,’ said Ms Forde.

“There was a great turnout. We were on such a high that so many people turned up. It is a wonderful feeling. The feedback has been fan- tastic. We had never done anything like this before,’ she added.

Given the encouragement received from those who attended, she said that other similar events may well be OD ESe TANI M DOM MOCoM RERUN UCR

“While a lot of people from Shan-

non go to Milford (Hospice), Caher- calla is in Clare and they need the support. From that point of view, we will stick with Cahercalla,’ she AYOCe (orem

A 33-year-old man exposed him- self at a Shannon supermarket three times in as many weeks.

The accused pleaded guilty to three counts of indecency, on December 26, 2007; January 2, 2008 and Janu- ary 13, 2008.

Inspector Tom Kennedy told Shan- non District Court that at 8.30pm on December 26 last, the accused exposed his penis to a female staff member, before leaving the premis- es.

He repeated this just before 7pm on January 2 and again on January 13. The court was told the accused was

identified from CCTV footage.

His solicitor said the accused made full admissions to the investigating garda. He said that on the scale of things, the garda would put the be- haviour on a rating of two or three, on a scale of one to 10.

“He did not know these ladies. It was casual. It didn’t have any serious

effect on them at all. From their point of view, it was mischievous, rather than frightening,” said the solicitor.

Judge Joseph Mangan adjourned the case until later in the year and ordered that a probation report be carried out.

RESULTS are expected today from further lead analysis test carried out on the Ennis water supply.

The tests were carried out in old- er residential areas of Ennis; those houses built before the 1960s and would include homes in the Hermit- age and St Michael’s Villas areas . County Council Director of Serv- ices, David Timlin, said the council was currently engaged in a continu-

ous programme of lead testing.

Clean water taps have been pro- vided to residents of Marian Avenue, an area where the water supply was identified as most at risk from lead contamination.

Mr Timlin advised people living in affected areas to continue to take precautions when using water. He said the council was continuing to monitor lead levels in the water and that the level of testing had been ex- panded to other parts of Ennis.

“We would be asking people in those areas not to drink the water. The programme of continuous test- ing has been expanded to other, older areas of the town.”

Clare County Council and Ennis Town Council are advising people who stay or live in homes built be- fore the 1960s to flush their pipes as a precaution by running the cold water from the kitchen tap until the sink 1s full, before consuming water.

Even if homes have lead service

pipes, the water is considered safe for bathing, showering, brushing teeth, washing dishes, and clothes. Boiling is not appropriate to deal with lead exceedances. Lead is only picked up as water passes through pipes and household plumbing fittings and fix- tures that contain lead.

This advice applies particularly first thing in the morning or if the water has been unused in the pipes for longer than six hours. Consumers particularly at risk include children

under six, and pregnant women.

Elevated levels of lead were discov- ered in four areas around the county last week. The areas affected in En- nis were Connolly Villas and Marian Avenue, with Patrick Street in Clare- castle and parts of Sixmilebridge also affected.

There have been calls from local councilors for medical services to be provided for people, particularly old- er members of the community, living in the areas identified.

KILFENORA native, Lisa Connole, will shortly depart to Florida on a 6-month internship programme as part of the FAS Science Challenge Internship programme.

During this internship, Lisa will have the opportunity to research a project on the “Control of Plant produced VOCs in Low Mass Plant Chambers” at Dynamac Corporation at the Kennedy Space Centre in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

The FAS Science Challenge In- ternship Programme provides for unique research opportunities for 42 graduates, postgraduates and ap- prentices in the areas of applied sci- ence and engineering. The initiative serves to enhance the skill sets of these individuals, strengthen link-

ages with world ranking institutions, broaden the research base in Ireland and nurture the future generation of leaders in industry.

SOLAN Gitar Tam seleas EcLbbelel OMAN Comme vba! FAS Science Challenge Internship programme, Rody Molloy, FAS Director General referred to such investments as vital to ensure that Ireland’s workforce is equipped to capitalise on labour market oppor- UDO B Cece

He said, “This initiative is instru- mental in anticipating labour market needs so that employers in the fields of science, engineering and technol- ogy are assured of engaging with a qualified workforce, trained to world class standards, with the added bo- nus of international experience.”

A GROUP whose aim is to integrate newcomers to Shannon has just re- grouped for the winter months.

Le Chéile na Sionna was set up last year and it has focused on welcom- ing all ethnic groups to the town. It was set up in the wake of high num- bers of foreign nationals moving to the town.

Many of them had little social con- tact and the group is geared towards ensuring social networks be formed between those people.

The group has members from a di- verse range of countries, including Mauritius, India, America, France, Germany, Philippines, Wales, Ni-

geria, Poland, England, Egypt, Neth- erlands and Peru.

Le Chéile na Sionna meets on the first Tuesday of every month, at Rineanna hall in Shannon, while it also holds weekend gatherings. Its membership has grown considerably since it was set up in March of last year. Chairperson and founder of the group, Trish Fallon-Barry is delight- ed with the feedback.

“We have almost 60 email ad- dresses on our database. The average attendance tends to be between 15 and 20; usually a mixture of regular faces and new ones,’ she said.

Some of the initial members have moved on, but have remained in con- tact with existing members of the

ea cele l oF “We have made new friends from many countries who have since left Shannon, but have enjoyed the so- cial gatherings and the friendships formed while living here,” she said.

Those who attend the meetings are regularly encouraged to contribute ideas, with a view to making events more enjoyable. Ms Fallon-Barry said many plans are afoot for future activities.

‘Plans for the future include design- ing a little invitation card which can easily be given to those in the town who may not have heard of us yet, but would be interested in joining in. We also hope to organise some enjoyable social outing this coming year, pos-

sibly to the Aran islands where we can soak up the ‘Irish culture’ exper1- ence!” she said.

A special party will be held on Tuesday, December 2 next, when members will be invited to bring their extended families and friends ~NCoyetee

“Last Christmas we had a wonder- ful night where we learned all about the various customs associated with St. Nicholas throughout the world. It’s wonderful to have people in Shannon from literally all over the globe!” she added.

“Through story, song, PowerPoint photos and chat, we have all enjoyed and learned a great deal about each other’s culture’s,’ she said.

A FIRE service employee lost his job after being stopped by gardai on sus- picion of drink-driving and for driv- ing while banned, a court has heard. A judge jailed the father of eight- week old twins after hearing he was drunk behind the wheel.

Richard Steadman (23) of Abbey- ville, Limerick Road, Ennis, pleaded guilty to drink driving and to hav- ing no insurance on the night he was stopped. Judge Joseph Mangan was told that Steadman had been banned from driving for a previous offence under the Road Traffic Act and “on the night, he got drunk and unfor-

tunately got into his car and drove. He drove five days before the ban on his driving had expired,’ his solicitor Daragh Hassett told the court. Pointing out that Steadman “real- ises 1t was a very wrong thing to do”, Mr Hassett said that his client “was employed by the fire brigade and has lost his job as a result of this occur-

rence. He is the father of twins, born eight weeks ago”.

Steadman was banned from driv- ing for four years and 13 days and sentenced to two months in jail with sentences to run concurrently.

The judge fixed bail for an appeal at Steadman’s own bond of €1,000 and an independent surety of €1,000.

GREEN Party and Fianna Fail councillors clashed yesterday over a proposed motion calling for Clare County Council to oppose the “anti- rural housing” proposals of Minster for the Environment, John Gormley.

Councilor Michael Kelly (FF) put forward the motion at yesterday’s council meeting, claiming that Min- ster Gormely was against rural re- generation.

He claimed the minster was taking

authority away from local elected representatives.

‘Minister Gormley has taken away powers and decided to rule on his own where people should live and where they should not live.

‘He has adopted this one cap fits all approach. I think this is a dangerous situation that is developing, if these proposals go to legislation. I am dis- appointed he has removed powers from local people’”’.

Councillor Richard Nagle (FE) supported his party colleague saying

that greater freedom should be given to local democracy.

These comments prompted a strong response from Councillor Brian Meaney (GP) who accused Fianna Fail councillors of electioneering and paying “lip service” to rural commu- nities on planning matters.

‘When the Greens went into Gov- ernment with Fianna Fail we were told that they take every opportunity to blame us for policies’, he said.

Cllr Meaney said many of the re- strictions imposed on rural housing

had been introduced in legislation by successive Fianna Fail governments. Minster Gormley was abiding by di- rectives handed down by the EU.

Addressing Fianna Fail council- lors, he said “Ye have gone into these meetings on rural development in paces like Kilbaha and given lip service to the rural communities there, I have seen ye do it”.

Cllr Martin Lafferty (Ind) said the current body of planning legislation had been introduced by Fianna Fail howe

Cllr Christy Curtin (Ind) said plan- ning was a decision taken by the en- tire cabinet. Cllr Tony O’Brien (FF) said councillors on “this side of the chamber” would support Cllr Kelly’s rneKela(eyee

Members eventually agreed to sup- port an amended motion, co-signed by Cllr Gerry Flynn (ind), Cllr Christy Curtin (Ind) and Cllr Martin Lafferty (Ind), calling for council- lors in the mid-west to oppose the anti-rural hosing proposals of the Irish Government.

CLARE people have donated more than 10,000 tree saplings to Africa as part of the joint Bothar, Kellogg’s Corn Flakes Give the Gift of Trees initiative which was launched in October 2007 and culminates this month.

Bothar, the Irish charity that spe- cialises in livestock-based develop- ment programmes, and Kellogg’s Corn Flakes are celebrating the most successful Give a Gift of Trees Cam-

paign which has demonstrated an in- crease in donations of almost 300%. Overall, Ireland sent more than half a million trees to Africa. Clare’s portion of the total tree donations ex- ceeds its portion of the Irish popula- tion, confirming the tremendous gen- erosity of the people of the county. The Give the Gift of Trees Cam- paign will help develop sustainable farming practices in disadvantaged communities in Tanzania, Malawi, Rwanda, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Burkina Faso & Uganda. In these countries,

Bothar trains farmers how to pursue good environmental practices to en- sure that tree saplings improve the ecological balance by controlling erosion and maintaining soil fertil- ity. Irish families were encouraged to help African families by collect- ing special tokens from boxes of Kellogg’s Corn Flakes and sending them to Kellogg’s along with a €5 donation. All of the money contrib- uted went directly to Bothar and for every 10 donations Kellogg’s funded an additional ten trees.

CALLS have been made to demol- ish the Tradaree Court flats, as they were merely an eyesore in Shannon.

The matter was raised by Fine Gael Councillor Tony Mulcahy who said the flats were in a “deplorable” state and “totally unacceptable.”

‘They are not secure. A lot of long- term residents in Tradaree have to look at an eyesore. Is there anything going to happen to the flats?” he asked.

He sought an update on the regen- eration project and on the security maintenance which is being carried out in the area.

He said the flats were damp and cold and lacked insulation.

“Whoever 1s in them should be re- located out of them as soon as possi- ble,’ he said. Fianna Fail Councillor Geraldine Lambert said she would concur with Cllr Mulcahy’s com- ments.

Shannon Town Manager Ger Dol- lard said the regeneration project

was going ahead and submissions would be invited. However he said it would be mid to late 2009 before work would get underway.

He said that residents could possi- bly be relocated and also suggested that the flats could be demolished.

Cllr Mulcahy said he would agree with the manager. “Demolish them,” he urged. “They are beyond the be- yond.”

Councillor Sean Hillery CFF) said that those in pursuit of a speedy housing transfer would have opted

to move into a flat in Tradaree, two years ago, and the allocation would then be made as they were “so un- healthy.”

“I’m amazed we still have people living there. This is a swinging door syndrome. It’s going on and on for- ever,’ he said.

The mayor of Shannon, Council- lor Gerry Flynn (Independent) said that several people in Tradaree were “dying to see the back of them. The heating and ventilation is not bal- eh eere me