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A FIREWORKS display is poised to light up the skies in Shannon this Halloween. If plans to host the event get the go-ahead, it may well form the first prong in a plan for an annual Halloween festival in the town.

That was the overwhelming view of Shannon town councillors, who discussed the issue at its monthly meeting last week.

Labour Councillor Greg Duff brought up the issue and said he had received quotations for fireworks displays. He said that a display last- ing between five and eight minutes would cost €8,000.

He suggested that a fireworks dis- play would be held alongside a disco for children, which would be pro- vided by the Shannon Youth Service. He said that events could take place

in different parts of the town, to cel- ebrate Halloween.

He said that while there was some anti-social behaviour in Shannon during Halloween last year, it was relatively small. Three people were arrested, while there were five cases oem oreaca bho

“A small minority of anti-social yobs terrorise their neighbours,” he HCG

However, Labour’s Tony McMahon said he had concerns about fireworks. ‘‘T have grave reservations about fire- works in any capacity. They are quite a dangerous object to be operating with. Their effect on animals is very frightening,” he said.

Independent Councillor Mike Mc- Kee said the cost of clearing up bon- fires in previous years was €10,000. “In the last six weeks, fireworks have been let off all around the place.

Orolht (cM (ceexol merc eeeebeepionetsrl mm BKeye| residents associations to prevent fires and use the money for fireworks?” he asked.

Councillor Patricia McCarthy (In- dependent) said the fireworks were a good idea and it would be fantastic to run a display alongside a disco. She said the display should be in a cen- tral area in the town and not split into various events.

“We have to be mindful of the fact the town is spread out. I don’t see having one event in one place and another in another would be good for community spirit,” she said.

Referring to a display of between five and eight minutes, she said she feared it wouldn’t be big enough.

“TI don’t think we are going to stop the bonfires. It’s a tradition that has built up,’ she said. However, she said bonfires should be supervised.

Councillor Duff then said that gardai would educate schoolchildren on the dangers of crossing the road when events were taking place.

He said he would encourage fam1- lies to get involved on the night and said it would be important that secure places would be found for people to watch the fireworks.

“We could start building towards a Halloween festival,’ he said.

Shannon Town Manager Ger Dol- lard said that considerable costs were incurred in cleaning up after Halloween every year, right across the county. “We are in the lead- up to Halloween. There is evidence of stockpiling already,” he said.

The mayor of the town, Council- lor Gerry Flynn (Independent) said, ‘This is probably a first step to some- thing that is going to be good in the future.”

A HOUSE with uninterrupted sea views iS a winner every time, as proven by the €530,000 sale price achieved by Sherry FitzGerald Hus- sey Madden on Friday, October 10, when this modest, but perfectly sited house in Clahane went under the hammer.

Credit crunch, gloomy outlook, stock market blues all disappeared to make way for a bright and lively auc-

tion. The price achieved exceeded the guide price by €80,000, so much for that credit squeeze.

According to auctioneer Evelyn Madden, “The auction opened at €350,000, there were 37 bids and the hammer finally came down at €530,000. This auction result has topped what has been a very busy week for us and it makes us feel con- fident that the property market may well turn the corner in the near fu- ture”.

CLARE County Council is being held to ransom by it’s own elected members who are refusing to ap- prove a review of the Development Contribution Scheme until a number of questions regarding planning are addressed by County Manager, Alec Jaa (senbbaree

With the local authority currently facing a hefty budget deficit, the council had hoped to review the Development Contribution Scheme to raise extra revenue. However, a

number a councillors, led by Cllr PJ Kelly (FF), have blocked this process until 17 specific queries are answered by the county manager.

“If there is a delay, don’t blame us, blame the manager. The shortfall has been brought about by the failure of this authority to grant planning permission. If a small shop was go- ing out of business do you think they would save themselves by doubling the price of bread? No, they would put themselves out of business alto- gether,’ said Cllr Kelly.

‘There is list of 17 problems on the

manager’s desk which should have been sorted out long before this. If the manager can get these sorted out we can deal with the review in the adjourned meeting.”

Green Party Cllr Brian Meaney, said the Development Contributions Scheme is how this council funds a great deal of it’s day-to-day activi- Woe

“We have a €10 million shortfall this year between what we are bring- ing in and what is going out. This is a necessary part of the funding for this local authority and this review needs

to take place. It is simply not meet- ing the need of this council funding at present,’ he said.

County Manager Alex Fleming, said he hoped to have all 17 queries dealt with by the next council meet- ing later this month.

“They have to do with interpreta- tion of the Development Plan and we have solved most of the issues,” he said.

“T have no problem with this stay- ing over until after the budget so we can see what is the situation at that point.”

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.