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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

A ROMANIAN woman who stole two dozen bottles of alcohol from a Shannon supermarket – by hiding them under her coat – has been hand- ed a week-long jail term.

Aurelia Sindie took 24 bottles of alcohol on two dates within a week from Dunnes Stores in the SkyCourt shopping centre, Shannon.

Sindie (29), of Emerson Avenue, Salthill, Galway, pleaded guilty to stealing eight bottles of Hennessy brandy on April 24 last. She also admitted stealing 10 bottles of Jame-

son whiskey, two bottles of Hen- nessy brandy and four bottles of Jack Daniels whiskey, one week later, on May 1. The total cost of the bottles amounted to €946.36.

Inspector Tom Kennedy told Shan- non District Court last Thursday that on May | last, the accused went shopping in Dunnes.

She paid for household items, but concealed the alcohol – worth €590.44 – and did not pay for it. Se- curity staff detected her.

It later transpired that she had been in the store exactly a week earlier – at 3pm in the afternoon – when she had

concealed eight bottles of brandy.

“That investigation was only con- ducted because she was detected on May 1,” said Inspector Kennedy.

The court was told that while the accused had no previous convictions in her native Romania, she had been convicted of shoplifting in Roscom- jeaCOyempaMLetelon

Her solicitor Daragh Hassett said she “stole with the hope of selling the bottles on to her friends.”

“She was in doing some shopping and yes, she succumbed to tempta- tion due to financial hardship. . . She now has three strikes on her record.

She has only been here a year,” he Cree

“She was walking into shops, putting bottles under her coat. It beg- gars belief that she would think she would get away with this,’ he said. He added that the accused has now learnt her lesson.

Judge Joseph Mangan imposed a seven-day jail term and ordered that the Health Service Executive be noti- 1nsreb

He fined her ©200 and ordered that the remaining compensation – €355.92 – be paid. He fixed a bond in the event of an appeal.

FUNDS from development contribu- tions are down by almost 90 per cent since 2006 and the drop will mean serious deficits for the local author- ity next year, a county councillor has warned.

Cur Martin Conway (FG) had asked for details about how much the council had collected in development funding this year to date.

He was told that in 2006, develop- ers paid out €12,012,654.90, while 2007 saw €11,300,295.95 come into council coffers in the fund.

But to date this year, moneys which are used to fund roads and services amount to just €1,164,509.92 and €1.5 million is the figure expected as the final one for 2008.

“This 1s a every serious situation and the council is likely to go into overdraft because of it,’ Cllr Con- way said.

‘This will mean cut-backs which I would totally oppose. Instead we are gong to have to look at efficiencies and maybe bonuses for senior man- agement and directors of services’, said Cllr Conway, who is a member of the Council’s Audit committee.

THE FIRST ever Clare Enterprise Week which runs until this Tuesday has helped highlight the wide range of supports available to local enter- eho

Speaking at the launch of the week’s activities, Mayor Madeleine Taylor-Quinn expressed hope that the Enterprise Week would become an annual event.

“In the current economic climate, it is important to promote the advice and support available to assist in set- ting up and developing a business, e1- ther new or established. Every effort must be made to promote entrepre- neurship and protect the future com- petitiveness of the local economy”, she said.

“Clare Enterprise Week has been developed as a mechanism to pro- mote entrepreneurship as an oppor- tunity to all sectors, levels and people in Clare — from schoolchildren to the

retired with a desire to do more; to showcase the supports available; to get entrepreneurs to speak honestly and openly about their experiences; to inspire and encourage potential entrepreneurs and to encourage in-

vestment in the county”.

The majority of the sessions fea- tured during the week included case studies and inputs from people in business.

The event featured training and in- formation sessions as well as work- shops on innovation and leadership, creative industries, internet market- ing, planning and environmental matters. There were also sessions on energy management, opportunities for women, HR and Employment Law, succession planning, technol- ogy transfer and schools’ enterprise programmes.

Participating bodies included the Community and Enterprise Direc- torate of Clare County Council, the County Development Board, En- terprise Ireland, Shannon Develop- ment, the County Enterprise Board, local chambers, Clare VEC as well as the enterprise support agencies.

THEY are putting on their dancing shoes and literly battering the floors in the long village in preparation for this October Bank Holiday weekend.

The sounds of traditional music, song and dance can also be heard in Doonbeg as the village prepares to host the annual Willie Keane Memo- rial Weekend.

In its ninth year, the festival begins on Friday, October 24, with a tradi- tional music and singing session in Comerford’s Pub at 10pm.

The Brian Boru Céili Band will take to the stage in Igoe’s on the same night. Sessions continue throughout the weekend and the Bank Holiday

Monday.

A legendary dancer, Willie Keane had a style of battering that won him acclaim throughout Ireland and abroad. A member of the famed Mullagh Set, which won All-Ireland championships, Willie was featured on many RTE television programmes and toured America with Comhaltas Ceoltoiri. He shared his passion for set dancing by participating in set dances classes and taught battering at the Willie Clancy Summer School.

Willie was killed in a road accident in 1998. To commemorate him and pay tribute to the great gifts he pos- sessed and shared so generously, a committee was formed in Doonbeg and the first Willie Keane Memorial

Weekend was held in 2000.

In addition to the many pub ses- sions, two ceilthe will be held this year. The Abbey Céili Band will play for set dancers on Saturday, 25, at 10pm in Halla an Phobail and the Brian Boru Céili Band will play from 2.30 to 5pm on Sunday, 26 at the same venue. For the first time, a children’s céili will be held on Satur- day evening from 5 to 7pm.

Set dancing classes will also be held all day Saturday by Mary Clancy for adults (1lam to 4pm) and by Geral- dine Greene for children (1lam to Ipm). Suzanne Leahy will also lead a sean-nos dancing workshop on Sat- urday afternoon (2 to 4pm).

For those interested in singing, a

singing workshop will be conducted on Saturday from 4pm to 6pm in Comerford’s pub. The same venue hosts the ever-popular Sunday after- noon singing session.

The Memorial Mass at 10am on Sunday will commemorate Wil- lie through music and dancing. The Mass is followed by a Trad Break- fast, which is served at Tubridy’s with proceeds to benefit the Cherven orphans, Belarus.

The highlight of the weekend is the Traditional Concert on Sunday evening, which this year will feature The Fureys and Davey Arthur. Edel Fox, Cyril O’Donoghue and Jack Tal- ty will open the concert, which will Start at 8pm in Halla an Phobail.

COUNTY finals are unpredictable beasts of things.

They often go to script with the favourites winning out. Then again scripts are frequently shredded and then thrown over the rusting hulk of Cusack Park’s shed terrace and left to float down river and out of town.

You only have to go back 12 months. The Townies were talking domina- tion before their head-on collision with a Lissycasey team that simply weren’t going to be beaten in county finals two years in a row.

The Townies had beaten bluebloods

Doonbeg and St Senan’s Kilkee to get there – two teams with 11 county titles between them over the previous 20 years. Lissycasey had nothing – the victory could be marked down.

History now tells us that something very different panned out….

And, a different story will unfold between Kilmurry Ibrickane and Liscannor. 2007 is a good starting point though.

All because, Kilmurry mightn’t be talking domination publicly, but their form has been such this year that domination fits them like old cus- tom-made and handcrafted Black- thorn football boots.

Liscannor may have beaten the bluebloods of Lissycasey, Eire Og and Doonbeg, but it’s Kilmurry Ibrickane’s county final. That’s what 90 per cent of the football population will tell you this week.

After all, Liscannor were 8-1 to win the championship before they kicked a ball against Doonbeg in the semi-final.

Word is that Liscannor folk, who are no strangers to big punts thanks to generations of coursing dogs in John Scales’ Field, mowed in with their money before the Doonbeg game. And, they won’t be laying off the bet before Sunday’s final.

No, Liscannor’s script has a fairy- tale ending! It’s why Liscannor and surrounds will be emptied of its pop- ulation on Sunday.

The barony of Ibrickane will be de- populated too.

Both are expecting – Liscannor are ready to welcome Jack back to McHugh’s; Kilmurry are primed to roll the green and red carpet out in the Quilty Tavern.

The county final script on its own will tell us if Jack Daly takes a left turn at Inagh for Quilty or goes straight ahead for Liscannor.

Maybe Liscannor will hit the form they showed in the last six minutes of

the Cusack Cup final in 2006 when they scored five points on the bounce to beat Lissycasey by two.

Maybe they won’t.

Maybe Kilmurry will repeat their county semi-final form against Kil- oro

Maybe they won’t.

The ‘What Ifs’ are the great- est things about county final week countdown.

The countdown begins here.

KILRUSH Town councillors were thinking votes and revenue as they considered the possibility of extend- ing the town boundary.

At Thursday’s monthly meet- ing of the local authority Cllr Tom Prendeville (FF) proposed that the council call on the Minister for En- vironment, Heritage and Local Gov- ernment to establish an independent commission in the adequacy of ex- isting legislation to simplify the pro- cedures for extending town bounda- ries.

“All towns are expanding and in Kilrush we too have experienced a building a boom. New housing es- tates have grown up around the pe-

riphery of the town and we have new communities living there who do not come under the town council remit. If we are to build a sense of belong- ing for people who live in these es- tates, it behoves us to make them feel part of our community,” he said.

“The existing legislation exiles these people within the wider county council framework. We need amend- ed legislation to bring these periph- eral suburban areas under the urban remit. I call on the minister to pro- vide for this eventuality when he is drawing up his proposal on the Re- form of Local Government.”

Cllr Stephen O’Gorman (FF) told the meeting that his daughter who lives in Kilrush is just outside the town boundary.

Come June the young woman will not be able to vote for her father in the local election.

““T remember there was a candidate outside the area who ran in the elec- tion and couldn’t vote for himself,’ said Cllr Collie Sweeney (Ind).

The mayor of Kilrush Liam O’Looney believed that a boundary change would also have a positive af- fect on the revenue of the town.

“Tesco and a lot of these businesses are outside the town boundary and there are a lot of levies from these outside the town,’ he said.

THE application by Clare GAA to rezone Cusack Park to facilitate a €350 million Town Centre Devel- opment is in the best interests of the economic and social development of Ennis, according to Ennis Chamber.

In supporting the project, Chamber President Niall Garvey said the de- cision is a bold but necessary one if Ennis is to create jobs, enhance the retail on offer and compete success- fully with neighbouring towns.

“It is simply unacceptable that an estimated €58 million is draining out of Ennis every year in out of

town shopping.

“The by-pass is a wonderful piece of infrastructure but it has the capac- ity to take people out of Ennis just as easily as to bring them in. We all welcome the opening of the western rail link next year but we must also realise that right now it may be more beneficial to Galway city retailers,” Mr. Garvey added.

With the draft Ennis and Environs Development Plan set to be consid- ered by members of Ennis Town Council, Mr Garvey said Ennis had reached a stage critical to the future development of the town.

“Ultimately, the decision to adopt

the plan, which will be valid for the next six years, will be made by the elected councilors,” Mr. Garvey said. The chamber believes the arguments for a new town centre development are “compelling”, pointing to in- creased competition from Limerick and Galway.

“The chamber must protect the interests of the existing town centre businesses. In particular we don’t want traders on the O’Connell St/ Market side of town to be disadvan- taged. Any new development on the Cusack Park site cannot function in isolation but must be connected and integrated seamlessly with exist-

ing streets and businesses,’ said Mr Garvey.

The Aisling Chiosoig Partnership who are behind the proposed River- Side Quarter for Cusack Park have said that up to 1,000 jobs will be cre- ated when the project is completed and about 500 jobs in construction.

“A pessimist would agree that even if they only achieved 75% of their employment objective, it would be a major achievement in terms of jobs and revenue generation. Should the IDA or any other agency make this kind of commitment to Ennis, we would be dancing with joy,’ said Mr. Garvey.