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A THIEF with a fondness for flowers is being hunted in Shannon, after a church altar was robbed of its flow- ers last week.

The mystery thief walked into St John and Paul’s Church in Shannon last Thursday morning and walked away with two bunches of chrysan- themums.

The absence of the flowers was not- ed as the St Aidan’s National School Mass was about to get underway at llam. The flowers were put in place by the sacristan Sharon Murray the previous night and the church did not open until 9am on Thursday.

SW ie ICe AJ ikem NICK TON ae santhemums were taken, complete with their plastic containers, but the pedestals on which they stood re- mained in place.

It was initially thought that they were moved as no-one could imagine that a thief could lay hands on some- thing so seemingly insignificant.

Given that their value amounted to no more than €30, the sacristan was amazed at what happened.

“It is baffling. I have never heard of it in my life. To go up to the altar and take them was horrible. If it hap- pened during the school year, you would say it was a dare, but the chil- dren are back at school now,” said Ms Murray.

“My parents were sacristans before me and in 28 years, no-one has eve- ry swiped flowers. Money has been taken before, but not flowers,’ she added.

The matter was not reported to gardai and given that the flowers are probably well withered at this stage, there is little hope of their recovery!

TANAISTE Mary Coughlan has launched a new tourism website as part of a €2 million Shannon De- velopment initiative aimed at es- tablishing the Shannon Region as a world-class destination for walking, cycling, water-based and other out- door activity pursuits.

The €2 million support package is to encourage product promoters develop new and upgrade existing activity trails. The new website pro- vides information including detailed directions and maps for trails, such as walking, cycling, mountain bik- ing, equestrian, canoeing, surfing, scuba diving available around Clare and the Shannon Region.

Visitors to the www.shannonre- giontrails.ie website can download detailed walking and cycling maps. It provides contact details for trail- friendly accommodation providers and activity operators, as well as outlining the benefits of trails, and events listings.

The programme involves branding

a network of trails to highest inter- national standards. Other initiatives include two new brochures on surf- ing and canoeing.

Launching the website, Munister

Coughlan said it had the potential to generate additional visitor spend in less developed rural areas. Shan- non was always at the forefront of tourism product development and

the website would be a tremendous resource.

“Many of the new trails require access to the countryside and this would not be possible without the

support and good will of landown- ers and this co-operation must be ac- knowledged”, the Tanaiste said.

Shannon Development Tourism Di- rector John King said over 511,000 overseas visitors participate in walk- ing holidays in Ireland and spend almost €340 million each year and almost 102,000 cyclists holiday here and spend almost €80 million.

“The website provides operators with an opportunity to participate in international web based market- ing campaigns. We have already implemented a branding system and launched a trail-friendly accommo- dation initiative earlier in 2008 and we will continue to work with vari- ous groups to upgrade existing trails and develop new ones,’ said Flan Quilligan, Shannon Development Tourism Project Executive.

A MAN suspected of attacking his cousin with a hatchet, slept with a machete in his pillow case, it has been alleged in court.

The revelation came in the case of Anthony McDonagh (22), of Wa- terpark View, Ennis, who has been charged with assault causing harm to his second cousin David McDon- agh (24), at Browne’s hair salon, The Market, Ennis, on September 18 last.

He appeared before Kilrush Dis- trict Court last Wednesday, having been arrested the previous day. Bail was refused after gardai voiced grave concerns to the court.

Detective Garda Jarlath Fahy told

the court he believed that the inci- dent at the hair salon was part of an ongoing feud between two families.

“At 3 o’clock last Thursday, David McDonagh was sitting in a barber’s shop when he was struck twice on the head with a hatchet and beaten with an iron bar,” said Dt Gda Fahy.

He said there had also been previ- ous incidents in July. On one occa- sion, the accused, Anthony McDon- agh was attacked by a number of men with a machete and wheel brace while he trained at a gym in Ennis. On another occasion, shots were fired through the McDonagh home at Waterpark View. A loaded sawn-off shotgun was subsequently found in a laneway near the house.

He told the court that a machete was found in a pillowcase in the accused man’s bed when he was arrested on Tuesday morning.

He said that while gardai were not suggesting this was used in last Thursday’s incident, “we are saying he had it. The likes of that may be used in further incidents”.

“If bail is granted, the feud will es- calate and somebody will get injured or worse,” he said.

However, defending solicitor Daragh Hassett said his client – who is unemployed – has no previous con- victions and has no history of failing to answer bail. “There is no fear of flight. He has just finished the Ap- plied Leaving Cert. He’s going no-

where,’ he said.

He said his client was denying that he was involved in the hatchet in- cident and would be contesting the charge.

“He said he was at home. He is de- nying being involved in it,” said Mr Hassett. He said it would be a “total injustice” if his client was kept in custody.

Det Gda Fahy then said, “The in- jured party has made a statement identifying Anthony McDonagh as the man who struck him.”

However Judge Joseph Mangan re- fused bail and remanded the accused in custody.

He will re-appear in court next month.

THE people of Shannon are being urged to get behind the Wolfe Tones junior hurling team in Saturday’s ‘A’ nue

Although the senior hurling and football teams have been knocked out of the championships, the club is now hoping that the junior hurlers can claim silverware. The junior Cs have already won their champion-

ship this year.

Should victory be achieved over O’Callaghan’s Mills on Saturday, it will be bittersweet, as the Tones have competed in three of the last four fi- nals – but without any success.

They will be looking to the likes of captain Sean Condren, Darren O’Connell at corner-back, Gary Leahy and free-taker Jamie Walker to lead them to success in the final.

“We are appealing to people to

come out and support the team. We want to do it this year,’ said club PRO, Amanda Hogan.

Although the build-up to the game has been subdued, hopes are high that hundreds of people from Shan- non will head to Sixmilebridge for the big match.

Despite the disappointment expe- rienced by the senior teams, there is plenty of optimism that they will bounce back.

“We were quite disappointed with the seniors. It was the first time in ages they didn’t get outside the group, but the footballers are young yet and their day will come further down the line,” added the PRO.

The club is also planning to open its own shop, selling merchandise, in October. It will be located at the Wolfe Tones GAA clubhouse and will open a number of nights every Neto

A CRATLOE businessman has launched a new online networking site which uses innovative technol- ogy to help businesses find new cus- tomers and suppliers.

The online service, known as TransActions.1ie, continuously matches companies that need each other, explains Managing Director, Des Crosbie.

‘In practice, this means that each company is notified by email of new potential customers who require their product or service. They are also no- tified about suppliers who can fulfil their specific business needs.”

Stating that the service is “purely for business networking’, as op- posed to social networking, he says that business networking, whether in

person or online, can take time and can sometimes yield poor results. TransActions.ie solves this problem using unique matching functional- ity. Unlike other online networks, users won’t have to spend time con- necting to people they already know, but are almost instantly connected to companies that they need and can do LUKE Nee LNOE

The site, which has only been live a little over a month, is steadily in- creasing in popularity. It has member companies throughout Ireland in sec- tors as diverse as printing, construc- tion, financial services and transpor- tation which range from sole traders to multinational corporations.

A one year subscription 1s currently free of charge, but this will only be available for a limited time on www. TransActions.1e.

EIGHT Clare start-up and develop- ing companies are exhibiting next week at the Millennium Theatre at Limerick Institute of Technology.

Clarefocus.ie, Evolve Software, Fahy Analytical, KPM Group, Pedi- ereecattle.ie, Pitchside Products, The Irish Bread Mix Company, and Tour- ist Republic are among 27 businesses that will be exhibiting at the 2nd MidWest Entrepreneur Showcase and Seminar on Thursday, October oe

The event is organised by the En- terprise Acceleration Centre (EAC), a business incubation centre serving the Mid-West region. The EAC is located on the Limerick Institute of Technology (LIT) campus.

Clarefocus.ie, Evolve Software, KPM Group, Pedigreecattle.ie and Pitchside Products, which were all set up by Clare residents, are partici- pants in the current LEAP (Limerick Enterprise Acceleration Platform) programme. LEAP is aimed at help- ing high-potential start-up compa- nies to develop an investor-ready business plan and take their compa- WUC RUD MNO Oe

These five companies cover a range of activities, some running innova- tive websites, some providing train- ing and consultation in mission-criti- cal areas, and one developing a new type of sports product.

Fahy Analytical provides special- ist chemical analytical services, The Irish Bread Mix company has devel-

oped niche home-baking products, and Tourist Republic developed and runs the Unique TouristR website.

The Seminar and Showcase are sponsored by Enterprise Ireland and AIB, and the event chairperson is Gary Carroll. Founder and director of EAC-based Episensor, Mr Car- roll also chairs the EAC Advisory Board.

The seminar topic is “Winning Sales — the Key to Start Up Success’. Attendance at the half-day event is free, but registration in advance is So TE

The organisers are encouraging business professionals from all over the mid-west to attend — that includes entrepreneurs, emerging entrepre- neurs, sales professionals, investors and business advisors. Third-level students are also welcome.

The Seminar and Showcase will run begin with registration at 8.00 Aaeee

After an official welcome at 8.55 am by Dr Maria Hinfelaar, Director of the Limerick Institute of Technology, Frank Ryan, Chief Executive Officer of Enterprise Ireland, will speak on

‘Entrepreneurship in Ireland — from Start-up to Global Success’.

One of Enterprise Ireland’s main aims is to accelerate the develop- ment of world-class Irish companies so that they can achieve strong po- sitions in global markets. At a time of intensifying global competition, increasing market challenges, and worldwide financial uncertainty, this talk should be of particular interest.

Entrepreneurs need to be able to give an elevator pitch at the drop of a hat, so Paul O’Dea of Select Strategies will give advice on how

to prepare a great pitch. He is to be followed by Padraic O’Maille, of O’Maille Group, advising on how to inspire a “super-positive” sales atti- tude in your team.

After an open forum, at 11 am there is a one-hour coffee break to allow time for visits to the stands at the ex- hibition.

At 12 noon the first of three case studies of sales successes is to be given by Jim Breen, CEO of Pulse Learning in Kerry, which he founded in 1999. The second will be given by Frank Hannigan, CEO and founder of YouGetitBack.com, a Cork-based fey enh ey ahs

John Collins, CEO of Limerick- based Original Solutions, which was acquired in May this year by Perot Systems Corporation, will present the third case study.

After a second open forum, chair- person Mr Carroll will make his closing comments. A networking re- ception is scheduled for 2 pm.

For further information and to book online log onto www.leap.ie/ showcase or contact Graham Royce at graham.royce@lit.ie, telephone O61 490152.

THE Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI) has dismissed allega- tions that it has been turning a blind eye to breaches of it’s code of practice regarding advertising on Clare FM. The commission received a number of complaints from former Clare FM employee, Tommy Kelly, earlier this year in which Mr Kelly alleged that the station was consistently exceed- ing the 10 minutes of advertising al- lowed per hour by the BCI.

A letter sent to Mr Kelly by the BCI earlier this year stated that a number of breaches had been uncovered.

“Our review of the programme logs from the dates highlighted by you has indicated that Clare FM has operated in breach of the 10-minute hourly limit on a number of occasions last August,” read the letter.

“Our subsequent discussions and exchange of correspondence with the station also show that a misinterpre- tation of the sponsorship regulations contributed to these breaches.

“The station has confirmed that a new process has been put in place to address these issues and the com- mission will monitor progress in this regard over the coming months.”

Despite this however, Mr Kelly be- lieves that Clare FM have continued to breach the 10 minute per hour rule and has also accused the BCI of turn- ing a blind eye to the situation.

“T brought this to the BCI in August of last year and after much delay they came back to me last April,” said Mr Nhe

“T have continued to check Clare FM following this incident and they have continued to breach this. I don’t know are the BCI implementing this law at all or are they willing to turn a blind eye to this law.”

A spokesperson from the BCI told

IT HAS been on the cards for several years and now the builders have ar- rived on site. The long-awaited con- struction of the €1.2 million créche in Sixmilebridge has got underway.

Builders moved in to the site on the Shannon road last week and it 1s hoped that the creche will be com- pleted by next Easter.

Its completion will dramatically increase the number of childcare places available in Sixmilebridge. At present there are just 20 spaces and this will increase to 102 (51 full-time and 51 part-time) when the new fa- cility is up-and-running.

Among the facilities to be built at the créche will include two montes-

sori rooms and baby rooms, while a sensory room may also form part of the plans, at a later stage.

The creche 1s part of an overall €10 million project which will incorpo- rate a playground, community centre and multi-purpose hall.

It had been anticipated that the playground would be the first part of the project completed, but there has been a delay with this part of the de- (odo) oy anton le

PRO of the Bridge Complex in Sixmilebridge, Marelen Cadogan, said there is great joy that the work has got underway.

“There will be a huge increase in numbers. We will be able to take children from three months to 12 years. We had originally looked at

figures in 2003. It has taken this long to get it going. It seems to be very much on par with what we need,’ she said.

“The railway station in Sixmilebri- dge is due to open in 2009 and that 1s literally over the bridge. It would be ideally located as a drop-off place,” added Ms Cadogan.

The existing montessori school has operated at the parochial hall in Sixmulebridge for a number of years, but has now moved into the court- house building. It will continue to operate out of there until the comple- tion of the créche.

After the summer break, several projects have regained pace over the past few weeks. There was good news for the teen café, which was

eranted €1,000 in funding from the National Lottery, towards the pur- chase of equipment.

Funds of €20,000 were also grant- ed for renovations to the courthouse. The works were carried out in 2005, at a total cost of €40,000 and the money was granted by the Depart- ment of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. The committee is indebted to Fianna Fail TD Timmy Dooley, who delivered the good news that the money was granted.

THE DPP has not yet decided if former Killaloe-based doctor Pas- chal Carmody is to be retried on 11 charges of deception and false pre- aeons

Mr Carmody (60), of Ballycug- garan, Killaloe, was acquitted of 14 charges, at the end of a five-week trial at Ennis Circuit Court earlier this year.

However, the jury could not decide on 11 charges and verdicts of disa- greement were returned on those. The 11 charges relate to more than €30,000.

The charges relate to three cancer patients who visited his clinic in Killaloe, between September 2001 and October 2002. They were John Sheridan from Kilkenny; John James Gallagher from Westmeath and Conor O’Sullivan, a 15-year-old boy from County Wexford.

All three died within a relatively short period of time of receiving treatment at the East Clinic.

Mr Carmody had denied obtaining money by falsely pretending that he would cure the terminally ill cancer patients through photodynamic ther- “lO ae DADE

The case was adjourned to yester- day, for directions from the Direc- tor of Public Prosecutions on the 11

outstanding charges. However, Ennis Circuit Court was told yesterday that no decision had been made.

“The DPP hasn’t made a decision yet, but it is imminent,’ Counsel for the State, Stephen Coughlan, BL, told the court.

Defending solicitor Michael Staines asked that the case be made peremp- tory against the State.

Judge Carroll Moran said he had not presided over the trial, but if there was to be a retrial, October (when the next trials will take place in En- nis) would be too near in time to the initial trial, which concluded in July. He adjourned the case until January 12, when the DPP directions will be made known to the court and marked it peremptory against the State.

Mr Staines said he may make a number of applications on the next date. He applied to the court for his client’s passport to be returned to him for three weeks in November and this was granted.

During the trial, the trial Judge Rory McCabe directed the jury to find Mr Carmody not guilty on eight charges, due to insufficient evidence. The jury found him not guilty on six other charges and failed to agree on Oe beer

A MAN who pestered his former girlfriend through offensive text messages and phone calls after their relationship ended found himself before a court on charges of harass- ment. The man sent flowers to the woman and also played requests for her on several radio stations, a court heard yesterday.

John Considine (29), of Bramble Lane, Ennis, pleaded guilty to har-

assing his former girlfriend over a period of time and also admitted as- saulting her, by throwing a drink at her in a nightclub last year.

Detective Garda Andrew Hayes told Ennis District Court that Con- sidine persistently contacted the woman, between August 2 and Oc- tober 25, 2006 and between October 31 and November 27, 2006.

The court also heard that he rang her last Tuesday and left a voice mes- sage on her phone, saying, “See you

in court”.

Defending solicitor John Devane said his client was contrite and said his affections “went a little bit too far” but the garda said that last week’s phone call to the woman showed that he hadn’t changed his ways.

Considine apologised in court and said he accepted he had sent curt, an- noying and rude text messages to her > ercannseulsselem

Asked about last week’s phone call, he said, “I was very drunk and very

bitter at the time over this. I accept now I put myself in this position.” The court heard that his former girlfriend had made a complaint to gardai in 2005, but this did not go any further as they got back together. Asked about this, Considine said in court, “She liked the attention.” Judge Joseph Mangan asked him, “What attention?” Considine re- plied, “In fairness, with all due re- spect, calling the guards and then getting back with someone… It was

my own fault. I should never have got back with her.”

Considine said he would undertake to stay away from the woman and her current boyfriend.

Judge Mangan put it to Considine, “You have leveled criticism at the in- jured party here today. I don’t think you are in any position to criticise anybody.”

The judge said he would adjourn the case for six months when the matter will be reviewed.