Category: Uncategorized

THE holy grail of Irish surfing has been re-forged and this weekend scores of surfers will compete to be the first to lift the Irish Trophy Cup in almost four decades.

The cup was one of I[reland’s first surfing competition and attracted dozens of surfers to the fledgling sport when held in Lahinch in 1969, ‘70 and °71.

This weekend, hoards of surfers are expected to descend on Lahinch as the West Coast Surf Club and Kenny Bar re-stage the competition for the first time in 37 years.

The inspiration behind relaunching

the competition came when one of Ireland first and most famous surfers visited Lahinch a number of years ago.

“The idea of this came about four or five years ago. One summer, Brian Britton came into the pub. To look at him you wouldn’t think he was a surfer but he walked over to the counter and said that 33 years ear- lier to the day he had pulled into the same parking space and walked into the pub,” said Kenneth Kenny.

‘He was telling us all about the old days of surfing and he mentioned the surfing competition. So eventually we decided to get it going again.”

The original winners of the compe-

tition were awarded a carved stone trophy, which quickly became the most recognisable prize in Irish surf- ing. Having since been lost, com- petition organisers contracted local sculpture Shane Gilmore to remake the holy grail of Irish surfing.

“The trophy is wonderful, like the original it’s made out of stone and has four sides that show off the dif- ferent elements of surfing in Lahinch. We also have a carved bog-oak surf- board that the winner will be able to keep forever. We will also have a larger bog-oak surfboard in the pub which will carry the winners name each year,’ continued Kenneth.

“It’s really going to be more like a

celebration of surfing than a compe- tition. The whole idea is to bring the past and the present together and to celebrate the West Coast Surf Club and the wonderful surfing that we have had over the years in Clare.

“We are hoping that this will turn into an annual event and host it in Lahinch every year.

The competition will take place on October 4, 5 and 6, in Lahinch. For more information or to enter check out www.westcoastsurfclub.com.

THE CLARE fire and rescue serv- ice has reported a decrease in the number of road traffic incidents around the county for the first eight months of the year.

Between January and August, the service was called to 148 road traf- fic incidents in Clare — a decrease of over 12 per cent on figures for the same period last year.

While it may have dampened the holiday spirit, the record-breaking rainfall of recent months led to a 55 per cent drop in the number of forest, grass and bog fire incidents. While house fires were up 8.5 per cent to 64, chimney fire call-outs dropped by 12 per cent. The overall number of incidents attended by the Service dropped from 879 to 823.

Chief Fire Officer Adrian Kelly said the number of fires in Clare was un-

acceptably high and there were five fire-related fatalities in the county between January and August. He en- couraged householders to learn more about fire prevention in the home.

He said that the decrease in the number of call outs to road traffic incidents showed that road safety awareness initiatives were having a positive impact in Clare’.

Expressing disappointment at the number of false alarms, Mr Kelly said there were 93 false alarms, 38 of which were malicious, between Jan- uary and August and these resulted in fire and rescue service resources being deployed unnecessarily.

The release of the statistics coin- cides with the Clare launch of Na- tional Fire Safety Week, which runs from October 6 to 13. The Clare Fire and Rescue Service will host a series of local prevention activities to heighten fire safety awareness.

Open station nights will be held at Ennistymon, Shannon, Ennis, Killa- loe, Scariff, Kilkee and Kilrush fire stations where local fire fighters will offer advice and give out leaflets and posters on fire prevention.

The open nights will be held in En- nistymon and Shannon on October 6; Ennis on October 7; Kilrush and Kilkee on October 8; Scariff and Killaloe on October 9.

Mr Kelly said fire safety week would highlight the importance of testing smoke alarms weekly, having an escape route planned and know- ing your obligations regarding fire safety in the home.

The fire service will also be asking schools and businesses to undertake fire drills during the week.

A MAN whose eyesight was “hazed by cannabis fumes” stabbed his friend with a kitchen knife in a row over a girl during a drink and drugs leyU NT SXen

Martin Donegan (28), a native of Dublin and with an address at Kurva- hon, Main Street, Kildysart, pleaded guilty to assaulting Donal Downes (38), causing him harm, at St Clare’s Terrace, Ennis, on August 5, 2007.

The attack occurred during what was described in court as a rave. When asked by gardai was he trying to kill the injured party, the accused replied, “God no. He’s my friend.”

Garda Francis Brennan told Ennis Circuit Court yesterday that Donal Downes was one of three men liv- ing in the house where a party was held. He said it was a Health Board house.

He was stabbed by the accused with a kitchen knife which was 12 inches in length and had a nine inch blade. He said the accused and injured par- ty had been drinking together over the previous few days and drink and drugs were involved.

“They had drank a couple of bot- tles of vodka. They had hash and ‘e’ tablets. They had a falling out over a girl,” said the garda.

Mr Downes was stabbed a number of times to the chest and received a significant laceration to the sternum. The court was told that Donegan co-

operated but had suffered memory loss from the night of the row.

Defence barrister Brian McInerney said that Donegan has addictions to drugs and alcohol, for which he has received treatment.

‘The party at the house went on for a number of days. It might common- ly be described as a bit of a rave,’ he Cr HeR

“There is no element of pre-plan- ning in this case, or pre-mediation. It arose from consumption of intox1- cants,’ said the barrister.

‘IT would ask you to consider wheth- er there is a benefit to society at large in immediately incarcerating the accused, who seems to have made considerable strides to overcome the difficulties in his life,’ he added.

He asked for the sentencing to be adjourned to ascertain how much progress the accused could make.

Judge Carroll Moran said _ the number of stab wounds suffered by the injured party was a matter of concern. He said he accepted the ac- cused had taken steps to deal with his problems, but said the issue of com- pensation had not been addressed.

Mr McInerney said his client hoped to secure employment, “now that his eyesight is not hazed by cannabis fumes and the waft of alcohol”.

The judge adjourned the case until January 2009 and said if compensa- tion is offered and if the accused’s addictions are addressed, he would not send him to jail.

ONE of the hidden gems of Clare’s vibrant artistic scene will be brought to the fore this Thursday at the Court- house Gallery in Ennistymon.

North Clare’s Salmon Poetry will celebrate National Poetry Day by hosting a free poetry reading at the gallery from 7.30pm.

The evening will include a mixture of poets and styles with a line up fea- turing the best of local as well as na- tional poets. It feature locally based poets Frank Golden and Knute Skin- ner, Galway poets Caroline Lynch

and Peter Mullineaux as-well-as Paul Allen and Michael Heffernan.

“We have a number of visiting po- ets and some local poets involved so it promises to be a very exciting evening,’ said Jean Cusack of Salm- on Poetry.

“We are going to have a great mix- ture of poets. Knute is a very well established poet, Frank would be midway, while Caroline just pub- lished her first collection earlier this year. It’s great to get the newer poets in with the most established poets, it makes for a very interesting reading and give the poets and the audience a

good mix.”

Founded by Jessie Lendennie in Galway in 1981, Salmon Poetry has moved operation to the Burren in recent times. Over the years it has cultivated an image as an alterna- tive voice in Irish literature, focuss- ing greatly on promoting new and female artists.

Over the last quarter of a century the company have published some 200 volumes of poetry and have marked themselves out as great inno- vators in the Irish poetry scene.

“Events like this are great ways of getting poetry out there to the people

but also a good way to show off just how many poets we have based here in rural Ireland. A lot of Salmon’s poets are based in the west of Ire- land,’ continued Jean.

“We have more than 20 books of poems published this year at Salmon so people’s interest in poems does seem to be on the way up. But as well as publishing, it’s great for poets to be able to get their work out there and to perform in from of a live audi- ence.”

Salmon Poetry is based in Lis- cannor and can be contacted at info@salmonpoetry.com

The production itself is already an historic one, as it will be the first Opera commissioned by the DIT

Conservatory of Music and Drama’s in more than a quarter of a century. Indeed, the conservatory has already invested more than €500,000 in the redevelopment the Gleeson Theatre in Dublin, where the opera will be staged.

‘This is an incredibly difficult chal- lenge. The opera last for about two hours and | think I’m physically on

stage for about an hour and a half of that. It’s a huge huge challenge so it will either make me or break me as a performer. We have a VIP night on the first night of the show which will have all the industry insiders as well as people like Mary McAleese,” said Peter.

“It’s a huge physical challenge as well. I have been going to the gym

three times a week, haven’t being go- ing out and have been going to bed early every night.

‘The is the fist time in a long, long time that the conservatory has put on an opera so it a very big deal up ite) Kemet

Peter is currently in the final year of his honours degree at the DIT Con- servatory of Music. After he com- pletes his formal studies in Ireland, Peter will have to go abroad, proba- bly to Italy, to continue his training.

‘Next year I’m going to take a year out, go back to Clare and work on the farm with my dad. I’m also go- ing to do a bit of teaching with Ar- chie Simpson from the Lismorahaun Singers and try to save some money, ” he continued.

“I’d like to do a two year Masters in Performance after that and Ill have to go abroad to do that, as it is not available in Ireland. It is very diffi- cult to find a teacher to take you on for this but I’d love to go to Italy and learn from the masters over there.”

Peter began singing as a young teenager with the Lismorahaun Singers alongside fellow Clare sen- sation Naomi O’Connell from Bal- lyvaughan and Dean Power from Clarecastle.

AN Ennistymon banker has packed in his ledgers and calculator in fa- vour of the artist’s easel and is now starting to make waves in the world ODay ore nenlwetee

After giving up a senior role with the AIB just over a year ago, Michael Hanrahan has quickly forged a repu- tation for himself as a budding artis- Wem E-NCoonl

Michael, who is about to take up a studio at the Courthouse Gallery Stu- dios in Ennistymon, will this month form a central part of the latest Do- lan Art Auction which takes place in the Marriott Hotel in Galway on

September 30.

‘I was always interested in painting and drawing, even from when I was a young man at the Ennistymon CBS, art was my favourite subject,’ said Mr Hanrahan.

“So after 37 years with the bank, I took early retirement back in 2006. Banking is a very high pressure busi- ness and I really wanted to give the painting a try. I felt I had some talent at it and I thought it was a wonderful opportunity to get out there and put in plenty time at it.”

Michael has just completed a sum- mer residence at the Burren Col- lege of Art in Ballyvaughan and has painted extensively around the Clare

countryside.

“Tm a landscape painter really and I’m a realist – I paint what I see. I love the colours, I love the changing moods of Ireland – the sunlight and the shade,’ he said.

“I love painting around Clare. I’ve painted in Ballyvaughan, Lahinch, Liscannor and in Ennistymon. I’ve done a number of painting in En- nistymon actually, I love the shop fronts up there.

“The art auctions are great. The general public is allowed to view all the works for a number of days be- fore the auction, they can just walk into the hotel and see what they like. But then the auction starts and they

just hold up your work and people bid. There is no name given with the paintings so the works really have to stand on their own two feet.

‘The people at Dolans do a fantas- tic job and they give great encour- agement to emerging artists like myself.”

For more information about his work contact Michael on 086 8251550 of e-mail mphanrahan55 @hotmail. com or preview some of the paint- ings on www.dolansart.com.

EXCITEMENT is reaching fever point as thousands of Clare farm- ers make their way to the National Ploughing Championships which open in Kilkenny today. Millions of euro 1s expected to be spent in Kil- kenny over the next few days as the largest farming event in Ireland this years takes place.

An estimated 200,000 people are expected to converge the champion- ships which will this year play host to 19 All Ireland ploughing finals over the course of the three days.

Besides the competitions on the field, the championships will also

feature hundreds of stalls drawn from every corner of country life.

Indeed, Specsavers in Ennis will join forces with the Road Safety Au- thority for the Specsavers Focus on Driving Campaign which will take place at the championships.

Last year, Specsavers screened more than 1000 people’s vision at the National Ploughing Champion- ships, in one of Ireland’s largest-ever eyecare studies and they hope to do even better this year.

‘‘As autumn looms and the evenings become darker, it is more important than ever to ensure that your eye- sight isn’t putting you or other road users 1n jeopardy,’ said the director

of Specsavers in Ennis, Mayleen van der Merwe.

“By joining forces with the RSA, we aim to educate drivers on the im- portance of eyesight.”

Meanwhile, Macra na Feirme has announced a packed programme of activity for this year event. Apart from showcasing all the best the or- ganisation has to offer, with details of upcoming Macra projects, events and travel opportunities for mem- bers, Macra will host a number of key activities which will undoubt- edly prove popular with the crowds attending this year.

These include competitions with the Gleneagle Hotel, programmes

to promote farm safety and an inter- county and company bucking bronco eee

The FBD young farmer of the year will also be on site along with Kil- kenny Macra members who will be present on the stand to recruit new members to local Macra clubs in the area.

Galway Macra will be on hand to provide details of the upcoming Na- tional Conference (Rally) in Salthill in October.

Macra na Feirme’s national presi- dent, Catherine Buckley, will also be on site over the three days to meet and speak with visitors to the Macra display area.

FOR Kilmihil student Eimear Con- sidine, this year seems to be bring- ing just about everything together in sporting as well as academic achieve- ment.

On the brink of All-Ireland success in intermediate football with Clare, she already has had a once-in-a-life- time opportunity in the US Scholar/ Athlete Games run annually by the Institute for International Sport.

It all began with a chance encoun- ter at the University of Limerick sports arena for the girl from Leitrim outside Kilmihil while she was on a second-level break.

Emer was taking part in a badmin- ton work-out when a scout for the US games spotted Eimear’s ability in that sport and immediately “booked

to uae

The end result was a 10-day stay at Rhode Island university at the end of June where she fielded with the Athens team. Only two other Irish students were selected to participate – a student from Donegal and another from Limerick.

Eimear, now back in University of Limerick in an entirely different role – 515 points from the Leaving Cert. ensured a place in her choice of the physical education course – has won- derful memories of the American experience, for which she has ex- pressed thanks to the several Clare businesses who sponsored her trip.

To concentrate on her more recent sport involvements, she was voted player of the match in the Intermedi- ate Football semi-final against Long- ford that has brought Clare into the

All-Ireland decider against Tipper- ary on Sunday week.

She wil be following on _ the achievement of younger sister Aul- ish, a student at St. Michael’s, who already has an All-Ireland medal by virtue of Clare’s recent under-16B football win over Tipperary in which she scored a goal and a point.

As well as her recent sporting achievements, Eimear has played club football in all grades with Kilm- ihil as well all grades for Clare from cailiini 6ga to this year’s intermedi- ate grade; she was also captain of the Clare minor A team that won the Munster championship.

She also plays camogie with Kilma- ley and this has brought her county u- 14, 1-16 and u-18 medals in the sen- ior league, Munster u-16A and u-18 A and appearance in the All-Ireland

final against Kilkenny in the recent u-18A decider.

She is a Community Games AII- Star with the college’s basketball team and was chosen sports star of the year 2008 at St. Michael’s Col- fexer

She is also active in volleyball and athletics and achieved grade 8 in pi- ano as well as completing coaching and refereeing courses.

For Eimear Considine, it seems that there are not enough days on the week to accommodate all her inter- SSE

THE sand-dunes in Fanore will be the setting for a community nature day out this Saturday, September 27.

The free guided walk will be given wildlife expert John Murphy from the Clare branch of Birdwatch Ire- land and has been organised by the Burren Connect Project.

The project, which began last year, aims to deliver a co-ordinated ap- proach to environmental protection and visitor management in the Bur- ren area.

“We will be hosting a walk around the dunes on Fanore beach. John

Murphy will lead the walk and he will explore the unique environ- ment that is up there and hopefully we will see some of the wildlife that JTAtCorses DOME DOCG Ur: e000 s(C GN NOL omOLUDSlercmMMmy-nTG| Edel Hayes of the Burren Connect Project.

“The walk is really open to anyone from the local community who is interested in nature and wildlife and would like to find out more about the habitat up there in Fanore.

“One of our aims is to protect the dunes in Fanore and make sure that they survive as a protected area. A lot of people don’t realise that they are a protected area and home to

some rare wildlife.

“We first want to protect the special grasses in the dunes and that will en- Sure a Safe environment for the birds and other animals that live there,’ added Ms Hayes.

The Burren Connect Project will also host a series of night classes be- ginning in October.

The free classes are open to anyone from the north Clare area and will focus on the wide range of biodiver- sity found in the area of Fanore.

“Our aim is really to give people a little bit more information about the wildlife that is right there on their doorsteps.

‘We want to work alongside the lo- cal people, to let them know what we are about and to help to provide them with as much information about their local environment as we can,’ con- tinued Ms Hynes.

The guided walk begins this Sat- urday at lam from the car park at Fanore beach. The night classes will commence on Thursday, October 9 and run until October 23.

Classes will take place in the na- tional school at Fanore and com- mence each evening at 8pm.

For more information see the par- ish newsletter or visit www.burren- Toys batse Ie

AN ENNIS worker who, it was claimed, tried to under cut the com- pany which employed him has been awarded a total of €4,600 for unfair dismissal by the Employment Ap- peals Tribunal.

Thomas Moroney, of 75 Inis Ealga, Shannon took a case against I-Homes Limited, Quin Road, Business Park, Ennis after they fired him, claiming he was dong nixers for their custom- ers, undercutting them to get the business in the process

Moroney denied the claims and

said that he had never been given a chance to properly defend himself against the allegations before being dismissed on October 9 2007.

The tribunal heard evidence from the company, which carries out in- Stallation of home automation, that they had trained Moroney.

The company became aware that Moroney was carrying out private work in what they said was direct competition.

He was given two verbal warnings and in October 2007 as a result of a tracking system which was installed on all company vehicles, Moroney’s

jeep was tracked to a number of lo- cations which placed him in areas where he should not have been dur- ing the course of his work. He was dismissed for gross misconduct on October 9, 2007.

Moroney said in evidence that he had never been made aware of the seriousness of the accusations and had variously been told he should not have the company vehicle in sight if he was doing work outside his com- pany business and that is was not ac- ceptable to use the jeep while work- ing on Sundays.

He denied ever working in competi-

tion with his employers and said that he was not informed of his right to have representation at the final meet- ing at which he was dismissed.

The tribunal found that Moroney had not been made aware of the grav- ity of the accusations and given a fair chance to explain himself and that a witness who claimed he had heard him underprice jobs had never raised this with the company until two days before the hearing.

The tribunal made an award of €3,000 for unfair dismissal and €1,600, two weeks wages under minimum notice regulations.