Category: Uncategorized

ENNIS came within a whisker of recapturing the glory of 2005 last night with a stunning performance at the 2008 Tidy Towns Awards. With 300 points from a possible 400, the county capital came within just three points of overall win- ners Westport, with the Mayo town claiming the title for the third time in less than a decade.

There was a number of huge con- solations for the Ennis Tidy Towns committee however, with the town

winning the the awards for Ireland’s Tidiest Large Urban Centre as well as claiming the National Le Gaeilge Award. Ennis last won the award for Tidiest Large Urban Centre in 2005, when they also won the overall na- tional award.

Indeed, there was good news all around the county last night with Lissycasey topping the poll for the Best New Entry and both Ennis and Kilrush winning gold medals.

In addition to this Ballynacally won a Silver medal while Kilkee and Mountshannon both took home

bronze medals.

Regional accolades were awarded to Ennis for Best Presented Bring Bank, Labasheeda Community Pride for the Notice Nature project, the Ennis Tidy Towns Committee for their Map of Recycling Loca- tions and the Holy Family Senior National School in Ennis for the Mid-West School Award.

In the county awards, Ennis took first place overall, followed by Kil- rush and Ballynacally, while Kul- laloe won the Endeavour Award for Orcs

THERE are changing times ahead for parish life in rural areas – not least in west Clare.

Where once there was more than two priests assigned to one parish, now a parish is considered fortunate to have a parish priest, and in some cases share a priest. For many par- ishes a retired priest is relied upon to administer the sacraments as a priest in residence.

In west Clare, however, the parish of Killaloe is beginning a process of change within the workings of the church and are appointing a layper-

son to unify a number of parishes into clusters and yet ensure their identities are respected.

The new post of pastoral worker is being created to facilitate pastoral developments among a number of west Clare parishes.

The post will initially be based in Kilkee and Kilrush, and will also cater for the parishes of Carrigaholt, Cross, Killimer, Kilmhil, Coora- clare, Doonbeg and Kilmurry Mc- Mahon.

Parish Priest of Kilkee Fr Donagh O’Meara said that the ideal candi- date for the job would have good community development skills with

a background in theology.

There have been a number of ap- plications for this new post in the Catholic Church in west Clare, but those interested can still apply up to the end of this week.

“We are planning for a future be- cause we have to develop a new mod- el while respecting the identity of the parishes,” said the parish priest.

The appointment of the pastoral worker is part of the Diocesan Pasto- ral Plan derived in 2003.

A director of Pastoral Planning was appointed in June 2003 in order to direct the completion of the plan.

The plan provides a number of sup-

ports for a church in a changing so- ciety including providing guidelines for parish pastoral councils.

In line with the Diocesan Pastoral Plan two Liturgy Groups were also set up in April 2004. These groups represent both sides of the diocese (east and west of the Shannon). They have worked closely together in offering resources and support to parishes. To date they have organised three music workshops for choirs, training for cantors, training for readers, the promotion and resourc- ing of children’s’ liturgies and the provision of Advent, Christmas and Lenten resources.

MINISTER of State at the Depart- ment of Agriculture, Tony Killeen has confirmed that his department will be publishing details of CAP payments later this month despite opposition from all the main farm- ing organisations.

Stating that the requirement to publish these details was directly applicable and mandatory in all EU member states, the Clare TD said the details that will be published include the beneficiaries’ name, their partial address and payments funded or co- funded by the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF) or the Eu- ropean Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD).

Mr Kileeen’s’ announcement brought an angry reaction from IFA Deputy President Derek Deane who described it as “a case of bureauc- racy gone mad”.

He said it was a particularly sensi- tive issue as it involved the publica- tion of personal financial informa- tion of farmers. “In a lot of cases, Teagasc farm income data would suggest that the Single Payment is the total income of farmers. IFA believe that the Department of Agriculture’s insensitivity 1s mind-boggling.”

This was also the view of ICSA Munster Vice President Edmond Phelan who said that he didn’t see the EU rushing to give us details of the expenses paid to either its own officials or MEPs.

‘As usual, it is the ordinary people that suffer the most from EU bu- reaucracy whereas the fat cats and eurocrats escape closer scrutiny. This 1s a serious invasion of privacy and is unwarranted considering that the average Single Farm Payment in Ireland is less than €10,000. Farm families are being exposed to intru- sion and this will give rise to serious OFT akon

“The Department of Agriculture should not proceed with this until they have further consultations with farm bodies,’ he concluded.

Explaining that his department was obliged to publish the information under the terms of an EU Council regulation, Minister Killeen said the information being published at this

time would relate to payments made between January | and October 15, 2007.

He confirmed that the depart- ment would be publishing certain details before the end of next April of payments made under the Farm Improvement and Young Farmers’ Installation Aid Schemes as well as Single Farm Payments. These de- tails would relate to payments made between October 16, 2007 and Octo- ber 15, 2008.

He explained that the requirement to publish these details should be seen against the negotiation by the Government of an EU-funded CAP package of approximately €12 bil- lion for the Irish Agri-Food sector for the period 2007-2013.

THERE are now only four spaces re- maining in a draw to win €100,000 cash back on your new home.

Drumquin Construction and Ley- den Auctioneers are offering 15 entrants the chance to win the cash back, while one runner-up will get €20,000 cash-back and all other participants in the draw will receive a weekend away.

Entry is open to those who pur- chase the remaining units in the Gort Leamhan development in Roslevan, SpA Ee

Gort Leamhan is a high-quality development in the suburbs of Ennis

town. The area of Roslevan is beside exits to the Ennis bypass and pro- vides easy links to Shannon, Limer- ick and Galway.

The houses themselves are a mix- ture of three-bedroom townhouses, four and _ five-bedroom semi-de- tached and five and six bedroom de- tached homes.

Features of the houses include gen- erous amount of floor space in each unit, concrete ground and first floor as standard, solid red deal doors, skirting and arhcitrave, internal and external painting, electirc and power showers.

There are also outstanding features in the development such as integrated

lake and amenities, and a low density development in a prime location. The houses are energy efficient and their heating systems are aimed at making the houses greener. To achieve this the houses have the high- est levels of insulation, High Effiency fully Modulated System installed, gas boilers and Solo Conservo Rads which have energy saving software and continually adjust heat delivery to ensure no wasteful overheating. To find out more information about this development contact Drumquin construction on 065 6864788 or email phdrumquin@eircom.net or contact Leyden Auctioneers on 065 6820555 or email info@leyden.ie.

LAST year the people of Quilty cel- ebrated the centenary of a heroic act of their ancestors who saved the lives of the crew of the Leon XIII.

As the celebrations proved so suc- cessful, one year on the Leon Com- mittee are working hard to continue the celebrations in a second Leon XIII Festival in Quilty from Septem- ber 26 to the 28.

Over the weekend, the festival will feature new events for locals and vis- itors to enjoy with entertainment for all age groups planned in the village on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Some of the highlights of the weekend includes the first “Ceili in the Kitchen’ being held in the Leon Centre on Friday night September 26 starting at 9pm.

During this open house evening, the development work carried out in the centre this year will be on view, as will the new Leon Heritage Cal- endar 2009.

The Leon Committee is running its first Heritage Tour of West Clare on Saturday, September 29. Leaving Quilty at 10am, the bus tour, guided by Cora O’Grady, will take in the key heritage sights around the Loop Head Peninsula; lunch in the Vande-

leur Walled Gardens; and, a histori- cal walking tour of Kilrush before returning to Quilty at 5pm in time for the live entertainment on stage in the village.

Places on the tour are limited and bookings may be made by contacting Cora O’Grady on 087 1354192.

Saturday also sees the first Duet Busking Competition for singers and musicians under 18 years of age take place on stage in the village start- ing at 5pm. A cash prize of €120 is on offer for the winners. Open to all styles of music from traditional to rap, competitors should contact Caroline on 087 2194541 for entry

details by September 24.

Also on Saturday, master storytell- er Eddie Lenihan will feature in the Leon Centre and the GAA will host a football blitz.

Sunday sees the first performance of Your Man Puppet Theatre at 2pm in the village, which will be enjoyed by young and old alike. Set dancing takes to the stage at 3pm followed by the arrival of currachs into Quilty bay around 4.15pm.

Ollie and Lawrence will be on hand to provide the Live Jive session on stage in the village from 4.30pm onwards. Overall, an action packed weekend for all the family to enjoy.

THE Gods were shining on east Clare on Saturday as the annual Scariff Agricultural Show took place on one of sunniest days of the sum- mer. The show had been in jeopardy during the week as persistent rain forced the cancellation of a number of events – including the show-jump- ing and sportsman classes.

Conditions improved greatly on Saturday, however, baking the hun- dreds who attended the show under warm sunshine with not a cloud in sight. The show is traditionally one of the last shows in the national show calendar and draws a large crowd. One of the highlights of this show was the All-Ireland Year Filly Championship Final which was won by Anthony Gordon from Ballina in County Mayo.

“The filly competition is a real highlight of the festival. We the the top 22 or 23 foals from all over the country here for the competition,” said Joanne Allen of the Scariff Show Association.

“It’s an unusual competition in that it is sponsored each year by the show society itself. When most shows host a major competition they have to get major outside sponsorship, but we

have such great local backing that we can sponsor this competition our- selves.”

The list of winners for this years show represent every corner of the country and will be available in full from www.scariffshow.com _ later this week.

“The entries this year were very good. Our best dressed child, Isa- bell Lobb, coming all the way from Barcelona. In fact there was a huge increase in the numbers entering the indoor competition,” said Joanne.

‘We had to cancel a few of the out- door classes because of the weather which was regrettable. These classes are some of the best supported in the whole show and there is a great local interest in them.”

The Scariff Show committee are examining the possibility of re-stag- ing the showjumping and sportsman classes at a future date – possibly in the new year.

COMPARISONS _ between – staff costs at Aer Lingus and Ryanair are “not realistic” a Clare councillor has warned.

Figures published in newspaper re- ports last week suggested that airline staff were earning an average salary of £83,000.

Newmarket-on-Fergus Councillor, Pat McMahon said that the figure was produced by dividing the wage

bill of Aer Lingus by the number of staff employed.

“This is on a par with calculating the average pay of a Microsoft staff member by including Bill Gates for- tune in the calculation,’ Cllr McMa- hon said.

The councillor said that airline staff had contacted him to voice their fears that the publication of the figures 1s part of a plan to soften up Shannon for further cuts.

Cllr McMahon said at a meeting of the mid-west regional authority that comparisons with Ryanair were last made when Aer Lingus announced they were moving the Heathrow slots to Belfast, pointing to Ryanair’s costs at Shannon while citing bigger profits to be made in Belfast.

According to the councillor, Aer Lingus staff believe that jobs and remaining services are “constantly under threat”.

“Decisions on Shannon are be- ing made in Dublin and Cork with- out Shannon having an opportunity to speak up and make its case,’ the councillor said.

KILKEE Marine and Rescue Serv- ice are looking for new volunteers to keep the service afloat into the next oor eee

Almost 300 people are alive today thanks to the brave efforts of the vol- untary members, and many more can be saved if the service continues to flourish.

On Saturday last people enjoyed a search and rescue exercise in Kilkee that included the coast guard units from Kilkee, Doolin, and Bally- bunnion, life guards, civil defence, RNLI, and the Shannon based coast guard helicopter as well as the local marine and rescue service.

It is hoped that the demonstration will entice you people to sign up and become involved with the service.

“We currently have about 50 mem- bers, but we need another eight to 10 new young members to train up,” said founding member Manuel DiLuici.

Training will involve a commit- ment of one night a week, usually for one to two hours.

Being a member of this life sav- ing group is a 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year com- pepLneerounlm

In its 26th year the Kilkee Marine and Rescue Service is Irelands oldest voluntary sea rescue service.

The service was set up in 1982 un- der the auspices of the Kilkee Devel- opment Association.

The fist ever call out for the Kilkee Marine Sea and Rescue Service 25 years ago was to a trawler in diffi- tate

The crew responded to the call in

force eight winds and brought it and its crew safely back to Doonbeg har- bour.

In 1986 the Kilkee crew were forced to recover the bodies of two of their own members – JJ Hartington from Castletownbere who was working in Moneypoint and Ian Benson from Kilkee.

Both men were in their twenties and were out fishing when the trag- edy occurred.

The rescue service has recovered 28 bodies during the past 25 years and saved 280 more.

Despite the crew, some 160 mem- bers throughout the 25 years, giving their services for free it costs be- tween €30,000 and €40,000 to keep the service running.

Ennis businessman PJ Howard sponsored the first of the services

four-life boats.

The boast needs to be replaced eve- ry five to seven years with the engine usually the first piece of the equip- ment to give trouble.

The current boast was purchased in 2003, but the service must already start thinking about how it will fund the €150,000 necessary to buy the state of the art boat.

For now though the sea and rescue team need donations of people’s time and dedication as well as finances.

A MAJOR television documentary by two Clare-based experts claims that global warming is having a pro- found impact on local wildlife with increasing varieties and numbers of alien invaders moving to the county.

A six part documentary series, due to be broadcast on TG4 later this month, features over a dozen for- eign species never before featured on Irish television. “Coimhtioch Gan Cuireadh’ or ‘Alien Invaders’ takes a broader look at Irish wildlife and re- counts the fascinating stories of how some of Ireland’s alien species ended up in Ireland.

They include the slow worm, which can only be found in the reclaimed meadow fringes of the Burren and the Bank Vole which was introduced to Ireland in the 1920s during work on the Shannon hydroelectric scheme when large machinery was shipped from ports in the north of Germany. Also featured are the Chinese Mit- ten Crab, Mourning Dove, Emperor Dragonfly, Natterjack Toad, Trigger Fish and Slipper Lobster.

According to Ballycar resident and wildlife expert John Murphy, who is a director of Waxwing Wildlife Productions, the documentary fea- tures species many people rarely if ever encounter even though they are present all around them.

He explained that increasingly ex- treme Mediterranean climates had resulted in a dramatic rise in the

numbers of exotic species of birds and maritime fish arriving and set- tling in Ireland.

‘We are seeing more cases of alien species of birds appearing on our shores. The arrival and spread of the Collared Dove, Cattle Egrets and the melodic Blackcap are prime exam- ples of this growing trend. Mean- while, during filming on Inish Bofin in County Galway this year we docu- mented the first every sighting in Ire- land of a Mourning Dove, which had arrived from the USA’ commented Mr. Murphy.

The programme’s editor and pro- ducer Stan Nugent, who lives in Bal- lymacahill outside Ennis, says that the documentary provided real evi- dence of how some foreign species were having a detrimental impact on the Irish environment and on native AUC DEKE

He said that alien fish species were also appearing along Ireland’s coast in greater numbers. The Grey Trig- gerfish 1s a warm-water species with a normal range in the tropical Atlan- tic and the Mediterranean. However, in more recent times during summer months when the seas are at their warmest, they can be found in the waters around Ireland. The same can be said of sea creatures like the Slip- per Lobster, which have only been caught in recent times in Lobster pots in the south of the country.

A VERDICT of accidental death has been recorded in the case of a Dublin man who died after being struck by a car in Kilkee last January.

Stephen O’Reilly had been out for a night in the west Clare town when the accident occurred in the early hours of the morning of January 30, 2007.

22-year-old Mr O’Reilly was struck by acar driven by one of his friends. He died at the scene. County Coro-

ner Isobel O’Dea expressed her sym- pathy to Mr O’Reilly’s family and many friends saying his death was a ‘sad and tragic outcome of a holiday weekend in Clare”.

Richard Whitley, a friend of Mr O’Reilly’s who travelled to Kilkee with him recalled the night the acci- dent occurred. He said that after the group had returned from the pub to their accommodation on O’Connell Street, Kilkee, Mr O’Reilly gave the keys of his car to another friend, Denise O’ Reilly.

‘IT saw Stephen’s car coming down the road. It sounded like Stephen Shouted ‘Come on’,’ said Mr White- M4 ‘He stepped out onto the road and the car hit him. He hit the wind- screen. I asked him to squeeze his hand if he could hear me. A doctor that was passing said he was dead.”

Terry O’Reilly, the deceased’s fa- ther, identified his son’s body in the mortuary on January 30. Garda John Convey described the scene of the accident.

“I noticed a green Honda civic parked on the incorrect side of the road, facing towards Kilrush. There was a person lying on the road. There was a small pool of blood near the head. Doctor Ellis pronounced him dead at 1.15pm.”

Dr John O’Callaghan carried out the post mortem on Mr O’Reilly at University College Hospital, Galway. He found that the cause of death was multiple injuries including a frac- tured skull consistent with injuries sustained in a road traffic accident.

Advising the jury of five men and one woman, Ms O’Dea said the ap- propriate verdict was one of acci- dental death. The foreman of the jury expressed his sympathy with the O’Reilly family. Inspector John Galvin expressed sympathy to the O’Reilly family on behalf of the Clare Garda division on the “sad, tragic and untimely death of a young man”. Terry O’Reilly thanked the gardai, members of the rescue serv- ices and the Clare public for their Support.