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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.

THE cream of traditional music per- formers are packing their instruments and polishing up the dance shoes for

next weekend, when Tulla will come alive with the second great musical event it has hosted this year.

After a fabulously successful host- ing of the county fleadh, Tulla is set

to stage concerts ceilis and work- shops with some of the most talented performers and teachers available. The organisers say they couldn’t have done it without the support and

generosity of their two main spon- sors, Kiltannon Partnership and Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann, along with the other sponsors who have weighed in.

The official opening will be per- formed by Timmy Dooley TD during the youth concert at the courthouse which starts at 8pm on Friday Sep- tember 12.

Catherine McEvoy the well known flute player is MC on the night which will feature a wonderful line up of young talent including her own musi- cal family Na Mothuchan. Seosamh O’Neachtain will be stepping out in the Sean Nos style from his native Connemara in the Galway Gaeltacht Other highly acclaimed performers include Edel Fox , Eimear Arkins, the Burren singers, Kate McNamara and James Conheady.

Ceili dancers will be spoiled for choice over the week-end with a ceili each night.

The line up of the “Master Mu- sicians” at this year’s Tulla Trad Workshops/Master Classes will be definitely hard to beat.

Topping the list is Liz Carroll the renowned fiddle player based in the U.S. who is doing a fiddle workshop in the morning and giving a “Mas- ter Class” in the afternoon. Other household names appearing at the concert at St Peter & Paul’s Church on Saturday night at 8pm _ include Matt Molloy of the Chieftains, John Carty, Arty McGlynn , Mary Ber- gin, Joe Burke, Ann Conroy- Burke, Kathleen Loughnane, Tommy Hay- es, Vincent Griffin. Liz Carroll will also be performing along with Geraldine Cotter on Sunday at 5pm at the Courthouse. This venue has limited seating so early booking 1s essential.

Tickets for all concerts are avail- able from Custy’s Ennis, Tulla Phar- macy, Tulla Post Office and the Mu- sic Room Tulla.

Many of the talented musicians will be playing at informal sessions in pubs around the village all weekend.

A MULTI-MILLION euro lawsuit taken by the husband and family of a woman who died after a facelift will take place in the US next week.

Kay Cregan (42), who had family connections in Killaloe, died after she underwent facial surgery at a Manhattan clinic in March 2005.

The case will get underway at the New York State Supreme Court next

Monday. However, there is a possi- bility that the case will be adjourned for a number of weeks, to appoint a judge and swear in a jury.

Ms Cregan, who lived with her hus- band and two sons in Croom, Lim- erick, underwent facial surgery at the Manhattan Clinic of Dr Michael Sachs on March 14, 2005.

She died just three days later at St Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital. She had been rushed there and placed on a

life support machine after the proce- dure at the clinic.

She had paid Dr Sachs $32,000 and had planned the surgery as a surprise for her husband. He was not aware of this until he was notified by the Department of Foreign Affairs that she was on a life support machine. Dr Sachs is the main defendant in the case.

An anaesthetist and a nurse are also UE DOO orem DOM Maem Ny AeEL

A SPELL in a detention centre is frightening a 16-year-old Ennis boy, his solicitor has claimed.

The boy, who cannot be named be- cause of his age, had an eight-month sentence confirmed at Ennis Circuit Court in July, for breaking into a bed and breakfast and kicking two car wing mirrors in Ennis last Feb-

MED ee

He appeared before Ennis District Court last Friday, where he admitted a charge of burglary and also plead- ed guilty to public order offences.

Inspector John Galvin told the court that the boy created a nuisance of himself while gardai attended to the scene of a house fire in Clough- leigh, Ennis, on July 2 last.

‘He refused to leave the area. He

encouraged other youths to start chanting ‘“f*** off’ to the guards,’ he said.

Referring to the burglary offence, he said a shop was broken into and valuable items – including a camera, laptop and jewellery – were taken, on May 27 last.

“The accused admitted his role in the burglary,” said Inspector John GPT bane

Defending solicitor Tara Godfrey said the circuit court had confirmed the eight-month sentence, after not- ing the boy had failed to maintain contact with the probation services.

“It was very sad circumstances for me as a Solicitor to have my client having a district court sentence of eight months confirmed,’ said Ms Godfrey.

“Spending eight months in St

Patrick’s Institution is frightening him. He is very unhappy there. It’s a terrible place for him to be,’ she Sr HKOe

She asked the court not to add to the eight-month term the boy is serv- ing. Judge Leo Malone imposed a four-month term and said it was not more lengthy as the goods that had been taken from the shop were re- Oho Keren

DRIVERS who treat roads in an east Clare estate “like Mondello race track”, have to be stopped, a local councillor has said.

Cars are tearing along a straight stretch of road in Westbury, endan- gering life and property, Cllr Cathal Crowe told a meeting of the Killa- loe committee of the Clare County SBE MWe.

“There one straight road that’s raced on like it’s Mondello Park at evenings and weekends’, he said.

Cllr Crowe was calling on the coun- cil’s road engineers and the develop- ers to put their heads together and

come up with traffic calming meas- ures for the estate, where there are a number of treacherous stretches, the councillor said.

“On two occasions, cars ploughed through hedges into the boundary of a house. There are a lot of green spaces where children play. This 1s “a ticking timebomb’”, the councillor said. Cllr Crowe was supported in his call by Cllr Pascal Fitzgerald who said there had been a third incident last week in which a car ploughed beers 0 8

“The traffic corps have come out but there’s little they can do. There are some very dangerous areas in this estate and the problem needs to

be addressed before there is a trag- edy.”

Councillors were told that the de- velopers have planned to put pinch points in to slow traffic in the estate but the local authority’s hands are tied until such time as the estate is finished and taken into Clare County Council’s charge, senior executive engineer, Sean Lenihan said.

He warned that the council “is not going to take it in charge if it’s not up to a standard we can live with”.

Mr Lenihan said that it had been hoped earlier this year that it would be taken in charge by Christmas but difficulties with the decommission- ing of the sewerage plant meant that

this now won’t happen’.

Councillors had earlier raised the issue of the traffic lights on the main road causing massive delays to com- muters trying to get out of Westbury, particularly in the morning rush telune

Cll Pascal Fitzgerald said that the timing of the lights meant “very long delays for people trying to get to work. I think the sequencing should be examined again. I have had nu- merous complaints”.

Cllr Cathal Crowe said that the population of Westbury “rivals that of a small town yet it has only one exit. We need a united voice on this. Another access road is needed.”