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A COMMUNITY grants scheme, which has existed in Shannon for several years, may have to be aban- doned if a breach of ethics is found to have taken place.

Under the scheme, several commu- nity groups are granted funding eve- ry year towards the running of their organisations and 16 groups have ap- plied for funding this year.

However, earlier this year an issue arose after the Shannon town man- ager Ger Dollard recommended that €50,000 be provided towards a ma- jor development of the town’s leisure centre. This was to be from money set aside for community initiatives.

While he said he was satisfied that the recommendation was lawful and proper, it was met with criticism by another group in the town and the

matter was then referred to the coun- cil’s ethics officer.

While Shannon Town Council be- lieves there was no breach of ethics, no decision will be taken on the dis- tribution of this year’s community grants, until after a ruling is made on the issue. The matter has been re- ferred by the council to the Depart- ment of the Environment. Their law- yers are currently looking at it and are expected to revert to the council within weeks.

If the ruling is that there was no breach of ethics, the grants are likely to be distributed during the autumn. However, if it rules that there was a breach, the community grants scheme may have to be abandoned entirely.

At a meeting of Shannon Town Council last week, town manager Ger Dollard said that in the wake of

the issue arising earlier this year, ad- vice was sought.

As aresult of this, it was ascertained that under ethics legislation relating to the Code of Conduct for council- lors, ‘interests’ were described as family, close friends or business as- sociates of those applying for fund- ing, aS well as those arising to a position of responsibility in a club, society or other organisation. “It is wide ranging,’ said Mr Dollard.

He said that of the 16 applicants for funding this year, some of the members of the town council were involved in the groups.

id LY OlbN OMmore) pO OR-DOTXomB BME eLOLUUNTOID lors weren’t involved in community initiatives,’ said Mr Dollard.

Councillors will decide who will re- ceive the funding, under the project, but Mr Dollard recommended that the decision be deferred temporarily

until further advice is obtained.

“It may well be the community grants scheme cannot be operated as was, in the future,” said the manger.

The 16 groups that applied for funding this year were Clare Haven, Shannon Musical Society, Gleann an Oir Residents Association, Shannon Graveyard Maintenance Committee, Wolfe Tones Camogie Club, Shan- non region Talking Paper, Shannon Senior Citizens Club, Rineanna Ra- dio Ltd, Shannon Town United AFC, Shannon Meteors Trampoline Club, Shannon Olympic AFC, Clare Fed- eration of People with Special Needs, Cronan Park Environmental Group, Duchas na Sionna and two schemes under the remit of the Shannon Fam- ily Resource Centre.

The successful projects must be erant-aided and show a clear com- munity focus.

ENNIS Players are on the lookout for new members as they prepare to thread the boards once more.

The players are hosting an open night on Old Ground hotel on Thurs- day September 11, 1n a bid to unearth new and exciting talents. The open night provides an ideal opportunity for people to get to know what is in- volved in acting, producing, lighting, sound and all other activities that are required to get a show on stage.

Members are currently immersed in the process of selecting new plays

for its annual Supper Theatre series. Readings will be held at the open night. Away from acting, the Ennis players are also hoping that they can attract new members to assist with production duties and the logistics of taking a production on the road.

The Supper Theatre takes place in the Old Ground Hotel in November. It consists of three one-act plays, staged over three nights. The series has been running at the same venue for 22 years and has proven endur- ingly popular with local crowds.

The past number of years has been a roller-coaster ride for Ennis Play-

ers, having represented Ireland at the International Festival of Drama in Monaco with Geraldine Greene’s production of The Dandy Dolls and represented the Amateur drama movement on the Abbey stage with John Finn’s production of Kathleen Ni Houlihan. The group have en- joyed many successes in these fes- tivals qualifying for the All-Ireland finals in the past three years.

After Christmas the Players will be producing a three-act play, which they will perform in front of local au- diences. There are then plans to tour the show o the festival circuit around

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A tour such as this requires a large number of people to get involved so the group extend and invitation to any persons with a wish to get involved in amateur drama to come along to their open night, where a good time is guaranteed. New members are particularly welcome.

who will present a programme on Exceptional Leadership at New- town Castle, Ballyvaughan from Thursday, 18 to Sunday, September 21. The insight into what the common denominator is between an Obama, a Churchill or a crack business team-

leader, will be given on a programme run under the auspices of The Bur- ren Leadership Forum (www.burren- leadershipforum.1ie).

The forum was established in 2006 in Newtown Castle, Ballyvaughan and it’s founders say that the “Bur- ren’s special natural environment with its rich botanical and archaeo- logical heritage provides an inspiring timeless space for learning, reflec- tion and debate and on the themes of leadership, creativity, purpose and effectiveness.

“In the liberating environment of the Burren and in the intimate set- ting of Newtown Castle, innovative and transformative leadership learn- ing can safely be undertaken.”

EQ is made up of two factors: in- trapersonal intelligence, or the abil- ity to know and accept oneself and to become self-managing and self-

motivating, and interpersonal intel- ligence, or the ability to interact ef- fectively with other people.

“The most powerful and insight- ful tool available to help develop an individual’s EQ,” claims Dr Lapid- Bogda, “is the Enneagram – an an- cient psychological and _ spiritual development system which is now rapidly gaining acceptance in the Fortune 500 companies as well serv- ice organisations, non-profits and Eas ntu selene

Dr Lapid-Bogda has consulted with many of these firms for more than 30 years as an organisation development (OD) expert.

The doctor has married under stand- ing of the ancient system with con- temporary organisational practice. “This synthesis gives unparalleled insights for self-mastery combined with powerful leadership develop-

ment practices tailored to specific leadership styles,” she said.

And to prove that leadership skills do not mean that a person cannot be creative, the programme will hear from Martin Salzwedel who, as well as being a concert level cellist, is an internationally respected Enneagram teacher and business consultant who specialises in integrating the insights of the Enneagram with the creation of high performance teams and ex- ecutive development.

Further information on ‘Excep- tional Leadership – What Makes and Exceptional Leader?’ can be had by contacting the Burren Leader- ship Forum, Newtown Castle Bally- vaughan on 065 7083 949/086 8049 432. Alternatively you can email info@burrenleadershipforum.ie or visit the website at www.burrenlead- SucvepNO)KOM besa loe

TEE off time 1s approaching for com- petitors taking part in a golf classic organsied to honour one man’s 1m- portant contribution to sport in En- he

The tournament, organised by Lif- ford AFC, takes place at Ennis golf club on Sepetmber 27. Those tak- ing to the course in two weeks will be competing for the Frank Flaherty Memorial Cup. The late Frank Fla- herty was a member of the Lifford club and a passionate follower of sport. A generous and committed clubman, Mr Flaherty was primarily

involved with the Ennis club’s hugely successful ladies soccer team. He also served as president of the Clare Ladies Soccer League.

But Mr Flaherty’s contribution to sport in Ennis extended beyond his associations with any particular club oy erere oe

Mr Flaherty was one of the found- ing members of the Ennis Sports Development Committee, a group of local people whose work and cam- paigning resulted in the development of the Lees Road sports facility.

Ferdie O’Donoghue, Chairman of Lifford AFC, said Mr Flaherty made a massive contribution to promoting

sport in Ennis and that the club were keen to honour his memory. “Frank was involved with Lifford for a long time, mainly with the ladies teams. He and everyone else on the sports committee did tremendous work get- ting Less Road of the ground. I don’t know where we’d be in Ennis if we didn’t have it”.

“Frank was a great person and a great supporter of all sports. He was a pure gentleman. We are delighted and proud to be able to keep his memory alive. We decided to name the cup in Frank’s honour, to honour everything he did for Lifford and for everything he did for sport in En-

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Tee off times for the Frank Flaher- ty Memorial cup will be decided by timetable on a first some first served basis. Ferdie is advising anyone in- terested in taking part to register early so as to avoid delays. He’s also hoping that his club’s junior team can maintain it’s winning start to the season. “We’ve made a good start alright, buts its early days. There’s a good bunch of lads there at the mo- ment and we have a great pitch in Cassidy Park, so hopefully we can keep it going”.

For further information and enquir- ies contact Ferdie at 086 3289041

AN EXHIBITION highlighting the work done by service providers in north Clare takes place in the Com- munity Centre Parliament Street, En- nistymon on Friday, September 19. Minister of State Tony Killeen will formally open the exhibition at 12pm and all are welcome to attend. Organisers hope that by bringing service providers together under one roof they can provide a useful first point of contact for many local peo- ple. The exhibition is being organ- ised by the North Clare Area Learn-

ing Network.

The network is made up of a number of local and national groups.

Organisations that will be repre- Sented at the exhibition include, local secondary and vocational schools, FAS, Clare VEC, Teagasc, Clare Supported Employment Service, Farm Family Support, Citizens In- formation Service and the Brother’s Om Or TulAys

The event will provide information on a wide range of topics and organ- isers are hoping for a large turn out on the day. The diverse range of or- ganisations and community groups

represented at the exhibition reflects the broad spread of services pro- vided in the north Clare area. These include Clarecare, the Irish Farmer’s Association, Burren Connect, Rural Resource Development, Job’s Club, Enable Ireland, Clare Immigrant Support Centre, National Learning network, Family Resource Centre, Money Advice and Budgeting Serv- ice, NUIG access programme, Clare Sports Partnership, the Alzheimher’s association and the Traveller Enter- prise Project.

Information will also be available to the public on many other serv-

ice providers currently operating in north Clare.

A spokesperson for the North Clare Area Learning Network encouraged local people to come along and sup- port the event and to learn more about the services in your local area.

“If you have a half an hour to spare, come along to the community centre and check out what is available in your area.

“You will get the opportunity to make contact with a variety of or- ganisations and meet the people who are providing the services,’ the spokesperson said.

THE issue of accessability and the barriers faced by people with dis- abilities will be addressed at a con- KUO NI DION IIS C Molo)

The event, organised by Enable Ire- land as part of Action Week, takes place at the West County hotel on Wednesday, September 17.

The theme of the week is Access All Areas and aims to promote ac- cess for people with disabilities to all areas of life, from social and leisure activities, education and employment to infrastructure and buildings. Dur- ing Action Week supporters can buy a Gold Badge to raise valuable funds to help take action on disability.

The conference in Ennis aims to provide information on a wide range

of topics related to accessibility, from education to leisure activities.

Speakers at the event include repre- sentatives from Clare County Coun- cil and Clare Accessible Transport and James Murrihy, the sports inclu- sion development officer for Clare.

Anne O’Malley from the Ennis branch of Enable Ireland said acces- sibility remains a significant problem in Clare.

“There are huge barriers with re- gards to accessibility whether that relates to transport or education. This is something we want to high- light, but at the same time we also hope to show that these barriers and problems can be overcome.”

Information stands and members of Enable Ireland will be on hand on the day to offer help and advice. People

with disabilities and their families are especially encouraged to attend, to share their experiences.

Anne explained, “We get a lot of en- quiries from people who maybe have children with disabilities, wondering ~VoJOlUL Mm UND CODN Orca: DeLG mu elO\, au KOmecxO mr: 1ele)011 making their homes more accessible. We want service users to come along and avail of the opportunity to share WeToJD MSD. 4 OLS U (oOo IRY ALO UR

A major focus over the past year for Enable Ireland in Clare has been in the area of leisure activities. The or- ganisation implemented a wide pro- gramme of sports and leisure related activities with particular focus on watersports.

Anne explained, “What we have done in Ennis over the past year is try to create a situation where peo-

ple with disabilities could have pretty regular access to wide range of sports. Watersports was one area we focused on. It’s been a lot of fun for everyone involved. We had two wheelchair users going windsurfing. There was a wheelchair soccer tour- nament, trips to the swimming pool, lots of different things.”

The water theme continues next week when Liam Griffin, water safe- ty officer with Clare County Council, will officially open the conference.

Enable Ireland supports 3,500 chil- dren and adults with disabilities and their families and provide services in local communities throughout Ire- land. Covering childhood to adult- hood, expert teams work with the individual and their family on a plan for each life stage.

REVIVING the traditions around holy wells has been part of the work of Beagh Rural Development Asso- ciation during the last 19 years.

One of the most documented wells in the parish of Beagh was the centre of attention as it held its first Mass in 15 years was held there.

Tobar Ri an Domhainaigh or the well of the King of the Sundays is situated behind an old RIC Barracks close to Tubber, on the Clare-Galway

boundary.

This was the sixth well restored in the parish with the help of FAS and Galway Rural Development. The role of the holy wells had been for- gotten by newer generations and had become overgrown.

On Sunday last however the lo- cal community gathered again for a Mass. Now the development com- mittee hope to make the mass an an- LOE oad OL

Traditionally the day for visiting the well was the last Sunday in July.

There remains just a few final touches to be completed at the well that was first mentioned the writings of a friar that took refuge in Prague Anthony McBroady in 1669.

Situated in the townland of Rath- willadoon the well whose origin lies in Pagan times has long been associ- ated with Christian pilgrimage.

According to tradition St Coleman blessed the well.

On the old alter a plaque dated 1717 reads, “Pray for the soul of Helen O’Brien alias Kelly O’Shaughnessy

who made the wall around the well, May 9, 1717.”

A stone plaque also adds historic data to the well. Situated at the west- ern end of the well the plaque is in- scribed with “Pray for the soul of Nelly Ffrench who made this monu- ment 1711.”

The artefact of most note from the well is a medieval bronze crucifix now situated in the National Muse- um in Dublin. A replica of this his- toric cross can be seen in Shanaglish Sie

A REPAIR works scheme for dozens of homes in Ennis has ground to a halt after funding for the programme “dried up”.

Even as Ennis Town Council nears completion of phase one of a reme- dial works scheme on the council’s housing stock, Town Enginneer Tom Tiernan has said that he “wouldn’t hold his breath” in anticipation of the commencement of phase two.

Mr Tiernan was speaking at the September meeting of Ennis Town Soniete

He said the council had success- fully pursued an application of €4.1

million to carry out remedial works in 46 houses in Shalee Drive and Gordon Drive.

“We have submitted an applica- tion for the second phase and we got a response from the department that more or less told us that fund- ing wasn’t available due to the down- turn’, said Mr Tiernan.

He added, “I’m not in a position to be able to tell people when they might be eligible for the scheme. All we can do is try to push our case with the department. But, I wouldn’t hold my breath.”

“All indications from the depart- ment are that funds have dried up SIRS TUBELOr-vOLO NYA

The scheme mainly involves repair- ing broken doors and windows, and dealing with other structural issues. The works do not cover repairs to central heating systems as that is cov- ered under a separate programme.

Raising the issue, Independent councillor Frankie Neylon asked Mr Tiernan for an updated report on the repairs programme.

He said, “Some people are being told they have to pay to have their windows fixed and others say they elena

Over the next month could we get a report on the type of repairs needed? There is a lot of confusion out there especially in the Cloughleigh area.

People see the work being done in Gordon Drive and then it moves somewhere else. They are just won- dering if the council are going to do this for all the houses”.

Mr Tiernan said there was no emer- gency funding available, but that help would be provided to households in “exceptional circumstances”’.

“We are dealing with the replace- ment of windows as best we can. When there is a need we will respond as positively as possible. We will look at exceptional circumstances. We are sympathetic to people in a lot of cases. We are trying to stretch our resources. We will see what we can Coe

AFTER almost 200 years as a cen- tral driving force behind education in north Clare, the Christian Broth- ers last week handed control of the Ennistymon CBS over to a board of BUR Keone

In a move which is being echoed all over the country, the Brothers have handed the overall responsibil- ity for the running of the school over to a specially created Lay Trust. The school will now be run by a limited company called The Edmund Rice Schools Trust (ERST).

“The establishment of the trust company will ensure a continuity of a tradition generated over two cen- turies by the Christian Brothers. As trustees we are extremely conscious

not only of the tangible value of the network of schools but equally of the invaluable educational ethos estab- lished by Blessed Edmund Rice that has been entrusted to us,’ said Pat Diggins, Chairperson of Directors of the Edmund Rice Schools Trust.

“We will be working in conjunction with the Christian Brother trustees and with all of the relevant stake- holders within our educational envi- ronment to ensure a smooth transi- tion.”

The numbers joining the Christian Brothers in Ireland has been dwin- dling in recent years and Ennistymon is now only home to one Brother, Liam O’Meara.

Br Liam was principal of the now defunct CBS Primary School and has been one of the main drivers be-

hind the Burren Chernobyl Project over the last two decades. Last week he handed over the keys to the school to anumber of students in a symbolic ceremony to mark the beginnings of life under the Trust.

Ennistymon CBS has a long and proud tradition of educating boys from north and west Clare and the school is keen to continue with the traditions and high standards put in place by the Christian Brother.

Drawing students from as far west as Mullagh and Quilty and as far north as Kilfenora and Kilshanny the school has been expanding. With the co-operation of Scoil Mhuire and En- nistymon Vocational School offers a bigger selection of subjects than any stand alone school in Clare.

The school was founded in

1824 when local parish Rev Pe- ter O’Loughlin wrote to Christian Brothers founder Edmund Rice, re- questing that two brothers be send to Ennistymon to educate the many boys in the area who because of the Penal Laws had no opportunity of re- ceiving any education.

Over the following 184 years – through famine, revolution and two world wars – the brother continued to teach and guide the young people of the area.

THE Heineken Cup will be in Kil- rush for the first time ever on Satur- day night.

Rugby fans from all over the west are expected to gather in the Kilrush Golf Club to meet some of their he- roes from the Munster team and see the impressive silverware for the first Wb Oem oe

Not to be out done on the night the local rugby team will also receive medals to mark its achievement last season.

Kilrush RFC last year won the O’Sullivan Cup reviving an interest in the game in the west.

On Saturday night, medals spon-

sored by PRO of the club David Glynn and Joseph Crowley, will mark the end of a successful season for the winning team and hail a competitive year to come.

While west Clare is synonymous with the large round ball of the GAA, it also has a long if somewhat sporadic history with rugby.

Kilrush RFC was founded as far back as 1924. While its popularity may have waned over a period of time it was revived in the 1970s.

Approximately five years ago the club had a further renaissance with the addition of an underage team, and some enthusiastic mentors.

For PRO David Glynn the club has got a new lease of life.

‘A couple of years ago we couldn’t field a team, then Nevin Farrell and Tom Dillon got involved.”

Two years ago the hard work paid off when the fledgling team got to the final of the Web Cup. Last year triumph was not to evade the de- termined players as they won the O’Sullivan Cup.

On September 21, the rugby team will begin the new season with the first game in the league.

“We are in the Munster Junior League for the first time in five years,’ said Mr Glynn with pride.

“And we are not just happy to be taking part, if you listen to the lads we are going out to win.”

On Saturday the sight of the

Heineken Cup and Munster heroes will provide even more motivation for the team, if motivation was need- ed.

The event will begin at 8pm with a barbecue and there is an entrance fee of €10.

In the meantime the club is always welcoming new players and poten- tial players to their grounds in Mon- more.

Underage training for all age groups takes place on Sundays at 11 am under the watchful eye of John Saunders and a dedicated team of We DN NEC

On Friday at 8pm it is the adults turn to train and David said that all new players are welcome to attend.