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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-

nae

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.

ALTHOUGH it may have won the title of Ireland’s Information Age Town, Ennis is being left behind in the latest high tech development af- ter missing out on an €18 million fibre optic network which is to be installed around Limerick City and eight towns in the mid-west region. Clare Green Party councillor, Bri- an Meaney has highlighted the major contradiction in the fact that Ennis and Shannon have been overlooked

in a Government initiative to bring broadband to the masses in the mid- west.

In recent days, Shannon Broad- band Ltd, a public sector consortium led by Shannon Development, an- nounced the completion of a fibre optic network in providing world- class telecoms to eight towns in the mid-west.

Local authorities in the mid-west and Offaly were also involved in the initiative but Clare County Council has fared worst with only Kilrush in-

cluded in the present scheme.

Two Offaly towns, Birr and Ban- agher are in the scheme, along with Roscrea and Templemore in Tipper- ary while Abbeyfeale and Newcastle West in County Limerick have also been provided with the infrastruc- aOR Kom

The latest expansion of the fibre optic network covers 52 kilometres and follows the earlier provision of 57 kilometres of fibre optic cable by Shannon Broadband at a cost of €6.5 million around Limerick City.

Cllr Meaney yesterday expressed his anger that Ennis was excluded from the initiative.

He said there has been a failure to build on the Information Age Town designation. The most recent cen- sus figures show that Ennis has now been eclipsed by Shannon in terms of homes that own a home computer, while almost half of Ennis homes have no access to the internet.

“It is already proving difficult to at- tract industry to Ennis and this will place the town at a further disadvan-

tage. Broadband is now as important as laying train tracks or new roads for the county’s infrastructure and I find it mystifying what Ennis and Shannon were not put forward as candidate towns in Clare,’ he said.

A spokesman for Shannon Devel- Opment said that the Department for Communications nominated the towns concerned. However, Shannon Development would be pressing the case for the inclusion of Ennis, Shan- non and Thurles in the next expan- sion.

A CLARE TD has warned that school children in the county could be left on the side of the road as the cost of school transport reaches an all time high.

The cost of uniforms with special- ised crests, and the cost of books, which are constantly changing, 1s also putting added pressures on par- ents’ coffers.

Fine Gael TD Pat Breen has claimed that parents will have to dig deeper into their pockets this September with the cost of sending children to school on the increase once again.

‘The reality is that the cost of get- ting children ready to go back to school is expensive and while the Back to School and Footwear Al- lowance is in place, many families find that the allowance is not enough. Parents also face the problem of having to pump out more on school transport charges this year,’ he said.

‘Indeed the entire school bus trans- port system is facing a year of uncer- tainty due to the Government’s mis- handling of the removal of the fuel rebate scheme.”

“Children will be left at the side of the road if school transport opera- tors have to withdraw their services

mid-term due to unexpected costs. If private operators start pulling their services it will have a devastating impact on rural school children and their families.

“The government already increased school bus charges due to arise in fuel costs, these have not been passed on to the companies which operate the school bus routes. The government needs to state clearly if there will be a replacement fuel rebate scheme for school transport services.”

He said he was disappointed that the Minister Mary Hanafin refused to review the grant aid available to families to meet the cost of school

clothing and footwear.

“She fails to understand the fi- nancial difficulties facing families. School transport alone has risen by a whopping 70 per cent,” he said.

In response to a parliamentary question in July, the minister said, “The adequacy of back to school clothing and footwear allowance payments will be kept under review. Any changes to the structure of the scheme would have cost implications and would have to be considered in a budgetary context and in the light of resources available for improve- ments in social welfare payments generally.”

CLARE manager Fintan McNamara felt this defeat more than most. The Killanena man along with Maura Sheedy and Eamon O’Loughlin have been with this side for four years now and has witnessed their development at first hand as they reached their first ever All-Ireland final.

It wasn’t to be however as Kilkenny, just as they had done two years ago at Under 16 level, proved too strong for the Banner girls but as he consoled each player at the final whistle, he spoke of his immense pride in his players despite defeat.

“Kilkenny were flying it today and they had their homework done on us but the girls gave it everything and

that’s all I could ask and I’m very proud of them for that.

“They got a lead on us and even- tually when we got into the game it rather evened out. I think in the sec- ond half we got the start we wanted and I thought we were getting on top at that stage and things were begin- ning to turn.

“But they got a lucky goal again and

I think that flattened us and pushed them on again.”

From a Clare perspective, the biggest aspect was the use of two Kilkenny backs to mark Clare’s top-scorer Carina Roseingrave, a tactic that McNamara admitted they ToLtIeTs am NeUUbE AYA

“T think Kilkenny had two players on her for nearly the whole game.

They had their homework done on us and fair play to them.

“We thought we had enough to counteract that but you have to credit GU antine

“They weren’t going for three-in- a-row for no reason but as I say I’m proud of the girls to get there and I couldn’t ask for any more. We’re dis- appointed but we’ll be back.”