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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.

FEARS that budget airline Ryanair could be planning to pull the plug on routes out of its base in Shannon were calmed this week.

But staff at Aer Lingus are facing several weeks of an agonised wait to see if management are planning to sacrifice jobs or wage rates in the face of massive mid-year losses for the airline.

After announcing that he is drop- ping the East Midlands and Glasgow routes out of Cork last week, mav-

erick airline boss, Michael O’ Leary warned he would do the same thing at Shannon if charges increase there.

The board at Shannon are believed to be upbeat about the prospects for their deal with Ryanair when it comes up for renewal in 2010.

A spokesman for the board said last night that the “Ryanair base at Shannon has performed very well. There’s a very strong and positive working relationship with Ryanair and we look forward to working with the airline beyond 2010”.

O’Leary has blamed rising costs

at Cork for the decision to pull the routes and had warned that any in- crease in costs at Shannon would provoke a similar move.

Meawhile, Aer Lingus workers at the airport still have no idea whether the airline will again look to them to make savings for the company after announcing ۩22.3 million in losses TUOM Natoma Dec] mmc D.@paelO)O LO NTE

SIPTU representatives say they are not going to anticipate any move by the company, but are pointing out that staff have taken the brunt of the cuts in the past and cannot be expect-

ed to solve the difficulties caused by rising oil prices.

There was further speculation about the future of the airline’s trans- atlantic route to Chicago, which flies to Dublin via Shannon.

The airline issued a strong denial that it was considering dropping the route after revelations of falling pas- senger numbers.

Elected representatives have said they don’t trust the airline after it re- moved the Shannon Heathrow slots and transferred them to Belfast.

THE Clare branch of the Samaritans will hold the first of two information evenings this Thursday (Sepetmber 4) at the Old Ground Hotel.

Members of the Samritans will speak on the night and outline the work and duties carried out by the Service.

Another information evening will be held at the same venue on Monday Sepetmber 8.

Samaritans is available 24 hours a day to provide confidential emo-

tional support for people who are experiencing feelings of distress or despair, including those, which may lead to suicide.

The organisation is looking for open-minded, non-judgmental peo- ple to get involved with the support Service.

All volounteers receive quality and detailed training before starting. Vol- unteers are shown how to develop the necessary listening skillsrequired. There is a strict code of confidential- ity and callers are given the freedom to talk openly.

90 people currently volunteer with the service in Clare. In previous years, interest has been high and the Samaritans are hoping for another good turnout.

Apart from the telephone the Sa- maritans can also be contacted by text and by email. The text and email services were established with the Samaritans conscience of the fact that different people will use differ- ent methods to contact the service.

A spokesperson for the service ex- plained, “We talk to people about who we are and what we do. We

would be looking for open-minded, non-judgmental people who would be natural listeners who would be prepared to give a commitment. In training we teach people how to de- velop listening skills”

He added, “We would be looking for people who are open-minded and accept other views. We don’t moral- ise or use philosophy or tell people what to do.

‘We are there to listen. Confidenti- ality is hugely important. We recog- nise the fact that people are given the freedom to talk in safety.”

TO celebrate National Organic Week, St. Tola’s Organic Farm will host a farm open day on September Key

National Organic Week will take place from September 15 to 21 and a host of events, including a tasting session at Wilde’s Organic Choco- late, will take place throughout County Clare to celebrate it.

The week, funded by the Depart- ment of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and co-ordinated by Bord Bia, aims to continue to raise consumer awareness of organic food, how to

recognise it and where to buy it.

St Tola goat’s cheese has been made in Inagh since the early 1980’s. Originally made by Meg and Der- rick Gordon, the business was taken over by their neighbour Siobhan Ni Ghairbhith in 1999.

Since then, new premises have been built, the process has been brought up to the highest standards and in 2001, St. Tola became a registered organic producer with IOFGA, the Irish Organic Farmers and Growers Association.

Both the farm and the cheesemak- ing operation are inspected individu- ally, by IOFGA inspectors, twice a

year.

Although more expensive and la- bour intensive than conventional farming, organic farming promotes principles and methods which co-ex- ist with natural ecosystems to help protect and enhance the environ- ment.

The 65-acre organic farm (none of which is treated with any fertilisers) provides herb rich grass and hay for the goats.

They also receive a supplement of organic grains for the winter, the price of which is around three times that of conventional feed.

In 2007 St Tola’s won Overall Best

Product at the National Organic Awards and Overall Cheese Cham- pion at the Irish National Cheese Awards.

The farm has won a Gold Medal at the Great Taste Awards and further prizes are hoped with the results of the World Cheese Awards in Dublin and the British Cheese Awards in Wales announced in September.

Teresa Brophy, head of Home Mar- kets Bord Bia, commented, ““Nation- al Organic Week encourages people to buy locally produced food but it also provides a great opportunity for consumers to learn about the origins of their food.”

A CLONLARA company has been ordered to pay more than €5,000 in redundancy money by the Employ- ment Appeals Tribunal.

A case for redundancy payments was made against Bellisle Proper- ties Limited, Bellisle, Clonlara by employees, Damien Leo, 2 Belf- 1eld Crescent, Faranshone, Limer- ick; Brendan Rainsford, Aranleigh, Lower Meelick; Barry O’Sullivan,

‘“Fermoyle’, Bartleystown, Clonlara; Andrew John Dolbear, Merlin, Bal- lysimon Road, County Limerick; Barry O’Connell, 23 Derryvinna, Clonlara and Thomas O’Connell, 23 Derryvinna, Clonlara.

All six gave details of their claims to the tribunal. The members of the tribunal heard they had all worked for the Clonlara company, some on a number of different sites.

They had been let go between Octo- ber and December last year after be-

ing told there was no more work for them, the tribunal heard.

In his sworn evidence, Andrew John Dolbear told the tribunal that the re- spondent company had approached him the previous week offering him his job back. He said that he had not responded to that job offer as he had not wanted to affect his claim be- fore the tribunal and he confirmed that he wished to proceed with his redundancy claim. When originally let go, Dolbear said, he asked about

redundancy and holiday money and the owner’s brother had told him that redundancy and holiday money was not his department. He had heard nothing more from the respondent company until last week when they offered him a job.

The tribunal was satisfied that the respondent had been properly noti- fied of the hearings. However, there was no appearance by them or on Web mL olo eT ee

Accepting the uncontested evi-

dence of the six former employees, the tribunal awarded Damien Leo €535, the equivalent of one weeks pay. Brendan Rainsford was awarded £628.86, Barry O’Sullivan €650, Andrew John Dolbear €1,278, Bar- ry O’Connell €627.39 and Thomas O’Connell €1,500.

The awards were made subject to the appellants having been in insur- able employment under the Social Welfare Acts during the relevant pe- riod.