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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.”

A PROGRAMME aimed at improv- ing the skills of young drivers that began in Ennis has now been extend- ed to 140 schools around Ireland

Ennis man Kieran O’Brien estab- lished the Irish School of Excellence, which he piloted two years ago in St Flannans’ College.

Now, through an ongoing exten- sion of the programme, students in schools from Letterkenny to Bray, are being made aware of the impor- tance of safe driving.

O’Brien explained that the aim of the programme has always been to ensure that when drivers take to the road, they are fully qualified to do

so, and are aware of their responsi- YUH CoE

He said, “Some schools invite a lo- cal driving instructor to come and take their students in large groups and let them drive the car around. This is the type of driver education that we at the Irish School of Excel- lence condemn as it is like handing a gun to somebody and without giving any education in safety and common sense will tell you that this is danger- Othe

All participating students receive a certificate of achievement on com- pletion of the driver education pro- eae NONDONOR

Only after students become fully aware of the rules of the road are

they allowed to sit into a car with a fully qualified driving instructor, ex- plained O’Brien.

‘The Irish school of excellence pro- gramme format is educational and safety orientated and only after the students pass their theory test and a driver education test regarding insur- ance, penalty points and much more, only then do they get to take their lessons with a fully approved driving instructor”’.

Over the next six weeks, O’Brien has been given seven in-service train- ing days to teach up to 150 teachers how to run the programme.

This is the first time that a driver education programme has been so fully embraced by schools in Ire-

land.

O’Brien hopes that with more and more schools coming on board, the programme will eventually receive backing from the Department of Education.

During the summer months the programme was given to youthreach ovcescae-besveslenw-NUMe(o) mAs eO NINA A

Developed voluntary in 2005, the Irish School of Excellence has grown from one school to 140 schools na- tionwide with Toyota among the high profile companies lending their sup- port.

AS classroom sizes and adequate school accommodation remains an issue throughout the county, two east Clare schools received planning per- mission for temporary accommoda- tion.

Just over a week ago Clare County Council granted Scoil Seanain Nao- fa, Clonlara, permission to install two prefabricated stand-alone class- rooms.

The permission was granted sub- ject to a number of conditions in- cluding that all surface water runoffs generated by the proposal shall be collected and disposed of within the site, and shall not be disposed of to public sewers.

The conditions also outlined that in the event that the proposed prefab units become obsolete, the Board of Management shall at its own expense remove them and return the site to its original condition. Otherwise the

planning permission is valid for five years.

The planning authority also or- dered that and existing pipes beneath the structure would be encased in 100 mm concrete.

Likewise, Scoil na Maighdine Mhu- ire in Broadford received permission last week to erect two portacabins to the south of the existing school building.

The first portacabin is to provide a classroom, resource room and two

toilets of approximately 120 me- tres squared. The second temporary building is to provide a resource room of 16 square metres.

Once again Clare County Coun- cil gave permission to the Board of Management to proceed with its plans subject to some conditions, including its request to remove the temporary building if it is no longer needed.

The permission had also a shelf life of five years.

A NEW project allows students at Ennis Community College to pursue a more practical approach to learn- ing.

ORBIT (Outdoor Research Brought Into Teaching) provides first year students at Ennis Community Col- lege with an experimental approach to learning the curriculum.

ORBIT essentially offers students an opportunity to leave the classroom environment for one day a week and visit sites of natural and _ historical significance to aid the learning ex- eae nleer

All junior certificate subjects are

dealt with under the ORBIT um- brella in an effort designed to make learning a more practical, hands-on experience.

The lessons taken outside the class- room are then channeled back into the mainstream learning environ- ment.

Since Ennis Community College took up the programme last Septem- ber, students have visited numerous local sites including Kilmacduduagh Round Tower, Corcomore Abbey, Bunratty Castle, Cliffs of Moher, Scariff Seed Savers and the Kilfeno- ra Heritage Centre.

Students also took part in a live ar- chaeological dig at Caherconnell.

Students have benefited hugely from the wide variety of activities. The highlight for many was meeting the Munster rugby team while on a visit to the University of Limerick. Others enjoyed making their own brew of apple juice at Scariff Seed- SE Noi

All of these experiences will be recorded in the ‘Make A_ Book’ scheme. This involves students pre- paring a compendium of short stories based on their trips around Clare.

The book will also feature a col- lection of photographs and a digital storyboard. It is hoped that Ennis Community College can continue to provide the programme for many

years to come.

Co-coordinator Catherine O’Donnell thanked everyone who contributed to making ORBIT such a valuable learning experience for students.

“We’d like to take this opportunity to thank Ger Cullen from the Bur- ren Outdoor Activity Centre, our school’s completion programme for all their support and to the many teachers who are participating on a weekly basis. This programme is a testament to the great efforts that have taken place between the main- stream and resource at Ennis Com- munity College. We look forward to similar initiatives in the future”’.

AS children from across the county return to school this week in their thousands, some small schools re- main under threat of closure in the coming years.

While an increase in population through returning Irish emigrants, new immigrants and the relocation of families through Rural Resettle- ment Ireland has turned around the fortunes of many one and two teach- er schools, not all have benefitted.

Chairman of RRI, Jim Connolly, said that a number of schools are in difficulty, but many more have ben- IOLA SLe B

During the past number of years, communities in danger of losing their school have contacted the Kil- baha based organisation in the hope of encouraging families to the area.

Although in many cases families have successfully been relocated to an area not all choose the local school.

‘Parents have a total right to decide where their children go to school. Families can’t be told what to do, therefore there has been disappoint- ments as well as successes,” said Mr Connolly.

“You do your best for the local school but parent choice is number one,” he said.

Small schools provide an identity and focal point for many small com- munities, particularly in west Clare, as well as providing for the local children’s education.

While some schools continue to struggle to sustain numbers to re- main open, many more have been hailed a success in the race to keep

children coming through the school eee oe

For the past 18 years, families have been relocating from Dublin to Clare and schools once under threat of closure are now seeing an increase in the number of names on the roll book.

For Jim Connolly the greatest suc-

cess of Rural Resettlement Ireland’s contribution to Clare schools is the second and third generation of reset- tled families that are now attending Weloeee

“IT am really tickled when I see grandchildren of families who moved going to the schools,” he said.

“These children are following in

the footsteps of their parents who moved west with their families to start school 18 years ago.

‘As far as Iam concerned what we tried to do is working,” he said.

ASPIRING musicians and perform- ers can learn from the best at the Chord Festival in Ennis this week.

A diverse and eclectic programme of live concerts and exhibitions is peppered with a series of workshops that begin on Saturday.

At last year’s Chord Festival, audi- ences were wowed by the flamenco guitar playing of Rafael and mes- meric flamenco dance style of Lola Rueda – both artists are back this year – but with a twist, they will be teaching their individual skills in a series of workshops – to which places are very limited.

Starting at llam, Lola will take a class – open to six to 10 year olds – who are invited to dress in “flamenco style’ if the mood takes them. This workshop will run until 12.30pm. In the afternoon from 2 to 3.30pm Lola

will run an all-ages flamenco dance workshop.

At similar times Rafael, an accom- plished teacher as well as working musician, will host flamenco guitar workshops. The morning session 1s targeted at beginners to intermediate level, while the afternoon workshop is geared towards moderately accom- plished guitar players upwards. All workshops take place at Glor and are ogee eel Oe Oe

At 5pm on Saturday at the Temple Gate Hotel, Rafael and Lola will join forces to perform a free “Flamenco Guitar, Song and Dance Show’, for one hour.

The festival will be officially launched at 6.30pm on Friday, Sep- tember 5 at the opening of Wallpa- per – a group exhibition featuring nationally established, plus locally emerging contemporary artists. The show features a wide range of

mediums from silkscreen to spray- paint/stencil, photography, paint and sculpture.

Wallpaper will take place at No. 7, O’Connell Street, close to The Square and will run from 6.30pm on Friday through to Sunday afternoon. Admission is free.

Later on Friday night, Brazillian band the Sonia Esquivel Trio, take Glor by storm. Sonia will explore the Brazilian musical tradition perform- ing a mixture of samba, bossa nova, choro and other Brazilian rhythms

The evening concludes at Chord- Festival HQ (Upstairs at Brogan’s on O’Connell Street), when, starting at 9.30pm, a series of live acts will take to the stage .

This ‘Homegrown’ event is, as the name suggests a showcase for the best and most promising music acts from County Clare, including Ver- tigo Smyth and Gargotha Sun. A DJ

set will follow until 1.30am. Admis- sion is £10.

The highlights on Saturday include performances by acclaimed Dublin band the Jimmy Cake and an ac- claimed one man travelogue from fiddle player Aindrias de Staic.

Later in the night the festival will reconvene upstairs in Brogans for it’s Festival Club, which will run until Pelee Tee

Sunday will see the festival wind down with a relaxed Family Day at Temple Gate Hotel. From 12.30 to 2pm, there will be live music and face painting.

Weather permitting the event will be held in the courtyard outside the Temple Gate (in front of the Muse- um), otherwise it will move indoors. This event is free.

For a full festival line-up of times and prices go to www.chordfestival. com.

CLARE County Council’s bid to se- cure millions of euro through naming rights for the Cliffs of Moher visitor centre has been dismissed as a futile exercise and a waste of money.

Local councillor Martin Conway (FG) made the charge after the coun- cil failed to name a single benefactor almost two years after it unveiled the Sol sles alee

In November 2006, the council announced it was seeking donors principally in the US to part with €1 million to have their names attached to the council’s “premium viewing

platforms”, including the famous O’Brien’s Tower overlooking the At- lantic Ocean.

The council was also offering nam- ing rights to seating bollards on the main concourse for €50,000 and seeking €©500,000 for viewing plat- forms on the cliff edge.

Those interested in having a slab named after them at the cliff walk were asked to stump up to €10,000 while anyone tempted by a bench with their name on it would have to shell out up to €25,000.

Also on offer were naming rights for facilities in the cliffs centre rang- ing from €200,000 for the audio-

visual theatre and €100,000 for the interpretative area.

The council has already named the first aid room at the cliffs after Nicho- las Stokes, the young baby who died there in July 2006 and whose parents Delia and Kelly pledged $86,000 for the facility in his memory.

The first aid room doesn’t come within the remit of the council spon- sorship scheme and the website page relating to benefactors showed no names and included outdated infor- mation.

Referring to the lack of response, Cllr Conway said that while he un- derstood the strategy, there was a

need to go back to the drawing board and not be “going around with the begging bowl”.

“The idea was to get soft money from the US, but there is no such thing as soft money and the notion of €25,000 to have your name on a park bench is not something that people have bought into.”

Cllr Conway said that the drive to secure money for the sponsorship scheme was a “futile exercise’.

He added, “It was a waste of money and I would like to know how much money was spent on trying to get the funding. I just don’t think enough thought went into it.”

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.