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YOUNGSTERS at the Corofin Harps club showed last week that they can put their best foot forward and not just to play soccer.

Members as young as five, their older clubmates and parents set out on a sponsored walk to buy kit and equipment for the underage teams.

The little lads needed tracksuits, goals, and footballs – all the paraphe- nalia which will be necessary when they take to the field this coming

season.

The members and their parents set out to cover five miles and have already raised ©2,500 with more money coming in from sponsorship all the time.

“We’re hoping to raise about €5,000 in total from it to kit the kids out properly,’ said manager Keith lee

This will be the first year that the club will have an under eight team and they are also taking part with the under 11 and 12 teams in the soccer

blitz this year.

Soccer aS a game is growing fast in popularity amongst the Corofin youngsters.

Last year, Keith and fellow man- agers, Wille Treacy, Alan Higgins and Alan Cherryman, had just ten youngsters in training with the under -8s. This year, that’s grown to 60.

“We’ve also been invited to take part in the half-time National League game with the Limerick 37 at home in the under-10 blitz,’ said Keith.

The young footie fans have already

been measured for their new kit and are looking forward to having it de- livered while they continue with a busy training schedule on Wednes- days and Saturdays.

‘It will be great to see them kitted out. Everyone made such a huge ef- fort to support the walk and the par- ents are absolutely fantastic. They give 110 per cent.’

STRICT new laws controlling the disposal and storage of litter in En- nis will come into force on Septem- ber 15.

Town Clerk Eddie Power confirmed the enforcement date at yesterday’s meeting of Ennis Town Council, as accusations were leveled that the council is turning a blind eye to il- legal dumping in many of it’s own housing estates.

Some businesses are struggling to adapt to the new byelaws with many

premises lacking the appropriate storage space required under the byelaws.

Businesses that fail to comply are open to fines.

Independent councillor Frankie Neylon said the business community was being unfairly targeted when other serious instances of illegal dumping go unpunished.

He said, “I have had people contact me about a certain house being used by a scrap dealer. There is a council owned house across from the house and it is being used as a dump. If the

byelaws can be used to deal with the man in Chapel Lane, they should be able to deal with individuals like that. I want the law to apply to eve- ryone.”

He proposed that CCTV be in- stalled on the council’s property as MOCKS KOE

Independent councillor Tommy Brennan called for a survey to be carried out on the number of busi- nesses operating from council owned houses in Ennis.

He said, “I know it is happening in other places around town, but there

is a truck parked on footpaths in Clancy Park. A child will be killed out on the road one of these days. You have acid leaking out of batter- ies. It ruins the area for other people living there. If you or I, or any mem- ber of the settled community did that, the law would be brought down on top of us.”

Fine Gael councillor Johnny Flynn said “the council shouldn’t be ham- mering legitimate businesses that are upfront and honest in their dealing ald ema

Town Engineer Tom Tiernan said a

lack of “solid evidence” against al- leged perpetrators had made rigour- ous enforcement almost impossible.

He said, “There are a number of cases out there where there are sus- picions that people are dealing in scrap. If you are to follow these up and pursue them to the fullest extent, that means going to court. If it goes to court you need people to stand up and give solid evidence. And you can understand that people might have certain fears about doing that.”

He added, “If you don’t have evi- dence that won’t stand up, then there

EUGENE Costello has been de- scribed as a “character” – a character with a love of curraghs.

So much so that the Kilkee man, who turned 65-years-old last week was instrumental in reviving curragh racing in the west and bringing the All-Ireland Curragh Racing Cham- pionships to west Clare for the first MESO ol

This after almost 30 years since the once popular sport of curragh racing all but vanished in west Clare.

According to the champion of the curragh, this had as much to do with a lack of interest of a new generation, as it had with the introduction of ex- pensive insurance to run such events and the scourge of emigration.

The curragh however did not dis- appear completely with locals using them from time to time for fishing NIG Moo RUUKO AYN UNO)

‘Many years ago I saw a lone cur- ragh coming in after being out fish- ing all night and it was lovely,’ he said.

Eugene decided to carry out an in- ventory of all the curraghs still left in the west. There were up to nine cur- raghs in Kilrush and five in Kilkee.

“Back in Carrigaholt there was a man making curraghs and he had five or six,’ said Eugene. “There was more than enough to start some- den bercaa

This all happened 15 years ago and since then people have been making more curraghs in Kilkee which are also used by group from around the

west for racing.

Today crews can be found in Kul- baha, Doonbeg, Kilrush, Kilkee and Carrigaholt as curragh racing in GUE Kem ISA alan tetnelcar Kaas.) B

Just last month Kilbaha played host to the All-Ireland Curragh Champi- onships thanks to the hard work of Eugene and the dedicated crews.

“A lot of hard work went into it. It cost up to €11,000 to run it for two days but it was worth it as the cream of curragh racing came from all over the country including west Kerry, Coonagh, Donegal, Galway and the Aran Islands,’ said the man who is no stranger to racing curraghs him- self.

In the 1990s he was part of a suc- cessful crew with the Harte brothers from Kilkee.

“We have the distinction of win- ning the confined race in Kilkee for eight years in row,’ laughed Eugene. “That record won’t be broken in my lifetime.”

“Forty years ago I couldn’t get my place in any crew because there was a lot around, but when it came back I raced.”

Modern record books will show him as a constant in the new age of curragh racing.

LAHINCH’S growing reputation as a top international surfing venue will be further enhanced on September 13 and 14 when the West Coast Surf Club will host the 2008 Longboard Classic which has become one of the most hotly anticipated competitions in the Irish surfing calendar.

Started in 2003, the event — the only of its kind in Ireland — attracts long- boarders from all over Ireland and is particularly resonant in the closing wake of the Bejing Olympics as surf- ing is widely tipped to feature in the 2012 Games.

Ireland – and Lahinch – holds its own on the world stage in terms of the quality of surf available and also given the standard of Irish surfers which is again among the best inter- nationally.

Last year saw a record number of entrants, the overall winner being Garry Hall from Kerry with Ben Hanna from the West Coast Surf Club in second place.

This year’s event is set to attract an even greater response with organ- izers Cliodhna Fawl, Dave Flynn, Alan Black and David Collins over- Whelmed with the level of applica- tions to date.

Stating that the event had attracted a record number of sponsors, Cliodhna Fawl said, ““We’ve always been great- ly impressed with the level of interest and support we’ve attracted since the inaugural event in 2003.

‘In addition to an enthusiastic level of support from local businesses, we’re also delighted that Sony are signed up as a sponsor for this year’s classic.”

Subject to weather conditions and swell, it is anticipated that Septem- ber 13 will see the initial heats and quarter finals run off with the sem1- final and finals being held on the fol- lowing day.

Interested participants may down- load an entry form off the West Coast Surf Club’s website (www.westcoast- surfclub.com) while the deadline for applications sent by post – to Lahinch Surf Shop, Old Promenade, Lahinch, c/o Chodhna Fawl – is Thursday, September 4.

A non-refundable entry fee of €15 is required on application as 1s cur- rent Irish Surfing Association mem- bership.

For further details on the compe- tition contact Cliodhna Fawl 086 3366023, David Collins 087 8036963 or Dave Flynn 087 629 2335, or visit www.westcoastsurfclub.com.

NON-ENNIS residents could have their say on the make-up of Ennis Town Council in next year’s local Here w Oy I TSE

Ennis Town Council is considering a proposal that would allow business owners with premises in Ennis, but not actually living in Ennis, to cast a vote in local elections next year.

Members of Fermoy Town Council have written to their counterparts in Ennis requesting that they support a motion, passed in the Fermoy Coun- cil chamber in July.

The motion states, “This council calls on the Government to enact legislation whereby any individual who pays rates or service charges to a local authority be entitled to vote in that local authority’s elections and that we circulate details of the mo- tion to councils countrywide to seek their support.”

At yesterday’s meeting of Ennis Town Council, Fianna Fail coun-

cillor Tom Glynn called on his col- leagues in the chamber to support the motion.

“It is a merited proposition,” said Cllr Glynn, “If a person is a member of the business community in En- nis he or she should be entitled to a vote.”

Cllr Glynn said many people op- erating businesses in Ennis were not residents in the town. “There are lots of people from outside the town who have businesses in Ennis. I agree with the sympathy of the motion and J think we should support it.”

Town Clerk Eddie Power said problems existed regarding the pro- posal. The council is to write to the Minister for the Environment, John Gormely after members sought fur- ther clarification on the matter.

Meanwhile, members have also outlined their preferred measures for the control of postering for elections and referenda.

The proposals put forward by the Department of Environment, Herit- age and Local Government involve limiting posters to designated bill- boards or temporary hoardings, limiting the number of posters per candidate and introducing a code of practice on issues such as maximum poster size, bio-degradability of ma- terials and poster ties.

Mayor of Ennis Peter Considine said he didn’t see the value of elec- tion posters and that he won’t be using them during next year’s cam-

or nea ne

that the project was never a moneymaking venture but about changing people lives for the better.

The €4 million etown project is the first of its kind in Ireland and con- struction work on the 12 combined home/work units in the scheme was completed early this year with Shan- non Development taking ownership

in April.

“There has been a lot of activity with the show house,” said Mr Ryan.

The e-towns initiative allows peo- ple to work from home and has been designed as an innovative way of helping people find a better quality O) Ms BB Kee

This unique integrated development combines living and office space with high-tech broadband access.

The current property downturn has had an affect on the sale of the hous- es and units in Miltown Malbay but as the economy continues to change Mr Ryan believes that the e-town

concept will become an even more valuable part of modern life.

“We believe in the concept. The time is right. More people will want to live close to work as the price of oil and petrol gets more expensive.”

“We see this as a long term invest- ment and we are not in it for the money,’ said the Shannon Develop- ment employee. “It is about changing quality of life for the best.”

So committed to the concept, Shan- non Development is preparing to Open its second etown to the public ONS To) O)Ko08 elo aoe

The eight-unit homework space is

situated on 1.3 acres inside the walls of an old mill. From there the sem1- state company plans to build similar etowns in Offaly, north Tipperary and County Limerick.

Among the many attraction likely to entice people to the west Clare etown and the nine primary schools and secondary school in the area.

It also has a vibrant community, surfing, golf, drama, Irish music classes, créche facilities, 15 bars and a dozen restaurants within a few of miles, and of course the sea. It is also just 30 minutes from Ennis and un- der an hour from Shannon Airport.

THE ICMSA has called for an im- mediate and co-ordinated response from Government to the recent floods in terms of the health and safety is- sues involved.

ICMSA Rural Development Com- mittee Chairman John O’Donnell said the piecemeal approach current- ly favored to what is rapidly becom- ing a matter of national emergency is completely inadequate to the scale of the threat posed.

“We have to be much more sys- tematic, both in terms of short term actions to repair damaged infra- structure and longer term measures to lessen the effects of the flooding that all the forecasters are saying 1s going to become a permanent feature of our lives,’ he said.

Mr O’Donnell pointed out that me- dia and official attention tended to focus on the damage floods inflicted on urban environments with rural areas receiving much less attention and, consequently, much less aid.

‘There has been considerable dam- age done in both towns and country areas with biting losses suffered by farmers through damaged crops and saturated land.

“While a lot of the media attention is focused on urban areas, people should not forget that many people living in country areas have also seen their houses flooded as well as ruinous income losses through the inability to farm because of the flooding.

“It is clear, as well, that there are massive health and safety issues as- sociated with flooding and it is es- sential that the Government address these as a matter of priority and not simply forget them once the floods have subsided,’ pointed out Mr O’Donnell.

“A great deal of the damage relat- ing to these floods stems from out- dated infrastructure, such as bridges, culverts, and various types of debris obstructing rivers and the failure to maintain rivers in an appropriate condition — and that failure is the

clear responsibility of the Govern- ment and its agencies.

“It is ICMSA’s view that a special fund should be established to address these infrastructure deficits immedi-

ately in a way that will minimise the Stress and losses to families, who are facing the prospects of this type of chaos every year,’ concluded the IC- MSA Chairman.

FEARS that low-cost airline, Rya- nair might axe routes at Shannon have been calmed, with a spokesman for the Shannon board saying they hope to do business with the O’ Leary outfit “well into the future”.

Ryanair has warned that if the Shannon Airport Authority (SAA) changes the costs on its five year deal at Shannon, there will be repercus- SIONS.

But yesterday, a spokesman for the board said that the Ryanair deal is doing well, with the airline perform- ing beyond expectations.

“We have a very strong and posi-

tive working relationship with Rya- nair. They are valued customers and we look forward to this continuing to be the case well into the future,’ the spokesman said.

According to Ryanair’s deputy chief executive, Michael Cawley the airline has a fixed cost deal at Shan- non and it is working.

He added however, “If by any chance there is an attempt by the Shannon Airport Authority (SAA) — which we don’t anticipate — to change those costs for sure will there will be repercussions.”

Mr Cawley said, “We will hon- our our deal in Shannon so as long as Shannon honours their deal with

ine

Mr Cawley was making his com- ments in the wake of Ryanair pulling two routes out of Cork Airport to the UK arising from a dispute with the Cork Airport Authority (CAA) over airport costs.

Mr Cawley said, “Unlike Cork, Shannon made an independent deci- sion in 2004 to do a five year long term low cost deal with Ryanair. We have delivered up to 1.7 million to the end of April at Shannon and are on target to do 1.9 million to the end of April next year.”

Cllr Patricia McCarthy (Ind) said yesterday, “I would expect Shannon to adhere to the deal.”

Cllr McCarthy said that the current deal will expire in 2010. She said, “Ryanair has been good to Shannon and Shannon has been very good to Ryanair.

She added, “Shannon has been made cost competitive with the loss of 250 jobs and in the negotiations, but sides will know how far they can go and the facilities provided at Shannon Airport have to be paid for.”

Earlier this year, Ryanair warned that its multi-million euro deal with the Shannon Aijrport Authority (SAA) may not be renewed if the air- port does not further reduce its cost pe Ioe

The maintenance of the five year deal — worth €300 million to the west of Ireland according to the Shannon Airport Authority (SAA) — is key to the airport’s survival and is up for renewal in two years time.

Shannon Airport has become in- creasingly reliant on Ryanair since it established its base at Shannon in 2005 with the airline now flying to 32 destinations and accounting for over two million or two-thirds of passengers at Shannon.

Underlining Ryanair’s dominance at Shannon, the company has recent- ly erected a ‘Welcome to Ryanair Country’ billboard at the entrance to Welomr-Nby Olea

that dumping has escalated to a completely unacceptable level.

“The current warden is doing a

fine job but it’s a big area to cover,

spreading from Westbury all the way into Clare. He can’t be working twenty four hours a day, seven days a week,” the Labour councillor said.

Cllr Fitzgerald, who runs a food business 1n the Westbury Centre, says there has been a marked increase in illegal dumping in recent months.

“T come in in the morning and my bin has bags of other people’s rub- bish in it. Householders in the area ring me angry that they put out their bins for collection and overnight, other people come along and fill the

bins up. At every bottle bank, you see cardboard boxes dumped and drive out to Broadford and there’s rubbish just dumped at the side of the road.”

The councillor believes that people are dumping at night and at week- ends, knowing that the litter warden can’t work every weekend.

“IT saw a pick-up truck drive past me last Sunday loaded down with bags of rubbish. That was at 2pm on a Sunday. The truck drove towards Clare and I saw it coming back at

3.30pm empty. Now where did those bags of rubbish end up? There was no official landfill or recycling place open on Sunday.”

Cllr Fitzgerald said he is also ask- ing the director of services to tell him how many fines and court pros- ecutions there have been for littering in the east Clare area.

‘People are dumping because they know they won’t be caught or penal- ised. We need more than one person to enforce this legislation. It’s getting out of hand.”

CLARE IFA members were among the large crowd of milk suppliers who marched in protest to the Kerry group headquarters in Tralee last week to express their dissatisfac- tion at the group’s failure to lift its June and July milk price, and at Ker- ry’s slippage down the milk price league.

Addressing the suppliers, IFA Dep- uty President Derek Deane said the

protest was being staged to ensure that the Kerry Group clearly under- stood their anger at Kerry’s recent milk price policy.

“Kerry used to be a milk price leader, setting the pace for the in- dustry, and always paying a top price. They have since fallen back to ninth position out of 13 in the 2007 Farmers Journal/KPMG audit. This July, Kerry has slipped once again, and is paying its suppliers less than the other two big milk purchasers,

Dairygold and Glanbia. Kerry’s own suppliers now feel their company is more committed to the stock market than it is to them,’ he added.

‘Kerry has scale, efficiency and a diversified, high value product mix that puts it in an strong position to pay a leading milk price – indeed it used to have a proud record of doing so in the past. Kerry must immedi- ately pay an extra 2c/I for July milk, and commit to pay a leading milk price for the rest of 2008 and for the

future,’ Derek Deane said.

IFA National Dairy Committee Chairman Richard Kennedy added, “Kerry is letting its suppliers down at the worst possible time. Farmers are now faced with massive cost in- creases threatening their profitabil- ity, which they are in no position to pass back. Now more than ever they need Kerry to deliver the strong- est possible milk price – but Kerry is deliberately dragging its heels on the July price, paying 1.6c/l less than

Glanbia (allowing for their recent 2c/ | top up), and Ic/I less than Dairy- gold.”

“Kerry milk producers are sending a clear message to all the directors of the PLC board today: Kerry must ur- gently revise its milk pricing policy. Kerry suppliers are demanding to be back at the top of the price league. Kerry must pay an additional 2c/l for July, and regain its once proud place as a strong milk price leader,” Rich- ard Kennedy concluded.