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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 SHORTAGE of new houses in Clare was predicted yesterday af- ter figures show the number of new house starts is only 29 per cent of what it was five years ago.

Local auctioneer, Dermot McMa- hon of Sherry Fitzgerald McMahon made the prediction after depart- ment figures confirmed that local authorities in Clare have received commencement notices for just 392 houses in the first half of this year.

This compares to the 1,330 com- mencement notices received for the same period in 2004. The figures provided by the Department of the

Environment show that there has been a steady decline in new house starts since 2004.

Last year there were 546 new house starts in the first half of the year and this followed 851 new house starts for the same period in 2006. There were 1,278 new house starts in 2005 and 1,330 in 2004.

Mr McMahon said that the inevita- ble consequence will be a shortage of new homes. Calling for Government intervention to help the first time buyer, he said that this would perco- late to other parts of the market.

“Confidence in the economy is the main thing needed for the housing market to recover,’ he said.

The McMahon auctioneering busi- ness has been in place for over a 100 years, and Mr McMahon said, “There are cycles and they can hurt people and there is a generation for whom this is a new experience.”

Cormac O’Sullivan of O’Sullivan Hurley DNG said that it will be well into 2009 before a significant meas- ure of consumer confidence will re- turn to the market.

He said however that confidence had increased in recent weeks with more viewings and inquiries. “People are holding back but if the prices are right, properties will sell,” he said.

In the past five workings day, his firm recorded four sale agreements.

YOU don’t have to look too hard to find the football and family con- nections that link some of the men behind one of Ennis’ newest busi- enone

Brian Fitzpatrick and Shane Dan- iels donned the red of Eire Og last Friday night as the townies bid to qualify for the knock out stages of the championship.

Pat, a selector and long serving club member, was on the line in En- nistymon as Eire Og did battle with SoKeie

Yet, away from football field, the trio will be seeing a whole lot more of each other in the coming weeks.

That’s because all three are involved in Banner Car Auctions a new busi-

ness located on the Quin Road.

The first of it’s kind in Clare, Ban- ner Car auctions offers car dealer- ships and members of the public the chance to purchase used and second hand cars in an auction setting.

It won’t be the first time Brian Fitzpatrick and Shane Daniels have teamed up this year. In May, both were part of the Rock Rovers panel that won the Clare Cup.

The two men were also members of the Eire Og team that won the sen- ior football championship in 2007 and are playing key roles again this year as the townies bid to lift the Jack Daly trophy. Both have repre- sented Clare at minor and under 21 grades with Shane a member of the Clare senior football panel between 2005-2007.

The involvement of Brian’s father Pat Fitzpatrick, Director of Banner Car Auctions, completes the Eire Og line-up.

Pat, the proprietor of Banner Cars on the Tulla Road has extensive ex- perience in the area having worked for over 40 years in the motor trade.

Brian learned the ropes at the fami- ly business on the Tulla Road but has spent the past few years working as an auctioneer with Ennis based firm Munstergroup.

Shane, a qualified electrician, is looking forward to taking up his new role as salesman with Banner Car Auctions. These maybe difficult times for businesses but Brian Fitz- patrick hopes Banner Car Auctions can buck the prevailing economic nRoITen

“We aim to provide quality cars at excellent prices for both people in the motor trade and the general pub- lic and to provide best possible prices available’, explained Brian.

He added “Car auctions have been successful in England and more re- cently Dublin. We hope the auction will spearhead a new and exciting time for Clare motor enthusiasts and for people in the motor trade. We hope to provide a quality service to the main dealers in selling as well as the general public”.

Banner car auctions opens for busi- ness Saturday, August 30 at 12 noon.

CLARE farmers have been urged to get moving in order to take advan- tage of the fifth Milk Quota Trading Scheme, with applications needing to reach the department by October 31. The new Scheme, which was an- nounced last week by the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Brendan Smith, will be the first of two Trading Schemes to allocate quota in respect of the 2009/2010 milk quota year.

Clare TD and Minister for State at the Department of Agriculture, Tony Killeen last week urged Clare farm- ers to take advantage of the scheme.

The Scheme will again be run in respect of each Co-op area, and will

be comprised of a priority pool and a market exchange. Sellers will con- tinue to contribute 30 per cent of the total quota offered for sale to the pri- Ou IAYA eee

The individual bid limit for buyers will remain at 80,000 litres, and the method for calculating the market- clearing price, including the 40 per cent price corridor, will remain un- changed.

The 3:2 ratio on the distribution of priority pool quota between young farmers and category | producers will be retained, as will the option for sellers in certain Co-op areas to sell at one or two cent per litre less than their original offer price.

“The main changes arise in the administration of the priority pool.

The maximum price at which quota is traded in the priority pool will be reduced to 10 cent per litre, unless the exchange price for that Co-op area drops below 10 cent, in which case the priority pool price will be the same as the exchange price,’ he said.

“In addition, participants in Milk Production Partnerships, whether new entrants or long-standing milk producers, will have access to quo- ta in their own right as individuals, whether on the basis that they are under 35 years of age or that their existing quota is less than 350,000 litres. Farm Managers participating in partnerships with established milk producers will have access to quota on the same basis.”

Meanwhile, it was confirmed last week that Clare’s REPS farmers un- able to spread slurry on their land due to the recent inclement weather conditions have been given a Six- week extension of the REPS slurry- spreading deadline.

According to Minister Killeen the measure applies to farmers in REPS 2 and REPS 3 who are required to have spread all the slurry produced during the winter housing period by 31 August.

“The atrocious weather conditions, particularly in County Clare and the Midwest Region, of the past two months have made it extremely dif- ficult for some local REPS farmers to get their slurry spread by the end of this month,” he said.

CLARE musicians were among the top prizewinners at the 2008 Fleadh Cheoil Na hEireann in Tullamore over the weekend. Ruan fiddle player Eimear Arkins took home one of the competition’s major individual prizes by coming first in the under 18 fiddle slow airs.

Eimear has 11 All-Ireland med- als and holds solo All-Ireland titles in Fiddle Slow Airs, English Sing- ing, Sean Nos Singing, Lilting and Comhra, as well as Bands and Grupa Ceoil.

Eimear had toured with Comhaltas in the 2007 Tour of Ireland and the 2008 Tour of Britain. She will be touring with Comhaltas in the 2008 North American tour during October no. ;

Eimear is also a member of Inis Og Ceili band who won the prestigious under 18 bands competition.

Other individual Clare winners in Tullamore included Aisling Hunt representing the Tulla branch of com- haltas in the under 12-button accor- dion; Siobhain Ni Ogain represent- ing the Corofin branch in the senior whistle category and Fergal Breen from the Doora-Barefield branch in the under 12 ulieann pipes.

Clare performed well across the cat- egories. The banner enjoyed success

in the under 12 instrumental groups section with Grupa Ceoil Burren and Grupa Ceoil Tigh na Coille finishing second and third respectively.

There was also a strong Clare showing in the dance competitions. St Mary’s took first place in the un- der 12 all-girls. In the mixed under 12-category St Joseph’s finished in third position while in the mixed un- der 15s St Michaels took first place.

The other west Clare set dancers taking part in the All-Ireland senior competition, Diabhliocht na hOige, also did the county proud by finish- ing second behind the other Clare set Kincora.

A KILRUSH area councillor has warned that more money will have to be allocated to hedge cutting in the west, if a major accident is to be avoided.

Concerned councillor Oliver Garry (FG) said a mere €40,000 had been allocated to cutting hedges on all re- gional and local roads in west Clare, which he estimates at 1,000 km.

Clare County Council carries out all of its heavy growth hedge cutting between the months of September and April. Verge cutting can take place year around.

This year the policy of the coun-

cil is to cut all the national and sec- ondary roads, junctions and long bends on regional roads, dangerous junctions on local county roads, ap- proaches to towns and villages and amenity locations.

Cllr Garry said that school routes were also once a priority.

‘There 1s no visibility around bends and people are inclined to keep to the centre of the road. It is a danger for pedestrians, cyclists, motorists and truck drivers,’ he said.

‘There is a huge risk of accidents or people being knocked down.

“You have a lot of people walk- ing for exercise in the evenings,’ he Sr nLOe

‘The council are forcing farmers to cut the hedges but they are only cut- ting them from the inside. On a three to four metre wide road you have a danger of hedges closing them in.

“We will have a major problem if more money is not put into this.”

He said the cost of cutting hedges is estimated at €180 per kilometre and argued that the allocated funds will run out soon.

“The problem is that the money is not there to cut all the hedges on ru- ral roads, unless it comes out of other road maintenance grants.”

There is a separate fund for nation- al roads and urban areas.

‘Rural people should be treated the

same as people living in urban areas and those living on national roads. We as rural people pay our taxes and as such get the same service,’ he said.

“Why can’t we have the same stand- ard in rural areas as in urban areas,” he said.

“T feel very strongly that there should be a more significant alloca- tion put aside for hedge cutting.”

The Fine Gael councillor said that just €200,000 is set aside to cut the hedges on rural and secondary roads throughout the county

“We need double that funding to give any form of decent standard of service to those roads.”

AN Ennis woman has moved to overturn a Clare County Council decision to refuse planning permis- sion for 16 luxury homes on a site she purchased for €1.8 million.

Last month, planning permission was refused to Therese McCarthy, a daughter of a well-known Ennis builder, Jack McCarthy, to construct 16 homes at Ballybeg on the out-

skirts of Ennis.

The purchase of the site was the sub- ject of a long-running legal wrangle that ended up in the Supreme Court which confirmed Ms McCarthy as the legal owner after she agreed to pay €1.8 million for the site.

Now in an appeal against the plan- ning refusal, Leahy and Conway Architects, on behalf of Ms McCa- rthy state that the reasons given for refusal of permission are “not sus-

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One of the reasons cited for refusal was the lack of sewage treatment to accommodate the scheme but Ms McCarthy claims that at a pre-plan- ning discussion with the council she was informed that there would be ca- pacity for an extra 20 houses within the existing sewage system.

‘There 1s a need in Ennis for larger houses with reasonable access to the town centre. There are many peo-

ple who have the desire to construct larger houses and it is important to make provision for them.

‘We think this approach is accepted by Clare County Council. We do not wish to develop a standard housing estate. We feel there is a need for the provision of the house type we pro- pose in the order of 2,500 to 3,500 square feet.

“We believe that the proposal now before An Bord Pleanala would be a

significant contribution to the devel- opment of Ennis in that it would pro- vide for a type of development which is recognized as being necessary and which will take pressure off demand for urban generated rural housing.

“Our site is contained entirely with- in zoned land and the development we propose is the most appropriate type of development for this site.

A decision is due on the appeal later this year.

IRISH airlines have welcomed the British Competition Commission’s initial ruling that could end BAA’s monopoly ownership of London’s biggest airports.

Ryanair has called on the Govern- ment to move on the separation of Dublin, Shannon and Cork from the ruling hand of the Dublin Airport

Authority.

“The British Competition Commis- sion has confirmed that monopoly airports and an inadequate regulator has damaged the consumer interest in the UK,” said Ryanair’s director of legal and regulatory affairs, Jim CRE Yd ste

“Sadly, Ireland has followed this same failed model, which is why Dublin Airport provides such atro-

cious customer service at ever in- creasing costs to passengers.”

Mr Callaghan said that Ryanair has “no interest” in Owning any part of Stanstead, the airline’s biggest base, if itis sold but added that the airline will work in tandem with any new owner.

He added that Ryanair would also benefit from the sale of either Glas- gow or Edinburgh airports.

Meanwhile, Aer Lingus has also welcomed the British commission’s announcement.

A break up of the monopoly would result in lower landing costs for air- lines and this could be passed on in benefits to passengers, a spokesman for the airline said.

LAST year music classes were in- troduced to the Ellen (Nell) Galvin traditional music weekend.

The classes proved so successful that they will become one of the main features of the growing festival during the first weekend in Septem- ber. The sixth year of this annual event will be held at Clancy’s Bar, Moyasta from Friday, September 5, to Sunday, September 7.

On Friday the official opening will be carried out by well-known fiddler Vincent Griffin of Feakle at 8.30pm.

This will be followed by music Sessions with Vincent Griffin, Peter

O’Loughlin, Maeve Donnelly, John Kelly, Seamus Walshe, Frank Custy, Patrick O’Loughlin and other visit- ing musicians. There will be a ceili in Clancy’s Bar with music by the Four Courts Céili Band starting at 10.30pm.

On Saturday the free classes and lessons will begining in Clancy’s.

Tin whistle and bodhran for be- ginners and improvers with Karen McInerney, flute classes with Paul Smith beginners and improvers and JOLG COU Commel Ecco ISM VAD CCo) LMG OUERENN for beginners and improvers.

Sean nos dancing and concertina classes will also take place with Mairead Considine and set dancing

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That night visitors and locals can enjoy sessions again with local and visiting musicians.

On Sunday, the now traditional Mass in Lisdeen Church will take place at 9.30am followed by a visit to EGFR Greece re Nelo rm Oontt etry weather permitting. There will be an afternoon session in Clancy’s Bar from noon.

The festival began in 2002 in mem- ory of local woman Nell Galvin.

Born Ellen McCarthy, in Bally- dinneen Knockalough on March 1, 1887, she learned to play the fiddle under the watchful eye of blind piper Garrett Barry.

She could also play the concertina but concentrated on the fiddle.

Nell was the first Clare woman to broadcast traditional Irish Music from Raidio Eireann known at the time as 2 RN.

At the age of 14 the blind piper in- sisted that she would be entered for her first feis in Ennis and she won the competition playing the fiddle.

At the age of 18 she was again en- tered for the Munster Championships in Ennis on both the fiddle and con- certina, as she was undecided as to which instrument she would devote her time. She won a remarkable dou- ble. She died on September 5, 1961, aged 74 years.