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PROSPECTS of Aer Lingus revers- ing its controversial decision to aban- don its Shannon/Heathrow service in favour of Belfast have received a ma- jor setback with latest figures show- ing that the Belfast service now lags only 2,258 passengers behind the figures for Shannon.

UK Civil Aviation Authority fig- ures for July show that 29,962 pas- sengers travelled on the new Belfast/ Heathrow route last month compared

to 32,220 on the Shannon/Heathrow route for the same month last year.

Through aggressive pricing and marketing, Aer Lingus is heading towards recapturing the passenger numbers it had on the Shannon route less than six months after the launch of the Belfast service.

The gap of 10,009 for the month of June between the two services year on year was closed by 7,751 in favour of Belfast last month.

Aer Lingus spokesman, Enda Cor- neille said they were very encouraged

by the figures which were consistent with what the airline been saying all ~NKeyatee

Load factor for July on the Belfast route was 74 per cent and Mr Cor- neille said, “We are pleased with the load factor and that traffic 1s building month on month and shows that the business case of setting up the Bel- fast/Heathrow route is sound.”

“You can’t compare the Shannon service to the Belfast service as the Shannon service was in place for a number of years and the Belfast

service 18 only in place a number of ne Levels else

He said the Belfast service had gone from zero to a load factor of 74 per cent in a matter of months.

“We are pleased with the perform- ance of all our new routes at our Bel- fast base, but especially the Heath- row route.”

Figures for the first seven months show that 139,271 passengers used the Belfast/Heathrow service — 62,000 behind in passenger numbers on the Shannon/Heathrow service

for the same period last year.

202,219 passengers used the Shan- non/Heathrow service for the first seven months of last year.

At a Dail Transport Committee hearing last month, Aer Lingus chief executive, Dermot Mannion said he regretted the damage that was caused to the airline’s reputation in the Shan- non area during three or four months of last year. He later added that, “we have not ruled out any future short- haul operations from Shannon Auir- port”.

A YOUNG ‘Tuamgraney show jumper, who is being hailed as an Irish hope for the next Olympics, is Supporting a new event at one of the county’s best-loved agricultural shows.

David Blake, and his _ parents, Michael and Mary, who run the East Clare Equestrian Centre, are delight- ed to see that for the first time this year, sportsman classes will be part of the Scariff Show.

Until now, families who have sev- eral children owning one pony could only enter one child in the show jumping events.

The new class means that the pony can be entered several times with

different riders, giving all of the chil- dren a chance to experience jump- ing and opening the field for more youngsters to follow in talented Dav- id’s footsteps.

18-year-old David achieved a suc- cessful leaving cert last year but opt- ed to follow a showjumping career.

He will be competing at the Na- tional showjumping championships in Barnadown, County Wexford, oy WLeto) @

He is just back from Prague where he represented Ireland at the Euro- pean Championships. He won the opening class seeing off 105 com- petitors and produced the best Irish performance in the team event with just a single mistake in each round from his horse, Killard Horizon.

He was selected to compete at the Dublin Horse Show at Senior Inter- national level, the youngest to be se- lected since 1974.

David’s mother, Mary said that there is a keen interest in jumping among the students who come to the centre.

“The sportsman event gives more children and young people a chance to take part in the jumping. A lot of families would own just one pony but might have more than one child who wants to compete’, she said.

Joanne Allen, Show secretary, said that all sizes of pony, 60 cm, 70, cm and 80 cm will be allowed to take part, giving children as young as six years of age their first taste of com- petitive jumping.

“Not a lot of shows have this class and that is all the more reason we are pleased to have it this year,’ said Joanne.

The show, which takes place on September 6 this year will have all of the usual classes and a vintage display, which promises to be hugely popular.

The night would not be complete without the show dance, which is held in Craic n Back at Rodgers in Scaruf.

Any entrants should contact Joanne Allen, Scariff on 061 921687 or email your entry to entry@scariffshow. com. The entry deadline is August 28.

The website www.scariffshow.com has all the details.

A COUPLE have told An Bord Pleanala that the spread of a quarry towards their home must be stopped in order to preserve their sanity. Earlier this year, Clare County Council granted planning to Mc- Grath Quarries to extend its business for another 30 years with a rock re- serve of seven million cubic metres. The move to extend the operation

by 45 acres comes with the company in a very strong financial position.

The most recent accounts to the Companies Office by McGrath (O’Callaghan Mills) Ltd show that the company’s retained profits at the end of March 2006 stood at €5.4 million.

However, the couple, Patrick and Maureen Minogue, living nearest to the multi-million euro quarrying op- eration in east Clare have appealed

to An Bord Pleanala.

In the appeal, they state, ““We have lived in our home since 1975 and the quarry was operational at the time we purchased the home, but at a significantly reduced scale. The quarry area was also a considerable distance…we obviously did not en- visage that the scale of quarrying at the site would develop to its present AoE

“Be that as it may, we do not ob-

ject to the quarrying operation, per se, and accept that the quarry exists at this location. Our main reason for appealing the permission is to main- tain a separation distance between our home and the quarry operation and to protect our water supply

“We submit that taking account of the noise impact associated with drilling, rock breaking haul trucks and their horns, blast vibration, dust emission during blasting, drilling

and hauling — we seek to establish a 250 metre buffer zone between our property and the active quarry area. “We object to the extension area and to the removal of the existing mature trees in this area to protect the integrity of our dwelling, our amenity and our sanity and retain the value of the dwelling. We believe the only realistic way to do this is to condition this separation in clear un- ambiguous terms in the permission.

THE negative effect of the Aer Lin- gus decision to abandon its Shannon/ Heathrow route is highlighted in the latest figures which show the airport losing almost 70,000 passengers on its London routes since the start of the year.

Figures released by the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) show that Shannon has lost 68,423 passengers on its London routes for the first sev- en months of the year.

Figures for July show a drop of 16 per cent or 11,423 passengers to and from London on the corresponding period last year when the Heathrow service was in place.

Ryanair has introduced an addi- tional service to try to make up for the shortfall but they are failing to make up the deficit.

Ryanair has increased passenger numbers on its Stansted service from 29,333 to 33,946 for July and also increased its Gatwick number from 10,902 last year to 18,915.

The airline also launched a Luton service that delivered 8,171 in July. However, the new service doesn’t make up for the 32,220 that used the Shannon Heathrow service in July 2007.

Many passengers in the Mid-west are going to Cork to fly to Heath- row and the Cork Airport Authority (CAA) continues to benefit at Shan- non’s expense.

Cork increased its passenger num- bers to and from Heathrow during July by 19 per cent on the corre-

sponding month last year. The airport recorded a 13.5 per cent increase on its London Heathrow service for the first six months, going from 224,669 for the first six months of last year to 255,000 from January to June 2008. The bad news for Shannon was not confined to the London market with the economic downturn contributing to a drop of 11 per cent in passenger numbers to other UK destinations in July. 48,739 passengers used Shan- non to and from other UK destina- tions compared to 55,349 last year.

Routes to show a drop in traffic include Glasgow Prestwick (down 1,558); Nottingham (down 4,142) and Liverpool (down 1,314).

However, other routes performed well including Bournemouth (up 772) and Manchester (up 2,237).

With a number of Ryanair routes not performing as well as they did last year, airport management will be wary of Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary’s comment that Shannon is only one of two Ryanair basses that is losing money.

SHANNON’S Social Diary has been part of community life for as long as most of its citizens can remember.

Now the diary is not just helping the people of Shannon plan their coming fortnight, it is also giving them an insight into their past as a 1970s copy of the popular newsletter has surfaced.

Discovered in the electricity box of a house that was being cleared out, the blast from the past now has pride of place in the Shannon Community Office.

The one page document typed on a manual typewriter all those years

ago by Ina Reddan, is a mini social record of Shannon in the seventies.

Headlining with tennis, ballroom dancing, and the cinema the inform- ative document gives an insight into the lifestyle of another generation.

Adult art classes at night cost just £2 for 20 lessons in Shannon Com- prehensive School.

On Friday October 30 a sale of work was held in Drumgeely Com- munity Hall by the local scouts. Ad- mission was a mere six pence and that included raffle tickets.

St Senan’s Parent and Teachers As- sociation and the ladies choir were also making use of the leaflet almost four decades ago.

The former lady mayor of Limer- ick, who was mayor when President John F Kennedy visited Ireland, Mrs Francis Clondel was also preparing to address the ICA according to the 1970 social diary.

The diary continues to be issued by the community office almost 40 years later, and the current staff are hoping to find an even older diary.

The community office which also houses Clarecare and the Citizen In- formation Office, is opposite Murphy Brown’s pub and 1s inviting people to drop in older “social diaries” if they Crim yam sinemeenee

The 1970 diary has already been laminated and the public are free to

ata Le

Funded and developed originally by Shannon Development the diary was then handed over to the commu- nity office. Today 3,700 diaries are delivered every second week to all the homes in Shannon and it is sup- ported by local advertising.

Rita Costello, who works with the CIC, told

A CLARE athlete, who won five medals at the World Transplant Games last year, is to seek interna- tional glory once again — and she has been boosted by a recent victory in her local golf club’s captain’s prize.

Lahinch woman Marie O’Connor arrived home from the Bangkok Games last September with two gold medals for golf, two silver medals for squash and the 200m, and a bronze for the 100m — and now she’s off to Wurzburg Germany, for the Euro- pean Transplant Games.

Ireland will send 24 athletes to the Games in Wurzburg, from August 31 to September 6, and they will be joined by family and friends. “It’s not about the medals, but about the chance to celebrate the gift of life. That’s what makes these Games so special,’ said team manager Colin AW avin

Marie stresses the importance of organ donors and the need to create a greater awareness of the benefit of organ donation. She underwent her second kidney transplant in 1998 after an unsuccessful transplant in 1996.

“IT was quite competitive before I got sick. I played football and cam- ogie. When the doctors said I said I couldn’t play contact sport I was dev- astated,’ she said.

“But my motto in life is that you don’t give up. I started to play golf and I really enjoy it.”

Just recently, she won the captain’s prize at the local golf club and she hopes this is a good omen in advance of the European Games, which aim to highlight the importance of organ donation and the benefits of healthy IVovauetoadevneletca omy ole) um

They also allow the athletes an op- portunity to give thanks for the gift of their transplants.

Marie first became sick just before Christmas in 1990. She was three months in hospital before her kidney problems were diagnosed.

After three and a half years on dialysis Marie received a kidney in 1996. “The dialysis is tough but you get used to it, it becomes a part of your life,” she said.

Unfortunately the transplant did not take, and the Clare received a second kidney donation in 1998. This year she will celebrate the tenth anniver- sary of the second transplant.

“I live for the moment. That’s what I have learned. You enjoy every day,’ added Marie.

For organ donor cards free text the word *“DONOR’ to 50050 or log on to www.ika.ie for more information.

You can follow the progress of the Irish team at the Games on www. transplantteamireland.com.

I went to get in that way. When I in his sister’s living room waiting to pulled the latch, the glass broke.” loLome DU KINO MANS OMON eA ArT OBA VOOR A JUDGE yesterday jailed a man for He told the court that the window “He is very apologetic. He didn’t four months for breaking a window __ had been cracked before he broke it. | mean to break the window and im- in his sister’s house. Gardai agreed that Maughan was mediately said he would pay for it as

Michael Maughan (34) with ad- dresses at 18 Beechwood, Clare- castle and 20 Stone Court, Ennis pleaded guilty but said breaking the window at his sister’s house at Station Court Road on August 24 was an accident.

He told Judge Leo Malone that he had been staying with his sister and there were some papers at her house which he needed to bring to Bushy Park where he is trying to get a place to deal with his drink problem.

“I knocked at the door but there was no answer and I know she leaves the back window open so

soon as possible,’ Maughan’s so- licitor, Tara Godfrey said.

Maughan, who has more than 30 previous convictions, had ap- peared before the same court last week on charges of theft and as- sault on a staff member at Dunnes NIKO tee

Judge Leo Malone had imposed fines and a suspended sentence on that occasion but said that he “gave this man a chance on sub- stantial charges last week. I won’t be giving him another one.”

NEW recycling services are to be installed in Quin with a new bottle bank facility to be set up in the vil- lage.

The bank will be located near Has- sett’s Pun in Quin at a site offered by local publican Malachy Hassett. It is anticipated that the bank will be open and ready for use by the local community within the next month.

According to local Fine Gael coun- cilor Sonny Scanlon, the facility 1s

a welcome development given the growing population in Quin and the Surrounding areas.

He explained, “It was something we have been looking for, for a long time. Its well known that the popula- tion in Quin has been increasing for some time and we needed a facility like this”.

Cllr Scanlon thanked Malachy Has- sett for providing the space needed for the bottle bank. “I would like to thank Malachy for providing the bit of land for it, we couldn’t have got his

up and going without his help. We would expect that the place would be open by September”’.

Cllr Scanlon added that the provi- sion of long overdue recycling serv- ices in Quin were an important step in keeping and maintaining the ap- pearance of the village.

“Its great that we are finally getting it. As I said before its been coming a long time and it is something we have needed. We have a growing population and developments like this are important in ensuring Quin

stays tidy”’.

Bottle banks and recycling centre, operated by Clare County Council, have become regular features in vil- lages and towns around the county.

The council operates recycling cen- tres in Ennis, Shannon, the Lisdeen recycling centre and transfer station, Kilkee and at the Scariff recycling centre and transfer station.

In an effort to halt the incidents of illegal dumping, many of the stations are monitored by closed circuit tel- evision cameras.

CLARE County Council has already refused planning permission to one park and ride scheme for the Cliffs of Moher and opposition is mounting against two others planned for the north Clare area.

Last week, the council turned down planning permission to At- lantis Development for a park and ride at Roadford, Doolin. This was the third application from the north

Clare company with the other two proposals for Liscannor and Coogy- ulla, Doolin facing strong local op- position.

Atlantis subsequently withdrew these applications and _ re-lodged them last month.

An objection to the Coogyulla pro- posal signed by 20 local residents, states that Doolin suffers from being so spread out and lacking a strong central focus and the development of a facility so far outside the village

will exacerbate this lack of focus and result in a lost opportunity for the community.

“The development will draw the village further to this location as fur- ther projects locate around the park and ride facility. No justification has been put forward for the selection of this site for the facility. What makes it suitable and what will the impact be on Doolin and its environs?

‘There is no rural park and ride fa- cility of the nature and type that is

now proposed and where it 1s not run by the operator of the tourist facility which it serves.

“Insufficient information has been lodged with the application to enable the full planning implications and impacts of the development to be considered.

“The application should include an EIS given its nature, extent and con- text. The location is being put for- ward without any assessment of its impact on the sustainable develop-

ment of Doolin and its environs.

‘This trial system was never oper- ated and no one knows exactly how it will work. It also appears now that the development of park n ride is not going to be operated by the Council, but is to be left to private enterprise both in Doolin and Liscannor,”’ the objection concludes.

The proposal for Liscannor has also attracted a lot of opposition within the village and decisions are due next month.

THE land at the centre of a bitter east Clare family dispute remains unsold more than a year after a court case over ownership of the property which is valued at €1.4 million.

However, Limerick auctioneer, John de Courcy who is handling the sale of the 66 acres near Tulla, said he had turned down a number of of- fers and is talking to a number of interested parties. Last year the land was put up for sale at public auction and Mr de Courcy said the failure to sell was due to “the current climate”.

The lands at Larraroe and Rannagh are being sold in five lots and include two ruins and an old house.

The sale was allowed proceed after Judge Harvey Kenny ordered Marie

O’ Halloran to vacate the land after a case taken by her sister-in law, Jose- phine Barry (72).

Mrs O’Halloran told Ennis Circuit Court that her late husband, Stanley O’ Halloran reached a deal in the late 1970s with the owner of the farm, his late brother, Michael, to buy the land for £65,000. She said Stanley paid different sums of cash over the years to Michael, who was a bachelor farmer.

However, it was admitted that there was no record of the agreement and Mrs O’Halloran had no record of cheques paid to Michael due to the time that had elapsed.

Josephine Barry dismissed the monies paid by Stanley O’ Halloran to Michael as ‘pocket money’ and said she had no knowledge of the alleged

deal to sell the farm to Stanley.

Mrs Barry’s sister, Ida Rohan told the court: “If there was a deal, it wouldn’t hold water.”

Counsel for Mrs Barry said Michael O’Halloran died aged 64 in May 2004 without a will and his farm was divided between his two sisters, Mrs Barry and Ida Rohan and Stanley O’ Halloran. Stanley died four months later aged 68 and his share passed to his wife, Marie O’Halloran.

Judge Kenny granted possession of the lands to Mrs Barry, an injunc- tion against Mrs O’Halloran from re-entering the lands, damages of €30,000 with a permanent stay if there was compliance with the order and costs to Mrs Barry.

After the Judge’s decision in Au- gust, a sign was erected on a pole at

the land stating “The O’Hallorans have been evicted from these lands despite several attempts to settle. The O’Halloran family now intends to purchase the lands at auction.”

Solicitors for Marie O’Halloran subsequently wrote to Mrs Barry’s solicitors stating that the signs had been removed and that she would not carry out any acts to frustrate the sale of the land.

Another incident occurred on Sep- tember 24 involving Mrs O’Halloran’s son, Daniel; Mrs Barry’s husband, Michael and her sister, Ida Rohan.

The matter was raised at Ennis Cir- cuit Court last October when Daniel and Conor O’ Halloran undertook not to obstruct the sale of the land and a court order was granted to this ef- ee