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TWO of the four people injured last Friday night in a road traffic collision near Crusheen had to wait for over an hour in the rain for ambulances to reach the scene.

The two car head-on crash occurred shortly before 6 o’clock at Crusheen on the main N18 Ennis to Galway road. Two units of the fire brigade from Ennis and four ambulances from Ennis and Ennistymon attend- ed the incident, however, it took an hour before two of the ambulances reached the incident.

The injured, three women and a man, were taken to Ennis General

Hospital for treatment. The road was blocked for over an hour while traf- fic was backed up for several kilome- tres in each direction. None of the patients sustained seriously injured, however, some were trapped in the vehicles for a short time.

While the first ambulance arrived at the scene within minutes, it took more than half an hour for the sec- ond ambulance to arrive. This meant that the first ambulance on scene could not leave with its patients until back-up arrived. At one point, para- medics were treating one patient on a stretcher and another on the floor of the only ambulance at the crash.

It took a further 30 minutes before

another two ambulances reached the incident, over an hour after the crash was first reported. It 1s understood that one of the Ennis ambulances was returning from a call in Limerick at the time of the incident leaving just one ambulance to cover emergencies in Ennis.

In recent years, a new European Standard of ambulance has been introduced which means that vehi- cles can only accommodate a single Stretcher instead of the two which could be carried in older vehicles. Ambulance personnel in Ennis have long complained about the lack of re- sources within the service.

Last Wednesday night, an ambu-

lance from Kilrush had to travel 80 kilometres from its base to a medi- cal emergency in Newquay in north Clare because the Ennistymon am- bulance was also tied up.

Also last Wednesday, a single am- bulance from Ennis had to make two trips to the same traffic accident to take patients to hospital because of a lack of vehicles. Three cars were involved in the pile up at the New Road/Clonroad roundabout. The ambulance had to take one patient to Ennis General Hospital before re- turning to the scene for the second casualty.

A response was awaited from the HSE last night.

SAY ‘basketball’ and most people think of a game they haven’t played since secondary school.

Not so in Shannon and Newmarket, where the game is alive and well and ea cena tetce

‘It’s a great sport for keeping fit. It’s great fun and there’s a brilliant social aspect to the whole thing as well,” said captain of the Shannon/New- market team, Vivienne McMahon

The team has just started back

training for the season and they are hoping to get more people involved UOMO eComAbuOME-Dele mee-Neelonp

‘‘At the moment we have 13 people involved but it would be great if a few more people came along.

‘Anyone over 18 can play but most of us are in our late twenties and ear- ly thirties so people shouldn’t be put off if they’re not in the first bloom of youth,” said Vivienne.

This is the team’s third year com- peting in the Limerick league and they are steadily gaining experience.

“We’re up against the likes of the UL team but the point is to get in there and play’, said Vivienne.

Not having played before or not having played since school is not a problem, Vivienne said.

“The last time most of us played was when we were in school but it all comes back to you.. You might not be very fit at the start but it’s unbeliev- able for fitness – you really notice a difference if you don’t play for a cou- ple of weeks”.

SUK w eM oKOM UOMO Ane

enne for helping team mates improve their skills, given that she teaches basketball in Ennis Community Col- lege.

The team train twice a week, in Shannon on Tuesdays between 7pm and 9pm and in Newmarket on Thursdays between 8pm and 9pm.

‘New players are welcome to come along and see how they like it. Just give me a call,’ added Vivienne.

For more details on the team and training, Vivienne can be reached at 087 6883846.

THE accumulated losses of Lahi- nch Seaworld have now passed the €500,000 mark after the company’s latest returns show the centre sus- tained a small loss in 2007.

According to the company’s |at- est returns to the Companies Office, Lahinch Seaworld sustained a loss of €10,900 in 2007, a drop on the €16,400 suffered in 2008.

The centre’s accumulated losses now stand at €507,000, however, centre director, Cllr Richard Nagle (FF) remained bullish yesterday over the financial state of the centre and its future prospects with the open- ing of a new gym that is expected to boost revenues.

The accounts also show that there has been a significant upturn in its cash-flow activities, increasing to 99,000 last year from ©22,000 the

previous year.

Cllr Nagle said yesterday, “The centre is doing very well and is being run very efficiently and costs are be- ing constantly monitored.

“There has been a very positive re- sponse to the gym and the new facili- ties will benefit tourists and locals alike.”

As a member of the board who doesn’t receive any fees for their involvement in the centre, Cllr Na-

gle said, “This summer’s miserable weather has shown just how impor- tant Lahinch Seaworld is for Lahinch where families can go and enjoy the facilities available.”

“By remaining open all year round, Lahinch Seaworld is a tremendous asset for the community. For exam- ple, 36 schools use the centre for swimming lessons.”

According to a statement accom- panying the accounts, the strategy of

the company is to actively promote its services and to be competitive.

The accounts show that an increase in turnover to €805,000 compared to €779,000 in 2006.

The accounts also show that the centre has 34 people employed with staff costs last year totalling €415,000 and has a bank loan, which is guaranteed by Clare County Coun- cil. The council this year contributed €60,000 to the centre.

A JUDGE jailed a man for three months yesterday after hearing that he hit an innocent by-stander around the head because the man hesitated in giving him a second cigarette. ‘He can’t walk down a public street and assault someone and think he can get away with it,’ Judge Leo Malone said after Patrick McCarthy (21) with

an address at 12 Pearse Avenue in Ennis pleaded guilty to assaulting a man at Shannon shopping centre on WE ara

McCarthy also pleaded _ guilty to breach of a barring order and to breach of the Public Order Act.

Inspector Michael Gallagher told Ennis District Court that on May 29, McCarthy approached a man at the Shannon Town Shopping Centre and

asked him for a cigarette.

When the man gave him the ciga- rette “he asked for a second one and when this man hesitated, he hit him twice in the head”.

His solicitor, Tara Godfrey, said her client – who is due to marry in Feb- ruary – has “considerable problems with alcohol”.

The breach of the barring order re- lated to his parents home, but he now

has a good relationship with his par- ents, she said.

“He has taken himself off to live in Galway in an effort to remove him- self from the situation,” his solicitor Sr HKOe

Ms Godfrey added that her client is “aware of the seriousness of the Shannon incident and he is pleading guilty to it”.

Judge Malone imposed two, two-

month jail sentences for breaching the barring order and for the public order offence, in which he was found Gebel @percamar ele elme-beCelselcs mmm cnt: NeMmBD MEO Ele grounds of Ennis National School.

He further imposed three months on the assault charge, ordering that the sentences run concurrently.

The court set bail for an appeal at McCarthy’s own bond of €750 with an independent surety of €1,000.

INSPIRED by a surprise victory for St Joseph’s on Friday night that opened up the group once more, both teams pinpointed this game to get their challenge back on track.

As a result, Corofin and Tubber tore into each other in real local der- by fashion, producing a compelling yet open encounter in the last of the championship games on Sunday.

Despite a strong breeze blowing towards the clubhouse, it was a rela- tively even affair throughout but that SOKO LNAUE NUM Mmoiesleore menace phant was due to a ten minute pur- ple patch directly after half-time in which they outscored Tubber by 2-6 to 0-1 to overturn a one point deficit into a ten point lead.

Admittedly, they took their foot off the gas after that and allowed Tub- ber to charge at them once more but after building up such a mammoth advantage, they deservedly held on to complete the victory.

Essentially, the difference overall was the ability of Corofin and Kevin Heagney in particular, to obtain goals out of nothing. The Clare mi- nor set up Corofin’s first goal for Kil- lian Neylon and then scored two op- portunistic goals in the space of six minutes after half-time, first gather-

ing a John Williams puck-out before slipping his shot into the far corner of the net.

The second was even better when he again fielded from a Darragh Clancy clearance before jinking past his man and burying into the top corner.

At the other end, despite grabbing two late goals, Tubber had four clear goal chances over the 60 minutes that were twarted by goalkeeper John Williams, including a late first

half penalty save from Blaine Earley that would have given Tubber a four- point half-time cushion.

Tubber had started brightly and were Q-5 to O-2 ahead at the end of the first quarter, mainly thanks to three Blaine Earley frees but they were rocked by Neylon’s goal that cancelled out their early advantage.

From that juncture to the break, the sides went point for point until the impressive David O’Donoghue con-

verted his third point of the half to give Tubber a slender half-time lead.

Corofin emerged a more focused side in the second period and mov- ing Dara Shannon to midfield, they opened up Tubber with ease to score 2-6 and push them into a command- ing lead.

Tubber emptied the bench and it sparked a reaction with first, Shane O’Connor and then first cousin Bar- ry grabbing two goals by the 55th

minute to produce a nervy finish.

As the heavens opened though, the game petered out and Corofin held their ground to carve out the much needed win and even up the group once again.

THE Shannon fire service has got the go-ahead to extend and refurbish the local fire station.

The Department of the Environ- ment, Heritage and Local Govern- ment has approved the tender recom- mended by Clare County Council under the fire services capital pro- gramme and will contribute more than €1.2 million to the project.

The proposed improvements in- clude the addition of three extra fire bays, developing the drill yard as well as the inclusion of new accom- modation facilities for the crew.

Acting Chief Fire Officer Tom Burke described the announcement as a major step forward in the ongo-

ing development of fire and rescue services across County Clare.

“The fire fighting capability of the local service will be greatly en- hanced through the provision of a refurbished and larger station in County Clare’s second largest town,” he said.

“The completion of these works will enable the Fire and Rescue Serv- ice to allocate additional fire vehicles in Shannon. We also intend develop- ing training facilities in Shannon, similar to those currently being put in place at Ennis Fire Station.”

“Furthermore, the service intends to locate a new water tanker in Shan- non, subject to the approval of fund- ing by the Department. The provi- sion of this unit will help us deal

with structural fires along with fire incidents in rural areas throughout Shannon and the wider region”.

Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture Tony Killeen (FF) said, “Although the existing station has served the area well since 1979, the considerable development in all sectors, including the tourist, com- mercial and industrial sectors in the intervening period necessitated addi- tional investment in the fire services in Shannon in order to deliver a mod- ern service.”

“The proposed works will add fur- ther to the capability of the fire serv- ices in County Clare. The project will now proceed to construction stage and is expected to be complet- ed within 10 months,’ concluded the

Junior Agriculture Minister.

ClUlr Patricia McCarthy (ind), Chairperson of the Strategic Policy Committee on the Environment, Emergency Services and Consumer Affairs, added her approval for the refurbishment.

‘This is great news for the County Clare Fire and Rescue Service con- sidering it follows on so quickly after the official opening of the new Kil- laloe Fire Station and the Depart- ment’s approval of funding for a new fire training centre in Ennis.”

Clare County Fire and Rescue Service is currently made up of 12 Senior Fire Officers, one whole time Station Officer in Ennis and 77 Re- tained Firefighters in seven stations throughout Clare.

DESPITE the rain, hail and winds they danced, played and sang in Kil- rush at the weekend as visitors and locals made the most of the Eigse Mrs Crotty.

The public houses and workshops were a place of refuge and entertain- ment, as the crowds forgot one of the wettest Augusts on record with the help of an accordion, tin whistle or bodhran.

The Eigse Mrs Crotty Festival is in its 13th year and the traditional mu- sic festival has grown to incorporate music, singing and dancing work- shops, a Mrs Crotty memorial con- cert, singing sessions, recitals and a vibrant session trail.

The five-day festival would not be possible without the hard work of the local committee and the influence of the talented Mrs Crotty.

Born Elizabeth Markham in 1885 near Cooraclare, Mrs Crotty, was the youngest of the large Markham fam- ily. By the time of her death in 1960

she had become recognised as one of Ireland’s foremost exponents of the concertina

She married Miko Crotty and to- gether they established Crotty’s Pub- lic House in the Square, Kilrush. It was from this House of Music that Elizabeth Crotty’s reputation qul- etly grew. Ciaran MacMathuna’s first excursion to rural Ireland in the 1950’s with RTE’s mobile unit was to record the talented woman for the nb usa bE Toe

Mrs Crotty was described as a gentle and unassuming woman and a natural musician who enjoyed a unique mastery of the concertina.

It was said that people would seek out her company and sit quietly cap- tivated as she played. According to the official website “what she loved most of all was teaching and encour- aging young musicians”.

The spirit of this inspiring woman was well and truly in Kilrush this weekend as young people learnt from talented musicians and singers as part of the many workshops.

A FATHER stole DVDs to sell them so he would have money to treat his teenage daughter during an access visit, a judge was told.

Michael Chapman (37) of 29 Clancy Park, Ennis, pleaded guilty to a number of thefts, including stealing ten DVDs worth €79.90 from Xtra Vision in Ennis.

He also pleaded guilty to taking a digital camera worth €162 from K and K computers, a mobile phone from another premises and a Nike jacket, and three bottles of perfume worth €148.50 from Cassidy’s phar- TaT-Teaye

His solicitor Tara Godfrey told the court that Chapman has two children and considers himself the father of his partner’s three children.

“He has a teenage daughter who does not live with him or her mother but he plays a supportive role in her life. It is poignant that he tells me, he stole the DVDs with the intention of

selling them so he could have a good access visit with that daughter,’ Ms Godfrey said.

She added that Chapman has a drink problem and the crimes are “drink related”.

‘He has previous convictions – the last one was in 2005. That he has not offended since then is quite remark- able for him.”

He sentenced Chapman to four

months for the theft of the camera and four months for the theft of the perfume, to run concurrently. Other charges, including the DVD thefts, were taken into consideration.

The judge set bail for an appeal at Chapman’s own bond of €500 with an independent surety of €1,000.

MAYBE Shannon, in a club cham- pionship gone wrong weather-wise, could be the spark for St Joseph’s Doora-Barefield to roll back the years to when they were the most feared club in the land.

Remember when they were kings in °99 — county, Munster and All-Ire- land champions, but when those titles would have counted for little had they failed to finally exorcise their Clare- castle demons in championship.

It finally happened in Shannon, a semi-final showdown moved from Cusack Park because of the inclem- ent weather. So it was that this fixture fell in Cusack Park and was trans- ferred to Shannon.

So it was that St Joseph’s produced their best display in three years. With seven survivors from their storied championship years from 1998 to ’O1 still manning gaps all over the field they blitzed a Sixmilebridge team re- duced to bagging a consolation goal two minutes from time.

But that’s not to suggest that this St Joseph’s is an ageing team digging out one final kick at the big time — at the kernel of this their impressive seven-point win was the fusion of old and new.

The work of the last few years in getting the blend right seems to be clicking into place. St Joseph’s have finally emerged from a three-year championship slump with their new team, built on familiar foundations, but with enough young blood to give enthusiasm and no little adventure.

Cue their first half display in this one when they ran a ragged Sixmi- lebridge off the park and into their dressing room at half-time trailing by 1-11 to O-7. Double scores and St Joseph’s were full value for eve- ry point of that lead as they left the ‘Bridge floundering in their wake.

It was champagne hurling at times, with intensity and hunger for the sli- otar and scores that following over- whelming a Sixmilebridge side that only offered some token resistance through Caimin Morey up front.

St Joseph’s had big performers eve- rywhere — David Hoey sniping pos- Session in the half-back line; Ken Kennedy beside him keeping Niall Gilligan very quiet; Marty O’Regan having his best championship game ever in the corner; Greg Lyons’ in- dustry in the middle; Seanie McMa- hon’s impressive championship debut as a forward; Michael McNamara’s haul of scores.

Of course a 1-1 inside three min- utes was the perfect launching pad. Darragh O’Driscoll fired over the Opening point, while the goal came after David Fitzgerald could only bat a 60-yard sideline cut from Conor

Hassett into the path of Michael Mc- Namara who flashed to the net from ATE TECK

St Joseph’s never really looked back and though Sixmilebridge responded with two Niall Gilligan points, it was “The Parish’ who really caught the eye as they chased after the two points with a real sense of purpose.

Conor Hassett knocked over a cou-

ple of long range frees for fun while Michael McNamara had the facility to pop up anywhere and then more importantly pop over the points. Mc- Namara put St Joseph’s 1-4 to O-2 in front by the 13th minute and there was much more to come.

Caimin Morey did reduce the gap to three points by the 15th minute as a clear pattern began to emerge.

Whenever the “Bridge looked like edging towards parity, St Joseph’s just moved through the gears at will and eased away towards half-time. David Hoey and Seanie McMahon stepped up with inspirational scores by the 20th minute, while a two-point scoring burst from Greg Lyons in the closing minutes of the half again showcased St Josephs’ hunger.

The “Bridge were just hanging in there thanks to points from Derek Fahy, Niall Gilligan and Caimin Mo- rey in the closing ten minutes of the half, but even at that the last act was played out by the hardworking Dam- ian Kennedy when he got his name on the scoresheet in the final few seconds.

There never looked like being a way back for Sixmilebridge, albeit that they had the wind advantage to come. St Joseph’s had the hunger again though and points by Michael McNamara and Conor Hassett post- ed their early intentions.

A tally of 1-4 in the second half was never going to be enough for the “Bridge, especially against a St Joseph’s team that were rampant at times. There was the individual bril- liance of Greg Lyons’ scores, and the teamwork behind Michael McNama- ieee

Teamwork and individual brilliance are potent forces that could carry St Joseph’s a long way in 2008.

SOCCER has been a big part of Brendan Wall’s life and the Shannon man has played a big role in develop- ing the game in Clare.

Last week, friends and colleagues gathered in Ennis to mark Wall’s 20 years of service to soccer in the county.

Wall moved to Shannon in 1977 and a year later joined the local New- town soccer club. In 1988, he joined the committee of the Clare School- boys Soccer League, then headed up by founder and Kilmaley man, Frank etry

In those days, schoolboy teams competed in just three age groups

under 11, under 13 and under 15. However, in the intervening years, schoolboy’s soccer has undergone a major transformation, with the num- bers playing the game now at record levels.

19 clubs, some fielding as many as three teams in one age group, now compete across 13 leagues. This summer saw the largest ever expan- sion of the league with the entry of 19 new teams.

Wall served for 15 years as league chairman and says the work of done by parents and coaches at club level is the driving force behind the growth of the game.

He cites the first time a Clare team entered the prestigious Kennedy Cup

in 1996 as one of the highlights of his long association with the game.

“That was a great experience,’ said Wall. “That and the year we drew with the Dublin District Soccer League. They went on to win it out, so that was a great result.

‘There was also the year when Edel Malone from Lifford, who is an Irish international now, captained Clare in the Kennedy Cup. We have a picture from the year of Edel and Katie Tay- lor (World Champion Irish boxer), who was playing for Wicklow at the nb slome

Wall said the appointment of Denis Hynes as FAI County Development Office for Clare and the opening of the Lees Road sports facility in En-

nis, were also major milestones for Or eaNeedoe

He also paid tribute to his col- leagues on the committee of the schoolboy league

He said, “They all do a great job. Ronnie Pyne does amazing work as fixtures secretary. The standard of officials on the schoolboy league is second to none. The newest recruit 1s Clive Slater, who’s work rate makes the job of Chairman a lot easier”.

Wall steps down as league chair- man this year but is still actively involved with soccer with Shannon. He is manager of the Newtown La- dies side that will play St Mochtas in the semi-final of FAI Umbro Junior Women’s Cup on August 31.