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SHANNON Airport got a major boost yesterday, having been cho- sen as the re-fuelling stop for Brit- ish Airways planned business-class only flights from London City to New York.

During the stop at Shannon, cus- tomers will benefit from a special arrangement that will allow them to complete USA arrivals checks, meaning they will by-pass the nor- mal arrivals checks when they land in New York and speed straight

through the airport.

British Airways confirmed that this was a major consideration in choosing Shannon.

It is expected the twice-daily flights will launch in autumn 2009.

The service – the only to offer long haul flights to and from London City – will offer a one-cabin business class product with 32 seats which will flatten out to become beds.

On the ground, customers will be able to arrive at the airport as Iit- tle as 15 minutes before departure. This combined with the ability to

by-pass the usual arrivals checks in New York will make it a very con- venient, particularly for business We MUL ECe

Robert Boyle, British Airways commercial director, said, “Many city workers will be able to get from desk to aircraft in as little as 30 min- utes. This combined with Shannon Airport’s ability to complete USA arrival checks during the planned refuelling stop will ensure custom- ers can make the most of their time and travel desk to desk in the quick- est time possible.”

Airport director, Martin Moroney, welcomed the announcement. “To have a stellar aviation brand like British Airways select Shannon as the stop-over airport for this exclu- sive service 1s a real vote of confi- dence in the future of Shannon Air- port. Shannon has a long history as a transatlantic gateway, having been Ireland’s designated transatlantic airport as far back as the 1930s and we hope this new arrangement with British Airways is the start of a long and successful relationship,” seme BCCe

ALISHA O’Keeffe (9) from Parteen, knew she had a real scoop on her hands as the budding young journal- ist took off at the weekend for her first and biggest assignment – cover- ing the Olympics in Beijing.

Alisha, a keen sports fan, will par- ticipate in a once in a lifetime OI- ympic experience which will see her attending the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing where she will report back on her experiences as a very special journalist.

Alisha’s entry was picked from

hundreds of children aged between 6 and 14 years of age who entered the competition run by McDonald’s and The Sunday World, with entrants be- ing asked to write an article on the Olympic Games.

Alisha said that she has always been a fan of the Olympics and couldn’t wait to enter the competition.

“I’m really excited by the Beiing Olympics and I just can’t wait to get there. I’d really love to meet some of the Irish athletes and I hope they do really well. I’ll certainly be cheering them all on’, the cub reporter said before leaving. ”

The prize is for one child and an adult and it includes a five night stay in Beijing as well as sightseeing trips to Beying zoo, the Great Wall and kite flying at the Temple of Heaven. While at the Games, Alisha will also meet Olympic athletes, attend an Olympic event as well as the post – medal ceremony event and will have the opportunity to experience Chi- nese culture.

According to Claire Lynch, Mc- Donald’s Ireland, “The McDonald’s Champion Kids programme provides a once in a lifetime opportunity for Alisha to be a part of the 2008 OI-

ympic Games. Children from across Ireland participated in the competi- tion and selecting the winner proved to be a very tough job. However, Al- isha’s entry stood out due to her ex- cellent writing skills and her obvious enthusiasm and passion for sports and I’m looking forward to reading her report back”’.

THE rate of suicide in Clare is 12 and a half per cent higher than the national average.

A report by the Institute of Public Health in Ireland found that 13.906 people per 100,000 in the Banner county die by suicide.

The average rate of suicide in the Republic of Ireland is 12.358 accord- ing to the findings.

The all-island report also found that the rate of suicide in the Repub- lic is almost 50 per cent higher than bOmeeom Ceaser

Ireland has also the fifth highest rate of suicide in Europe.

As Clare has the ninth highest sui- cide rate in the Republic, Clare TD Joe Carey (FG) has called for appro- priate levels of funding to be made available to address suicide levels in the county.

“While suicide claims more vic- tims than road deaths each year, the Government provides ten times more funding for road awareness cam- paigns than suicide. The budget al- located is a meagre €3.05m, which is totally inadequate, whereas €40 million is spent annually on road

awareness. The Irish Association of Suicidology believe this figure needs to be increased immediately to €10m. I strongly agree with that assertion,’ he said.

“When we look at the figures, the total number of people who died by suicide in 2006 was 409 – the most recent annual figure – whereas 336 people died on the country’s roads last year. Ireland now has the fifth highest rate of youth suicide in Eu- rope.

“We need to listen to our communi- ty leaders in County Clare, and those at the coal face with voluntary and professional social bodies. We also need to make the finances available in order to develop the work being done on the ground by these people already. Suicide affects every de- mographic type in society, and it is crucial that the reasons why this 1s happening are identified and under- stood, so that society may respond appropriately.

“Undoubtedly, the pressures on young people in Ireland of the 21st century need to be identified and tackled. We can and must do more to ensure the figures released this week do not continue to rise.”

THE National Park and Wildlife Services (NPWS) has applied to Clare County Council to reconstruct an access bridge to one of Clare’s lake islands.

The NPWS has applied to build the bridge to Rabbit Island from Dro- more Wood Nature Reserve in Ruan.

The project will also include new hand railing.

According to the planning appli- cation submitted to Clare County Council on August 1, the site of the project is located within a special area of conservation and within in an natural heritage reserve. There is currently a pedestrian rope bridge accessing the island.

A decision is due on the applica- tion to reconstruct the bridge on Sep- tember 25, that will allow visitors to Dromore to access the island in comfort.

An area of approximately 400 hec- tares or 1,000 acres, Dromore was established as a nature reserve be- cause of the diversity and richness of its flora and fauna.

Its richness comes from its many different habitat types. These include a river, lakes, turloughs, callows (flodded meadows), limestone pave- ment, fen peat, reed beds and spe- cies-rich woodland.

The reserve has historical and ar- chaeological aspects. The 17th cen- tury O’Brien Castle is still standing by the lake edge. This is also the

sites of Cahermacrea Castle, Kilakee Church, two ring forts and a lime kiln. Two self-guiding nature trails of approximately one hour exist within the woodland and a section of the 140 kilometres Mid-Clare Way also passes through.

This loop overlaps on part of the Castle Nature Trail and the Mid- OETA ENE

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.