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A MAN who put off-licence staff in fear by his antics when he was drink- ing 1s “a nice, polite man” when so- ber a judge heard yesterday.

The Ennis District Court heard that Michael Maughan (34) with address- es at 18 Beechwood, Clarecastle, and 20 Stone Court, Ennis, had 33 previ- ous convictions mostly for theft.

When he appeared before Judge Leo Malone last week, the judge or- dered that he be remanded in custody after hearing he had assualted one member of staff at Dunnes Stores and intimidated another.

He appeared before the court in- toxicated and his solicitor, Tara God- frey, said yesterday that he wished to “sincerely apologise for that”.

Maughan pleaded guilty to charges of stealing drink, cigarettes and gro- ceries on various dates from Dunnes Stores in Ennis.

He also pleaded guilty to assault on a member of Dunnes staff and to public order charges.

Judge Malone heard that some of the items had been recovered but there was €160 worth of vodka and cigarettes not returned to their right-

ful owners.

Ms Godfrey said that her client has a bad problem with drink, which he is hoping to tackle after being ass- esed for a course of detox treatment in Bushy Park.

She said that the tragic death of his brother and the grieving process had not helped the problem.

‘He is seperated and does not have access to his children as his wife now lives in the UK and one of those chil- dren is now in hospital.

“Drink has taken over his life and he has no compunction about steal- ing when he is drinking, even if he knows he will be caught,” she said.

Inspector Michael Gallagher said that the accused “frightened staff at Dunnes when he was drinking. He just walks in behind the counter and takes drink. But when he is sober, he is anice, polite man.”

After Maughan’s brother produced €160 compensation for stolen goods in court, Judge Malone imposed fines totalling €365 on the theft charges and a three month jail sentence for the assault. But he ordered that the jail term not be invoked, provided Maughan commits no offence in the next two years.

CARRON was the venue last week for the launch of a new scheme which it’s hoped will bring walking in the Burren to a whole new level.

North Clare is a beautiful place when the sun shines, and it was in one of those rare patches of sunshine last week that newly appointed Rural Recreation Officer, Eimer McCarthy, met with two local landowners to fi- nalise the new walking scheme in the area.

The scheme, which has been intro- duced in 12 counties by the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Eamon O Cuiv, will see a new partnership approach to rural walks, with farmers being compen- sated for the use and uptake of their

land.

“The real significance of today is that we initiating this new walk scheme payment which means that the government are now paying land owners on national way marked ways for access through their land,” said Eimer.

“We have been walking with the National Trails Office who have sup- plied me with six inch maps on which I can identify farm boundaries. This morning I met with two farmers on the Carron Loop, which is part of the Burren Way, and I met them so that we can agree their work plans so that they can be part of this new walks scheme.

“The thing that is great about the Carron Loop 1s that it is off-road. It starts from Cassidy’s Pub and goes

off road for a nine kilometre loop which is a wonderful walk, very sce- nic and rustic but safe and well sign- posted.”

It is hoped that the new scheme will see farmers and walking organisa- tions working in partnership to pre- serve the country’s tradition walks.

‘This scheme is an important step in enhancing the quality of the four National Way Marked Ways in Clare, while also benefiting local farmers, and of course walkers themselves,” Gerard Kennedy, Rural Resource Development and The Burren Way Ltd.

“It should increase County Clare’s position as a leading walking desti- nation, and with suitable promotion could attract increased numbers of walkers to the county, benefiting lo-

cal businesses and service providers alike.”

Once the scheme is up and running in the Burren Way, plans are in place to extend it to the Mid-Clare, East Clare and Lough Derg Ways.

Meanwhile a number of events have been organised to mark National Trails Day which takes place on Sep- tember 28. To learn more about these check out www.nationaltrailsday.ie.

AS THE amateur musical and drama season prepares to take hold all over the county, the Shannon Musical So- ciety 1S preparing for a first with this year’s production.

This year the society will become the first amateur society in Ireland to perform Joe DiPietro’s ‘All Shook Up’. The musical, which was a huge success on Broadway, is based loose- ly on Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night’ and inspired by the music of Elvis USA

The society will be having a launch night on Wednesday, September 3, 1n the Oak Wood Arms Hotel at 8pm.

“Each year we host a night to en-

courage new people to come and join the musical society. It’s really more of an informative night, I think a lot of people think that it’s all about music and if you don’t have loads of talent you can’t join,” said Mary O’Loughlin of the Shannon Musical Society.

“It’s much more than that. Every- thing involved in the musical, except for the orchestra, 1s produced by lo- cal people. We have the costumes, the stage crew – the whole set is made from scratch, the front of house team and the booking office. So there is a great amount for people to be doing beside the work on the stage itself.

“It’s a great social outlet for people, especially if you have just moved to

Shannon. The society can be a great way for getting to know people and getting involved. It’s a great team effort and right across the board in terms of ages.”

This years production will be di- rected and choreographed by Oliver Hurley while Carmel Griffin will the musical director.

The musical society are hoping for a good turn out at the up coming launch night.

“Tt can be difficult enough some- times to get new male members but once they join up they stay with us for years and years. They might be that bit shy at the beginning but once they get involved in it they love it,’ she continued.

“It’s going to be afun show this year. The show will use a lot of the Elvis songs to help tell the story. There is a great story running through it, the music is really secondary – it helps to tell the story.”

Anyone interested in joining the So- ciety can take a browse through the website on Www.shannonmusical. com or call Siobhan on 086 2142554 for details on membership.

A KILRUSH man who claimed that he had been dismissed by a Kilmihil construction company was instead made redundant, an Employment Appeals Tribunal found.

Tony Killeen, Shragh, Kilrush, took a case against LM Keating, Kilmihil, after he was let go from the company in April 2007. He gave evidence that he began working for the respond- ent as a teleporter driver in August 2003. His first construction site was in Kilmihil, but he also worked on other sites as a general labourer. He drove a dumper and did a lot of snag- ging on other sites, he said.

Construction work continued to be carried out on other sites after he was dismissed and he was not offered employment on these sites. The tel- eporter that he operated continued to be operated by other employees after

he was dismissed, he claimed.

A construction director with the re- spondent company told the tribunal it has a total workforce of approxi- mately 90 employees of which 30 are employed in construction.

The witness gave evidence that the claimant was employed as a teleport- er driver and it is the policy of the company to assign teleporter drivers to a specific teleporter, to develop expertise and to foster good practice TparcNDel Red at-b Aeon

Construction work finished in Kilmihil in April 2007 and the claimant was made redundant as no vacancies existed on that site or any other site for a teleporter driver.

The tribunal made a majority deci- sion that the claimant was dismissed by reason of redundancy and said it was “satisfied that a genuine redun- dancy situation existed and he was fairly selected for redundancy”.

THE Gort Family Resource Centre will this week celebrate 5 years of community work in the area with the announcement of a number of new opportunities for local people.

The centre, which is based in the town’s square, is about to extend its premises and and also expand on the number of community facilities and courses on offer.

“The resource centre is driven by a group of volunteers who represent the different people and needs of the community. It’s open to all and anyone interested or curious should come in,” said Sandra Farrell, Centre Administrator.

“We have now expanded our offices by taking on the second floor of our premises here in the square. That will allow us to increase what we can do with and for the local people.”

The group provides a range of serv- ices including citizen information days, migrant information, employ- ment and career guidance, money advice and budgeting and work with the gay and lesbian community.

“We have a lot going on at the mo- ment. We were lucky enough to get funding for six computers and have been running programmes for older people to get some basic computer skills. That is very popular and we are about to start a new eight week course from the beginning of Sep-

tember,’ said centre co-ordinator Ann Rozario.

“We are also about to start parent- ing classes for single parents. There are still places in that so anyone in- terested should give us a buzz. We have new programmmes starting all the time and are always looking for people interested in volunteering.”

Indeed, the actions at the centre are driven almost exclusively by volun- teers.

‘“T have been helping out a lot with the directory which is a book of useful local number in English and Portuguese,’ said volunteer Helen Scribens.

“It’s nice to do something for the local community – to give something

back. You get to meet a lot of differ- ent new people from the area. It’s a lot of fun.”

The centre has recently taken on a development officer who will look at different ways to grow the service over the next number of years.

Frank Murray, who was one of the founding members of the Gort Bra- Zilian Association, will look after the development of facilities for the Bra- Zilian community, the elderly, lone parenting youth and isolated men.

New events and programmes are being announced in the resource cen- tre on a regular basis.

To keep in touch with goings-on contact 091 6309021 or call into the centre.

CLARE V.E.C. students had plenty to smile about after the announce- ment of last week’s Leaving Cert results.

Overall eight students taking part in the Back to Education Initiative sat the leaving cert maths and their results were of the highest standard, with six Als an A2 and a B2.

The group studied part-time for the Leaving Cert since last September with the Back To Education Initia- tive (BTEI). The Back To Initiative provides part-time further education

programmes for young people and adults, with the aim of giving people the opportunity to combine a return to learning with family, work and other responsibilities.

The BTEI is operated by County Clare VEC as part of the National Development Plan and is funded by the Department of Education and Sci- ence and the European Social Fund. It operates throughout the county and has over 900 adults studying various subjects ranging from FETAC Lev- els 3,4 and 5, up to Leaving Cert.

The BTEI, through a preparatory course, also introduces prospective

students to the requirements of stud- ying for the Leaving Certificate

Mike Ryan BTEI co-ordinator, congratulated the students and their tutor Vinnie Normoyle.

“We are delighted with the results, they were excellent. It was down to the hard done by the students them- selves and also the work done with them by Vinnie. I know the students appreciate everything that Vinnie SERCO ComoUNe Mm Nelss 00 Me

Mr Ryan added that further support and guidance would be offered to students on an ongoing basis

TiO rome ilouomr- DuomelluKone a aenelele

learners availing of adult basic edu- cation and a further 700 engaging in community education.

The recent re-development of the Adult Education Centre in Ennis has led to the provision of more services through the BTEI.

The centre provides learning op- portunities in reading and writing, language support, youthreach pro- gression, the Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme (VTOS) and family learning.

Services include a créche, night classes, e-learning and adult learners guidance.

CLARE hurler Tony Carmody has urged GAA fans to log on to the new ESB/GAA website www.culgreen.ie to help make Croke Park carbon neu- tral. Clare fans will also be in with the chance to win All-Ireland Final match tickets and €20,000 invest- ment in the county’s juvenile clubs. From today, fans and the public can log onto www.culgreen.ie to access details of how they can support the Cul Green environmental initiative by making energy saving pledges.

Prizes will be made to individual fans pledging on the website, includ- ing match tickets.

The website gives details of the level of carbon that can be offset through simple everyday tasks and encour- ages fans to travel to Croke Park at minimum cost to the environment by using public transport, park and ride and car pooling.

Cul Green was launched in May this year and since then Croke Park has contracted its electricity supply from a renewable source and envi- ronmental projects are ongoing at

the stadium.

As part of the Cul Green initiative, a grant of €20,000 will be made to the county that makes the most carbon-saving pledges per head of population. This prize money will fund sports equipment for juvenile clubs in the winning county. Further prizes will be made to individual fans who make a pledge on the Cul GTM (eli Ker

HEADSUP Text, the text support service operated by Rehab and sup- ported by Meteor, is expecting to see a spike in the number of texts received from stressed young people during the ‘results season’. Almost 57,000 students sat the Leaving Cer- tificate this year and with thousands more expecting Junior Certificate and

college exam results over the coming weeks, the last days of summer could be extremely stressful for some of our young people. In August 2007, Head- sup received texts from over 2,500 people highlighting that not all young people are carefree at this time of Merle

Headsup is reminding students who may be feeling under pressure in the lead-up to exam results that help is on

hand. Headsup Text, a free and confi- dential 24-hour text support service, gives access to a range of helplines and support services on a range of topics for young people in difficulty throughout the year. At the touch of a button, the service can be accessed free of charge by all mobile phone us- ers on all networks. By simply texting the word “Headsup” to 50424, young people can receive information on a

range of topics, including teen issues, alcohol, suicide, drugs, relationships and mental health.

“The Leaving Certificate results, in particular, can represent a crossroads in a person’s life and it can be a par- ticularly difficult time for students whether they have concerns over their grades, decisions about their future or anxiety over starting college. While for some, it is undoubtedly a time of

celebration, for others it can still be a time of stress and isolation which is why it is crucial that young people know that they have somewhere to turn to for support and information,’ said Angela Kerins of Rehab.

The Samaritans, AL Anon, Aware, Women’s Aid, Childline, MABS and Bodywhys are amongst the many sup- port services offered through Head- SOF

PREPARATIONS continue for one of Clare’s most popular public events, the Burren Ramble which takes place Od NST =) 01030010 aeA

Registration is at 12 midday at St Patrick’s church Fanore. The walk commences at lpm sharp and follows a six-mile route that takes in much of the Burren’s natural splendor.

From St Patrick’s church, walkers will head towards the Caher valley before crossing over the Caher River and into the Blackhead Mountains and the sweeping views of Galway BeM A

Organisers anticipate that the last of the walkers should have complet- ed the route by 6pm. Participants are also being urged to collect sponsor- ship cards before the event. Cards are available from Joe Queally (087

6260301) and Tomsie O’Sullivan (065 7081022). Clare FM presenter Ger Sweeney will lead out the walk.

Again all funds raised from this year’s event will go towards the Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI).

The RNLI provides on call, 24- hour lifeboat service to cover search and rescue up to 100 nautical miles off the coast of Ireland. The crews are made up of volunteers from all walks of life that give up their time and comfort to carry out rescues and train for them, in difficult and often dangerous conditions.

The RNLI has lifeboats stationed on the west coast of Ireland at Gal- way Bay, Kilrush and Kilronan on Inis Mor and continues to play a vital role in water safety along the Clare coast.

Last year’s Burren Ramble attract-

ed 500 people and raised ©20,000 for the RNLI.

Joe Queally RNLI volounteer and Burren ramble organizer, points to the scenic beauty of the Burren re- gion as one of the main factors be- hind the event’s growing appeal.

“In September, particularly, the Burren takes on a new life. The sea- sons are changing over. You have all these streams that would have disap- peared over the summer, re-appear- ing. People taking part in the ramble get to see the different moods of the Burren first hand. It’s a unique op- portunity”.

He added, “The route this year, will take people through some parts of the Burren that people really don’t get to see that often’. The success of the Burren ramble has contributed enor- mously to the ability of the RNLI to perform lifesaving duties.

Recent tragic events along the Clare coast, have, according to Joe, emphasised the continued need for oneaN E-v Neen

“The RNLI has received amaz- ing support from people, even those communities who wouldn’t be direct- ly linked to the sea. People recognize the importance of lifeboat services. Lifeboats go out on average 12 times a day over the year. Its not a service for anyone, its for everyone”’.

OVER 50 events are scheduled to take place around Clare as part of Heritage Week, which takes place from August 24 to 31.

The programme will include a range of talks, field trips and exhibi- tions aimed at encouraging people to take an interest in their local herit- age.

Mayor of Clare Madeleine Taylor- Quinn said that while enjoyment is

essential to the activities of the week it was also reassuring to see the em- phasis on learning that is at the core of Clare Heritage Week.

She paid tribute to the many indi- viduals and community organisa- tions who have decided to partici- pate in and contribute to the week’s activities.

“The council and organisers of the various events are to be commended for encouraging a greater sense of ownership of and respect for Clare’s

unique heritage. Heritage Week has proven to be a wonderful vehicle for raising awareness of the role we all play in conserving and protecting our heritage for future generations,” she said.

Heritage Project Co-ordinator To- mas MacConmara said the event invariably sees an increased engage- ment between the people of Clare and the heritage of their county.

“The strengthening of this connec- tion is imperative to the future health

of our cultural, built and natural her- itage. If it does nothing more, herit- age week performs a very important function in encouraging this relation- ship,’ he added.

This year’s events vary from late night bat walks, a tour of Doolin’s high cliffs and deep caves; a talk on loss of arctic char and changes 1n fish communities in Lickeen Lough; a discussion on the cultural heritage of Miltown Malbay and learning more about Clare’s heritage through the numerous guided walks and lectures taking place around the country and in museums and libraries.

The Clare Biodiversity Group 1s also hosting a series of educational walks outdoors for both adults and ivi elnonmcenony ene

Clare Biodiversity Officer Brigid Barry said that in order to facilitate the needs of families it was decided to hold Heritage Week at the end of August so that parents can participate in the various events with their chil- dren before they return to school.

Heritage week is part of European Heritage Days, a joint initiative of the Council of Europe and the European Union. Locally the event is co-ordi- nated by Clare County Council and the Heritage Council with support from the Department of the Environ- ment, Heritage and Local Govern- ment.