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published an interview with jockey Stuart Webster in which he claimed that Fallon had assaulted him in the weighing room after a controversial race in Beverely ten years previ- ert

Fallon had been suspended for six months after an altercation with Webster on 14 September, 1994, at the conclusion of the John Mangles Memorial Handicap. In his clash with Webster after the finishing line Fallon pulled Webster from his mount Sailormate.

However, Fallon claimed that in an incident which occurred between the two in the weighing room, he was acting in self-defence. Two years af- ter Webster’s interview 1n the

A WORLD title in fly fishing has been landed by an east Clare angler.

Ruari Costello (31) from Scariff has been fishing since he was just five years old and years of practice on the lakeshores of Clare has now Oem) ee

Ruari took the world Salt Water Distance Championship with a cast

of 41 meters recently.

He won the title, one of two which were up for grabs, at the CLA Game Fair in Blenheim Palace in Oxford.

The CLA Game Fair is one of the world’s original, largest and most prestigious countryside exhibition. The fair celebrated its 50th anniver- sary this year at Blenheim Palace.

Now a very capable May Fly fish- erman, Ruari started fishing in the

lakes of Clare at his father’s knee and has been hooked on the hobby ever since.

‘“T’ve been fishing since I was five but I’ve only been involved in com- petition in the last few years”, said NUE ee

Ruari is being sponsored for his equipment and his travel by Scot- tish-based tackle company, Carron Jetstream. He is part of a team of an-

glers sponsored by the company, the others all being Scottish.

“We came together by accident re- ally. They saw me casting at a game fair in England four years ago and the following year, they asked me to join the team.”

Since then, Ruari, who is also a member of Mountshannon Angling club has travelled extensively to com- pete and has cast in three competi-

tions in San Francisco, in Norway, Scotland, England and he is hoping that he and the team will be able to travel to Japan in October to com- pete there. Closer to home, Ruari has a boat on Lough Derg, which 1s his favourite place for fishing in Clare.

He says that the lake water has im- proved and the fishing “is very good. The real problem is the weather now – that’s just rotten.”

A NUMBER of newly formed com- munity groups are likely to have a large say in the outcome of next year’s local elections, with cam- paigns starting in Ennistymon and OTM em dN icrel.e

Tonight will see the first official committee meeting of the Ennisty- mon District Community Organisa- tion (EDCO), which has attracted more than 400 people to three pub- lic meetings in the area over the last four weeks.

This committee, which contains a

number of high profile locals includ- ing retired Garda Sergeant Michael Gallery, formed as a result of local dissatisfaction with the develop- ment of the town in recent times.

“The amount of people attend- ing the meeting reflects that the public has serious concern over the way that Ennistymon is being managed,” said EDCO chairman, Patrick Clarke.

‘People have expressed their views and the strong feeling out there is that there is a real lack of amenities in the town.

“We will be putting out monthly

statements so that the local people can monitor our progress while we will be lobbying everyone up to the TD’s to make sure we are heard.

“The local people will know ex- actly what is going on and we will be lobbying everyone we can. There is a real feeling that we are being left behind here.”

The EDCO have denied that they plan to run a candidate in next year’s local election and said that they will decide at tonight’s committee meet- ing how best to move forward.

Meanwhile, in Kilrush, local busi- ness people are considering running

a candidate for the local election.

There are currently members of Kilrush Chamber of Commerce on Kilrush Town Council, with Coun- cillors Deirdre Culligan (Ind), Liam Looney (FF) and Marian McMahon Jones (FG) members of both bod- toe

It is believed that business people in the town are considering putting forward a candidate for the county council and town council election.

The west Clare capital already has two sitting county councillors, Mayor of Clare Cllr Madeleine Taylor Quinn (FG) and Cllr Tom

Prenderville (FF).

Talks of a business candidate emerged following the purchase of the site of the Inis Cathaigh hotel on Francis Street for the new civic offices in the town.

Local businesses feared that rates would be increased to cover the cost of the multi-million euro project.

Those being considered as the “business” candidate are not neces- sarily members of the local cham- ber of commerce, but they could put even more pressure on an elec- toral area that is already to lose one councillor.

BEACH goers in Kilkee will have the opportunity to sample a unique rugby event that goes ahead on the sand in front of the Strand Hotel this Saturday.

Organised by the Limerick Lep- rechauns – made up of former play- ers from the Clare, Limerick, north Kerry and Tipperary regions – all proceeds from the beach game will go to the Clare Sunset Foundation, which provides assistance to almost 100 sight impaired people across Oe

As has become tradition, the game will also usher in the new rugby sea- son in Munster.

“This will be our 25th year in ex- istence,” said president Vinny Ryan. “The Leprechauns bring together players from rugby clubs throughout the mid-west and gives players an Opportunity to extend their playing careers as well as the chance to raise funds for charities in the area.

“Essentially, those are the twin reasons why the club was first es- tablished. And the Kilkee game will

mark a major watershed in our his- tory as it’s going to herald the first game in our quarter of a century year of celebration.”

On the day, members of the char- ity rugby club will walk the beach in order to provide an opportunity for members of the public to provide funds. Afterwards, a barbecue will

take place at Scott’s Bar in Kilkee.

“It promises to be a great day out,” said committee member Packie Dur- kan. “The rules of the game are gov- erned by the IRB and come under the veterans rules. All those taking part will be over 35 years-of-age and the eldest member we have is actually 74. So we’re an eclectic bunch.”

The Clare Sunset Foundation has a membership of 96 at present and the organisation arranges trips to Lourdes for those whose vision 1s impaired.

This week, the Leprechauns also announced that they have just signed a three-year sponsorship deal with Shannon Precision which is set to ensure a strong foundation for their endeavours up to 2011.

To date, the club has raised just short of €1 million with every cent ploughed back into local charities. Last season they raised in excess of €75,000 and with the new season about to unfold, the plan is to match that fundraising figure.

It all begins in Kilkee this Saturday at 3pm.

For further information on the Clare Sunset Foundation contact 065 6824875 and to get in contact with the Limerick Leprechauns visit www.limerickleprechauns.com

A WOMAN who has established herself as the public face of Clare Haven women’s refuge for female victims of domestic abuse is leaving the organisation.

Eileen Murphy has decided to end her association with Clare Haven, having played a key role in its work over the past 10 years. She had taken the decision to take some time out and concentrate on her personal life, in the immediate future.

During the past decade, she was involved in the creation of a Clare Haven refuge (in 2002), while she also played a central role in the es- tablishment of programmes which raised awareness of the existence of domestic abuse in the county.

In 2001, she assumed the role as funding and public relations co-or- dinator with Clare Haven and since then has played an integral role in promoting the work done by the or- ganisation across Clare.

She was particularly proud of her involvement in The Clare 1OK over

the past three years as it involved dozens of small organisations who raised money in a fun way.

‘“T was involved in funding applica- tions, organising various events and fundraisers and was involved in the Clare 10K. That has been a huge suc- cess,” she reflected.

‘Those events were promoting the work that we did,’ added Ms Mur- phy.

Last year, Clare Haven engaged in a sticker campaign, geared towards encouraging victims of domestic abuse to come forward.

The initiative was called “Behind Closed Doors’ and stickers were placed on the backs of doors of pub- lic buildings. She believes this was a huge success and helped victims to come forward.

‘People were always afraid to come forward. Since we did that campaign in November, there has been a huge increase in people coming forward. Before Clare Haven was set up in 1993 there was no help for women. They had to travel to Limerick and Galway. Women are coming forward

much earlier now,” said the Kilkenny ELON Lon

Over the past decade, she has no- ticed a changing trend, in relation to domestic abuse.

“The awareness of domestic vio- lence has increased hugely. It’s not just spouse or partner abuse. There are adults and children abusing mothers now,” she said.

The introduction of outreach cen- tres in Ennistymon, Scariff, Shan- non and Kilrush has also encouraged victims of domestic abuse to come forward and Ms Murphy feels this has had a profound effect.

“Opening these centres has been a huge success story in one sense. In another sense it is terrible that there are sO many victims of abuse out there,” she said.

CLARE growing organic sector is set for a boost following the an- nouncement of a multi-million euro campaign to promote organic and lo- cally grown food.

With more then 8 farmers mar- kets already in operation around the county, Clare has one of Ireland’s fastest growing organic sectors. It is hoped that this new initiative, the first major promotion of organic food in the the EU, will greatly increase the numbers attending farmers mar- kets and growing local organic pro- duce.

The move has been welcomed by Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food,

Trevor Sargent, who welcomed the launch of the new campaign.

The new campaign, whose slogan is “Organic farming – good for na- ture, good for you’, aims to inform consumers about the meaning and benefits of organic farming and food production.

The web-based campaign will focus on increasing consumer awareness and recognition of organic products, and especially on young people and children to carry the organic idea into the future.

According to Sargent, the launch of this campaign 1s indeed timely for Ireland. He said that the Programme for Government sets down an ambi- tious target of 5 per cent of the land area to be under organic production

by 2012.

“At present Ireland is at 1 per cent, with over 43,000 hectares being farmed organically,” he said.

“In April Minister Sargent launched the Department’s Organic Farming Action Plan 2008-2012 in response to the Government commitment. Ac- cess to information is a key driver in the development of the organic sec- tor and this new website will be a very useful addition.”

In the last few years, the number of organic operators – farmers, produc- ers, processors and importers – has erown strongly. In 2005, there was a total of 182,305 of these operators in the EU-25, a 13.4 per cent increase from 2004.

In recent years, the European or-

ganic retail market has experienced strong growth of between 5 and 30 per cent, depending on the coun- try. Increasing consumer demand is strengthening the organic market and giving farmers and processors new opportunities.

The European Commission will present the Campaign at the upcom- ing National Organic Food Confer- ence on September 4th 2008 in the Waterford Institute of Technology.

The Commission also announced a competition to develop a new EU organic farming logo that is due to become mandatory on all organic pre-packaged food from July 2010.

For more information on the Or- ganic Farming Campaign check out www.organic-farming.europa.eu.

THE popular Miltown Malbay week- ly farmer’s market is staying put for the foreseeable future.

Despite claims last week by a mar- ket member that accessibility to the market was problematic, it has been hailed as an ideal location with shop- pers and market officials coming out in support of Miltown’s newest shop- ping experience.

The farmer’s market found its home on the edge of the original Fair Green in the recently restored Miltown Business Centre in Miltown Malbay during the May bank holiday

weekend

Although it is just three months old it is already attracting locals and tourists to that part of town every Friday evening from 4.30pm to 7pm.

The stalls are set up on a Friday af- ternoon inside the original stonewalls which flanked the market green. The cobbled stone courtyard, with tradi- tional shop fronts and lighting, cre- ates an idealistic atmosphere for a vibrant, bustling, intimate market.

The colourful umbrellas of stall holders coupled with the delicious smell of fresh baking entice shoppers to browse among the stalls and many of them linger for the chat.

Local people are particularly pleased with the new market and Fri- day evenings in the Miltown Busi- ness Centre have become a regular, social gathering for many.

“Stall holders are pleased with the venue as the enclosed, Victorian style courtyard provides shelter from the west Clare weather while retaining the authenticity of an outdoor mar- ket. The stall holders are very grate- ful that the Miltown Business Centre welcomed them, free of charge to hold their market in such an ideal location,” said Hilary Gleeson, Rural Development Officer at EIRI Corca BE ONONEE

The market stalls provide a variety of fare such as farmhouse cheeses, sun dried tomatoes, home baking and confectionary, local vegetables, summer fruits, plants and delicious, hot crepes.

The new farmer’s market in the Miltown Business Centre is always encouraging more local food produc- ers especially vegetables, meat, poul- try and fish to join by contacting Ms Gleeson at 9056611 or 086 8235598 or local baker and stall holder Cora O’Grady on 087 1354192.

CLARE people are adapting to the recession by looking for deals on in- ternet shopping sites, a new survey has revealed.

The county has topped an All-Ire- land survey of internet shoppers in terms of the amount of computer software, health and beauty products and hi-fi equipment bought using the eBay website.

According to the Head of Products at eBay Ireland, Eamonn Galvin, the recent downturn in the economy has led to many Clare people turning to the website in search of a good deal.

“It is very interesting to see how well Clare has done – I’m not sure of the reasons for it, maybe it’s to do with Ennis and the good connectivity but certainly Clare People are amaz- ingly active on eBay,” he said.

“One of the big difference between e-bay in Clare and markets like

America is that the people in Clare seems to use it more to buy every day items that they could easily get in the local shops. In America it’s a lot about collectibles – we do have good sales on them in Clare but we also have great sales on mainstream items like clothes and accessories, computers, home electronics.

‘We did a price survey on a number of products from mainstream retail- ers and eBay and some prices are up to 72 per cent cheaper on eBay, with the average being about 42 per cent cheaper on e-bay. With the current economic climate people are going online more and looking for bar- eT eae

Clare shoppers also came second behind Wexford in the amount of home furnishing bought per head of population which the county came third in both the amount of books and computers bought using the eBay website.

WHILE French President Nicolas Sarkozy may not have won too many Irish friends as a result of his stance on the Lisbon Treaty, his standing within the farming community has skyrocketed this week following the breakdown of the World Trade Or- ganisation talks.

IFA president Padraig Walshe last week credited the French and current EU president with defending Irish and EU farmers and in particular the Irish Beef Sector.

Speaking following the breakdown of WTO talks in Geneva last week, the IFA president was heavily criti- cal of EU commissioner Peter Man-

delson and said that the collapse was a good thing for all sectors of Irish society.

“T want to dispel the notion that the country had missed out on an oppor- tunity as a result of the collapse of the talks. Instead, the entire country had been spared from a damaging agreement that offered no gains for the industrial or services sectors and would have cost <4 billion in losses in the agriculture and food indus- tries,’ he said. “Peter Mandelson may be a re- nowned politician, but he was an inept negotiator. I would like to re- iterated my call on the Tanaiste to support the French in now tearing up the EU WTO offer as the other parties have walked away from the table.” Reacting to the WTO collapse, Tanaiste and Minister for Enter- prise, Trade and Employment, Mary Coughlan, said that Ireland must continue to asset it’s interests in the talks process. “Irish ministers have used every opportunity, whether through meet- ings of the EU General Affairs and External Relations Council or bilat- erally with various countries, includ- ing the French Presidency of the EU as well as the EU Commission, to assert Ireland’s interests,’ said the former agriculture minister. “Tam disappointment that it has not been possible for the WTO to agree a new deal but I acknowledge that the negotiations represented a very com- plex process covering a wide range of areas.” Current Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Brendan Smith, said that throughout the long series of meetings, he had continued to ex- press the Government’s strong con- cerns about the agriculture propos- als and, in particular, the potential impact of the proposals on the Irish beef sector. Since 2004, the Minister for Agri- culture ensured that Ireland played a central role, along with a number of like-minded countries, 1n protecting the interests of European agricul- nehden

THE world famous Artane Band for- ever linked in the GAA psyche with All-Ireland Sundays will now bring its marching music to Kilkee.

As part of a series of concerts or- ganised by the Kilkee Civic Trust to bring entertainment to the seaside town during the peak summer season while also helping local voluntary or- ganisations. The band, in it’s red and blue uniform, will play Kilkee Parish

Church on Thursday next at 8pm in aid of the local GAA club.

St Senan’s GAA Club is one of the best-known senior football clubs in the county.

With 150 members and numerous players, the funds raised will go to- wards general funds for the club.

The Artane band under the musi- cal direction of Ronan O’Reilly will be joined for part of the programme by the Kilkee Parish Choir under the direction of Choir Mistress, Peggy

Us

O’Reilly said, “’We are delighted to be playing for the first time in the wonderful resort town of Kilkee and to bring a little of the Croke Park at- mosphere to help raise funds for the local GAA club, St Senan’s.”

The programme will feature some well-known pieces from the light classical, the musicals and a newly arranged Irish medley.

Continuing with the celebration of the 40th anniversary of Richard Har-

ris’s 1968 hit MacArthur Park, the band will play its own rendition of this classic in a special arrangement by the director.

The concert which is part of the Kilkee Civic Trust summer series 1s presented in association with Sum- mer Music on the Shannon, another County Clare based initiative, cur- rently underway in UCH, Limerick.

Tickets can be purchased from Wil- liams Pharmacy and Nolan’s Delica- tessen Kilkee and on the door.