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ENNIS firemen claimed yesterday that lives lost in the River Fergus could have been saved if they had proper training and equipment to Lau COMO MUR MLSE oe

A spokesman also revealed that firefighters have to perform their du- ties without the most basic of equip- ment — a defibrillator for victims suf- fering cardiac arrest.

Without the training, firemen have- to stay six metres back from the riv- er’s edge in a river rescue operation.

“If we see someone in the river in trouble and want to go rescue that person, we are told “if ye go into the river, ye are fired”.

The spokesman said that on aver- age, Ennis firefighters received five river rescue call-outs each year.

“We need this training, especially with the amount of river rescues we are having. If we were allowed into the water, a lot more people could have been saved. That is a fact.

“We can have a boat in the water in six minutes and in that time you have a fair good chance of saving people.”

The fire service’s shortcomings were exposed in the recent rescue at- tempts for young Martin McDonagh who drowned in the River Fergus last month.

“We carried out CPR on him for 20 minutes because we had no defibril-

lator. A defibrillator was essential WN Komee

The fireman said that itis not known if having a defibrillator would have saved young Martin’s life as it is not known how long he was in the river before being taken from the water.

He said fire service management had a wrong set of priorites where it spent €100,000 on training and equipment for a chemical incident where there has been only two call- outs over the past two years.

Clare Fire Chief, Adrian Kelly said they hadn’t refused funding for a de- fibrillator or river rescue training.

‘The level of equipment, fire appli- ances and training provided is on a par with the best in the country.

“The HSE ambulance service pro- vide advanced first aid, including de- fibrillators and we have been in talks with the HSE regarding how call-out arrangements could complement their services while still maintaining our primary function of providing fire cover.

“All firefighters have received water awareness training, mainly for their own Safety but it also included tech- niques in river rescue. We are there to assist the gardai who are responsible for co-ordinating any such rescues, and the coastguard who are highly trained in water rescue. Equipment, including flotation devices and throw bags, were also purchased for this purpose.

THE success of the Ballybeg Com- munity Alert scheme will be marked by a community summer festival on August 24.

Launched in April, the scheme sees the local community liaise closely with the gardai on the issue of crime prevention.

In building on the success of the scheme so far and in a continued effort to increase the community awareness and participation, the Bal- lybeg and Rockmount community alert group are facilitating the festi- val for all the community young and old. The event will take place on the

grounds of Clarecastle GAA club.

The community alert programme was established by Muintir Na Tire in 1984 in partnership with An Garda Siochana, with the aim of providing an effective Community Policing and Crime Prevention Network.

There are now 1250 Community Alert Groups throughout the coun- try.

It evolved in response to a rise of crime in rural Ireland, particularly attacks on vulnerable people (in- cluding the elderly) living alone. It is a voluntary crime prevention pro- gramme for rural communities and it encourages the community to pro- actively participate with Muintir na

Tire and An Garda Siochana in im- proving the quality of life and safety of the community in general.

There are now 1250 community alert groups throughout the country. Each group is organised on a rec- ognised local community basis and has an elected committee, a Liaison Garda and Community Relations/ Crime Prevention Officer who link the garda and local communities to- gether to provide an effective Com- munity Policing and Crime Preven- tion Network.

Community alert is community driven and is absolutely flexible in serving the needs of local communi- ties. Local volunteers identify com-

munity needs and collectively ad- dress them in a holistic way.

It is hoped that the community fes- tival will build to an annual event that the whole community can par- ticipate and contribute to.

The festival programme will reflect old traditions and emerging cultures, new businesses, arts, crafts, music, dance and exhibitions.

The organising committee would like to hear from all community members that would like to exhibit, demonstrate, dance, play music, or- ganise games or participate.

You can contact Joe Murphy on 087 6777178 or Martin McDonnell on 087 7637899 for futher information.

THE 2008 Galway Races will once again be remembered for the remark- able achievements of Dermot Weld who won the leading trainer award for the 22nd year while also record- ing a landmark 200th winner at the Ballybrit track on Wednesday.

But it will also be remembered in Cooraclare for Thursday’s success of the Thomas O’Doherty owned Skip Two ridden by Barry Cash came home to victory at 9/1 in the Guin- ness Novice Steeplechase.

Weld ended the week with ten win- ners for the fifth time at Galway hav- ing made a flying start to the meet- ing with an impressive four winners on the opening day of the seven-day festival. Bookmakers were running for cover after two more winners on both Tuesday and Wednesday and Weld must have been a short price after the first three days to set a new

Galway record of more than ten win- ners but, much to the relief of the lay- ers, he drew a blank on Thursday and DUCA A

The highlight of Weld’s opening day four-timer came in the feature race, the GPT Amateur Handicap, where Majestic Concorde ran out a convincing winner under Robbie McNamara. Given a fine ride by the stylish amateur, the 7/1 chance went for home on the uphill climb and he stayed on strongly to win by four lengths from Power Of Future with Arc Bleu and Fantoche making up the places. This year’s victory con- tinued Weld’s fine record in the two- mile handicap which he first won as a jockey on his father’s Ticonderaga in 1964 while also training and riding Spanner to win the big race in 1972, 1973 and 1975. The other three win- ners which completed the 494/1 four- timer for the ‘King Of Galway’ came from Broad Meaning (/f maiden),

Ghimaar (1m4f handicap) and Battle In Hand (2m bumper).

The bookmakers were left reeling following the William Hill Galway Plate as Oslot proved a hugely popu- lar winner of Wednesday’s feature having been backed from an open- ing show of 11/2 to 11/4 favourite. The €240,000 handicap chase was a long-term target for the Paul Nichol- Is trained six year-old who became only the third British trained winner of the Plate under an exemplary ride from Ruby Walsh. The locally owned Oodachee ran a fine race for connec- tions and trainer Charlie Swan to fin- ish second at 14/1.

The mighty Ansar continued his love-affair with Galway when stay- ing on strongly for Denis O’ Regan to snatch third place from Brave Right. It was another great effort from Der- mot Weld’s twelve-year old who was appearing in his sixth Galway Plate and running at the Ballybrit sum-

mer festival for the tenth consecutive year.

The Guinness Galway Hurdle, the big race on the fourth day, was won by the John Kiely trained Indian Pace who provided his trainer with ample compensation for the absence of the long-time ante-post favourite, King Rama. A good fifth in Monday’s big race, the well-backed 7/1 chance ap- preciated the underfoot conditions under a great ride from 17 year-old Paul Townend who rode the first winner of his career at last year’s fes- tival. Last year’s third placed horse, Eagle’s Pass, ran another fine race to finish second with the well-backed favourite, Northern Alliance, close in third under Ruby Walsh.

In a week that was highlighted by the big race victories for the younger brigade of jockeys, Danny Mullins, Paul Townend and Chris Hayes, 18 year-old jockey Sam James provid- ed Kevin Prendergast with another

big Galway success when guiding the 12/1 chance Almass to win the feature race on the final day, the 7f Michael McNamara premier handi- cap.

Despite the effect of the current economic downturn, there were still some phenomenal attendances and betting figures over the course of the seven days at Galway. The total number of people who paid through the turnstiles for the week was 174,521 which was only a 5% reduc- tion on last year’s attendance figure. Unsurprisingly, the biggest crowd of the week came on Thursday when there was a massive turnout of 46,186 people which was a huge crowd con- sidering the poor weather on Ladies Day. The Tote turnover of almost €7.3 million was down 14% on last year’s figure while Ruby Walsh and Pat Smullen claimed the top jockey prizes with three and six winners re- spectively.

NORTH Clare is going Nordic this weekend with the arrival of the Finn- ish Ambassador Seppo Kauppila to Ballyvaughan on Saturday.

Ambassador Kauppila will be the guest of honour at the Burren Col- lege of Art to launch “Due North’, the first ever exhibition of Finnish and Swedish art to take place in the west of Ireland.

‘Due North’ is the fifth in the an- nual series of exhibitions to take place at the Burren College of Art in Ballyvaughan. The exhibition, which will be curated by Jan Kaila, will fea- ture some of Scandinavia’s foremost photographic artists and open to the public from Sunday, August 10.

It will feature the very best of Finn- ish and Swedish artists including Pekka and Lea Kantonen, who look at the favourite places of a group of

indigenous teenagers; Pertti Keka- rainen who explores the concepts of space and memory through pho- tography; Johanna Lecklin who will show a three-screen video-work and Jan Svenungsson will presents a se- ries of chimneys pictured over the last 25 years.

The exhibition also has a local fla- vour including Heli Rekula who will show a number of large-scale photo- graphs based on the Irish landscape; Sami van Ingen who will show a vid- eo in which he and his grandmother return to the place where her father lived during the filming of Man of Aran and and Martina Cleary, Head of Photography at Burren College.

The exhibition runs until August 26 and has been put together with the support of the Finnish Arts Council, the Finnish Academy of Fine Arts in Helsinki, the Finnish Institute in London and Clare County Council.

A CAMPAIGN by two Ennis fami- lies is helping to heal the hurt caused by the “devastating effect” of suicide. The Molloy and O’Brien families and the local community in Cloughleigh have just completed the third annual Suicide awareness and fundraising event.

This year’s event, organised by Keith Molloy, Gerard, Sasha and Sheree O’Brien is dedicated to Peter O’Brien and Sara Finn and all other community members who have died by suicide in recent times.

Clare Living Links, a volountary organisation that offers practical, confidential support and information to families bereaved by suicide, are the recipients of this year’s funds.

A spokesperson for Clare Living

Links thanked the families for their support.

“Due to the generosity of the Mol- loy and O’Brien families and indeed the many other individuals and or- ganisations who generously support us, Clare Living Links will be able to continue to provide much needed Support and continue to recruit and train new volunteers”.

The spokesperson added, “Keith Molloy, Gerard, Sasha and Sheree O’Brien would like to extend a huge thank you to all who supported them and helped to make this year’s event a great success once again. Clare Living Links would also like to work more in the community to increase awareness of and understanding of suicide and the devastating effect, which such events have on individu- als, families and communities’.

Trained volunteers working with Clare Living Links are available to offer confidential, practical support and information to families who have experienced a death by suicide. At the request of the family, the Sui- cide Outreach Support Person will call to the home or meet at a loca- tion appointed by the individual or eUNOUU As

Along with a listening ear the vol- unteer will offer help and advice on practical matters such as funeral ar- rangements, the inquest, and entitle- ments and how to break the news to children. The volunteer will continue to liaise with and provide families with support and information on relevant services available in the re- gion.

A very popular aspect of the serv- ice provided by Living Links is the

eroup-healing programme, which brings together individuals and fami- lies with similar experiences and en- courages them to establish and foster ongoing support among themselves.

Clare Living Links welcomes new volunteers to train as out-reach sup- port workers or to join the commit- tee. The organisation is constantly evolving and would like to support all families and individuals in Clare who are touched by suicide.

To contact Living Links or to be- come a member, call the confidential phone line on 087 0565373 or write to the Co-ordinator C/O Kincora House, Kincora Pk, Ennis, Co Clare.

CLARE’S Under 18 camogie team are just 60 minutes away from an All-Ireland final. That is how the Banner girls will be approaching the semi-final fixture this weekend. Clare play Tipperary on Saturday in what is hoped will be a double bill of Under 18 semi-finals with Kilkenny and Cork also vying for a spot in the NUON

Clare are facing into this game well prepared as a group and while they have every reason to be quietly con- fident going into the fixture they will be prepared to fight to the end and will be leaving no stone unturned in their final preparations this week.

Clare have had the better of the ex- changes over Tipperary throughout the last number of years and on that form along with vast improvements this year Clare will be hoping to con- tinue in that frame.

Clare will not be without their own difficulties though as they look to be without the presence of Roisin McMahon and Niamh Martin. Both have been starting in the Banner’s rearguard with McMahon dominat- ing the center back position in all the games so far and Martin shoring up on the right corner.

Stephanie Moloney who had a very strong game against Galway may also be in doubt for the tie as she picked up a groin strain in the

first round of the championship with Broadford, when they were defeated by Newmarket. These changes will have to be accounted for when the management of Fintan McNamara, Eamon O’Loughlin, Maura Sheedy, Kevin Halpin and Davy Fitzgerald sit down to finalise the team towards the end of the week.

Clare haven’t played a game since the overwhelming defeat over Gal- way in Clareabbey on July 2. That was Clare’s third win (Antrim and Cork being the others) and with a walkover in the final round to Dub- lin, top position in the group had been secured.

The long lay off since that Galway game will be the only worry for the

panel going in to this tie. But prepa- rations have gone well and the posi- tive attitude to the training sessions will help in bringing the final prepa- rations together. The win over Cork in the early stages also gave Clare a much coveted Munster Final win and with the attitude shown on that day coupled with the desire of this bunch to go further, this should be enough to bring Clare to the final.

Team wise, Susan Vaughan in goal has been very dependable this year with a strong defensive unit outside her. Aine O’Brien and Chloe Morey have held the midfield area comfort- ably and with Niamh Corry, Shona Enright and a fit Stephanie Moloney Clare have a very strong center for-

ward line that will cause trouble.

Inside, Carina Roseingrave will captain the side from the full for- ward line and Roisin O’Brien and Aoife Griffin have been working very hard this year. With Martin and McMahon looking likely to miss the game, there will be room for the re- turn of Aiveen O’Shea who missed the Galway game. There could also be room for Eimear Considine, with Mary Clune, Michelle Caulfield and possibly Aisling Hannon also in the running these can be ready for action either way as the strong Clare panel should have enough in the tank to overcome the challange of Tipper- ae

BUSINESSES are moving out of the Parnell Street area because of problems with parking, it has been claimed.

As one business re-located to the another part of the town this week, traders are saying that the shop was forced to relocate because of the dif- ficulties with parking caused by the work going on to secure the area against flooding.

CEO of Ennis Chamber of Com- merce, Triona McInerney said that traders are “struggling to cope espe- cially if they are in the type of busi- ness which requires people to carry things in and out of a premises. They need to have a car nearby in that case.”

McInerney said there is “huge pres- sure on parking. People are trying to

manage. There wasn’t a lot of park- ing in the area to begin with and the work that is going on has exaccer- bated the situation.”

She added, “It’s temporary and we have to live with it, but looking at having this situation continue for another year is not good.”

McInerney said that while some business people will re-locate rather than try to struggle on with the situa- tion, others who were already feeling the pinch have closed.

“T can think of six businesses who have closed up shop in the Parnell Street area in the last three months,’ she admitted.

“Some of them were having dif- ficulty already and in some cases, a drop-off in customers because of the parking difficulties may have been the straw that broke the camel’s back”.

ENNIS man Brian Howe was among the thousands of climbers who braved the steep climb and awkward terrain to conquer Croagh Patrick last week.

Walking in his bare feet, it took taxi driver Brian close to five hours to reach the summit but at no point did he think about turning back.

Whenever the going got tough, and it was tougher than he had antici- pated, Brian recalled his reason for climbing.

Two of Brian’s friends, Pat Tuttle and Michael McInerney, died six

months ago. When Brian decided to climb Croagh Patrick, he decided to do so in memory of Pat and Brian.

Brian explained, “Michael died on New Years eve. Pat had died a week before. Myself and Pat used to do eve- rything together and I knew Michael through a friend of mine, Catriona. I was glad I made it up there and I was glad I was able to do it for the lads”.

“I’m glad I did it,’ added Brian, ‘When I had it done I was very hap- py, its good to be able to do some- thing to show your appreciation of a lifetime.

Brian first climbed Croagh Patrick

eight years ago but found the climb a whole different proposition this time around.

“T definitely found it a lot harder than the first time I did it. The first time there seemed to be a lot more rocks and boulders that you could hold onto and get across. This time, the stones were a lot looser. It was like gravel, very sharp, and it would cut into your feet. In saying that the weather wasn’t too bad. The rain was kind of misty but it wasn’t too bad.”

Still, at the halfway mark, Brian didn’t think he was going to make it to the top.

“Honestly, I didn’t think I was go- ing to do it. I thought I was going to have to be airlifted down. My feet were in bits. But I kept going and got to the top”.

Brian, who keeps fit by jogging every morning, is keen to return to Mayo next year.

This year’s Reek Sunday event at- tracted close to 20,000 people and was marked by the first ever tel- evised mass on the summit of the 2510ft mountain. The mountain, a place of pagan worship before it was christened by St Patrick, is regarded as one of the holiest sites in Ireland.

NEWLY released figures for the first six months of the contentious Bel- fast Heathrow service show that it is more than 50,000 passengers below the numbers from Shannon for the same period last year.

It is now a year since Aer Lingus announced its controversial move to abandon its Shannon Heathrow serv- ice and transfer the lucrative slots to Belfast.

Figures provided by the UK Civil Aviation Authority show that be- tween January and June, 109,309

used the new Belfast link compared to the 169,999 passengers that used the Shannon-Heathrow link during the same period last year — a differ- ential of 33 per cent.

22,102 passengers used the Bel- fast Heathrow service in June while 32,111 used the Shannon Heathrow service in June 2007.

Overall figures for the first six months show that Aer Lingus has se- cured only 10 per cent of the Beltfast- Heathrow service and are now offer- ing seats for free excluding taxes and airport charges during August in a bid to boost passenger numbers.

An Aer Lingus spokesman said the airline had a load factor of 74 per cent during July on its Belfast Hea- throw service and the Belfast base is expected to be profitable by the end of the year.

BMI is Aer Lingus’ sole rival on the Heathrow route with the UK- owned airline flying 219,512 passen- gers from January to May this year which is 132,215 passengers more than Aer Lingus.

The figures show that Aer Lingus passenger numbers are on an upward trend going from 17,520 in its first full month of service in February to VOU OAM lb ier

The Aer Lingus decision to end its Heathrow link resulted in Shannon experiencing a 16 per cent loss of 57,000 on London routes for the first six half of this year.

A spokesman for Aer Lingus workers at Shannon said the figures confirmed that the decision by Aer Lingus management to abandon Shannon and move to Belfast where there was an already saturated mar- ket was a bad commercial decision.

At a Dail Transport Committee last month, Aer Lingus chief executive, Dermot Mannion said he regretted the damage caused to the airline’s reputation in the Shannon last year, adding that they had not ruled out future short-haul operations from Shannon.

CLARE is in the top one third of county’s benefiting from CLAR funding for non-national roads.

The local authority will receive a total of €376,399.43 for improve- ments to the county’s road infra- Seu llelauh ica

The CLAR programme is a target- ed investment programme for rural areas that suffered more than a 35 per cent drop in population between Por: tierce ee

Under its 208 programme a sum of €3 million each is being provided by the Department of Transport and the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs for works to local secondary and tertiary roads in these specially designated areas.

Minister of State Tony Killeen said that Clare County Council’s alloca- tion was determined by the county’s percentage of the total population in CLAR areas.

“The grant allocation will enable the local authority to fund local sec- ondary and tertiary roads projects. The council may also use the funds to replace, widen or strengthen bridges on local secondary and local tertiary roads, subject to the prior approval of the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government,’ he said.

“The funding announcement is concrete proof that the Government is determined to revitalise declining rural areas. Significant progress has been made in recent years in terms of improving national infrastructure.”