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IRELANDHOTELS.COM, the Irish Hotels Federation’s (IHF) accommo- dation website, has joined forces with Shannon Development to launch a summer marketing initiative through its new short breaks website, www. shortbreaksireland.1ie.

The partnership will see a wide range of value short breaks feature on the website throughout the re- mainder of the summer.

The website provides a resource for holidaymakers keen to avail of “best value’ deals in the Shannon region, allowing visitors to view special of- fers on everything from activity and spa breaks to romantic weekends AEN

Commenting on the initiative, Michael Vaughan, chairman of the IHF Shannon branch, said “We’re delighted to work closely with Shan- non Development to promote the re- gion as a highly desirable destination

offering a high quality product.”

“The partnership is an excellent opportunity to achieve sustainable development and growth of tourism and is a very positive development for marketing the region.”

He added, “Using www.short- breaksireland.ie. to book hotel and guesthouse accommodation offers people the best deals, cheapest prices and is an exciting channel for hotels and guesthouses to promote their products.”

John King, Heritage and Tourism Director, Shannon Development, stated, “The Shannon region has an unrivalled array of top class visitor accommodation and attractions. We are delighted to work with the Irish Hotels Federation to promote these attractions.”

“This venture combined with a range of other tourism marketing initiatives we are implementing will help drive additional tourism busi- ness to the Shannon region.”

AS Ennis mother of two Sharon Col- lins faces the prospect of a lengthy prison sentence following her con- viction for conspiring to kill her mil- lionaire partner and his two sons, friends of her primary target, busi- nessman PJ Howard, have leapt to his defence and have described as scurrilous claims about him made in court.

Mr Howard and his sons Robert and Niall have been trying to rebuild their lives after the six week trial which concluded last month.

Close friends of the businessman, who has been deeply affected by rev- elations in court, rallied around the 59 year old property tycoon saying that what was said about him in court was far from the truth.

During the trial of Sharon Collins and former Las Vegas poker deal Essam Eid for conspiring to kill the Howards in 2006, the details of an email in which Mrs Collins referred to her partner’s fondness for trans- vestite sex and prostitutes were read into evidence.

A former Mayor of Kilkee, local businessman, and a close personal friend of PJ Howard, Manuel DiLu- cia has described those allegations about Mr Howard’s private life as “total fabrication and all lies.”

‘| have known PJ for over 30 years and there has never been any indica- tion to suggest that any of what was said about him in court is even in the slightest way true. I have never seen or heard anything which would sup-

port any of the claims made in court and we have travelled many places together throughout Europe and he was always a total gentleman,’ Mr DiLucia said.

“PJ was always and still is a very generous and thoughtful man but in business he could be a very tough business opponent but you would ex- pect that. People work hard to earn what they have and PJ is no differ- ent.

“When I founded the Kilkee res- cue service in 1982 we were looking for sponsors to help us buy our first boat. In 1983, PJ came forward and offered to buy the boat, which he did, and even paid all the expenses to go to England to look at boats. When it was built and completed, he also paid the expenses to go back and collect it and bring it to Ireland. What’s more, he has made several contributions to local organisation and events since

then,’ Mr DiLucia said.

“I knew his late wife Teresa very well and even though they had sepa- rated, he looked after her very well up until her death. Some years later, it was exactly the same with his part- ner Bernie who also died. He was al- ways and is still a great father to his two sons. This was a vile attempt to tarnish the impeccable reputation of metro mmeet-see

“Nothing which was said in court about PJ’s private life is true and PJ is very upset by the comments. I haven’t spoken to PJ since the trial as I known he is resting and getting over the ordeal but I have been speaking to the family and I know how upset he has been about what was said,” Mr DiLucia added.

Another friend of Mr Howard’s, Limerick based businessman Bob McConkey said, “When I first heard some of the things which came out during the trial I was absolutely as- tonished. I was flabbergasted. In the 20 years I have known PJ Howard, in my experience; I have never seen or known anything of that about him – no way.”

‘I have never seen a side like that to him and it is scurrilous what was said and I know it to be scurrilous. When you know someone that long you know them. If anything like that was true, I would know about it or certainly would have heard. As far as I am concerned, what was said about PJ was a disgrace and absolutely un- founded,’ Mr McConkey added.

THE people of Miltown Malbay have always been proud of where they are from, and now the respect they have shown their local environment and their senior citizens is being recog- nised nationally.

The Senior Laichtin Naofa in the West Clare Family Resource Cen- tre is the only project in west Clare being considered in the All-Ireland competition Pride of Place.

Pride of Place started in 2003 and is an all-island competition directed towards recognising the improve- ments of local communities to create his Comm owe CoM OO MN elcsNUE-D Ror.

The competition encourages peo- ple to come together to enjoy all that

is good about their area as well as change or improve certain aspects of their community.

The competition is hosted by Co- operation Ireland under its Local Authority Programme in conjunction with the all-island Local Authority Steering Forum comprising officials from authorities in all of the island of Ireland.

This year three new single-issue categories have been added to the competition – including Services for the Elderly. It is in this category that Seanoiri Laichtin Naofa is being considered for the €2,000 prize and trophy.

This unique low-cost service pro- vides social care for senior citizens in the area through a voluntary agency.

It offers a wide range of services to approximately 60 senior citizens every week such as library services, IT learning opportunities, medical support, leisure and meals daily.

Local County Councillor Christy Curtin (Ind) said, “This service is open for social networking for a group of people otherwise isolated.

“Tt is sustainable and as it operates as a low cost facility, this makes it at- tractive to further development.”

He paid tribute to the Local Ac- tive Retirement Association and ICA guild; bean an ti Cait Ni Loingsigh, the six volunteers, the three FAS workers and Clarecare.

‘This is amodel project on a low op- erating cost and minimum overheads fulfilling a significant social need in

a disadvantage rural area,” said Cllr Curtin. The concept behind the Pride of Place competition is very simple – to recognise and celebrate the vital contributions that community groups make to society.

This basic element of community recognition makes the competition unique. Past entrants in Pride of Place have included groups involved in a wide variety of activities across the social spectrum. The common thread is the impact and difference these activities have made in peo- ples’ lives- just as Seanoiri Laichtin Naofa has.

ATLANTIS Development Ltd has withdrawn planning applications for two separate park and ride fa- cilities serving the Cliffs of Moher – just hours before a final decision on planning was due from Clare County Council.

The company has also lodged fresh planning applications for the con- struction of park and ride facilities at the same locations – at Coogyulla, Doolin and in Main Street, Liscan- nor.

The new application lodged by At- lantis for the park and ride service in Liscannor consists of a considerably smaller development than the origi- nal application which was withdrawn last week.

The proposed extension and up- gerade of hostel accommodation

at Egan’s Pub has been virtually halved.

Instead of the 14 bedroom hostel and eight apartments originally pro- posed, the new application consists of a seven bedroom hostel and five apartments.

The proposed demolition of a number of structures located be- tween Egan’s and McHugh’s Pub in the village has also been abandoned in favour of altering the existing SSM CRON KeNe

The new application for the Coogy- ulla park and ride in Doolin is simi- lar to that previously applied for.

A spokesperson for Atlantis Devel- opment Ltd told

PLANS by An Garda Siochana to re- align the make-up of garda divisions to county boundaries could have critical implications for policing in parts of east Clare if the changes are implemented as expected next Janu- ae

There are also concerns for the fu- ture of the recently established traf- fic corps in Killaloe which covers a large section of the N7 national pri- mary route.

At present, garda divisions are not restricted to county boundaries

and in many cases comprise areas of more than one county. Under the plan, areas of Clare covered by Lim- erick City will return to the Clare division while parts of Tipperary, currently part of the Clare garda di- vision, will be part of the Tipperary CU AsrSS ete

East Clare Labour Councillor Pas- cal Fitzgerald says any plan to re- draw divisional borders would not be satisfactory unless adequate garda resources are provided in his area.

“At present, there is a large part of east Clare covered from Henry Street station in Limerick. As it 1s,

with over 12,000 people living in the Westbury and Shannon Banks area, we often have to wait 20 minutes for a squad car to travel less than four kilometres from the city.

“If the boundaries are redrawn, we could have to wait half and hour or more for gardai to come from Kil- laloe, 20 kilometres away”.

“If this plan is enforced, I want to see our local station at Ardnacru- sha properly resourced and open 24 hours a day and I will also be de- manding that a sub station of that be opened in the Westbury estate. I have already met with a businessman who

is willing to provide premises for a station in Westbury”, he said.

If the Garda Commissioner’s plan is implemented, it will also mean that Ballina in County Tipperary will be served by Nenagh 20 kilome- tres away even though Killaloe sta- tion 1s located just across the bridge less than a kilometre away.

Killaloe councillor Tony O’Brien (FF) said he would have very serious concerns if any changes would result in a downgrading of the Killaloe sta- tion as any downgrading would seri- ously impact on the level of services being provided.

The back gardens in the housing es- tate have flooded every year prevent- ing children from playing in them and adults enjoying them.

After years of complaining to the local authority and making political representations, chairperson of the local residents association Christine Murphy brought the issue directly to the Kilrush Town Councillors at the June meeting.

During a presentation Ms Murphy said, “This is not the first time we brought this problem to the council.”

She said that when she and her fam- ily became residents of Island View in February 2005 they did not realise the garden was going to be a problem until the following winter. She said the garden flooded and was not fit for human use.

Ms Murphy explained that the resi- dents were told on three separate oc- casions to collect the names and ad- dresses of the householder that had this problem. When they did nothing was done she said.

She said that some people became so frustrated at the delay in an ad- equate response to their plight from the council, that they fixed the gar- den themselves at a cost of more than €2,000.

Speaking this week Cllr O’Gorman said, “Part of these people’s homes are isolated from them and I don’t think that is good enough. I trust it will be done eventually but it must be Pele A ae

during the week to

complain about the disruptions while

local businessman Dick Grant draft-

ed an open letter to County Manager, Alex Fleming on the matter.

In the letter Mr Grant critisised

the timing of the development, the

amount of car parking spaces elimi- nated by construction work and a lack of consultation with locals.

This has prompted north Clare County Councillor Martin Conway (FG), to propose a system which would see council subcontractors prohibited on working in tourist ar- eas during June, July and August.

“This is another development which has been timed badly with the busy summer months,’ said Cllr Conway.

“The Clare County Council have clearly have not taken into account the needs of the local community at this time of the year and there should be a contractual restriction on any further development in tourist areas in the summer months.”

CLARE TD, Joe Carey (FG), last week questioned the status of the F1- anna Fail Government’s pre-Lisbon Treaty Referendum commitment to using Ireland’s veto in the case of WTO proposals that would sell out Irish farming.

“The WTO talks are entering a critical phase and recent days have seen EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson express optimism about a deal. While the Commissioner said yesterday that Europe can’t and won’t accept a deal it cannot defend at home, this will not inspire confi- dence in farmers who are well aware of Mandelson’s long-time stance,’ he

HOR

“Meanwhile, the Minister for Agri- culture has been complaining about the proposals but is failing to put his money where his mouth 1s. If the Minister is as concerned and worried as he says he is about the latest WTO negotiating document on agriculture, then he must unequivocally state that the deal on the table is unacceptable and will be vetoed.

“That was the commitment given by the Taoiseach Brian Cowen in the dying days of the Lisbon Treaty cam- paign and Minister Brendan Smith must confirm it is what he is prepar- ing to do.”

Meanwhile, speaking from Geneva last Thursday, the Tanaiste and Min-

ister for Enterprise, Trade and Em- ployment, Mary Coughlan, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Brendan Smith and the Minister for Trade and Commerce, John McGuin- ness, called for a comprehensive, ambitious and balanced outcome to the current negotiations.

The Ministers confirmed that they have been engaged in robust nego- tiations with key players defending and promoting Irish interests in what are proving to be very difficult trade rec

All three Ministers have been at- tending daily meetings of the EU General Affairs Council (GAERC) as well as a series of bilateral meet- ings with other countries, including

the French EU Presidency, and the EU Commission.

On a joint statement the Ministers said that the had “very real concerns on Agriculture while working for positive outcomes on manutfactur- ing industry and services which will deliver opportunities for Irish manu- facturing and services companies through better access to world mar- kets and in so doing will secure Irish jobs for years to come.”

Speaking earlier in the week Min- ister Smith said that the WTO ne- gotiations in Geneva were very ac- tive, with a large number of intense meetings and informal contacts, but that there was no guarantee as to the outcome.

CAMERA enthusiasts in Clare can get clicking thanks to the formation of the Ennis Camera and Photo- graphic Society.

Patrick Ryan, Tina Walker and Ni- all Considine established the society as a forum for professional and ama- teur photographers from Ennis, west Clare and north Clare.

All three share a keen interest in photography and were eager to cater for the needs of similar enthusiasts.

Club president Patrick Ryan became aware of the need for a photographic society through discussions with fel- low photographers and artists.

Patrick explained, “Much of pho- tography takes its roots from tradi-

tional art – thus many artists evolve into excellent photographers. They felt that if they had a forum to talk about the more technical aspects of photography – that they too could bring the artistic flair to the group which would benefit everyone”’.

This has certainly proven to be true – with over 20 regular members at- tending the fortnightly meetings. There is an excellent mix of pho- tographers at all levels – from pro- fessionals to members who are just thinking of buying a camera and tal- ented artists.

This has provided for some lively debate during the sessions around the various artistic and technical as- pects of photography.

Club secretary Tina Watkins, her-

self an artist and budding photog- rapher, said, “Having the discussion across all elements of photography from composition to finishing has helped in learning new skills which I can apply to photography and paint- ing alike.’The club is not strictly confined to digital based photogra- phy either. Several members shoot photographs using film and many of the members who have never used film are very keen to understand this traditional approach and apply it to the new digital era.

Members also meet regularly for field trips throughout Clare. The aim is to implement shared ideas and techniques in a real life. Recent outings included visits to Dromore Woods and the Aran Islands. An ex-

hibition of work is also planned for later in the year. It 1s also hoped that the club will play an active role in lo- cal community groups and organiza- tions or centres of learning that are interested in photography.

Many of the members’ work can be viewed at www.enniscameraclub. Lovee mem UOercmaalNemAlbus sme LUO NGlolF-RULE The club meets every two weeks on a Tuesday night in Clarecastle GAA Club House at 8pm, all new mem- bers, regardless of skill or technical ability, are welcome.

The next meeting takes place tonight (Tuesday July 29). Further details are available from Niall Considine at the Ennis Fuji Centre on O’Connell Square, email:niall@photocart.ie or or IR Ole merer-cle eee

YOUNG Brazilians in Gort are be- ing denied access to third level edu- cation in what amounts to an educa- tional apartheid.

Fears have been raised locally that the integration of young Brazilian children could be severely hampered if provisions are not made to allow them to continue their education af- ter the Leaving Certificate.

At present, non-EU nationals must be in full-time residence in the state for a minimum of five years before they can even begin the application process for Irish citizenship.

In addition to this, all non-EU citi- zens must pay fees of up to €3,000 per year to attend university in Ire- land and are not eligible for any form of grant assistance.

This situation has led to a growing number of Gort’s Brazilian commu- nity being forced out of the education system – despite completing their Leaving Certficate and being full- time legal residents in the country.

“What’s going to happen to the kids who are leaving school now – are they going to have to wait for four or five years until their residence can be sorted out? These guys are ready to go, they have worked really hard,

got really good Leaving Certificates and then they are in a dead end situa- tion,” said Frank Murray of the Gort Brazilian Association.

“These kids are the first members in their families to get any education. They are grabbing it with both hands and doing so well in school. This situation just puts them back into a cycle of family poverty.”

Fears have also been raised deny- ing these young Brazilians access to education could have a very negative effect on the integration which is taking place in the community.

“The single best area for cultures to mix is in school. The Brazilian kids

and the locals have been hanging out, playing sports together and getting on the last six years. There are mixed relationships where a Gort youngster will be off to college and their girl- friend of boyfriend just won’t be able to,’ continued Mr Murray.

“We are already creating toler- ance and understanding through the schools and it is working well. Some of these kids have been together for nine years, all their best friends are getting ready to go on to third level and all of a sudden they are told that “we don’t want you”.

“They are being separated and seg- regated and it makes no sense.”