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THERE are almost 1,000 more peo- ple signing on the dole in the mid- west now than there were in the eco- nomic slump of 1985.

The region has seen a jump of al- most 5,000 in numbers signing on the dole in the last 12 months.

The latest figures from the Cen- tral Statistics Office to the end of last month show there are 19,537, in comparison with 14,559 in June of last year.

Despite reassurances that the cur- rent slow-down is nothing like the bleak economic outlook which Ire- land faced in the ‘80s, that number 1s higher than for June 1985 when there were 18,629 signing on.

Between January and June 2008,

Clare suffered the loss of 463 jobs, three per cent of the national total.

The losses put Clare in the mid- range on the redundancy scale, with counties such as Kerry and Mayo registering 383 and 295 job losses respectively. Neighbouring Limerick suffered a higher toll, with the loss of 916 jobs.

What shocked many were the high- profile companies who announced redundancies, ceased trading or had to impose short-time working. Some of the cuts have yet to be counted, with 57 workers at the Shannon based company Avocent to go and 15 jobs lost in north Clare with fears that German company Stubben Ltd may cease manufacturing at it’s En- nistymon factory.

In a double blow to Ennistymon,

the town’s largest employer, Data Display, confirmed that they had to have workers on a four day week for a period to avoid letting staff go. The factory employs 250.

Three weeks earlier, the closure of Shannon-based technology company Buffalo Technology Ireland was an- nounced with 48 job losses. This was closely followed by Kiely’s Electri- cal, with a further five jobs being axed.

Shannon based interior fit-out busi- ness Ashcoin, which employed 100 people, also ceased trading in the ETS meslenieee

A LITTLE-KNOWN _— Shannon- based aircraft engine leasing firm employing just 22 people recorded a net profit of $84 million last year.

According to accounts filed to the companies office, Shannon Engine Support Ltd (SES) increased its net profit by 42 per cent on the $59 mil- lion net profit enjoyed in 2006.

The accounts show that the 22 em- ployees received an average salary of $109,000 with the overall salary payout being $2.4 million.

Of the 22 staff, eight work in cus- tomer support, five in marketing, five in finance and four in admuinistra- none

The returns show that the compa- ny’s profits have been rising steadily from $24.2 million in 2003 to $84 million last year.

The $84 million profit enjoyed last year has resulted in the company

now having accumulated profits of $316 million.

SES is a wholly owned subsidiary of CFM International, a company shared jointly between the French- owned Snecma and General Electric Company.

The accounts show that the largest proportion of the company’s busi- ness is carried out in Europe, where last year it recorded sales of $60 mil- lion.

This compares to sales of $29 mil- lion in Asia Pacific and $39 million in the US.

A breakdown of its turnover shows that $125 million has come from “aircraft engine support” and $13 million from “future engine mainte- TEEN eee eo Ee

The accounts confirmed that the company did not pay a dividend in 2005. Under the heading of direc- tors’ emoluments, $212,995 was paid through salary and bonus.

The board is made up of three US and three French directors and one Irishman, managing director, Pat Bergin who was appointed last Feb- Ura

The company’s total assets are val- ued at $567 million, including $35 million cash at hand in bank.

SW slemereynnlor-venas ines shcechexore OOM Nelo Ker vision of a range of aircraft engine management services to the interna- tional civil aviation industry centred on the provision of comprehensive spare engine support and allied serv- Tee

It expects that the business will continue to develop and states that it is well positioned to benefit from any upturn in the aviation industry.

“The principal risk that the busi- ness faces is a sudden downturn in the global aviation industry, in par- ticular, a slowdown in global passen- ger traffic as a result of an economic slowdown or an external shock.”

THE line up for this year’s Scariff Harbour Festival is promising to be one of the most exciting and varied Woe

Music, drama, comedy, family fun day, stalls and festival atmosphere is promised over the festival weekend, August | to 3 and in the run up to it.

In one fun event, The Floating The- atre Company, who operate from a restored barge are running week-long workshops in theatre, music technol- ogy, and art and costume design in the week before the festival.

The workshops, for children aged 10 up will be conducted by trained professionals and will culminate in a theatre performance incorporating the work of all the participants at the official opening ceremony on Friday, August 1, at 6pm in Scariff Harbour.

The theme of the voyage is an ex- ploration of the myths and legends of the Scariff and Shannon waterways, specifically the legend of “The Sons of Tuireann”’.

A nominal fee will be charged for each participant for the full week.

There are still some places remain- ing for the workshops so anyone 1n-

interested should call in to O’Meara’s Pharmacy to pick up a leaflet.

In another unique event, volunteer of the Niall Mellon Township In1- tiative, Gerry McNamara will recon- struct a typical township dwelling at his home on the Dock Road for visi- tors of the Scariff Harbour Festival to view.

Gerry is one of seven volunteers who have given their time and labour every year since the project started.

He has worked as a carpenter, constructing sustainable houses for shack dwellers in the Capetown area of South Africa at Imizamo Yethu,

Mfuleni and Freedom Park town- Sethe

The 2008 Building Blitz will take place in the township of Khayelitsha in Cape Town and Gerry intends to travel again this year and needs to raise at least €5,000 to pay for the trip and to contribute to the cost of building materials.

There will be a sale on the day to raise cash for the cause and the or- ganisers are calling on all cake, bread and jam makers, green-fingered gar- deners and nursery owners to sup- port him by donating their produce for sale on the day.

A NUN who was told by medics that she only had a slim chance of surviv- al was cured of cancer by some “mi- raculous’ reason, after being treated at Mr Carmody’s clinic.

Sr Teresa Healy underwent pho- todynamic treatment twice at Mr Carmody’s clinic in Killaloe, having been diagnosed with breast cancer in AUF

She told the jury of eight men and three women that Mr Carmody “would go to any lengths for a pa- tient. He was totally dedicated to his work. He really cared about his pa- tients.”

Sr Healy, from Malahide, Dublin, said that Mr Carmody initially treat- ed her for ME in 1987 and she visited him again in 2001.

After undergoing surgery in Dub- lin, she was told she had grade three cancer and had a five per cent chance of survival.

‘IT was quite serious,” she said.

She told the 14th day of the trial last Friday that she met Mr Carmody and Dr William Porter at the East Clinic in Killaloe. She was shown slides of breast cancer and she underwent photodynamic treatment.

She told the court that she asked Mr Carmody could he cure her.

“He said he could never say it would cure me. He said we would have to wait and see, we can’t be sure of any- thing Sister,’ she recalled.

She told the court that when she was under the light, she could “see

the cancer cells being zapped.”

“They were just disappearing away as the light shone on them,” she said.

She said she felt the cancer was “oozing” out of her, by some miracu- lous reason.

“IT was just delighted really. I felt I was being cleared of cancer,’ she said.

She said she was very impressed

in him as a doctor. “I could see his dedication in his medical way of life in the way he spoke to me.”

She told the court she said to Mr Carmody, “this seems to be a cure you never told me about,’ to which he replied that he “couldn’t guaran- tee me a cure that I could take him to court if he had promised me a cure.”

Her health is now “very good. I’ve

no cancer now. I’m better than I was for 30 years.”

“Recently my doctor told me my blood results could be framed, they were so good,’ she said.

Another witness Jim O’Brien from Clontarf, Dublin, said that he was diagnosed with sarcoidosis in 1986, a condition that affects a number of the body’s systems, including the

lymphatic and pulmonary systems and the eyes.

He went to Mr Carmody and re- ceived treatment there. This treat- ment was a combination of fluids, drops and tablets, which were de- signed to boost the system. He is now clear of sarcoidosis.

He said that prior to visiting Mr Carmody his opinion of the medical profession had not been very high but he quickly was reassured that “this man could do something for me.”

He said that Mr Carmody also treat- ed his wife and two sons, for various ailments and they were happy with all of the treatments.

He said that Mr Carmody’s instinct was that “surgery was a last resort.”

Another witness, Billy Turkington, from Belfast, told the court that his son Oliver “absolutely benefited” from the treatment he received from Mr Carmody.

Oliver was diagnosed with cancer in 1999 and had part of his leg ampu- tated below the knee.

‘About a year after Oliver had part of his leg amputated, the cancer moved to his lungs. His doctor told him he had six months to live and hadn’t offered him any more treat- ment as he thought it was a hopeless case.” They travelled to Mr Carmody and his son underwent three weeks of treatment, after which he lived for a further seven years but died last year.

WHILE much of the county ploughed along on the last embers of the Celtic Tiger, Clare farmers have been feeling the pinch for more than six months. The recession, and in particular the cost of petrol and die- sel, has been squeezing incomes for the county’s 3,267 full-time farmers since the later stages of 2007.

Increased cost of fuel, fertiliser and feed has raised the cost of fire inputs by an estimated 20 per cent in just Te.qseslonaecy

“There are three items that have

been impacting heavily on farming in Clare over the last six or seven months. One would certainly be the increase in fuel costs, there is also the increase in fertiliser and the in- crease in feed,” said Clare IFA Presi- dent Michael Lynch.

“All the farm work done these days is influenced by fuel costs and the chemicals used which are derived from fuel. That has all combined to put up our costs substantially.

“Treland has a pretty long wintering period for stock and all the cost asso- ciated with winterage, whether it be feed or fuel, will have a more detri-

mental impact on Ireland because of that. The other detrimental impact it will have is that it will put pressure on our markets which will limit their purchasing power for farm products.

“They will move to cheaper prod- ucts and away from higher quality products such as beef and lamb pro- duced by Irish farmers. So farmers will be hit on both ends – both at the input side and the output side.”

While Clare’s full-time farmers face tightening margins, many of the county’s estimated 4,000 part-time farmers find themselves in an even more perilous position.

“That is a very serious aspect for farmers in County Clare. So many farmers in Clare have to have second off-farm income just to stay afloat. With an awful lot of them losing their jobs in the construction indus- try its going to force a lot of people who could not earn a living in farm- ing back into full time farming,” continued Mr Lynch.

While last week’s expenditure cuts announced by the Department of Ag- riculture avoided cuts to major farm related schemes, fears are growing that any further cuts would have a catastrophic effect on farm incomes.

“It really does depend on how deep this recession goes. So far it appears that there is not too many curtailments, but if it continues then who knows? We have a lot of worry about the Farm Waste Management Scheme where the deadline has to be met by the end of the year,” said Mr Lynch. “Farmers are spending a lot of money upgrading premises to the standards required by the Nitrate Directive Regulations. It’s going to be difficult to get all of that work fin- ished in time and if farmers fail to meet the deadline then they will be places into even further difficulty.”

AS one chapter closes another always opens. Thus it will be in Kilnaboy this month as the last exhibition in the X-PO Project takes up residence. The project, which has brought the old post office back to life as a community space over the last nine months, will however continue into the future as a local committee has been formed to carry on the pilot be- gan by artist Deirdre O’Mahony. Fittingly, the last exhibition in the current series 1s a collect of Deirdre’s own work. The series, which is en- titled Surfacing – Viscaux, includes

a number of paintings and photog- raphy focusing on the increase and eventual decrease of algal-bloom on Lake Inchiquin since 2004.

“After studying the bloom I began to discover that it was a much more complex issue than I had ever imag- ined. It’s not just about farmers and phosphates, it had a lot to do with everyone’s personal responsibility with products such as washing pow- der and shampoo,’ said Deirdre.

“Over the past two years I have noticed a huge increase in the water quality of the lake and I know that last year there was much more fish. So my worked changed from being

didactic, or preaching about the lake, to looking at the changes and how they have come about.

“It ties in a lot with the whole no- tion of the X-PO in a lot of ways. It’s a good representation of the differ- ences between knowing the surface of an issue and then really knowing something deep about it. Bringing this work into the X-PO 1s like show- ing the people what my own work is about. The X-PO has been a lot about me helping local people to look at themselves and their own past where as this 1s me, as a new local person, saying here I am.”

While Deirdre’s work in the X-PO

is coming to a close, a group of lo- cals have come together to continue using the post office as a community Sey: (elon

“I think that it’s safe to say that this is not the end of exhibitions and ac- tivities in the X-PO,’ continued Detr- olien

“All the things that have happened in the X-PO over the last number of months really brought people in and got them to talk and exchange old stories. There is a real desire for a common place where all member of the community to meet.”

The exhibition will run until the end of August.

TWO Shannon men who are endeav- oring to run 12 marathons in as many months have reached the half-way mark and will take on their seventh challenge this weekend.

Darren O’Connell (32) and Alan Mullin (30) from Tullyglass, Shan- non, will run the Swiss Alpine marathon on Saturday. It is part of a challenge aimed at raising money for Cystic Fibrosis.

A friend of theirs died from the condition several years ago and they are hoping that the people of Shan- non will recognise their huge efforts in this challenge.

Over the past six months, the two have run in Zurich, Rome, Valencia

and Norway, along with a couple of runs in Ireland. After Switzerland, WEA SUUENiom alu IOM e(KIl ene stounbre Dublin, New York and Lisbon.

Their last run was on flat ground in Norway. Alan finished in four hours and three minutes, while Dar- ren came home in four hours and 12 minutes.

‘The marathon itself was fine. Get- ting there and home was a bit of a nightmare. We had to travel to two airports and it was tough going,” said PETE

Both have managed to come through the mammoth challenge relatively unscathed and despite nig- gling injuries, have both been lucky enough to stay in good health. This is important, given the high level of

intensity involved.

“The Swiss Alps this weekend will be pretty tough. It is the highest alti- tude marathon in Europe. It will be either very hot or very cold,” added Darren. The rest of the runs will be city marathons,’ he said.

While Alan trains in Dublin, where he is based, Darren does most of his training in Shannon and Cratloe. He also took part in the 10k run in Bun- ratty two weeks ago, in aid of Our Lady’s Hospital for sick children in Sate

Allied to the running, the two have also been raising money for Cystic Fibrosis. They have collected up to €7,000 so far and hope to increase this substantially, as the final runs Zhe) Keene

“We had two days of bag packing last week in Dunnes Stores (Shan- non) and collected €3,500. We were delighted with that. All of the money is going directly to Cystic Fibrosis. We are playing all of our expenses out of our own pockets,’ he added.

The duo will approach businesses in the Shannon area later this year, with a view to encouraging them to help out with funds. They will also hold a number of fundraisers, in- cluding a table quiz in the Oakwood Arms Hotel, Shannon, in October.

PASCHAL Carmody told the trial that he was not aware of the existence of a company called PDT Ltd until February 2002, despite receiving 47 cheques from the company between February 2001 and February 2003.

Mr Carmody was cross-examined at length about the company PDT Ltd which he claims was set up by Dr William Porter and his wife Maggie and with which he had no involve- ment.

Prosecution Sree Denis Vaughan Buckley asked Mr Carmo-

dy if he only became aware of the ex- istence of the company in February 2002, how he received 47 cheques totalling €207,156 as well as an “‘ad- ditional payment” of €242,675 from that company between February 2001 and February 2003.

Mr Vaughan Buckley said, “You must have been aware the company existed.” Mr Carmody said he did not become aware of the company until February 2002.

The court was also told that an ex- amination of Mr Carmody’s bank ac- counts by a forensic accountant dur- ing the garda investigation revealed

lodgments of €240,000 in 2001 and €1.9m in 2002. The following year, (2003) there were lodgments totalling €2.359m while in 2005 the figure had dropped to just over €500,000.

Mr Carmody told the court that he had no issue with his finances being discussed in court and he wanted to be open about them.

He dismissed suggestions that he was a fraudster taking advantage of vulnerable people by shining lights on them to rob them of money. “I have never misguided a patient in any way, he said.

‘There was no need for me to make money from it. In the early stages of treating cancer patients, the ma- jority I never charged for treatment and later, I only charged to cover my costs.”

He said while he had “no problem giving hope to patients, false hopes I have a problem with.”

He added, “If it was a good result, then that was satisfactory to both parties and this and only this was my approach in my 36 years of medical practice.”

Asked by his counsel about how be- ing struck off as a doctor in 2004 im-

pacted him, Mr Carmody said, “‘It is the worst thing that can happen you bem bb Konee

Mr Carmody also told how had a dispute with Dr William Porter and his wife Maggie in 2002 and decid- ed then to end his association with WeoNee

He said that he was concerned they were just carrying out a commercial ey oer: lnleyee

He said the Porters wanted to de- velop photodynamic therapy as a commercial enterprise and he did not feel that this was in keeping with good ethical practice.

THE Clare branch of the Irish Road Haulage Association has criticised IBEC Mid West’s stance on the spi- raling cost of energy, describing it as “living the dream of a wishful tomorrow”.

Last week the IBEC Director for the Mid West, Chris O’Donovan, called for a number of actions to be taken to alleviate pressure on businesses due to the rising cost of energy.

These included fuel diversification, fast-tracking the Corrib Gas project,

supports for energy efficiency and in- creasing market competition.

However, the Clare Branch of the Irish Road Haulage Association has criticised these initiatives as too long-sighted, claiming that the haulage sector will be annihilated long before the impact of any of the changes are felt.

“The crisis at the moment is far more imminent than living the dream of a wishful tomorrow. This is so ur- gent it is unbelievable. We have felt the downturn in consumer spending three or four months ago. Coupled

with this downturn was an increased price in transporting the products to the customers. This is going to hit shops heavily now and after the summer. The hauliers are at the front door of this,” said Eugene Brennan of Spa Transport Ltd in Ennis and the Irish Road Haulage Association.

“I think IBEC needs to address this in a more relevant way. If we can ad- dress this then we can have a much more sustainable service. If they want to wait until more transport compa- nies go out of business and transport gets really expensive then we will

have another peak and trough situa- tion. IBEC should come and meet us and have relevant discussions on how we can fix this.”

According to the Irish Road Haul- age Association many Clare haulage companies are currently operating at a loss and face closure in the coming nee) eLdSLe

“Tt’s cruel to the world. They are still calling it a recession but I don’t know when they are going to start calling it a depression. It’s a vicious cycle. The downturn in the building industry came at the same time as

the huge increase in oil. We have far too many trucks there for the busi- ness. Customers either don’t want to or are not in a position to pay any- thing extra towards the cost of fuel,” continued Mr Brennan.

‘The cost of fuel is a definite – we can’t get away from it. But I think that it might take a few more hauliers to go out of business before they get the message.

Hauliers are doing jobs now with no profit margin or for a loss – they are going jobs just to keep a cash flow ticking over.”

FINAL preparations are being made for the 59th North Clare Show which takes place this Saturday, July 26, at the Parish Field and St Patrick’s Hall.

After weeks and months of frantic organisation everything is now in place for one of north Clare’s sum- mer highlights.

“The show will start at 9.30am with the pony and horse jumping in the Parish Field. At the same time things will be getting underway in the hall. People will be coming with exhibits for the hall from 9am or so for judging around llam,” said Mary

McMahon of the North Clare Show Association.

“The jumping section is always very popular and we have huge num- bers of entrants in both the sportsman classes. People would come from far and wide to take part in that. The jumping goes on until around 6pm including the horses, the ponies and the qualifiers.”

This year the North Clare Show will have three qualification classes for the Shannonside league and all- Ireland qualifiers in the filly/foal sec- tion and the sports horse section as well as a gelding qualifier in the pony section.

Like in other years the hall exhibi-

tions will be a great draw for many.

“The hall is always a site to behold. Between the flower entries, the home baking and the children’s categories which are bursting at the seams,’ continues Mrs McMahon.

‘The flower section and the vegeta- bles are looking particularly well this year as is the home baking. Our turf and poultry is strong as well; overall the hall section is very strong. We really try to have something for eve- ryone. This year we have put up the County Clare Home Baking Compe- tition and we will be sponsoring the Fergus View Cup for the best tray of baking.

“The Clare Limousine Club will be

hosting their calf finals in Corofin this year which is a very big coup for us. As well as that we also have a dog show which always proves to be very very popular with people.”

The North Clare Show Committee includes Maurine Roche, Joe Kil- leen, Mary McMahon, John Cahill, Thomas Carroll and John Beakey. Although the closing date in some categories has now passed, any re- POL-HUOUDOTSME SA OL OM oKMr-DOLO Ms DOLOLUUDMlonm Je COlUNCe! be directed to Mary McMahon at 065 6837795.