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PLANS for a €10 million retail park for Miltown Malbay have been with- Oe hate

In order for planning permission to be granted to the proposal, three quarters of the 32 members of Clare County Council were needed to vote to contravene the Clare County De- velopment Plan.

The council’s planning department signalled that it is ready to give the go-ahead to the plan which will de- liver 100 jobs to the town through the provision of a new Supervalu outlet.

The council has ruled that the plan would materially contravene the County Development Plan which states that the land should be retained for residential purposes.

However, due to the number of lo- cal objections, the proposed develop- ment didn’t have the support of all the six north Clare councillors and

the developer, local supermarket owner John Jones, withdrew the ap- plication.

The development was to have in- cluded seven shops, 18 apartments and offices and the plan was subse- quently revised in response to further information sought by the council and objections lodged against the proposal.

The plan was opposed by other businesses in Miltown with one busi- ness owner telling the council that the scale of the project was so large that it threatened the existing busi- ness ecology of the town.

“*T estimate that the retail space pro- posed is in excess of the entire retail floor space currently occupied by all the other businesses in the town,” the objector stated.

“In effect, this development would constitute a new town centre. it is on the scale and design of a modern shopping centre suitable for a large

town or city but is not compatible with a village. The development of an American-style shopping mall is not compatible with this vision. The attraction to tourists of a bustling vil- lage with traditional shop fronts and small individually owned businesses would be lost,’ the objection stated.

Speaking in relation to the project last year, John Jones said, ““Miltown needs something like a Supervalu and it will mean more business for Miltown. People go into Ennis and Limerick to shop, but having more services in Miltown will make sure that Miltown is a bigger draw for shoppers.”

Mr Jones said his family have been Operating a business in Miltown since the 1830s.

“We have a proud tradition here and we are well qualified to be in line to put in a new shop and we should be allowed opportunity to do it,’ he said.

’s Co- lin Davey and three times UK Sports Photographer of the Year, Bob Mar- tin who selected the top 146 photo- graphs for inclusion in Assignments 3. The book was published to coin- CHT ALAM Neem COP INCOIMWZO OI BKMo.c pected to attract over 200,000 view- ers over its six week run in London.

The two photographs selected from Eamon’s portfolio were a study of Kilfenora boxer Mark Clancy before his fight in Madison Square Gardens on St Patrick’s Day last year and a

photograph of scorekeeper Flan Mc- Namara at Cusack Park in Ennis.

Commenting on his latest success, the 36-year-old Coonagh man said it was a great honour to have two of his photographs considered good enough to be included among the best press photographs from the last year.

“Many of the photographers whose work is included in

IF EVER Guinness goes out of busi- ness, barman Joe Sciascia will be worth a fortune.

Joe would be the first to tell you he’s more of a collector than a bar- man, and he has what must be one of the largest collections of original Guinness and old advertising signs in the country.

He’s lost count, but there are up- wards of 5,000 pieces of advertising memorabilia, between signs, ciga- rette cartons, tobacco tins and other items passed over bar counters in years gone by.

So vast is his collection, that Joe quips that the Old Mill Bar in

O’Briensbridge, which he runs with his wife Kathleen and step-daugh- ter Clodagh “was bought so I would have somewhere to put it”.

The Old Mull recently won the Licensing World magazine’s, Bar Awards, in the Best Country Bar cat- OMe

Joe claims no glory for the win, “It’s the hard work that Kathleen and Clodagh put in – I’m no great shakes this side of the bar.”

Whatever about his bar skills, as a collector you wouldn’t doubt Joe. He started 25 years ago and has been scouring car-boot sales, markets and second-hand shops ever since.

“I find stuff everywhere and cus- tomers bring things in as well. I have

my own little museum here.”

Joe’s imagination was caught by the old advertising and he particu- larly loves his collection of “original – not reproductions” of the John Gil- roy Guiness ads, featuring the “See What One or Toucan Do” and “Guin- ness is good for you” themes.

Some of his signs are now almost a century old.

“Advertising and packaging was far more decorative before TV. It had to make a visual impression. It’s not like that anymore. You wouldn’t col- lect most of the packaging they use Old

Joe and Kathleen took over the pub ten years ago and since have invested €300,000 to bring it back to it’s old

(ey ule meso ate

“The old pubs are dying out. We wanted to keep the old character here and the old ads and signs fit in with that,’ said Joe.

The family is delighted with the AEN KOR

“It’s not one of these that you can go online and buy – there are a lot of those out there. The judges liked the place, though I’m surprised they saw anything, there were so many peo- ple here at the time. They arrived on Sunday when we were doing lunch.”

PASCHAL Carmody insisted that he never promised any of his patients that he would cure them of cancer.

‘“T never use the word ‘cure’ in any care, with any patient,’ he told the trial, during cross-examination on Friday morning.

He disputed evidence given earlier in the trial by the widow of one of his former patients.

Bernadette Gallagher, from Mullin- gar, County Westmeath, lost her hus- band JJ through cancer of the liver in September 2002.

He underwent photodynamic treat-

ment at Paschal Carmody’s East Clinic in Killaloe in February of that year.

Mrs Gallagher said Mr Carmody told her husband the treatment was ‘just like magic’ and they thought it was too good to be true.

However, Mr Carmody told the court he didn’t say this and also de- nied that he had promised to cure Mr Gallagher.

He also denied saying to the Gal- laghers that when people found out about the treatment for cancer that it would be “like the days of Lazu- rus, they will be banging down the doors.”

He said that his recollection of events relating to Mr Gallagher were very fresh in his mind, as Mrs Gal- lagher went public on the issue in 2002 on RTE’s Prime Time.

“My recollection of events are ex- actly as I describe,” he said.

Referring to another of his former patients, John Sheridan, Mr Carmo- dy was asked had he promised to get him through his illness, as had been claimed previously.

“T don’t recall those words,’ he Cr HOR

Asked by Prosecutor Denis Vaughan-Buckley had he promised a cure for Mr Sheridan, he replied,

“There was no question of a cure. I did not promise a cure for John. I do not use that word in communica- nto) ei

He denied that he had led the Sheridans to believe he would cure John.

Mr Carmody also denied that he had promised to cure Conor O’Sullivan – a 15-year-old boy from Wexford who died from cancer in November 2002 – or at worst, keep him alive.

This was the claim made by Conor’s mother Christina, earlier in the trial.

“No. I didn’t use the word ‘cure.’ I may have put my hand on his shoul- der to reassure the young man and say

‘Pll do my best for him’,” he said.

When it was put to him that he had made a lot of money from pho- todynamic treatment, he said to the Prosecutor, “Since you have started your examination, you’ve repeatedly referred to income without outlay. I want the jury to know the substantial outlay involved was far greater than the income.”

Mr Vaughan-Buckley then asked Paschal Carmody was he telling the jury that he had lost money on the photodynamic treatment (PDT), to which Carmody replied, “I’m telling the jury there was substantial outlay in setting up the PDT centre.”

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.

CONCERNS have been expressed over the level of service for cystic fi- brosis (CF) sufferers in Clare.

Fine Gael TD Pat Breen told the Dail that around 30 cystic fibrosis patients in the county are attending for treatment at the Mid-Western Re- gional Hospital in Limerick.

He said that a full time consultant was needed to enhance the level of available care.

“The present consultant is due to retire and when the position is adver- tised, a consultant with a speciality in CF should be appointed. The pro- vision of a dedicated adult outpatient

unit 1s also essential. Such a unit is available for children but adults can- not avail of same,’ he said.

“Progress has been made in some areas and funding was allocated in 2006 and 2007 to put in place a full medical multidisciplinary team, fol- lowing an audit by the HSE in 2005 of the staffing levels at the hospital. However, while a number of posi- tions have been filled, there is seri- ous concern regarding the position of two CF nurse specialist positions, which have not been advertised, even though funding has been allocated. When will these positions be adver- tised and filled?” he asked.

“I recently met representatives of

the Clare branch of the Cystic Fi- brosis Association of Ireland and they outlined the stories of the bat- tles they fight every day for services. I met a woman whose son died six weeks ago, aged 23, and I admire her courage in playing a part with the association to highlight the plight of other sufferers. I was amazed by her strength in speaking about her son’s plight. She wants to do something for other CF sufferers in County Clare.”

In response, Minister for State, Mary Wallace, said that the HSE had advised that “An audit of CF staffing at the Mid-Western Regional Hosp1- tal was carried out in 2005. The HSE has since earmarked funding for the

creation of 8.5 additional posts to en- hance both the adult and paediatric CF service.

“The additional staff include a con- sultant respiratory physician with a special interest in cystic fibrosis and a consultant paediatrician with a special interest in respiratory medi- cine, supported by specialist nurses, a physiotherapist, a dietician, a social worker, a pharmacist and a medical scientist post. The HSE has advised that the dietician, the social worker and 0.5 of the physiotherapist post have been filled, the consultant posts are under consideration and it is in the process of recruiting the remain- ing posts.”

A NEW dawn for milk production in Ireland was heralded last Wednesday as Minister for Agriculture, Brendan Smith, signed the new regulations governing milk quotas into law.

The introduction of the new Eu- ropean Communities Milk Quota Regulations effectively revokes the current national regulations govern- ing the super levy/milk quota regime and replaces them with new consoll- dated regulations.

Despite reservations 1n some quar- ters about the new regulations, Min- ister Smith emphasised that the new laws were the product of an extensive review of legislation on milk quotas, and that the principle of simplifica-

tion was at the heart of the laws.

“The clear focus of the review of the milk quota regulations has been on the need to bring legislation in this area up to date at a time of great change in the dairy sector,’ he an- nounced.

‘As market conditions change and the abolition of quotas draws nearer, it is now time to make the function- ing of the quota regime more flex- ible and, in particular, to remove any unnecessary obstacles to consolida- n(oyn a

The new regulations give effect to the changes previously announced in the areas of quota transfers and milk production partnerships.

These include, in the case of trans- fers, greater flexibility in the consoli-

dation of holdings and the transfer of quota within families, a broadening of the definition of qualified relatives to include relations of spouses, re- moval of the restriction on the sale of land and quota out of disadvantaged areas and the facilitation of quota leases to companies.

Regarding milk production part- nerships, the new regulations remove restrictive criteria such as distance between holdings, age limits and off-farm income thresholds, and fa- cilitate the participation of non-dairy farmers and farm managers in part- nership arrangements.

The new regulations aim to sim- plify, and in some cases remove, no- tification and application procedures for producers.

They also remove restrictions placed on producers as a result of their participation in restructuring schemes up to 2006.

Those wishing to sell quota with land may now include quota pur- 1 E:T exe MON N(6(o) ar: RoI DMOLOL RED U DETSanYel OCs) pOLom while those who had disposed of quota under previous restructuring schemes will not now be excluded from quota trading and temporary leasing schemes.

“IT want to take this opportunity to thank the farming organisations and ICOS for their constructive input to the review of milk quota legislation, and I look forward to their feedback on the implementation of the new regulations in the coming months,” concluded Minister Smith.

THERE’S lots to keep kids busy at Scariff Public Library this July. As well as having all their favourite au- thors and stories including Horrible Henry, Harry Potter and Jacque- line Wilson, the library is holding a number of free events to suit children of all ages.

There’s stories, nursery rhymes and a small craft class with Josie Scholman for children aged 3-6

on Wednesday, July 16 at 3.30pm. Youngsters can be Fireman San for a day on Thursday, July 17 when they meet up at the library at 3.30pm fora visit to Scariff Fire Station. Children must be accompanied by an adult. A make and do session for children aged 7-12 will take place on Friday 18 at 3.30pm.

Come along and get the fascinat- ing facts on bats from conservation ranger Sinead Biggane on Tuesday, July 22 at 3.30pm Children aged

about 7-12 will get to hear and feel ‘real’ bats. Sinead will also lead a bat walk in Raheen Wood that evening at 9.45pm, weather permitting. Chil- dren must be accompanied by an adult.

There’s stories, games and crafts for younger children aged 4-6 on Wednesday, July 23 at 3.30pm.

On Friday, July 25 at 3.30pm Mela- nie Lorien will make corn dollies with children aged 7-12 years. Ad- vance booking is required for this

event.

Kids can sign up for the annual Clare County Library Summer Read- ing Challenge at the library where they will receive their free reading challenge pack. Entry forms for the design a t-shirt competition are also available at that venue.

And the best news of all is for par- ents – all activities are free of charge. Places may be limited on some ac- tivities, so please contact the library on 061 922893 for further detauls.