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yesterday.

“Comprehensive civil partnership, as proposed in the heads of bill, is a major milestone towards equality. The Gay Clare group sup- port access to full equality through civil marriage and this bill is a fun- damental step forward towards this goal.

“The provisions outlined last week will resolve many immediate and pressing issues faced by lesbian and gay couples in Clare and will

also provide a platform for further progress.”

“The proposals in the heads of bill however do not provide for legal rec- ognition of the many same-sex cou- ples, particularly women, who are parenting children together, leaving these parents and their children out- side the protection of the State,” con- tinued the Gay Clare spokesperson.

“This is of critical importance to parents _WOCG MMO eCeDUROUODN(ONKoINME-UITe! Gay Clare urges the government to bring

forward proposals to address this legal gap.”

If passed the civil partnership bill will also have huge impli- cations for co-habiting and unmarried cou- joo

More than 20 mem-

bers of Fianna Fail par- liamentary party signed a motion questioning elements of the bill last week. Following an emergency meet- ing, a party spokesman said that there was “broad support” for the bill. The parliamentary party decided to refer the bill to its justice committee for further consideration.

NO sooner had the Tommy Murphy Cup landed in Clare in 2004 than David Russell was confonted by the first real crossroads of his foot- ball career. Approached by the then Clare senior manager John Kennedy, Russell along with fellow Clarecas- tle and county team-mate Stephen Hickey were advised that it would be in their best interests for their inter- county careers that they transfer to a senior club.

It was a predicament that Rus- sell had never pondered before. His family genes were firmly rooted in Clarecastle GAA throughout the gen- erations. His father Paschal had won four county hurling championships for the club throughout his distin- guished career but while David was a dual player, football was his first love and with the game constantly struggling to stay afloat in a pre- dominantly hurling dominated club, he decided to adhere to his mentor’s advise.

News of Kennedy’s counsel spread quickly and the pair were contacted by Eire Og player-manager James Hanrahan who made it clear that they would be welcome at the En- nis club. So after much deliberation and banter from both sides, Russell, Hickey along with two others trans-

ferred across the rival divide to their near neighbours. ; ;

Russell knew a lot of the Eire Og players through his soccer con- nections and had played with Alan Malone and Cathal Shannon at county minor and Under 21 level but integration was still initally difficult but after a couple of games, even the most stubborn panelists were convinced that the newcomers were pulling in the same direction.

The key galvanising moment for Russell came in his first champi- onship season in the quarter-final of 2005 when Doonbeg knocked them out of the championship. Due to sickness, Russell didn’t play that day but watching from the sideline, he observed a different perspective, principally the aversion towards the townies by their rivals and it had a unforgetable effect on him. In fact he attributes a lot of the credit of their county final success a year later to that game as the players realised they needed to become a more resilient side if they were to finally make the breakthrough.

‘2006 was definitely a knock-on ef- fect from 2005. I realised how much most other teams had a distaste for the club and considered us soft

touches and we had a meeting only a week after the Doonbeg game and decided that we were going to have to be a stronger, fitter and harder team in 2006. And it showed as we went through the championship unbeaten and won the county final to cap off a Super year.”

Russell was a mainstay in _ that championship winning side, starting all seven games at wing-back but that elation turned to frustration last year. He was forced to sit out the majority of the championship after rupturing his medial ligament in the Clare Cup Soccer final while playing for Av- enue Utd.

“It was the worst injury I have ever had. I was out for four months and to stand on the sideline along with Michael O’Regan and Mark Kelly it was so frustrating. Fair play to the rest of the lads, the team did very well to win tough games and reach the final and I did make an appear- ance at half-time 1n the decider but it wasn’t meant to be. Personally, from the highs of 2006 to the very lows of 2007, that has really made me more determined this year and hopefully I can remain injury free and move on for 2008.”

From being a blow-in four years

ago, Russell is now captain of the side for the year, a position he could never envisaged when he first arrived at the club.

‘remember our manager Leo Ryan called me over six weeks ago and told me he would like to make me captain and even though I am from Clarecastle and had all my tuition in Clarecastle, it was one of my proud- est moments. To be able to follow the likes of Alan Malone, Peter Cosgrove and Shane Daniels last year is a huge thrill and I’m just looking forward to the first championship game. The league has never been a top priority in the club, the championship has always been where we perform and after getting to the final two years in succession and only losing one match in fourteen proves our pedigree. The motivation is back and the hunger is back to atone for 2007.”

Clarecastle men Russell and Hick- ey have played an integral part in that championship consistency. Maybe there’s some truth in the old magpie saying that ‘one’s for sorrow, two’s for joy’.

THE Bunratty Environmental Group is set for a revamp, in an effort to en- sure the appearance of the local area is maintained.

The group was set up in 1997. Since then, some of its members have moved away, while others have passed on.

According to one of its founding members, Ann Jones, locals are now being invited to join the group and play a role in keeping the area clean.

“We are trying to get new members. We want new blood and new ideas. Our aim is to keep the area tidy and

provide extra services for tourists and locals alike,” she said.

She is particularly appealing to lo- cal business people and young peo- ple who have moved to the area, to get involved.

“Our children are married and have young families. There are a lot of 35-year-olds living in the area, with small families. They are the future,” she pointed out.

Since the group was set up, it has played a role in flower beds being put in place, while picnic tables and maps, indicating the location of bed and breakfast outlets, have also been welcome additions in the locality.

“A lot of the bed and breakfasts were cut off, so we put maps on dis- play at Meadows and Byrne and at the entrance to the folk park,” she said.

‘We have also kept an eye on what has been happening in the area with regards planning,’ she added.

“It is an awkward area to have as a community as it 1s spread out so much. There is the Wells, Clonmoney and also Bunratty, but we would con- sider them all the one area. It is hard to get to the heart of the community, when it 1s spread out so much,” said Ms Jones.

Allied to the anticipated addition of

new members to the committee, Ms Jones is also optimistic that the local graveyard will be extended.

‘We have been hoping for the past five to 10 years to get an extension to Bunratty graveyard. We have more or less acquired land and just need to get planning permission and get it through.

“Because it 1s such a historical area, there will be a lot of hold-ups and we have to carry out an archaeological dig, but hopefully we will get it,” she said.

Ms Jones is encouraging anyone in- terested in helping out with the group to contact her on 087 7793563.

SHARON Collins denied at all times that she set up the email lyingeyes98@yahoo.ie but the pros- ecution claimed there was ample evi- dence that she had, and alleged she wrote ‘vicious’ emails.

Addressing the jury in her closing speech, Una Ni Raifeartaigh, BL for the prosecution, said there were 14 points which proved that Sharon Collins was ‘Lying Eyes.’

1.The person who sent the emails

from the lyingeyes account must have had access to all three computers used — the Advent computer at the Downes and Howard family business, the Iridium laptop which was located at PJ Howard and Sharon Collins’s home (Ballybeg House) and the Toshiba laptop stolen from Downes and elec tuer

2. Because of the times of usage of the three computers.

3.The content of the emails sent by someone calling herself ‘Sharon’. 4. The knowledge shown in

the emails. According to the prosecution, the sender had indepth knowledge of the personal lives and movements of the Howards.

5. The language of the emails was similar to the letters Sharon Collins wrote to the DPP and her letter to the Gerry Ryan show. For example, the use of the words ‘unbearable’ and ‘vulnerable.’

6. The consistency between the emails and the plan being carried out. For example the ricin, getting rid of the computers and references to keys and photographs.

7. The general user activity on the computer.

Searches for weight loss, inheritance rights and kitchens were interwoven with searches for hitmen and assassins.

8. Because of the times of the user activity.

9. The consistency between Sharon Collins’s movements and her emails. 10. The consistency between email activity and phone calls, particularly on August 15 and 16, when the deal was being closed on the ‘hit’.

11. The fact that there has been

no sign of Maria Marconi on the computers indicates that Ms Collins was lyingeyes.

12. Sharon Collins’ mother’s maiden name, Cronin, was used, particularly on the application form on hitman. 13. The fact that she made certain admissions in relation to the FedEx tracking number, for the €15,000 package she sent to Las Vegas, was the “smoking gun”.

14. The user went in and out of

the sharoncollins@eircom.net

and lyingeyes98 @yahoo.ie email rererere) enslave

CLARE County Council has re- sponded to local fears that a planned housing development adjacent to the Rocky Road could cause irreparable damage to the area.

The council has refused outline planning permission to Therese Mc- Carthy for 16 homes on a site adja- cent to the Rocky Road.

A number of local residents ob- jected to the development including landowner George Gallery of Rock- mount, Ballybeg, Ennis.

In a submission lodged on his be- half by legal firm John Casey and Co, Mr Gallery expressed concern that if planning permission was granted, it would be irretrievably detrimental to the Rocky Road.

“Whilst our client objects, in prin- ciple, to the granting of planning permission for the construction of

16 houses on the site of the proposed development as he feels that the pro- posed development is out of keeping with the character and scale of exist- ing buildings in the immediate vicin- ity our client’s main concern relates to the despoiling of the Rocky Road and the irreparable damage that would be occasioned to if it is trans- formed from a predominantly pedes- trian amenity walkway into a major vehicular thoroughfare accessing the proposed development.”

The objection adds: “Our client uses the Rocky Road to access his lands and regularly brings stock and agricultural machinery and equip- ment along same in connection with his farming activities.

‘Our client, and his predecessors in title, have always enjoyed unhindered and uninterrupted use of the Rocky Road — which is on their lands — in connection with their normal farm-

ing activities.

The council has refused planning permission on a number of grounds. The local authority ruled that the proposal would be premature in rela- tion to an existing deficiency in the provision of water supply and sewage treatment.

The council stated: “In the absence of a master-plan in relation to the comprehensive servicing of lands along the Ballybeg Road, the pro- posal would therefore be contrary to the proper planning and sustainable development of the area.

The council found that the pro- posed development would endanger public safety by reason of a serious traffic hazard. The council also ruled that the proposal, due to its proximi- ty to and access onto the Rocky Road public right of way, would result in a negative effect on the existing amen- ity value of this route.

THE evolutionary rise of Ennisty- mon in recent years has not only been fueled by their senior status, the foundation for the club’s newfound optimism also lies in their emerg- ing underage structure that has borne fruit over the last eighteen months. With many clubs struggling for num- bers in the modern climate, Ennisty- mon realised that restructuring was necessary at underage level in order to pay dividends for the future of the club as a whole.

Relegation from senior in 2004 was one of the sparks that jolted the club into action but crucially, they bounced back immediately to the top flight the folowing year and since then, the young senior side has pro- gressed with every passing year.

In addition, the groundwork done by Minor board Chairman JJ Crowe and his predecessor Conor Fitzgerald at underage level means that all the signs are positive for the future of the club.

2007 was a fitting return for all the behind-the-scenes work done in the club. In the adult ranks, they con- tested three finals at junior B, senior B and Under 21B and although the latter was their only success, the club

are quite content that they are mov- ing in the right direction. But it is at underage level that the rewards are finally being reaped. Ennistymon captured both the Under 12 and Mi- nor Division | titles last year but they also reached the penultimate stage of the Under 14 and Under 16 Division 2 championships. They have already contested the Under 16 Division two final this year and reached the Under 12 semi-final, as well as being un- beaten so far in the Under 14 cham- pionship. So what have been the key factors in this tranformation?

“First of all, we have very good structures in place” explains Minor Board chairman JJ Crowe, “and have a very good group involved from un- der 8 to minor. Every Wednesday, the under 8’s and under 10’s train and we could have sixty children in the field and that goes on from the first of May to the end of September. The club has done tremendously well at underage in recent years and each team is well organised. We also bring in outside coaches for teams at certain intervals to freshen teams up and we also get great support from the parents.”

“One major plus to us is that we have our own field and dressing

rooms now and that has given us a base to develop at all levels. I feel that overall the standards have im- proved immensely. The effort is be- ing put in and every team is com- petitive whether it is division one or division two and the fact that we have our own clubhouse and grounds, pro- viding a meeting place for everyone is a major help.”

The Minor Championship was the most celebrated title as it is the flagship event at underage level and Crowe admits that due to the con- tinuous success that their opponents in the final, Kilmurry/Ibrickane have had in recent years, winning that de- cider was a considerable accomplish- ment.

‘The minor victory gave us a great lift altogether. We were underdogs all the way but we still felt it could be our year and beating Kilmurry/ Ibrickane in the final was a major achievement for the club because we have so much respect for them for all their success at underage level. They are the model and they have been for the last ten or twelve years.”

Still, underage titles are no guaran- tee of adult success in the future but Crowe feels that the proper frame-

work is now in place right through- out the club and that all augers well for the senior side to make a major impact on the championship in the next few years

“It is a very young senior team and now you are going to have 15 or 18 new players boosting the senior panel after this year. All of them are very good footballers and we also provid- ed the captain of the county minor team Michael McDonagh.

“In our minor side last year, we had twelve players who were under 17 so I think it 1s going to take three or four years before we hit the senior championship with a serious chance of winning it.”

Qualifying from the group will be the senior’s initial aim in this year’s championship. If they can achieve that feat, it would be the first time that the club has qualified for a quar- ter-final since the group stages were introduced. It would be a significant step in their overall development plan and set the standard for their up and coming talent to emulate.

ALTHOUGH the summer break from school is just underway, peo- ple are already being encouraged to consider courses for the coming au- tumn.

St Patrick’s Comprehensive School in Shannon has a wide range of courses on offer to suit a variety of needs and interests.

The school is running post leaving certificate courses, along with sev- eral FETAC courses.

The courses are suitable for post leaving certificate students, the un- employed, parents of school-going children, adults who wish to further their education and those who wish Kom) @nee

Courses on offer in the business area include business studies, secre-

tarial and information technology.

These courses lead to job opportu- nities in a range of areas including banks, computer firms, travel agents, airline companies and in the leisure or recreational industries.

A range of courses are also avail- able in the childcare area. These courses lead to job prospects in nurseries, pre-schools, creches, and nursing homes and as special needs

assistants.

All of the courses can lead to ad- mission to Universities and Institutes of Technology, through CAO appli- cations or the Higher Links Scheme.

Enquiry forms are available from Clare VEC, Station Road, Ennis.

The closing date for receipt of com- pleted grant applications is August 31. Enquiries can be made at the school, phone 061 361428.

SHARON Collins’s two sisters brief- ly gave evidence on behalf of the de- fence to the trial last Tuesday. Introducing themselves to the court in Irish, Maire Ui Liduihigh and Cait Ui Donnachan, between them,

spent less than ten minutes giving evidence.

Maire Ui Liduihigh explained how she was married to Sean and lived in Galway since 1994 or 1995. Asked by Sharon Collins’s barrister Paul O’Higgins had she stayed with her in Ennis in August 2006, she replied,

“No, absolutely not.”

She explained she was older than the accused. She said Sharon went to school in Ennis and left at age 18 or 19, having passed her Leaving Cer- tificate. She said Sharon got married at age 19 and had two sons. Asked when the marriage had come to an

end, she replied, “I’m not sure.”

She said her mother’s maiden name was Cronin and her father, Charles Coote, was deceased.

‘My parents were separated for a long number of years. I’d have been an adult when they separated. I think She would have been an adult as well,

possibly a teenager,” she said.

Cait Ui Donnachan spent two min- utes in the witness box, during which she said she was married to Conail. Asked did she stay with Sharon in Clare in 2006, she replied, “No, I did not. . . | wasn’t there in July or Au- gust 2006. I’m certain about that.”

PLANS by Ennis Town Council to create an amenity park around the site of the well-known Rocky Road area in Ennis have been put on hold. Local landowners had threatened court injunction proceedings over the proposal.

Earlier this year, the town coun- cil lodged plans with Clare County Council that would have involved the creation of a new paved entrance pla- Za, new circulation paths and railing along the stream edge, installation of low stone seat walls and sign walls. The plan would also have included the provision of street furniture; bicycle stands, a dolmen and rocky outcrop, grading of ground levels, tree and shrub planting, grassing and ancillary landscaping works.

A decision was due on the applica- tion last month.

However, the county council failed to make a decision after landowners George Gallery and Patricia Gallery Ryan threatened injunctive proceed- ings unless the council agreed to meet with their legal representa- tives.

In a submission to the council by Kerin, Hickman and O’Donnell so- licitors, the Gallerys state that “the proposed development flies in the face of the facts, which is not ac- ceptable under any circumstances as it is contrary to the established legal rights and interests that our clients have used for generations without interference, interruption or ob- struction”.

The Gallerys’ solicitors threatened that if the council failed to get in touch with them within 14 days of the letter “our instructions are to 1m- mediately issue injunction proceed- ings against Clare County Council

and Ennis Town Council without further notice and our clients shall be seeking an indemnity from the councils in relation to the costs in- volved in same”’.

The council was due to make a decision within that 14 day period. However a decision is still awaited on the proposal.

In 2001, a campaign to prevent the Western Relief Road of the €200 million Ennis bypass going through the Rocky Road failed after the then Minister for the Environment, Noel Dempsey, confirmed the Compul- sory Purchase Order (CPO) for the route.

Some 1,800 people put their names to submissions objecting to the by- pass cutting the Rocky Road 1n two. But their pleas only resulted in a roundabout originally planned to be located on the Rocky Road itself be- ing moved 30 metres to the west.

THE deposit for the purchase of the €1.4 million Inis Cathaigh site in Kilrush has not yet been paid by the local authority.

In answers to a series of questions posed by Cllr Marian McMahon Jones (FG) relating to the purchase of the controversial site for new civic buildings, Kilrush Town Manager, Bernadette Kinsella said the council must first wait for the legal formall- ties to be completed.

“As is standard in property con- veyancing practice the acquisition is subject to contract and the legal formalities/checks are currently in train,’ she said.

These aspects are being dealt with by Clare County Council’s legal ad- visor, John Shaw of Michael Houli- han and Partners, Ennis.

The town manager said that work began on locating possible sites as far back as 13 years ago, and “some 17 sites in all have been considered by various administrations over the years’.

Those included were new build, greenfield and brownfield sites, re- furbishmet and lease buy options.

“More recently multiple possible options were narrowed down to four. The decision on the Inis Cathaigh site was made after having received

full professional feasibility and fi- nancial advice in various options at the following four different locations – Place de Plouzane, land at the rear of Pound Street, lease purchase op- tion and the Inis Cathaigh site.”

“The decision to purchase the site for a sum of €1.4 million was tak- en in May by the managers of both council’s following due consideration of the professional advice received. This is normal practice in local au- thority land acquisition. You will ap- preciate that for transactions of this nature it would not be appropriate to have discussions with individual members in advance,” she said.

The offer on the .49 acres Inis Ca- thaigh site was made on behalf of the council by valuer Paddy Browne and Associates.

Ms Kinsella said that she has no data available that corresponds with an offer of “7,000 square feet for €1.6 million at Quay Mills’, bought up by Cllr McMahon Jones.

“A lease buyout option was one of which professional advice was received. In considering the rela- tive merit of a lease buy out option, pricing and space data was provided by the developer of Quay Mills and clarification of the data provided was sought and received by our agent in respect of a lease buyout option at that location,’ she said.