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FORMER fire fighters, current fire fighters and their families gathered with the local community in Killaloe on Friday for the official opening of the new improved fire station.

“It is important that our fire-fight- ers have the best facilities,’ said Minister for the Environment and Local Government John Gormley as he opened the fire station with outgo- ing mayor of Clare Cllr Patricia Mc- Carthy (ind).

“It is of paramount importance that modern up to date facilities be pro- vided for the fire fighters who give so generously of their time to serve and protect the local community,” said

the minister.

He thanked the crew for their dedi- cation, and Cllr McCarthy paid trib- ute to their families who worry about their loved ones while they put their lives at risk for others.

Minister Gormley told those gath- ered for the opening ceremony that he was no stranger to Killaloe as he spent time there as a child on his family’s boat.

He congratulated the county coun- cil on developing a fire station wor- thy of the area.

“This modern facility will provide the necessary additional operational and training administration facilities required by modern dedicated fire Services,” he said.

The existing station was built back in the late 1960s and according to the council’s records it cost £11,308.

Apart from maintenance there had been very litthe work carried out in the station until now.

The new facilities were provided for at a cost of €597,000 for the ex- tension and upgrading of Killaloe Fire Station.

The upgraded facilities include reconfiguring the appliance bay to include a 4WD vehicle, new drying room facilities, watchroom, lecture room, male and female facilities, breathing apparatus maintenance room, resurfacing of the drill yard, security fencing, boundary wall, au- tomatic gate and general refurbish-

ment and decorating works.

“The Killaloe station has seen its work load increase over the years to a point where it now deals with an average of 93 call outs per annum.

“This fire station will continue the tradition of providing a first class service to the town and the hinter- land with skilled fire service per- sonnel who are able to respond to a variety of instances from domestic fires and bog fires to road traffic ac- cidents,” said the minister.

The Killaloe fire officers and ten retained crew provide cover for 170 square kilometres in east Clare and north Tipperary and a dedicated service to approximately 8,000 peo- ple.

CLARE County Council made his- tory yesterday (Monday) when it elected its first ever Fine Gael mayor in the lifetime of the council.

Councillor Madeleine ‘Taylor Quinn (FG) was also the first mayor to be elected in the new purpose built council chambers.

The former TD and senator was elected unopposed having been pro- posed by fellow west Clare Fine Gael councillor Oliver Garry and second- ed by Ennis councillor Tommy Bren- nan (Ind).

The election of the west Clare woman Sees the end of an agreement brokered by Cllr Brennan to rotate the role of mayor during the term of this council.

In proposing Cllr Taylor Quinn as first citizen Cllr Garry said that she along with her late father Frank had provided 54 years of unbroken serv- ice to Clare County Council.

Madeleine’s mother Ann Rita sat in the packed public gallery watching the occasion with Madeleine’s hus- band George, sons David and Eoin, other family members and friends, including Fine Gael Deputy Joe

Carey.

Taking the chair Cllr Taylor Quinn paid tribute to her predecessor Cllr Patricia McCarthy. “You took on the office with energy, enthusiasm and commitment,” she said.

“Tt is said that “Politics is the Art of the Possible” and belatedly I am beginning to support this theory. When first elected to this council it would not have remotely occurred to me that one day I might be Chairman or Mayor of Clare County Council. Fine Gael councillors never held the office, so it is with humility and thoughtful regard for all those who

served here in the past, some still with us, others deceased that I take on the mantle of the mayoralty,” she added.

Councillors from all parties and areas congratulated Clare’s first ever Fine Gael mayor.

They also paid tribute to the hard and dedicated work of the outgoing mayor Cllr McCarthy, and to Cllr Tommy Brennan for organising and securing the rotation deal.

Cllr Martin Conway (FG) told the new mayor “Your commitment, your integrity and performance in politics can never be in doubt.”

Cllr Joe Arkins (FG) told her that she “may have been elected in the west but you are respected in the rest.”

In congratulating the mayor Cllr Pascal Fitzgerald quipped, “I feel sorry for your husband George, he has to do the washing, ironing and everything else,” he said.

Cllr Colm Wiley (FF) reminded councillors that it was the last AGM they will have as the current coun- cil.

“In this last year let us all pull to- gether for the people of Clare, those that elected us and the mayor.”

SHARON Collins denied that she was motivated by money, in an in- terview with gardai in June 2007, the trial heard.

She told gardai “money does not float my boat at all”, in the June 26 interview.

Detective Sergeant Michael Molo- ney told the trial that she denied that she would use a Mexican marriage certificate obtained over the internet

to claim the Howards’ money when her partner PJ and his two sons Rob- ert and Niall were dead.

She told gardai that the wedding certificate had not looked genuine. “I haven’t the certificate. I burnt it. I wish I kept it. If you saw it you would see it was not authentic, not lr

She said Robert and Niall didn’t like the idea of Mr Howard becom- ing engaged to her.

‘There was a great deal of dissat-

isfaction in the camp with Niall and Robert when PJ and I came out and got engaged,” she told gardai.

Ms Collins claimed that it was this reaction that had spurred her into paying over €1,000 for a proxy mar- riage over the internet.

“It was just an act of defiance on my behalf, a private one,” she said.

She claimed that she had told Mr Howard about the proxy marriage although he told gardai he knew nothing about it.

“PJ is very straight and if PJ would say I never heard that when he knew that he did you must have done one hell of a job on him,” she told eV KONE

She said she would have signed a pre-nuptial agreement if they had been legally binding in Ireland and said she would have been happy with “just a church wedding”.

Detective Garda Brendan Rouine said that Ms Collins claimed that her writing mentor, Maria Marconi, ex-

isted, despite the fact that gardai had failed to find proof of her existence. She claimed she had kept copies of material she had produced in writ- ing exercises on a disc but had not kept it when she stopped writing. She denied she despised it when PJ asked her to have sex with other men. “That hasn’t been a problem at all since.” She said she did not despise Mr Howard. “Anybody who knows me knows that I don’t and I don’t do good acting. I’m bad at it.”

DETAILS of the last known move- ments of a north Clare man, who dis- appeared almost eight years ago and whose body was never found, have been recalled at an inquest in Ennis.

Frank Kilkenny (36), who was from north Clare and who lived in Caherdavin, Limerick, was last seen at the Cliffs of Moher on October 21, 2000.

Despite extensive searches, his body was never found and County

Coroner Isobel O’Dea received au- thority from the Minister for Justice to hold the inquest. Members of Mr Kilkenny’s family attended the Cor- oner’s Court last week.

Garda Andy Monahan told the in- quest that on November 2, 2000, he took a witness statement from JJ Mooney from Lisdoonvarna. He had picked up a man in his hackney at Whelan’s quarry, near Ennis, to go to the Cliffs of Moher.

‘He said he would pay £20. On the way, I had a conversation with this

man about sport and other things. He appeared fine. I was informed by the man that he was Frank Kilkenny from Lahinch. I knew his father,” Mr Mooney said, in his statement to eNO NB

“When we arrived in Ennistymon, he asked me if I would bring him to the Cliffs of Moher.

“When we arrived at the cliffs, he said he was to meet some friend. He got out of my car and walked towards the cliffs. I waited for him to return, but he did not. He told he that he was

meeting two friends from Kerry.

“T told him that he could pay me when he returned and I would bring his friend to Doolin,” said Mr Moon- Oe He said he waited for about three- quarters of an hour, but Mr Kilkenny did not return.

Garda Monahan also took a witness statement from Mary Mulqueeny from Doolin. She told him she had seen Mr Kilkenny in Ennis at around 6.20pm on October 21, 2000.

She said that she was driving from

Ennis to Doolin, when she spotted Mr Kilkenny near the Maid of Erin roundabout, on the Ennistymon road out of Ennis.

“I observed Frank Kilkenny stand- ing off the footpath and on the side of the road. His hand was raised up and it appeared he was thumbing a lift,” she told gardai.

A search of the coastline was car- ried out by Doolin Rescue Services, but this also proved negative.

Ms O’Dea recorded an open ver- ote

VULNERABLE groups in Shannon will be given special attention by the newly-appointed community devel- opment worker in the town.

Regina Steward has just taken up the post at the Shannon Family Re- source Centre.

Looking ahead to her new job, she said she would focus on improving the lives of lone parents and new- comers to the town.

“It is a great opportunity to work with the community in Shannon. It iS a very proactive community,” said the French native, who moved to Ire- land 32 years ago.

“IT see my job as being a catalyst in the community, to bring people

together, to explore what needs are there and consult with the people. We will see what we can do to achieve that,’ she added.

“IT will work with disadvantaged groups. My work is with individuals and groups, more so groups, target groups including lone parents and the new community, to keep it flow- bites

“We will look at what we can do to- gether to improve the well-being and lifestyles of those who feel isolated,” she added.

“We will try to organise activities and also look at the social aspect of it and ask questions like if someone wants to go back to work how can we Support them and help them access courses that can suit their needs?”

she said.

She said that improving literacy would be one focus and she planned to start computer classes at the re- source centre.

Ms Steward will slot in alongside the co-ordinator of the centre, Marie Rowland, who took up her post ear- lier this year.

Ms Rowland’s main aims are the promotion of equality and inclusion and she is keen to see the develop- ment of relationships with the local community.

“T will work alongside Marie and identify how we can design courses. We will work with people all the time,” said Ms Steward.

Her plans will be geared towards integration and she is firmly focused

on ensuring everybody’s needs are addressed, where possible.

“We don’t want to segregate peo- ple. If a lone parent comes to us and says she wants to do a course, we Say, ‘Why not’. We have to go along with ideas. We are flexible,” she pointed out.

Ms Steward is encouraging the people of Shannon to get in touch with her at the family resource cen- tre, phone 061 707600.

“We are open to ideas, if anyone wants to discuss anything with us,’ she said.

IF anyone ever doubted the strong re- lationship between Kilkee and Lim- erick they should speak to the seaside town’s newly elected mayor.

PJ Linnane has played as impor- tant a role in the Treaty city, as he is about to embark upon in his own hometown.

Cllr Linnane (FF) is a member of Limerick city’s much publicised re- generation programme and has in the past week been elected unopposed as the mayor of Kilkee.

The project manager was first elect- ed to Kilkee Town Council in 1994.

He did not stand for the council in

1999, but the political bug had taken

hold and he was successful elected

again in 2004.

During the term 1997-1998 he was chairman of the council, but since the Local Government Act the chair- person of the council is now called mayor.

The title of mayor is a great source of pride to the Kilkee man, his wife Evelyn and his three sons. An active politician Cllr Linnane serves on the Community and Culture SPC and represents Kilkee on the Committee for social services and health imple- mentation.

It was through friendships he de- veloped with the many Limerick visitors to Kilkee that Cllr Linnane first became involved in the city’s social issues.

Through one of those friendships

he met a man who had opened an en- gineering factory in Moyross to pro- vide employment for local youths.

Cllr Linnane said he was the first politician to visit the factory.

He was also there when former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern visited the area, and gave the seal of approval to the regeneration of the socially de- prived area.

Cllr Linnane now hopes to encour- age Clare County Council to rezone land on the Clare side of the bound- ary for the regeneration programme.

In Kilkee the new mayor has also a few issues of his own to deal with.

During his year as first citizen of the town he hopes to get all parties involved in the contentious Dunlicky Road Quarry issue sitting down.

SHARON Collins wrote three letters to the Director of Public Prosecu- tions, asking that she not be charged and that she be allowed to get on with her ordinary life.

She sent the detailed letters to James Hamilton, on March 13, April 28 and May 25, 2007.

In the first of the letters, Ms Collins said she was referring to her arrest on February 26, 2007.

She said she was writing the letter, with encouragement from her hus- band but against the advice of her solicitor, and said the “whole thing 1s a nightmare beyond belief”.

She spoke of her family, her contact with Maria Marconi and her relation- ship with PJ.

“I’d rather be dead than subject my- self to this. My life is in shambles.

My husband has been told by gardai that I’ve paid money to have him killed but he does not believe it,’ she Sr HLGE

“The thing is, being charged is un- bearable for me. I do believe some- one out there has the capability of setting me up and it had to be done for financial gain.

“Who would want a family killed in one go? It doesn’t make sense to me,” she said.

In the lengthy letter, she went through her life story, explaining how she had married Noel Collins, with whom she had two sons, Gary (23) and David (21). They separated when she was 27.

She met PJ Howard in November 1998. “He was lonely and, like a lot of men, needed a woman to look af- ter him and share his life,’ she said.

“IT loved him and still do very

much. He’s very good to me. I in- vested nearly eight years of my life with him,” she stated.

‘“T’m amazed at how supportive he’s been. He has been told I tried to get him killed yet he still supports me. He knows it’s not true. I am thank- ful of his support at this darkest of times,” she said.

“PJ always looks after me extreme- ly well. It’s just that he wants to look after his business for his sons,’ she said.

She said that both PJ and herself could be “abrasive. We both like to believe we are always right”.

She explained that around the time they met, PJ bought an apartment in Feungirola, Spain. In 2000, he had a quadruple bypass operation and this was a “‘very stressful time” for them.

Some time after, PJ bought a boat in Spain and called it “Heartbeat” on

the suggestion of a friend, after his medical experience.

She explained that PJ’s estranged wife, Teresa, died suddenly from a brain hemorrhage in February 2003 and this was a very sad time for eve- ryone.

She said that as time went on, she realised it was now possible to marry PJ, but he wasn’t keen.

They both agreed it would be vital to have a pre-nuptial agreement if they were to marry.

She said that PJ proposed to her in January 2004, but this was short- lived as his solicitor told him pre- nuptial agreements had no standing in Irish law.

She said they went to Sorrento in October 2005 and after they arrived home they threw a party for family and friends.

She said that a detective said to her

that in 23 years he had never seen so much evidence stacked against someone.

While she admitted she had done “stupid things .. . it all seems so far- fetched”.

“PJ’s son Robert now blames me for all the hassle. I had a fantastic re- lationship with him. He was a cross between a son and best friend,’ she ene e

“Robert is an exceptional young man. I doubt our relationship will be built again. They now hear their sur- rogate mother wants them dead. It’s unbearable,” she added.

“T love PJ Howard. We have a great life together. He took another man’s children into his home and looked after them extremely well. Is this the kind of man any woman would want to kill?” added the letter.

THE acting director of Glor has Ne NwOlecO MO orem ON eloMGe IINRCMAUBDU Moa (ooOIAUC ally close down and become a ma- chinery warehouse if there is not a significant increase in local authority funding for the centre.

In a stark assessment of the cen- tre’s finances, David Collopy says that Glor requires at least another €100,000 a year from Ennis Town Council and Clare County Council

just to keep pace with inflation.

Confirming that the centre’s 2007 losses are in “six figures”, he said the councils’ annual contribution had not increased from the €317,000 first allocated in 2001 when the centre opened.

“If that was required in 2001, then by the same logic, there is going to be a gap in 2008 as the cost of every- thing has gone up.

“If the council can’t give anymore money, then Glor is going to change.

It has to. Otherwise it will be turn- ing in loss after loss after loss. Then the negativity starts and it eventually closes down and becomes a machin- ery warehouse”.

“Does Ennis want that? If the an- Swer is no, then how is it going to plan for its future?” he asked

Mr Collopy pointed out that the centre now employs 45 people, has more programming while wages and costs have also increased.

The heating bill over the winter

months amounted to €1,200 a week.

With inflation increasing by 33 per cent since 2001, an additional €100,000 is required each year just to keep pace with inflation.

“The question is not how much it should be getting, but what the coun- cil should be funding and link the fu- ture annual contribution into annual inflation increases?

“T gather from powers that be, that we were very fortunate to get our funding for this year because of the

budgetary issues they had.

“The future of the organisation 1s going to have to be more financially olan tleem

“Once the councils commit to funding the organisation, they have to revisit the benchmarking for that auusrenparce

In relation to box-office income, Mr Collopy said, “Beyond a certain price, people will not pay. We have a ceiling what you can charge at the box office”.

THE newly-opened Atlantic Air Ven- ture in Shannon is to run its first ever aviation Summer camps this month. After more than two years of plan- ning, the facility recently opened in Smithstown. It currently houses an aviation education centre and one flight simulator. It 1s poised to ac- quire a second flight simulator later this year, while plans are also on the

cards for the construction of a mu- seum on site.

The initiative is the brainchild of Ballycally resident Eddie Ryan, a former aircraft electronics engineer, who mooted the project several years ago.

Project development director Jane McGill is delighted with its success since its opening and 1s anticipating a bright future ahead for the facility.

She is particularly enthusiastic

about the learning lab, where chil- dren learn all about aeroplanes.

“We are going to expand and will have the second simulator, a Boeing 737, coming from Canada later this year. The museum is on the long fin- ger as we just don’t have the space at the moment,’ she said.

Summer camps have been organ- ised and will get underway next week, running weekly until the end Ola Uercaelie

The camps are open to eight to 12-year-olds from 10am to lpm and those over 12 can enroll for the after- noon sessions, from 2pm to 5pm. The cost is €75 per person for a week.

“The children will be able to use the flight simulators. We will have spe- cialised simulators built for them,” said Ms McGill.

However the facility is not merely confined to children, as it is also open to adults.

Another priority for Peter’s year at the helm will be securing improved sporting facilities for the town.

“We have a fabulous facility at Lees Road and a facility at Ballyalla that is not being used to anything like it’s full potential. I would like to progress plans to link the two, which would give us a wide rang of sport- ing facilities.”

The Fianna Fail councillor took the chain of office on Friday night from outgoing Mayor, Tommy Bren- nan after being unanimously elected Mayor on the proposal of Frankie Neylon (Ind) and being seconded by Fianna Fail’s Joe Reidy.

“It is an honour to be elected unan- imously after 33 years. I believe I came back from the brink and I will do everything I can to represent and advance Ennis,” he said.

He told the meeting of Ennis Town Council that he hoped his colleagues “will be conscious of my physical

limitations over the next eight to ten weeks. I would ask for your support during that time.”

There were tributes to the outgo- ing mayor from council members and staff and Cllr Brennan himself thanked the council members and the council staff for their work, sup- port and co-operation during his year in office. Tom Glynn (FF) was elected Deputy Mayor. But the meet- ing did not agree to his suggestion that the Deputy Mayoralty be shared between himself and Green Party councillor, Donal O Bearra.