Category: Uncategorized

MEMORABLE paintings of the Cliffs of Moher were presented to members of the Guingamp commu- nity from France, who have just spent a week in their twin town Shannon.

The paintings, by Clare-based art- ist Sonia Schorman, were presented to Jean-Pierre Ellien, who represent- ed the mayor of Guingamp, while another painting was sent to a couple who have visited Shannon every year since the twinning was set up.

Lillian and Bernard Le Gac did not make the trip this year, as Bernard is ill, but they were not forgotten and Ms Schorman’s piece was dispatched to them in France.

Shannon Town Clerk Tomas Mac- Cormaic said he chose Ms Schor- man, as he was impressed by her paintings in the past.

“T picked Sonia because I had seen some of her painting and I liked it. She is also a member of our twinning association,” he said.

He said that Mr Ellien was most de- serving of his presentation.

‘He was responsible for the first twinning. He was the first person to come over here in 1989 to vet our town and the twinning took off from there,’ said Mr MacCormaic.

While the group of 30 was here, they visited several parts of Clare, including Ballyvaughan, the Cliffs of Moher and the Rock of Cashel.

They also attended receptions host- ed by the local twinning committee and Shannon Town Council.

72-year-old Ms Schorman_ was equally thrilled to have had her paint- ings commissioned for the visitors.

“T was delighted to be asked to do the paintings,’ said Ms Schorman.

Originally from Dublin, Ms Schor- man moved to Clare 30 years ago. She originally worked as a supervisor for a landscape firm and later worked at the folk park in Bunratty. She has also worked as a book sales repre- sentative, before taking up painting nine years ago.

‘After I took my pension, I started painting. I went to classes in the VEC. I never held a paint brush until my

mid-60s,” she laughed. She did the Cliffs of Moher painting by visiting the area. “What I do is go somewhere and take photographs and work from photographs and from memory. The paint brush takes over,” she said.

Ms Schorman was also responsi- ble for the establishment of the Inis artists group, seven years ago. The group has held exhibitions around the county, including a display of paintings upstairs in SkyCourt.

THE largest ever private housing de- velopment proposed for Kilrush has received planning permission.

Kilrush Town Council granted per- mission to developer Tom Gallahue for 205 houses on the Cooraclare Road.

The development comprises 134 Semi-detached homes, 68 terraced homes, 18 apartments, two detached homes, a two-storey neighbourhood centre, 17 warehousing units and a creche.

The lands are zoned “other settle- ment land” which permits limited

residential development.

The council granted planning per- mission for the proposal, finding that it would “be acceptable in terms of traffic and in the interest of proper planning and sustainable develop- ment”.

The 2006 Census shows that the Kilrush urban area experienced a downturn in population from 2,699 in 2002 to 2,630 in 2006.

Mr Gallahue must contribute €526,000 towards the provision of public facilities in Kilrush and an ad- ditional €50,000 towards footpaths. The money represents a major boost to Kilrush Town Council’s finances.

Unlike his counterparts in Ennis, Mr Gallahue does not have to con- tend with local authority limitations on large developments because of over-stretched infrastructure. Kil- rush has adequate public infrastruc- ture whereas in Ennis the council has placed a moratorium on new develop- ments until 2012 when the new sew- erage system becomes operational.

“This decision represents a great vote of confidence in Kilrush and west Clare,” said Clr Tom Prendev- ile (FF) who is based in the town.

“The current climate is not condu- cive to the construction industry but the Kilrush Housing Strategy antici-

pates that there will be a 25 per cent increase in population by 2014 and this development should allow for a 33 per cent increase in population,” Jatemncy-H (6

Cllr Prendeville added that the town council was anxious that the first phase of the development would commence as soon as possible.

“Young people are the lifeblood of a community and I would hope that the houses would be reasonably priced. There is quite a demand from young couples in the area for social and affordable housing and I would anxious that they would be catered for,’ he added.

CONTINUING the evidence on sus- pected poison found in Essam Eid’s cell in Limerick, a scientist said she found a “strong positive reaction” for ricin, the trial heard yesterday.

Last Friday, the court heard that the lens case was taken to the UK for analysis, in April 2007. One of the scientists who analysed the samples gave evidence to the trial.

Emma Stobberfield, a microbiol- ogist with a veterinary laboratory in Surrey, told the court that she carried out a test on samples in April 2007, for the purpose of detecting the pres- SN eemovan uO bee

‘“Ricin is a toxin that is poisonous if inhaled, injested or injected,’ she Sr NIGE

She said that one of the samples Showed a weak reaction, while an- other sample had “a very strong posi-

tive reaction”.

Asked by Prosecutor Tom O’Connell what the strong positive reaction was for, she replied, “For ju (on bn

Michael Collins, BL for Mr Eid, asked her why she had included the phrase ‘strong positive reaction’ in court when she had not included it in her statement made in March.

She replied, “It was more positive than the weak reaction.”

Meanwhile, an investigator with American Express, Paul Shingles, told the trial that charges to PJ Howard’s credit card, in September 2006, were disputed.

Five payments, totaling almost €2,000, were made from the ac- count. These were for two US Air- ways flights, one for accommodation with Alpha International and another for an international phone call to California.

Mr Shingles said that a dispute oc- curs when the account holder does LO] Mrs Res Kerem ALO Ors MC e-IKes08(o 81m

He said thaton September 22, 2006, a caller phoned the American Express call centre, with a query re- lating to the limit on Mr Howard’s card.

However, when the caller was asked what the cardholder’s mother’s maiden name was, there was a pause and the caller hung up.

RESIDENTS in the Drumgeely area of Shannon want their local hall de- molished, as it is becoming a haven for anti-social activity in its current state.

The Park Hall has been out of use for some time and locals now feel it is time that it be replaced with a new hall which would be made available

Ko) upseleroi nu sttae

Fine Gael Town Councillor Sean McLoughlin raised a query on the matter at a meeting of the Shannon electoral area committee last week.

He asked what the current leas- ing arrangement was and whether it could be redeveloped.

“It is an anti-social attraction. If it is derelict, it should be knocked and identify a more suitable site for a

community hall for meeting rooms. It is needed. There is no point in hav- ing it there if it is beyond repair,’ he said.

He was told, in a written response from Senior Executive Officer Michael McNamara, _ that several years ago, Shannon Development had agreed arrangements for the lease of the hall to Shannon Youth Service Council.

“The council has had no input into the operation of the facility since the transfer of the town and does not re- ceive a rent in relation to the prop- erty,” he said.

Councillor McLoughlin pointed out the council would meet with the representatives of the committee re- sponsible for the Park Hall, “to as- certain current status and seek to ad- dress any relevant issues.”

has achieved since its launch in June 2005.

To confirm the paper’s dominance, senior journalists Emer Connolly, TJ Flynn and Claire Gallagher won awards for their work with the pa- per.

TJ won the award for best sports writer on the strength of an article on the Clare football Munster final suc- cess in 1992 at the Mid-West Arts,

Media and Culture awards. This was published in the first issue of

THE Christian Brothers have an- nounced that they will hand over trusteeship of their four remaining Clare schools to a specially formed lay trust from September.

Edmund Rice Schools Trust was established last week and will be charged with continuing on the edu- cational ethos of the Christian Broth- ers into the future.

The trust will have some role to play in the administration of the Ennisty- mon CBS Secondary School, the En- nistymon CBS Primary School (now amalgamated with the Ennistymon Convent), Rice College in Ennis and Ennis CBS.

Nationally the trust will take over from the Christian Brothers in 96 schools representing some 35,000 Students and more than 2,700 teach- ers nationwide.

The trust is being registered in the names of its members and directors, comprising a group of respected in- dividuals including former President of the European Parliament Pat Cox, The Honourable Mr Justice Peter Kelly (Chairperson) and Dr Daniel O’ Hare, Founding President of Dub- Tre O a Oko RIAs

While the Christian Brothers have appointed this list of members and directors, the appointment of all fu- ture members and directors will rest with the new trust company.

‘The announcement marks the be-

ginning of an exciting new chapter for both the Christian Brothers and for education in Ireland of which our schools form an integral part,’ said Brother Kevin Mullan.

“We wish to express our apprecia- tion and thanks to the members and directors who, on a voluntary basis, are taking on the important role of trustees into the future. Their gener- osity and spirit of service to Catholic education is most encouraging at this time of transition in the mission of the Congregation of Christian Broth- ers in Ireland.”

The Department of Education and Science and the Teachers’ Unions have been made aware of the estab- lishment of the trust, which has giv- en a commitment to working with all stakeholders.

“The establishment of the trust company will ensure a continuity of a tradition generated over two cen- turies by the Christian Brothers. As trustees we are extremely conscious not only of the tangible value of the network of schools but equally of the invaluable educational ethos estab- lished by Blessed Edmund Rice that has been entrusted to us,” said Pat Diggins, Chairperson of Directors of the Edmund Rice Schools Trust.

“We will be working in conjunc- tion with the Christian Brother Trustees and with all of the relevant stakeholders within our educational environment to ensure a smooth transition.”

A NEW page in the long history of the Ennistymon Courthouse was turned last week with the appoint- ment of the gallery’s first ever pro- fessional co-ordinator.

The historic building, which came within a whisker of being demolished a number of years ago, now boasts one of Clare’s most dramatic exhibi- tion spaces as well as top quality loft studios for artists in residence

With a rich background in art and art administration, Maria Kerin from Bellharbour has been appointed as the gallery’s first professional coor- dinator.

“It’s a very interesting set-up here

because the whole thing is voluntar- ily run. This building was saved by the historical society in Ennistymon and then a number of artists moved in and gave it an artistic presence,” said Maria.

“Bit by bit they got help from Clare County Council and put together the building that we have in Ennistymon today. The amazing thing about it is that all of this has been achieved al- most totally by volunteers.”

Up until last week the day-to-day running of the gallery has been man- aged by volunteers like Catherine Comber from the historical society.

“We want this gallery to be open to all and to be an inclusive space for the whole of the locality,” continued

Maria.

‘We aim to run all of our events to he highest quality standards. There has been a wonderful sense of pro- fessionalism and respect in the way that the gallery has been run up to now. It’s very important to keep that going.

‘“Ennistymon is changing and this street is changing so we really want to get people up here. We want this space to be an integral part of En- nistymon and the community of north Clare.

“It’s not visual art, we are hoping to attract more people in to do poetry recitals and small musical events. We are looking at putting more workshops together and organising

more outreach projects with the lo- cal primary schools and secondary schools.

“We really want it to be opened up to the community. I’ve been asking local people as I meet them what they would like from their gallery space. Anyone who has any idea should re- ally feel free to get in contact – we are open to any ideas that people migfht have.”

To learn more or to get involved contact the Courthouse Gallery at 065-7071630.

AFTER just a few years in exist- ence Macra Na Feirme’s Know Your Neighbours weekend has already grown into one of rural I[reland’s most important social and cultural events.

Last week the young farmers or- ganisation announced more details of the event watch by a star-studded gallery including GAA personality Micheal O Muircheartaigh, Mary Davis, CEO of Special Olympics Ire- land, and Clare TD Tony Killeen.

This year’s Know Your Neighbour Weekend will take place on July 12 and 13 and is aimed at encouraging people to do more to get to know their neighbours.

“While we’ve seen increased pros- perity in Ireland in recent years,

many people are now also faced with the increased pressures that come hand-in-hand with modern living,” said Macra na Feirme’s national president Catherine Buckley.

“Long hours at work, ever-increas- ing commute times, family and other commitments mean that people are spending less and less time involved in community-based activities.

“All too often we hear people say- ing that they don’t even know their own neighbours. This initiative is a great way of encouraging people who don’t know anybody living in their local area to really do something to rectify that situation. Only you can get to know your neighbour.

“Vd encourage anyone interested in organising an activity or event to order their organiser’s pack straight away and start planning for the

weekend of July 12 and 13.”

Also attending the event was Gov- ernment Chief Whip Pat Carey.

“T am delighted to be here to launch the third Know Your Neighbour weekend,” he said.

“The initiative is a great way of encouraging people to do something about the disconnectedness they may feel from community, or people’s lack of belonging to an area.

“There is no magic wand for ener- gising communities but I look for- ward, as Minister for Active Citizen- ship, in working with organisations like Macra to make real progress in communities right around the coun- ae

The initiative is being driven by Macra na Feirme with the support of ESB Customer Supply.

“ESB Customer Supply is once

again delighted to partner with Mac- ra Na Feirme in sponsoring the ini- tiative for the third successive year,” said Pat Fenlon, General Manager ESB Customer Supply.

“ESB has over the decades con- tributed to the development of every community in Ireland, rural and urban, and 1s committed to further enhancing this with support for com- munity based initiatives.”

THE Christian Brothers have played a central role in the history of north Clare since they arrived in En- nistymon almost 200 years ago. In 1824 local parish priest Rev Pe- ter O’Loughlin wrote to Christian Brother Edmund Rice, asking him to send two brothers to provide for the education of the many Catholic boys in the area who, due to the Penal Laws, had no opportunity of receiv- ing any schooling.

Later that year two brothers arrived in Ennistymon and took up tem- porary residence in a small house owned by a Mr Arthur near the Prot- estant Church, while a new dwelling was being built at the south end of the old Ennistymon Chapel.

In 1825 a lease was drawn up mak- ing over the premises “for the pur- pose of a school to Edmund Rice and Philip Hally of Mount Sion, Water- Ko)Ke ae

In the same year the famous Wel- lington of Waterloo made a donation of £100 to aid in establishing the said school on the understanding that the premises would always be used for that purpose. Another donation of

£100 was made by the Parish Priest.

The Chapel was converted into classrooms with a small organ loft that was removed from the north transept. In cold weather turf fires blazed in each of the three fireplaces and there was an abundance of fuel supplied by the parents of the boys.

In the five years after the arrival of the brothers between three and four hundred boys were enrolled in the school. It is recorded that “the fame of the establishment soon spread far and wide-distinguished visitors coming to see the work of the new brotherhood and, in many instances, oLoyele ul oLUceb rca Com meteam aun Telan

In May 1827 the brothers moved from their temporary residence at Arthur’s Arch into their new Mon- astery beside the school. The site on which the monastery and school stood became known as Mount St Joseph.

During the construction of the Monastery the boys, after school- hours and during playtime, helped to lay out the grounds and to build an enclosing wall.

Much of this information was first published on Wwww.homepage.eir- com.net/~cbsennistymon/

AS the leaving cert comes to a close for another year, one student has more to celebrate than most after complet- ing her entire secondary education without missing a single day.

As Martina Murphy completes her leaving cert music exam at Scoil Mhuire in Ennistymon last Wednes- day, she also brought to a close a six year journey without missing a day.

“I don’t think I did it on purpose re- ally. I just never really had any cause to miss a day. But then I got half way

through Transition Year it kind of dawned on me so I decided to just keep going and never miss a day,” said Martina.

“I started to think about it a bit af- ter that. I got a certificate every year to mark completing the year without missing a day – so I have six of those now.”

Despite taking part in a number of extracurricular activities, Martina still managed to show a face on each and every day.

‘“T never really seemed to get sick. | eaetp rColmecLeeKomAy eh VAup Lan Lec ap NCoAV ol MB KSr DUN

seemed to be an issue for me. I guess I’m really healthy,’ she continued.

“T was in ‘Hell for Leather’, the set dancing show, and we had loads of tours around the country but I was always able to make it in. I remem- ber my grandaunt died and I went to the funeral, but I still came in in the morning for a few classes or on other days I came in for a few hours in the afternoon.

“I guess I value my education. Of course it was to see my friends as well. My friends are great. I really loved secondary school, it was so

much fun.

“I did miss a day 1n primary school. Well, one or maybe even two days in primary school, I’m not really sure. But other than that I was always in.”

With her leaving cert finished Mar- tina is hoping to extend her second level record into third level.

“Tm actually hoping to be a sec- ondary school teacher when I finish in college. The place has obviously had a good impact on me,” she con- tinued. Maybe I can go through my first few years as a secondary school teacher without missing a day?”