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SPENDING more money to keep the profile of the Shannon region top of the list for travellers is the only way to beat the tourism slump.

The Government and tourism agen- cies need to come up with €6 million in promotional cash for next year – in excess of the €10 million spent on national marketing – to keep us on the tourism radar.

Those were two of the major find- ings of a new report which takes a first look at the state of tourism in the region under Open Skies.

Commissioned by Shannon Devel- opment and the Irish Tourist Industry Confederation, “Shannon, Gateway

to the West – A Short Term Market- ing Perspective” argues that Ireland recovered faster from the travel slump in the wake on 9/11 than any other European country thanks to our aggressive marketing campaign. Prepared by Tourism and Transport Consult International (TTC), the re- port calls for a list of actions to com- bat fall off of between 10 and 30 per cent in visitor numbers to the region. The action plan should include Gov- ernment commitment to extra finance for the “Discover Ireland’s Wonder- ful West” campaign for at least two more years, the establishment of a US Customs and Border Protection full pre-clearance unit at Shannon Air- port, increased marketing support for

European routes and continued work to secure all existing transatlantic routes at Shannon.

Delivering better value to visitors and continuing investments to create reasons to visit the region, are also a priority.

Asked at the launch of the report in Adare Manor last week how the Government could be persuaded to put more money in at a time when the economy is cooling, Dick Bourke, Chairman of the TTC said the Gov- ernment will get back what they put in many times over.

“The exchequer take on tourism rev- enue is 48 cents in every Euro. That’s €2.6 billion per annum. We are ask- ing for a drop in the ocean. There are

17,/00 businesses which make up the tourism industry in this country. They support employment for over a quarter of a million people.”

John King, Heritage and Tourism Director of Shannon Development, said that the immediate challenge facing the region was securing exist- ing access and related services in dif- ficult times.

“Many of the current problems fac- ing the sector will diminish in time and Shannon and the west must re- main positioned to take full advan- tage of this recovery.

Connectivity, marketing and tour- ism product development will remain key to this aspiration,’ Mr King add- ed.

PAINTBRUSHES at the ready, the second annual Outdoor Landscape Painting Competition will be held on Saturday July 19 in Lisdoonvarna.

Encouraged by the success of last year’s historic event, the Burren Painting Centre has decided to em- bark on the second year of the out- door landscape painting competi- tion.

The competition aims to attract amateur artists from the four corners of Ireland to paint the scenery of Lis- doonvarna and the Burren.

The sponsorship from local busi- nesses has doubled from the first

year with €6,000 going to the prizes and events. The overall winner will receive a cash prize of €500 in addi- tion to a 3 day painting course break at the Burren Painting Centre in Lis- eKereyenienu eter

The first event in 2007 was an un- tried and untested excursion into the unknown. However, 30 artists ap- peared, painted and won prizes. A fun day was had by all. This year the competition will be the core of an art weekend, with other events offering an attractive 3 days for people inter- SAI KexO OME NO Coer- Du BSE

An oil painting demonstration by Fergal Flanagan will be held in the newly renovated town hall in Lis-

doonvarna in the early evening of Friday July 18.

Flanagan is an established well known oil painter from Wicklow and should prove an interesting speaker. This will be followed by the official opening of an art exhibition, curated by local artist Doreen Drennan.

The exhibits will include selected works from seven local professional artists that paint in The Burren area.

On Saturday July 19 the competi- tors will open with registration in Lisdoonvarna National School hall. Competitors will be asked to choose to paint in one of three different cat- egories, oils or acrylics, watercolour, or mixed media.

They will then be given three loca- tions to choose from and a map to help them on their way. At the end OMAN AToMOE-NiANelca am SU MKcIRUDU IEA SINOMNOLSIDN pieces of finished work.

The following morning the two judges Rosemary Carr and Charles Harper will set about the scrutiny of the work. During that Sunday morning Frank Sanford will conduct a drawing workshop at the Burren Painting Centre. This will be fol- lowed by the prize giving lunch.

Entry forms and details of the com- petition are available from Chris O’ Neill, The Burren Painting Centre, Lisdoonvarna, info@burrenpainting centre.com or phone 065-7074208.

PEOPLE are being encouraged to get out and show their support for two local charities at a major fundraiser TbO BIN OD NSC (cle) e

Orgainsed by the Clare Classic and Vintage Club, a vintage show at the Showgrounds on June 15, aims to raise money for Clare Haven Serv- ices and Cystic Fibrosis Children’s Light of Hope.

The show will kick off at noon with a display of vintage cars, trucks, and machinery, together with lots of fun events for the family, a mini-digger competition and a hay trashing event. Burren Birds of Prey, golf putting, tractor balancing, a crushed car com- petition, music, raffles and some sur- prises will also feature.

The Clare Classic and Vintage Club started in 2003 with a close- knit group of vintage and classic car

enthusiasts. Over the years,the club has grown, and now, in 2008, has ex- panded to over 100 members. Along with classic cars, the club also dis- plays vans tractors and other vintage pieces of machinery.

Each year the club hosts four main events – the spring and summer runs, the Anthony Barry Memorial Run and the Vintage Show.

Cystic Fibrosis Children’s Light of Hope was set up in August 2005 as a charitable organisation to aid research towards finding a cure for Cystic Fibrosis.

According to organisation member Linda Drennan one of the main aims is awareness. She said, “There is a very dedicated team working with Light of Hope. We are always trying to promote awareness of Cystic Fi- brosis. It is Ireland’s most commonly inherited genetic children’s disease”.

Cystic Fibrosis is a disease which

affects the lungs and pancreas, caus- ing life threatening lung infections and the inability to digest food prop- erly. Cystic Fibrosis does not have to be in the family. It can occur when two carriers meet and their children inherit a defective gene from each parent. Large doses of antibiotics and frequent hospital stays are common among Cystic Fibrosis sufferers. Clare Haven Services was set up in 1995 to provide emergency accom- modation, support and information to women and their children living with domestic violence and abuse. Clare Haven offers a variety of services including a 24-hour confi- dential helpline 065 6822435, a drop- in centre at Munster House, Gort Road, outreach clinics in Shannon, Kilrush, Scariff and Ennistymon, the insights educational programme for women, court accompaniment as well as a refuge where women and

children can safely and comfortably live. More information can be seen on www.clarehaven.ie.

Ms Drennan added, “We are de- lighted that the Clare Classic and Vintage Club are supporting our- selves and Clare Haven.

“June 15 is Father’s Day and we look forward to welcoming a large number of families for a great day out while supporting two worthy lo- cal charities.”

THIS Saturday the women of Gort will rekindle a flame first lit more than 60 years ago. At 3pm the door of the new ICA hall will be thrown open and the public will be invited in to help open the guild’s newly refur- bished building and mark 60 years of the organisation in the area.

The two-story building is the end product of decades of effort. In 1948, two members of the guild approached the local bank looking for a small loan to purchase a rundown cottage on Boland’s Lane. £49 was all it’s cost, but the guild put forward their only employed members for fear they

would be turned down.

‘In those days times were very hard and they had to put in a lot of hard work to pay off the money,” said guild president Nell Giblin.

WON DA Lor UC Mm EIN o) mm NOL SO OME NO Toy Van per: R ote aged to get a second building but over the years they fell into a very bad state. We decided that the only thing to do was to knock and rebuild. So we had to spend six years looking for the deeds to the property before we started building, and now the whole thing has been completed.”

The work was made possible thanks to grants from CLAR, Galway Rural Development and Galway County Council. In addition to this the guild

have raised more than €60,000 to date to meet the shortfall.

With a first rate facility now in place the ICA would like to open the building to the wider community.

“We have a mothers and toddlers group in here at the moment and it is a lovely space for them. The mu- sic school, Coole Music, also use this space sometimes as does the parade committee,” said guild PRO Anne Burke.

“We would love for more things like that to take place in here. We re- ally see this as a valuable community resource. It’s not just for the ICA, we are the holding body but other groups can get a benefit from it too.”

To coincide with the launch a book to commemorate 60 years of the guild is also being launched. The book features memories from the lo- cal ICA throughout the decades and is available locally at a cost of €10.

The official opening of the new hall will take place this Saturday June 14, at 3pm. All are welcome.

THE Ennis Farmer’s Market is the subject of the RTE programme “Fresh from the Farmers’ Market’, to be aired tomorrow night.

Presenter and food writer Clodagh McKenna visited Ennis on a wet and windy day last October.

Ms McKenna interviewed some of the traders and then cooked a Greek style dish using organic lamb, cu- cumber, scallions, garlic, mint, sun dried tomatoes an olive oul – all pur- chased in the farmers’ market.

She also talked with customers about the appeal of farmers’ mar- kets. One customer from Ruan tells the show, “People should realise what good value the market is. For example, I always buy a bag or two of mixed salad leaves. I wash them and store in the fridge where they last all week, whereas the bags from the su- permarket cost more and the leaves start to go brown once you open the bag. I know that the market salad has been picked that morning, has not been sprayed with any chemical and has not travelled thousands of miles

to get to me”.

The farmers’ market has been up and running since 2004 and consists of a group of dedicated food produc- ers and traders with a wide range of local, artisan and organic foods. Most of the produce is sourced in Clare with some coming from near- by Tipperary.

The market runs on Friday morning in the upper market car park (oppo- site Meere’s Butchers) from 8am to 2pm. This year traders are advocat- ing to customers, the benefits to the environment of eating fresh, local

produce and minimising their carbon footprint.

Another regular customer tells the show, “I really look forward to Fri- day evenings because I know I will have something delicious to eat from the Farmer’s Market.

Today I have a quiche, some local goats cheese, salad and I also have a beautiful bunch of flowers, some new potatoes and an apple tart for Sun- day lunch and some Brussels sprout plants and duck eggs for my dad.”

The programme goes out on RTE 1 tomorrow night (June 11) at 7.30pm.

AFTER months of posturing and talking a good game, the IFA did what most presumed they would eventually do on Tuesday by pledging their support to the Lisbon Treaty.

After playing politics right up to the June 3 deadline, IFA President Pad- raig Walshe pulled off a major coup by forcing Taoiseach Brian Cowen to go public on his intention to veto a WTO deal that would be considered bad for Irish farmer.

The week started with the ICMSA claiming to have received “ironclad assurances” from Cowen on world trade and throwing their lot behind

the Yes campaign.

The news was warmly welcomed by Clare TD and Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture Tony Killeen. “This deal is in the best in- terests of Irish farmers and the wider agri-food sector,’ he said.

‘Membership of the EU has being undeniably good for Irish farmers over the past 35 years. Ratifying the Lisbon Reform Treaty would dem- onstrate Ireland’s consistent com- mitment to a strong and effective European Union and would help us to secure the support of key EU part- ners and to build strategic alliances on major issues to this country and, not least, to Irish farmers.”

Fellow Clare TD Timmy Dooley (FF) echoed Killeen’s comments

“I fully welcome the decision of the Irish Farmers Association who have called for a Yes vote for the EU Lisbon Reform Treaty,” said Dooley who is the vice chair of the Joint O1- reachtas Committee for European Affairs. “I believe that it is always in the best interests of Irish agriculture that we address issues of concern to our farmers from a negotiating posi- tion of strength and not from a nego- tiating position of weakness.”

Reacting to the news, Libertas Ex- ecutive Director Naoise Nunn said that the news was disappointing, but totally to be expected.

On Thursday the ICSA voted by a majority of 59 per cent to 41 per cent in favour of recommending a yes vote.

Meanwhile, the bridge building ahead of the WTO continued apace this week with Agriculture minister Brendan Smith meeting to discuss matters with Polish Secretary of State, Andrzej Dycha.

“It is clear that both member states have a shared sense of disquiet about some of the proposals currently on the table and that we are determined to make all efforts to ensure that the outcome of the negotiations does not undermine the future of the CAP,” said Minister Smith.

on Monday that he felt it “inap- propriate” that Fr Cullinan, who was filling in for parish priest Fr Liam Enright, “used his sermon for the po-

litical purposes of campaigning for a No vote in the Lisbon Treaty”.

However, Fr Cullinan denied preaching politics: “I didn’t preach for a ‘No’ vote from the altar. It might have looked to some people like I did call for a ‘No’ vote but I didn’t,’ said Fr Cullinan, who re- fused to explain what he said about the treaty at Mass.

Fr Cullinan is a chaplain to Limer- ick Institute of Technology where he is responsible for the pastoral care of students, including many from Clare. He said the treaty was “a huge issue for us here”.

“The European Commissioner for Human Rights, Thomas Ham-

marberg, criticised Ireland last month for not legislating for abortion. And that is the European commissioner for human rights.”

However, Mr Hammarberg is not an EU commissioner. Rather, he is a commissioner for the Council of Eu- rope, a separate body to the EU and one to which the treaty does not ap- ply. He is a former head of Sweden’s Save the Children charity.

It is understood that Fr Cullinan made his controversial remarks at Masses in Cratloe’s two parish churches last Sunday.

“He talked about homosexuals and that because of Europe thousands had to be paid out because of discrimina-

tion,’ another Massgoer revealed.

“Tf he didn’t tell us how to vote, he was bringing up issues he had with the referendum,’ he added.

Fr Seamus Madigan, a spokesman for the Bishop of Limerick, Dr Donal Murray, said “that the reported re- marks made by Fr Cullinan are per- sonal to him and are his opinion”.

He added the Bishops of Ireland, including Bishop Murray, “are en- couraging people to use their vote wisely and not to use it as a protest vote”.

GERRY Quinn has perhaps more reasons than one for hoping Clare do well in this summer’s hurling cham- eyCoyeleuyey

Quinn has just opened his new pub in Ennis. The Corofin man has a 50 per cent share in the Library Bar and Clare doing well on the pitch could mean a boost in business off it.

Quinn said, “Well the Clare thing could help a small bit but we are hop- ing that the place will succeed any- way, away from that”’.

Originally opened as the Kings Bar in 2006, the building has since been renovated. Quinn explained, “A lot of work was done on the place. It’s

is completely different. The bar ar- eas were changed around. New décor was put in, new furniture. We opened a beer garden out the front. There is a cocktail bar. We were trying to make it different from other bars in Ennis. There is more space upstairs, more seating. We have a function room that will be opening soon.”

Quinn has previous experience of the bar trade. He said the opportu- nity to open a pub at a prime location in Ennis was too good to pass up.

He said, “I had Crowley’s for about two years in Corofin and that went pretty well. That was different to this, it was more of a traditional music type pub. I suppose with The Library, it was such a good opportu-

nity. I liked the location and I liked the building. It’s a new business. We’ve only been for nine days. It’s going great so far. One or two things that have come up but we’re getting Woe

Quinn, who works as a property ne- gotiator with Ennis based auctioneer- ing firm Philip O’Reilly – Property Plus, is also determined to force his way back into contention for a place on the Clare team to face Limerick in the Munster semi-final on June 22.

Quinn didn’t make the starting 15 for Clare’s impressive Munster first round victory over Waterford.

He said, “That’s the plan anyway, to try and get and get back into the team. It was disappointing not to be

involved the last day. But when you look at the result and the way the lads played, I suppose I can’t really have any argument. There have been one or two injuries, so there might be an opening. I’ll just have to work hard and see what happens”.

Quinn joins a distinguished list of Clare hurlers who have opened busi- nesses in Ennis. All-Ireland winning captain Anthony Daly runs a sports shop on O’Connell Street. Solicitor John Callinan, a two-time all-star recipient has an office in Ennis as does double All-Ireland winner and auctioneer, Brian Lohan.

WITH all attention being diverted to WTO and Lisbon, a new outbreak of the highly pathogenic H7 version of bird flu in the UK went almost unno- ticed in farming circles this week.

Despite a number of near misses, the Republic remains a bird flu free zone and Minister for Agriculture, Brendan Smith, took a number of measures on Thursday to attempt to insure that this remains the case.

Smith confirmed all notifications from the Department of Environ- ment, Food and Rural Affairs (DE- FRA) that Oxfordshire outbreak does involve the deadly H7 strain of the virus.

As a consequence, the required EU movement restrictions on poultry and poultry products had been put in place by DEFRA and a ban had been imposed on bird gatherings and shows in the control zone around the outbreak premises.

The minister confirmed that, as a precautionary measure and along with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in Northern Ireland (DARD), his department was placing a ban on the participation of birds from the control zone in Ox- fordshire at bird shows and gather- ings in Ireland.

In addition, a ban was put in place on pigeon racing to Ireland from part of England or involving pigeons that

were in the control zone from last Wednesday.

“This is a further example of the application of an all-island approach to the threat of the introduction of avian ‘flu to the island of Ireland,” he said.

“The ornithological advice avail- able is that as we are currently at the high point of the breeding season, the risk of spread of avian flu by move- ment of migratory wild birds from Britain remains very low.

“My officials would continue to keep the situation and the existing contingency arrangements under on- going review.

“I would urge flock owners to con- tinue to take the measures that are

outlined in the biosecurity Informa- tion booklet that was recently circu- lated to them.”

The booklet, entitled Avian Influ- enza Control Measures, contained the clinical signs of the disease and any suspicions should be reported to the contact numbers listed.

In America, meanwhile, testing of more than 16,000 migratory birds between May 2006 and March 2007 showed no evidence of the H5N1 bird flu virus.

Information released last Thursday showed that the birds studied were infected with virtually every other known strain of influenza, other than the highly pathogenic and potentially deadly HSN] virus.

AN ENNISTYMON- man has claimed that he has been unfairly labelled “‘anti-traveller’” following a public meeting in the town last week.

The meeting, which was held in the Falls Hotel in Ennistymon on Thurs- day night, was called to discuss prob- lems relation to a development in the reyyaee

“The Traveller family that will be going into that development used to

use my house as a postal address for their correspondence. We were help- ing this family long before Clare County Council had any interest in it,’ said Philip Fahy from the Ennis Road in Ennistymon.

‘How could I have anything against that family’? This is an issue between myself and Clare County Council and they way they have handled this issue. We feel that we have been de- ceived.”

“IT live across the road from this development. We have just bought a

new house on a thirty year mortgage. We feel that we were robbed of our chance to have a say about how this development is being put together.”

The meeting was addressed by a number of county councillors in- cluding Martin Conway (FG), who claimed that the meeting was very productive.

“I feel that the councillor answered very comprehensively any issues that were raised on the matter of Traveller accommodation.”

“It is an executive function and ac-

cording to the 1998 Traveller Accom- modation Act means that the county manager has the power to introduce traveller accommodation unilater- ally,” he said.

“If the councilor doesn’t agree he can introduce the measures himself as he did with the emergency halting site just outside Ennistymon.”

‘People are not aware that the local councillors are tied when it comes to this issue.”

“The meeting gave us a great chance to clear the air. I would appeal to

people to embrace this change. If we were to oppose everything then we would not have a role in the manage- ment and development of things go- ing forward.”

“People were satisfied going away from this. It’s a difficult issue and the best thing that we can do is to man- age it going forward rather than op- posing it for the sake of opposing it.”

A number of other issues were raised at the meeting including pub- lic toilets in Ennistymon, sewage and car parking spaces.