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A licence has been awarded for the operation of new bus service for the town of Ennis.

The privately operated bus service will provide 13 services from the town centre to the eastern residential area of Ennis; 12 services from the eastern residential area to the town centre; 13 routes from the town cen- tre to the western residential area and 12 from the western residential area to the town centre.

Town Clerk Eddie Power told the May meeting of Ennis Town Coun- cil that the service is expected to commence soon but, that it was un- known whether Bus Eireann would be involved.

He said, “The council decided in

2007 to conduct a feasibility study to look at providing a bus service for Ennis. Because we were aware that both Bus Eireann and a private Operator were examining the possi- bility we didn’t go through with the study.”

He continued, “A license has been granted to a private operator. Bus Eireann have made no decision yet. We would expect the service to com- mence in the near future”.

Concerns were expressed though over the potential “cherry-picking” of routes. Urging the council to carry out the feasibility study Fine Gael councillor Johnny Flynn said, “We can’t sit around and wait. You could find a situation where the private op- erator will just cherry pick the routes that are most commercially viable

around the town.”

He continued, “I wish the private operator well, but Ennis Town Coun- cil should be leading the way on this.” Independent councillor Frank- ie Neylon called for Bus Eireann to get involved in the scheme.

He said, “The private operator should be looking towards Ennis Town Council. We should be able to tell him better than the department. We need a bus service for all outly- ing areas that are highly populated and we need them on the hour.”

He added, “Bus Eireann would be in a better position to have more bus- es available. A private operator can always pull out.”

Town Manager Tom Coughlan said the involvement of Bus Eireann was predicated on the availability

of funds through the Government’s Transport 21 initiative, which at the moment weren’t forthcoming.

He said, “We met with Bus Shier tat last year and in March Bus Eireann advised us that funding was allocated under Transport 21. We understand that money isn’t available through that yet.”

Fianna Fail councillor Tom Glynn said, ““Where a bus service has been provided, there has been a huge per- centage in uptake. We have to pro- vide Ennis with a bus service and it definitely needs to be as good as possible.”

Fianna Fail councillor Peter Consi- dine said, “The reason any previous service failed is because of irregular- ity. Any feasibility study would be a waste of money”.

FLANKED by her sons, Gary and David, Sharon Collins sits at the back of the packed courtroom. Wear- ing a black trousers suit and white blouse, the petite blonde clutches a bottle of water and chews gum. She looks around, regularly focusing her gaze on Prosecutor Tom O’Connell, as he outlines the bizarre details of the case.

Just a few people separate her from her co-accused, Essam Eid, who sits to her right, wearing a cream-col- oured shirt and red and blue striped tie under a Nike sports jacket.

And another couple of bodies sepa- rate him from the alleged targets. PJ, Robert and Niall Howard sit together quietly in the middle of the single row of seating.

Like the other 50 or so other peo- ple in courtroom number 16 on the second floor of the Four Courts, they listen silently as the court hears that Ms Collins had been “anxious and agitating” to marry her lover, busi- nessman PJ Howard.

Ms Collins, who turned 45 just 10 days before the trial opened, wanted to wipe out the Howard family in or- der to gain from PJ’s inheritance. Or so the prosecution claims.

References to ‘the devil in the red dress’, a mysterious woman called Maria Marconi, killing ‘three birds in one stone’ for $US90,000, com- puter searches for a hitman, email discussions on how best to wipe out a family, the discovery of ricin in a prison cell and plans to poison two young men in their 20s, all cap- ture the attention of the jury over a lengthy opening statement.

Even before the outline of the al- legations 1s presented to the packed court, Mr Justice Roderick Murphy

warns the 12 jurors — sitting diago- nally across the room from the ac- cused — to refrain from reading the

newspapers and instead concentrate on the evidence presented. And given the extraordinary de-

tail contained in Prosecutor Tom O’Connell’s opening statement, there is no doubt but that this case will cre-

ate a high level of publicity.

Silence descends upon the packed courtroom as Mr O’Connell tells the jury it is ‘an unusual and rather com- plex case with many elements’.

He acknowledges that it has taken ‘unusually’ long to open the case, noting that “because of the complex- ity of the case it’s essential’.

Repeated Keds Ks Neh Ke) hitmanforhire@yahoo.com prompt Mr O’Connell to tell the jury it will be engraved in their memories by the end of the case. The eight men and four women seated in the jury box listen intently as Mr O’Connell describes, in detail, email contact between ‘hit- man’ and lyingeyes98@yahoo.ie and agreement on how the three Howards were to be murdered.

Such is the level of detail that sev- eral of the jurors begin to take notes, only for Mr O’Connell to point out that they will be supplied with copies of the exact contents of those emails at a later stage.

And all of this presented in a court- room where space is in short supply. Seated behind the jury box is the me- dia area, which accommodates up to a dozen journalists each day.

Several of the gardai involved in the case are forced to stand close to the witness box, as the single row of seating in the room is occupied by both accused, the alleged targets and the few gardai fortunate enough to have seats.

But, after three days of the cramped conditions, the presiding judge makes it known that a more spacious courtroom, court number two in the Round Hall of the Four Courts, will be available for the remainder of the vated

Relief all round.

THE trial of an Ennis woman, ac- cused of conspiring with an Egyp- tian man to murder her partner and his two sons, will enter its fifth day today at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin.

Sharon Collins (45), of Ballybeg House, Kildysart Road, Ennis, and Essam Eid (52), a poker dealer with an address in Las Vegas, deny con- spiring to murder PJ, Robert and Ni- all Howard, between August | and September 26, 2006.

Ms Collins also denies soliciting Mr Eid to murder the three men, on August 15, 2006.

Mr Eid has also pleaded not guilty to demanding €100,000 from Robert Howard, in exchange for not killing the three men at Ballaghboy, Doora, Ennis on September 26, 2006.

The three Howards, who are busi- nessmen in Ennis, are this week due to give evidence at the trial, which is expected to last four weeks.

Robert Howard (29) has _ started giving evidence, while his brother Niall (24) and father PJ (58) are also due to take the stand over the com- ing days.

According to the prosecution, Sha- ron Collins was keen to get mar- ried to her partner of eight years, PJ Howard. However, he did not wish to wed as he wanted his inheritance to go to his two sons.

It is alleged that Ms Collins organ- ised a proxy marriage through the internet without her partner’s knowI- edge. She then allegedly made con- tact with Essam Eid through email and, according to the State, they con-

spired to murder the three men.

The prosecution says _ that Ms Collins operated an _ email lyingeyes98@yahoo.ie while it al- leges that Mr Eid operated an email hitmanforhire@ yahoo.com.

It claims that Ms Collins set up the email ‘for the purpose of hiring a hitman’ and that a contract was made between the person behind ‘lyingeyes’ and the person behind ‘hitman’ to kill the three men for $US90,000.

Prosecutor Tom O’Connell said that on August 15, 2006, Ms Collins made a down payment of €15,000 on foot of that contract.

It is alleged that Mr Eid then trav- elled to Ennis, burgled the Howards’ family business and later visited Robert’s home, where he 1s alleged to have demanded €100,000 to buy O}UI MEH eToMmOrO) LB e-LOLKMNO)O MEET MBER oc MaU El allegations are denied.

During the course of the trial it has been uncovered that Sharon Collins was interested in inheritance and often sought information on this on computer websites, according to the prosecution.

Prosecutor Tom O’Connell told the jury on the second day of the trial last Thursday, that Ms Collins ar- ranged a marriage to PJ Howard, but he did not go through with it.

MILTOWN Malbay will experience the revival of a previous era next Fri- Cr MA The town that has developed the first ever Satellite e-town in the country will experience the long forgotten smells, sounds and sights of a farm- ers’ market as the Miltown Malbay Farmers’ Market opens for business. On Friday from 4.30pm to 7.30pm local people and visitors to the town can avail of the fresh produce of the local market.

A hard working group of local home bakers, local vegetable growers and keen food enthusiasts got together to revive an old tradition that will take place every week in the Muiltown Malbay Business Park car park, for- merly known as McDonough’s.

Hilary Gleeson, Rural Development Officer with EIRI Corca Baiscinn, 1s a big fan of farmers’ markets.

“With the increase in consumers concerns about the long distances food travels before it gets on our plate, many are seeking local, fresh and in-season vegetables, eggs and

home baking,” said Ms Gleeson. “There are freshly baked breads and cakes and also gluten, dairy and sugar free baking for those on special diets. There are also some local jams, organic eggs, chutneys and cheeses. Stock up on fresh seasonal veg- etables, herbs and seedlings, flowers and plants or seed potatoes. Sample some olives, sun dried tomatoes and freshly made salsas and dips. The market also has some beautiful gift ideas from locally produced crafts. Many new and seasonal foods will appear every week so there is always

something different to try,” she said.

Many of the producers also supply the Kilrush Farmers’ Market, which is held every Thursday from 9am to 2pm at the Square.

In its fifth year the Kilrush market has been supplying the people of west Clare with delicious local foods and bringing back that buzz around the market square.

Anyone intersted in joining the markets or for further information please contact Cora O’Grady 087 1354192 or Hilary Gleeson 086 PRP Tee

GREAT weather and great music proved an irresistible draw as Fleadh Nua fans from Colorado to Tokyo, Cape Breton to Adelaide descended on Ennis for the past 9 days.

The general consensus is that Flea- dh Nua 2008 will live long in the memory for both the depth of the programme of events and the quality of the performers on view.

The Frank Custy Tribute got pro- ceedings off to a flying start as Flea- dh Nua paid homage to the legendary music teacher from Toonagh.

Dennis Liddy and Michael Hynes — ably assisted by Eoin O’Neill and Jack Talty — slowed things down with a beautifully crafted evening of mu-

sic at the Fidil Beo Recital.

Each year the Aos Og Concert promises audiences the finest tradi- tional music, song and dance per- formed by the cream of the country’s young artistes. This year’s concert delivered on this promise in abun- dance with the usual high standards maintained.

An eclectic mix of traditional mu- sic and dance with contemporary ar- rangements from the students of the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance at U.L., Ulster Scots music, polkas from the Sliabh Luachra tra- dition, master-piping and the power- ful singing of Seamus Mac Mathtna wowed the audience at the Celebrity Concert in Glor.

Acclaimed trad band, Cruinnit

played a varied set of songs and mu- sic with such élan that some mem- bers of the audience just had to get out of their seats and dance despite the lateness of the hour.

The intensely spiritual singing of Cor Cuil Aodha under the direction of Peadar O Riada at Cor agus Ceol allowed listeners a period of reflec- tion which was followed by a series of high octane performances culmi- nating in a rousing finale by Leeds Scoraiocht group.

There was plenty of outdoor activ- ity as live performances on the Gig Rig and a network of street sessions kept people royally entertained.

The pedestrianisation of O’Connell Street lent itself greatly to the crea- tion of a festival atmosphere around

the town and the Organising Com- mittee said they greatly appreci- ated the support received from the traders, Ennis Town Council and an Garda Siochana to this end.

The streets were thronged for the best Fleadh Nua Parade in years which featured bands, schools and community groups as well as open air entertainment from the Hounds of Ulster, Ogra Tiobraid Arann and Oo) iKeyse mrt WY Ebebisuslone

SHARON Collins claimed to gardai that she had been the victim of black- mail and denied being part of a con- spiracy.

However, Prosecution for the State, Tom O’Connell said, “The State says this was a lie. She admitted filing pictures that Essam Eid had in his possession. She admitted obtaining a proxy marriage certificate that was unknown to PJ Howard.”

In her statements to gardai, de- scribed by Mr O’Connell as “volu- minous’, Ms Collins said a woman named Maria Marconi visited Ennis in June 2006.

She said that Ms Marconi visited her at the Howards’ office in Ennis, where she was left on her own at re- ception. She said that Ms Marconi had asked to use the computer at the reception.

“She claims she received emails that she would pay €20,000 so that

an attachment would not be sent to her husband.

‘That was an email she had sent to Maria, saying things about PJ that She didn’t want PJ to see,’ said Mr O’Connell.

“She got in contact with Maria Marconi, who told her her computer had been stolen,’ he added.

He said that Ms Collins sent money by FedEx. She denied that she knew Essam Eid and told gardai she no longer had an email address for Mar-

1a Marcon.

Mr O’Connell said that Ms Collins “denied anything to do with ‘lyin- geyes’ email”.

He said she had taken steps to change her name by deed poll to Howard.

He said that in April 2006, Ms Col- lins had a row with PJ Howard “over personal matters”.

“She told Maria on email and the attachment was about this and she was afraid if PJ found out, it would

end their relationship and that was why she sent the money,” said Mr O’Connell.

The trial was told that Essam Eid claimed to know Sharon Collins and told gardai he used to date her.

“He then changed his tune and denied having certain communica- tions with Sharon Collins,” said Mr O’Connell.

“A lot of what was said by Sharon Collins and Essam Eid was confabu- lation and lies,” he added.

MOUNTSHANNON is the place to be this week for fun-lovers and cul- ture vultures alike, with the Inisceal- tra Festival of the Arts in full swing until June 1.

The official opening of the week- long festival was performed at the weekend by Theo Dorgan, poet, writer, broadcaster and member of Aosdana and The Arts Council.

One of the highlights of this year’s festival is the family boat-building weekend, with craftspeople showing land-lubbers how it’s done.

Each family – or group – gets a kit which they put together under su- pervision, to be followed by a boat launching on Lough Derg to test how well the budding boat builders learned their craft.

With music, drama and dance per- formances from local and visiting eroups, some of the highlights of this year’s festival include musical performances by Eoin O’Neill, Orla Harrington and John Feely to name but a few.

There will be a film night, a free storytelling family event and an art exhibition, opened by well-known artist, Charles Harper.

The Fishbowl Youth Group present an acoustic evening of entertainment – music, poetry, prose and dance – in

a candlelit café-style setting. Visiting German students and young people

from The Alfa Project school will work with artists to create a sculp- tural riverside installation for the festival on the river bank from Scar- iff Harbour to Lough Derg. Free boat trips are being offered by local boat owners to see the resulting creation.

Also planned are a céili with The Four Courts Céili Band. Weekend classes and workshops will be held in sean nos dancing, traditional mu- sic and singing as well as African drumming.

‘Does It Grow Corn?’, the feasi- bility study to determine the need for a new community/arts centre for Mountshannon, will be unveiled during the festival and there will be plenty of music, craic and a family fun day with puppets and entertain- ment.

On Sunday, June 1, there will be a Green Fair at the Aistear. Hosted by members of CELT, the Irish Seed Savers Association, and the Alfa Project, this will feature demonstra- tions, information and workshops in a variety of traditional crafts includ- ing metalwork, stone carving, wood and willow skills and textiles.

THE innovative and progressive work of a west Clare primary school has ensured its place on the shortlist for the coveted AIB Better Ireland aN WLNKels

St Senan’s National School Kilrush has a long and distinguished history in providing specially tailored edu- cation for children with leaning and emotional disabilities.

As well as providing main stream education for the children of the west Clare capital, the 24-teacher school also caters for the specific needs of children with autistic spectrum dis- order, sever and mild general learn- ing disabilities and diagnosed emo- tional disturbance.

Since the introduction of a ground- breaking programme that uses tactile

and stimulatory equipment, the qual- ity of education as well as the quality of life of the children attending the school has improved significantly.

The aim of the initiative is to pro- vide a multi sensory programme that would increase the confidence and self esteem of the children so that they would be able to integrate with their peers, explained school princi- pal Paddy McInerney.

“We have many years experience in dealing with special education. We are the only school in west Clare with special need classes and an au- tistic unit attached,” he said.

Although the autistic unit is in place just over a year and a half the school principal has already seen the benefit of the programme especially for children with autism.

As the school has such a wide range

of children with different needs, they all respond differently to the various programmes and therapies provided. The impact of each therapy also var- ies from child to child.

“Sensory therapy and deep pres- sure techniques, musical therapy and Cranio Sacral are just some of the programmes that the children are ex- posed to,” said Mr McInerney.

The more therapies available to the children the more it improves their lives at school and at home as it has a very calming affect, he explained.

Should the school win the text competition for a €10,000 award from AIB Kilrush through the Better Ireland Programme the money will go towards providing more therapy equipment and supporting the pro- gramme that is already in place.

The branch will award the €10,000

to one of three local projects that tops the poll in a public text vote. Friends of St Senan’s school can do their bit to ensure the local school avails of the prize by simply texting KILRUSHC to 53099 before June 6.

If the school does not top the poll it will still benefit from the texts. Each text vote costs 60 cent and proceeds generated by the texts for the school will be donated to its special educa- tion project.

THERE was a mixed reaction in the farming community following the launch of the commission’s propos- als for the health check of the CAP.

Speaking on Thursday, ICOS Pres- ident, Padraig Gibbons, said docu- ments fail to provide a soft landing for dairy farmers in the lead up to the removal of quotas in 2015.

“The proposed series of quota in- creases of one per cent per year from 2009 to 2013 with no increase in the year before the removal of quotas failed to give clear signals to farm- ers, processors and marketers in or- der to encourage them to make the

necessary preparations for the end- ing of quotas in a timely, orderly and Structured fashion,’ he said

“In addition, such minimal quota increases will do little to reduce or eliminate the cost of purchased quo- ta. ICOS continues to call for annual increases of up to two per cent, every year between 2009 and 2014, com- bined with a decrease in the level of super levy and a removal of the but- terfat adjustment.

“ICOS has been working with other representative organisations in Europe to deliver a clear signal to the commission that they cannot al- low the European dairy industry to continue to lose world market share.

Gibbons went on to state that mar- ket support instruments needed to be maintained and utilised, particularly during the uncertain period leading up to 2015 and beyond, and that ex- port refunds and other internal mar- ket tools need to be used to support the vulnerable butter market.

“It is totally unacceptable to con- tinuously cut the level of Single Farm Payment, against a backdrop of rap- idly escalating production and com- pliance costs, and general inflation, which will result in payments being worth a small fraction of their origi- nal value,” he said.

Clare TD Tony Kileen also spoke publicly on CAP last week saying

that he is looking forward to the presentation of the proposals to the agriculture council at the forthcom- ing informal council in Ljubljana on 27th May and the opportunity at that meeting for a first political discus- sion on the proposals.

“My view is that the health check must deliver real simplification that has concrete benefits at farm level,” |aTemncy-5 (6

“T will work on building alliances and understandings with member states as well as outlining my con- cerns to the commission in order to achieve progress on issues such as an acceptable and ambitious increase in milk quotas for Ireland.”

A MAN called ‘Tony’ called to Rob- ert Howard’s home and informed him there were contracts on the lives of himself, his brother and his father and sought €100,000 to cancel them, the court heard on Friday.

Robert Howard was at home at Ballaghboy, Doora, on the outskirts of Ennis on September 26, 2006, when he received a phone call on his mobile, at around 10.30pm.

“A male voice on the phone said, ‘T heard you lost a few computers’. I said, ‘I did’. He said, ‘I’ll be at your house in five minutes.’ That was it,” Mr Howard told the trial, during his 25-minute spell in the witness box on Friday.

“The next thing, I heard a knock on the door, five minutes later,’ he added.

Asked by prosecution counsel Tom O’Connell had he considered phon- ing the gardai, he said he had, but, “I didn’t know if someone was going to show.”

On hearing the knock at around 10.35pm, he answered the door.

A man standing at the door said to him, “Hello, I’m Tony.”

“I stood outside the door of the house. He picked up the blue Toshiba laptop computer and handed it to me,” he said.

Mr Howard said he then went into the house and told his brother Niall to call the gardai. He returned outside and was then told about the contracts on the three lives.

“He said there were contracts on the three of our lives, for €130,000. He said he didn’t want to do it. He wanted me to buy the contract out for € 100,000,” he said.

He said that ‘Tony’ also had paper- work in his hand, including directions

to his house and also to PJ’s house and to an address in Kilkee.

The conversation, he said, lasted about 20 minutes, during which time his brother Niall was inside the door “keeping watch.”

He said ‘Tony’ had a print-out from a computer, featuring two photo- graphs. One was a photograph of PJ Howard and Sharon Collins, while the other was a photograph of PJ ona

boat. “It looks like Spain,” he said.

‘He showed me the photograph. I took it from him. I wouldn’t give it back to him,” he said.

Mr Howard said he returned inside the house to enquire where the gardai were. When he went outside again, ‘Tony’ was leaving in a car.

He tried to follow him in his jeep, but the lights were switched off in ‘Tony’s’ car and he did not manage to

get the registration number. He said he “lost him at the crossroads.”

Asked to describe the man, he said he was about 5 foot 11, in his mid- 40s, wore a baseball cap and track- Suit, was clean shaven with sallow skin and wore glasses.

He said he thought his accent was Algerian, “even though he told me he was Italian.”

Later that night, at around 12.30am,

he said ‘Tony’ phoned him again, asking him if he had “started to get the money together” for him yet.

“T said ‘Yes’. He said he would give me a ring tomorrow,” recalled Mr Howard.

Mr Howard told the court that he was a director of a company, Downes and Howard property investment business, located at 7A Westgate Business Park, Kilrush Road, Ennis, of which his father PJ was the prin- leet e

His younger brother Niall also worked in the business, as did Sha- ron Collins.

He told the jury that on Septem- ber 25, 2006 – the day before he was visited by “Tony’ – he worked in the company’s office. His brother Ni- all was the last person to leave that Aon nenee

The following morning he returned to work and noticed that of the two locks on the door, the Chubb lock was not locked.

He went upstairs to the office and noticed that the alarm was not on.

“T had a quick look around. There was a laptop and computer missing,” he said. Also missing was a picture of old Irish money, a digital clock and computer cables.

He said the laptop, Toshiba brand, was worth around €1,000 and be- longed to himself. A desktop com- puter had also been taken from the reception area.

He said that just six people had keys to the premises and knew the alarm code – himself, his brother Niall, his father PJ, Sharon Collins, their handyman Dan Fitzgerald and their cleaner Kathleen McMahon.

“When the burglary took place, PJ and Sharon were in Spain,” he said.