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A GIFTED Clare medical student was killed when he jumped over a small wall without realising there was an eighteen-foot drop on the other side.

Ciaran Toomey (18) of Ardnacru- sha had mistakenly thought he was being chased by gardai after a night out with friends in Galway.

An inquest on Thursday in Galway was told that Mr Toomey was return- ing home with two friends in the early hours of November 6 when the tragedy happened.

They were making their way home from the city centre around 2.40am. Mr Toomey had run into a car-park and knocked over a wheelie bin.

Shortly afterwards a Garda car on a routine patrol had come behind the trio. All three mistakenly thought they were in trouble and began to Mtbee

Mr Toomey raced about 20 metres ahead and disappeared into another car park.

One of the friends, UCD student Andrew Flood, said they tried call- ing his mobile phone when they could not find himbut there was no response. They searched for several hours, went to his apartment, and contacted the Garda to see if he had been arrested.

The two friends resumed the search early in the morning. Later they were joined by Mr Toomey’s house-mates and university friends, the group

meeting up close to the car-park.

Shortly afterwards his body was spotted at the bottom of a ravine or canal bed on the other side of the car- park wall.

Gardai who were in the patrol van when Ciaran started running told the inquest that they had no reason to stop any of the students as none of them had done anything untoward.

The victim’s father, Gerard Toomey, told the inquest that his son’s wallet had been found but that his mobile phone had not.

He was anxious to discover, through phone records, if his phone had been used since. The Toomey family was anxious to rule out the slight pos- sibility that he might have been at- tacked and jumped over the wall to get away or even been pushed over the wall.

Sergeant Senan Wall said that en- quiries had been made at Garda Headquarters to see if the records could be acquired, but it was not pos- sible, because of the Data Protection Xa

West Galway Cororner, Dr Ciaran McLoughlin said the only way he knew of to get such records was by way of a court order.

Pathologist Dr Teresa McHale said the cause of death was extensive head and spinal injuries. The in- quest was told that Mr Toomey was a gifted student who had won a place at NUI Galway without having to go through Pre-Med because he was so talented.

IN CLARE football, you live and die by what happens in May.

A few days back, Frank Doherty rightly said that Sunday’s game is of huge significance for Clare. Win and the season stays alive, lose and the Tommy Murphy is around the corner.

For all the positive talk the Tommy Murphy has received over the past two days in the wake of Wicklow’s Leinster First Round win over Kil- dare – Wicklow won it last year – Clare are still right to target a possible meeting with Kerry in the Munster semi-final.

The secondary competition, in re- ality, won’t coax the commitment and concentration levels required after Waterford next week.So Clare, simply, must beat Waterford and the feeling here is that they will.

A lot will hinge on the availability of a handful of players but that has been Frank Doherty’s lot since the league began and though Clare lost to Limerick and Tipperary in two warm-up games over the past ten days, they had turned the corner in the league with four wins back-to- eee.

True, Offaly came to Ennis with promotion secured but they didn’t come to Ennis to lose. Wicklow had openly targeted Sunday’s Leinster Opener as their priority but in both those games, Clare showed deter-

mination that they hadn’t displayed throughout the league — with the exception of the opening quarter against Waterford in Dungarvan. Right now, captain Michael O’Shea is Clare’s biggest doubt for the game

having injured his calf in that Tip- perary challenge. Both he and Dar- ragh Kelly — who slightly damaged his hamstring – travelled to Wexford to undergo two separate days of three cryogenics sessions in a bid to ensure

fitness and Kelly should be avail- able.

On top of that, Niall Considine picked up a slight knock on his calf but he too should be available for SUTIOE NA

Laurence Healy returned from in- jury and took part in both those chal- lenge games, Ger Quinlan shouuld be fit but that 1s tempered with news that Colm Dillon and Timmy Ryan both absent with continuing problems.

Doherty once more put out the call to the football people of Clare to travel to the game on Sunday. That such a statement has to be made by the manager is telling in itself, but that’s the reality.

Sunday matters arguably more than any game Clare have played in the last five years. If the hangover from last May is to be quenched, Clare must win. If the application that they showed in the second half of the league presents itself on Sunday, then they will. Seven months of work needs to be transferred into some- thing tangible.

CLARE County Manager Alec Fleming has caved into pressure from councillors and signalled he is ready to contravene the council’s own de- velopment plan to grant planning for a contentious one-off home.

Before yesterday’s council meeting CUlr Tommy Brennan (Ind) and 28 other councillors signed a motion di- recting Mr Fleming to grant planning permission to a Gerard Danagher for a one-off house near Corofin.

The special powers in the planning arena had not been invoked since ieF

Cllr Brennan initiated the Section 140 process when it appeared that the council was set to refuse Mr Dan-

agher permission.

However, ahead of yesterday’s crunch meeting, the council pub- lished a notice stating it would disre- gard its own non-local rule and give Mr Danagher the go-ahead to build his home.

The notice states that the council intends to consider granting plan- ning permission to Mr Danagher. The move materially contravenes the county development plan and defus- es a potential row between the execu- tive and councillors.

Cllr Brennan secured support from all sides of the council chamber. Those who signed the motion includ- ed Cllr Patricia McCarthy (Ind), Cllr PJ Kelly (FF), Cllr Madeleine Taylor Quinn (FG) and Cllr Christy Curtin

(Ind).

As part of the material contraven- tion process, interested parties have four weeks in which to make submis- SIONS.

The Department of the Environ- ment, An Taisce and a local residents are set to make submissions having already made submissions on the ap- plication before the council.

In her objection, local resident, Mary Hanrahan said there was a “‘se- rious question of fairness and justice in the pursuit of this planning appli- cation. Seeking out public represent- atives to overturn what is right and just is open to much debate.

“The devastation of floods are evi- dent around this area. We can see how vulnerable our environment

really is. But this does not seem to deter developers who are intent on getting their own way irrespective of the consequences to others. We all know the dangers of inappropri- ate dwelling sites in the vicinity of a water supply and special areas of conservation.”

Stating that development should only be allowed for local and urgent need, the submission from An Taisce claims the applicant does not comply because he is a resident of Ennis and also works there.

The Department of the Environ- ment stated that the close proximity of the site to Ballycullinan Lough and its associated fen habitat raised obvious concerns regarding the wa- ter quality.

THE four-day count down to the first ever all-singing, all-dancing West Clare’s Got Talent show has begun.

A total of 20 acts have been select- ed for the night’s final from an audi- tion earlier this month.

Acts include everything from sing- ing to dancing, comedy to drama sketches, gymnastics, hip-hop danc- ing, magic tricks and juggling.

The night’s entertainment will be- gin at 7pm sharp, on May 17, at the Kilrush Community Centre.

The mystery fifth judge on the night has also been announced as Ger Rush from the Kilrush Commu- nity College.

Mr Rush will join TG4 Coun- try and Western star Sonia Carrig, primary school teacher and singer Linda Clohessy-O’Gorman, Hell for Leather’s John Fennell and hip-hop instructor Nelly Gilligan.

Another award has also been add- ed to the line-up, the Adjudicators’ Award sponsored by Cooraclare’s Bernie Tubridy.

The winner on the night will walk

away with the perpetual shield spon- sored by Hartman’s Jewellers in Kil- rush. The jewellers will also sponsor a €50 voucher as a prize.

There will also be medals for sec- ond and third prizes on the night as well as vouchers provided by Holly- wood Hits and Tranquility.

By taking part in this competition Kilrush children and teenagers are being encouraged to help other chil- dren while displaying their talents, as all proceeds for the night will go towards the ISPCA.

The brainchild of Kilrush woman

Teresa Carrig, the talent show will see children from 10 to 18 years of age take to the stage to showcase their talents.

The event is being supported by the whole community with local busi- nesses all providing spot prizes for the night.

It is hoped that Saturday’s show is the first of many that will be repeated every year.

“It is very much community driven and it is great to see all the commu- nity involved in something like this,” said Ms Carrig.

ORGANISERS are confident this year’s Fleadh Nua will exceed the standards set by previous events.

There is a strong international di- mension to the programme as well a renewed emphasis on education.

Some 54 events are scheduled to take place over eight days includ- ing performances from a Congolese drum band and the Ulster Scots band, the Hounds of Ulster.

Focus in recent times has also switched to incorporating a more ed- ucational aspect to the festival. This is reflected in the growing popularity

of Scoil Fleadh Nua, which this year takes place in St Flannan’s College on May 24.

Rory Casey is a long time member of Fleadh Nua who is credited with pioneering Scoil Fleadh Nua. He is also the man responsible for publish- ing Nasc, the Fleadh Nua electronic newsletter.

According to Casey, the workshops are an integral part of the Fleadh Nua experience. He said, “Each year we are saying this year will be the biggest and the best, but this year it’s shaping up definitely, to be one of the biggest ever.

We have added to the programme

and there is something happening every night in the town.

“There is a lot of street entertain- ment, sessions, storytelling, Irish nights.

“We have the workshops for young- er musicians and they have become a really important and very popular element of the Fleadh Nua.”

A series of workshops in some of the more popular traditional music instruments forms the backbone of Scoil Fleadh Nua.

Teachers for this year’s event in- clude All-Ireland winning accor- dion player Damien O’Reilly, Caitlin Nic Gabhann (concertina), Siobhan

O’ Donnell (bodhran/singing), Anne- Marie Grogan (flute), Jack Talty (concertina), Aine Bird (fiddle) and Michael ‘Blackie’ O’Connell (uil- eann pipes).

It’s fitting then, Casey believes, that this year’s Fleadh Nua, recognises the career of one of Clare’s most respected music teachers, Frank Custy.

He said, “I suppose the main thing and perhaps one of the biggest high- lights is the tribute night to Frank Custy. Frank is recognised as a leg- endary teacher in Clare and around Ireland, so that should be a great night in Cois na hAbhna”.

IN what will be one of his first of- ficial functions since he was con- firmed as the incoming President of the GAA, Christy Cooney will be in O’Callaghan’s Mills next Saturday to officially open the club’s new field, Pairc Naohn Padraig.

The opening will take place at 5.30pm and will be followed by a Clare and Galway hurling challenge game which throws iat 6.30pm.

This should be a competitive and sharp game before both counties face into their All Ireland campaigns and both Mike McNamara and Ger Loughnane have confirmed that they will field strong starting fifteens.

The pitch had been under develop- ment since 2001 and includes a hand-

ball alley and car parking facilities as well as modern dressing rooms. The pitch itself has been up and running for the past two years but Saturday will see the red tape cut officially. At half-time in the senior hurling

challenge, some of the club’s great- est representatives will also be hon- oured. The 1977 intermediate cham- pions of Clare will parade before the crowd and their presence is sure to stir some local passions. This was the same side that then went to the senior final in the same year and failed to take the top prize by a single point.

There are those in the Mills who still say they should have done that unique double 31 years ago, but Sat- urday’s opening, which will draw a large crowd, could herald the begin- ning of a new chapter in the club’s history.

has learned that the three-day long festival will take place from September 5 to 7 in Kil- kee. Promoters MCD have been tight- lipped about the possible line-up for this year’s festival but early specula- tion is that Meteor Award winners Cathy Davy and Duke Special are being lined-up as possible headline acts.

Last year’s festival featured 2007 Choice nominees Roisin Murphy and Delorentos as well as international acts such as Ocean Colour Scene, Fun Lovin’ Criminals, The Enemy, Tom Baxter and Badly Drawn Boy.

Last year’s festivals was a sell out and attracted tens of thousands of tourists to west Clare for the week- Ker

‘Following on from the phenomenal success of last year’s Cois Fharraige with Sony Ericsson, we are excited to confirm that the three-day festival is back on the west coast this Septem- ber,” said an MCD spokesperson.

“From the outset, Cois Fharraige with Sony Ericsson was a roaring success, selling out well in advance of the festival weekend. Cois Fhar- raige 2007 received huge critical ac- claim from fans, performing artists

and critics alike, boasting a stellar line up and an original festival con- cept.

“The success of Cois Fharraige with Sony Ericsson was reflected by it being awarded the title of Best New Festival 2007 by the Irish Fes-

tival Awards. Fans can look forward to sealing off their summer with more of the same this year, leaving the best to last, Cois Fharraige with Sony Ericsson wraps up the festival season.”

The festivals surf section was can-

celled last year due to the lack of waves but organisers are hopeful for this year. Information will be availa- ble soon on www.coisfharraige.com.

THE Kilrush Family Resource Cen- tre Dyslexia Support Project has gone from strength to strength in the last three years.

The impact the project has on the lives of children from the west has now been recognised as it has been short listed as one of the local de- serving children’s projects in the Bet- ter Ireland Programme which could earn it as much as €10,000 with the support of the public.

The Dyslexia Support Project was founded three years ago, a pilot project brought about as a result of collaboration between West Clare Dyslexia Support Group and Kilrush Family Resource Centre.

The project offers affordable tui- tion to dyslexic children and young

people.

It provides all materials needed for each of the sessions and offers an individual child centred approach to learning. The project also provides support for parents in their quest for equal access to education for their Nh Ker

Prior to the dyslexia project being formed children from the west of the county were very restricted in the extra educational support theory received. While they received some tuition in schools, parents had to travel to Ennis, Limerick and Shan- non every week for further classes for their children.

Should they win the text competi- tion for a €10,000 award from AIB Kilrush through the Better Ireland Programme the money will go to- wards the purchase of a content/

ability appropriate reading scheme, workshops in local schools, support sessions for older dyslexic young people and the printing of a user friendly booklet providing relevant information for dyslexic children and young people.

The branch will award €10,000 to the local project that tops the poll in a public text vote over a four-week period until June 6.

Anyone in the local community can simply text KILRUSH and B to 53099 to vote.

If the project does not top the poll it will still benefit from the texts. Each text vote costs 60 cent and proceeds generated by the text voting for the Dyslexia Support Project will be do- nated to the project.

Sue Moore, the project tutor, said “We are delighted to be in the run-

ning for this award from AIB Kil- rush through the Better Ireland Pro- gramme. We are a small group, and therefore, really need the local com- munity to pull out all the stops to vote for us. Winning €10,000 would allow us to continue and extend the work we do for the children of our local community so please ask ab- solutely everyone you know in the area to get texting to ensure we top the poll.”

There are three groups from west Clare vying for the €10,000 prize. Next week we will feature one of the other two.

CLARE farm leader Martin McMa- hon, has welcomed the ban imposed by the Minister for Agriculture on the import of animals from blue- tongue infected regions.

In one of her last acts as Minister for Agriculture, Mary Coughlan in- troduced the ban following on from a unilateral move by Ireland some months ago.

McMahon, who is Chairman of ICMSA’s Beef and Cattle Commit- tee, argues that, to some extent, the Irish Department of Agriculture has forced the EU Commission to act in a sensible way to stop the spread of bluetongue.

He has however, expressed concern about any possibility of bluetongue being imported into the country.

“Given the serious potential losses from bluetongue, ICMSA’s view is that the import of animals which are still legally allowed should be reduced to the absolute minimum,” he said.

“Tt is essential that every precaution is taken against the spread of blue- tongue to Ireland and we feel that voluntary restrictions combined with the legal ban from bluetongue infect- ed regions may be required.

“Our second concern is around the area of vaccination.

“Tt is crucial that the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has

adequate stocks of vaccine should an outbreak occur.

“In this connection, ICMSA notes that Ireland still has not got a sup- ply of vaccine unlike other countries whose vaccination programmes are well under way. We need to do two things immediately: firstly, we need to secure a supply of the vaccination and, secondly, we need to consider voluntary vaccination by individual farmers who wish to protect their herds against any possibility of an outbreak.

“ICMSA is going on the record to express our concern about the degree of complacency that seems to be set- ting-in around the possibility of a bluetongue outbreak which would

put a beef industry already under threat under the most severe strain imaginable.”

Speaking after the ban Minister Coughlan said that notwithstanding the introduction of these new meas- ures, she would continue to insist that the EU must keep the bluetongue control measures under ongoing re- view and that if necessary these must be modified should evidence emerge that would demand such action.

“My priority continues to be to keep bluetongue out of this country and I will not hesitate to introduce additional safeguard measures, as I did in February, if I consider that Such action 1s warranted,” said the Minister.

IT continues to get better and better for the ladies of Ennis. This week- end they travelled home with more silverware in their boot when they retained their Munster title having beaten Douglas in the final at the Monkstown Golf Club.

It was a case of living on the edge as Pamela Murphy sank the win- ning putt for the Clare club on the 19th hole under serious pressure. She showed her mettle when the ball dropped in the hold though and En- nis were celebrating.

The nerves of steel show a team who can not only play fantastic golf, but one that can also dig out a victory in the face of adversity.

That win follows their Senior Cup success of last year when they de- feated Royal Portrush in the year’s

final in Miltown Golf Club and the remainder of this season promises to hold more silverware for Ennis as they strive to dominate ladies golf.

“Ennis have proven themselves to be a fantastic team,’ said Ann Brad- shaw, ILGU President. “They’re go- ing from strength to strength and it goes to show hoe healthy the game 1s in Clare at present.”