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A DIALYSIS unit for the mid-west has met yet another hurdle as an anonymous objector has opposed planning permission being granted to the new facility.

According to the Irish Kidney As- sociation (IKA), the unit would al- leviate the stress now suffered by patients forced to travel outside the mid-west for the life saving dialysis treatment.

Between 16 and 20 patients travel from the Limerick, Clare and Tip- perary area to Galway three times a

week for essential dialysis.

Eight patients from Clare make their way to the commercial unit in Ballybritt every week, while 16 at- tend the Mid Western Regional Hos- pital Limerick, which is now running at capacity.

There are currently 17 people in the mid-west on the waiting list for COU ASISE

Treasurer of the Clare branch of the IKA, Peggy Eustace said that the kidney support group offered the HSE the prefab it has used for dialy- sis in Tullamore to use in Limerick until it had upgraded the unit at the

regional hospital as promised.

The HSE refused this offer, she said and so Clare patients are now relying on the unit proposed for the River- side Retail Park on the Dock Road in Limerick.

In a letter dated April 24, an objec- tion to the proposal by the commer- cial company Fresenius Medical Care (Ireland) Limited was revived from a Mallow based solicitors’ company representing Hookford Limited.

Hookford Limited main activity is registered aS management activities of holding companies.

The objection is made up of three

main parts including concerns about site suitability.

The objection states that the site contains a number of retail units and “the medical usage of this site is not appropriate and would not be in ac- cordance with good planning”.

The objection also stated that the proposed facility would be best co- located on a health care campus or on an individual dedicated site.

The objectors pointed out that the sewer facilities for the existing devel- opment on the site are inadequate.

The IKA said it was “saddened” by the objection.

The support group has concerns that following a further six weeks delay due to the objection, that an appeal of a planning decision to An Board Pleanala would end the pros- pects of these patients returning to Limerick for dialysis for at least an- other year.

In a statement the Irish Kidney A ssociation said: “There are three other Dialysis Units in the country not on a hospital campus and they did not object to their planning ap- plications.”

It asked Hookford Limited to with- draw its objection.

THE minor hurling management have dramatically invited Cratloe duo Liam Markham and Cathal McInerney back into the Clare panel for the upcoming Munster semi-final against All-Ireland champions Tip- ares It follows Clare’s impressive display against Cork in the Munster Minor Hurling Championship first round on Wednesday.

Dual county players Markham and McInerney, along with fellow

clubmate Conor Ryan left the squad earlier in the year when asked by the hurling management to choose either football or hurling.

However, after Clare were knocked out of this year’s Munster Minor football championship by Limerick, manager PJ Fitzpatrick and his team reviewed the situation and invited both players back into the set-up. In effect, it adds another dimension to the Clare team ahead of their crunch UeCereL BUSTA LHS MOBO) eoe-T as

“They’re great additions to the squad,” said selector Gerry Kennedy.

‘And the thing is, the players believe in a team effort right down to the last vere

“On top of the return of the lads, we re also hopeful that Eoghan Mad- den and Brian Hehir will also be back from injury for the next game.”

Clare’s battling 2-17 to 2-16 victory over All-Ireland finalists Cork was fully merited and while Kennedy is delighted with the win, he says Clare have to continue to focus for the challenge of double Munster and All-Ireland champions Tipperary on tt ioay

“T think a win 1s always a good thing and the fact that we haven’t won a first round in so long is a bonus. It’s important for the team to win and the victory in Pairc Ui Chaoimh should improve team morale and spirit any- eA

“We’re delighted to have got over the first round but we will have to sit down now and prepare for the next game which will be equally tough if not tougher.

“At the end of the day, Tipperary are going for three All-Ireland’s in- a-row and four Munster titles in-a-

Ke) Aa

In preparation for the Tipperary game, Clare have organised a chal- lenge with Offaly this Wednesday, with further challenge matches in prospect after the completion of the Leaving Certificate.

Liam Markham and Cathal MclIn- erney will rejoin the squad in White- gate on Wednesday for that Offaly challenge and with Eoghan Madden and Brian Hehir expected to return in the coming weeks, Clare are con- tinuing to move in the right direc- nt)

EMPLOYERS lobby group IBEC, has welcomed the statement from the independent Referendum Commis- sion that there are no changes in the Lisbon Treaty with regard to tax. IBEC Regional Director Chris O’Donovan said the Treaty clarifies the position on tax, and confirms that every country in the EU has a veto over decisions in this area. Speaking at the launch of the Ref- erendum Commission’s information campaign, Chairman Mr Justice Jarfhlaith O’Neill said it was their view that the present veto on taxation will continue.

“One of the main reasons IBEC is calling for a yes vote, is that Ireland’s veto on tax issues is secure. This was a significant achievement for Irish negotiators, who protected national interests in the years of debate that led to the Lisbon Reform Treaty,” continued Mr O’Donovan.

‘The Treaty will create a more ef- fective, democratic and transparent EU, that works harder, smarter and performs better’, he said.

IBEC also welcomed the launch of the Referendum Commission’s infor- mation campaign, which will include the distribution of two million cop- ies of a guide to the treaty to every home in the country.

A NEW club for teenagers in Scariff is giving youngsters a chance to let it all out and to learn forms of self-ex- pression they might never otherwise sa

Youth Express, a spin-off from the Every Moment Counts youth club, allows younger members to get to- gether, play music, talk to each other and learn new crafts and other crea- tive carry-on.

At their meetings between 7pm and 9pm behind Brian and Joe’s Café,

the young girls – for girls they all are – are creating a stained glass mosa- ic under the tutorship of Natalie El Baba.

The project is funded by the Arts Section of Clare County Council and the finished stained glass will be put on display during the Iniscealtra Fes- Mee

Learning expression through dance and music is also on the cards for the 13 to 17 year olds.

“This is a place where they can express themselves in an informal way which is impossible for them

in school,’ said youth worker Tracy Boyle

“They are all learning from each other.”

For Youth Express member Re- becca Doyle the club nights are a chance to “do stuff we like to do and talk about things – share our experi- Co Neren ae

Una Moir says the club is “about being there for each other and sup- porting each other”.

Elli Ford-Elliot says that the club is “the only place we can really open up to people – it’s a chance to talk

things out and it’s confidential”.

Catriona Godbold says it’s “a great way to make friends” while Emma- Lee Talbot says the club night are “really great and good fun”.

Youth leader Sam Talbot says the club “allows the girls to express their feelings freely in a safe environ- jeatoslmae

Next on the club’s activity list are belly dancing classes – which will also be open to mums and guard- lans – and the “Cop On” programme, which deals with the topic of not get- ting yourself known to the gardai.

OVER 200 people paid tribute to the memory of a well-known Clare busi- nessman and supported a number of worthy causes at the second annual John Burke Commemorative Ball, hosted by the Armada Hotel in Span- ish Point on Sunday night.

The evening was a glamorous oc- casion with the newly extended hotel taking on a 1940’s style “Casablanca’ theme and transformed into a picture of that glamorous era by Fun Ireland, the well-known Limerick event man- Poses MUU EEE

The evening commenced with a champagne and cocktail reception, followed by a five-course banquet in the ocean-view Atlantic suite, with entertainment by the Irish Rat Pack.

Last year’s event raised €46,000 for local charities and this year’s funds will be divided between the palliative care team at Milford Hos- pice and the Miltown Resource Cen-

tre, which hosts many worthwhile local groups such as senior citizens, Youthreach and library facilities.

One of the highlights of the evening was the auction carried out by well- known local Clare auctioneer, Cor- mac O’Sullivan.

Among the many items donated by generous sponsors was a top-of-the- range gents’ Rolex watch from the sports submarine range donated by Keanes jewellers of Limerick, Kil- larney and Cork.

The auction created quite a stir and excited guests watched in anticipa- tion when Cormac finally struck the hammer at €5,500.

Thanking all the sponsors and guests for their support, commit- tee member John Burke said he was grateful to the event sponsors and to everyone who attended the ball.

“We are delighted to be able to make a sizable donation to local charities and to make a positive dif- ference to their lives,” he said.

THE loss of the Shannon-Heathrow service has contributed to Shannon Airport suffering a six per cent drop in passenger traffic for the first quar- ter this year, new figures reveal.

Aer Lingus ended its Shannon- Heathrow service in January, with the consequent estimated loss of 331,000 passengers this year.

Low-cost airline Ryanair has in- creased its frequency and routes to London airports. However, Airport Director, Martin Moroney said that short-haul traffic numbers had suf- fered, due to the loss of the Heathrow

Tos ais eon

In the figures released, the Shannon Airport Authority (SAA) confirmed that, from January to March, term1- nal traffic was at 569,000.

This is a six per cent reduction on the previous year. Transit totals for the same period were down by five per cent to 91,500.

In a statement, the SAA blamed the “single digit percentage drop in the first quarter due to recent airline route decisions,’ while it expressed confidence for the remainder of 2008 season, due to indications of increased traffic growth.

The SAA confirmed that terminal

traffic for the month of March de- creased by two per cent compared to the 2007 figure, with over 226,000 passengers using the airport, along with 28,400 transit passengers.

The authority also stated that tran- sit figures were reduced by 8,000 largely due to the decline in pas- senger numbers on combined Shan- non/Dublin transatlantic services as a result of “open skies’.

Mr Moroney said that a downturn in traffic had been expected due to a number of factors.

In relation to short haul, Mr Mo- roney said that the new Air France service is performing well with high

load factors, albeit with less capac- ity and frequency than the Heathrow service had offered.

‘A downturn in transatlantic traffic had been expected this year due to the effects of “Open Skies’ which are in fact in place since the beginning of the Winter 2007/8 schedule,’ said Mr Moroney.

“The recent confirmation by Aer Lingus of year-round commitment to their Shannon transatlantic routes was a welcome development, as was the announcement of additional pro- motional funding aimed at support- ing traffic development on all trans- atlantic routes to Shannon.”

IT’S taken almost ten years to be- come a reality but the determination of a few people backed by a whole community was being celebrated in Tulla at the weekend.

The people of Tulla came out to see the official opening of their new soc- cer pitches and clubhouse, on what was once a bog field in Cragg.

The aim to get a facility, which is second to none started with Christ- mas raffles 10 years ago.

€3 a ticket didn’t seem a lot at the time, but over 10 years the raffle brought in €100,000.

Five years into the plan, the pitch committee found a piece of land to suit the purpose and their ambitions were helped along with some fund- ing from the National Lottery.

“That was great but we still had €750,000 to fundraise,’ said Tulla United’s Michael Moloney.

“But all credit to Denis Cory, Mike Hoey, Stephan Brady and the com- mittee. They were the people who worked all the way to make this a re- ality and the people of Tulla were so generous and supportive. There was unbelievable work done but it would never have happened without Denis and the committee,” said Michael.

200 people linked to the club sup- ported the development, committing €20 a month to a club draw for three and a half years.

And there were also thousandaires, coffee mornings and sponsored all- sorts to boost the fund.

The result is two of the finest sand- based pitches anywhere in the coun- try, one which is floodlit.

There is a clubhouse which will allow players to change in comfort, space for meetings to take place, gear to be stored and a proper park- ing facility.

For the 100 under age and 50 adult players, it makes all the difference.

The facilities were officially opened by John Delaney, CEO of the FAI on Saturday after a dedicated Mass and parade through the town, led by the Tulla Pipe Band.

“This is a shining example of what community spirit can do,” said Michael.

‘“We’re hoping now that these fa- cilities will act as a magnet for peo- ple who want to play the game and for people who don’t have a club and we’ll be focusing on blitzes for the seven to Il age group, getting more youngsters involved. Now we have these facilities we can do these things,” said Michael.

ASURVEY of lump sum investments made by more than 25,000 custom- ers of Irish Life in 2007 shows that the average amount invested nation- ally amounted to €44,915, while the average sum invested in Clare was €32,636.58.

The figures show significant dif- ferences in the size of investment

between males and females, between the various Irish counties and in the types of investments chosen. The av- erage lump sum invested by male cli- ents in Clare was €40,000 (€52,000 nationally) while for female clients it was just over €21,000 (€33,000 na- tionally).

A breakdown of Clare investments showed that 52 per cent was in capital protected products (49 per cent na-

tionwide); 12 per cent in equity and managed products (20 per cent na- tionwide) and 36 per cent in property products (31 per cent nationwide).

Over €1.2 billion was invested by retail investors in non-pension relat- ed lump sums with Irish Life during 2007.

Irish Life spokesman Karl Symes said the size of the average lump sum invested reflected the growing

prosperity in Ireland in recent years. “The fact that the average investment amongst 20,000 different customers last year was as high as €45,000 highlights the transformation that’s occurred in personal wealth in Ire- land over the past decade,” he said. “Overall, the figures reflect a rea- sonably diverse selection of invest- ment choices. The key to choosing an investment is an individual cus-

tomer’s appetite for risk and what’s clear is that this appetite varies by customer,” he said.

According to the Irish Life survey, Clare – with its €32,636 average in- vestment – came 18th out of the 26 fo) tba alehe

Cavan topped the poll with an aver- age investment of over €71,000, with Monaghan propping up the table on SPA OWL OF

RYANAIR yesterday warned that its multi-million euro deal with the Shannon Airport Authority (SAA) may not be renewed if the airport does not further reduce its cost base.

The threat was issued by the low- cost airline as it confirmed that while passengers and routes are ahead of forecast at Shannon, they are based upon at much lower yields. Yields are the profits airlines make per passen- ger and the spokesman said that the lower yields are not a trend at Rya- nair’s other UK and European bases.

The maintenance of the five-year

deal — worth €300 million to the west of Ireland according to the Shannon Airport Authority (SAA) — is key to the airport’s survival and is up for re- newal in two years’ time.

The threat also comes as the airport authority negotiates its independence from the Dublin Airport Authority with the Department of Transport.

Asked if the low yields should be a cause of concern for interests in the west of Ireland anxious that Ryanair renew its deal with the SAA, the spokesman said, “No, but if the cost base at Shannon does not reduce fur- ther to reflect these lower yields, then the deal may not be renewed.”

Shannon Airport has become in- creasingly reliant on Ryanair since it established its base at Shannon in 2005, with the airline now flying to 32 destinations and accounting for over two million or two-thirds of passengers at Shannon.

Underlining Ryanair’s dominance at Shannon, the company has recent- ly erected a “Welcome to Ryanair Country’ billboard at the entrance to the airport.

SAA board member Tadgh Kear- ney said he would “caution against any scaremongering over a problem that hasn’t arisen yet.”

‘The facts are that we are halfway

through a five-year deal and in Year 3, we are going are to pass the targets for Year 5.”

Mr Kearney said that lower yields have arisen due to the global econ- omy being on the early stages of a downturn.

A spokesman for the SAA said, “Shannon Airport has enjoyed a very successful relationship with Ryanar, so much so that the targets for year 5S will be reached this year with two million passengers on Ryanair routes.

“We look forward to growing this business and to continue this rela- tionship when the current deal con- cludes in 2010.”

THE opportunities available through the family resource centre in Shan- non are set to dramatically expand, due to a number of key appointments in recent months.

That was the message relayed by the outgoing chairperson, at the an- nual general meeting last week.

Trish Fallon-Barry was replaced as chairperson by Greg Duff.

In her outgoing speech, Ms Fal- lon-Barry said the centre went “from strength to strength” during the past year.

“In many ways this was a year of transition. The year began with no co-ordinator in place, though we did have tremendous commitment from the voluntary board and the admin- istrator,’ she said.

She said that despite the absence of a co-ordinator, the work plan was completed with the assistance of some outside voluntary support and some paid consultancy work.

The appointment of an _ out-of- schools co-ordinator, a full-time co-ordinator and a part-time devel- opment worker will augur well for the centre and ultimately the entire community.

“With these staff in place for this year, the opportunities and work of the centre is expected to increase dramatically in the coming year,’ she said.

“The voluntary board underwent changes in membership due to vari- ous other commitments of individual members. However through success- ful active recruitment and training, the result is a much consolidated

board of directors committed to the work going forward,’ said Ms Fal- lon-Barry.

“Work has recently been done on the current plan and members of the board have visited at least one other centre and undergone various pieces of training,” she added.

She said that ongoing projects, in- cluding out-of-schools and parent- and-toddler groups, have continued to flourish at the centre.

A new homework club is also being initiated, under the auspices of the centre. This will cater for both set- tled and Traveller children.

‘The centre continues to support and foster the needs of the communi- ty by facilitating interest groups with use of rooms, while the Le Cheile In- ternational Club fosters the integra- tion of foreign nationals,’ she said.

“In the case of Le Cheile Interna- tional Club, the centre is not merely assisting with the provision of a ven- ue, but is grateful that much-needed Support and encouragement on the eround has been forthcoming from the co-ordinator Marie Rowland,” she added.

“Groups have been integrated pro- viding mutual support when possi- ble, for example, out-of-school chil- dren providing art work with various themes,” she said.