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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

ON April 26, 1986, reactor number four at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant lapsed into a spiralling chain reaction and exploded.

Twenty-two years on and the Cher- noby] fallout and a radioactive poison 40 times the intensity of Hiroshima still infects much of Eastern Europe. More than 60 per cent of that fallout fell on Belarus.

Ennistymon man Brother Liam O’Meara was among the first west- erners to visit the affected people in Belarus. Over the last 15 years, the Burren Chernobyl Project has helped restore dignity and ease suf- fering for the thousands of innocent children orphaned by the fallout or abandoned by their families.

‘There are a number of reasons why these children are given up. Firstly, poverty – the mother has to work and can’t afford to have someone at home minding a child. In other cas- es, maybe there is a new relationship and the new husband doesn’t want a handicapped child around.

“Then, in some other cases, the state moves in and takes the children, be- cause the conditions at home are so bad. A lot of the children are better off within the orphanage because the conditions at home are so bad.

“But it’s not just handicapped or special needs children who are given up. Perfectly healthy children are left in these orphanages,” said Brother Liam.

‘There is a tradition of giving away children, it’s a cultural thing. There is a Shame associated with it. A lot of the parents don’t even tell the grand- parents, they just say that the child has died.

‘Mothers would dispose of children very easily.

“The state does give them some help, they do some good work and nobody ever knows about it. The state pays into the children’s bank accounts every month.

“There is so much paperwork in- volved in everything over there so the child could be hungry, literally starving, and the money can’t be spent on what the child needs. They need someone to go out there and do the paperwork at the bank, but a child like that could never do it.

“The villages out there are desper- ately poor. They really have nothing. The orphanages are located away out in forests and out of the way – so that they wouldn’t be upsetting the peo- ple in the village, I suppose.”

The BCP has helped thousands of children and adults affected by the tragedy. Over the last 15 years, they have helped raise the basic standards of living in some of the world’s most difficult locations.

“In the last 12 months, we have had a lot of people working in Tarasik1, an adult place, so we have groups going out all the time working on that. We have also started up a day- care centre in Cherven, which means that mothers can leave their children in during the day when they are at work,’ continues Brother Liam.

“This means that the children can live at home instead of in an institu- tion. We got a building from the state but it was 1n very poor condition so we had groups fixing that up.

“We have finished our work at Kylb, which is an adult psychiatric facility for 500 adults. You can never say that a place is finished, I suppose, but we have done a lot of work in it.”

While each trip to Belarus contains much sadness, happiness comes from the children’s smiles and the knowledge of helping those who cannot help themselves.

“When you leave, you sometimes feel like you are abandoning ship, but then you remember. You can see it in them – the sound of an Irish voice and they light up. It could be someone from Clare or someone

from Galway, from anywhere, but once they hear the Irish voice, they remember,’ continued Brother Liam. “At this stage, we are going back meeting friends. We know them all, all the children. But for some peo- ple going there for the first time, they can be shocked.

‘You would be upset at times. Some- times you might see a child who has been tied up and you think that if

someone had time and patience you could help that girl. She is probably being tied up because she is scratch- ing herself or hurting herself, but if we had more time, then maybe we might be able to help.

“The sad thing is that there are so many people in these orphanages who really shouldn’t be there. Peo- ple who are as gentle and would do anything for you. And these people are going to be locked up forever un- less we can get them out.

“That is the prospect for most of these people. They move from the baby orphanages into the adult or- phanages and that’s that – that’s their whole life.

‘We have to measure our success by how we react when a child cries, not by how many toilets we have built. If a child cries and we still sympathise, then it’s a success. And I think that we always have, and every volunteer always has. No-one will walk away from a crying child.

“More than anything, we would like to thank people for all that they have done. It’s truly been amazing. There has been a huge amount achieved down the years and there hasn’t al- ways been the time to thank the people who have helped. It may be that there are buckets out all the time collecting money but the money has been spent and spent well.”

GIRLS from Scoil Mhuire in En- nistymon have taken their first steps into the exciting world of the music industry by setting up music promo- tion company Bannerbeats, and win- ning their way through to the nation- al finals of the Coca Cola Blastbeat competition.

The competition, which is aimed at Transition Year students, encourages young people to set up a multi-media music management company. Each company then picks a local band to promote, with the group being pitted against each other in a battle of the bands style contest.

The girls in Bannerbeats organised a local battle of the band competition

last December, with Ennis band Mar- blechips beating off stiff competition from the likes of Robot Pirates, A Star Called Henry, Septica and Chav to become the chosen group.

Last week Marblechips won the right to represent Bannerbeats at the National Final of the Blastbeat com- petition which takes place in Dub- lin’s Tripod on May 17.

Marblechips consist of five 1’7-year- olds; David O’Sullivan on drums, Eoghan McMahen on guitar, Tim Bergain on bass, singer Mathew Ca- sey and Ivan Welaratne on guitar and synthesizer.

In order to promote the band, the transition year students first sold pro- motional CD’s to raise share capital and hosted the successful battle of

the bands in Ennistymon’s Teach Ceoil in December.

The company drew on their col- lective business social networking, teamwork, conflict management, sales and marketing skills to make the project a success.

They successfully completed tasks such as submitting a business plan and learned the ropes of event man- agement through hiring a venue, bouncers, organising sound and light equipment and selecting judges for HN eae

If successful, the band could will win a record deal plus a chance to represent Ireland at the World Wide Finals later this year. The winning promotional company will also re- ceive a cash prize worth €5,000.

Marblechips came second in the regional finals in Galway on Satur- day April 12. The national finals take place in Dublin’s Tripod on May 17.

EVERYTHING is going for Clare — they rode their luck to beat Down in the semi-final and have been handed a home tie in the final.

Playing in Cusack Park will, how- ever, pose its own problems for Deir- dre Murphy’s team and the added anxiety to perform well in front of their home supporters will no doubt add some pressure.

Donegal are a strong physical side and it was this strength throughout the field that saw them through to a 1-13 to 2-4 win against Waterford to qualify for Sunday’s decider. Clare are without doubt the more skilful side and despite having the lack of natural ball winners in the midfield area, their work rate and eagerness in this pivotal position makes up for any lack of physical presence.

Captain Louise Henchy is a Trojan worker at midfield and has recently struck up a great playing relationship with both Sandra Malone or Fiona Lafferty. Ideally Henchy should be at

centre forward but with Tammy He- hir still struggling to regain full fit- ness she is likely to again command the central role on Sunday.

Defensively Clare has searched all year for the right combination. The loss of Coolmeen’s Grace Lynch to London for this year’s league was major blow, yet the recent return to county training of her club mate Sinéad Eustace is a big boost for the ornate

While Eustace may or may not start on Sunday she will definitely play some part in proceedings. Sinéad Kelly of West Clare Gaels is also a player who is maturing into a serious inter county star. Kelly relishes the battle and gained much experience from her club’s progress to the All- Ireland final last year.

She is sure to play a big game this weekend and won’t lack in confi- dence or experience. Lorraine Kelly is also another player who won’t be overawed by the occasion. Although sometimes a slow starter the Fergus Rovers player has the uncanny knack

of getting the better of her opponent as games go on. If she gets into the game from the start in the final she could be pivotal to Clare’s chances CO) Herero ice

Up front though is where Clare will be expected to do most damage. Young player of the year Eimear Considine of Kilmihil is having an outstanding tournament to date. The Kilmihil ace, newly graduated from last year’s All Ireland U-16 B win- ning team, has contributed an incred- ible 6-5 to Clare’s total in this year’s league campaign.

The aplomb in which she took some of these scores belied her tender years and she is the perfect compliment up front for such established players as Niamh Keane (Banner Ladies) and Aine Kelly (Fergus Rovers).

Aine Kelly is no slouch either and has clocked up a formidable 3-11 in the Suzuki league to date so hope- fully this strike rate will continue on Sunday. The key however to success on Sunday could be the perform- ances of the West Clare Gael’s duo

of Marie Kelly and Majella Griffin. Kelly is a workaholic forward and often both creates and finishes her scores. Majella on the other hand is the ‘Maurice Fitzgerald’ of Clare ladies football. Often anonymous, but when in possession exudes class and has an uncanny accuracy when it comes to scoring. Her kicking and fielding technique is a joy to watch and she is without doubt the most ac- complished footballer that will be on view next Sunday (and that includes the Cork and Kerry match).

A GOOD crowd braved the weather in Liscannor to take part in the an- nual Burren Chernobyl Projects sponsored walk.

Despite the weather, spirits were high and early indications suggest that sponsorship was up on last year.

“Tt went really very well on Sunday and we had a nice crowd,” said Car- mel Mescall of the Burren Cherno- byl Projects.

‘The weather was a bit against us on the day but besides that the whole event went very well. It’s hard to say exactly how many people took part but it’s looking like we will have more sponsorship this year than last year.

“We would really like to thank eve- ryone who took part in the walk and everyone who helped out in anyway, whether they were helping on the day or giving sponsorship to the walk- eee

Meanwhile, a volunteer training day was held in the Falls Hotel in Ennistymon on Saturday. The train- ing day was to help prepare people who are about to make their first trip to help the children and adults of Belarus with the Burren Chernobyl Project.

A steady stream of volunteers from County Clare and all over Ireland travel out to Belarus all year round, giving the Burren Chernobyl] Projects a year round volunteer presence in the affected areas.

THE students of Gort Community College last week did 30,000 good deeds for the people of Africa. Last Friday, the school presented Bothar with a cheque for €1,500 – raised through the collection of more than 30,000 copper coins.

The collection was undertaken 24 student from second year who have raised enough money to send two cows to needy families in Africa.

“They started a copper collection there before Christmas. It was going well and then Bothar, as it happens, started their own copper collection

not that long afterwards. They start- ed off my collecting up any loose copper from their houses and their cars and they they started asking everyone else to do the same,” said teacher Virginia Keane.

“At this point they have four huge buckets filled with coppers. But as they were collecting people started to give them other money – they started to get fivers and teners off of people without even asking and the whole thing just grew from there. but is mainly coppers.

“They really didn’t want to be ask- ing people for large amounts fo mon- ey because there are an awful lot of

charities out there now. They didn’t walk to be doing walks or selling lines either – they wanted to do some- thing different, so they just hit upon the idea of the copper collection.”

Bothar officials visited the school on Friday and gave the children a presentation detailing exactly where the money raised will go.

“The class voted for who they wanted to give the money to. One of the main reasons that they went for Bothar was because they help people in a good few different places around the world. They wanted to help peo- ple in different countries and now they have enough to send two cows

to two different families in Africa,” continued Virginia.

“A lot of the children come from farming backgrounds and the idea of sending cattle or animals appealed to them more than money.

“They children get a to learn a lot through projects like this. Bothar came in on Friday and gave them a proper talk – it’s great for them to see where the money that they have raised is going to instead of just read- ing about it.

“There is a good bit of fundraising going on it the school. It is a part of the philosophy around here and the children really do seem to enjoy it.”

AS CLARE manager Colm Hanley says himself, comparisons with last season’s All-Ireland decider with Derry were inevitable. In that Croke Park meeting, Derry stung Clare with a late, late win but Hanley says this experience was used by Clare to defeat Derry on Saturday evening.

“We knew we had it in us to win the league,” he says. “In fairness, we were the better team on the day and we followed through on that. I still think we were the better team when Derry beat us in Croke Park last year, but this time we stayed going.

“It’s obvious that there would be mention of that game, particularly as we were meeting Derry in another national final and in Croke Park we just didn’t put them away, so it was pleasing to do that this time round.”

As the clock ticked down and with Clare leading, Derry were thrown something of a lifeline with four minutes of injury time announced.

“When the few minutes of extra time was announced at the end it was a real flashback to our last game but even if the referee played ten minutes added time, we never looked like conceding.

“It goes to show that we’ve learned from that experience and hopefully that’s something we can use in the months ahead because Clare really showed enormous conviction.”

With the league secured, Clare move on with the championship on their minds and three more weeks of training has been scheduled before the players take a week off at the end of May.

‘The season was divided into two sections at the start of the year. The league and the championship. We wanted to play well first and fore- most in the league and maybe secure a win. Now that we’ve got the title, it’s full steam ahead for the champi- oyeravl On

“But we’re not looking at Croke Park just yet. We’ve three tough group games to get through against

Offaly, Down and Antrim with our first outing on June 29. But for now, we’re just delighted with the way things have gone in the league. The ereat thing 1s, we have a nice mix of experience and emerging talent and that augurs well for the future.”