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THE gymnastics club in Shannon has been basking in glory after one of its members won a medal at a prestigious international event.

12-year-old Becky O’Donnell won a bronze medal, after she came third in the Coimbre Open in Portugal.

Becky, who is one of the top eight tumblers in Ireland, was selected to participate in the event in the wake of a string of impressive performances in Clare and the wider Munster area, over the past year.

She was delighted to come third in the Coimbre Open, where she fought off stiff competition from more than 10 other entrants, in the under-13

category.

This follows on from her success last year, when she competed in Lithuania and was placed in the top ten in a world cup event in Poland.

Her coach Elaine Ryan said Becky deserved the honours and everyone in the club was thrilled for her.

“She has been building up, with good performances in past competi- tions,’ said Ms Ryan.

“This is the first international med- al the club has every got. We are very proud,” she added.

Becky travels from her home in Kildysart for training at the Shan- non club and hopes are high that her fine achievements will encourage her club colleagues.

“There are 80 members in the club and hopefully this will encourage the others,” said Ms Ryan.

The club has been busy over the past few months and after being without a permanent home, it has re- cently secured a new base.

It is currently located at the Stone- hall Business Park, but will move to a permanent home near Newmarket- on-Fergus later this month.

“We are delighted with this. There is a great backing from the parents,” said Ms Ryan.

“Children travel from all over to the club, from as far as Gort and from Raheen in Limerick, three to four times a week,” she added.

While Becky is still absorbing her

latest success, she is already plan- ning her next trip and is hopeful that she will be selected for future inter- nationals which are due to take place throughout the year.

Her ultimate aim promises to be a huge challenge, which she is ready to tackle. “She will be hoping to go to the world championships in 2009,” said her coach. No doubt she will do her best to ensure qualification for this event.

AN investment of €lb in Money- point power station announced by the ESB is expected to significantly reduce the carbon dioxide being real- ised into the west Clare atmosphere, as well as proving a vote of confi- dence in the station’s future.

Plans for the local power station for 2025 will see the electricity supply board attempt to build a so-called “clean coal” generating plant.

Clean coal is basically coal that has had the carbon dioxide extracted from it, thus preventing it from pol-

luting the atmosphere.

The ESB are facing one major diffi- culty in the west Clare element of its national €22 billion, 12-year invest- ment programme.

Commencement of the work on the clean coal-fired generating plant in Moneypoint is dependent on one major factor – that is, one has yet to be invented.

The ESB admit that no-one has yet arrived at a workable system of do- ing this, or of storing gas instead of releasing it into the atmosphere.

The ESB 1s confident, however, that such a solution will be found as huge

resources are being invested on re- search and development.

Meanwhile, Munister for State, Tony Killeen (FF) received confir- mation from the ESB that it is not going to adopt a proposal to build a gas-fired generating plant.

“The ESB’s announcement has consequences not only for environ- ment but for the local economy,” he said.

“For almost 30 years, Moneypoint has acted as one of the largest em- ployers in west Clare and has played a major part in the development of vibrant communities in the area.

“This announcement by the ESB that it is planning to invest in a clean coal-fired generating plant by 2025 will ensure the station’s viability.”

The new plant, if and when it goes ahead, 1s likely to produce 700 mega- watts of electricity, making it the big- gest producer in the State in today’s etsy

According to industry calcula- tions, that is enough power to supply 700,000 average households.

Work started on the Moneypoint project back in 1979. The station each year consumes two million Kevebate ey mrerey- 0B

THE brother-in-law of Charlie and Patrick McDonagh told the jury he was ashamed of the fact that he had not been able to prevent the death when he intervened in the fight.

“I risked my own life because I went into the middle of them but it was for nothing because I didn’t save him (Charlie),”’ said James O’ Loughlin.

Mr O’Loughlin said he and his wife Ann Marie tried to persuade Patrick to stay away from Bridge Court after he had received hospital treatment for injuries received in an earlier argument with Charlie.

Patrick insisted on going home to his wife and three children.

Back at home, Mr O’Loughlin said he tried to calm Patrick down, telling him everything could be sorted out with his brother in the morning.

He said that Charlie went out onto the street, naked from the waist up and waving a knife.

Mr O’Loughlin said Charlie ap- peared to be very drunk and was waving the knife around very slow- M4 He agreed that he had told gardai

Charlie was shouting, “Come out, come out Paddy Pudding” and that he had said this nickname was a “term of argument”. Patrick fetched a hatchet and went outside to his broth- er, despite attempts to stop him.

Mr O’Loughlin said there were “more thumps being thrown than us- ing the weapons”.

He said that after a few minutes he and his wife managed to disarm the two men and they were pulled apart. Mr O’ Loughlin dragged Char- lie back towards his house with the help of another man, Anthony Ward, Charlie’s wife’s brother.

Patrick had found the knife, thrown away during the fight, and ran at Strabo

He stabbed him 12 times in the stomach. Charlie died in hospital a Seem BDA CoM C-lKo)

Mr O’Loughlin said that there was some bad feeling within the McDon- agh family.

“They couldn’t believe he went so far on his brother. They were dis- gusted. You wouldn’t do that to an elephant,” he said.

A GROSS profit of more than €3,000 was generated through the St Patrick’s Day parade in Shannon, according to preliminary figures. The event generated an income of €5,658.99, while expenditure came to €2,671.80, a meeting of Shannon Town Council heard last week. Stressing that these figures are not the final amounts, the chief organ- iser of the parade, Councillor Greg Duff paid tribute to the efforts put in by those who participated in the

Joye NereKO Con

He pointed out, however, that the parade may have to meet at a bigger venue other than the Wolfe Tones GAA clubhouse in future years, giv- en the huge turnout this year.

Fianna Fail councillor Geraldine Lambert said she believed that the parade should receive more support from the community.

“We still aren’t getting the support from the clubs and organisations that we should get. It costs very little for clubs to turn out in their colours. This parade is not for the town coun-

cil. It’s for the people of the town,” she said.

She added that traffic management was an issue this year.

“While the GAA itself is a fine as- sembly point, traffic management would have to be looked at,” said Cllr Lambert.

Councillor Mike McKee (Inde- pendent) suggested that the parade would assemble at St Senan’s rugby club, where there would be more space for the huge crowds taking part every year.

Councillor Sean Hillery (FF) said

the parade was “the most important community exercise in Shannon in the 12 months. It’s our heritage and it’s our childrens’ heritage.”

“TI think all the clubs should be rep- resented, even one or two of them, with the names of their clubs,” said Cllr Hillery.

Labour Councillor Tony McMahon added that industries in the town should play a more prominent role in the parade.

“If we keep having the same few floats each year, the thing can get a bit stale,’ he said.

THE Health and Safety Authority is investigating an explosion and fire at Dromoland Castle, which has left one workman seriously injured and

another with minor injuries.

The two were working with a gas burner last Friday, sealing a window in the hotel, when there was an ex- plosion.

It is understood that a small gas

cylinder exploded, which promptly led to the fire breaking out.

One of the men – a 60-year-old from Lisdoonvarna – was engulfed in the flames and suffered 40 degree burns to several parts of his body.

He had to be airlifted to University College Hospital, Galway, where his condition was described as critical. He remains in hospital, where he is still being treated for his serious in- juries.

His colleague, a Kerry native, was also taken to hospital, with minor in- juries.

Both were employees of Michael McNamara builders in Dublin and were working together on the win- elev

The fire service used an aerial plat- form to lift the man from the roof, after he had been treated there.

The incident occurred before noon, as dozens of people were getting ready to attend a wedding. The ho- tel was evacuated. None of the group suffered any injuries and were al- lowed back into the hotel some time Eire

Very little damage was done to the hotel, as the fire did not spread from where it started.

Gardai, along with five fire units and a number of ambulances, attend- ed the scene. Gardai took statements from various witnesses and members of the Scenes of Crime Unit, based in Ennis, also attended the scene of the fire.

Representatives from the Health and Safety Authority also attended the scene and carried out detailed ex- aminations, in an effort to ascertain the cause of the blaze.

A WOMAN who lived beside the McDonaghs in Bridge Court told the trial that Charlie went through the knife rack in her kitchen, some time before his death.

‘He took the first knife out but he said it wasn’t sharp enough. Then he got out another one but he didn’t take WerLmssinelos

“Then he took out another knife and put it up his sleeve,” Cara Moy- lan said.

She could not understand a lot of what the brothers said to each other, but heard Charlie calling his brother ‘Paddy Pudding’.

Patrick said he was in the hospi- tal and Charlie now owed him “ten

grand”.

Charlie asked Patrick was he home and Patrick replied, “Ill see you in two minutes.”

Ms Moylan agreed that she had told gardai, “He told me he was going to cut him (Patrick) up and he told me what he was going to do to him.”

Charlie told her to tell the other neighbours to stay off the road as there was going to be trouble.

Charlie left by the front door, tak- ing off his jacket as he went. Patrick came towards him carrying an axe and the brothers fought.

They were separated by their sis- ter and her husband but, as Charlie walked back to his house, Patrick picked up the discarded knife and ecbaue-lanevbeeF

SOME of Ireland’s top athletes and running enthusiasts will be in Kilnaboy this weekend for the annu- al Michael ‘Sonnie’ Murphy Memo- rial 1O-Mile Open Road Race.

The race, which takes place this Sunday from 2pm, commemorates the life of Sonnie Murphy, the local legend who took part in the two-mile Steeplechase of the 1932 Olympic GF Trslone

This is the 24th running of the event and organisers are expecting another bumper year, after record numbers took part last year.

“It’s the last of the four Munster 10 Mile Spring Classics. There is a prize for anyone who competed in all four events and, at this point, with three events completed, there are 177 still in the running,” said Vincent McCa- rthy of Kilnaboy Athletic Club.

“We get a good mixture of athletes. We would get eight or 10 elite men and five or six elite ladies taking part each year. The rest would come from every different class of runner.”

This year, local athlete Tracy Guil- foyle will be back looking to defend her title. Tracy last year became the first local athlete in the history of the race to win one of the major titles.

“She is training very hard at the mo- ment so she will be hoping to regain the tithe again this year. Last years men’s winner was John Byrne in a time of 54.24. We had 397 finishing the race last year which was the big- gest number ever,” continued Vin- cent. “It is growing away all the time. It grew up to about 200 and it stayed at that for a long time. But since we have been involved with the Munster Spring Classics, it has grown again. The number looks to be going higher again for this year.”

Before the business of the road race, the annual 10km fun walk takes place in Kilnaboy from 1.30pm.

“The fun walk is more relaxed, it’s non-competitive. People come to that and have a nice relaxing time,’ says Vincent. “We have used the race for years to make money for char- ity. We have raised about €15,000 or €20,000 for Cystic Fibrosis over the last number of years. We don’t have a designated charity this year but what- ever profit we have from the race will go to charity.”

The entry fee for the race is €10 and €5 for the walk. Anyone in- terested in learning more about the event or taking part should contact Vincent McCarthy at 065 6837875 or 086 1704471 for details.

KILNAMONA’S Nuala McDonnell last week walked away with a Certif- icate of Merit from the Teagasc/FBD Student of the Year Competition in Dublin.

Nuala, who hails from Cloongowna in Kilnamona was the only woman to make it into the closing stages of the competition.

She was one of six students to be presented with the certificates of merit by the Minister for Agricul- ture, Mary Coughlan, at the Dublin ceremony last Thursday.

Others to receive certificate were Maurice Bates representing the Port- laoise course, Thomas Mather from Kildare representing Gurteen Col- lege, James Gaffney from Ballyroe

east and Pallaskenry College, Joseph Keenehan from Roscommon repre- senting the Mountbellew College, Patrick Cronin from Cork represent- ing Clonbakilty College and Dermot Daly from ‘Tuam representing the Athenry course.

The overall prize for Student of the Year went to Monaghan farmer Eoin Kerr who represented the Teagasc Agricultural College in Ballyhaise.

After his Leaving Certificate, Eoin completed his FETAC Level 5 and 6 Certificate in Agriculture in Bally- haise Agriculture College, and com- pleted his work placement in New Zealand.

He is likely to enter a partnership with his father at an early date, as a means of expanding their dairy en- terprise. The home farm 1s already

a well established dairy farm of 180 acres, 105 cows and 460,000 litres of milk quota.

“I would like to congratulate all of the students here today on the awards they are receiving. They have clearly excelled in their respective courses,’ said Teagasc director, Professor Ger- ry Boyle.

“We in Teagasc are continuous- ly evaluating our education pro- erammes to ensure they meet the needs of the farmers of the future.

“We have looked at the delivery of courses to provide more flexibility to accommodate the modern student. We have looked at the course con- tent to ensure it equips the students of today and the farmers of tomor- row, and we are looking to prioritise the capital invested in our education

facilities in the future.”

Peter Fogarty from Wexford was presented with the second runner-up award by Minister Coughlan while William Doogan from Donegal re- ceived the third runner-up award.

“There is renewed interest in ag- ricultural education with numbers increasing despite the decline in the number of full-time farmers. De- mand for part-time courses is also strong,’ Director of Education and Development with Teagasc, Donal Ora

FIANNA FAIL Minister for State, Tony Killeen was remaining tight- lipped on how he saw his future un- der the new Taoiseach.

The Corofin man who has served as junior minister in the Department of Communications, Energy and Natu-

ral Resources and the department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government for the past 10 months said he was happy to fill whatever role the new Taoiseach desired.

He said while there was a lot of speculation as to what moves would be made in cabinet and in the gov- ernment under Brian Cowan, he did

not get involved in such speculation.

He said Minister Cowan is famil- iar with the issues in Clare through his previous portfolios in health and transport and has an overview of 1s- sues as Minister for Finance.

Former Clare TD Brendan Daly, who was quite close with the Offaly man while in Dail Eireann, said he

believed that Cowan would make an impressive Taoiseach.

“T think Cowan will be less charis- matic than Bertie Ahern. He will give straight answers to straight questions and will take things very seriously and won’t underestimate the implica- tions of some of the things that might be taking place.

“Bertie tended to gloss over things that on the surface might not have been looked at but deep down were very serious,’ he said.

“He (Cowan) will be firm, he will be decisive, he will say if something can be done or can’t be done, and he wont second-guess anything,” he Sr HLOe

AFTER breaking the €100,000 mark last year, organisers of the sixth annual Micheal Dunleavy Walk in Doolin are hoping to push things even further this year.

The Michael Dunleavy Foundation was set up in memory of Michael Dunleavy, who died from a rare brain tumour when he was just eight years old in 2002. The charity organises a number of fundraising events both in Ireland and the US.

Michael himself lived most of his life in America, but often came to Clare to visit his aunts, uncles and erandparents in Doolin. Hopes are

high that this year’s walk will be one of the best yet.

“In total, we have raised more than €100,000 for the Irish Cancer So- ciety. We tipped over the €100,000 mark last year which is really won- derful. It shows the commitment and the generosity of the people taking part,” said Mary O’Connor, organ- iser of the Doolin Walk.

“We usually have about 200 peo- ple. It’s a good day, nice and relaxed. It’s like a family day. We have peo- ple who bring the dog along or bring the pushchair. It’s a good family day with lots of children involved.

“We would usually have walkers from all over. We have people who

come down from Miltown and Mul- lagh and that side of the country. We also have a lot of people from Bally- vaughan and an awful lot of locals. It is something that people really keep in mind and look forward to.”

The walk will take place this Sun- day, April 13, at lpm. Registration will take place at Doolin’s Russell Cultural Centre at 12.30pm.

“It 1s a three- or five-mile circular walk, so there 1s a bit of choice de- pending on how fit you are feeling. It’s going to be a really enjoyable day with great fun and a lot of relaxing.

“If the day is clear, and I hope it will be, we will get brilliant views of all the local scenery and even the

Aran Islands,’ continued Mary.

“All money raised goes to the Irish Cancer Society paediatrics research and to our local fund which is there to assist terminally ill local people and their families.

‘We have sponsorship cards avail- able and people can come along on the day and give a bit.”

Anyone looking for a sponsorship card can contact Mary O’Connor on 7074332 or Maurice Dunleavy on 087 2912916.