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A BUSINESSMAN in financial cri- sis borrowed money from “criminal elements” and ended up transport- ing more than €3.1 million worth of drugs for the gang – but was caught. Ennis Circuit Court heard yester- day that Thomas Lennon had gone through difficulties in his construc- tion business months before he was caught with the haul, which was one of the biggest seizures ever in Clare. Father-of-five Lennon (36), of Kill- estry, Killaloe, pleaded guilty to pos- session of an assortment of drugs in-

cluding cocaine, amphetamines and cannabis resin, with an aggregate market value of €13,000 or more, at Ross, Killaloe on July 14, 2006.

Lennon was stopped driving a Ford Transit van. The drugs were found in the back of the van contained in a wheelie bin, holdall bag and white Oe

Detective Garda Tom Barber of the Garda National Drugs Unit told the court that the haul included 269 kilos of cannabis resin with a street value of over €1.8 million; 10 k1- los of cocaine, valued at €691,000;: 18 kilos of amphetamine, valued at

€227,000 and 30,000 ecstacy tab- lets, worth €303,000. The accused took responsibility for possession of the drugs but refused to name those involved. Lennon, who had no previ- ous convictions, currently employs 25 people.

His barrister, Michael O’ Higgins, SC, said, “At Christmas 2005, his affairs were in crisis. He was unable to meet his €10,000 wages bill. He had to go outside the banking system to raise funds and got €10,000 from criminal elements,” he said.

He said that Lennon was subse- quently told, ““You owe us money now

and there’s another way by which you can work the money off.

“These are heavy people. When they put you under pressure it is un- pleasant,” he said.

Dt Gda Barber accepted that Len- non’s admissions made the investi- gation easier but said, “there would have been strong evidence anyway.

“Mr Lennon knew the people he was getting involved in. I don’t be- lieve he accrued any profit from this,” said the garda.

Mr O’Higgins said, “While the quantity of the drugs was sky high, there was no question of profit for

avben ee

He said that the court “need not apply” the mandatory minimum sen- tence of 10 years, given the circum- stances in the case.

Judge Carroll Moran said he would not impose sentence until next peeKeyelaee

“This 1s a difficult case. The facts are quite unusual. The offence is ex- tremely serious, as Serious as you can imagine under the Misuse of Drugs Xam

“There have been, on the other hand, extraordinary mitigating cir- cumstances,” he said.

IIB Homeloans has launched a new saver mortgage which allows pay- ments to suit flexible lifestyles.

Offering home-buyers two distinct benefits, the new IIB Homeloans saver mortgage is specially designed for existing and new home-buyers who wish to increase or decrease payments in line with their lifestyle Oath Xene

“This new offering means that a first time buyer looking to trade up, looking to switch his/her mortgage, or a residential property investor, can now tailor repayments to suit their personal fluctuating circumstances. They can channel savings into mort- gage repayments with the resultant savings that gives, or they can choose to withdraw such overpayments Should their circumstances dictate,’ said Pat Naughton, Manager of IIB Homeloans in the mid-west.

The new product offers mortgage holders two key benefits.

Firstly, home-owners/buyers can use their savings to pay off the mort- gage earlier.

The saver mortgage is a normal capital and interest repayment mort- gage, which allows the customer to make any additional repayments against the capital of the mortgage. With mortgage interest calculated daily, these additional payments re- duce the amount of interest that a customer will pay, over the lifetime of the mortgage.

By regularly overpaying against their mortgage a customer can cut years off the term of their mortgage and save thousands of euro in interest payments.

By way of illustration, a customer with a €240,000 mortgage over 30 years at 5.3 per cent APR can – by increasing his or her normal regular repayments by €250 a month – re-

pay the mortgage in only 21 years and save over €80,O000 in interest payments.

Secondly, customers can withdraw any overpayments. A special feature of IIB Homeloans saver mortgage is that the customer can also withdraw any overpayments that he/she makes. For example, if a customer chooses to overpay €250 a month, after five years the customer can withdraw the full amount of overpayments, ie €15,000. (€250 times 60 months).

However, in addition, to having ac- cess to their savings, by overpaying against their mortgage — even for a short period of time — the customer will also reduce the amount of inter- est that they pay on their mortgage.

By way of illustration, based on a typical €240,000 mortgage over 30 years at an APR 5.38 per cent, after five years of making regular €250 monthly overpayments, the customer will have saved up to €2,110.42 in

mortgage interest repayments.

IIB Homeloans Head of Marketing, John McAlinden says, “IIB Homel- oans has built up a reputation for product innovation, and the saver mortgage is a direct response to cus- tomer demand for excellent value financial products. It is particularly suited for home-buyers and home owners who also want to maximise the value of their savings.”

Whether you are a first time buyer, looking to trade up, looking to switch mortgage or an residential property investor, the saver mortgage can help mortgage holders save money over the term of their mortgage. Other features of the new product that cus- tomers will find attractive are;

‘ Customer is not required to open multiple accounts or to switch current accounts.

‘ Customer can make one withdrawal per month — minimum amount €500.

– Customer can make any amount of overpayments.

The application process is quick and easy as customers need only to complete a standard mortgage ap- plication. There is no need to open other accounts eg a savings account or current account and customers do not need to transfer current accounts to avail of the product.

IIB Homeloans offers customers flexibility through:

– Customers wanting to choose a fixed rate product can still overpay up to 10 per cent of the mortgage amount within the fixed term.

– Customers uncertain whether to

go fixed or variable can choose both with IIB Homeloans’ mix and match rate facility and still take advantage of the saver options.

‘ IIB Homeloans offers the best two and three year fixed rate (for LTV <80 per cent) and five year fixed rate in the market.

A MOTORIST who drove at a speed of 183kph on the dual carriageway between Ennis and Limerick has been convicted of careless driving.

Daniel McAuliffe (28), of Clontem- ple, Ballingarry, Limerick, was con- victed of the offence, relating to an incident at Carrigoran, Newmarket- on-Fergus, on November 16, 2007.

Garda Shane Kavanagh told Ennis District Court that he was operating a speed checkpoint at 11.20am.

He said that McAuliffe was driving a red Honda Accord at 183kph in a

100kph zone, on the dual carriage- way on the N18.

The garda activated the blue lights and siren and pursued the vehicle.

‘He was on the outside lane. The car broke heavily and drove into the left lane. There was a large volume of traffic on the road at the time,” he Sr HKOe

Some four kilometres down the road, the garda caught up with the Honda.

‘He pulled in immediately when he saw us. I showed him the speed on the speed gun.

‘He was shocked. He said he genu-

inely didn’t realise he was doing that speed. He said something about the speedometer not working properly,” said the garda.

The accused was initially charged with dangerous driving, but sought to have this reduced to careless driv- ing.

Judge Joseph Mangan asked, “Was the manoeuvre he executed while pulling in dangerous?” and the garda said it was.

Defending solicitor Siobhan Mc- Mahon asked the garda did any of the other cars veer or brake and he replied that they didn’t.

“I’d ask you to consider a plea to careless driving as it didn’t affect the other cars on the road,” said the so- licitor to the judge.

Judge Mangan said he was not ac- cepting a plea to the lesser charge, but he later did accept it.

Ms McMahon said her client, who had no previous convictions, said the incident “was a moment of mad- ehSiiae

‘“He’s not one of your typical boy racer young people who don’t pay any heed to the road traffic laws,” she said. Judge Joseph Mangan fined him €1,500.

BABY book worms were displaying their knowledge of books in Scariff library last week in a hotly contend- ed childrens’ book quiz.

Fourth, fifth and sixth classes from Scariff National School went head to head, answering questions on the whereabouts of Narnia and who lives in Toad Hall.

The event was to mark World Book Week and while most youngsters can answer just about any question relat- ing to computer games these days, the Scariff kids proved they are no

slouches when it comes to reading.

“It was a fun event and the ques- tions related to childrens’ books and movies based on childrens’ books said librarian, Caroline Ahearne.

55 children took part in the quiz and enjoyed other facilities at the li- e-VMCLUDUDOTom As (BMR ISM

The event is just one of the many which have been organised since the new library opened it’s doors in No- vember of last year.

Demand for the library services has been growing at a fantastic rate, particularly among teenagers.

“Our internet use 1s growing all the

time. That is proving very popular among young adults,” said Caroline.

Aside from the obvious borrowing of books, the DVD and CD lending section is also proving very popular, the librarian said.

“Our Wednesday afternoon story- telling sessions are growing all the time. We have more young children at every session,” Caroline added.

The session takes place each Wednesday at 3.30pm and is aimed at three to six year olds.

The new library is housed in the same building as the area council of- fices and has a full, modern range of

facilities and more events being add- ed to the library diary all the time.

“We’re still growing and we’re very pleased with the response we’ve had from our clients. We’re looking at ways to improve the service all the time and we’re happy to hear sugges- tions,” said Caroline.

FIRST we had the World Ploughing Championships, now we have the World Holstein Friesian Federation SroyaKo rere

Less than two years after staging one of the worlds biggest interna- tional farming events, Ireland will play host to another following the announcement that the World Hol- stein Friesian Federation Conference which will be held in Ireland from October 9 to 11. The Minister for Ag- riculture, Fisheries and Food, Mary Coughlan, last week announced funding of €100,000 towards the cost of staging the 2008 event.

It is the first time for this event to be held in Ireland. The Minis-

ter congratulated the Irish Holstein Friesian Association (IHFA) in suc- ceeding in getting such a prestigious event to Ireland.

The Conference, which is_ held World Cup style every four years, will welcome delegates from over 40 member countries of the World Holstein Friesian Federation togeth- er with a large number of observers from Ireland and around the world.

The Conference will include a two- day scientific programme at Killar- ney and a one-day Livestock Show of pedigree dairy animals at Millsteet.

The Minister said that Irish Hol- Stein Friesian farmers, who consist- ently breed top quality animals, will be able to showcase to an interna- tional audience the high standards

OM Gr- LAO om) RcroLONDIToMGL UUM Re) ILON am ole) DOTS achieved in Ireland.

“My Department has _ invested heavily during the past decade in developing a top class cattle breed- ing infrastructure through the estab- lishment of the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation,” she said.

The Conference not only provides an ideal opportunity to showcase the developments in cattle breeding in Ireland but also enables the promo- tion of our vibrant dairy industry to a global audience.

“The Conference will provide a timely international marketing plat- form for Irish Holstein-Friesian cat- tle and an opportunity to add value to the sector by creating export op- portunities for Irish Holstein-Frie-

sian genetics, through the sale of genetically superior live cattle, their semen, ova and embryos,’ she con- tinued.

Ui SCORN a eT ree arte hmelse Tt the mainstay of the dairy sector for many years now. Our dairy sector continues to grow in terms of value of output and last year dairy exports increased by 13 per cent to €2.36 billion, making it the most important sector of our agri-food industry.

Concluding, the Minister congratu- lated the Organising Committee on their efforts to date in planning for a successful Conference. She wished them well with the event and hoped that visitors to the South West of Ire- land will have an enjoyable and fruit- UU CE hYs

THE Enterprise Acceleration Centre at Limerick Institute of Technology is looking for Clare participants in its second intake for its Limerick Enter- prise Acceleration Platform (LEAP) joyueycau-ueavsaten

There are three Clare-based par- ticipants among the eleven people in the first programme, and the wel-

come mat is out for more applicants from the county.

The closing date for applications is this Monday, March 10. The ap- plication form is on www.lit.ie/leap, which also has further information. The programme starts on April 14.

“After a very successful first year, the LEAP programme is gearing up for its second intake of entrepre- neurs,’ said Graham Royce, who

manages the programme at EAC.”

LEAP is a tailor-made programme designed to support entrepreneurs in their quest to establish growth-ori- ented companies that deliver inno- vative products and services to the market.

Speaking of the first programme, Mr Royce explained that the start- ing point in February last year was to recruit eleven individuals that had

the ambition and drive to set up their own business.

“In April 2007, the LEAP par- ticipants took up residence (free of charge) in the Enterprise Accelera- tion Centre,’ he said. “They began a full time 12 month programme that integrated a range of supports fo- cused on strategic planning and prac- tical business set-up including man- agement training, business coaching, mentoring and consultancy.

“A year later it is fantastic to see the progress that these early stage entrepreneurs have made with their respective businesses. Without doubt, LEAP offers 12 months of unparalleled supports for entrepre- neurs at such a critical stage. We are anticipating strong demand for the programme this year and we are de- lighted to have Tipperary, Limerick and Clare based role models for the 2008 group.’

Mr Royce and Donncha Hughes, EAC Manager are available to meet with prospective candidates for a confidential chat prior to the closing date for applications.

, came in the wake of calls for the farmers’ market to be reinstalled.

The market moved to SkyCourt, having been operational at Drum- geely for two years previously. Whilst in Drumgeely, it had fallen victim to the weather on several oc- casions and then moved to the new plaza at SkyCourt almost two years ago. However, it has since faded out.

Councillor Patricia McCarthy (In- dependent) said she is hopeful that the market can get back up and run- ning in Drumgeely “as a priority”.

“I’m just wondering can we resur-

rect it. It was good for Shannon. I’m hoping we can get it going again.

“TI just don’t want it to die. It worked well in Drumgeely. It is a good idea if we get it going again. People want it back,” she said.

In a statement, management for SkyCourt said, “The farmers mar- ket at SkyCourt was initiated on the town square in May 2006. Widely advertised and promoted, it proved popular and successful for the first two months. However, it became ap-

parent that the number of producers available was no longer sufficient to provide a diverse range of foods for Shannon customers.

“The number of farmers markets throughout the country has grown without a corresponding increase in the numbers of producers. SkyCourt remains very supportive of the farm- ers market concept and is willing to have discussions with any parties in- terested in relaunching the Shannon market,” said the statement.

GROUP water schemes in west Clare are to benefit from the single big- gest allocation for upgrading of the schemes.

Cahermurphy (near Kilmiuhil), Glenmore/Kiltumper (also near Kilmihil), and Mountrivers (near Doonbeg) are all part of a €1.8 mil- lion investment by the Department of the Environment and Local Govern- ment.

An additional €1.5 million will be used to complete work on the four eroup water schemes involved in the bundled treatment plant project Dysart/Toonagh, Killone, Kilmaley Inagh and Lissycasey).

The west Clare water schemes are also to benefit from the €1.3 million for upgrading schemes.

Farrihy (between Kilkee and Doonbeg), Lisheenfruir (nearly sure itis near Lissycasey), Loophead Ross Section, and Moyasta are to benefit under this scheme.

Making the announcement on Fri- day Clare’s, Minister of State for Environment and Energy Tony Kil- leen said that Clare had received an allocation of €5.5 million under the 2008 Rural Water Programme.

Speaking in Claregalway, where he launched his department’s annual programme, Minister Killeen said that the grant aid, which represents a 50 per cent increase on last year’s

allocation, would fund a wide range of schemes all over Clare.

“T am delighted to be able to pro- vide funding to support Clare Coun- ty Council’s ambitious and compre- hensive work programme for 2008,” he said.

“When the upgrading is completed the schemes will be taken over by Clare County Council and will be- come part of the public water sup- ply network. A further €900,000 is going to Clare County Council in response to the proposals to intro- duce improvements to a significant number of small public water and sewerage schemes around the coun- ty,’ he explained.

Minister Killeen said that the top

priority in 2008 must remain on ad- dressing water quality problems in the county’s privately sourced group water supplies.

“Clare’s allocation will ensure that the county will remain to the fore in the national drive to eliminate sub- standard rural water supplies.

“The headway made in dealing with substandard water supplies has only been possible through their hard work, dedication and spirit of partnership. I would particularly like to acknowledge the contribution of group scheme activists who, for nearly half a century, have worked tirelessly for the betterment of their neighbours and communities,’ the minister said.

under the Freedom of Infor- mation Act show that the proposed link had a benefit to cost ratio rang- ing from .13 to .17, pointing out that a 1.0 benefit to cost ratio is normally required.

The report points out that the link would allow a 25-minute journey to Limerick and a 65-minute journey to Crea

A note for the Minister for Trans- port, Noel Dempsey points out, “The poor outcome to the economic evalu- ation reflects the high specification of the line which is necessary to ensure an attractive service and the small benefits to users in time savings due to the relatively good road-based services serving the airport.”

A separate note for Minister Demp- sey concluded, “In essence, there is very significant capital outlay for a minimal return for passengers in terms of time saved.”

It continues, “There would be sig- nificant capital expenditure and on- going increase in subvention to ena- ble passengers to save very little time on their journeys.”

The report recommends that an ‘all bus’ option would give the same ben- efits at a much lower cost.

A separate memo concluded that the cheapest option of €245 million would involve an irregular service every 75 minutes at a cost 1n excess of that for the whole of the Ennis to Tuam Western Rail Corridor and would not achieve journey-time sav- ings. The report forecast that the most basic service would result in 260,000 journeys in the first year, while the full service, including fast trains to Galway, would provide one million journeys in the first year.

Apparently ending any hope of a rail-line into the future, the consult- ant’s report states in relation to popu- lation projections that “even the most optimistic projections do not materi-

ally alter the financial and economic analysis of the project”.

The report forecast that 15 per cent of airport users would use the rail- ihe

A separate memo points out that the “economic case for the rail-link is poor and that road-based public transport offers the best short term solution for public transport access to the airport”.

It goes on to state that at this stage, Irish Rail will be taking no further action on the issue and that it should be noted that the project is not in- cluded in Transport 21.

FRANK Doherty answered some questions outside the Clare dressing room shortly after the game on Sun- day, standing on the same spot that Paidi O Sé occupied when Waterford knocked Clare out of the champion- ship last May.

Same result for Clare and though the questions haven’t changed for the entirety of this league — essentially it’s been: Where was the game lost, Frank? — Doherty at least saw some progress in the performance.

“I think there was improvement, in fairness. There was a bit more bite and character. At the start of the game we went four one up playing competitive football, and that was pleasing to see. The movement was good, the forwards were good. The younger lads are kind of stepping up to a degree and it’s the older lads who have to step up now. I’ve seen it in some games obviously. But today was an improvement from the An- trim game.”

That’s where the good news story ends, though. Shortly after Clare scored four, Waterford slowly crept back into the game and the manager recognised a handful of key episodes that led to the demise. The missed opportunity before the break and the penalty at the end contributed, he said, but Doherty believed the inju- ries picked up by Gordon Kelly and Daragh Kelly were crucial.

“At the end of the day we have a small pool of players and to lose

Daragh Kelly and Gordon Kelly was a big blow.

You’re talking about two key play- ers. When Daragh was in the team for the McGrath Cup, we didn’t lose a game. When he went out of the team we haven’t won a game.

“And Gordon, of course, is a fine bit of stuff. His loss took two big players out of six in our back line. It was a big turning point in the game.

“T’ve been hoping to move Gordon out to centre back for most of the year and unfortunately I can’t because my hands are tied to a degree in relation to where I can play lads. Daragh was doing reasonably well at centre back until he received that injured and Gordon obviously is himself. He’ll always give you everything.”

The missed goal opportunity?

“Stephen Hickey’s goal chance was like Rory Donnelly’s against An- trim. How many chances do you get in a game? How many times do you need these chance to put them away? You’ve got to take them when the goal is in front of you and that was there again today.

“I don’t know if Stephen tried to take the net out with that shot. It would have been better to side foot it into the back of the net and a goal then would have put us in the as- cendency. We would have been in the driving seat. It was a game that would have taken a different aspect in the second half.”

The penalty?

“I think Joe jumped into the for- ward more than he tried to claim the

ball. Then [just before the penalty] David Connole was unlucky. He ran into the back of a player and that was a silly free to give away in a danger- ous position. For a while we were in the game and the lads that came onto the team tried their best, but we are where we are.’

Again, Doherty came back to the positives of the performance and with Kilkenny on the horizon, the first two points of the season are surely within grasp.

“There was more determination overall. Still, the cuteness that will win you games wasn’t there and some of the lads took the wrong de- cisions at times.

“Sean Collins drove on and hit men twice his size and he was a contender for man of the match. There’s still a lot of work to do and hopefully we’ ll get guys back off the treatment table and we’ll be that bit stronger and that bit more street-wise the next time.”