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AFTER more than five years of an absence, homeopathy is returning to Ennistymon with the opening of the Ennistymon Homeopathy Clinic.

The new clinic located on Ennisty- mon’s Main Street is operated by Clare natives Diane Stapleton and OE tee

‘There is going to be two of us here, and hopefully a full time acupunc- turist, so it will be a full-on five day a week service,’ said Clare Sheehan.

“It is the case now where homeopa- thy can be the primary care for peo- ple. I have a family in Galway, for ex- ample, who come to me as their first point of call for all illnesses.

‘There was one time when one of the children was not responding to treatment and had to go for a course of antibiotics, but other than that the family has been antibiotic free for 12 Were ace

“So it’s not a case of one or the other. Homeopathy can work well alongside any other medicine. Peo- ple don’t have to come off any other medicine to use it and it’s a very safe and effective way to treat children and adults.”

Clare and Diane hosted an open public talk in Ennistymon library last night. They plan to continue with a series of talks in the library where they will examine all areas of homeopathy, including homeopathy

for men, for children and for vacci- nations.

‘As well as this we are also look- ing at having a regular open-morning here in the clinic where people can find out some information and get a feel for homeopathy,’ continued Ore

“We also want to look at organising mini courses for people. The idea be- hind this is that people, and parents in particular, can understand what they or their child is taking and why they are taking it.

“The parents can then take back control and the responsibility for the healing of their family. So it’s not something outside of them that they have to rely on.

“It’s so much cheaper as well. A lot of the health insurers will now cover a certain amount of the cost of ho- meopathy.”

Clare graduated from the Burren School of Homeopathy in 1995. She operated a practice in Galway City for seven years before moving to Kil- colgan and then on to Ennistymon.

Clare is also the founder and di- rector of the Galway College of ho- meopathy. More information can be found on www.galwayhomeopathy. com

NEXT month Clare County Coun- cil faces its first ever prosecution by the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) for alleged non-compliance with the terms of its waste licence at the Central Waste Management Fa- cility in Ballyduff Beg in Inagh.

While the April 2 court appearance represents the first ever attempted prosecution of Clare County Council concerning the facility, the issue of Ballyduff Beg has proved one of the most controversial in Clare over the last decade.

The facility was first mooted in February of 1998 when three po- tential sites were identified by Clare County Council for the possible con- struction of a Central Waste Manage- ment Facility. The locations identified were Kilmaley, which was ruled out because of archaeological reasons, Lissycasey and Inagh.

During the summer of 1999, tests were carried out on both sites to judge their environmental and eng!- neering suitability to host the facility, with Ballyduff Beg being determined as most suitable.

In January of 1999, Clare County Council began to compile an Envi- ronmental Impact Statement at the Inagh site and in August of the same year applied to the EPA for a waste

management licence.

Locals were given until October of 2000 to lodge submissions with the EPA concerning the waste manage- ment licence. By the closing date for submissions, a total of 247 separate objections had been received by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Despite the local opposition, the EPA issued a formal proposal to grant the licence in December of

2000. This gave objectors 28 days to lodge any further submissions or the licence would be granted.

One single submission was lodged with the EPA on behalf of all objec- tors. As part of this final submission, an appeal was also made for the EPA to host an oral hearing where the objectors could voice their concerns Clee sh ys

Both the final submission and the

request for an oral hearing was re- jected and on June 13, 2001, the Environmental Protection Agency granted a licence to Clare County Council for the construction of the facility. Work began on the site on October 2001.

In April of 2002, the Community Liaison Committee was established as one of the conditions of the EPA licence. Locals and members of the committee meet each month to dis- cuss issues arising from the operation of the facility.

The Central Waste Management facility officially opened for business in September of 2002. There was no official ribbon cutting ceremony.

A number of non-compliance or- ders have been issued to Clare County Council by the EPA on the operation of the facility. The first was issued during the construction process in re- lation to contaminated run off water while the majority of the subsequent orders have concerned complaints of odour. The last non-compliance order was issued in October of 2007.

The EPA is the only body with the power to instigate high court pro- ceedings to close the waste manage- ment facility.

A FATHER-OF-THREE who sold heroin to feed his own habit has been ANU Cere ms Key mcsFcdnlmmneloyeldetcn

Gerard Curtin (27), of Castlerock, Tulla Road, Ennis, pleaded guilty to possession of heroin for sale or sup- Oa

Inspector Tom Kennedy told En- nis District Court the accused’s bed- Sit was searched under warrant, on March 13, 2007.

He said that four bags of heroin – valued at €100 – were recovered from a shoe in his room.

“It was a small amount. He did con- fess he would have sold the drugs in

those packets for €25,” he said.

Defending solicitor William Cahir told the court that Curtin has used heroin since 2005.

‘He showed gardai where he had his heroin, inside his shoe. He told gardai he would smoke it and sell it,” said Mr Cahir.

He said his client sold “a small bit” to feed his own habit.

“He is not using heroin now. He feels he has cured it. He has dealt with his addiction by his own steam. He has managed to clean himself up and come off drugs,” he said.

Judge Joseph Mangan imposed an eight-month jail sentence and fixed a bond in the event of an appeal.

THE Ennistymon Community Cen- tre will be the venue on Easter Sun- day for a musical extravaganza fea- turing an 80 piece big band from America.

The Burnsville High School Big Band will take to the community centre stage for one evening only with all proceeds going towards the town’s Mol An Ojige Steiner school.

The event is being organised by the Mol An Oige parents committee and Hibernia Music, an organisa- tion which helps orchestras and large school bands from abroad find ven- ues to play in Ireland.

“I organise concerts with incom-

ing choirs, youth orchestras and high school bands who come to Ireland through a tour operator,’ said Ann Farrelly of Hibernia Music whose grandchildren attend Mol An Oige.

‘The concerts take place north and south of the order and are all for tbe laYs

“None of the groups charge for their performance, so all the money can go towards the charity, which is perfect.

“We tailor the concert venues to suit where the group themselves want to play, so if they want to see Clare, I try to organise a charity concert for eles nm bOm Oi E-BRon

‘This group is an 80 piece big band from Burnsville Highschool in Min-

nesota.”

After they plan in Ennistymon they will travel to Kerry and play another charity concert down there before going home.”

SW cViMe ream some ODe MED OOCoMBDIEBRceronle years that a top quality large Ameri- can band has visited Ennistymon.

“We had a 50 piece orchestra here in Ennistymon last year and that was great. So we are all hoping that this will be even better,” said local organ- iser Roisin Garvey.

‘Tickets are available from Custys in Ennis, from Unglerts in Ennisty- mon or by ringing Susanne on 086 6044113.” ;

Last month, the Mol an Oige Stein- er School in Ennistymon and the

Raheen Wood Steiner School in east Clare became the first two Steiner School’s in the country to be granted official recognition by the Depart- ment of Education.

This follows a long struggle for the recognition which means that the schools can obtain grants and teach- ers’ salaries from this September.

Up until this point the Ennistymon school had to raise all the capital needed to operate the school from fundraising exercises, parent dona- tion and the support of local busi- nesses.

The concert takes place on Easter Sunday, March 23, in the Ennisty- mon Community Centre at 8.30pm – tickets cost €10.

IN what’s been a hectic few weeks at Park AFC, the Shannon club had double celebrations this week with the opening of a new dressing room facility coupled with the 35th anni- versary of the founding of the club. It comes on the back of the School- boy Awards, attended by FAI CEO John Delaney and despite some bad weather over the weekend, a large turnout was present for the unveiling of the facilities.

Three of the club’s founding mem- bers – Brian “Tosh’ Collins, Martin McGuane and Ted Germaine — were present and expressed their delight at the progress the club has made.

Also on the day Joe O’ Donnell was made an honorary life member of the club. Speaking at the opening, Chair-

man of Park AFC, Peter Webb paid tribute to the effort that was put in to get the facilities completed, saying Karen Dunne and Damien Nolan had put in a great deal of work through- out the whole project. Joe O’ Donnell was also made an honorary life mem- ber of the club and later that evening, the anniversary celebrations kicked off in the Shannon Knights, where Gareth Quirke was named Player of the Season for 2006/2007 and Dam- ien Nolan was named Club Person of the Year.

For photos of the opening, the re- cent schoolboy awards and more see www.parkafc.com

THE number of new homes expected to be completed in County Clare this year is expected to be halved. Statistics released by the Depart- ment of the Environment yesterday show further evidence of a downturn in the housing sector with the number of house starts down by almost half last year with the anticipated knock on in house completions this year in

the county.

According to the figures, the number of house commencements last year in Clare was 960 with the number of commencements in the fi- nal quarter to 239.

The 2007 total compares to the 1,801 house starts in Clare in 2006 – a drop of 46 per cent and it continues part of a downward trend.

In 2004, there were 2,370 house starts in Clare and this was followed

by 2,156 house starts in 2005.

The low number of house starts in Clare last year will have a knock- on effect on the number of house completions in Clare in 2008 as the building sector responds to the cur- rent oversupply in the market.

Another aspect of the current over- supply in the market is the large number of homes that were complet- ed in Clare last year.

Figures from the Department of the

Environment show that 2,286 homes were completed in Clare last year — the second highest figure ever.

The figure is 16 per cent down on the 2,727 houses built in 2006. Fig- ures for 2005 show that 2,174 homes were built; in 2004, 1,831 homes were built; in 2003, 1,679 homes were constructed.

Additional evidence of a slow-down in construction show that lOO homes were completed in Clare in January

of this year — down on the 122 total for January 2007.

Further highlighting the number of house starts slowing to a trickle, Homebond recorded only six house starts across Clare in December.

Homebond record an estimated of 75 per cent of new house starts across the country and the six starts in Clare in December is a drop of 83 per cent on the 36 houses starts in December 2006 in Clare.

INTEGRATION and community will form the key themes of an Afro- Irish festival of music planned for Ennis in March.

The main aim of the Afro-Irish gospel extravaganza, details of which were revealed last week, seeks to bring together Ennis’ African and Irish communities through music.

Taking place on Saturday, March 22, the event will feature a host of traditional African and Irish musi- GETS

Organised by the Ennis _ based Foundation Ministries, the concert at elor will feature performances from the Children of Soweto Group, the Ennis Youth Choir, Mary Ayo Tade,

James Kilbane and many other art- ists and choirs from abroad.

Event organiser and singer Chinwe Obadeyi explained Easter was cho- sen specifically as the ideal time to bring the two communities together.

She said, “It 1s important that in- tegration takes place in Ennis. We were trying to think what would be the best way of bringing Irish and Africans’ together and we though the best was through music. Music is the best way to it. I saw that when I launched my cd in Ennis”.

She continued “Easter is a good time to do it because it 1s such an im- portant time for people with a Chris- tian faith. Irish and African people share very strong religious beliefs and hopefully we can use this occa-

sion as an united force”’.

A prominent member of Ennis’s African community, Obadey1 moved to Ennis from Nigeria eight years ago.

Having completed her education in Ireland at the University of Limerick, Obadeyi released her debut album, Beyond the Sky, in Ennis two years ago.

She is a founding member of the Foundation Ministries Church and is also an active member of the African Forum in Ireland.

She said the concert will celebrate aspects of African and Irish culture.

“There will be music, dance, Afro- beats, Irish set dancing, everything. The African community has been made very welcome in Ennis and

we want to give something back to the town. This is one of showing that appreciation. In the future maybe we ll organise exhibitions, or fash- ion shows, but for we are focusing on music. It is a great way to show USD IA Vaan

Mayor of Clare Patricia McCarthy and Mayor of Ennis Tommy Bren- nan are both being invited to open the event. Obadeyi urged people in Ennis to come out and support the event.

“We have got great support from people. It’s going to be a great night and the best way people in Ennis can show their support is by com- ing along. This is the only way it can work. We need the presence of Ennis people to make the event a success”.

FOR the last six months, the people of Clare have been turning out in droves to support every possible kind of fundraiser to help send the volun- teers to South Africa on the Building of Hope Project.

There is, as yet no final figure for the amount raised through the hun- dreds of events which were arranged across the length and breath of the county and further afield.

While those travelling to Mission- vale for the project were required to raise €3,000 apiece to cover the costs of their travel and accommoda- tion, as well as a contribution to the cost of the building, most raised far in excess of that.

One volunteer raised almost €29,000 and many raised more than €10,000 as the generosity of the Clare spirit overflowed.

“It’s unbelievable the amount of money that came out of one county”, said one of the project organisers, Olive Halpin. “Every single per- son in Clare must have contributed in some way. So much has already

come in and it’s still coming in. Peo- ple in Clare have been incredibly supportive.

The fund-raising events were as ingenious as they were useful. One volunteers company colleagues held a “guess who’s bum it 1s’, competi- tion, with photos of colleagues’ der- rieres.

All manner of items were auc- tioned, from pieces of art and furni- ture to the services of a fine stallion.

Another volunteer even auctioned his wife’s kisses!

Then there were the companies who contributed cash and all-impor- tant time off for their staff.

Lourda Doyle, said her employers, Isevier allow two days for taking part in voluntary work, called Care DEES

“I received a fantastic €1000 do- nation from Brenda Curtin MD of Elsevier. Gerry Gallagher organised a quiz at Christmas this collected €430. Liza raised €395 and I raised €900 in sponsorship from friends and colleagues in the company. They were brilliant’, said Lourda.

When all the cash is accounted

for, it’s expected that the full cost of the building of the care centre and hospice at Missionvale will be re- deemed.

But with a population of €125,000 in the township, living in the worst imaginable conditions and devastat- ed by disease, there is always a call on the Missionvale purse.

On-going support and funding is needed and Clare fundraisers are soon to set about a campaign to get standing orders to help run the school and the newly built centre.

The last thing which the final volun- teers did before they left Missionvale was to walk the ground and plant a tree, where it’s hoped the Irish will return again in 2010 to build homes for AIDS orphans.

LIMERICK are impossible to work out at the moment. From week to week, Richie Bennis has put out varying sides in an effort to unearth new talent but it has been the tim- ing of these alterations which has been most baffling. In their opening clash at home against Laois, Limer- ick used nine of the All-Ireland final side in their comfortable 3-23 to 2- 11 win but only a week later, Bennis just started three as Tipperary took the Shannonsiders apart by 2-20 to 2-9 in Semple Stadium. Then in a

challenge with former strikers Cork last Wednesday, Limerick used 13 of the 20 used in that defeat against Kil- kenny last September.

All this would suggest that Limer- ick are not too interested in the league and are focusing wholly on the cham- pionship but why not be more exper!- mental against strugglers Laois and in the challenge against Cork instead of having his young inexperienced side dismantled in Semple Stadium in the league?

There is always a keen interest in the neighbouring clash between Clare and Limerick so it will be in-

teresting to see which Limerick side Bennis picks for this Sunday’s game. Bennis has always claimed that there is never much between the counties and he has backed that up with the fact that even though Limerick had seven points to spare against the Banner last year in the All-Ireland quarter-final, Clare missed several goal chances which could have made the difference early on.

On the other hand, Mike McNama- ra is certain to put out his strongest available 15. On Sunday, he termed the healthy rivalry between the coun- ties as ‘unique’ but is unquestionably

gunning for the two points to boost the confidence in the side.

Injuries have hampered Clare’s preparations but aside from. that, Sunday’s game against Kilkenny will have given the Banner a posi- tive boost going into this weekend’s game.

Limerick have their injury wor- ries too but can expect chief scorer Andrew O’Shaughnessy back af- ter his Fitzgibbon Cup $action. O’Shaughnessy, who has amassed 4-9 in his two league games to date, was missing last week as Limerick lost by ten points to Cork and his

influence in invaluable to Limerick. For long periods, Limerick more than matched the hurling starved Rebels and it was only after Neil Ro- nan second half goal that Cork even- tually pulled away.

Both sides need a win but it will all come down to which Limerick side takes to the field on Sunday. Clare are clearly more serious about the league and this hunger might be enough to see them edge this battle.

LISCANNOR locals have formed a committee to block the proposed construction of a park and ride serv- ice from the village to the Cliffs of Moher.

Following a public meeting held last Friday, locals have decided to oppose the Atlantis Development project, claiming the park and ride would be too big and effectively by- pass Liscannor village.

“We are not trying to stop devel- opment in Liscannor, we just want

to be able to get in to and out of our homes,” said a committee spokes- man. “It’s the scale of the develop- ment; 500 cars, four times a day, that’s a huge pressure to put on a small place…

“They talk about job creation but both the hotels in Liscannor are closed at the moment. The shop is closed. If you came here today, you would have no problem parking, I can tell you that.

‘They say they are taking account of the businesses in Liscannor, but there are very few businesses even

left in Liscannor.”

Atlantis Development Ltd released a statement yesterday in which they argued that the Liscannor site was zoned for a park and ride in the North Clare Local Area Plan 2005, with no objections from locals during the public consultation process.

It also claims to have removed a number of elements from the plan to which locals had previously objected and taken steps to ensure that the proposed development will not lead to Main Street being bypassed or to WeDONOMeO)ITXonI BLO) IF