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LIKE all grannies Ouma likes to spoil her grandson and give him some money for sweets. She is one of the few living in the townships of South Africa who has managed to get a government pension.

But in the case of 11 year old Veron, his granny’s kindness is literally kill- ing him. Veron is infected with the AIDS virus and the sweets are play- ing havoc with his blood counts.

Sr Ethel and her care workers are on one of their regular visits to his mother, Rochelle Grootboom.

Rochelle and two of her sisters are also HIV positive. A third has died from the virus.

“Rochelle had a CD4 (blood count) of 22 when we found her. A normal count 1s 500. She should have died’, says Nurse In Charge, Muriel Eskok.

Rochelle is concerned that Veron is getting wild and neglecting his schoolwork. Typical of an I1 year old, he doesn’t like medicine and is not taking his anti-viral medication . The stick-thin woman knows she is too week to force him. It’s too much for Rochelle, who breaks down in ReraN Ce

“lve known Rochelle since she was a little girl. She was one of the chil- dren who came to me when all I had was the loan of a tree to sit under’, says Sr Ethel.

Rochelle is just one of 120,000 people who live in the shantytown.

Every day, the five teams of trained careworkers visit about five clients rele ee

They have around 200 clients at any given time who need to be vis- ited twice a week. The workers dress wounds, check how medication 1s go- ing, treat hypertension, wash out peo- ple mouths — oral thrush and TB are two common diseases among people with the virus — and clean houses when the clients are too sick.

The house where Rochell, her mother, son and her mother’s part- ner live is made of thin wood and measures no more than 18 feet by 30 feet. There are four tiny rooms, no bathroom and they cook on a primus stove. Some shacks are much worse than this one, which is painted and Ore

Township people are often in de- nial about the possibility of having AIDS. “If they are tested early and get the antiviral drugs, they can live for maybe ten or twelve years. If they come late, about two years’, says Muriel.

Six in ten people are infected with the virus. Sr Ethel dosn’t like speak- ing about numbers. “One mother dy- ing of AIDS is too many”, she says.

Rape is common in the townships, based on the myth that having sex with a virgin is a cure. Sr Ethel tells the story of a nine-year old girl who was raped by her uncle. The child be- OF Weslo NNKerelKerO mrs NeLOMONoem

It is the culture than men are disin-

clined to use condoms, thinking it a slur on their masculinity or the faith- fullness of their partners.

The testament that the virus is

decimating the poor is in the cleared spaces where the shacks of AIDS victims have been burned and in the rows of fresh graves which stand in

the shadown of a large cross on the javeeR

The cross bears the inscription, ‘“Ethel’s People.”

AIR passengers at Shannon Airport breathed a sigh of relief yesterday as they dodged industrial action on two fronts.

As late as Sunday evening passen- gers faced disruption involving both Aer Lingus and air traffic control- Suse

Just yesterday air traffic controllers called off a planned 24-hour strike for Thursday.

The strike would have affected flights into and out of all Irish air- ports including Shannon, and all flights through Irish air space.

The dispute erupted over claims by

air traffic controllers that they were short staffed.

Their employers – the Irish Aviation Authority – maintained, however, that the industrial action related to claims for an increase in payment for overtime.

The air traffic controllers called off the industrial action yesterday (Mon- day) following talks at the Labour Coliian

The workers have also suspended their official overtime ban that was due to take effect from tomorrow.

Meanwhile threats of industrial ac- tion at Aer Lingus yesterday (Mon- day) was averted at the eleventh hour as management and the union SIPTU

reached agreement on a package of cost cutting reforms and work prac- tices. Following almost 34 hours of continuous talks Aer Lingus Chief Executive Dermot Mannion said, “We have agreement on the imple- mentation of productivity and cost cutting measures with SIPTU and we await the outcome of their inter- nal ballot process. Nothing will be implemented until the ballot 1s com- pleted.”

SIPTU National Industrial Secre- tary Gerry McCormack said agree- ment had been reached subject to a ballot of members.

“We accept there has been genuine commitment by both sides to reach

an agreement and the process has protected SIPTU members’ interests and also prevented disruption to Aer Lingus passengers,” he said.

Aer Lingus had threatened to sus- pend staff if they failed to cooperate with new work practices it planned to introduce yesterday morning without union agreement.

SIPTU will spend the next week consulting with members to explain the deal to them. It 1s expected the consultation process and the ballot will take two weeks. It 1s believed that €7.5million of the cost saving package will be generated in Dub- lin, with around €2.5 million being saved on the Shannon operation.

CHILDREN attending the gaels- coil in Shannon were given the chance to enjoy a personal tour of their local garda and fire stations last week!

Twenty-one infants from Gaels- coil Donncha Rua, accompanied by their teacher Aisling Harnett and one of their parents Geraldine Hickey, were given guided tours of both venues.

Their school principal Eamonn

Bromell decided to request the visits, amid enthusiasm among the youngsters, who were keen to learn how both services operated.

Their first port of call was the fire Station, where Richie Sunderland gave them a tour of the building and a close-up look at the fire engines.

This tour lived up to the eager childrens’ expectations and they then took in the garda station.

Garda Sean O Murcht – himself a Gaeilgeoir – gave a guided tour, as Gaeilge. One of the highlights of

that visit was their trip to the hold- ing cell at the station – the young- sters compared it to a prison cell and expressed hope that they would never get to experience a real cell in the future!

Mr Bromell said the initiative was an unforgettable experience and benefited the young children im- mensely.

“It was good for them to see dif- ferent people working in the com- munity. School is one service, the fire service 1s another, while the

gardai also provide a Service,” said Mr Bromell.

The trips formed part of an overall project and the youngsters recalled the afternoon’s excitement when they wrote of their experience.

The extra-curricular activities are sure to continue over the next term as Mr Bromell’s next plan is to bring a mobile pet farm to the school.

This 1s poised to create much ex- citement for the children, who will be able to show care for the animals on the farm.

HAVE you ever heard of Motown’? No, nothing to do with soul music, but a nickname given by a PR man to the area around the start of the Naas Road in Dublin which is proliferated by car companies.

The first car importer you hit when you make your way to ‘Motown’ from Dublin city centre is the Gowan Group. Recently I tested Citroen’s first SUV, the C-Crosser, now it’s the turn of Peugeot, the other company in the Gowan Group, to eventually get in on the SUV act with their new mL UrE

The 4007 is built on the same plat- form as Citroen’s C-Crosser and Mitsubishi’s Outlander. So it’s a tough call to make and ultimately it will come down to the brand you are loyal to. The entry price for the Peu- geot and Citroen is similar, while the Outlander is slightly cheaper.

I drove a black 4007 and I must say it looked very impressive. The front headlamps would do any sports car justice and the two silver roof rails definitely do add to the SUV effect.

Women are supposed to wear black to make them look slim; indeed I’ve known a few men to opt for black for similar reasons. But there is no need to try and make the 4007 look slim as it’s very neat especially the rear end. The only place you will see any colour other than black in the 4007 is the rear door, where there is a nice

touch of chrome as you open it. To be fair there 1S also a touch of chrome inside.

Like all SUVs, the 4007 is very There are no problems with any pil-

high and the seating position gives you an excellent view of the road.

lars to hide your view and overall I think it makes for very safe driving.

In the cabin everything is well laid out and decent size knobs are provid- ed for the radio. The back seat could hold three well built adults, whether they are wearing black or not.

I won’t say that the diesel was very noisy, but there is no doubt you will know straight away that it is a diesel. In some other diesels I have driven recently you would have to double check to see if it was petrol or diesel they were so quiet.

But diesel is the new black as eve- rybody wants one to cut down on the COQ2 emissions and avail of the ben- efits of Mr Cowen’s recent budget. Therefore you might like to wait un- til July 1 for the best deals.

I drove the ST version which gives you an option of five or seven seats and goodies like cruise control and MP3 player. Like most SUVs if you opt for seven seats there is very little luggage space left. You can switch from two-wheel to four-wheel drive by means of a switch located near the gear lever. I didn’t get an opportunity to drive the 4007 off-road but it felt like it could handle any terrain.

Prices start at €40,200 for the 4007 five-seat SR model and go up to €47,395 for the top of the range seven seater. All are powered by a 2.2 litre diesel engines. Peugeot say they expect to sell between 150 to 200 units in Ireland this year.

AUSSIE rockers AC/DC famously declared “it’s a long way to the top if you wanna rock and roll’, and new band CMC will discover just what it takes when they compete against other new bands in Dublin next eeKeyeiaee

The Clare band will not only be judged on their musical capability, but also on their ability to success- fully co-ordinate all the elements that go into making a live rock show.

Seven steps up – a nationwide mu- sic competition for young people, is a competition with a difference. The aim is to provide young bands with an insight and practical knowledge of the music industry.

CMC were elected top of Clare’s youth bands at a recent Clare Youth Service gig. Before they hit the road to perform alongside some of Ire- land’s best up and coming bands, CMC will be performing on Satur- day February 23 at a gig in Ennis.

Other acts taking the stage in the youth centre on the night include “A star called Henry, the Alan Rooney Experience, The Elastic Band, Dara O Loughlin and Ceile Varley”.

CMC will then go on to compete against 17 other winning acts from around the country in Dublin at the Seven Steps Up awards day on March.

The acts will be judged not only on their musical ability but on the efforts of a full back-up team which

include media, stage crew, and PR eroup made up of over 20 musicians from the competition all working to support and promote the band in the Dublin gig.

CMC will have the chance to play their demo and be mentored by mu- sic industry professionals.

The winners of the overall compe- tition in Dublin will have the chance to make a professionally recorded album, featuring the other acts from their region.

Ceile Varley an acoustic performer involved in the project, said the com- petition provided a great opportunity for young musicians.

She said “This competition is an amazing opportunity for young mu- sicians – both for the winning act and

for the music and media team. Eve- rything is organised by young peo- ple, which means that we gain valu- able information on setting up gigs and managing bands.

Ceile explained “We learn how to promote bands and musical events, giving us an insight into the music industry.

“Everyone involved is working ex- tremely hard for this so come to the Youth Centre and support us – we guarantee an exciting night”

CMC play in the Clare Youth Serv- ice, Ennis on February 23, from 7- 9.30pm. The cost of entry is €5 and all over 15’s welcome. As with all other events the gig 1s drug and alco- hol free. For more information con- tact Jean Tierney 065-6845356

MINISTER of State Tony Killeen has given fresh hope to the possibil- ity of a train station being provided at Crusheen along the route of the Western Rail Corridor.

Stating that the development “should not be discounted”, the Clare TD said Iarnrodd Eireann had not ruled out the proposal and “would consider any evidence to suggest that such a development would be war- ranted”.

In a letter to Minister Killeen, Iarn- rod Eireann chief executive Dick Fearn said that the reopening of the Crusheen station was not included in the reopening of the Ennis to Athen- ry line because of the very limited

development forecast for Crusheen in Clare County Council’s North Clare Local Area Plan 2005.”

Minister Killeen said he reminded the CEO that detailed additional in- formation has been collated by the local community, with assistance from Clare County Council, regard- ing the potential future use of the proposed rail stop. This information along with undertakings relating to the provision of adequate car parking CUTE U em OEIC BROMINE cot have been submitted to Iarnrdéd Eire- EMOvOe

“In light of this new information, I have requested the company to re- view the potential for the establish- ment of a rail stop at Crusheen”, he SrALGe

The minister said he had also re- ceived confirmation from larnrod Eireann that it would be keen to work with developers who would fund a Station scheme, as is the case at a number of locations elsewhere on the national rail network. ;

“Recent reports that Iarnrod Eire- ann has categorically ruled out the future opening of arail stop at Crush- een could not have been further from the truth.

“The company has expressed its willingness to consider any evidence supporting the establishment of a rail stop at Crusheen, as part of sched- uled passenger services between En- OVA BaLG aN H Slo) OD ae

He added that there remained a strong case for the provision of a rail

stop in Crusheen.

‘Two stops are being provided for between Gort and Athenry and none on the very long stretch of railway between Ennis to Gort.

‘“Crusheen is an ideal location for people coming from Ruan, Corofin, Tubber, Boston and elsewhere in North Clare as well as Tulla and oth- er areas of East Clare’, Mr Killeen concluded.

Track renewal works on the first phase of the Western Rail Corridor project started late last year and are expected to take 18 to 24 months to complete.

Once completed, an expected seven trains per day will travel from Ennis to Athenry with stops at Gort, Ardra- han and Craughwell.

A BRIGHT future is forecast for AskMoby.com after the Ennis based company made a major impact at the world’s largest communications show in Barcelona.

The Ennis firm has developed de- tailed accurate digital weather fore- casting and is now targeting the glo- bal mobile phone market after taking part in Barcelona.

Located in the Ballymaley Indus- trial Park, AskMoby.com has devel- oped a global reputation providing detailed weather forecast and analy- sis for a variety of industries.

AskMoby.com is a free weather forecast service from Nowcasting International based in Ballymaley.

It is designed for mobile phones providing a forecast for the area in which the receiver is located and re- lated to the specific activity picked by users, who should log onto www. askmoby.com on their mobile phones and click the appropriate choices. Hourly forecasts are provided and there are choices of detailed maps, Synoptic charts and satellite pic- RUN KeNe

Minister for Trade Enterprise and Employment Micheal Martin, TD was on hand in Barcelona to support the efforts of AskMoby.com to tar- get new markets. More than 60,000 delegates from the top international mobile phone networks attended the World Mobile Congress.

Paying tribute to the companies

team of 12 people at the Ballymaley Industrial Park Minister Martin said they had developed a cutting edge product which has huge potential worldwide.”

“The mobile phone sector is one of the fasting growing in Ireland with exports doubling since 2005 to €280 million. Companies such as AskMoby are at the forefront of our efforts to remain at the forefront of this rapidly growing industry. The Clare based company already has a worldwide reputation for providing high tech weather forecasts for oil and gas sector as well as shipping. It is now delivering forecasts to mobile phones. The forecasts can be as spe- cific and detailed as the user wants.”

Minster Martin said the reputation

of companies like AskMoby.com was an important factor in Ireland’s ability to compete in the global tel- ecommunications market place. ‘“AskMoby is one of 21 Irish firms who made important contacts with the world’s leading mobile phone networks in Barcelona. They trav- elled to congress with the support of Enterprise Ireland.”

“Such companies are important if we are to ensure that we continue delivering quality jobs for people in communities across Clare and around the country’, concluded Min- ister Martin.

WATER levels covering the flooded Ennis to Limerick rail line rose this weekend, despite almost two weeks without rain.

It now looks like the estimated 600 Clare commuters who use the serv- ice each day will face a further two

weeks’ wait before normal service will be restored.

Commuters have been forced to use bus transfers for more than a week, following severe flooding of sections of the track as a result of heavy rain earlier this month.

Some of the flooding is more than 17 inches in depth with little or no

drop reported to date.

“We are still monitoring the situ- ation closely and it appears that the flooding is starting to level out at least. We recorded a quarter-inch rise in water levels on the track over the weekend,” said business develop- ment manager with larnrod Eireann in Limerick, Jim Gallivan.

“This is a very minor change and indications are that the amount of flooding is starting to level off. The water at the moment is 17 inches above the track level and we will have to wait for that to subside before service can be restored.

“The next few days should tell a lot. We have had two weeks of fairly good weather but the major rivers are still very full with water around the oe) Aaa

Meanwhile,

TEACHERS and students at Clare Music Makers will be looking to build on 14 years of achievement and acclaim at the Feis Ceoil in March.

IN 1993, founding directors And- rea Creech and Tony Ovenell accept- ed the first classes of young classical music students into the new Ennis music school, Clare Music Makers (CMM).

In the 15 years since that date there have been many changes in the teaching staff and hundreds of new students. Many of these stu- dents have moved on to national and international post secondary music schools and into music teaching and performance careers.

Consistent however has been the erowing national reputation of Ennis and CMM as centre of excellence in teaching music.

Each year CMM students, at all performing levels, have been award- ed a high number of honours at major Irish festivals, including Féile Lu- inmi (Limerick), Feis Maitt) (Cork) and Feis Ceoil (Dublin).

There was further national rec- ognition of CMM’s high standards at recent festivals in Limerick and Cork for students of Danette Eddy (violin), Tanja Fritschi (flute), Fred Hannford (brass), Marta Lalek (vio- lin), Michael Joyce (piano), Teddy McCoy (flute) and Catriona Moloney (violin).

Flute players entering Feile Luinmi

included Sinead McAteer, under 16 silver medal, Madeleine Arkins, un- der 14 gold medal, Alice Twomey, under 14 bronze medal, Eimear Ca- sey, under 12 silver medal and Orla Bredin, highly commended in the under 12 category.

Violinists entering Feéeile Luimni included Crea Sullivan, under 9 gold medal. Crea shared the bronze med- al with Hannah Bredin in the under 11 category and Heidi O’Dwyer was highly commended in this same cat- egory.

Abbie O’Sullivan won the silver medal and Emerald Kennedy was commended in the under 13.

Michelle Heffernan won the silver medal in the under 15. Michelle also received the silver medal and Bron-

wyn Power won the gold medal in the prestigious Bernard Cup. Cellist Hannah Ryan was awarded the silver medal in the under 15 category.

Trumpet player Roisin Phelan re- ceived the gold medal in the under 14 category and pianist Donal McHugh received the gold medal in the under 17 category.

In addition Donal was awarded third place in the under 17 category Feis Maitu in Cork.

At the same competition, CMM v1- olin students Crea Sullivan won the silver medal in the under 9 catego- ry. Abbie Sullivan won silver in the under 13 and Darelle Colleran was awarded a certificate in the under 13. Michelle Heffernan won a silver medal in the under 15 category.

aETSMR OU Tes Ona neren A price check carried out by north Clare county councillor, Martin Con- way (FG), revealed that a single one- way ticket from Maynooth to Dublin costs just €3, compared to a fare of €8.60 from Ennis to Limerick. This is despite both journeys covering roughly the same distance and run- ning high levels of occupancy. In addition to this, a day return ticket from Maynooth to Dublin

coast €5.40 compared to €15.70 for the same type of ticket on the Ennis to Limerick line.

“This is a clear example of double standards for people living in Clare and is not encouraging people to take the environmental option. If it was a private company operating the rail service, it would be a different story but this service is funded by all the tax-payers in the country, not just the people in Dublin,” said Cllr Soe

“What we have here is a situation where the taxpayer in the east of the country 1s effectively getting a dis- count compared to the taxpayer in Clare. This is a public State-spon-

sored body. There should be no argu- ment about this. It’s a criminal situ- ation, totally unbelievable when you consider the amount of people who use this service.”

Responding to the survey, business development manager with larnrod Eireann in Limerick, Jim Gallivan, claimed that rates on the Ennis-Lim- erick line compared favourable to bus charges on the route.

“We feel that this survey is not comparing like with like. They are different categories of stations. The Maynooth to Dublin service is an in- ter-urban service while the Ennis to Limerick service 1s an inter-city serv- ice,’ he said. “The rates we have on

the Ennis to Limerick service com- pare well to the bus service between Ennis and Limerick and the route has proved very popular to date.”

Cllr Conway has called for a pay- per-kilometre system to be intro- duced. ““Irain fares throughout the country should be charged on a per- kilometre basis, not discriminating against people in different parts on the country,’ he said yesterday.

“If we are talking about real equity in this situation, this is the only way that we can continue. I am now call- ing on Minister Tony Kileen and his colleague Timmy Dooley to raise this matter with Noel Dempsey as a matter of urgency.”