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A MEMORABLE 12 months for Ennis Track Club was crowned on Saturday when the club was named Munster Cross Country Club of the Nae

2007 was the most successful in the club’s 17 year history with the club taking home major honors at all lev- els in both track and field and cross eo) t nem mea Lo) TLE

The efforts of athletes and coach- es were recognised on Saturday in Dungarvan, Waterford at the Mun- ster Athletics awards.

The occasion held extre signifi- cance for Tom and Vera Dullaghan

who accepted the award on behalf of Ennis Track Club.

The Dullaghans are both founding members and are still actively in- volved with the club.

Ennis Track Club made history at the Munster Championships last year by becoming the first club to win the ladies novice title, ladies intermedi- ate title and ladies senior title at the Munster Championships.

The club also won the national men’s title and there was also success in the national under 12s champion- ships.

In total, the club won an aston- ishing 163 medal in track and field events and 275 medals in cross coun-

try events.

Club PRO Michael O’Brien said the year reflected the commitment of athletes and the huge contributions made by coaches and volounteers through the years.

“We are just small club that came from humble beginnings but have been lucky in that there has been a ereat group of very dedicated and talented people whop have been with the club since the start.

“Last year was definitely historic for us’. Ennis Track Club was formed in 1991 with the first committee meet- ing taking place in O’Keefe’s Bar Lifford.

That committee was made up

Gerry Hayes (president), Tom Casey (chairman), Maeve Casey (secretary) and Tom Dullaghan (treasurer).

The club made an instant impres- sion by finishing first in the women’s 4×400 relay at the Munster Champi- onships in Waterford.

Over the years the club has also produced athletes who have compet- ed on the international stage.

Rory Chesser and Liam Markham both represented Ireland at the U23 championships in Scotland.

The club now has over 100 mem- bers and six coaches Gerry Hayes, Pat Hogan, Deirdre Cahill, Mar- ian O’Loughlin, Jim Donnellan and Michael O’Brien.

MINISTER of State at the Depart- ment of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, with responsibility for Forest- ry, Mary Wallace last week officially launched the 2008 Irish Timber Growers Association (ITGA) For- estry and Timber Yearbook. Speaking at the launch, Wallace commented on the recent develop- ments in the forestry sector, including the new Afforestation Programme and Forest Management measure approved by the EU Commission in late 2007. She also referred to the non-economic benefits of forestry. “In any sector, effective commu- nication and the distribution of rel-

evant, up to date information 1s vital. The Forestry and Timber Yearbook is an important tool in this regard for everyone in the forestry sector,” she HOE

“It is an invaluable reference book and its continued success through the years is evidence of the high regard VSLASTDOM ZNO MLAB IMs

“The National Climate Change Strategy sets out a clear role for for- estry in mitigating climate change, not only in terms of carbon seques- tration, but also in the role that the forest estate will play in providing ereen renewable wood energy.

The Forestry and Timber Yearbook features articles and advice on sub- jects such as state support measures

for forestry, woodland taxation and various forestry issues. It also in- cludes a directory containing close to 200 organisations and companies in the forestry and tree growing in- dustry.

“With the approval of our forestry programme by the EU up to 2013, timber prices at high levels and with the many new opportunities arising, there has never been a better time to become involved in this industry,” continued the minister.

Meanwhile, a major national bioen- ergy conference will take place in Tullamore, today Tuesday, February 12. The one-day conference, jointly organised by the Irish Bioenergy As- sociation (IrBEA) and Teagasc, will

focus on the latest developments in this emerging industry.

The theme for the conference is ‘Bioenergy – Making it a Sustainable Reality’ and it will focus on how to make the bioenergy supply chain V0) ue

The panel of national and inter- national speakers, drawn from the different stages of the supply chain, will share their experiences on how they achieved success in the biomass energy sectors and in the less-known non-energy sectors of crop-derived construction materials, renewable polymers and lubricants.

The possibility of using crops for fuel is one of the most exciting de- velopments of recent years.

CLARE county councillors will at- tempt to reunite communities and parishes as they consider the bound- ary division for the next local elec- tion — just 16 months away.

The members as well as the general public are invited to make submis- sions to the Boundary Committee set up by the Minister for the Environ- ment and Local Government John Gormley and charged with reviewing local electoral areas.

This review will take into account population changes since the last re-

view in 1998.

The committee will then report to the minister by June 20 so that he can make any changes he deems fit.

At last evenings meeting of Clare County Council, councillors present- ed a few concerns about the possible redivision of the areas they will be canvassing in a matter of months.

Cllr Martin Conway (FG) said he would hope that all communities and parishes would remain united within the same area.

“T think it was always regrettable that Kilmaley was split among three areas, and are not therefore getting

proper services.”

The north Clare councillor also maintained that the review process should have begun after the General Election.

Cllr Madeleine Taylor Quinn (FG) argued that geography as well as population should be taken into ac- count when deciding on dividing the county.

“Cognisance has to be taken of geography. I wouldn’t like to think demographics would supersede geo- graphic area.”

According to the Boundary Com- mission the committee charged with

looking at the area divisions must take “due account of the desirability of preserving natural communities or the hinterlands of population centres, and where possible, of aligning local electoral area boundaries with Dail constituency boundaries”.

“The committees are asked to as- sume no change in present numbers of elected members at overall local authority level. Within individual electoral areas as recommended by the committees, the number of coun- cillors should not be less than four or more than seven provided that in very exceptional circumstances

three seat local electoral areas may be recommended where otherwise the geographic size of the area would be disproportionately large.”

Cllr Christy Curtin (Ind) told the meeting “there is a bias against three seaters and I don’t know why unless there is a political reason.”

The County Manager Alex Flem- ing said he was not going to have any position in the process.

“Tt is really an area I should not be involved in,” he told the councillors.

He will however present the popu- lation break down of the areas to the councillors next week.

PLANS are at an advanced stage for the redevelopment of Tulla court- house, with hopes that the building will be ready for community use in March. At the AGM of the Court- house Rejuvenation Committee last week, local clubs and organisations came along to give their suggestions about the make-over.

Committee Chairman, Bernard Mulcachy, said the evening proved “very helpful. We wanted input and there was a good response from the community groups and a few good

Suggestions. For instance, we hadn’t looked at wheelchair access to the stage although there is wheelchair access to the hall itself. That’s some- thing we can examine now. We got feedback on quite a few issues which we will be able to look at.”

Since the county council moved out in November to take possession of their new premises in Scariff, the committee have swung into action and now there is a new lighting and sound system, a complete repaint and redecoration of the former council offices and an extension to the build- ing to add an extra meeting room is

also underway.

Among the groups who will be us- ing the newly refurbished courthouse are the Tulla Drama Group, the musi- cal society, the GAA, who will use it for meetings and groups taking yoga lessons and other courses.

The Midnight Court Film Society, based in Scariff, are also considering having some screenings depending on local demand.

Funding for the project came large- ly from a grant from the Department of Arts, Sports and Tourism, which was allocated several years ago.

“We couldn’t use the grant straight

away because we were waiting for the council to move to their new of- fices. Luckily, the department gave us a lot of leeway,” said Bernard.

The total cost of the refurbishment project will be €120,000 and the grant will meet 80 per cent of that COST.

“We would hope that the facility will earn money to make up the dif- ference rather than put the cost back on the community,” said Bernard.

‘And it’s hoped that the community will be attending an open day at the end of March, once the bulk of the work has been done,” said Bernard.

CLARE farmer and Beef and Cat- tle Chairman of the ICMSA, Martin McMahon, was last week appointed to the national beef forum by the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Mary Coughlan.

Silom Coyacecem sel mbeCe Lee CoM ncyeKen tole te tives of the IFA, ICMSA, ICSA, Macra, ICOS, ICBF, Teagasc, Bord Bia, Enterprise Ireland, Meat Indus- try Ireland as well as representatives of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and an independ- ent expert.

“The purpose of the forum is to point the way to the future develop-

ment of this very important sector. The beef industry is vital to Ireland in a number of respects not least its contribution to our trade balance and its significance for rural areas,” said Minister Coughlan.

‘The industry has proven itself re- silient in the past and I am confident that it will do so in the future. It will face many opportunities and chal- lenges as the pace of change in the marketplace continues to increase.

“The industry must gear itself to evolving consumer tastes and be responsive to them. The forum pro- vides those involved in the industry with the opportunity to track the best way forward.”

The forum, which will be chaired by Jim Beecher, Assistant Secretary General at the Department of Agri- culture, Fisheries and Food, will have its first meeting later this month.

Meanwhile, McMahon has _ also oF OTSTe MS Keyes Bue) Dele M KOM e-lKe slob OMmeliDE defences against Bluetongue.

“The severity of the disease in the second and subsequent year has sur- prised veterinary experts,” he said.

“We should now seriously con- sider preventative vaccination for bluetongue as soon as the vaccine becomes available. In particular, the potential losses in terms of perform- ance and fertility due to bluetongue disease pose a serious threat to the

livestock sector.

“We appreciate that the department are considering a number of options, but action should be taken at the first available opportunity. The commis- sion have decided to carry the cost in full of the vaccine and 50 per cent of the administration costs. We should avail of this funding. While preven- tive vaccination would — under the present EU rules — give rise to a pos- sible change in our status, that rule itself could be changed. Given the increasing severity of bluetongue it makes solid sense to adopt a pre- ventative stance rather than a control programme if — and when – the dis- ease comes to Ireland.”

has learned.

This revelation comes following the discovery of a 6 mile wide spill- age, located some 60 miles of Loop Head on Sunday morning.

The spill, which was discovered by a Norwegian pollution control satel- lite, is believed to comprise of diesel and is moving slowly northwards.

“It has been flagged at EU level that Ireland doesn’t have an oil pollution response strategy, and we need one.

This is a relatively small oil spill but if there was a big one we have no of- ficial plan for what to do,” said Simon Berrow, Project Manager of Shannon Dolphin and Wildlife Foundation.

“To be honest, there is no govern- ment policy to do with how to deal with oil spills. JI think the Wildlife Service are responsible for it but they don’t really have a policy for how to deal with the oiled birds because they say it is a welfare issue and not a conservation issue.”

While the origin of the oil slick re- main a mystery, authorities are hope- ful that it will break up naturally. It has however, claimed it’s first victims

with some 20 birds discovered dead in and around the Doolin yesterday.

The birds were discovered with ex- tensive o1]1 damage and it is believed that they came in contact with the slick while out to sea and made their way to land where they died.

“The local fishermen have been reporting seeing a number of oiled up birds either dead or severely in- jured. They were mostly guillemots but there were also some cormorants and gulls,” said Doolin based bird- watcher Jamie Storer.

‘There is no sign of oil on shore just yet so I would assume that the birds have come in contact with the

oil out to see.

“Once a bird gets oil on them there is a very low success rate. Usually by the time they are found are too far gone to be rescued. Cleaning bird is a very labour intensive thing and once they are cleaned there is still only a very small chance that they will sur- vive.

“Our concern here isn’t really for 20 or 30 birds, it’s a very small amount compared to the total population in the area. The real concern is for the slick that is out there and what might happen if it comes onshore. Nobody really seems to know what the pro- cedure is.”

UNTIL the Leapfrog Creche and Montessori opened it’s doors in Tua- mngraney, parents had to take their tots twelve miles or more to be cared oe

This month, the busy facility is cel- ebrating it’s first birthday by having an official opening, because, says owner Sarah Ryan, “thing were too hectic to do anything about the open- ing before now.”

“It’s been an amazing twelve months but now that we’re settled, I just want to do something that will

acknowledge the parents and chil- dren who come to us.”

Sarah and husband Johnny decided to open the childcare facility when they were expecting their second child and it became clear that that the nearest purpose built facilities were miles away.

The fact that the pair were running a carpentry business was a huge help at the time in constructing the build- ing.

Now Leapfrog has 39 pre-school and 13 afterschool children all being cared for under the watchful eye of creche manager Claire Heaney and

her staff between 8am and 6.30pm each day.

The youngest of their charges is a five-month-old baby, “although this is unusual’, says Sarah.

“With better maternity leave enti- tlements, most babies come to us at around ten months, but if like me, you re self employed, you need a few hours every day to do things and par- ents need a facility where they can bring young babies.”

Leapfrog has baby, toddler, play- school, Montessori and after-school care and it’s little customers come from all over east Clare, from every-

where between Tulla and Whitegate.

“At the moment we’re full and we have a waiting list, so the opening isn’t to show off the créche, it’s just to celebrate the year that’s gone and getting up and running,’ said Sarah.

Local councillor, Joe Cooney, will be performing the official opening at the creche in Tuamgraney village on February 26.

BRENDAN O’Regan’s first love in a working life that stretched over 70 years was the hotel business, his son Andrew told those attending his fa- ther’s funeral mass in the Pro-Cathe- dral Ennis on Monday afternoon.

Fitting then that after his burial in Drumcliffe Cemetery, family and friends of the Shannon pioneer re- treated to the Old Ground Hotel in Ennis in remembrance and celebra- tion of a remarkable life.

The Old Ground Hotel was once owned by the O’Regan family and it was from there that food was pre- pared for in-flight catering on the

transatlantic route when Shannon be- came the hub of the aviation world.

Tributes to O’Regan, who died on 3 February aged 90 years, were led by Canon Rueben Butler of Newmarket- on-Fergus in a funeral mass attended by over 300 people. Bishop Willie Walsh and Fr Harry Bohan also took part in the funeral service, while also present was Church of Ireland Bishop of Limerick and Killaloe, Dr Michael Mayes and a representative of President Mary McAleese.

“He had high standards for him- self and expected others to give of their best,’ said Canon Butler. “He achieved a lot because he recog- nised the strong points in others and

helped them fulfill their potential. Brendan’s leadership qualities made it possible for many in the mid west to move from unemployment to em- ployment,” he added.

Dr O’Regan’s son, Andrew, paid tribute to those who worked with his father across a host of ventures, ranging from business to local com- munity development and peace.

‘He was hugely conscious that he belonged to the first generation of free Irishmen. He saw that with this freedom came responsibility to en- Sure the success of Ireland,’ Andrew O’Regan said at the funeral mass.

“IT was in my 20s when I found out that Brendan’s initials, BOR had

been made into an acronym of Bash On Regardless. He had a great belief in his native place – of his beloved Clare in this instance and Ireland more widely.

“Brendan was possessed by pos- sibility. He would recognize that all those achievements of his were Shared achievements with all of those men and women who worked with him, who insisted on believing with him and dared to dream with him and did so when others felt it wouldn’t be done, shouldn’t be done and couldn’t be done. He understood the collective and communal creativ- ity that lay at the heart of his achieve- ments.”

Dr O’Regan’s son noted that in the days after his death, the family was required to fill a death certificate list- ing occupation at the time of death. “What to call him,’ said Andrew.

“Company director — that sounds a bit lame. Entrepreneur — a bit to flash for Brendan. What about hotelier — his first love. Or peace builder — his last love. Or visionary — a term often linked to him. How to capture him, how to label him, how to pigeon hole him. We in the family would like to think that his last permanent occupa- tion in life was being human as best jatempe cn teaa lms

All those in the Pro-Cathedral broke into spontaneous applause.

has obtained the

figures in the wake of Garda statistics

last week which stressed that domes-

tic violence incidents in the county had soared over the past two years.

Some 76 people attended Clare

Haven drop-in centres in Ennis, Kil- rush, Shannon, Scariff and Ennisty- mon for the first time last year. While most of those were in Ennis, several new cases presented throughout the county.

The need for the service in Shan- non, in particular, increased sig- nificantly last year. In response prompted Clare Haven increased its presence in its outreach centre there. Some 106 people were seen at the Shannon centre, the majority of them being ongoing clients. Some 58 peo- ple attended the Kilrush centre, 19 attended in Ennistymon, while 23 at- tended the Scariff centre.

Clare Haven accompanied 104

women to court last year. Each of those cases took an average of 25 hours preparation, support and ac- companiment. The centre also pro- vided telephone support to hundreds of women in need.

Eileen Murphy of Clare Haven said there had been a huge increase in de- mand for support over the past few years. The refuge, which has six fam- ily units, was full throughout 2007. Staff had to send women to other ref- uges throughout the country.

She said that victims of domestic abuse were more willing to come forward than in the past but a lack of awareness about the availability of support remained. The need for the

Support was obvious throughout the year.

“During the past two years, there has been demand right across the year. Previously, Easter, St Patrick’s Day and Christmas were the main times but now it is right across the board,’ said Ms Murphy.

She stressed that those in need of help should not feel that they had to attend Clare Haven on a residential basis. The drop-in centre is available to those who wish to check their op- tions.

Anyone suffering domestic vio- lence should contact Clare Haven’s 24-hour helpline on 065 6822435 or check out www.clarehaven.ie.

WHEN ‘Tulla woman, Kay Madden was told she had breast cancer, it was the most frightening news she had ever got.

But that was ten years ago and thankfully, she is now running her tenth annual coffee day to raise cash for a cause which gave her hope and support throughout her ordeal.

The Maddens would like everyone in the parish to come to visit them at 23 Main Street on Friday, February 22 between 10am and 10pm, to enjoy a cuppa and support a good cause.

Kay describes it as “a very low point” after she was diagnosed, op- erated on and struggling through nine months of chemotherapy and TecTeul@lAeles 1 Oh VA

But that summer she was contacted

by members of the Clare 250 mile Cycle organisation, offering Kay and her husband Pat a trip to Lourdes as part of their annual pilgrimage to bring 80 people with cancer to the JK emevubAteE

Organisers, John Dunne and Claire Nugent started the cycle and every year, dedicated cyclists, organisers and fundraisers raise money to bring very ill people on pilgrimage.

Kay had been nominated by Ger Treacy from Scariff and Patrick Kel- ly from Tulla to take part in the trip.

“It was the trip of a lifetime. We were So Well looked after and every- thing was arranged. And we got to meet with other people in the same boat and talk and maker friends. It was fabulous,” said Kay.

But the support which organisers, John Dunne and Claire Nugent gave

to Kay didn’t end when the plane touched down in Ireland again.

“T had to go to Dublin for radiother- apy for five weeks and they brought me up on Monday and back home again on Friday. It was amazing practical support. That’s what they do for people,” said Kay.

Throughout her battle with cancer, Kay got “immense support” from those involved in the Clare 250 as well as from good neighbours, fam- ily and those who looked after her medically.

“IT could not have managed with- out their kindness, help, dignity and support,” she said.

Kay says after the trip, she was lucky to have the support of two friends in Tulla – Lavender Wright and Sr Celia – who had battled with cancer Six years previously.

“The coffee morning fund-raiser was my husband’s idea. This is pay- back as far as we are concerned for all the help we’ve been given by the Clare 250. Now it’s become an annu- al event and a real parish day – peo- ple come and have coffee, they bring the kids, we have a laugh and talk. It’s a real get-together day.”

The Clare 250 is currently also rais- ing money to build a Cancer Centre for Clare in Ruan.

The centre would provide a drop in place initially where people di- agnosed with the disease can go to talk, meet others and get support and advice.

The project is currently at the plan- ning permission stage.