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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.

CONTENTIOUS plans by a Galway- based company to construct a four- storey apartment block overlooking the 13th century Franciscan abbey in Ennis have been turned down.

An Bord Pleanala has upheld an Ennis Town Council decision that the development would detract from the special character and setting of the monument due to its scale, height and proximity to the abbey.

Four years ago, in the face of local opposition, Dwellblin Construction Ltd secured planning permission for 46 residential units on the site.

Last year the company lodged plans to construct the four storey apart-

ment block in the open space of the original development, adding 13 two bedroom apartments and one three bedroom townhouse.

Clare GAA County Board emerged as the most outspoken opponent against the scheme, despite not op- posing two previous planning appli- cations adjacent to the Abbey site.

In its appeal to An Bord Pleanala, Dwellblin argued that the height of the new block was consistent with the height of permitted development else- where on the appeal site and would not result in the material alteration or demolition of structures forming part of the Abbey monument. The devel- opers also claimed that the proposal would not have adverse implications

for the archaeological heritage.

The appeals board inspector rec- ommended that planning permission be refused and the board subsequent- ly ruled that the development would seriously detract from Ennis Friary. The board found that the proposed development would be contrary to the proper planning and sustainable development of the area.

The board also refused planning permission having regard to the site configuration, its generally narrow width and location adjoining a pro- tected structure. It stated that the proposal would represent an over development by reasons of exces- sive density, poor aspect and limited functionality of public open space

and shortfall in car parking.

The board order read: “The pro- posed development would, therefore, provide a poor standard of amenity to future residents, seriously injure the amenities of property in the vi- cinity and be contrary to the proper planning and sustainable develop- ment of the area.”

The board also ruled that, having regard to the scale of the proposed development and the consequent de- mand for car parking provision, that the proposed development would give rise to on-street parking and tend to create serious traffic conges- tion which would endanger public safety by reason of obstruction of road users.

DOMESTIC violence incidents in Clare have increased substantially over the past two years – and gardai say much of it is linked to alcohol.

143 incidents of domestic violence were reported to gardai in Clare in 2006 and this figure increased sub- stantially last year.

This is a massive rise on the fig- ure of 90 incidents in 2005 and re- flects an overall national trend in this area.

The head of the Clare Garda Divi- sion said gardai are worried about the WKOIIXOD

“We are concerned about the rise. domestic violence is one of our ma- jor concerns and the traumatic effect

it has on individuals and on society as a whole,” said Chief Superintend- ent, Gerry Mahon.

He said that alcohol is a prevalent factor in domestic abuse.

“Certainly alcohol is an issue. We are finding that alcohol is an issue in many of those incidents. Drugs is a factor, but not an overriding factor. Alcohol would be the main factor,” he said.

“There are so many factors in it. Relationships and outside factors like work and other social stresses play a role,” he added.

He said people are more willing to report incidents of domestic violence now than they were in the past.

“We are taking a very proactive stance on domestic violence. Every

garda has received training on do- mestic violence,” he said.

“It 1s one of the priorities for the gardai going forward in 2008,” he Cre HLGm

A spokeswoman for Clare Haven, which provides support to female victims of domestic abuse, said the marked increase was no surprise.

‘There has been a huge increase in the number of helpline calls and new visits, while our outreach centres in Shannon, Scariff, Ennistymon and Kilrush have been extra busy,” said PR co-ordinator Eileen Murphy.

“2007 certainly was a busy year for Clare Haven,” she added.

NO AER Lingus flight between Bel- fast and Heathrow is booked out be- tween now and the end of the month, despite some seats being offered at eee

Airline boss, Dermot Mannion said last week that the airline’s bookings on the Belfast routes have improved, although no official figures are yet available for the Belfast/Heathrow route.

After a slow December for the air-

line flying from Belfast Internation- al, with just over one quarter of the Seats full, Mannion said the airline had “a good January in Belfast and the figures are improving al the time. The Aer Lingus brand has now been brought to the attention of the entire public in Northern Ireland and we’ve been very well received. These are very early days.”

The airline boss was speaking at the launch of its partnership with US budget carrier JetBlue. The deal will allow customers to book JetBlue’s 40

routes across the US on the Irish car- rier’s website and vice versa.

The service will be available on both airline’s websites from April One

Mannion said he is “confident” that the new service between Belfast and Heathrow will prove a success.

But customers wishing to fly from the Belfast airport to Heathrow in the slot which replaced the Shannon/ Heathrow flight can find availability any day this month, indicating that none of the flights are fully booked.

Mannion said that the partnership with JetBLue will “bring Dublin as a destination and Shannon as a des- tination to a very large database of customers that we don’t have access to at the moment.”

Aer Lingus pulled it’s Shannon to Heathrow flights last month, despite a huge swell of opposition to the move from the business community and the travelling public.

The airline said that moving the routes was a commercial decision, despite the fact that the route was

well supported out of Shannon and profitable.

But there has been some specula- tion that the decision might be recon- sidered in light of the slow take-up on the route out of Belfast.

According to figures published in a national newspaper last week, fllights from Belfast to Amsterdam took off in December with just 27 per cent of the seats filled, Aer LIngus Belfast to Barcelona flights had 44 per cent of seats filled and the Geneva route sold 39 per cent of seats.

SUNGIS LOM M Someta cmolcc rm eeliiunitcani cee Ruan’s Gerry Daffy who lost his life tragically on his farm in Lismugna last week. Mr Daffy, who was laid to rest in the New Ruan Cemetery on Sunday, has been hailed as a selfless community volunteer who will be a “tragic loss” for the area.

Mr Daffy, who is survived by his wife Annette and daughters Ciara and Aoife, died when his tractor rolled towards him while he was feeding cattle on his farm in Ruan on Thurs- day evening.

“The hallmark of Gerry Daffy in the community is that he was al- ways willing to help others, even to the detriment of his own work,” said

neighbour and friend, Cllr Joe Arkins Cal G}

“He is a tragic loss to his family and to the whole community. It brings it back to mind that farming can be a very dangerous occupation and this freak accident has brought that back to the whole community out here.

“Gerry was a man who was very talented, both in farming and in

building, whatever he set his mind to he could do it.”

This is the second tragedy to strike the Daffy family in recent years. It follows the death of Gerry’s sister, Maura Daffy (54), in a road traffic accident in Clarecastle in 2005.

A keen sportsman, Gerry’s farm was home to Ennis soccer clubs Av- enue United from 1995 to 2004 and Lifford FC from 1998 to 2006.

This incident has highlighted the dangers that exist on all farms, with 11 people dying in farm accidents in Ireland in 2006 and 18 in 2005.

The chairwoman of the IFA’s Na- tional Farm Family Committee, Mary Sherry, has urged Clare farmers to remain vigilant and take the time to assess the potential dangers.

“We all know that farms are dan- gerous places. Farmers can be work- ing alone, working under pressure and working in a hurry.

“People need to be reminded of the potential for accidents all the time,” she told

FOR years, a Clare tradition has swept through St Munchin’s College, one of Limerick’s main rugby nurs- eries. Keith Wood, Anthony Foley and most recently, Clonlara’s current Irish international Marcus Horan have all graced the rugby fields for the school.

It continues to grow and develop and this week, ten Clare players will line out for the school in the quarter- final of the Avonmore Mile Munster Senior Schools Cup quarter-final.

They take on strong Cork opposi- tion in the form of Pres but according to Clare’s Donal Madden, part of the backroom team, they’ll hope to re- turn with their cup hopes still alive.

“It’s never easy going to Cork and taking on Pres in their own back yard and we’ll have our work cut-out, but we re confident of coming away with a result.”

There’s further influence seeping through the college as all bar two of the Junior side, who are taking ad- vantage of the backdoor system, are from Clare.

The side went down to PBC at Clif- ford Park last Friday, but it’s not the end of their involvement in the com-

petition. That game threw up one of the most entertaining games in schools rugby all year in what was a forward-dominated contest — one they eventually lost by three points, eee

It wasn’t until mid-way in the sec- ond half that PCB pulled away, when the pack set-up a scoring opportunity that they took full advantage of.

That game was also noted for the impressive play by the Ryan triplets. Evan and Gavin both play in the sec- ond row while Darren operates as scrum half with all three doubling up on their sporting interests and play- ing football and hurling for Meelick.

The three form part of the 13 Clare players who started that game.

Their father, Ray, 1s yet one more Clare link in the Munchins chain and he lined out for the school, playing for the senior side in the early 80s.

And there are further Clare links to this year’s sides with a strong rep- resentation from the county on the backroom teams of both the senior and junior sides.

THOUSANDS of Clare farmers have been urged to vote yes on the upcoming Lisbon treaty with IFA President, Padraig Walsh, throwing his lot behind the Government on the TEstS1 OC oe

With as many as 10,000 IFA mem- bers in Clare, the organisations back-

ing for the so-called reform treaty could be one of the main determin- ing factors on how Clare votes.

“IT think that Europe needs to change – European institutions need to change and streamline themselves, become more efficient and respond more rapidly to the realities of the world today,’ he said.

“I think that is one of the things that

will come from the treaty. Obviously there are a lot of people reading into the treaty things that are not there. I would urge people to vote on the treaty for the treaty itself rather than using it as a way of sending a mes- sage to Government.”

According to Walsh, the needs of farmers are best served by a close re- lationship with the rest of Europe.

“Compared to any other country, Ireland participation at the heart of Europe is more important to the economy,” he said.

“The IFA’s interest and the inter- ests of Irish farmers are best served by being at the heart of Europe rather than being on the fringes. At our na- tional AGM last week we had Com- missioner Fisher Boel, who is the Ag-

ricultural Commissioner responsible for farming right across Europe.

‘For two hours she sat and took questions from representatives from Irish farmers from all over the coun- try. It just shows that we can have a major influence on European policy at that level and that our influences are best served by being on the inside rather than on the fringes.”

The 75-year sex offender at the cen- tre of a political storm last year is set to be released from prison next weekend after serving five years and three months in jail.

Bachelor farmer, Joseph Nugent, from Dromellihy, Cree is due for release from the Midlands Prison in Portlaoise on Saturday, February 9.

The possible early release of Mr Nugent was the subject of separate representations to the Munister for Justice from Minister of State Tony Killeen and Fine Gael Deputy, Pat Bue

Last year, Minister Killeen apolo- gised to Mr Nugent’s two victims af- ter a Freedom of Information request found that his constituency office made two separate representations in 2005 seeking early release for Nu- gent on the grounds of his “age, bad health and fear for his life”.

Minister Killeen said that he did not have any knowledge of either let- ter sent to the then Minister for Jus- tice, Michael McDowell.

In October 2006, Deputy Breen ta- bled a Dail question enquiring into the possibility of Mr Nugent being eligible for an early release.

In response, Minister McDowell said: “In view of the very serious na- ture of these offences, I am not pre- pared to authorise any form of early release in this case.”

Nugent is now in the last week of two concurrent sentences of six years and one sentence of three years in the Midlands Prison, Portlaoise.

The cases against him involved two young boys. Imposing a sentence of six years in November 2002, Judge Brian McMahon said he had acted in a “premeditated and predatory na- ture for his own self-gratification and beastly pleasure” and that the abuse on a neighbour, who was aged eight when the abuse started involved the use of physical violence by an adult on a young child.

In the ensuing political controversy, Deputy Breen blamed the Minister for Justice Michael McDowell and sections of the media for causing an unnecessary storm.

He had a phone conversation with one of Nugent’s victims and in a let- ter to a second victim, who he also met, Deputy Breen stated that the issue “would never have been the subject of public debate 1f it had been handled in the normal way.

“However, the Minister for Justice in his Dail reply provided unusual and extensive detail about the case which clearly identified those in- volved. This directly led to it becom- ing a public issue because certain sections of the tabloid media saw an opportunity to create sensational headlines without showing any re- gard for the pain and suffering it would cause to the victims.

Critical comments by Cllr Madeleine Taylor Quinn and Joe Carey ITD, two of Deputy Breen’s general election running mates, prompted Deputy Breen to issue a letter threatening libel proceedings.

At the time, Deputy Breen said that he tabled the Dail question after be-

ing approached by a relative of Mr Nugent to inquire into the question of early release.

“IT was not making representa- tions on behalf of Mr Nugent and I wouldn’t be in favour of an early release in the case. It was a terrible case.” he said

Deputy Breen said that he was aware that Mr Nugent was a sex of- fender but wasn’t aware of all of the facts in relation to the cases.