Category: Uncategorized

after the meeting, former wa- ter scheme chairman Martin Knox accused Clare County Council of

being disingenuous in offering to help the committee solve the prob- lems which have now arisen with the scheme.

“It 1s hardly necessary for Clare County Council to state that they are not involved in the day-to-day run- ning of the scheme but it needs to be said that they had significant input into the design of the plant.

“When their help was required at the design stage, it was counter-pro- ductive. The process was designed to fail,” he said.

“The plant was designed around a ridiculously low baseline demand of 180 cubic metres a day when the quantity should have been much greater. To future-proof the plant,

our baseline demand estimate was 360 cubic metres a day. The Depart- ment of the Environment, the client’s representative and the county coun- cil ignored our contributions.” ‘Domestic users on the scheme pay for water. This is inequitable as do- mestic users in towns and city areas do not. Even if the plant could deliver the volumes required, the contractor will put a surcharge on every litre consumed above a limit of 288,000 litres a day,’ Mr Knox explained. ‘“Killone group water scheme is run by volunteers and has been run by volunteers for the past 30 years. The Department of the Environment funded the current project under a design, build and operate process.

‘The cost of the project to the tax- payer was almost €900,000 and the Killone group water scheme contrib- uted almost €60,000 in addition to the cost of the site. The executive committee took legal advice and, as a result, refused to sign the contract. We correctly predicted that the vol- umes would be inadequate.

“We eventually signed the contract under duress following a threat from the county council to withdraw fund- ing,” he said.

Calling on the council to clarify the nature of the “help” now being of- fered, Mr Knox said the plant needs further capital expenditure and a new contract to meet the requirements of the community for the next 20 years.

THE show might have changed, but the dedication to rehearsals remains the same for Ennis Musical Society.

Under the direction of musical di- rector Cormac McGuinness, chorus mistress Mary Curly and rehearsal pianist Dylan Walsh, preparations are already well underway for the Society’s annual show.

Instead of performing one show, this year, Ennis Musical Society will present a double bill of musi- cal entertainment over four nights in March.

Shows on March 4, 6 and 8 will

reunite performers past and present as they bring the audience on a trip down memory lane, singing hits from shows the society has produced over the past 50 years.

On March 5 and 7 there will a be a change of direction for the second half of this double bill, when Ennis Musical Society will pay tribute in verse and song to the great Irish en- tertainer, Percy French.

The decisions to break with tradi- tion was taken at a meeting of the society was taken at a meeting of the group back in November 2007.

Ennis Musical Society PRO Fr Feargus McEveney ofm explained

the cast have been busy putting in the hours in preparation for March.

He said “Mary Curly, Dylan Walsh, under the direction of our musical director, Cormac McGuinness have everyone going full steam ahead to make sure a certain amount will be ready by the time last year’s pro- ducer, Alan Kinsella, comes down to set some of the solos and choruses of the production due to open in Glor on March 4”.

Among those appearing are award winning singers Maretta O’Hehir and Edel Heaney, society stalwarts, Anna Monahan, Emer O’Flaherty and Mary Heal.

They will be appearing alongside stars from the past such as Vincent de Placido, Tom Lillis and John Lil- lis, and a host of other great perform- ers backed by the chorus of the musi- cal society.

Songs from shows such as the ‘Mer- ry Widow’; ‘La Belle Heléne’; ‘Show Boat; ‘Oklahoma and ‘My Fair Lady’ etc, will be enough to ensure a most enjoyable evening of musical neKossOu lone

Patrons and supporters of the soci- ety are invited to attend to make sure to keep dates between March 4 to 8, free so as not to miss a great night, if not indeed two great nights.

THERE was good news for Munster rugby fans when Ryanair confirmed it would provide extra flights to Bris- tol from Shannon and Cork for the province’s Heineken Cup quarter fi- TDM Ee MOM Grell (Geni (om NIM INDI oMNU ole) es wbeelee

Following Munster’s emphatic pool-topping victory over London Wasps at Thomond Park on January 19, desperate fans began scouring the internet for flights to the quarter final encounter with Gloucester on PN eee

Airlines were quickly accused of upping their prices to cash in on the demand but Ryanair denied the claims and said it was simply a case of whoever got on first got the cheap- More LINE

While the cost of the few remaining seats on the scheduled service from Shannon to Bristol for the weekend of April 4 to 6 were well over €400 return, seats on the extra Ryanair flight were going for less than half that on Thursday.

NAW Ue B Respectable Beene im ome for a Cork-Bristol round trip.

Ryanair already operates a daily service from Shannon to Bristol and will add two extra flights for the quarter final clash. On April 4, the additional service will depart Shan- non at 4.50pm, while on the follow-

ing day the extra aircraft is scheduled to leave at 6.55am.

The additional flights from Bristol back to Cork and Shannon are sched- uled to depart at 5.35pm and 9.35pm respectively on Sunday, April 6.

If Munster beat Gloucester and are not ousted from the competition as they were by Llanelli Scarlets in last year’s quarter final, the 2006 Heineken Cup Champions will meet either Ospreys or Saracens for an away semi-final clash.

Many Munster fans, confident that the men from Munster will reach the last four, have already booked flights to Bristol or Luton in the hope that they will beat the rush.

CONTRASTING results from last year but Carlow won’t complain. An early set-back by Clare who travelled to Dr Cullen Park saw go under by five points and spiral into relegation Kouser

They then went on to only win one league game in a dismal campaign and looked on the Clare game as the beginning of the slide. But twelve months since that game, Carlow are a completely different side under new manager Paul Bealin.

The former Dublin All-Ireland win- ner has transformed the flagging side into a more determined outfit, epito- mised by a victory over his former side, Wexford, in the O’Byrne Cup before a inspirational performance to draw against Dublin in the sem1- final.

A change of venue – Cusack Park fell foul of the weather – and trech- erous conditions couldn’t halt their progress on Sunday as they turned what looked like a perilous situation into a memorable victory.

After the game, Bealin gave his players a warm down in the centre of the field before relaying his thoughts on the league opener.

“They showed a great bit of spirit and character and I think there’s a

little bit of pride back in the jersey,” he said.

“It’s going in the right direction and they showed that more and more, especially team spirit and team mo- ee NCon

“We are not going to get carried away because we have only won one match, the equivlalent to what we won last year in the league – so we will have to build on that.”

It all looked grim for Bealin’s side seven minutes into the second half when substitute Brian Farrell was sent off for a high tackle on Stephen Hickey. At that stage, Carlow were already two points down and Bealin concedes that if Clare had kept their discipline, it might have been a dif- KROES ON LE

“Don’t forget Clare had the breeze behind them in the scond half, but in those conditions, it certainly would have been an uphill battle. But we tried to keep our discipline. I would be diappointed that any of our play- ers were sent off. I didn’t see the in- cident and I know that’s a cliché that most managers use but I actually didn’t see it.

“Look, we are just happy that we came back at them and this time last year Clare beat us by four or five at home and so it’s a revenge game and that’s what it was.”

Bealin admits that he initially con- sidered the change of venue as a Clare tactic to unsettle his side but whatever the venue, he was also con- scious of his side’s need to consist- ently perform in the league after an impressive O’ Byrne Cup run.

“This year, Carlow competed in the O’Byrne Cup, they beat Wexford, they matched Dublin and Dublin beat them well the second day but it wasn’t about the O’ Byrne Cup today. It was about team spirit, perform- ances, discipline, tackling properly, workrate, intensity and they showed all those aspects of the game today.

‘And they needed to show it in the conditions out there because travel- ling to Cusack Park thinking it was there and then having to come here, we probably used it and said ‘look, they are bringing us down here for a reason’ and I suppose we thought that Cusack Park was alright but we did learn that the conditions were atrocious.

“All things considered, we’re de- lighted to get the game out of the way and to have won it and got off to a great start was a bonus.”

FAMILIES in Inagh and Gort are returning to their homes this week following a month of intensive flood- ing which trapped a number of peo- ple in their homes for days at a time throughout January.

Pressure 1s mounting on local au- thorities in both Clare and Galway to tackle problem areas such as Drum- cullaun in Inagh and Tierneevan on the outskirts of Gort.

Rising waters cut off two families of Mullins’ in Drumcullaun at vari- ous times throughout January. The area was flooded for a total of 10 days throughout January, with mem-

bers of the Mullins family trapped either inside their home or away from their home for days at a time.

“If they are stuck outside of the house when the flood comes, they have to go and stay with relations or friends, but if they are inside the house when it floods, they’re trapped there, end of story,” said Inagh-based County Councillor Flan Garvey (FP).

“They have just returned to their homes but who knows when the next flood will come. Besides the incon- venience to the families, what if there was an emergency? There would be no way of reaching them.

“They can be trapped there for

three or four days at a time.”

Clare County Council has agreed to examine the situation but warned that a solution to the flooding could be both time-consuming and expen- sive.

“It is an expensive thing but as far as lam concerned the Mullins family are entitled to access to their homes the same as any other family. They pay their taxes the same as anyone else. A solution has to be found,” continued Cllr Garvey.

Meanwhile, Galway County Coun- cil are examining the possibility of opening a relief road to facilitate lo- cal people in the townland of Tiern- eevan near Gort who were marooned

as aresult of the recent flooding.

According to former Fianna Fail councillor, Michael ‘Stroke’ Fahy (IND), a relief road is available to allow families affected by the flood- ing to access Gort, but this cannot be done until insurance issues are sorted out between the landowner and Gal- way County Council.

Cllr Fahy returned to active service for Galway County Council in De- cember after spending seven months in prison after he was found guilty of misappropriating council funds and attempted theft last May in Galway Circuit Criminal Court.

Cllr Fahy (56) is the longest serving member of Galway County Council.

IRISH language group, Glor hInse has won first prize, €50,000, in the annual Glor na nGael awards.

Comharchumann Rath Cairn, County Meath, won the second prize of €12,500, while Cumann Forbar- tha Ghaoth Dobhair, came in third place, winning €7,500.

Praising the work of Glor na hInse, Glor na nGael director, Lorcan Mac Gabhann, described the commit- tee as an example for Irish groups throughout the country.

“The committee enjoys broad rep-

resentation from the community and uses an effective planning system. The adjudicators were particularly impressed its strategic plan and the work arising from it,” he said.

Mr Mac Gabhann said the win re- flected the strong gaelic movement that existed in Ennis. He said

‘“T congratulate the people of Ennis and Clare for this Glor na nGael win, achieving first place in the competi- tion for the third time, a feat achieved only once before.”

“Ennis enjoys a strong Irish gaels- coil movement. As well as that, the committee manages to exert influ-

ence on all the schools in the area through drama, debating and other major events.

“There has been significant growth in participation of Ogras. From the start of the year till the end, young people are supported through Féile na hInse, schools’ drama and a sum- mer camp.

He praised the large number of events organised by Glor na Gael throughout the year. He said, “A large number of events are also or- ganised for adults such as a reading circle and public lectures.

“The Irish language is central to

other cultural events such as an Flea- dh Nua. The committee received particular praise for organising Fili an Chlair.

“The committee is working suc- cessfully with the state sector, par- ticularly with Clare County Council and has achieved much. A demand for state services in Irish 1s advanced and encouraged.”

In total, Glor na nGael announced awards to the value of €141,950, giving recognition the work being carried out by many committees to promote the Irish language at home ~NOlemr-lesKers(en

THE Ennis General Hospital Devel- opment Committee is in the black following a very busy year for the lobby group.

According to the accounts present- ed to last week’s AGM of the com- mittee, the group has carried over €8,804 from last year.

Its treasurer, Fine Gael Deputy Joe Carey (FG), told the meeting that the

committee spent a total of €19,576.

Last year proved a busy and expen- sive year for the committee as it cam- paigned during the general election campaign for commitments to the future of the hospital and organised a protest rally for the streets of Ennis.

The greatest expense for the group was media advertising which totaled €7,951.

This included the cost of advertis- ing in the four local newspapers and

the local radio station.

Printing costs came to €4,151, which did not include car stickers, the cost of which was sponsored.

Postage costs for 2007 came to €3,520, public relations cost €300, Clare Cancer Concern was afforded €800, photography €1,098, the pub- lic health alliance €50 and bank charges came to €117.

The hospital committee raised most of its fund from church gate collec-

tions totalling €6,843.

Sales of the lobby group’s CD raised €5,/41, with further donations reaching €1,550.

The collection on the day of the hospital rally came to €2,800.

In total, the committee raised em eres

A carry-over of €10,646 from the previous year saw all the bills paid and the books in good stead for the Ley eaBNTSaA orb

KILRUSH area councillors have agreed that holiday home owners in Clare should pay for the water sup- as At last night’s (Monday) meeting of the council, Cllr Madeleine Taylor Quinn (FG) said that holiday homes were a commercial interest and as such the owners should have to pay for the water supplied to them.

Under Government policy, all non- domestic water must be paid for but local authorities, such as Clare Coun- ty Council, cannot charge domestic users for their water supply.

As many as 3,092 non-domestic water users in the Kilrush area have been identified but this does not in- clude holiday home schemes.

“People who are trying to make a living in the county are being charged and those making money from the county are not contributing at all,’ said the former TD.

Supporting Clir Taylor Quinn, Cllr Patrick Keane (FF) said, “There is a lot of revenue that can be collected.”

The 3,092 non-domestic water cus- tomers identified by the council in the Kilrush Electoral area includes all non-domestic customers on group schemes supplied with public water.

According to Derek Troy, Execu- tive Engineer with Clare County Council, “The process of surveying, compiling lists of works and meter installation is currently ongoing and the total number of customers may change due to additional connections being made or non-domestic connec- tions being removed.

“This project should be complete over the next number of months.”

Revenue that may accrue from non- domestic connections will depend on total usage. However, current rates are €1.10 per cubic metre for water supply, €2.08 per cubic metre for the consolidated supply (water and

sewerage connections), and a fixed charge of €1.45 per customer,’ he said. Installation of the meters will cost €145.

It was argued at Clare County Council level that the installation of such metre should be borne by cen- tral government.

The cost, however, will have to be paid by the customer. Clare County Council must also find €80 million to upgrade the county’s treatment plants, to maintain water schemes, and to monitor them if it is to reach the targets set in the first report on the Provision and Quality of Drink- ing Water in Ireland, 2006 – 2007.

STUDENTS from Ennis Commu- nity College proved to be the bright sparks at the 2008 National Elec- tronic Engineering Quiz.

Rebecca Murphy, Victor Aku- jobi, Shona Ni Meachair and James Philips came first in the regional round of the 2008 National Elec- tronic Engineering Quiz in GMIT before narrowly missed out winning the overall prize.

The annual quiz took place in si- multaneously in University College Cork, Dublin Institute of Technology and Waterford Institute of Technol- ogy and the Galway Mayo Institute

of Technology on January 26. The quiz attracted schools from across Ireland and this year the standard of entry was again very high

Having won the regional round in GMIT, the Ennis team was tied with a team from Cork for the national wa Con

It came down to one question; what was the record time for winning the Dublin City Marathon?

The closest answer deciding the BUONO Coe

Unfortunately for Ennis Commu- nity College, their opponent’s answer was closer and the Ennis team had to settle for second place.

All teams from the four simultane-

ous events were competing for the national title and a national prize worth €2,000 donated by MIDAS Ireland to the winning school.

MIDAS Ireland (Microelectronic Industry Design Association) is a joint industry and academic organi- sation, which defines and develops the future direction of Integrated Circuit design in Ireland.

MIDAS as an organisation was launched in February 2001 by the Minister of Enterprise, Trade & Em- ployment Mary Harney TD.

It is a national cluster consisting of the microelectronics design com- panies and third level institutions in Ireland, building on the already-

strong relationships between them.

The quiz success is just the latest for Ennis Community College. In 2006, Victor Akujobi, who repre- sented Ennis Community College in GMIT, won a gold medal at the Irish Science Olympiad. Victor qualified for the competition based on his ex- cellent results in junior certificate maths and science.

INDIVIDUALS, groups and organi- sations interested in undertaking works aimed at protecting Clare’s biodiversity are being invited to ap- ply for funding under the Biodiver- sity Fund for 2008.

The fund was established last year by the Department of the Environ- ment, Heritage and Local Govern- ment following the Interim Review of the Implementation of the Nation- al Biodiversity Plan 2002-2006.

Administered by the Heritage Council, with the support of Clare County Council, it aims to encour- age and enable people to undertake capital projects that help protect Clare’s abundance of wildlife and

wild places.

The types of works being targeted by the Fund include enhancement, protection and conservation of Bio- diversity, creating wildlife areas, re- moving invasive species, and plant- ing native wild flowers and trees.

“The objective of this fund is to Support site conservation and man- agement for the enhancement of bio- logical diversity at a local level,” said Congella McGuire, Heritage Officer, Clare County Council.

“Priority will be given to high qual- ity and well thought-out applications that assist the management of sites that contain habitats of special con- servation importance in Ireland, or which support threatened or vulner- able species.”

A grant allocation can cover up to 50 per cent of the project cost and can be used in conjunction with grants from other sources.

Individuals, community groups, properly constituted non-profit or- ganisations, local authorities, statu- tory institutions, academic institu- tions and private companies are eligible to apply to the Fund for grant assistance.

“Clare has a rich variety of dif- ferent animals and plants as well as some of the best examples of habitats in Europe. However, our biodiversity is disappearing fast with animals and plants becoming extinct and habitats being damaged.

Therefore, I would urge anyone interested in protecting their local

biodiversity to consider applying for funding,’ said John Murphy, Biodi- versity Officer with Clare County Council.

“Biodiversity is all living things from the tiniest insect to the mighty oak. It is the variety of life on our planet. Our health, economy and quality of life depend on a healthy environment rich in_ biodiversity. Here in Clare, its presence is every- where, in our parks and gardens, by our roadsides, in our rivers and seas, and our ‘living landscapes’.”

Application forms will be automat- ically sent out to all previous appli- cants, and may also be downloaded from www.heritagecouncil.ie. The deadline for applications is 5pm on Friday 15 February 2008.