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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.

AN BORD Pleanala has rejected a planned €24 million housing devel- opment for Ennis.

Last year, Clare County Council refused planning permission to one of the county’s best known build- ers, McCarthy Brothers, to build 94 |aLeyenteherslmm oY VU oleae r mse oMmOlUlNeouE environs of Ennis.

In their appeal, McCarthy Bros pointed out that the site was zoned for residential development in the Ennis and Environs Development Plan.

While surrounding lands were sim- ilarly zoned, there was no guarantee that the development of these lands would take place at any time in the near future, they argued.

The open space provision also met the requirements of the development plan, with a total of 16.4 per cent of the site given over to open space, while the Ballybeg Road was ad- equate to cater for the level of traffic the development generated.

But after assessing the application, the appeals board’s planning inspec- tor concluded that it “would repre- sent a haphazard and non-integrated piecemeal development which would

preclude the full and comprehensive development of the entire area of residentially zoned land at this loca- tion”.

The appeals board also stated that the proposed layout of the develop- ment was “substandard due to the general layout and disposition of public open space and the overall lin- ear emphasis in terms of the layout of access roads and adjoining hous- ThOTSan OODLES

The board inspector concluded that the development would seriously in- jure the residential amenity of future occupants of the estate and would be contrary to the proper planning and sustainable development of the area.

The inspector also found that the proposal, which included the utilisa- tion of an existing cul-de-sac road to serve the eastern portion of the pro- posed development, would seriously injure the amenities of the residents. This was because a more suitable access which would serve the entire area of residentially zoned lands at this location was located approxi- mately 120 metres further west.

As aresult, the inspector found that the development would endanger public safety by reason of a traffic hazard.

SSE See UbbetcamevenUCe ome: Mech tlm oO! tremors through Miltown on Sun- day. The understandable elation of the McGrath Cup campaign brought back a certain confidence in the team, demonstrated by the large sup- port in Hennessy Park and for 40 minutes, the players responded with an accomplished performance.

An old trait then made an unwel- come reappearance. The self destruct button was a feature of past sides but the new regime seemed to have elim- inated that element in January.

However, in an incredulous ten minute period, Clare went from two points up and a one man advantage to a five point and two man deficit. The referee has to take a large por- tion of the blame due to his card hap- py manner but as Clare slowly lost their initiative, their gameplan and composure also disintegrated before the new managemnent’s eyes.

Clare manager Frank Doherty was one of the last to leave the dressing rooms at Hennessy Park and it was easy to sense from his demeanour he was still trying to get to grips with

what happened on the field.

“Personally, I’m totally disappoint- ed. Now is not the time or place to analyse the game and we will leave that until Tuesday night and address it then. I’m not one for roaring or shouting but the cracks are still there SO We ve got iron out that situation.”

This was Doherty’s first competi- tive defeat as Clare manager and having equalled last year’s com- petitve record of four victories in January alone, everything looked to be in place for a home victory. The dismissals were top of Doherty’s list of ailments, severe refereeing deci- sions which he felt ultimately cost his side all two points.

“The first sending off was harsh enough. It was Conor Whelan that actually fouled inside and Gordon Kelly didn’t lay a finger on the Car- low man. So Gordon got sent off in the wrong I felt, very much so. Maybe the referee got it wrong. He went in and consulted with the umpires and they said it was number six but the second [sending off] was harsh as well. At the same time, I have been a stickler on discipline so to a degree, we shot ourselves in the foot.

‘From being five minutes into the second half and in control we let it slip. Unfortunately David Tubridy missed that free but there are days like that.

“We probably should have gone on to win the game | felt. Not being dis- respectful to Carlow or anything but I felt we were in control. They had a man down and they had to push on and would have left gaps at the back but there you go.

“That’s the harsh reality of football and maybe it’s a learning lesson for our lads and we will just try and sort it out next Tuesday night.”

With a trip to Tipperary on the cards in six days time, lessons will have to be learned fast.

It’s best to write this game off as a one-off blip. Next Saturday should tell a lot more about Clare’s position in 2008.

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