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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.

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.