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CALLS for the abolition of the In- terprovincial Championships in hurling and football are never to far away, but another Clare loyalist has emerged in the shape of Pat Fitzger- ald. The new full-time secretary, Pat Fitzgerald, added his voice to those supporting the competition that dates from 1927.

At this Saturday’s convention, Fit- zgerald, lauded the efforts of Coora- clare man Martin Donnelly at reviv-

ing interest in a competition in recent years through sponsorship to the tune of €500,000.

“The enduring appeal of the Rail- way Cup, or the Martin Donnelly sponsored inter-provincial champion- ships as it’s now known, was placed very much in the spotlight this year with the decision of the GAA hierar- chy to stage the finals under lights at Croke Park,’ Fitzgerald told the an- nual convention.

“The finals were back in a changed environment of GAA headquarters

for the first time

since 1995 and as one who has been particularly sceptical of the Associa- tion’s direction in trying to revive interest in the competition, I have to admit that this year they almost got Lime reanle

“Almost, I say, because with a more orchestrated and better market- ing campaign, the attendance could have been appreciably more that the 10,000 spectators who went through the turnstiles. At that, it was signifi- cant in that it represented the larg-

est attendance at the finals in some thirty years.

That was the encouraging aspect, a heartening indication of a potential resurgence in interest 1n a competi- tion which provides us with a rich sporting legacy. Gone was the public apathy. Had the GAA more time than a mere five days to engage in a sus- tained public relations exercise, the attendance could have been swelled ehKerorm ene) AYA

“Sponsor Martin Donnelly, who has bank rolled the competition for the

past five years, deserves that at least. He said that this year was a missed Opportunity in that he had planned on marketing the event through Cu- mann na mBunscoil, filling the sta- dium with enthusiastic children and donating the proceeds to charity,” added Fitzgerald.

THE Christmas swim in Killaloe this year is a fundraiser for the pro- posed community playground.

Killaloe has an ever expanding population with new families com- ing in to live in the scenic location but the Lough Derg town still has no play area.

The local community in conjunc- tion with Clare County Council have joined forces to provide the amenity next year and local people have a tar- get of €50,000 to raise.

The swim at Two Mile Gate takes place at 12.30pm on Christmas Day. The organising committee are ap- pealing for volunteers to get involved in this worthy cause.

A member of the organising com- mittee, Brendan Ryan said: “the Kil- laloe community needs a playground and the Christmas swim will really put the fun into fundraising for the project.”

Volunteers are currently collecting sponsorship for the swim which has been organised every Christmas for the past fifteen years by three local

men Brendan Ryan, Christy Mc- Grath and Paul McGrath.

They have raised funds over the years for different charities collect- ing thousands of pounds.

Anyone who would like to donate to the playground fund can con- tact Brendan Ryan on 061-376963; Christy McGrath on 061-376245 or Paul McGrath or 061-375195.

CLARE GAA’s campaign to entice more people to take up refereeing is being lost, Saturday’s annual con- vention heard in a report delivered by Clare Referees Administration Com- mittee chairman, Kevin Walsh.

“We are on the verge of a crisis in relation to refereeing numbers in Clare,’ said Walsh. Since the incep- tion of the national recruitment drive in 1999 we are gradually losing the battle of recruiting referees. There are a number of reasons for this, but the main reason continues to be a complete lack of interest shown by some clubs in the county and they are the same year on year.

“Again this year we still have 21 clubs in the county who do not have a referee and have shown little inter- est in addressing this situation. De- spite the efforts of the county chair- man, we still did not get a positive response from any of these clubs.

“When it comes to moaning and suggesting what should be done with refereeing in Clare in order to 1m- prove it, the clubs with no referees make the most noise and always ex- pect to have a referee for the games in which they play, but are doing lit- tle to help the cause of refereeing.

“It is very easy to talk about and suggest what should be done. I be- lieve actions speak louder than words and if club are serious about doing something positive in this important area of our games, then the time is now,’ added Walsh in his hard-hit- ting report.

And, he didn’t leave it there. In revealing that there are only 48 ref- erees active in the county, Walsh said that numbers could dwindle further because the abuse some referees are subjected to.

“The real sad area and the one which I am most concerned over is the referees lost because of abuse. Everyone wants a referee for their

game but no one gives the beginner a chance to develop.

“This abuse factor has an even deeper knock on effect because as referees administrator for the county and charged with responsibility for recruitment of foundation referees, it has become increasingly difficult to convince someone to become a knight of the whistle.

‘The amount of abuse being direct- ed at new referees in these games 1s seriously damaging our effectiveness in recruiting referees and is turning them away from refereeing. This is a sad state of affairs.

‘The abuse of referees has to be severely dealt with each and every time and all our referees have to be protected and get the support they Caer

CONCERNS have been expressed that plans for a new quarry near Ruan will disturb the tranquil environment of patients of a proposed new day- care centre for cancer patients.

A number of locals have expressed opposition to Irish Asphalt’s plan to extract 300,000 tonnes of rock from the quarry site at Ardkearney, Ruan.

In one objection, the EYPO Part- nership of Clonroad, Ennis, points out, “The proximity of the quarry,

with all its associated nuisances, would not provide a tranquil environ- ment for the wellbeing of the patients in the facility.”

It adds, ““We contend that the loss of amenity that will be experienced by all homes in the area far outweighs the granting of the expansion of the CL br Nema

The partnership contends that, “The extraction of 300,000 tonnes of rock from the locality will have damaging effects to agricultural lands to the wider area with noise and vibration

upsetting both to wildlife and farm ZONBOOL-DESE

“If the application is granted, it will significantly lower the value of their investment as there will be ongoing noise and dust pollution, vibrations from blasting, with increased heavy goods vehicle traffic on roads in close proximity.

“The location of this quarry is not suited to the proposed location. This proposed quarry, outside the area that has already been worked, should not be granted due to its location in the

open countryside without the benefit of appropriate zoning.”

In his objection, Philip Comber of Ardkearney, Ruan, claims, “This area 1S a quiet residential part of Clare and there are quite a number of houses within the immediate area of this proposed quarry.

“Tt is my belief that if the proposed quarry was to get permission to go ahead, it would have a significant impact on the quality of life of the residents in the area.”

In their objection, Hugh and Mary

Rice said, “The noise from the crushing and blasting from quarry- ing activities which have taken place to date is unbearable, especially when the prevailing wind is from the south-west and that on regular oc- casions dust covers the windows of their property, trees and plants.”

The Rices’ submission points out that they are “extremely concerned regarding the devaluing of their property as a result of this quarry- ing being allowed to continue and to significantly intensify”.

MARY Kelly has been a stalwart fundraiser for the excellent work be- ing done by Irish missionaries in the poorest countries for more than 25 years.

But while the Tulla woman has raised untold amounts of cash and organised scores of events 1n her role with the Apostolic Society to sup- port the mission work, she has al- ways wondered what it would be like to go on a mission.

Which is why, now that she has re- tired from the society, she has signed up to travel to Port Elizabeth in South Africa to help with the Build- ing Of Hope Project being run by

Lissycasey nun, Sr Ethel Normoyle and more than 160 Clare volunteers. Mary will be travelling with her son Francis and daughter, Lourda Doyle, who is living in Broadford.

To help raise the €3,000 which she needs to cover her flights and ac- commodation and make a donation to the project, Mary is auctioning a Tulla shirt, signed by every member of the victorious Clare Champion- ship team.

‘“T always said I’d love to see what is it all about and so I signed up to go,” ROMY Eee

The jersey was acquired for her by Tulla team manager, Jim McInerney and, Mary says, it is an appropriate item to auction given that her late

husband’s grandfather, John “Lang- er’ Rogers was a well-know Tulla hurler.

Seven in ten people living in tin and cardboard huts in the township at Missionvale have the AIDS vi- rus. Most have little more than the clothes they stand up in and the mis- sion provides a daily food ration for almost 2,000 people.

Sr Ethel and her team of volunteers plan to build a hospice and care cen- tre at Missionvale over a 40 day pe- riod in January and February.

“TH do a bit of baking and cook- ing – anything I can do to be of help,” said Mary.

Mary is keeping mum about what offers she has had up to now for the

jersey, but she is hoping that it will raise a “good bit of money” for the Oren

While most volunteers will spend ten days in South Africa, Mary plans to stay for two weeks and her son will be part of the team whose tough task it is to get the project off the ground by laying more than 500 blocks per person per day.

Anyone who would like to make a bid on the jersey can contact Mary on 065-6835519 or Francis on 087- 9742090.

The Diocese of Killaloe was in the black at the end of last year showing a healthy profit margin of €105,160.

Publishing the 2006 diocesan ac- counts this week the Bishop of Kil- laloe, Dr Willie Walsh, thanked the people for their generosity.

The largest income for the diocese – more than half – came from parish- ioners through parish contribution.

The €459,968 gathered in this way was approximately 12.5 per cent of the parishes’ yearly income.

Investments totalled €290,324 in 2006, up more than €130,000 on the previous year.

Bequests and donations were down on 2005 with the diocese recording €41,400 in donations in 2006.

A diocesan payment totalling €191,400 to victims of abuse was made in 2006, with €23,218 going towards the child protection scheme.

“The ongoing fallout from the tragedy of sexual abuse by a small number of clergy in the distant past

continues to demand time and re- sources for healing and reconcili- ation. €191,401 have been paid in 2006 for this purpose,” said Bishop Walsh.

“This payment was funded princi- pally from part of the proceeds raised by sale of land at Bishop’s House in 2001 and the Stewardship Trust set up by the Irish Episcopal Confer- ence,’ Bishop Walsh added.

“In relation to child protection the figure of €23,218 reflects the com- mitment of the diocese to ensure best practice by all people in our parish communities who work with chil- dren and young people.

“Our specially trained child pro- tection workers visit every parish to assist with the continued implemen- tation of our child protection guide- lines “Keeping Children Safe” pub- lished in 2004,” he said.

Salaries and state insurance was the largest expense to the local diocese, costing €141,793.

Charitable contributions made up €105,450 of the expenditure.

TWO Slovakian teenagers who bur- gled two houses in Ennis just weeks after arriving in the town have both been sentenced to nine months deten- none

The duo, aged 16 and 17 and who cannot be named because of their ages, burgled one house at Edenvale, Ennis, last August and another in To- bartaoscain.

Detective Garda Brendan Rouine told Ennis District Court this week

that some of the property which was taken from the house in Edenvale had been recovered. However jewellery, valued at €1,500, and $2,000 US dollars had not been recovered.

The court was told that there was no co-operation with gardai in rela- tion to recovering the property which was still outstanding.

Defending solicitor Daragh Hassett said the two would undertake to fly home to Slovakia within days, if the court would agree.

“They would be out of the jurisdic-

tion and out of the concerns of the gardai in this jurisdiction. The pro- posal has gone down somewhat well with the gardai,” said Mr Hassett.

He said one of his clients had spent three weeks in custody and the other has been four weeks in jail and both were “frightened at the thought of go- ing back to prison”.

“Tam applying to release them from custody, pending the flights tickets being produced,’ said the solicitor.

Judge Joseph Mangan said he noted there was no co-operation. He asked

whether either of the accused had previous convictions and was told it would take three months to ascertain this via communication with the Slo- vakian authorities.

The judge said, “This is a very bad system. That might have been fine when we had one person from Slova- kia living in this country. That day is gone.”

Mr Hassett replied, “If previous convictions are not before the court, it should stand before the court as having no convictions. I’d ask you

to treat them as having no previous convictions.”

The judge imposed six-month and three-month detention sentences in St Patrick’s Institution, to run consecu- tively. He fixed a bond in the event of an appeal, on their own bonds of €50 and independent sureties of €4,000, €2,000 of which was to be lodged. He backdated the sentences to the dates they went into custody.

However the accused were unable to take up the bail and were remand- ed in custody.

THE people of Miltown Malbay and Kilkee will not be hoping for a white Christmas as they prepare for their annual Christmas Day swim.

At 10am more than 100 warm- blooded swimmers will take to the waters of the White Strand and all in the name of charity.

This year their festive fun will benefit the Mid West Cancer Unit in Limerick.

Last year, the group raised €13,000 for the Doolin Search and Rescue crew.

In its 15th year, the annual swim is one of the highlights of the west Clare Christmas calendar.

After the Yuletide dip the swim- mers partake in a hot whiskey or black currant before making their way home.

Sponsorship cards are available from Tony Cogan.

The swim in Kilkee is now a quar- ter of a century old, making it part of the local Christmas tradition.

Organised by the Kilkee Sub Aqua Club the swim will take place from the pier at 12.15pm.

Half of the proceeds from the an- nual sponsored swim will again go towards the Kilkee astro turf and playground project on behalf of Scoil Realt na Mara.

Last year the club donated €2,000 to the same cause thanks to the gen- erosity of the local community and others who sponsored club mem- bers.

Kilkee Sub Aqua Club, which has over 30 members from Clare, Lim- erick and south Galway, is a member of Comhairle Fo Thuinn, the Irish Underwater Council, the national body for recreational underwater diving, which, in turn, is affiliated to the Confederation Mondiale des Activites Subaquatiques, the world federation of national diving organi- Zations.

VERBAL exchanges broke out in a courtroom this week between two west Clare families, after a sentence for buggery was adjourned.

Graham Haugh, 19, of Drumina, Dysart, Ennis, was due to be sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on Wednesday for buggering a young boy

in 2004.

However two defence witnesses failed to attend and an application for an adjournemnt was made.

Haugh was extradited last August from England where he had joined the British Army under a false name, having failed to appear on bail for sen- tence in November 2005.

In court this week, the victim’s

mother said she couldn’t “see any rea- son why Haugh shouldn’t be sentenced today” because he “has had every chance with psychologists”. She said she wanted the case finalised.

“My son’s life is wrecked. He couldn’t even come to court today to look that scumbag in the eye,” she said.

Haugh’s family and friends turned to the woman with inaudible protests

while she continued to say: “Either he goes down or I go down.”

Some further low-voiced exchanges and stares, including an invitation to fisticuffs, took place and the comment “faggot” was clearly heard when the victim’s family members were ushered out of the courtroom.

Haugh was found guilty by a jury on March 31, 2004 following a 10-day

trial before Judge Yvonne Murphy of buggering and sexually assaulting a young boy three years earlier.

Judge Murphy had placed him under the care of the Probation Services for assessment and adjourned his sentence but issued a bench warrant for his ar- rest after he failed to appear in Novem- ber 2005. The sentence is now due to take place next March.

IF you’re searching for a guilt-free Christmas, then the Burren Charity Challenge might just have the perfect solution for you.

Not only will taking part in the Burren Challenge offer you an easy way of burning off some of those excess Christmas calories, but you can do so Safe in the knowledge that you are helping people who suffer from breast cancer.

The challenge, which is organised jointly by the Burren Cycling Club and Kilnaboy Athletics Club, has been on the go for seven years, with

numbers rising steadily each year. In the past, the challenge has supported charities such as Goal, Trocaire, St John of God Menni Services, the Alzheimers Society, Concern and Galway and Clare Hospices.

This year’s event aims to raise some €30,000 for the development of cancer support services and is being donated to Cancer Care West and Tallaght Breast Unit in Dublin.

“Support for the Burren Char- ity Challenge has been fantastic and Cancer Care West is thrilled to have been nominated as a recipient char- ity for this year’s event,’ said Sharon Fitzpatrick, Cancer Care West’s fun-

draising manager. “We would like to emphasise that this is not just a Clare event. It is particularly relevant to an- yone from western counties who can benefit from the accommodation, counselling and other support servic- es that Cancer Care West offers. We encourage as many people from the western region as possible to come to Clare that afternoon to take part. This is your chance to contribute to the development of cancer support services in the west of Ireland.”

Registration for the Challenge takes place in Cassidy’s Pub in Car- ran from 10am to 12.30pm, with the race itself starting at lpm.

Participants can choose between a 10km walk/run or 40km cycle. Those feeling really adventurous can attempt the duatholon, which is a 40km cycle and a 5km run.

Snacks, soup and sandwiches will be served afterward for all who take part and music for the night will be

provided by DJ Tom Tune. Sponsorship cards are avail- able directly from CancerCare

West on 091-529609, by email- ing info@cancercarewest.ie or by contacting Patrick O’Donoughe on 086-2579682, Fergus Glynn on 087- 2236603 or Liam Glynn on 086- 3537293 at the Burren Cycling Club.