Category: Uncategorized

RATES will be increased by three per cent in Shannon next year, to meet a projected increase 1n expendi- ture by the town council.

Total expenditure is expected to rise from €137,715 to €165,500 next year, according to the draft budget presented to town councillors by Town Manager, Ger Dollard last week. The single biggest increase in spending will be for the community scheme.

This initiative incurred costs of €14,500 this year and this will rise to €35,000 in 2008. Under the com- munity scheme, a focus is placed on litter removal and the general envi- ronment in the town.

Funding for civic receptions will drop from €5,200 to €3,200. The figure for this year was elevated on a “one-off”, due to Shannon celebrat- ing its 25th birthday, said the man- ager.

The mayor’s award, for which €700 was presented to a charity last year, will not feature in 2008.

Mr Dollard said the decision to discontinue this was because “it has been diverted to a charity” when it was initially geared towards the community.

“We have increased the contribu- tion to community initiatives so there is no loss to the community,” he said.

The current mayor of the town, Cllr Sean McLoughlin (FG) said he had

agreed to this award being removed during his year-long term as mayor of Shannon.

Looking ahead to 2008, Mr Dol- lard expressed optimism that signifi- cant progress will be made on imple- menting the master plan for the town and the creation of an arts centre.

He also stated that the tidy towns committee will again receive €2,000 in funding from the council, while an increased provision will be pro- vided to cover the costs of the twin- ning initiative between Shannon and Guingamp in France.

The long-awaited recycling centre which was opened during the sum- mer was welcomed by the commu- nity in Shannon.

Mr Dollard said, “It is evident that

there are demands for an increase in the range of services provided at the rerun AYAae

Reacting to the budget outline, Councillor Gerry Flynn (Independ- ent) said, “I had hoped the budget would have been that bit bigger.”

Cllr Sean Hillery (FF) said the council “should be involved in some commercial exercise. We should try and created some means of generat- ing some kind of income.”

Cllr Patricia McCarthy (Independ- ent) pointed out that many young people are unable to build detached homes on individual sites.

“That is something we could be looking at in the future much more actively than we have been doing,’ she said.

SHANNON based US-owned multi- national, Mentor Graphics increased the size of its business last year to $381 million.

However, the company endured a loss of $10.6 million at the end of paul eTes

The Shannon subsidiary — which employs 333 people — is part of Men- tor Graphics Corporation, which was established in 1981 with headquar- ters in Oregon.

Across the world, the company em- ploys 3,500 people and it is a tech- nology leader in electronic design automation, providing products and services used by companies world- wide in the design of the electronic content of their products.

The Shannon arm of the Mentor Graphics is an International Services and Distribution centre for Informa- tion Technology, Order Fulfillment, Finance, Purchasing, Facilities, Con- sulting, Customer Support, Legal and Human Resources for the European,

Middle Eastern and Asian business.

The accounts show that the turno- ver increased from $336 million to $381 million, while the cost of sales increased from $279 million to $313 wave en Ceyer

This resulted in the gross profit increasing from $57 million to $67 million, while the company’s oper- ating expenses increases from $50 million to $67 million.

This resulted in the company’s ‘op- erating profit’ going down from $6 million to $33,000.

The company remains in good fi- nancial health with the company having $26 million in cash in bank.

The accounts also show that there was a drop in the numbers employed at the company in 2006 with num- bers declining from 367 to 333 with 17 less people employed in produc- tion and 17 less in administration.

This resulted in staff costs being re- duced from $33 million to $32 mil- lion. The remuneration for directors during 2006 was $294,000.

According to a statement accom-

panying the accounts, the principal activities of the Mentor Graphics are the research, development and the manufacture of software and the dis- tribution of its software and services throughout the world.

Mentor Graphics (Ireland) localises and distributes software and services in the EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) and Asia/Pacific mar- oe

“It is the intention of the directors to continue to develop the current ac- tivities of the company.

HOME-owners in County Clare could be forced to cough up money for monthly water charges following a motion put forward at last night’s meeting of the local authority held at Shannon Airport.

As part of a motion put forward by Cllr Gerry Flynn (Ind), calls were made to put in place a system of wa- ter charges in which business rate- payers, farmers and domestic users

paid in accordance to the amount of water used.

“The way that the water services are operating at the moment leave a lot to be desired. I have records of customers who have been billed from Clare County Council for services that they have never used,” said Cllr Gerry Flynn (Ind).

“There is a lot of confusion with this. There are quite a lot of busi- nesses who need water operating in County Clare.

‘The council needs to get its act to- gether on this.

“If a business and domestic homes Operate out of the same water sup- ply, then why shouldn’t the owners be allowed to use their domestic al- lowance first and then be charged as a business for water used beyond dakelmaas

Commenting on the motion, Ruan- based Cllr Joe Arkins (FG) com- mented that if the Government wish- es to continue with free water for

domestic users, that they should pay for it rather than asking the rate-pay- ers of the county to foot the bill.

“I think it is very unfair to ask the business and farming community to fund the provision of water in the en- tire county,” said Cllr Arkins.

“If the Government wants to give free water then so be it, but along with that they have to give us a means of funding it, other than pass- ing on all the burden to the business and farming communities.”

THE Leaving Certificate Applied students in Shannon will get the op- portunity to present their artwork in an exhibition which gets underway tomorrow.

As part of their programme, the FE- TAC students were given seven tasks to carry out, on which they will be assessed at the end of the year. One of these tasks is an art programme, the culmination of which will be on

view at Shannon library for a week, starting tomorrow.

This year’s five students, along with past pupils, will get the opportunity to showcase some of their best works in the exhibition.

The materials used include lino prints, paintings, self portrait paint- ings, small murals and chalk draw- ings. A total of 18 pieces will be hung up in the library, where they will remain for the week.

The participants had 10 hours each

to prepare the exhibition. This in- cluded issuing invitations, putting posters together and organising sponsorship. They organised the event with help from their tutors.

“It is very exciting for the students. They will be interviewed at the end of the project. They have to write a report on it, to include details on things they learned about themselves and about the group in general,’ explained Imelda Greene of Youth- reach.

A number of local businesses have donated spotprizes, which will be raffled on the night.

The Youthreach staff are indebted to those businesses including Tesco, Dunnes Stores, Sean Hillery, Pink, The Gift Box, Art and Craft com- pany and Angel Flowers – for their assistance.

The mayor of Clare, Shannon- based Councillor Patricia McCarthy will officially open the exhibition at 7pm tomorrow (Wednesday).

A NEW Irish eco-friendly retail chain offering printer cartridge re- filling services is set to open in Ennis in January.

Dublin based retail chain Cartridge Green has recently announced am- bitious nationwide expansion plans that includes a new outlet on Abbey Street, Ennis. This store, which will be located beside Enzos Takeaway, is expected to open at end of January and will be run by local business- man, Gerard Kelly and his business partner Jim McAnespie.

Cartridge Green aims to educate their customers to have a positive im- pact on the environment by helping them reuse and recycle their printer cartridges. Local businesses can also benefit from the environmental and cost savings associated with printer cartridge refilling. “We strongly em- phasise the recycling angle and we

will educate our customers about how they can save money doing this” Kelly said. All refilled cartridges are produced in store.

“We use the latest technology to refill each cartridge which ensures a high quality product everytime,’ McAnespie added.

Cartridge Green will also offer competitively priced printing serv- ices as well as stationary and office supplies with over 20,000 products available to order online via www. cartridgegreen.ie or instore.

Cartridge Green has established six stores in Dublin and Tipperary since it launched in September, and will open up to seven more by April 2008 with a further 20 coming online.

has also learned that US Secretary of the Depart- ment of Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff, was given a tour of the air- port earlier this month.

“The customs and border protec- tion investment is significant for the continuation of transatlantic serv- ices,’ said Mr Shanahan. “Shannon could be the first airport in Europe to have full US customs and immigra- tion in the airport itself. This means that any airline can fly directly from Shannon to any airport in America, which could make it very attractive for airlines wishing to use low-cost American airports.

‘We are ready to push the button on the pre-clearance situation but there are one or two minor issues to clar- ify. But once they are clarified, then we are ready to begin construction work on this.”

Mr Shanahan also confirmed that a major replacement route will not be in place when the Aer Lingus Shan-

non-Heathrow route finishes next year.

“There will not be a Heathrow serv- ice after January 14. We do and will continue to have flights into London. We are also in talks with a provider about the creation of a route to Lon-

don City Airport.

“Right now, Heathrow is beyond us. But if we can announce connectivity with another major European hub when the Aer Lingus routes pull out, then we will be okay. We have ad- vanced talks with Charles de Gaulle and are talking about other possible hubs also,” continued Mr Shanahan.

“We have been working hard with Aer Lingus to ensure that they main- tain their transatlantic link. We are also looking at introducing a winter season discount scheme to encour- age airlines to maintain their year- round service between Shannon and the US.”

The chairman of the Shannon Air- port Authority also commented that Shannon’s “tatty” image would be tackled once independence from the Dublin Airport Authority had been achieved and a debt-free start-up had been achieved for Shannon.

“There is an infrastructure deficit in Shannon Airport. Once an initial investment has been received, we feel that the airport will be able to self-fund its capital expenditure from then on out,’ he said.

‘We have assumed a debt-free air- port in our business plan which has been given a broad agreement from the Dublin Airport Authority. The time is right for segregation. The time has come for Shannon to be able to make decisions for itself.

‘Under the Shannon Authority, the airport has grown and is now a profit- able airport. It will remain a 100 per cent Government-owned company so terms and conditions for employ- ment will remain.”

The council members supported a motion to support moves from the Shannon Airport Authority to gain full independence from the Dublin Airport Authority.

STAFF and students at St Joseph’s Training Centre have been reflect- ing on another year of academic achievement.

Thirty students graduated from University College Cork with a di- ploma in youth & community studies. They completed the two-year course, which was facilitated by the National Association of Traveller Centres. The eraduation group was made up of members of the settled and Traveller community, among them two former students of St Joseph’s, Bernie Mc- Donagh and John Sweeney Jnr.

A spokesman for the centre said staff were delighted with the achieve-

ments of all those who graduated. “We are very proud of two of our ex-students who sailed through the course with flying colours. Bernie McDonagh and John Sweeney Jnr were down in Cork to receive their Diploma certificates.”

He added, *“The centre was delight- ed to be able to assist Bernie and John in their studies by providing some support hours for assignments and coursework projects.”

St Joseph’s Training Centre offered The Leaving Certificate Applied for the second time in September 2006.

Located in the Gort Road Industrial Estate, St Joseph’s training centre has developed over the years into a high- ly active and diverse learning envi-

ronment. While most of those who attend St Joseph’s are members of the Traveller community, this year’s crop of graduates included members of the settled community.

Fifteen members of the Traveller community are half-way through the second year of the two-year pro- gramme. The class group comprises of adult men and women and some teenage boys and girls.

The subjects covered include graphics and construction studies, craft and design, visual art, engineer- ing, social studies, hair and beauty, information and communication technology, Irish, mathematics and TSUN KoMCIRELO BL ote

Other programmes on offer include

a comprehensive array of FETAC courses, with one group of students aiming towards a full cert in FETAC Level 4. The coppercraft program at the centre is currently involved with the Cork City Museum making cop- per wall hangings that reflect the Traveller way of life and culture.

The centre enjoys close links with the Cork City Museum. Earlier this year a group from St Joseph’s gave a demonstration at the museum as part of the Cork Lifelong Learning Roeaye)

The spokesperson added, “We at St Joseph’s Training centre are proud of our links with the wider community and enjoy getting involved in local and national initiatives.”

THE number of house completions in County Clare for the first 10 months of this year are down almost 20 per cent on the corresponding period last year.

Figures from the Department of the Environment show that to the end of October, the number of house com- pletions in Clare totalled 1,825 down on the 2218 for the first ten months last year.

The drop of 393 in the number of house completions represents a 17 per cent drop on house completions last year.

The figures show that for the first three quarters of this year, house completions were down 20 per cent on last year.

The figures has shown that house building has slowed down through- out the year. In the first quarter, the number of house completions was 556, in the second quarter the number dropped to 539 and from July to Sep-

tember, the numbers dropped to 475.

Last year, house building in Clare reached a peak of 2,/27 completions and the annual total was steadily in- creasing since 2001.

The figures show that 1,487 homes were complete in 2001, in 2002, this rose to 1,466; in 2003, this rose to 1,679 and in 2004, this rose to 1,831 before reaching 2174 in 2005.

According to local auctioneer, Cor- mac O’Sullivan of DNG O’Sullivan Hurley said, “Much of the reason for the downturn in completions is increase in interest rates and uncer- tainty in the market.”

Mr O’Sullivan forecast that there may be a shortage of new homes around the Ennis area next year due to the drop in housing completions.

He added, “Some of the major sites being built by Keco Construction Ltd and Danny Devine Construc- tion have not seen any major hit in sales because they are producing an excellent product. Houses area being produced to a very high standard to a

very high specification.

“Developers that produced finished houses to a shabby standard two or three years ago are not getting away A 1H0 mlm DON ee sOKoe

Mr O’Sullivan described the move in last week’s Budget to reduce stamp duty as a good move. He said, “Any move that will save the purchaser money is a good change and this will have a positive impact on the hous- ing market. At the moment, there is excellent value in the second hand market.”

THE €1.4 million lands at the centre of a bitter family dispute in the Tulla area have failed to sell at public auc- nO)

However, leading auctioneer John de Courcy, who is handling the sale, said yesterday that he is confident that the land will be sold in the near future, stating, “There is plenty of in- terest and it will sell in due course.”

Mr de Courcy said that the lands didn’t sell at auction “due to the cur- rent climate and time of year”.

The lands at Larraroe and Ran- nagh, Tulla are being sold in five lots and include two ruins and an old resi- dence, with the lands having substan- tial road frontage.

The proposed sale was allowed to proceed after Judge Harvey Kenny ordered that Marie O’Halloran va- cate the 66 acres of farmland near

Tulla in response to an action from her sister-in law, Josephine Barry (72).

Mrs O’Halloran told Ennis Circuit Court that her late husband, Stanley O’ Halloran, reached a deal in the late 1970s with the owner of the farm, his late brother, Michael to purchase the lands for £65,000.

Mrs O’Halloran also told the court that Stanley paid different sums of cash over the years to Michael, who was a bachelor farmer. However,

counsel for Mrs O’ Halloran, Leonard Parker BL, admitted that no record of the agreement exists, nor has Mrs O’Halloran been able to recover any record of cheques paid by Stanley due to the time that has elapsed. Counsel for Mrs Barry, Gerry Kie- ly BL, said that Michael O’ Halloran died aged 64 in May 2004 intestate. Without a will being made, his farm was divided three ways, between his two sisters, Mrs Barry and Ida Ro-

han, and Stanley O’ Halloran.

Stanley died four months later aged 68 and his share passed onto his wife, Marie O’Halloran.

In his judgement, Judge Kenny granted possession of the lands to Mrs Barry, an injunction against Mrs O’Halloran from re-entering the lands, damages of €30,000 with a permanent stay if there is compliance with the order and that Mrs Barry be granted her costs.

WHEN Santa landed with his sleigh in Killaloe at the weekend he was on a mission to bring a smile to the faces of east Clare children and help a good cause to boot.

On Saturday and Sunday, the Con- vent Hill Shopping Centre’s Christ- mas grotto opened its doors so that youngsters could give Santa their wish lists and Santa could raise cash for the Clarecare Molua centre.

On hand to add to the fun were Silly Sally and Crazy Daisy, who entertained the youngsters with face

painting and balloon sculpting.

Adding a touch more festive spirit to the proceedings were the Clare- care Molua carol singers performing Christmas favourites.

Clarecare volunteers packed bags for hard-pressed shoppers and they also helped by bag-packing in Queal- ly’s SuperValu on both days.

Centre manager, John Cannon said that this is the second year they have built the outside Alpine grotto.

“We had it inside the first year but this was much better. There was a great atmosphere about the whole thing. Everyone loved it.”

The little wooden hut which be- comes Santa’s temporary home is donated each year by Galway man, Tim Clune.

“It’s perfect for Santa and it looks lovely when it’s all done up,’ said John.

Last year, the grotto was open through the week, but 80 per cent of Santa’s little visitors came at the weekend, so it was decided to make this year’s visit a three-day event.

The takings from the weekend have yet to be totted up but even the bad weather didn’t dampen the enthusi- asm of Santa’s little visitors.

“Last year, we totted up €1,500 for Clarecare and I would hope it would be at least that much again,” said John.

And whatever was bagged for the charity, Santa went away with a bag full of requests and left behind a bundle of promises for good boys Nee Mean U he