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A ROW is brewing over the post of- fice field after wildlife experts be- came the latest group to express con- cern over plans for the site.

The Clare Regional Game Council has expressed its opposition to plans to build a new state of the art public library in the centre of Ennis. Ac- cording to the Council, any develop- ment at the site would have a negative impact on the abundance of wildlife inhabiting it.

The proposed development in the Ennis Post Office field will incor- porate a new Public Library, Head- quarters, Local Studies Centre, per- formance arena, community meeting

facilities and a range of ancillary exhibition areas for Clare County L1- brary and the Clare Arts Office.

Council secretary, Jimmy Allard said the post office field is an impor- tant breeding ground for birds.

He said, “We are objecting to any building or development on any part of the field. We stopped a builder building a hotel there before. That field is a wildlife sanctuary, from there out to Doora. There are a lot of ducks and geese in the area where they want to build that use it to nest”.

One of Ireland’s most successful fishermen, Mr Allard is a three time All-Ireland fly fishing champion and international gold medal winner.

He was the first person to introduce ducks to the River Fergus at the post office field in 1990 and the popu- lation has thrived since. He fears though that construction work would damage the delicate eco-system that has developed in the field.

“The ducks hatch along the area Where they are proposing to build. There will be hatching boxes going in there in the spring. You couldn’t start building there. There are a lot of people in the town that aren’t happy with it. Everyone would like to see a new library in the town, but we feel that there is plenty of space on the present site that could be re-devel- oped”

Mr Allard said the Council is also

planning to call a public meeting to discuss the issue.

Last week Minster of State Tony Killeen announced the appointment of a project design team to explore the development of a three-story 45,000 sq ft library building and arts centre.

However members of the arts com- munity in Ennis have questioned the merit of the project given Ennis al- ready has two major arts and cultural venues in glor and the recently rede- veloped Cois na hAbhna.

Library and Council officials have said the need exists for a new library in Ennis and that re-development of the existing De Valera library site is unfeasible.

BELIEF, structure and organisa- tion were the predominant threads which emerged from the “Together, Raising the Banner’ camogie forum on Saturday. Held in the conference room of the Auburn Lodge Hotel and chaired by Sponsorship and Finance manager of the Camogie Associa- tion, Sinead O’Connor, the five hour seminar was the most ambitious and Open camogie discussion ever to take place in the county and boasted a distinguished and legendary line-up from the GAA and camogie world. First to address the large attend-

ence was secretary of the Clare county board, Pat Fitzgerald who outlined the need for camogie to regularly interact and communicate with all county boards in Clare in order to ensure fixtures can be ar- ranged smoothly. The Sixmiulebri- dge man also stressed that equitable competition was needed along with a firm fixture list and that fairness was a priority when dealing with clubs across the county.

Trust, belief and honesty was Cyril Farrell’s advise to Clare camogie. Speaking openly about his past ex- periences as manager of both the Galway senior hurling team who won two All-Irelands under his leadership as well as the St Raphel’s schools camogie side who captured eight All-Ireland Senior A camogie championship titles, the current RTE pundit entertained the crowd with stories and guidance emphasising the need to find the right blend of tactics suitable for the team in order to pro- duce the best results.

Former All-Ireland winning player and manager Donal O’Grady high- lighted the importance of the role of the coach and manager in manufac- turing successful teams and advised the use of a liason officer to ease the burden placed on current managers in the modern game.

After a break, the forum then switched to the past experiences of currnet players and managers in cam- ogie and GAA. Dual Cork player and director of camogie Mary O’Connor spoke about what ingredients are

necessary to become an inter-county player while also dwelling on her background as a dual inter-county player which is particularly relevant to the current crop of Clare players. Five time All-Ireland winner Emily Hayden compared Tipperary’s rise through the ranks to Clare’s present situation while current All-Ireland winning Wexford manager Stella Sinnott spoke of Wexford’s march to the title this year after several fruit- TASS (ore Dace

Former Clare player Seanie McMa- hon drew upon his experience with the Clare senior hurling team while Catherine O’Loughlin and organiser Deirdre Murphy spoke of Clare cam- ogie’s immediate future and provided suggestions for the progression of the game in Clare.

The closing address was provided by the President of the Camogie As- sociation, Liz Howard who along with summarising the main points of the seminar, highlighted that or- ganisation and belief were key to success and reiterated Seanie McMa- hon’s statement that if the county is to move forward that everything has to take a back seat to the Clare team winning. A fitting end to an original and successful venture and more improtantly, major food for thought ahead of the Clare camogie AGM in mid December.

US TRIPS from North America to Ireland show a drop for the second month in a row, sounding alarm bells for Shannon Airport in the aftermath of Open Skies.

Figures for September show a drop of 8,900 in the number of trips from North American to Ireland. The Au- gust figures showed a drop of 4,100 such trips.

Fine Gael TD, Pat Breen has warned that this fall-off in visitors from North America this September, compared to the same period the pre- vious year, Should sound alarm bells for Government and for Tourism Ire-

land.

“It is not sustainable to have a trend of decreasing trips from the impor- tant North American market,’ he said. *“These individual figures come in the context of slowing growth in the number of overseas visitors to Ireland. Comparing year to date fig- ures, numbers of overseas visitors erew by 2.8 per cent in 2004, by five per cent in 2005 and 11.2 per cent in 2006. But the level of growth has dropped back to 4.1 per cent so far in 2007. This is becoming a trend and one which we must arrest,” he said.

“CSO figures relate to the number of trips only and do not address other industry concerns about declining

length of stay and average spend, as well as the regional imbalance in vis- itor spread. Figures for the summer of 2008 indicate that transatlantic seat sales into Shannon from North America are projected at 355,226 another significant drop. Yet no Gov- ernment initiatives have been put in place and promises and guarantees given have been reneged upon.

“The previous Minister for Trans- port Martin Cullen told us that he had sought and received guarantees that Aer Lingus would deliver 400,000 passengers post Open Skies. Shan- non Airport will be the real loser if yet another Government promise is broken,” he said.

SOMEWHERE out there could be the next Roddy Doyle or Enda O’Brien and, if you think you have even a spark of that kind of genius, then the Killaloe writers workshop is the place for you.

Just started up again after a sum- mer break and now in a new location at the Family Resource Centre, the free and friendly workshop sessions are open to writers of every experi- ence and none.

On the third Tuesday of each month, the group meets between

Spm and |lOpm to read, exchange views and opinions, offer construc- tive criticism, advice and pool in- formation in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere.

“People are very welcome to come along and just have a listen and see what’s going on initially but we would hope in the end that every- one would have a go and read their work,” said Mike Durack, one of the founder members of the group since ie

The evenings feature short stories, poetry, works in progress, magazine articles and writings for radio.

“We have people who have been published in magazines or featured on radio and people who are just starting to write but everyone can learn something,’ said Mike.

Numbers in the group vary and there are currently up to eight people attending.

As well as reading and making sug- gestions to improve writing skills, the group shares experiences on the best styles for different disciplines as well as contacts and methods of get- ting published or broadcast.

“We are open to every level of ex- perience and any suggestions made

are made in a friendly way that will encourage people so there’s no need to worry.”

The evenings give fledgling writ- ers a chance to share their work in a sympathetic environment and new- comers to the art blossom under the encouragement and constructive ad- vice given by the more experienced scribes.

Anyone interested in taking part in the workshops should contact Mike at 087 7810577 or Sean O’ Donohue on 061 375384.

Alternatively, just come along on the night.

THE Munster Rugby Supporters Club and An Post are carrying out separate probes in to the apparent disappearance of around 300 tickets for last Sunday’s Heineken Cup clash between Munster and Clermont Au- vergne at Thomond Park in Limer- ae

The club had to cancel and reissue the tickets when as many as 10% of tickets dispatched to members were not delivered. The club received its ticket allocation on Friday Novem- ber 9 and posted the tickets to almost

3,000 members on the same day.

Late last week however, when their tickets had not arrived by post, con- cerned members began contacting the club’s Cork office prompting an immediate investigation of the mat- ae

In an email to members last Thurs- day, the MRSC said, “Following concerns earlier this week, we had hoped that tickets would be delivered later in the week but that does not ap- pear to be the case. An Post has been contacted and the concerns of the club regarding delivery have been expressed.”

A meeting took place in Cork early on Friday morning to finalise details for the cancellation of the estimated 300 original tickets and the re-issuing and collection of replacement tickets prior to Sunday’s game at Thomond Park which, although still under re- construction, had been passed to ac- commodate 12,000 fans. Extra staff were also drafted in deal with phone calls from concerned members.

Members were then asked to col- lect their tickets at Musgrave Park in Cork or at the Munster Rugby Store on Sunday morning. Some fans had to queue for up to an hour in O’ Con-

nell St in Limerick and some still did not receive tickets in time for the game which Munster won 36-13.

The MRSC was unwilling to com- ment any further on the issue in the absence of the full facts but it is known that on Friday staff retraced their steps on the day the tickets were dispatched in an effort to locate the tickets.

Several people who had not been in a position to check their emails dur- ing the week were not aware of the problem and were too late applying for replacement tickets.

An Post has confirmed that all the

items posted by the Munster Rugby Supporters Club last week were processed for immediate delivery. “A thorough investigation was initiated following a call to a local Cork de- livery office Thursday afternoon and a senior An Post manager worked closely with the customer concerned. Everything we received, we deliv- ered’, a spokesman said.

In a follow up email to members, the MRSC said, “We wish to thank members for their co-operation in this matter and assure you we are looking into the matter in conjunc- tion with An Post.”

SHANNON-based internet security firm RSA Security Ireland Ltd re- corded a profit before tax of €17.6 million last year.

The company had a turnover of $145 million. an increase on its $120 million turnover in 2005.

RSA employs 43 people with 31 employed in production and 12 in administration with staff costs com- Pac KO MMM seb NEE(OyIe

The company was acquired by EMC Corporation on 15 September PAU eroy

According to a statement accom- panying the accounts, “the principal activity of the company is the manu-

facture, licensing and sale of elec- tronic security solutions”.

Turnover for the year shows an in- crease of 20 per cent over the pre- vious year and this together with reduced overhead costs contributed to a year on year increase in profit before tax of 20 per cent.

Profit before taxation was $17.6 million for the year. At 31 December 2006, the balance sheet indicates a sound financial standing with share- holders funds of $16,664,869 and cash reserves of $57.78 million.

The directors believe that future total revenue will be influenced by a number of major factors: as new, lower cost remote access technolo- gies become available and as em-

ployment rates increase.

The statement adds: “We believe that governmental regulations re- garding the access to and distribu- tion of private information will drive demand for the company’s products.

“We believe that as national govern- ments proceed with increased aware- ness and funding of cybersecurity issues and focus on e-security, the company may benefit with increased revenue.

“However, information technology budgets continue to be constrained, and the continued uncertainty in the economy and global affairs may af- fect revenue generated from the sales of products in future quarters,’ the company states.

“OH what a beautiful morning.” No, we’re not talking about a clear winter’s day in Clare but one of the well known songs from ‘Oklahoma’ which is this year’s presentation from the East Clare Musical Society.

Now in their third year of musical production after their ‘Joseph And His Amazing Dreamcoat’ in 2005 and the hilarious musical extrava- ganza ‘God Bless Archie Dean’ in 2006, ‘Oklahoma’ will be performed by the East Clare Musical Society from December 13 to 16.

Set in the early 20th century, ‘Okla- homa!’ tells the story of a boisterous and hard Aunt Eller (Niamh Murphy) who is seated outside her house when the debonair Curley played by Paul Connery call’s by singing, “Oh what a beautiful morning.”

Curley is in top form as he 1s ask- ing Aunt Eller’s niece Laurie (Imelda Flannery) to the box social. Love-ri- val Will Parker is played by Michael Tuohy and Judge Carnes by Peader McMahon. Ado Annie is played by Louise O’Connor and Persian ped- dler Ali Hakin by John Moloney. Moody farmhand Jud is played by

Tim Landers.

The show is produced and choreo- graphed by Tim Landers and assisted by Aifric Devane and the music di- rector is Johnny O’Brien.

People came from all over east Clare last year to take part in the mu- sical society’s production and it was their proud boast that almost every village and area was represented in some way.

“This year, we have many new members of the society. It is tremen- dous that we have representatives from Norway, Denmark, Spain, Ger- many, Scotland and from many more

parishes stretching form Killaloe to Gurteeny in County Galway.

“We wish all our newcomers many enjoyable nights of rehearsing, cama- raderie, laughs and moments of seri- ousness and success to all involved in the production,” a spokesman for the society said.

Tickets for the show will go on sale from November 24 in Centra, Scariff and at the door subject to availabil- ity. The venue is Scariff Community College, doors opening at 7.15pm and show starting at 8pm sharp.

Due to unprecedented popularity it is advisable to book early.

AN elderly Ennis man charged with sexually assaulting a neighbour over a three-year period has been cleared of the charges by a jury.

The man was before Ennis Circuit Court last week facing 19 charges of sex assault on dates between March 1975 and May 1978.

The alleged victim was aged be- tween 12 and 15 years at the time and said she had been assaulted by the accused when sent to his house on various messages.

The court heard evidence that the accused was alleged to have touched

the then teenager on her breast and private parts and to have shown her pornographic pictures on playing cards and in magazines. He was also alleged to have shown her a photo of himself naked, taken in his bedroom with an instamatic camera.

The accused had pleaded not guilty to all charges. The jury heard that the alleged victim made a complaint about the accused on Christmas Day, 25 years after she claimed the as- saults had started.

The jury of nine men and three women cleared the man of all charg- es after deliberating for almost four hours.

THE chief executive of Clare FM last night moved to dampen local speculation that the station is being sold to Radio Kerry for a reported €7-8 million.

It is understood that the board of Clare FM has agreed in principle to the sale to Radio Kerry and it is ex- pected that the sale will be finalised in the New Year.

The proposed sale will result in minor windfalls for the hundreds of small shareholders across Clare who invested in the station 15 years ago as a result of a share drive.

However, Liam O’Shea yesterday dismissed reports of a sale to Radio

Kerry as “pure speculation”, adding that he found the query on the matter “very surprising’.

He added, “Given the industry we are in, and our size, our future strat- egy must always be open. However, this year is no different to any other year.

“IT am always getting enquiries in relation to selling and, in fact, I have also made one or two inquiries my- self in relation to acquiring another radio station. There will always be speculation in this industry.”

In a second email yesterday, Mr O’Shea said, “I can categorically state that Clare FM has not been sold to anybody. ”

Radio Kerry yesterday failed to re-

spond to a query on the reported sale. The move comes against the back- eround of growing profits and listen- ership for Clare FM, which scooped a recent national news award.

The annual returns for 2006 show that the company increased its an- nual profit before tax to €240,000 on a turnover of €1.9 million, making it an attractive target for a takeover. The profit achieved last year results in accumulated profits of €694,000, while its most recent JNLR radio survey showed a four per cent in- crease in market share.

Mr O’Shea said, “I am broadly sat- isfied we have maintained our profit- ability… We are pleased with the fig- ures, as we Set out 12 months ago to

increase our weekday market share. We have seen a healthy four per cent increase on this figure over this pe- riod. Our weekend figures have also increased.”

Asked to comment yesterday on the reported sale, the founding chief ex- ecutive of Clare FM, Caimin Jones, said, “If the story is true, it is to be welcomed for two reasons, the first being Clare FM and Radio Kerry have similar broadcasting objectives in having a strong connection to the community and a strong cultural identity with the community.”

Mr Jones said, “I would also wel- come the sale in that it will give a re- turn to the many people who invested in the station in 1992.”

SCARIFF is the location this week for film, art, drama, poetry, music and thought-provoking photography on the theme of human rights.

One World Week (OWW) is an international initiative to provide space for people from diverse back- grounds to learn about global justice, to spread that learning and to use it to challenge inequality, discrimina- tion and degradation, locally and globally.

Last year during this week, Fish- bowl Youth worked with the theme of HIV/AIDS and this year, the club has organised a host of events on the theme of power and justice which

will appeal to all ages to mark the Neto)

With the help of five European vol- unteers, Fishbowl are organising the ‘Cornered’ Human Rights and Arts Festival in Scariff.

Over the past six weeks they have given workshops at Youth Reach, The Alfa Project, Mercy College Wood- ford, EMC Youth Club, and Scariff Community College, the results will be displayed during the festival.

From November 19 to 25, young local artists will have their work ex- hibited at Fishbowl Youth club and the Market House. Photos by Sophie Breuker, taken in South Africa and Turkey will be exhibited in main street shop windows while Brian and

Joe’s Coffee Shop will host Katie Moore’s photos of Nigeria.

At Youth Reach, visitors can come face to face with a thought-provok- ing collection of photos of Israel and Palestine and Philip Daly’s inspiring pictures of “Burma Action Ireland” will be exhibited at the new Scariff Public Library.

Anyone interested can try their tal- ent at the drumming workshops, get information about the work of Am- nesty International, hear local musi- cians play, or explore human rights through the living statues of Fish- bowl Youth.

During the weekend there will be presentations on Fair Trade, and there will be two workshops or the

‘Breaking through the Wall’ work- shop in Youth.

There will be a number of short movies, relating to the issue of Hu- man Rights, Ruaille-Buaille dance night and The Acoustic Music evening in a cafe style setting.

Not forgetting the younger ones, on Sunday the ALFA Project’s students will present a puppet-show of “Vasil- issa the beautiful”.

Everyone interested is welcome to the grand opening with music, poet- ry and refreshments at the new pub- lic library on the Thursday at 6pm when Deputy Timmy Dooley will officially open the event with Elean- or Feeley, Youth Theatre Officer, in attendance.