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A YOUNG Clooney athlete’s vi- brant smile will light up the stage this weekend, when she receives a Clare Community Games All-Star.

12-year-old Aisling Corbett struck gold in handball at the Community Games in Mosney, during the sum- mer. She was on the Clooney/Quin team of five, which scooped the prestigious accolades, in the under- 13 category.

Aisling’s all-round enthusiasm for sport will see her winning her first All-Star and is eagerly anticipating the awards night.

“IT am excited, definitely. I will probably be nervous on Friday night though, as loads of my friends are coming,’ said Aisling, who referred to her gold medal win as “class”.

The award for handball 1s particu- larly pleasing, given that she just started playing the sport three years

ago. She regularly plays at the local handball alley in Clooney.

She is also a keen competitor in camogie, ladies football and run- ning, while off the sportsfield she en- joys playing the piano and fiddle.

She plays under-14, under-16 and minor camogie with Clooney/Quin, while she played with the local un- der-12 hurling team this year.

She also plays soccer, ladies foot- ball and camogie with St Flannan’s College, Ennis, where she is a first year student.

So busy is Aisling that she rarely has a free evening. Her proud mum Yvonne is her ‘taxi driver’, ferry- ing her around to the various sports events.

Yvonne says Aisling has been a keen sporting enthusiast since the age of just seven.

“She started playing football and camogie at the age of seven. She still plays and loves all sports. She loves

team sports. Aisling would be very sociable and outgoing. She always goes out and plays really hard for her team. She is very determined and is always willing to play,” she said.

Sport is a dominant feature in the Corbett family. Her father John is a keen GAA enthusiast and trains vari- ous teams. Her sister Saidhbhe (13) and brother Tadhg (11) also enjoy playing sport, while her younger sis- ter Roisin (6) has just started gym- ERO Leh

Aisling is one of 22 young athletes from the Shannon region who will honoured at the Community Games awards next Friday night.

The others are Orlaith Duggan, Clooney/Quin, (athletics); Thomas Dineen, Shannon (basketball); Laura McMahon, Newmarket-on-Fergus (camogie); James Danagher, Shan- non (chess); Karl Fitzmaurice, Shan- non (chess); Kelly Finnegan, Sixmi- lebridge. Kilmurry (culture corner);

Paula Loughnane, Quin/Clooney (cycling); Daniel Clair, Shannon (football); Naomi Lorrigan, Quin/ Clooney (handball); Keith Hogan, Quin/Clooney (olympic handball); Cormac O’Neill, Cratloe (tennis); Conor Cahill, Sixmuilebridge/Kil- murry (hurling); Jason O’Leary, Quin/Clooney (pitch and putt); Ciara Hallissey, Cratloe (rounders), Chloe Wars Ssixmuilebridge/Kilmurry (rounders); Noel Purcell, Sixmile- bridge/Kilmurry (rounders); Toni Lagan, Shannon (soccer); Daire Kel- ly, Quin/Clooney (indoor soccer); Eimear Wolfe, Sixmilebridge/Kil- murry (Swimming); Shauna Kerin, Sixmilebrige/Kilmurry (variety) and Stephen O’Dea, Sixmilebridge/Kil- murry (variety).

FARMERS from all over the county began last week to benefit from ad- vanced payments under the 2007 Single Payment Scheme.

Nationwide some €533 million, representing a 50 per cent advanced payment, was made available to farmers from last Tuesday.

“T am particularly pleased that these payments, worth in excess of €533 million, have begun issuing today to some 113,500 farmers,” said the Minister for Agriculture and Food, Mary Coughlan.

The payments are being made six weeks earlier than would otherwise be the case as a result of the success- ful outcome of her request to Com-

missioner Fischer Boel for an ad- vance payment in 2007 in response to the bad weather situation over the summer and the resultant farmer cash flow needs.

Minister Coughlan confirmed that advance payments would continue issuing up until November 30, with balancing payments issuing from | DY—fersia loro an

“While payments will continue to issue as individual cases become clear, | would again urge anybody who has received correspondence from my department highlighting problems in relation to their appli- cation, to respond without delay as, by doing so, these cases can then be processed to finality and payments issued,’ she continued.

“To date, over €231 million has been paid out under DAS, to about 94,000 farmers. DAS payments con- tinue to issue as cases are cleared and again, I urge farmers to respond to outstanding correspondence.

“In order to facilitate those farm- ers with specific queries relating to their SPS/DAS payments, I have had dedicated Lo-call numbers allocated in my department.”

Clare and Limerick farmers who wish to learn more should call KORY Perma evi Comm Or-U Asch ams eD we oes ers should call 1890 200502 and Tipperary farmers should call 1890 pm) e728

Meanwhile, Mary Coughlan has announced changes to the REPS sys- tem which she claims will make it

easier for farmers to move to REPS 4. Coughlan has confirmed that REPS 3 farmers who want to switch over to REPS 4 will now have two months after their anniversary dates to submit REPS 4 plans.

Up to now, farmers moving over to REPS 4 before their existing con- tracts were finished would have had to get their REPS 4 applications in before their anniversary dates.

“Getting the Commission to clear REPS 4 took a bit longer than we had hoped. So it was early August before I could launch the new scheme. At that stage we still had to finalise all the documentation, and much work had to be done to update the REPS system which planners use to pre- pare the maps,” she said.

RESIDENTS living close to a dan- gerous bend in Kilmurry are infuri- ated that Clare County Council is not making funds available for the provi- sion of footpaths in the locality.

At an area meeting of Clare County Council last week, Cllr John Crowe suggested that footpaths in Kilmurry eTom KALA Le0 8

Executive Engineer with the coun- cil, Michael Healy’s response was simple. He pointed out that the funds were not available. “At present, Clare County Council is not in a position to provide additional footpaths in Kil- murry village,” he said.

He pointed out that his estimate for providing 330 metres of a two-me-

tre wide footpath between Neenan’s grocery shop and the entrance to the housing estate on the regional R462 would be almost €70,000.

The estimated cost of a footpath, with associated lighting along the Kilmurry to Enagh road, would be €53,750.

‘The only finance available to con- struct footpaths in Kilmurry is un- der the Discretionary Improvement Grant. In 2007, the total allocation for maintenance and provision of footpaths under this grant for the whole of the Shannon electoral area was €55,000. This money is being spent in heavily populated areas such as Shannon, Sixmilebridge and New- market-on-Fergus, where the need is greatest. Iam unable to provide foot-

paths in Kilmurry because the funds are simply unavailable.”

He went on to say that the “limited” funds available to him for footpaths will go towards Shannon, Newmar- ket-on-Fergus and Sixmilebridge, for the foreseeable future.

Local resident, Mairead Guest, who lives close to a notoriously danger- ous bend on the road, is angered by what she says is the council’s neglect of Kilmurry.

“Tam very annoyed. We are forgot- ten about. How come it is going to cost €100,000 to put footpaths in place?

“We were hoping for something. We organised a petition last year, but still nothing is being done. It will just take somebody to be killed be-

fore they do anything.

“When they are collecting money, we are included in the Sixmilebridge area, but when there is money being spent, we are always left out,’ said Ms Guest.

A year ago, Ms Guest expressed her concerns about the dangers of a bend, close to her home.

While the council has put danger signs in place, she remains unhappy with the situation.

“Signs were put up and already one has been damaged. We still hear the screeches of brakes there at night. The road has been widened coming up to my house and that has made everything faster coming into the bend. It is worse than it had been previously,” she said.

that the group feels that Aer Lingus has been in breech of European leg- islation namely article 95/93.

The group have pointed to a section of the 1993 regulation which says that “slots may be freely exchanged between air carriers from one route or type of service to another, by mu- tual agreement or as a result of a total or partial take-over or unilaterally.” This is called “flexibility mecha- Tbh ee Mae

The regulation goes on to clarify that the use of flexibility 1s limited

and cannot be used for slots to routes considered “vital” for the economic development of the region where the airport is located. Mr Geraghty said the group would also be asking if any impact study of the region had been done by the airline.

“We will also ask if the grandfather rights follow the route of the airline,” he said.

The group will ask the European public representatives if a mediator can be ap- pointed to help re- solve the difficulty at Shannon.

“We will be telling them that last year the Irish government owned the company

which holds he Irish airports slots to health. It sold 75 per cent of this company holding 25 per cent for strategic interest. The company is not trying to remove the route on one hand while the government is can- vassing support for a new company to acquire new slots from the very same co-ordinated airport on the other,’ he said.

THIRTY FIVE years of music and dance were celebrated Friday night When musicians and singers from across Clare gathered in Fahy Hall.

A cornerstone of traditional Irish music and culture, Fahy Hall has been home to the Doora Barefield of Comhaltas Ceolteoiri Eireann since PA

Before eventually settling on Fahy Hall, the first meeting of the branch was held in the old parochial house of the Greengrove in Roslevan. After that the branch led a sort of nomadic existence, meeting up in different houses in the local area.

The branch then moved up to Bob-

by Kennedy’s house on the Tulla Road and from there to Scanlon’s near Gaurus Mills.

In the late 70s the decision was taken that the branch should look for a permanent home. Colm Fahy, a member of the Branch, very kindly donated the site for the hall, and it has been home to the Doora Bare- field branch ever since, becoming a focal point in the community in the ROSE

Members of the branch together with friends and neighbours built the hall on a voluntary basis.

Frank Custy, who was then County Chairman gave the branch great en- couragement and funds were raised through ceils in Toonagh hall, a sil-

ver circle, raffles, sales of work etc.

The County Council also gave a grant towards the hall. Music and set dancing classes and sesiuins were the main activities in the hall in the early years with the Youth Club and step dancing classes coming on stream later on.

The hall has also been ussed for Saturday evening mass for some years now.

The first officers of the branch were chairman Lot O’Halloran, sec- retary Mary McNamara, treasurer Phil Nugent. Of the original mem- bers involved when the branch was established, three are still involved today, Mary O’Halloran and Joe and Mary Keary. The present officers of

the branch are chairman John Ly- ons, secretary Clare Deloughrey and treasurer Marjorie Molloy.

Friday night saw many former members and friends reunite and re- mains about the craic had at all the ceilis and sesiuns down the years.

The bill contained some of the best known singers and musicians in Clare. Those taking part includ- ed Tara Breen, Christy McNamara, Paddy Canny with his grandchildren and Denis Liddy’s ul5 ceili who came second at the All-Ireland in Tullamore.

Singers included Joe Keary and Michael O’Brien. The occasion was presided over by MC for the night Joe Queally.

tribute to ‘the greatest goalman that ever clutched a ball’ has that affect on Tulla folk.

There was much more of the same near Dr Daly’s windswept hill on Sunday night, on the grand stage erected for the occasion of Tulla’s triumphant homecoming opposite

Corbett’s Menswear.

All because in wake of Tulla’s historic re-emergence as a hurling force, Karl Quinn took the micro- phone and pelted out

MORE than 11 per cent has been wiped off the value of four-bedroom homes in Clare since June, according to fresh data released this week.

According to results released by property website Daft.ie, the aver- age asking price for four-bedroom houses in the county has plummeted from €375,000 in the second quarter of 2007 to just €332,000 in July, Au- gust and September. The same survey revealed that the average asking price for two-bedroom houses in Clare has dropped from €231,000 to €221,000 while three-bedroom houses have dropped by €6,000 on average.

It was not all bad news for Clare home-owners this week, however, as a survey released by rival property website, MyHome.ie, revealed that

the asking prices for larger houses in the county (four-bedroom detached and larger) actually increased by more than half a percent.

‘These surveys can be misleading as they are based on asking prices and we all know that there can be a big change between asking prices and what people actually get,’ said Samantha Coote of Philip O’Reilly Property Partners in Ennis.

‘First-time buyers in Clare are see- ing so much conflicting information that a lot of them are sitting on the bench. They are so confused with the situation that they are sitting back and waiting to see what happens.

“The market is currently stagnant in Clare but as interest rates continue to stabilise, we would be expecting thing to pick up again from April or May of next year.”

THE fifth annual sponsored slim-in in aid of orphans in Belarus will be launched in Ennis this week.

This unique fundraiser invites participants to lose weight over an eight -week period, from October 24 to December 12, in order to raise money for a Belarussian orphanage. The event will be launched at the West County Hotel.

Anyone looking to take up the challenge can raise money from sponsorship cards by agreeing to lose a certain amount of weight over the eight-week period.

Around 40 people take part each year and organisers are hoping to build on that number for this year’s event. A guest speaker will address participants each week on a wide range of topics including health is- sues, beauty and alternative rem- re Behe

All funds raised from previous events have gone directly towards improving the living conditions of children living in orphanages in BYor-VabESE

The money raised this year will be brought directly to Belarus by mem- bers of the Chernobyl Orphanage Development Programme.

A spokesperson for the organisa- tion urged people to get involved SUNN Noon O01

“These children have no parents and live in appalling conditions, so let’s show them we care,” she said.

The group will also spread Christ- mas cheer by taking Santa to chil- dren who have nothing.

The efforts of the Chernobyl Or- phanage Development Programme is targeted at the 13,000 orphans who live in 57 orphanages across Belarus, often without access to even basic facilities such as toilets or showers.

Most recently, the programme has taken on the redevelopment of

Besangovichi Orphanage in the north of the country. The orphanage, which is in the worst condition of any in the country, is home to 164 children with special needs.

Having already replaced the beds and furniture, restocked the medi- cal clinic and library, renovated the laundry and put in a new playground, the programme 1s hoping to put a new roof on the orphanage. This project will cost up to £100,000.

People are urged to get their friends involved with the slim-in or seek sponsorship from pubs and clubs.

For more information, contact Mary on 087 6438764.

A STRANGE, tough day for Stephen Cunningham and he says as much as he wheels away from a small knot of Crusheen men as Tulla captain Michael Murphy is about to put his paws all over the Canon Hamilton.

Cunningham turns his back to the stand and runs his mind over the past 60 minutes of hurling. Still hard to stomach. Still impossible to explain.

“You’d have thought the experience of the past couple of years would have drove us over the line at the end,” he says. “Because we were hungry for it. Nobody knows how hungry we were. I just can’t put my finger on why we lost today. There’s something else missing and that’s what we’ve got to find out.”

Straight, honest answers. It’s just over five minutes since the final whis- tle shrilled across the park and the game is still fresh in Cunningham’s head, still waiting to be digested.

“You can look at it any way you

like, but today just wasn’t our day. It belonged to Tulla and we’re the ones who’ll have to live with that. Get- ting to a final is all fine, but today isn’t about losers. A final isn’t good enough for Crusheen any more. We

need to win one. We’ve got to win one. Ah, we’ve been knocking on the door, putting in the hard work, coming close and other management teams have done as well. But this is heartbreak. The lads put in a great

effort and everything but today is about winners. Nothing else.”

High up on the stand, Murphy is holding the cup over his head now and Cunningham allows himself a gaze towards the podium.

“In fairness to Tulla you have to hand it to them. They were a hungry team. We missed some frees – some of them weren’t easy – but we did have a few wides and they cost us. You need to get those. Most other days they were going over for us but today, they just didn’t.”

And at the break, when the game looked like it was moulded for Crusheen, did his team believe they could create history?

“Of course. During half-time we reckoned we were in good shape and wed come back out and try to push forward. It didn’t work out. We knew wed be up against it, but we believed wed do it. The early goal, the wides. They all add up.”

He turns and walks back to the gathering of Crusheen men. A small waterhole of understanding among an ocean of Tulla delight.

SIXTEEN General Practitioners in Clare were among the 600 nationally that received more than €240,000 through the Primary Care Reim- bursement Service (PCRS).

The fees paid by the HSE include medical card fees and separate fund- ing provided for practice support de- velopment.

Practice support usually includes a practice secretary or practice nurse.

As many as six Clare GPs received more than €240,000 in medical card Koro DLO) se

There were no doctors in Clare among the 18 nationally that received more than half a million euro under the scheme.

These figures are only representa- tive of the fees received under the public health schemes and do not include, for example, the earnings receiving by GPs through their pri- vate/retail concerns.

Dentists in Clare were also among the top earners in the country under the Government scheme, although their payments did not reach that of their GP colleagues.

Just two dentists in Clare received more than €100,000 under PCRS.

The Primary Care Reimbursement Service makes payments to primary care contractors (general practition- ers, pharmacists, dentists and op- tometrists/ophthalmologists) | who have contracts with the Health Serv- ice Executive to provide services to medical cardholders.

In addition, the Primary Care Re-

imbursement Service also reimburs- es the primary care contractors for services provided to other eligible re- cipients under a variety of commun1- ty drug schemes including the Drugs Payment Scheme, the Long Term IIIness Scheme, the Dental Treat- ment Services Scheme, the Primary Childhood Immunisation Scheme, the High Tech Drugs Scheme, the Methadone Treatment Scheme and the Community Ophthalmic Serv- ices Scheme.

Publishing the 2006 PCRS Over- view, the HSE confirmed that a total of €2.07bn had been paid in 2006, representing an increase of €194m new Olo

Over 160,000 more people were entitled to benefits under the vari- ous schemes in 2006 compared with PAU Oey

There are now over 2.91 million people registered as eligible for ben- efit under the GMS (Medical Card) Scheme, the Drugs Payment Scheme, the Long Term [lIness Scheme, the Dental Treatment Services Scheme, the Community Ophthalmic Serv- ices Schemes and GP Visit Cards in paul eres

This compares with 2.74 million eligible in 2005.