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A DEMAND for fancy dress out- fits has prompted a Shannon man to grow his business and double the number of staff employed.

Shannon businessman James Sex- ton has just expanded his business and has moved into a new unit in Smithstown.

He had previously been based at Drumgeely and has now moved to a two-storey unit, Entertainment House, in Smithstown. He had em- ployed two staff, but has now added three staff to the books.

The first floor of the new office

consists of a costume shop and fancy dress outlet, while the kids entertain- ment section and the James Sexton Corporate Entertainment offices are located upstairs.

The corporate entertainment busi- ness is centered around different theme nights and is based across the country. This part of the business has been operational for the past six years and sees Mr Sexton and his staff travelling the length and breadth of the country.

“T was doing well with the business and decided to get more involved in the costume side of things. I had the costumes so I decided to buy the unit

and put them all in. I have a wide range of kiddies’ costumes,” he said.

He decided to open the new busi- ness in response to demand from the public.

‘There is a need for this. To make the whole business work, you have to travel nationally,” he said.

Mr Sexton and his staff provide a significant proportion of their enter- tainment in Clare, Galway and Lim- ele.e

Earlier this year, James set up his own franchise, www.kidspartyclub. ie. He has sold four franchises across the country and intends to continue to sell the franchises.

Under the franchise, he provides equipment and pre-recorded shows to set up kids party clubs, all over the country.

He is looking forward to the future, in business.

“It is going from strength to strength,” he said.

WITH Bluetongue and Foot and Mouth still a very real risk for Irish farmers, the focus this week turned to the tillage sector, with the discov- ery of Brown Rot in potatoes grown HOMO UKMOCOLUNNIB MYA

Brown Rot is caused by the bacte- rium Ralstonia Solanacearum and results in yield losses in host plants and the rotting of tubers.

The disease poses no risk to human or animal health and was initially detected in water samples taken as part of the Department of Agricul- ture’s routine control programme at a potato packing premises and traced back to a farmer supplier.

All potato stocks on the farm were sampled and, to date, there is one confirmed positive. In addition, re- lated potato samples from two other potato packing plants have been con- firmed positive.

Holding notices have been issued to the grower and the packers involved to prevent movement of potentially infected stocks. All stocks have been isolated under department supervi- sion pending the taking of the appro- priate disposal action.

The normal source of infection for Brown Rot is infected seed or through infected water.

As part of the further investiga- tion, extensive sampling and testing by the department of possible linked

sources of infection is on-going. Meanwhile, the IFA has called for a firmer focus to be put on Bluetongue and Foot and Mouth by the Depart- ment of Agriculture.

“The source of this outbreak of Bluetongue in northern Europe last August remains unknown. However, one possibility being examined by the EU Commission is the transportation of infected midges in cargos which arrived in or around the Maastricht area before the first reported case,’ said Irish Farmers’ Association Pres- ident, Padraig Walshe.

“As Ireland’s island location 1s fur- ther north and west in the Atlantic, it provides a potential barrier that the Department of Agriculture must

actively harness in a determined strategy to keep this country Blue- tongue free. Keeping Ireland Blue- tongue free is a huge prize for the livestock industry that the minister must strive for.”

As the prevailing winds from an easterly and south-easterly direction account for less than 25 per cent of the winds recorded, this significantly reduces the risk of wind borne spread of the disease to Ireland.

Mr Walshe called for the reinforce- ment of FMD precautions and said the list of banned products should be extended to cover products carrying higher risks, including livestock feed such as hay and straw from Britain as well as used farm machinery.

A HURLING referee based in Quin has a unique way of unwinding af- ter games – drawing cartoons of im- ages which catch his attention, on the jCoAKen

Bernard Dowd is a keen GAA en- thusiast and is a very talented car- toon artist. He combines his love of sport with his expertise with the pen, to draw comical images of interest- ing personnel involved in GAA in the county.

Some of his GAA artwork 1s cur- rently on display at the Michael Cu- sack GAA centre in Carron. He ex- plains the background to his work.

‘Referees are under pressure. GAA is very serious. For some people, gaelic sports are no longer just a hob- by or a leisure activity. For many it 1s the competitive element that matters. It is all about unwinding,” said Mr Dowd, who hails from the hurling stronghold of Thurles.

‘There is always pressure on the ref- eree. He gets it from both sides. The referee 1s always wrong,” laughed Mr Dowd, who has been refereeing for the past seven years.

“At a lot of matches, you wouldn’t bring your Own umpires and you pick umpires from both sides. One waves it wide, while the other raises the flag, only too aware it was wide,” he said.

“You get a lot of that as you go along. People start fighting each oth- er. Every body goes berserk. There is no solution to the problem as you can’t bring umpires with you all dur- ing the year,” he added.

“Refereeing a game can be very exhilarating and exciting, but at the

same time if things go badly it can be psychologically draining. Often a referee can be exhausted by the de- mands placed on him from a difficult game. After the game referees like to unwind and relax,” he said.

Bernard has found his very own solution, one that helps him relax, after a stressful match and one that focuses on the humorous side of gaelic games.

“The trouble with doing the refe-

reeing is that you have to stick to the rules and any decision you make has to be the right decision. It leaves you with very little room to manoeuvre. But with drawing and sketching you can invent things that don’t exist or change situations or re-play events with different endings.

“Drawing solutions to problems is like a therapy. I have always been in- terested in art,” he said.

While he designs images for

Christmas cards for various busi- nesses in Clare, his first love is his GAA artwork.

‘“T have some pictures of managers or photographers standing on side- lines. I have a lot of images from GAA matches,” he said.

MACRA na Feirme national presi- dent Catherine Buckley has called for all barriers to be removed to allow farmers to gain economies of scale by farming in partnership.

Speaking at the National Ploughing Championships, Ms Buckley said that New Entrant Parent Partnerships were a good example of providing a gateway into the industry for young people who can then get involved in the management of the farm, even if their parents are still a long way JUKOee Kc Nu eeleelm

The Macra leader pointed out that given the rapid pace of change in

Irish farming, interest was now in- creasing in partnerships and that as much as possible should be done to facilitate their establishment.

‘For example, under the recently announced Farm Improvement Scheme, which includes the Dairy Hygiene Scheme, there are still some anomalies affecting young farm- ers which need to be properly ad- dressed,” she said.

“While the new scheme abolished the ‘five-year rule’ for eligibility for the 10 per cent top-up grant for young farmers, it excluded top-ups for young farmers in New Entrant Parent Partnerships.”

Macra is calling for an amend-

ment to the new scheme to allow a young farmer in a New Entrant Par- ent Partnership, who qualifies for Installation Aid, to automatically qualify for the young farmer top-up of 10 per cent.

With reference to Milk Production Partnerships, Buckley pointed out that under the French GAECs system (French farm partnership model) members of a partnership are treat- ed as individuals for the purpose of qualifying for agricultural schemes.

“There are inconsistencies in the department’s treatment of Milk Production Partnerships, as all par- ties in this type of partnership are entitled to payment under the Rural

Environmental Protection Scheme, yet the same partnership is eligible for only one payment from the Farm Improvement Scheme,” she said.

“Availability of land is a major is- sue, and with the huge increases in land prices, purchasing land to enter farming or expand your business is no longer a realistic option for most farmers. Long-term leases can also be very difficult to secure in certain ea ueL bbs etsie-b seh

“The Department of Agriculture must ensure that, where practicable, schemes and rules will act to encour- age and promote farming in partner- ship in the interests of efficiency and competitiveness,” she added.

CONCERN has been expressed that the Family Resource Centre in Shan- non has not had a co-ordinator for the past nine months.

The centre offers a wide range of support for families and runs various initiatives including a parent and tod- dler group, traveller health initiative, personal development programmes and out-of-school pilot development schemes.

The absence of a co-ordinator was

raised by Fianna Fail councillor Ger- aldine Lambert, who said a number of representations have been made to her on the issue.

“The Family Resource Centre has effectively been without a co-ordina- tor for some time,” she said.

“It needs a co-ordinator to drive it. Without a co-ordinator, it is very dif- ficult for a voluntary committee to drive it.

“One person recently was look- ing for a room to do something and because there was no co-ordinator,

they had to wait for a committee. That is a very unfair burden,” said Cllr Lambert.

She urged Shannon Town Council to meeting with the board of man- agement, with a view to assisting them with the services it provides.

Councillor Tony McMahon (La- bour), who is on the board of the centre pointed out that the post had been filled, but the successful appli- cant turned it down.

‘The board decided the post would be advertised again,” he said.

“IT have been involved in the Re- source Centre for a long time. It had a lot of difficulties and there has been a lot of changes 1n personnel, because it is so dependent on voluntary con- tributions,” said Cllr McMahon.

He said it would be “ideal” for representatives of the board to meet with the town council.

Cllr Greg Duff (Labour) said he would support the motion. The coun- cillors agreed to invited the board of the Resource Centre to attend a meeting with them, later this year.

THE fallout from the loss of the Shannon/Heathrow route – a vital piece of transport infrastructure – will have a marked effect on the abil- ity of the mid-west region to com- pete, according to IBEC’s Mid West Region President, John Liddy.

He said that the need was now pressing to speed up the National Development Plan (NDP).

“With the withdrawal of British Midland from talks with Shannon Airport, it is now likely that there will not be a Shannon to London Heathrow service in January 2008.

“Companies in the mid-west have made substantial investments due to the availability of a Heathrow con- nection to Europe and beyond. The potential loss of connection will be a massive blow to industry in the re- gion.

“Tourism will also take a hit with warnings that over €100m in tour- ism investment and 10 per cent of the Shannon region’s US tourist market accessed through the Heathrow gate- way are in jeopardy.”

Mr Liddy called on the Govern- ment to “recognise its responsibility to the mid-west region.

“There is now a need to speed

up the National Development Plan (NDP). This is an opportune time to fast-track the construction of roads and other infrastructure priorities in the mid-west region. It is critical that NDP projects to the Limerick to Shannon gateway are delivered so that balanced regional development can become a reality and the mid- west region is given a fair chance to compete.”

Meanwhile, more than 250 publi- cans in County Clare have warned of serious consequences for their busi- nesses with the ending of the route.

‘70 pubs have closed in the county in the past three years, with dozens

more now facing a similar fate’, the Clare Branch of the Vintners Federa- tion said in a statement yesterday.

Michael Howard, Tourism Spokes- person for Clare VFI said, “The chal- lenges presented to local publicans should the Shannon-Heathrow serv- ice be lost will further compound the downturn in business that has been experienced in recent years.

“The facts indicate that pubs are closing and jobs are being lost, which is why vintners are furious with the Government’s failure to use its in- fluence in reversing the Aer Lingus O(STerTS(Os MO) mole DWDENSar- MB AoaY Ar NPM BE IToM Ke service the route.”

ORGANISERS are hoping that a bumper programme will attract the crowds for the 14th annual Ennis Trad Festival.

This year’s event takes place from November 8 to 12 across numerous venues in the town. The festival fea- tures free day and night sessions with afternoon, evening and night con- certs, recitals, singing, workshops, presentations, CD launches and the ever-popular Trad Disco.

Legendary accordion player and composer Finbar Dwyer will open the festivities on November 8. Finbar, who recently returned to performing after a break of 17 years, will be ac- companied by Brian McGrath.

On Friday night Four Men & A Dog will unleash their highly ener- getic repertoire on the festival.

The band comprises Cathal Hayden (fiddle), Donal Murphy (accordion), Gino Lupari (bodhran, vocals), Ger- ry O’Connor (banjo) and Kevin Do- herty (guitar, vocals).

Workshops dominate Saturday’s events, with classes for beginners, intermediate and advanced level given by the some well-known names in music and dance. A new addition to last year’s festival was the trad-themed table quiz, which will test knowledge of trad musicians, records, CDs and trad triviality.

This year will see the presentation of the Ennis Trad Festival Gradam Ceol to concertina player Sonny

Murray. Sonny, from Knockalough, Kilmihil, is one of the many fine concertina players who have hailed from the area including Solus Lillis, Bernard Sullivan, Tom McCarthy and 2005 Gradam recipient Tom Ore

Sonny lives in Ennis and has had a major influence on the Ennis music scene over the years and this pres- entation is a fitting compliment to a man regarded as a master.

A new feature of this year’s festival is the Ard Gasce na mBuinte Senior Ceili Band competition, which will be adjudicated by a panel of four ad- judicators and audience.

Some of the best bands in Ireland and abroad, such as The Thatch, Tribes and Ceolteori na Mainstreach,

will compete. The night’s festivities will be recorded for Ceili House.

There will be many CD launch- es during the festival events this year including artists such as Kane O’ Rourke and Geraldine Bradley.

The guiding ethos for organisers since the festival’s inception has been to bring musicians of all generations and styles to Ennis to share their tunes, songs and steps in a relaxed session environment.

A spokesperson for the festival said, “The festival committee has orchestrated the sessions to allow Opportunities for artists to perform with others that they wouldn’t nor- mally get to meet. Accordingly a great social dimension is always Ooo) OI Mr B SDRC UAE:

THE Atlantic Connectivity Alliance (ACA) has expressed outrage over Transport Minister Noel Dempsey’s decision to tell Government’s repre- sentatives on the Board of Aer Lin- gus to block the transfer of Heathrow slots out of Cork and Dublin airports but not Shannon.

“The Atlantic Connectivity Alli- ance is outraged by a completely dis- criminatory decision by the minister.

We welcome that Dublin or Cork would not have to endure what this region is now faced with but the min- ister’s commitment to these airports’ future 1s hypocritical in the context of inaction on Shannon. It is an ad- mission of failure in relation to Gov- ernment’s handling of the Shannon issue at the same time,’ said ACA Vice Chairperson Ken Sullivan.

The Alliance say that the move is an acceptance on the part of the Gov- ernment that “it can intervene, that it

should intervene and is ready to in- tervene but on behalf of Dublin and Cork, which we welcome, but not Shannon. If the Minister can order Government representatives on the board of Aer Lingus to do this for Cork and Dublin, then he can and should do it for Shannon.”

The ACA says that they have high- lighted the “real threat that is now exposed to our sister regions. Es- sentially, what the Government is proposing to do is protect Cork and

Dublin and leave our region, which accounts for 20 per cent of the GDP, without any connectivity to the world’s most important airport hub and immediate onward access to key international markets.”

The ACA’s attack on the minis- ter’s decision came after it was an- nounced that British carrier BMI had walked away from negotiations with the Shannon Airport management to fly between Shannon and Heathrow.

Shannon management said _ that “British Midlands has stated it is not in a position over the coming months to commit resources to take up the very generous incentives on the Shannon-Heathrow route offered by management at Shannon Airport.”

“Shannon Airport accepts it is now highly unlikely that an alternative Shannon-Heathrow service will be secured by next January”.

The statement stressed that airport management was keeping lines of communication open with British Midlands in anticipation that it may revisit this decision in 2008.

ENNIS Chamber is hosting an Inter- active Leadership Seminar entitled, ‘Hidden Giants: How to Lead Your Business Successfully’? on Wednes- day, October 10 from 6pm to 8.30pm at the Old Ground Hotel, O’Connell Street, Ennis.

Admission is open to all members of the business community and ac- cess to the seminar is free of charge.

The seminar, held in conjunction with LEAP, a Galway-based_ busi- ness advisory company, is designed to provide business owners and sen- ior management with practical tools for immediate improved business performance.

The correlation between effective leadership and marketing will be ex- amined by the speakers while also focusing on the particular challenges faced by business leaders in today’s dynamic economic environment.

LEAP are Business Advisors for the Leaders of Irish businesses who are dissatisfied with the lack of meas- urable impact and understanding of their challenges that traditional con- sultants provide.

The company continually measure the impact of development work- shops by providing ongoing support through a team of professional busi- ness advisors, who are experts in their specialised areas

The seminar will be delivered by

Mike Gaffney of LEAP. Mr Gaff- ney’s theories on leadership and management have galvanised a large number of managing directors to take full responsibility for the leader- ship of their businesses, resulting in significant, positive impact on their organisations’ performances.

Mike will discuss the specific leadership challenges facing Irish businesses and examine how these challenges can be overcome by Un- derstanding Your Personality Type and Playing to Your Strengths.

The second speaker is Dr. Aidan Daly, Head of Marketing NUI Gal- way. Dr Daly’s area of speciality is that of services marketing and re- lated issues. He is a consultant to a

number of organisations and com- panies in Europe, Africa and the Far East. An accomplished writer on marketing related topics, he will present “Effective Marketing on a Limited Budget”.

Dr Daly will provide practical tips and techniques on how to promote you business successfully without breaking the budget.

The invitation to this event is open to all business owners, leaders and senior managers in the Clare region. Places are limited so book now to avoid disappointment.

For further information contact on LEAP or any aspect of the seminar Paula Crowley, LEAP on 091 755 736

THE grassroots of the Fianna Fail party are planning to revolt if the Shannon-Heathrow crisis is not re- solved.

Cllr Pat McMahon said that he had no problem leaving the party but was waiting until every avenue had been exhausted before making that deci- sion. “If on January 14 there is no flight to Heathrow out of Shannon, preferably Aer Lingus, I’m out.”

Kilrush Cllr Tom Prenderville pre- dicts a tough time ahead for the party in the up coming local elections.

“If there is not an improvement in the Shannon situation, there would be a sizeable number of Fianna Fail representatives re-looking at wear- ing the Fianna Fail badge at the next

local election, and it will be hard to find people to go forward for them. It could dismantle the whole Fianna Fail party in Clare,” he said.

He referred also to the “futile ina- bility of the Fianna Fail organisation to attract young men and women as it has lost its local mandate.”

Fianna Fail TD Timmy Dooley said he understood the frustration of the political members and party support- ae

“We are elected to fight on behalf of the people of Clare, not to resign,” he said. “That is our responsibility and one I take seriously.”

Junior Minister Tony Killeen said he too could understand why public representatives and supporters are disturbed.“People are exerting as much pressure as they can. Fianna

Fail public representatives are genu- inely interested in a positive outcome and are doing whatever they can in their own role.”

“IT still believe that the approach has to be entirely dependent on fighting the battle on commercial grounds and I don’t accept Aer Lingus has a strong commercial argument for Bel- fast, nor do | think they have suffi- cient steps to improve their situation in Shannon,” he said.

He added that the four factors that made Shannon less profitable could be addressed.

Deputy Dooley admitted that the decision by the Minister for Trans- port to appoint two new directors to the board of Aer Lingus was too late for Shannon.

“It is disappointing that these direc-

tors weren’t there sooner. Whether or not they would have been able to make any difference is not clear as many made decision without board approval.

“While it would appear too late to prevent the termination of the Shan- non to Heathrow line, it may be pos- sible for the directors to establish new priorities for the management and I would be hopeful that this could in- clude a reappraisal of the Shannon to Heathrow slots.”

Meanwhile, Mayor of Clare Patri- cia McCarthy (Ind) has said that the Government has just days to salvage the Shannon to Heathrow service.

Cllr McCarthy said that a deadline of October 11 has been set for receipt of submissions regarding slots at Heathrow in 2008.