Category: Uncategorized

A MONTPELIER publican, who is causing controversy locally by em- ploying a topless barmaid, has said his next move is to employ a male model to work behind the taps wear- ing “the bare minimum”.

A defiant John Joe Fitzpatrick of Browne’s pub has had a topless bar- maid working on his premises every Thursday night since the beginning of September.

But he has been getting a mixed re-

action locally to the promotion with some residents branding the move as “tasteless and degrading”.

People living in the village and neighbouring O’Briensbridge were reluctant to be named when making comments about John Joe, who lives locally as well as being the publican.

“It’s degrading. There are plenty of publicans around the country strug- gling and they don’t resort to this kind of thing. That might be alright in Soho but not in a pub in a small country village,’ one local man said.

Another local resident said that the move “shows no respect for this community. It’s a cheap stunt and he’ll drive away more people than he’ll bring in.”

The resident said that many local people are “completely disgusted by this. It’s degrading for the woman who works there and it’s not what we want our area to be known for. It’s just low.”

An irate woman living in Montpel- lier said it is “disgraceful that this is happening right across the road from

the Church and the community cen- akon

But the publican last night defended the move. “All over the country pubs are losing business. People need something to prompt them to get up and get out again.”

John Joe said that he does not agree with his detractors . “There’s no vul- garity involved. The lady in question has several items on at any given time – she just has less on on top. She doesn’t have a problem with it and the customers are very happy with it.

A lot of people said that it’s a wonder no one thought of doing this before and some of the married ladies say it’s put a bit of sparkle back in their love lives.”

The Montpelier businessman said that he currently has a male model in training who will be taking up his station behind the taps some time in November on Tuesday nights.

‘We have to ensure we have equal- ity and I think the lady customers will be delighted with him” said John Joe.

in March of this year.

Set in an animated version of Doo- lin, the story revolves around Ellen and Keats who venture into a realm of the dead called the Netherworld to uncover the mysteries surrounding their small village.

Sony Europe, who will officially

launch the game this Friday, have decided to capitalise on local interest in the game by hosting the ‘Create a Folk’ competition.

The winning character will be fea- tured in the game as downloadable content via the PlayStation Store.

To enter the contest, gamers must create an original illustration of a Folk character, name it, provide a brief description and then give the character a unique attack that can be absorbed during actual gameplay.

Submissions will have to be posted on the Sony Europe forum before noon on Monday, October 22.

‘Folklore’ was conceived by Yoshiki Okamoto, executive pro- ducer of such titles as “Resident Evil’ and ‘Devil May Cry’.

TENDERS have been appointed for the construction of a playground in Mountshannon.

‘Go Play’ from Galway has been chosen from the nine applicants to build the facility.

This is the latest development in a project, which is expected to come to fruition next year. As the prepara- tions for the construction get under- way, the fundraising drive is continu- ing in the locality.

Earlier this year, Clare County Council allocated €41,500, under

the Community Playground Grant Yel torneo

This was after the committee had put in considerable groundwork, in terms of fundraising, and had se- cured a site for the facility.

At the time, Administrative Of- ficer with the council’s community and enterprise section, Catherine O’Hara, said Mountshannon had “a need of these facilities and they have already done a lot of fundraising and planning before their application came in”.

“The residents committee still has to fundraise, take charge of the area

when it is finished and come up with money every year for insurance and maintenance and while we can’t guarantee top up funding, they are free to come back an put another ap- plication in the future,” she added.

While the council’s money was welcomed by the committee mem- bers, they are aware that several thousands of euro will have to be raised locally.

Co-ordinator Jane Murray is urging locals to get behind the project.

“The project will cost €120,000 in total. We will submit more applica- tions for funding, while collection

boxes are still located in shops and pubs,” she said.

Further applicants will be made to Pobail and Sugradh, in the hope that a significant amount of the initial costs will be covered.

“We are hoping to start construc- tion early in 2008,” said Ms Murray.

The committee was very happy with the level of interest shown in the applicants from potential tenders and are pleased with the company that was selected. Anyone interested in donating towards the playground fund should contact Jane Murray in Mountshannon.

IRISH people spend more on alcohol in off-licences than on food, accord- ing to the Irish Creamery Milk Sup- pliers Association President Jackie OF TTeR

Speaking at last week, the farm- ing leader stated that the impact of increased milk and grain prices on food costs is being grossly exagger- ated by politicians and commercial interests and that the “so-called food inflation is nonsense”.

“Politicians and others should stop misleading consumers on this mat- ter. We do accept that there will be an increase in food prices reflecting

the new realities of production and, in this regard, it is important that the current increasing farm price for milk is at least maintained,” he said.

“That is precisely why the sug- gestion for a quota increase would warrant very detailed considera- tion. People who are calling for an increased quota at European level after a few months of improved milk prices – improvements which were long overdue and were critical for the continuation of profitable dairy farm productions – should pause for thought.

“Their energy might be better used in ensuring that the Irish retail food sector returns a higher market

to both the processor and farmer, reflecting the increased international food commodity prices.”

Mr Cahill said the reality of the situation is that food spending amounts to 11 per cent of total con- sumer spend. In the past, food prices increased despite falling farm prices and decreasing food commodity prices internationally.

“Milk and cheese account for a mere 1.2 per cent of total spend, even if the price of these were to increase by 50 per cent, it would add a mere 0.6 per cent to the cost of living,” he continued.

“Irish people now spend more on alcoholic drink than on food and that

off-licence sales of alcoholic drink alone – at 6 per cent – amount to more than the cost of bread and cereals, dairy products and meat.

“These official facts, as published by the Central Statistics Office, show the complete lack of a foundation to so-called food inflation. Comments alleging food inflation are now reg- ularly trotted out for political and CLoyrabeenet-i must hKieeke

“The tightening of world supply in food commodities, increased energy costs and climate change food will result in further commodity price increases, but that the impact of this increase on actual food prices in the shop would be low.”

KILLALOE woman, Aine Conacur (nee Kierse) and her Roscommon- born husband, Michael, are the pro- prietors of a unique toy shop, Think- ing Toys, which focuses on carrying a range of educational/activity based toys that assist the development and stimulation of children of all ages through play and fun.

The range of toys featured in the shop at Ballina/Killaloe includes board games, brainteasers and logi- cal deduction games, science and nature kits, construction kits, books, jigsaws and baby/toddler toys.

What makes Thinking Toys unique in Ireland is its extensive range of

toys, equipment and books that can assist the development of children with special needs or learning dif- Wt eles

Aine and Michael’s eldest child had major brain surgery when she was just two years old and the frustration and the difficulties they endured in trying to source suitable products that would assist in her development, was a catalyst in deciding to try and reduce this frustration for other par- ents in similar situations.

Over the past number of months, they have been sourcing appropri- ate products from around the world and have worked closely with occu- pational therapists, speech and lan- guage therapists and psychologists.

The products they source must be of acceptable quality, affordable and competitively priced.

Aine and Michael liase with par- ents and relevant professionals to get feedback and advice when expanding their range of products. All requests and inputs are welcomed.

In recent times, Thinking Toys has sourced and made available such items as bodysox, sloped writing boards and weighted products such as weighted vests, each of which arose from specific requests.

Aine and Michael demonstrate and display their products any- where in Ireland to groups including schools, professionals and support groups. They have both travelled

throughout the country during the past few months carrying out these demonstrations and can be con- tacted by interested individuals/ groups at 086-8792769 or by email: aine @thinkingtoys.ie. All products are available from the shop in Balli- na/Killaloe, or www.thinkingtoys.ie Recently Aine and Michael launched a voucher scheme specifi- cally aimed at supporting local pri- mary schools. It is a simple scheme whereby a voucher worth 20c is giv- en to the school for every €10 spent. Thinking Toys will participate in a toy fair organised by Enable Ireland, which will be held in O’Donovan’s Bar and Restaurant, Derg Court on October 16 from 10am to 9pm.

BRAZILIAN beef products are not wanted in Ireland, according to the first survey conducted on public at- titudes towards imports from the Yells Waverouervemeeleilias

More than 90 per cent of people want Minister for Agriculture Mary Coughlan to secure a ban on Brazil- ian beef imports into Europe, ac- cording to a survey carried out by the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA).

The survey, which was conducted by second-year agricultural science students from Gurteen College in Tipperary, was completed by 1,340 people. More than 94 per cent of those surveyed believe Brazilian beef fails to meet EU standards on

traceability, Foot and Mouth disease and food safety controls.

“The results of this survey sends a resounding message to Minister Coughlan and the EU Commission that people reject the double stand- ards that allow Brazilian beef 1m- ports into Europe,” said IFA Presi- dent Padraig Walshe.

IFA National Livestock Chairman John Bryan described the results of the survey as a landslide rejection of the EU Commission’s position on Brazilian beef.

Mr Bryan said Mary Coughlan could not ignore the depth of public feeling on the patent failure of Bra- Zilian beef to meet EU standards and she must immediately ramp up pres- sure on the Commission and call for

an outright ban. Meanwhile, the IFA has launched a major attack on the EU Commission over what it calls the ‘cover-up’ regarding the Brazil- ian beef problem.

Padraig Walshe said the EU policy was untenable and the clear message from the public and farmers at the National Ploughing Championship was that the EU should impose a total ban on Brazil.

This follows some shocking events at the championships, when an- ery livestock farmers challenged the EU representatives outside the Commission forum over the failure of the Commission to take decisive action to protect the European Union against the risks posed by Brazilian beef imports.

While all this is going on, Robin Smith, the Irish Cattle & Sheep Association Beef Chairman, has expressed anger at news that the Brazilian government is_ seeking even more time to get their house in order on traceability.

Reports indicate that Brazil- lan agriculture minister Reinhold Stephanes is travelling to meet with the EU this month to seek more time to conclude the implementation of their traceability system, which is known as Sisbov.

“The ICSA cannot believe that any more time can be given to the Brazil- lans – they are due an FVO inspec- tion on November 5 and either they have things right or they don’t,” Mr Sees lHeMy-vlee

BULLYING 1s a subject which is of- ten touched upon but seldom hight- lighted. With the mushrooming of technology in recent years, this problem has increased dramatically but still gets insufficient attention in Ireland.

This was one of the factors that prompted the Ballynacally Develop- ment Association in conjunction with the Ballynacally National School Parents Council to hold an Anti-Bul- lying Awareness Day last Thursday, culminating with an information evening at the Woodstock Hotel.

Attended by both adults and chil- dren, the meeting was arranged to raise awareness of the problem and used various innovative methods in order to emphasise the plight of the victims involved in bullying, ranging from live readings from the victims and their families to role-playing video clips featuring teenage actors from both sides of the bullying di- vide.

As well as general bullying statis- tics, the committee also organised bullying questionaires which were sent to various schools and work- places around the county.

Probably the most alarming statis- tic mentioned on the night was that out of 165 children questioned in the

five schools in the Ballynacally area, a staggering 111 of those questioned said that they had been the victims of bullying at some stage in their Thee

This statistic really hit home to the local crowd in attendence and was key to the first speaker presentation on dealing with bullying in Clare. Pauline McAllister, a community children’s worker with Clarecare, runs an anti-bullying programme in Clare. In her presentation, she ana- lysed what exactly bullying is, why it happens, how it affects the victims and how it can be lessened or allievi- roe

The main speaker on the night was John Lonergan, Governor of Mount- joy Prison, whose vast experience in this field was invaluable to the largely young audience. In his ad- dress, he dealt with adult bullying as well as child bullying, an area which is often overooked. He also stressed that the biggest difficulty in trying to deal with bullying is the lack of hard evidence and that rushing in to ac- cuse someone without hard evidence can often lead to even more prob- lems. Silence was another factor he dwelt on, explaining that silence and the victim’s inability to deal with the problem on their own often leads to more serious consequences such as breakdown or even suicide.

CLONLARA woman Trisha Mason confirmed her status as one of the rising stars of Irish kickboxing by claiming victory at the recent John Hoban Kickboxing tournament.

Mason was part of the Ennis Kick- boxing Club that travelled to Limer- ick to take part in one of the newest tournaments on the Irish kickboxing calendar.

While club members performed with distinction at the tournament, the real glory of the day belonged to Mason who achieved a near flaw-

less victory over the experienced and highly fancied Cliona Goodwin.

Ennis Kickboxing Clubs quickest rising star boasts an impressive near- ly flawless fight record of six fights five wins and on controversial split decision. Mason’s preparation for the bout was far from ideal.

The east Clare woman took her fight at just one hours notice against a heavier and much vaunted oppo- nent. But that proved far from dis- ruptive for Mason, who produced an assured and confident performance that ranks among the best in her fledgling career.

From the moment the bell went, the Clonlara Cyclone was a whirlwind of devastating hand and leg combi- nations that her opponent had no an- Swer to.

The fight ended as a (TKO) techni- cal knockout when the stunned Clio- na Goodwin simply could no longer defend herself against the much stronger and skillful Mason, who is now well on her way to challenging at the very top for the ladies 60kg Irish Kickboxing Federation title.

Mason wasn’t the only Clare com- petitor who performed well in Lim- erick as two of her Ennis teammates

achieved notable success as well.

Adam Leyden re-affirmed his po- sition as one of Ireland’s best young kickboxers when he retained his title and status as Ireland’s number one 60kg

Fighter Seamus Geoghegan, anoth- er fighter from the Ennis kickboxing stable, ensured a good day for the club when he also added yet another victory to his fight record.

Anyone wishing to join these fighters, martial arts and fitness enthusiasts please contact Tony O’Donnell on O87 2796401 or enniskickboxing@hotmail.com.

AROUND 160 businesspeople from the region attended the first Mid West Entrepreneur Showcase, held in the Enterprise Acceleration Centre, Limerick Institute of Technology on Thursday last (October 4).

Among the innovative ideas on show were two from County Clare.

Eugene Crimmuins, Director, The Irish Bread Mix Company Ltd, which is based at Crimmins Bakery in Newmarket-on-Fergus, exhibited his easy-to-bake, additive-free bread mixes.

Although the company is at an early stage, the mixes are already selling to tourists in Bunratty Folk Park and at the Cliffs of Moher.

Liam Fahy of Fahy Analytical in Doora showcased his creative solu- tions to process problems in the med- ical and electronics areas. His com- pany provides cleaning for medical implants, and recycling services for used sandblast products. It also sup- plies lettering sand to stone masons.

Both men are participants in the Limerick Enterprise Acceleration Platform (LEAP) programme at EAC. As well as LEAP participants, other new and young companies in the mid-west exhibited. There were also stands for developments agen- cies, business associations, account- ants, banks, investors and other ad- visers.

The Showcase featured a half-day

seminar entitled “Funding for New and Established Start-Ups’.

Jerry Kennelly, the Kerry entre- preneur and founder of Stockbyte, which was sold in April 2006 for €110 million euro, gave a blow-by- blow account of how the business developed.

‘From a state support, infrastruc- ture, tax and can-do perspective, there has never been a better time to start a global business from Ireland,” | stemncyeB(Gm

David Boland, Managing Director of Documatics, revealed that his de- termination to set up his own busi-

ness was fuelled by having to work at a boring job during school holidays.

Documatics have developed a Busi- ness Process Management system using the Microsoft .NET platform.

Damian Young, head of the Small Business segment in Bank of Ireland, said that the environment for new businesses remains positive.

Drew O’Sullivan, an Investment Manager with 4th Level Ventures spoke on ‘Funding your Early Stage Venture – from BES to finding the right VC’.

Martin Corry, development advi- sor in Enterprise Ireland, said that the Showcase highlighted the range of business innovation in the region. He paid tribute to the late Dr Tony Ryan.

Dr Maria Hinfelaar, Director of LIT, who chaired the meeting, stated Merle MN ODM AYANOTSARCO1HuS OKC NENT. eee) tte omy could deliver a range of eco- nomic, regional and social benefits for Ireland.

The meeting was sponsored by Limerick based audit, tax and advi- sory providers, MGM Mulcahy Gor- man Mulcahy, and was part of Lim- erick Business Week.

THE trial of jockey Kieren Fallon, who is accused of race fixing has heard the Ballinruan native was part of a plot to throw races to make mon- ey for a crooked betting syndicate.

The opening day of his trial at the Old Bailey yesterday heard allega- tions that businessman Miles Rodg- ers bet £2.12m (€3m) on various internet accounts that 27 horses – rid- den by Fallon and two other jockeys – would lose.

Fallon stood in the dock yesterday. It’s alleged he was involved, with others, in a conspiracy between De- cember 2002 and September 2004 to defraud Betfair customers and other punters. All deny the charges

Jonathan Caplan, QC, prosecuting, said it would be alleged that one of the accused, Miles Rodgers (38) of Silkstone, South Yorkshire had been tipped off by the riders just before the various races. Seventeen of the horses were ridden by Fallon. But he won five of the races, losing the syn- dicate around half-a-million pounds, said Caplan.

The day after a race at Newmar- ket on July 23, 2004, there was an exchange of text messages between Fallon and Philip Sherkle (42) of Tamworth Staffordshire, said to be the go-between.

The court heard that Fallon texted, “They will take my licences off me if they drift like that last night. They PROM cKO) OUNOTSAN DOC om

On July 27, Sherkle wrote, “I am away weds morning just text as nor- mal make sure u do please I don’t want any grief from them when I get back thanks.”

An undated message from Fallon to Sherkle read, “no, I can’t chance it”’.

Mr Caplan said Rodgers’ records showed Fallon’s losses for the syndi- cate were £436.579.

Mr Caplan said there was no evi- dence that Fallon ever received any money or benefit from Rodgers or anyone else connected with the con- spiracy. But it was the prosecution case that he held himself accountable for losses that cost the conspirators about £500,000.

The trial continues today and is ex- pected to last several months.