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BISHOP of Killaloe Dr Willie Walsh has lent his support to a campaign to retain accident and emergency serv- ices at Ennis General Hospital.

The leader of the Catholic Church in the diocese told the rally that ‘as Christians we need to provide a health care system that is universal’.

“Many of us here have health insur- ance but it is not right that any of us can get preferential treatment just be- cause we can afford to pay a private health insurance,” he said.

“It is a challenge to all of us to com-

mit ourselves to building a society that cares for our sick anything else is less than Christian.”

Mayor of Clare Cllr Patricia Mc- Carthy (Ind) told the crowd that the minister for health confirmed to the five mayors of the county that the development of the hospital would go ahead, that any retiring consult- ants would be replaced and that she wanted a higher level of activity at the hospital.

Among the other commitments given was that the accident and emer- gency department would be consult- ant-led but “going into the future it

would not be consultant-led for 24 hours. The model to be put in place during the non-consultant-led pe- riod has not been defined or agreed. Mammography services will not be part of the radiology service to be provided.”

“IT welcome the commitment of the minister for the improvements that she outlined for the delivery of health services in the county.

“However, in view of the isolated and dispersed nature of many of the communities in the county…it 1s 1m- portant that any changes do not take place within the existing services un-

til such time as promised improve- ments in the delivery of services… are in place and delivering a safe and best practice service,’ said the county mayor.

“While welcoming the roll out of BreastCheck and the commitment to centres of excellence and improved cancer treatment services, I am not convinced that going forward it is not possible to provide a mammography service at Ennis General Hospital.

“Modern technology in my opinion can and should be used to provide a safe and efficient mammography service at Ennis General Hospital.”

THE viability of new sewerage schemes in Doolin and Spanish Point, as well as upgrades to schemes in Ennistymon, Miltown, Liscannor, Ballyvaughan and Corofin, has been cast in serious doubt following rev- elations of a €23 million shortfall in funding for the projects.

Some €16 million in Government funding for the schemes was an- nounced by Minister for State, Tony Killeen (FF) last month, but it has subsequently emerged that this will cover less than half of the total ex- penditure required.

In the case of Doolin, €652,000 has

been earmarked for a new sewage system leaving a shortfall of almost €5.5 million which must be raised by the local people for the project to go ahead.

“For whatever reason, Munister Killeen decided to give the money allocated but did not mention the total cost of the projects or the huge shortfall that will have to be made up while announcing the story to the media,’ said Cllr Martin Lafferty (Ind).

“It is quite obvious that the whole picture was not shown for whatever reason. It totally misrepresented the situation and caused great confusion for the people of Doolin.

“This prompted members of the Doolin Action Group to write to all the public representatives seeking some sort of clarification on the mat- ter.

“It 1s almost impossible to think how we will we able to make up this shortfall. I don’t think that the fund- ing will be lost, but there is no way that we will be able to make up a shortfall of €23 million for these projects. No way.”

Clare County Council has written to the Department of Environment, Heritage and local Government ask- ing for more funding to be made available for the sewerage systems.

Meanwhile, Cllr Lafferty has also

accused the Government of using county councils as scapegoats as part of a process to introduce water charges by stealth.

“Essentially, they are telling us down here in Clare that we have to bring in water metres.

‘These metres will cost €4.25 mil- lion to introduce and they have given Clare County Council no means of doing this,” he told

ALMOST 5,000 people gathered in the square in Ennis on Saturday af- ternoon to see a former patient of En- nis General Hospital tear up a once prized photo of herself and Taoiseach BTUs owaUNOUIe

Maureen Hall, originally from Newbridge in Kildare but living in Doonaha with her husband Richard since the 1990s, brought the early afternoon protest to a close with her personal demonstration.

Mrs Hall told the crowd how she was ill and rushed to Ennis General Hospital; a hospital that, due to its lo- cality, saved her life.

Among those protesting for a 24- hour consultant-led accident and emergency service in Ennis were Clare People with Disabilities, Ennis Active Retirement, SIPTU, Shannon Aer Lingus Workers, Kildysart Agri- cultural Show, District Daycare Cen- tre Clarecastle, Birth Choice Clare, Clare Sinn Féin, the INO, The Lions Club and members of Clare’s locals PAu ieee ele lone

Notable by their absence were Clare’s two Fianna Fail TDs, Minis- ter Tony Killeen and Timmy Dooley. Marian Harkin MEP and Fine Gael deputies Joe Carey and Pat Breen were among the most senior politi- cians lending their support.

At midday, a crowd estimated by gardai at almost 4,000 left Cusack Park in Ennis and marched through

the town demanding that the HSE re- tain 24-hour accident and emergency at Ennis General Hospital and reo- pen the mammography unit.

People joined the march to the sound of the Tulla Ceili Band while those gathering in the square listened to the Ennis General Hospital Com- mittee’s fundraising CD.

The protest march was led by a cof- fin carried shoulder-high with the

slogan “20 deaths each year”’.

Once in the square, the crowd were addressed by a dozen speakers in- cluding the Chairman of the Ennis General Hospital Development Com- mittee, Peadar McNamara, for more than an hour and a half.

Each speaker outlined his or her fears for the local health services un- der current Government policy, most notably the so-called Hanly Report.

‘We are here in the square which has been a historic rallying point in Clare from O’Connell’s time right down to de Valera. Numerous politicians of all shapes have spoken here seeking our rights. We are in the same position. We pay taxes,” said Mr McNamara.

THE increasing population in New- market-on-Fergus is reflected in the erowing number of clubs and organi- sations set up in the village.

Several new housing estates have been built in the area, three of which have just been completed over the past year. These homes are occupied by a mixture of locals, people from outside the area and visitor from overseas.

With this in mind, local community eroup, Obair gathered local groups together, for a community day last Sunday.

Among the groups in the area in- clude Meals-on-Wheels, the Going Strong club, Women’s group, Com-

munity Games, soccer, GAA, Agri- culture society, the Scouts, Tradaree Bridge Club and handball and bas- ketball clubs.

The aim of the event was to provide information on the clubs and to pro- mote the work they are undertaking, whilst encouraging residents to get involved in the local community. It coincided with National Volunteer Day and each group was invited to provide informative displays of their AYOLU AALS (oie

Organiser Aisling Halpin of Obair said the idea was centered around in- clusion for everybody.

“A lot of new people are coming into the area. Some are foreign na- tionals, while others have moved from locations like Shannon and

Ennis. We held a volunteer day last January. A lot of the clubs in the area found it very beneficial. The hadn’t known what other clubs were in the area. We decided then we would have a similar event in September,” said Ms Halpin.

“There is a lot going on, but new people wouldn’t know what is hap- pening. People can meet new friends and get to know local people in the community, through the clubs,” she added.

Obair now plans to compile a bro- chure, featuring information on all of the local clubs in the area, which will make them easily accessible.

Sunday also saw the defibrillator for the local community being launched. The success of this is dependent on

the community’s involvement.

Fifteen locals have got involved in this and others are being asked to put their names in.

“A committee got together and talked about getting a defibrillator for the area. There was a need for it and Obair sponsored it. There are 15 on the committee and they have been doing training so that they can give assistance,’ said Ms Halpin.

“We will need between 30 and 40 people, so that someone can be on call 24/7,” she added.

AS the dust began to settle on the an- nouncement of the third Milk Quota Trading Scheme last week, the Min- ister for Agriculture, Mary Cough- lan, went on the attack in Europe, calling for an increase of three per cent in milk quota’s in the EU Coun- TOY Pb toncwio dale ule

The demand was made at the meet- ing of EU agriculture ministers in Brussels on Thursday and was ech- oed by a large number of other mem- ber states. Coughlan commented that she was very pleased with the level

of support for this idea as she had been in contact with a number of her counterparts in recent weeks to build such support.

The Commission undertook to analyse carefully the demands for in- creased quotas and to bring forward a report before the end of the year.

Minister Coughlan said that she was very pleased that the debate had now commenced on an appropriate and early EU response to the current buoyancy in the dairy market.

“We have been looking very care- fully at developments in the dairy market, including future trends,” she

said.

“Our conclusion is that the buoy- ancy now evident has given a whole new impetus to the wider dairy sec- tor following the implementation of the Luxembourg agreement and the virtual removal of market support mechanisms that have resulted from the reform.

“We have entered a new period of trade in which worldwide supply is no longer responding sufficiently to increased market demand. Dairy farmers and the dairy industry must have the opportunity to benefit from the new demand situation by increas-

Th orcae loin Uae

The minister said that the Commis- sion should not wait for the health check to respond to the clear signals that the market is now giving. If the EU hesitates now in its response, our competitors will take the market op- portunities that we are best placed to Tos ais Leon

“The milk quota system has served Ireland well over the years. At the same time, it must be responsive to developments in the market and an increase of three per cent from April next would represent an appropriate response.”

A MAN whois accused of raping and threatening to kill a woman in west Clare earlier this month is to apply for bail in the High Court next week.

The 42-year-old accused is facing eight charges arising out of an inci- dent at a house in west Clare, on Sep- tember 9 last.

He is accused of three counts of rape, possession of a shotgun, false imprisonment and threat to kill, as- sault causing harm and burglary.

When he initially appeared in court earlier this month, bail was refused and he has been in custody since then. On that occasion, the court was told the DPP has directed that the case be dealt with on indictment.

At Lisdoonvarna district court last Wednesday, his solicitor Eugene O’Kelly said he intends to apply for bail in the High Court.

“We have not been in a position to agree conditions to allow him get bail. We will apply to the High

Court,” said Mr Kelly. Superintendent Gabriel O’Gara sought to remand the accused in cus- tody until later this month. The case was adjourned until a later date, when the accused will re- appear in court.

THREE and a half years planning will come to fruition with the start of the Leon XIII Festival in Quilty on Friday next.

As this is the centenary of the Leon XIII “Final Voyage” and the dra- matic rescue of its crew, music and heritage will feature strongly in the schedule of weekend long events.

Starting with the opening cer- emony at 6pm in Quilty village on Friday evening, a new commemora- tive plaque and lectern featuring the Leon XIII story will be unveiled by relatives of the Quilty fishermen of 1907, Mayor of Kilmurry Ibrickane Connie Power and the Science and Technology attaché at the embassy of France in Ireland, Christophe

LeRouge.

Later on that night, a traditional concert featuring many of the coun- ty’s top musicians, singers and set- dancers will keep the village alive to the sound of music! This con- cert will feature the launch of “The Leon” double CD, especially pro- duced at Malbay recording studios for the festival, by Joe Searson and Jack Healy.

Saturday morning, kicks off at 11 pm with the launch of the newly de- veloped “Leon Walking Trail”. Led by Cora O’Grady, this walk will take in an 8km route around Quilty and covers much of the history associ- ated with the area over the last 100 years. Mary Clancy will host an Irish Dancing Workshop in Quilty Tavern for children starting at 11.30pm. The

action then moves to the Kilmurry Ibrikane GAA field where the Leon Open Sports commences at 1.30pm. The full programme of events in- cludes a tea-towel-pegging contest and welly throwing competition for the less serious athletes! The Satur- day schedule continues with the U- 12 football blitz at 4.30pm and the Homecoming Social in Quilty Tav- ern later that night, with music pro- vided by PJ Murrihy and his band.

Sunday sees Quilty’s first Regatta in several decades take place in the afternoon, after visitors and locals have had the opportunity to take part in the commemorative Mass at noon and open-air set dancing in the vil- lage.

During the weekend, the first phase of development in Quilty’s new com-

munity centre aptly named “The Leon Centre” will be on show and will host the festival shop. All events over the weekend are free of charge unless advertised otherwise.

Festival Organisers, The Leon Committee, would like to sincerely thank everyone who has _ helped to make the first Leon XIII Festi- val a reality. For further details of the events taking place during the weekend please contact Agnes 087- 1355738 or Caroline 087-2194541.

FOLLOWING calls from all the main farming organisations, the Minister for Agriculture and Food, Mary Coughlan, has announced that a request that provision be made for an advance payment under the 2007 Single Payment Scheme was ap- proved.

Speaking following a meeting of the EU Management Committee on Direct Payments in Brussels last week Coughlan revealed that she was pleased by the decision.

“T am particularly pleased at the Support our proposal received from the Commission and the other mem-

ber states,’ she said.

“This decision allows us to make advance payments, at a rate of 50 per cent, to those applicants whose ap- plications are confirmed fully clear, with effect from October 16, with balancing payments being made with effect from December 1.

“T am also encouraged by the com- mitment given by the Commission to examine payment arrangements for subsequent years in the context of the forthcoming Health Check on the CAP. My objective will be to en- able full payments under the Single Payment Scheme from October 16 in future years.”

Coughlan explained that her ap-

proach to the Agriculture Commis- sioner had been prompted by the very wet summer, which seriously NBCeKe meu NUDE

“T was particularly conscious of the difficulties caused for farmers, with crop growth being impeded, signifi- cant delays in production of winter fodder, fodder intended for use next winter being fed to animals and some animals being housed early, as land is too wet to graze,’ she continued.

The minister also announced the commencement of payments to farm- ers under the 2007 Disadvantaged Areas Scheme (DAS).

“These payments are worth in the region of €250 million and are pay-

able to over 100,000 farmers. I ex- pect that a very significant propor- tion of eligible farmers will receive their payments in the coming days,’ she said.

‘However, there are some who ap- pear ineligible under the stocking provisions; these farmers can submit appropriate evidence to my depart- ment’s Portlaoise office, following which their payments will then be released.”

The minister again urged farmers to reply quickly to any letters from her department in relation to Single Payment or DAS problems.

For more information call 1890 252 235 or 1890 200 502.

A WOMAN who picked up a kitchen knife after she refused to leave an Ennis apartment has been jailed for emaelereidetcy

Caitriona O’Shea (25), of O’ Malley Park, Southill, Limerick, was con- victed of producing a black-handled knife with serrated edges, in the course of a dispute, on August 12

last.

Inspector Tom Kennedy said that an incident arose in an apartment at O’Halloran’s Lane, Ennis.

“In the course of the dispute she produced a knife,” he said.

Defending solicitor | Eugene O’Kelly said the accused was a guest in the apartment when the in- cident arose.

“She tells me when she was 12,

she was orphaned. Her father was stabbed to death. Her mother was knocked down by a car,’ said Mr O’ Kelly.

“She went to this house to seek help. The occupants contacted gardai because she refused to leave. She picked up a kitchen knife,” he said.

He said the accused subsequently threw herself into the River Fergus and was rescued by gardai.

He said his client was a “very trou- bled young lady.”

The accused has a string of previ- ous convictions, including for theft PNOOMeubesuber-Dmer-Dast-texor

Judge Joseph Mangan imposed a nine-month jail term, for the knife of- fence and an additional four months for failing to appear in court.

He fixed a bond in the event of an appeal.

THE mayors, chairs and managers of west of Ireland Local Authorities and Regional Assemblies have been invited to attend a briefing today on the removal of the Shannon to Hea- throw link today (Tuesday).

The briefing has been called by Mayor of Clare, Patricia McCarthy, on the eve of the Dail debate on the issue. The meeting will be attended by the mayor of Clare, cathaoirleach of Sligo County Council, mayor of Roscommon, mayor of Galway City,

cathaoirleach of Galway County Council, cathaoirleach of Limerick County Council, mayor of Limerick City, mayor of Kerry, mayor of North Tipperary County Council, cathao- irleach of Tipperary South County Council and cathaoirleach of Mayo County Council.

Also in attendance will be senior representatives of the Southern and Eastern Regional Assembly; Mid West Regional Authority; and the Border, Midlands and Western Re- gional Assembly.

The meeting is being held at the

Oakwood Arms Hotel, Shannon.

Today, Mayor McCarthy urged members of the public to express their opposition to the axing of the Shannon to Heathrow service by at- tending the first full Government de- bate on the issue this Wednesday.

Cllr Patricia McCarthy urged peo- ple to join business, tourism and community leaders from the west of Ireland inside and outside the Houses of the Oireachtas when the Dail re- turns from its summer break.

The mayor said she would also be seeking the support of colleagues

from the wider region to make sim1- lar calls at the meeting of Local Au- thority and Regional Assembly rep- resentatives today.

“It is now time for the Government to deliver on the clear guarantees given regarding the Heathrow slots at Dublin, Cork and Shannon,” stated Mayor McCarthy.

She continued, “Minister for Trans- port Noel Dempsey, who professes to be acutely aware of the challenges faced by the region as a result of the Aer Lingus move, must now bring the solution to the Dail Chamber.”