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IT MAY be a full 16 weeks away but the people of Kilrush are already preparing for Christmas.

As the children return to school distant thoughts of the festive season begin to seep into the mind no matter how hard you try to keep them out and now there will be no avoiding the thoughts of sugar plums dancing in your head, as the contractors be- gin the preparation for the Christmas hfe alte

While last year the west Clare capi- tal may have had to recycle decade old lights this year its residents and

visitors can look forward to a state of the art LED lighting display.

As part of the first phase of the project the specialised light contrac- tors Rossa Lighting and Effects Ltd, Cavan, began the installation of con- nection boxes/meters on designated buildings in Vandeleur Street, Henry Street, The Square, Moore Street and Frances Street and the laying of con- necting cables along adjoining prop- erties yesterday (Monday).

Designing the display for the mari- time town took a lot of planning, with challenges like the width of Francis Street having to be overcome.

The lights will be installed in two

stages with the majority of the work being completed this year.

The main streets will be lit up for December 2007, with the smaller streets catered for in the second phase.

Two Irish signs will be erected on Vandeleur Street and Burton Street wishing visitors and shoppers a hap- OO) batineet-by

Garlands will hang across the streets with the exception of Francis Street, where lighted wall mounts will be displayed, all in time for the lighting ceremony on December I.

Kilrush Chamber of Commerce in partnership with Kilrush Town

Council is currently undertaking the ambitious “Spirit of Kilrush Christmas Lighting Project”, with major sponsorship by the ESB Mon- eypoint, Kilrush Credit Union and other smaller businesses.

Kilrush Town Council allocated €10,000 for the new Christmas lights in the annual budget.

Kilrush Chamber of Commerce has asked for co-operation from resi- dence and business and stage one of the installation begins this week.

The second phase will involve the installation of support brackets and the individual decorative lighting ef- fects later in the year.

CLARE County Council is on a col- lision course that is set to end up in court with a coach operator over the independent operators’ continu- ing refusal to use the car-park at the sem leoe

Since the centre opened in Febru- ary, independent coach operators have refused to pay the €60 to use the Cliffs car park and have instead set down their coaches at the road- side.

The actions by the coach operators have already cost the council an esti- mated €50,000 in lost revenues.

In a bid to end the practice of the coach operators setting down their buses at the roadside, the council last July deployed traffic wardens at the site.

Jackie Cronin of Glynn’s Coaches confirmed yesterday that his compa- ny has received a number of parking fines, but has so far refused to pay the fines in spite of reminders.

As a result, a court date is loom- ing for non-payment of fines and Mr Cronin said that he would welcome contesting the imposition of the fines in court.

He said, “Our legal advice is that we have a good case. These are parking fines, but the coaches are not park-

ing. They are setting down to allow the passengers get off the bus.”

Mr Cronin said, “The council is los- ing out financially, not just with the €60 charge that is not being paid, but we give our customers 50 minutes to do a tour and I’m sure that if they had more time, they would spend more in the shops in the centre.”

Mr Cronin said that the coach op- erators would be open to a coach charge of €20. He said, “I don’t know where this is going to go. It needs to be resolved but it is not costing us anything at the moment.”

Project Leader with the Cliffs of Moher visitor centre, Ger Dollard said yesterday that “the Cliffs have performed very well over the sum- mer and visitor numbers are certain- ly on a par with last year”.

He said, “The only negative aspect to the operation has been the actions of some coach operators of continu- ing to drop passengers on the road- side which remains a serious con- cern.

The council had discussions prior to the summer season and had made certain proposals in an effort to re- solve the situation. At this point we have not received a formal response. The council is of course available to further discuss the matter if request- ed to do so.”

IN A striking departure from its nor- mal role the Hector Street Centre in Kilrush will open its doors to the lo- cal community with innovative day courses.

The weeklong daytime classes will cover the arts, crafts, media and re- ED e leone

From September professional tui- tion in pottery, weaving and dyeing, art classes, theatre skills and film making will be available with begin- ners and intermediate classes in Tai Chi and specialist exercise and re- laxation classes for wheelchair users or those with mobility challenges.

This open public access communi- ty based education programme rep- resents a dramatic change in the use of the workshop, which up until now followed a “disability only” ethos.

As more and more programmes come on stream to integrate disabled people with the general community, these buildings originally designed for disabled clientele are becoming places where all can meet and min- gle, develop and learn new skills. Irish Potter’s Association instructor Jackie Maurer will offer throwing, coil and pinch pot making at the state of the art potter’s facility in the Hector Street Centre on Tuesday.

Internationally regarded Artist, Trudi Van Der Elsen will be devel- oping her home studio based classes in a course entitled Painting with Acrylics. Starting with still life sub- jects and moving on to more person- ally developed imaginative pieces, Trudi’s classes are on Monday and Wednesday afternoons.

On Fridays Suzanne Anker, a pop- ular tutor on the school’s alternative activity circuit, introduces the sourc- ing and applying of natural dyes and

the development of basic weaving techniques, creating home made looms and making attractive hand crafted products.

She will be sharing the Friday slot with well-known Dublin Actor Mick Daly who is expanding his Tiger Box Theatre Company along with song- writer Dave O’Brien. They want to invite anyone with an interest in de- veloping theatre skills, acting, stag- ing, production, lyric and script writ- ing on Friday afternoons.

The group will also be collaborat- ing with Documentary Film Maker Paddy O’Connor who will work at Hector Street in partnership with the Galway Film Centre under the Arts Council Sponsored “Artist in

the Community Programme”. Pad- dy will provide training and hands on experience in all aspects of film making from story boarding through camera work, sound and lighting to post production.

“This programme offers a great op- portunity to cement a growing satel- lite relationship between ourselves and this nationally credited commu- nity film maker which already has strong links with Clare,” said Rob Hopkins of the Brothers of Charity.

Three film projects will run on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 am to 4 pm, at three monthly intervals from September 20 to May 2008.

Finally to provide mind, body and spirit balance recently arrived Span-

ish national Francisco Lerdo de Te- jada, better known locally as ‘Paco’ will be extending his Tai Chi classes from the golden sands of Kilkee to the shifting sands of Hector Street beginning Monday September 3 with classes designed specifically for wheelchair users and people with mobility challenges followed by a Tai Chi beginners class on Wednes- CP hYapneleyuspentcace

For further information contact Hector Street at 065 9052299.

FIGURES released from Trocaire this week show that the Killaloe diocese raised €334,859 during this year’s Lenten Campaign, almost €9.000 more than was raised last year.

Trocaire’s 2007 Lenten campaign tackled the issue of gender equal- ity in the devel- oping world and highlighted how equal rights for women and men Oe N cure Ma’s Les D am oy-bas in ending pov- ua

Clare man Ea- monn Meehan, leo) AY ebKster tor of ‘Trodcaire, thanked the clergy and people of Kil- laloe for their kindness and generos- ity for Trocaire’s Lenten campaign this year.

He said, “We are extremely grateful for the huge amount of money raised for developing countries through- out Killaloe diocese this year. This money could not have been raised without the loyal support of parish- ioners who back this campaign every

single year”’.

According to Mr Meehan, “the work that goes on behind the scenes by clergy, parish workers and teach- ers can never be underestimated. Their dedication and commitment is the key to the success of the Lenten

campaign and Trocaire is very erateful for their hard work again this year.” Trocaire’s 2007 Lenten campaign looked at the so- cial roles that men and women have been as- signed and how the two genders are often valued

differently. Trocaire also demanded Were

the Irish Government produce a na- tional action plan that would lead to full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325, which calls for the active participation of women in peacekeeping, the elimination of violence against women and the pro- tection of women and children in conflict.

A MAJOR clean-up and renovation of an east Clare cemetery by willing locals has borne fruit.

The last piece in the work jigsaw in recent weeks means Kilavoher Cem- etery now has a new gate, repaired walls and a name plaque.

Plus, said secretary of the Meel- ick – Parteen Graveyard Committee, Councillor Cathal Crowe, “anti-so- cial behaviour at the Kilavoher cem- etery has ceased.”

The graveyard committee jumped

into action after reports that the area was being used for drinking and anti- social behaviour.

Committee members, Fr Fred Mc- Donald, Mike Crowe, Cathal Crowe, Ray Armstrong, Seamus Spaight, Packie Cronin, George White, Mar- tin Manning and Bernard McNamara took on the project and now the cem- etery is back in ship shape.

“At the beginning of the summer it was brought to my attention that the cemetery was being used for drink- ing parties. It was also alleged that the cemetery has been the scene of

debauchery and vandalism. I was even informed by one local resi- dent that rocks were pelted at an old headstone,” said Councillor Cathal Sewer

The work actually began more than two years ago when the committee took a conscious decision to clean up Kilavoher Cemetery.

The historic cemetery was “in very poor condition and briars had grown up to above head height,” said Cllr SOW

Some graves in the cemetery date back to the late 18th century.

‘The summer of 2005 was the first time in a long time that many of these eraves has seen the light of day. At the time of our major clean-up many passers-by remarked that they never knew that a cemetery was beneath all the briars and weeds. Since our clean-up operation in 2005 the cem- etry has been maintained to a high standard by local volunteers,” the councillor said.

He called on anyone who witnesses further anti-social behaviour to report it to either a member of the Grave- yards Committee or the gardai.

CLARE and Limerick landowners along the new route containing the Shannon tunnel are sharing in a €/0 million bonanza.

The National Roads Author- ity (NRA) yesterday confirmed that €70 million has been spent on the compulsory purchase of lands along the route.

The money has been paid out to 49 landowners for an estimated 566 acres in an area that straddles Lim- erick and Clare on both sides of the River Shannon.

One of the biggest landowners along the route is Irish Cement Ltd.

The company operates a plant and quarry adjacent to the route and had 43 acres of land compulsorily ac- quired by Limerick County Council.

Part of the Irish Cement Ltd land- holding includes Bunlicky Lake Where a causeway has been con- structed as part of the road scheme.

Limerick County Council has turned down a Freedom of Informa- tion request seeking details on the individual amounts paid out as part of the Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) process.

Work has been continuing on the project for the past year. An NRA spokesman said that the contractor “resembles a giant walking on his tip-toes” in dealing the various envi- ronmental challenges on the scheme.

As part of the works, the Direct Route consortium has had to indi- vidually translocate 2,500 plants from the construction site and place a large proportion of them in water tanks recreating the tidal conditions on the River Shannon. The dredg- ing of the River Shannon next year will also be dictated by the salmon spawning season.

General manager of Direct Route, Tom King said: “The plants – you have to translocate them and you can’t do anything until that is done and they occur in copious amounts all over the route.”

Mr King says that the tanks ensure that the plants gets water and nutri- ent at the same time as the Shannon (elon

‘The NRA and their consultants did a mammoth amount of work in prep- aration for the project. The number of combination and permutations of routes and strategies considered was amazing actually,” he added.

Nicola (21) and Mary Ellen (18) Murphy have been fans of the fanta- sy author for years and last week they became the first two of more than a thousand people who had been work- ing as extras on the film to be called back for a second stint.

The two had already been in the UK filming for a couple of days, but when a call came from Pratchett’s personal assistant, Rob Wilkins, to say that there were some people the director particularly wanted to see back, they were delighted.

“We were really delighted because Terry Pratchett is very hands-on in this film and we discovered we were asked back before anyone else,” said Nicola.

Nicola – who is studying folk thea-

tre in Tralee – and her sister, Mary Ellen – who hopes to be accepted in the Galway Film and TV course – were rubbing shoulders with some serious names in the world of film.

Among the stars of production are Sean Austin of Lord of the Rings fame, David Jason, aka Dellboy, and sere etieas

‘“They’re all nice to us, especially Sean, he was fabulous, always mak- ing jokes and talking to the extras and the crew,” said Nicola.

The sisters will be in Guildford for five days filming crowd scenes and riot scenes in the fictional Ankh- morpork City.

Mary Ellen will also be hoping to hear from the CAO that she has been successful in a second round offer on the Galway course.

‘“That’s the one I really want, but I have other options and I’ve looked at other courses. But for now, I’m really looking forward to a second chance at this film’’, she said.

THE company that will operate the toll on the €810 million Shannon tunnel is expected to generate in ex- cess of €456 million from the route over a 35-year period.

However, the agreement struck be- tween the National Roads Authority (NRA) and the “Direct Route” con- sortium avoids a repeat of the mas- sive profits made by the operator of the toll on the M50 in Dublin.

Described by the National Roads Authority (NRA) as “the largest in- frastructural scheme in the west of Ireland that no one knows about’, work on the tunnel has been continu- ing for the past year. A large propor- tion of the work is taking place in Clare where the 67/5ft long tunnel is

being constructed in a dry basin on the north of the Shannon. It 1s due to open in 2010.

The road will link all national routes converging on Limerick from Dublin, Tipperary, Cork, Kerry, Wa- terford, Ennis and Shannon Airport and is expected to remove 40,000 vehicles per day from Limerick city. Along with the tunnel, the scheme involves the construction of 10km of road, 11 bridges and a 750m cause- way across Bunlicky Lake.

400 workers are employed in the contstruction which involves five separate 100m long elements.

In August of next year the contrac- tor will commence flooding the cast- ing basin before winching the com- pleted tunnel sections into a dredged section of the River Shannon.

The “immersed tube tunnel con- struction approach” is the same method used to construct the Jack Lynch tunnel in Cork.

The road, the first to be tolled in the west of Ireland, is being built through a Public Private Partner- ship (PPP) and as a result, the State’s spend on the scheme is €349 mil- lion. The contract for the scheme is 6,000 pages long.

The €810 million cost of the scheme includes the operational costs and maintenance of the route over the 35 year operation and the annual maintenance and operation- al costs amount to millions of euro TO SMA ore be

Direct Route is a consortium of companies made up of John Sisk & Son Holdings Ltd., Lagan Holdings

Ltd, Roadbridge Ltd and Strabag AG along with financial institutions.

General Manager of Direct Route, Tom King said: “The Public Private Partnership (PPP) won an award for the way the funding was set up.

“It is very unique and through Hali- fax Bank of Scotland, bonds are to be issued into the marketplace every month.”

Mr King believes that €100 million will be raised through the issuing of the bonds.

An NRA spokesman defended the PPP system saying it allowed the work to start sooner.

ALMOST 50 cyclists spent Saturday pushing pedals on a 80km jaunt to raise money for a good cause.

The wheelie fans were cycling to raise money to head for an even longer trek in September in aid of the East Clare Chernobyl Cycle project.

The ride, organised by ‘Tom O’Keeefe and Billy Fitzpatrick, started on Saturday from Coonagh and took the riders to Killaloe.

On September 23 the riders are off the Belarus where they will cycle

400km over two days from Minsk to Malech to raise money for work on the orphanages which the project is helping in Malech, Antopol and Griileka acorn

“We’re using the money to modern- ise these orphanages and make life better for the 600 children who live in them. A lot of these children are sick or have special needs and some of the buildings and conditions they are living in are appalling,’ said Pad- dy O’Connor, project PRO.

Among the projects underway are a new kitchens, proper toilets and

showers, new teaching facilities and modern plumbing.

The latest project which the group are raising money for is in the An- topol orphanage where a new, mod- ern laundry room is being built and equipped.

“The laundrette in that orphanage is just horrible – it has to be seen to be believed,’ said Paddy.

The cycle has been going to Bela- rus for several years now and each year, the support grows.

This year’s group is the biggest to travel so far.

‘Whether it’s taking part in the cy- cle or raising funds for the projects, we have had fabulous support from the people of east Clare. They have been more than generous in the past and we’re hoping they will support us again,’ said Paddy.

PLANS by an east Clare-based com- pany for a wind-turbine have come under fire.

Last month, Olympus Diagnostica lodged plans for the turbine arising from a company initiative to meet 40-50 per cent of their electrical “base load” through using alternative Noe ATA

The height of the turbine will be 200 ft high which the company says is “half the size of the industry norm’.

The company stated that it would

consume all the energy from the wind-turbine and there was no need for a grid connection. It points out that the proposal doesn’t lie within any recognised flight path of the Whooper Swan and the Greenland White Fronted Goose.

In a submission lodged with the plan, the company stated: “The ra- tionale for this project has its roots in spiralling energy costs which are set by international markets and impact severely for two reasons: the wide fluctuation in energy costs which make financial planning more difficult and the underlying trend is

upwards.”

Stressing its adherence to a “Cor- porate Social Responsibility”, Ol- ympus points out that it has already reduced its greenhouse emissions by putting in place a wood chip burner instead of oil which also creates a locally-based market for wood-chip. The company also points out that the noise emissions from the wind-tur- bine will be lower than similar sized MUD MOY ESToE

According to Olympus, the Clare County Development Plan has deemed the location “a suitable are for wind energy” and doesn’t have

any scenic or environmentally sensi- tive designations.

However, Mr and Mrs JP Murphy and family have submitted concerns in relation to the turbine.

“We are local residents in the area for the past 60 years and we feel that the decision taken by Olympus to erect the turbine in the position in- dicated on the submitted site plan is inconsiderate to the local landscape and setting of Rosslara Lake and its woodland surroundings

“As highlighted in the council’s development plan, the site for the proposed wind turbine is within an

area specifically zoned as visually vulnerable and due to the mechani- cal nature of this machine this wind turbine would not be in keeping with the development plan.

“The proposed location of this wind turbine is visually intrusive to the scenic area of Rosslara Lake and if planning is granted, it will have a negative visual impact on the sur- rounding area.

“We feel that the proposed develop- ment should be located to a less vul- nerable/scenic area.”

A decision is due on the application later this year.