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THE early impact of the phased in- troduction of the Open Skies avia- tion deal is being felt at Shannon Airport where transatlantic traffic has dropped by 5 per cent to date this year.

In figures for the first six months of 2007 released yesterday, the Shannon Airport Authority (SAA) confirmed that transatlantic traffic had dropped 5 per cent to 325,000.

This follows American Airlines withdrawing its dedicated Boston Tos mats een

Airport Director, Martin Moroney said: “We are pleased that Aer Lin-

gus, Continental Airlines, Delta A1r- lines and US Airways have commit- ted to Shannon for next winter and summer.”

However, the overall figures for Shannon remains very positive with the six month traffic report showing an increase of 9 per cent in interna- tional terminal traffic.

A record 1.4 million people trav- elled to and from international desti- nations since January | this year.

A statement from the SAA states: ‘Record traffic figures were recorded for the month of June also. Interna- tional terminal traffic numbers rose by 12 per cent when compared to the same time period last year.”

Mr Moroney said, “Our key focus in the coming months will be to en- sure that with significant reductions in our cost structure Shannon will become a viable, self sustaining busi- ness, with capacity and efficiency to grow its airline network in the inter- ests of the region.

We will continue to compete ag- gressively with all the other airports and consolidate our position as Ire- land’s second largest airport.”

Mr Moroney added, “We are pleased with the strong perform- ance of our traffic to date and the outlook for the remainder of the year looks positive. Passenger throughput for the month of June alone is well

ahead of expectation with short haul and transatlantic services increasing by I5 per cent and 4 per cent respec- tively.

The statement continued: “In the six-month period to the end of June the short haul European and UK scheduled network has grown by 16 per cent to over | million passen- ae

“This strong growth is mainly at- tributed to the development of new routes by Ryanair and ongoing de- velopments by Aer Lingus and Cen- Wee DAY eNO nSace

“On charters, over 100,000 passen- gers traveled from Shannon to sun CLA a a reLu (eye hone

A 61-YEAR-OLD man has admitted producing a hatchet in the course of a row in which his son was involved.

James Keane, a father-of-six, of Hermitage, Ennis pleaded guilty to the charge, arising out of an incident at Woodquay, Parnell Street, Ennis, on July 11, 2005.

Keane had denied assaulting David Halligan, causing him harm, on the same night.

He was found not guilty by a jury on that charge at the end of a day-

long trial last Wednesday.

Garda Eric Stafford told Ennis Cir- cuit Court that Keane was standing near the River Walk in Ennis with a hatchet while his son and another man were fighting.

He said that Keane was carrying a handbag which contained a vice grips.

Defence Counsel Lorcan Connolly said his client maintained graves in Ennis, “off his own bat”’.

“Td ask you to consider community service,’ said Mr Connolly.

Judge Sean O Donnabhain said he

accepted the accused had no previous convictions and had pleaded guilty.

‘“That’s impressive. He is not likely to re-offend. In the circumstances, he got carried away,” said the judge.

“It’s a one-off, but he did have and hold a hatchet,’ he added and im- posed a fine of €500.

During the trial into the alleged assault, the court was told that Mr Halligan (25) and his girlfriend had stopped to have a cigarette, on their way home from town.

They were approached and Mr Hal- ligan was assaulted. It was alleged by

the State that Mr Halligan was hit on the nose with an implement, which was being carried by the accused.

Mr Halligan told the trial that he “sot a belt of something. I didn’t know what it was at the time”’.

Mr Connolly said his client admit- ted he was present and admitted he SPT Or Dw MAD Otcar- bomb este) (se slo tlm

‘At no stage did he assault you. Any of the blows you got were from An- thony or James Keane Junior,’ said Mr Connolly.

Garda Albert Hardiman said he observed Anthony Keane taking an

implement from his father, the ac- cused, and threw it over his shoulder into the river.

The accused told the trial if he hit a person in the face with a hatchet, “his face wouldn’t be there no more”.

Counsel for the State, Stephen Coughlan put it to the accused that Mr Halligan was quite sure he was struck by a hatchet. The accused replied, “Not by me. . . I didn’t get involved.”

After deliberating for a short peri- od, the jury returned a verdict of not guilty on the assault charge.

FAMILIES living in Ivy Hill have described how reckless drivers are causing havoc on roads around the estate.

Resident’s representatives told the July meeting of Ennis Town Council they fear a serious accident is just a matter of time.

Dangerous driving and the width of the roads in the estate were indenti- fied as the main reasons for the high levels of speeding occuring in the estate.

One mother spoke of the worry she felt every time she heard a screech of brakes on the road.

‘You wake up to hear brakes screeching. We are afraid something is going to happen. We don’t want to have to wait for a serious accident to happen before anything is done”’.

The group called on the council to install traffic calming measures to combat the problem. They claimed speed ramps and or traffic islands are the only effective methods to stop speeding drivers.

One resident, Jenny, explained that drivers treat the area like a main road. “There is a very long corner and very long stretch and drivers are coming in here and treating it as a main road. We’re here to say that it is only a small percentage of drivers

that drive badly but there are a lot of young children playing on the road and something needs to be done”.

She added “There are signs up there to say children are playing, but they aren’t making any difference. Coming home from school can be an absolute nightmare with the amount of cars”.

Another resident Kay, described how she had observed a speeding car hit a lampost and spin into a green area before driving away.

She said “There is serious potential there for something to happen up near the hill. People say that speed bumbs cause damage to cars but if you are a serious driver you will drive sensibly

and look after your car”’.

Green party councillor Donal O’Bearra said the problem was widespread in many residential areas around the town.

“It’s a problem that’s going to hap- pen more frequently in many areas in the town especially when you have a lot of people who are driving on the other side of the road. When speed comes into then, it creates a far more dangerous problem”.

Mayor of Ennis, Tommy Brennan told the delegation from Ivy Hill that the council would examine the issue more closely once they had been briefed by Town Engineer Tom Tiernan.

THE importance of keeping water- ways clear was stressed by a judge when he fined a publican who plead- ed guilty to discharging effluent into waters.

The proprietor of O’Connor’s pub in Doolin, Patrick Sexton, pleaded guilty to one charge arising out of an inspection by Clare County Council on August 11, 2005.

Karen Hayes, from Clare County Council’s Environmental Depart- ment, said she visited O’Connor’s pub as part of routine monitoring.

She told Ennis Circuit Court that she took an effluent sample and analysed it. The results showed that BOD, a measure of the oxygen used by microorganisms to decompose, was six times over the licensed limit, while the level of suspended sol- ids exceeded the legal limit by four

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Counsel for the accused said there was no “deliberate breach on my cli- ent’s behalf.”

Ms Hayes accepted this, saying, ‘He didn’t physically put the effluent in there.”

The court was told that the accused had three previous convictions un- der the same legislation, in 2001, 2003 and 2004.

Ms Hayes said that the prosecution

was mounted in the District Court, where jurisdiction had been declined and costs amounting to more than €2,500 had arisen.

“It is my opinion it could have been dealt with in the District Court,’ said Ms Hayes.

She said that since the proceedings were initiated, Mr Sexton had put in a lot of work to rectify the situation and was now meeting the require- ments.

His counsel said, “Since the date of this offence there have been no fur- ther difficulties.”

Judge Sean O Donnabhain pointed out that this was a fourth conviction.

‘Publicans are like everybody else. Reality sometimes only dawns when it gets caustic. We are all increasing- ly conscious of how important it is to keep waterways clear,” he said while imposing a fine of €2,500. He also ordered that accused pay costs.

TWO local heroes who have raised thousands for cancer have been nominated for the People of the Year awards

Ballyea man Tony Griffin was nominated alongside Clare 250 Mile Cycle founder John Dunne as one of Ennis Town Council’s nominees for We Comre Nise 8K 6 he

The 2006 hurling all-star last week completed an epic and often arduous 7000km cycle across Canada.

Griffin completed the Irish leg of his journey when he cycled first from Dublin to Athlone and then back to Ennis last Sunday.

Thousands lined O’Connell Street in Ennis town centre on the day to welcome Griffin home.

Through his endeavours with the Tony Griffin foundation, the 26- year-old hopes to raise one million for the Irish Cancer Society, Ovarian Cancer Canada and the Lance Arm- strong Foundation.

He reflected last week on the amaz- ing level of support he had received from the general public.

“The people were absolutely bril- liant. The response we got from strangers was amazing. It was just very heart warming to have com- plete strangers coming up to you, it would leave you with a new outlook on life”.

Griffin’s fellow nominee for the People of the Year is another cyclist.

John Dunne founded the Clare 250 Mile Cycle in 1979 and it has since grown into one of the largest charity event is in the country. The two-day event which takes place in June regu-

larly attracts over 100 participants. Money raised from the event goes towards helping cancer sufferers and the area of cancer research. In recent years some of the funding has been

allocated towards the construction of a dedicated Clare 250 cancer centre in Ballygriffey Ruan.

Both Griffin and Dunne were put forward for the award at the July monthly meeting of Ennis Town Council.

Independent councillor Frankie Neylon said both men deserved rec- ognition for their immense fundrais- ing efforts.

“IT recommend we put forward Tony Griffin and John Dunne. They have done tremendous work and fundrais- ing and I think they would be worthy recipients’.

The People of the Year awards provide an unique opportunity for the Irish public on both sides of the border to honour outstanding con- tributions by individuals to life on the island. This includes those peo- ple that have raised money for vital services for people with disabilities, older people, carers and other mar- ginalized groups.

Awards are given in many diverse categories to a mixture of high pro- file figures and the unsung heroes of local communities.

This year’s awards will be held on September 8 in the City West Hotel, Dublin and will be televised live on 0 SaF

A KILRUSH man who was found by a judge to have told lies during his trial has been handed a suspended jail term after paying compensation and apologising.

Martin Walsh (49) of Island View, Kilrush, had denied causing almost €4,000 damage to two cars at 22 O’Gorman Street, Kilrush on No- vember 28 2005.

However, he was found guilty by a jury at Ennis Circuit Court last Friday week. The trial judge, Judge Sean O Donnabhain, said the ac- cused had “fabricated a tissue of lies” and he remanded him in custody for a week.

When he reappeared in court last week Walsh apologised for telling Wty

Judge O Donnabhain pointed out, “An offence of criminal damage of

this type wouldn’t merit a custodial sentence. Compensation would be number one to consider, with maybe some sort of binding to the peace or a suspended sentence.”

The judge said to defence barrister Lorcan Connolly: “You are entitled to fight the case. Your man went two steps further. He lied about his whereabouts that night and made up lies about the injured parties.

‘For those two aggravating factors,

I have remanded him in custody for the week,’ added the judge.

Mr Connolly said that his client had paid almost €4,000 compensa- tion to gardai.

‘He did not enjoy the week in pris- on. He now realises he was responsi- ble for the damage and his behaviour was unacceptable and he wishes to proffer his apology to the two wom- en,” said Mr Connolly.

The judge replied, “He didn’t spare

them when he was in the witness box.”

Martin Walsh subsequently ad- dressed the court and apologised for CURD OreMpOONRIOMbUROtcE

“I’m very sorry for misleading the court, telling lies,” he said.

The judge imposed an 18-month jail term, and suspended the balance of the sentence, on condition that he keep the peace for that length of anealee

FUNDING shortfalls have turned parts of Ennis into’ educational blackspots, according to Ennis West Partners Ltd.

According to CSO figures quoted in a letter by Ennis West to Ennis Town Council, 26 per cent of the people living in the Ennis West area of Cloughleigh, Drumbiggle and Hermitage have only had access to primary education or no formal edu- cation at all. This compares with 21 per cent for all of Clare and 22 per cent nationally. Nineteen per cent of those living in the same area have no third level qualification, compared to 24 per cent in Clare and 26 per cent nationally.

According to the letter “the future outlook can be considered to be neg- ative when one takes into account the prediction of the joint FAS/ESRI outlook 2004 that 60 per cent of the net new jobs created by the economy in 2010 and onwards will require a third level qualification.”

The organisation has claimed that a particular incidence of educational disadvantage has developed in the west of Ennis.

The organisation says inadequate and insecure funding has meant there has not been enough money to provide for the numbers of students

requiring assistance.

Ennis West Partners works with secondary schools in the town to proved educational support program- mnes for disadvantaged students.

Ennis West is currently assisting 350 students through study skills courses and assisted homework clubs in co-operation with schools.

The body is now applying to Ennis Town Council and local businesses for funding after Government fund- ing was withheld pending review of the service.

The letter states, ““We hope that you will be able to help us in this regard as we have an urgent need to raise the €12,000 necessary for the 2007 – 2008 school year. We have a strong belief that this work provides practi- cal assistance for our young people and that ultimately the whole town lores ees nL RS

Speaking at last night’s meeting of Ennis Town Council, mayor of En- nis Tommy Brennan said Ennis West must show the council its accounts.

He said, “We should look for a bal- ance sheet before we discuss this. The last time we asked all we got was a glossy brochure. Before we discuss this we have to find out why the De- jOx-NaBOOCs) OM Orc KCLULMmoy-(@) qu aeDeCeND Tome

Ennis West board member, Cllr Joe Reidy (FF) said the department was reviewing the scheme.

OUTGOING mayor Councillor Stephen O’Gorman was full of praise for his native town as he wore the chain of office for the last time.

“I could speak all night about how Kilrush is progressing at a very fast rate,’ he said pointing to the many achievements of the town over the past 12 months.

During his reign as mayor, the John Paul Estate resident also faced down anti-social behaviour in his area and suffered the consequences.

In his parting speech he thanked the people of Kilrush “who stood by me in tough times and especially the residents of John Paul Estate’.

It was at the end of his term in of- fice that the Fianna Fail town coun- cillor saw the beginning of the pilot scheme for the regeneration project at John Paul Estate – a project close to his heart.

This was just one of the many things he highlighted as the chang- ing face of Kilrush.

The outgoing mayor pointed to the decentralisation of the Revenue

offices to the west Clare capital ex- pected in a few weeks as just one of the positive changes ahead.

He also spoke of the employment brought to the town by the planned Tesco centre, the Place de Plouzane shopping centre, the development at Glynn’s Mills on Hector Street, and the €40 million investment at the marina.

He welcomed broadband to Kil- rush, the construction work at Quay’s Mills and the opening of the Com- haltas building. He praised the work of the Tidy Towns for securing the

silver medal last year and hoped for news of gold this year.

He told the Annual General Meet- ing of the town council that among his greatest memories from his sec- ond year, aS mayor was the two visits by the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern to the town and the civic reception for the crew of “the Spirit of Kilrush”.

‘To be born and reared in Kilrush and become mayor of your own town is a great honour,’ he told council- Kovacs

“Working together is the key to the future.”

concerning reports that a number of people had been sent to Sweden for treatment for a serious lung disease which could not be dealt with in this country.

The HSE spokesman said that he could only confirm that a female patient from Clare had been sent

abroad for treatment for a serious lung disease.

The spokesman said he could con- firm that one case had been referred abroad. He was not aware of any other cases and could not confirm reports that up to 13 people from the Clare area had been sent to the Swedish hospital or that one of these patients had subsequently died.

The HSE would not release any further information about the nature of the lung disease, nor could they say which part of the county the ill woman was from because of of pa- tient confidentiality.

THE number of people living in Clare who have a third level degree has risen by almost one third in the last five years.

The figures were revealed in latest results from the 2006 Census which show that the number of people in Clare with a third level degree or higher has risen dramatically by 30 per cent since 2002.

This means that 16 per cent of all adults in the county have at least a primary degree, which is the same as the national average.

“Tt is really encouraging to see that Clare is retaining its well educated and increasing the knowledge base of the region,’ says Western Devel- opment Commission (WDC) Chief Executive, Gillian Buckley.

“Attracting and retaining well edu- cated people is the key to the west’s future in the knowledge economy. We know from the population trends and our LookWest.ie campaign that well qualified people want to stay in, or return to, Clare. The latest Census results confirm this,” she added.

The Census information also showed that the numbers in mana- gerial and professional jobs in the county have risen by 13 per cent while those categorised as unskilled

have fallen by 18 per cent.

“At the WDC we have set it as a priority to make prospective employ- ers aware of the skills pool available in the region. The next phase of our LookWest.ie campaign will specifi- cally target businesses to highlight the numbers of skilled and educated people who want to live and work in the west,” said Ms Buckley.

Commenting on the Census results regarding internet access, Ms Buck- ley continued, “It’s clear that Clare fares badly in terms of broadband. Just under 30 per cent of those with internet access had a broadband con- nection compared with the national average of 43 per cent. Widespread affordable, high-speed internet ac- cess 1s critical to Clare’s future in the knowledge economy and must be a national priority.”

Figures also revealed that 85 per cent of households in Clare have at least one car compared to the nation- al average of 80 per cent.

Ms Buckley said that this “points to the need to continue to invest in road infrastructure across the county but also underlines the importance of public transport provision, particu- JENe Weve meceyeebeslll(osmpKeleiKonwe

The 2006 Census was conducted across Clare and nationwide on April PRM MES Misr: