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that the former Church of Ireland building will eventually be promoted as one of the area’s many tourist attractions.

“Because it looks such a fantastic building and due to its association SLAC MM A SCoM A BOLO CoLUDMmBECDOODURVam- DELO MMU STe associated history it will probably become a tourist attraction. We hope to do something about the history

and put it in the building so visitors can see it when they walk around. The tea rooms are there for people to relax afterwards,’ he said.

The outside of the building has retained its authentic look while an estimated €1 million has brought it back to its former glory.

A stage has also been built, with a seating capacity of 130.

The building had been unoccupied for decades and gone into ruin, be- fore a Kilrush Development group – KCDL took it over from the Church of Ireland.

The group had visions for a com- munity but ran out of money after the roof and stonework was completed.

The group approached Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann, and with the

blessing of the Church of Ireland the promoter of Irish music and dance took it over and developed it as one of its teach cheoil.

There were just fragments of the original three stained glass windows in place one year ago, but they have now been restored to their original glory with one having pride of place okoaVb NCO M Wa Cow SLAC: IXen

Mr Whelan described the acoustics of the building as “spot on”.

“It is ideal for concerts and seisiun. Musicians will love to use it,’ he Sr HLG

Teach Cheoil Chill Rois will serve as an outreach centre from Cois na hAbhna, the Comhaltas Regional Resource Centre in Ennis.

Classes will begin there in Septem-

ber with “Seisiun” tomorrow evening (Wednesday).

“The primary focus of the teach cheoil will be to promote Comhaltas and related activities. We also hope to encourage the communities to use the facility and resources,’ said Mr We ated een ee

Comhaltas plans to have the build- ing open for inquiries on a daily ba- sis, and eventually have daily activi- ties at the centre.

The grounds of the teach cheoil have been separated from the grave- yard by a railing and a separate en- trance put in place.

AN UNCLE of stab victim Michael Doherty has been warned about his behaviour, following an incident out- side Ennis Courthouse on Friday.

The matter caught the attention of the judge, minutes after a young man charged in connection with the 14- year-old’s death appeared before the Children’s Court.

That case was dealt with in a matter of seconds shortly after 1lam and the accused left the court.

However, as other cases were being

dealt with, the judge noticed a group of people related to the deceased who had gathered outside the courthouse near a window. Some were speaking loudly.

Judge Joseph Mangan twice or- dered that the matter be addressed. He told the court garda to go out and “get people away from the window.”

The judge then noticed that a young man had jumped on a window sill and was peering into the courtroom. The lower glasses on the courtroom are frosted, but the upper panes of glass are transparent.

The judge pointed out that the Chil- dren’s Court was not open to the public and ordered that the man be brought before him.

The young man identified himself as Edward Sherlock. “Yes I jumped up on the window,’ he told the

judge.

Judge Mangan asked him, “Why did you do that?”

He replied, “My nephew was

stabbed. I’m here to see justice.” Judge Mangan warned him about

his behaviour. “If you don’t conduct

yourself Ill have you barred from

court when that case is at hearing again.”

The accused, a 17-year-old teenager who is charged in connection with Mr Doherty’s death, was remanded on continuing bail.

He 1s charged with production of an article capable of inflicting serious injury, at O’Connell Street, Ennis, on Saturday, June 23 last.

Superintendent John Scanlan of Ennis Garda Station applied for the case to be adjourned until September 28. Judge Mangan agreed to the ap- plication.

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:

AFTER a long winter break, big time music is returning to Doolin this summer with the relaunch of the Best for the West series of concerts at Magnetic Music.

This years series of 12 events will see some of the country’s most pro- lific musicians and singers descend- ing on the village between now and the beginning of September.

The series opens on Thursday, July 19, with a concert from new folk wizards Beoga. The five-piece tradi- tional band from Antrim was drawn together after jamming in a fero- cious music session at the All-Ire- land Fleadh in August 2002. Their

unique sound features the twin du- eling accordions of Sean Og Graham and Damien McKee, along with four times All-Ireland bodhran champion Eamon Murray and pianist Liam Bradley.

Over the last couple of years Beoga have followed a busy European tour schedule, which included headlining various prestigious festivals includ- ing performances on the Guinness Irish Christmas tour of Austria, the German Irish Folk Festival tour along with Solas and Kevin Burke and the Irish Unplugged Tour of Holland, with the Fureys and Davey Arthur.

The group have just released their second eagerly awaited album Mis-

chief which contains more of their self-composed material, played in their own highly individualistic style.

Following Beoga, Emer Mayock, Donal Siggins and Robert Harris of Afro Celt Sound System fame will bring their eclectic mix of traditional and self penned tunes accompanied by guitar and bodhran to Magnetic Music on Sunday, July 22. Six days later, fiddle and concertina virtuo- So of Riverdance fame, Niamh Ni Charra and Mike Galvin will be live on stage before the free Irish Music Table Quiz on July 29.

Indeed their will be a series of free Irish Music Table Quiz’s through- out the summer with extra events on

August 5 and 12. On August 3, Pad- raic O’Reilly and the Corofin String Quartet will take to the stage with legendary Cork singer songwriter John Spillane performing on the fol- lowing night.

Other concerts include MacDara and Friends on August 10, Niamh Parsons and Graham Dunne on Au- gust 25, Patricia Daly and the Span- ish-Lady Ensemble on August 31 and the Outside Track on August 8.

Doors for all concerts at 9.30pm, families are welcome with small children sitting on the lap free and children from 10 to 14 years half je ulGen

For more information call 7074988 or check out magnetic-music.com.

THE number of US military person- nel going through Shannon Airport in the second quarter of this year increased by 135 per cent on the number that went through the airport between January and March.

According to figures published by the Shannon Airport Author- ity (SAA) yesterday, the numbers of troops that went through Shan- non from March to June was 63,827 with 27,104 passing through in May alone.

Some 27,070 US military person- nel went through the airport between January and the end of March.

According to the Executive Chair- man of the Shannon Airport Author- ity (SAA), Pat Shanahan, Shannon Airport outdoes all other airports in the world in terms of service levels for the various military carriers.

Last year, profits from the US mili- tary traffic kept the SAA in profit. 280,785 military personnel used the airport’s facilities, which was a drop of 17 per cent or 59,903 on the number that went through Shannon in 2005.

The airport made a profit of €9 mil- lion from the troop traffic in 2005. The profit last year is an estimated ae esneeleyee

“Shannon has a tradition of han- dling military traffic. We do it very well and we have the infrastructure to do so.

“Geographically, the airport is ide- ally located between the two great continents,’ said Mr Shanahan.

“It is a business we do very well. Obviously the ultimate decision is a Government decision. While there is a business opportunity we will certainly capitalise on it. Shannon captitalises on it more than airport that I know in the world in terms of friendliness and in terms of the serv- ice level we give the various carriers that operate that business.”

Asked would the authority be look- ing for additional military business, Mr Shanahan said, “We’re good at that business, but if opportunities come along, certainly, but it is not a business you can rely on or predict a certain level of income, it fluctuates oA AAW NCCU RA

“It is not a business we will basing our future on, but it is a reasonable revenue generating business when there is an opportunity to capitalise One

“It is not a predictable business, but it is a business that we are happy to be in 1f the Government is happy to allow the carriers to go through Shannon,” said Mr Shanahan.

STAFF who are arriving first day on the job without experience are demanding minimum wage, causing headaches for employers, according to the Ennis Chamber of Commerce.

The chamber says there is confu- sion about who is entitled to the new minimum wage of €8.65 which was introduced by new Labour Affairs Minister Billy Kelliher last week.

“It’s important to note that the min- imum wage applies to people over 18 years of age with experience in their field,” said chamber CEO, Rita Weal tious

“People who are coming straight from school with no experience can- not be paid the minimum because there is a cost involved with training them,’ she said.

While the increases had _ been agreed as part of a national plan, the CEO said that businesses would hope that once the level had been reached, further increases would not come as quickly on each other again.

The increase to the National Mini- mum Wage is the second this year. The first increase to took effect on January 1, last. Overall it is the sixth increase to the national minimum wage since it was first introduced in

April 2000.

Ms McInerney said that the increas- ing cost of paying wages was one of a number of mounting expenses which were putting businesses under pres- sure.

“With the review of valuations on property in Ennis coming up, we re- ally need to examine the costs. If a business improves its premises, it’s caught for higher rates. The cost of renting a premises in Ennis is also something which needs to be looked ale

“We are concerned with the number of empty premises in the town. It’s not good for business or for the 1m- age of the town.”

Introducing the new wage, the minister said that the increase would “clearly benefit low paid workers in society, in particular part-time and younger workers”.

Anybody seeking information on the increase in the national mini- mum wage can telephone the Em- ployment Rights Information Unit at Ol 6313131, 1890 201 615 Co-call if outside the O1 area) or visit the web- site www.entemp.!e.

SOMETHING truly remarkable took place in Tubber National School this year. In the seven months be- tween September of 2006 and May of 2007, 17 children from the north Clare school read an amazing 2086 books, or one book for each child every two days.

This sudden addiction to the writ- ten word came through the schools participation in the ‘Transatlantic Reading Challenge. The reading challenge was set up between some 20 school in Clare and a number of school in Canada to encourage stu- dents to read more books.

“Each child was given a reading log at the beginning of the year and this log was used to record each book they read. In total the children of the school read 2086 books. There was 17 pupils involved so that means that in the seven month period from Sep- tember to the end of May, on average 111 books were read per child in the school,’ said a spokesperson from the school.

“We actively encouraged reading this year, we ran a number of ini- tiatives in the school such as paired reading, we got involved in the MS Readathon and we set up a Reading Buddies scheme. It became part of the curriculum but we also encour-

aged them to read from outside of it”

The Reading Buddies Scheme sees children paired off, with each child helping to support his or her partner in their own reading.

“It is an initiative that is used in a lot of schools to promote literacy and to help reluctant readers to read in a comfortable and encouraging envi- ronment. It gives them a support net- work, they can both get together and help one another with any difficult words and with the filling out the log,” continued the spokesperson.

“They were devouring books, I just couldn’t get over it. It really started to gain momentum as it went on. The

children have got a real respect for books and it is a life-long still for them. It’s the road to knowledge but it’s also a road to a more fulfilling and happy life.”

Amazingly for such a small school, Tubber came second of the 20 Clare schools in the competition. To mark their achievement, Chairman of Clare County Council’s Community and Cultural SPC, Councillor Pat Hayes, present a plaque to Lisa Mc- Mahon of Tubber National School last week.