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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.

SHANNON town has received a boost in its long running campaign to secure full town council status arising from Government plans to reform local government.

Shannon Town Manager, Ger Dol- lard, has welcomed new proposals in the recently published Programme for Government as a “very signifi- cant step forward” for the town.

He said that the definite timescale of six months- before the proposals appear in a new green paper on local government- was very positive.

In the programme, the parties out- lined their commitment to the estab- lishment of town councils in towns that have shown significant popula- tion growth, including the upgrading of the former town commissions to full town councils.

“Shannon Town Council has been pursuing the upgrade in functions and the extension of the Shannon town boundary. Our understanding from a visit of the previous Minis- ter for the Environment some time ago was that there was no legislative mechanism currently to facilitate an upgrade,” said Mr Dollard.

He added that “‘as a result Shannon Town Council decided to move ahead with the application for a boundary

extension and continue to lobby for a change in status”.

The manager also said that the case for Shannon was strong as it was the second largest town in the county with a population of 10,000 and 12,000 working in the general environs. An upgrade would give the town council overall responsibility for local government functions in- cluding housing, planning and roads as well as levying rates and other sae ene

“The staffing support and services available would be significantly im- proved and extended to cover the direct provision of services. Being realistic and assuming positive deci- sions for Shannon, I would see a five year timescale as being likely,’ he added.

The Shannon-based incoming mayor, Councillor Patricia McCa- rthy (Ind) said that an upgrade to full town council “is what Shannon deserves and has been fighting for a number of years”.

She added, “I would welcome a serious debate on local government reform.

“There has been no discussion or reform in the past, but no meaning- ful reform has taken place and the lo- cal government system remains too centralised.”

IT WAS “Lights, camera, action!” for Tubber National School last Wednesday night as a five minute film made by pupils made it through to the national finals of the FIS Pri- mary Schools Film Project.

A Lesson Learned, which was about early 20th Century educa- tion, beat off stiff competition from Holy Family Senior in Ennis, Scoil Chriost Ri in Cloughleigh, Kilrush National School and Barefield Na- tional School to be the Clare winner in the competition’s fifth year.

FIS gives students and teachers

the chance to explore the school curriculum through the medium of film and Digital Video technology and winning films will compete at the National FIS Film Awards at the HELIX, Dublin City University in October.

Principal of Tubber National School, Ann Comyn said, “The stu- dents have managed to produce a wonderfully creative piece of work that should be a source of pride for them and their parents.”

She added that the screening held at the Temple Gate Hotel in Ennis gave the children the opportunity to celebrate and share the work they

had been doing since February.

“They thoroughly enjoyed the whole learning experience and in most cases have realised that there is a lot of hard work and planning involved in film-making.” The chil- dren took on all aspects of the film- making process including set design, music, editing and directing.

The film subjects varied and the joint first runners up were: Are You Right There Michael, a historical drama documentary on the West Clare Railway by Kilrush NS and Dear Mr Examiner, an adaptation of a sixth class poem by Scoil Chriost Nee

The project was facilitated by the Clare Education Centre in associa- tion with the Department of Educa- tion and Science and the National Film School.

“The films produced by the children demonstrate what can be achieved when creativity and modern technol- ogy are combined,” explained Brid Talty, regional schools ICT advisor at Clare Education Centre.

Ann White of the National Coun- cil for Technology Education and competition judge said that the over- all standard was exceptionally high and for Tubber National School “the journey is just beginning”’.

CCTV cameras are among new fre- sources Ennis Town Council will use as part of a major community driven environmental initiative.

The Ennis Environmental Chal- lenge will feature a range of waste prevention initiatives including the introduction of litter free zones, the employment of extra resources and the use of mobile CCTV cameras.

The first phase of the campaign involves the designation of Abbey Street, O’Connell Street, Parnell Street and High Street as a pilot area, within which litter free status will be Neel tol 0B

Other town centre locations will be designated as target litter free zones in the second phase. An independent verification and audit of the initiative is planned for August. The second phase will get underway in October with further review and assessment to take place in November.

Additional staff resources will be assigned to support the initial stages of the initiative which was launched at Waterpark House on Friday. Rep- resentatives from Shannon Develop- ment, Ennis Chamber of Commerce, local sports clubs and organisations, national and secondary school rep- resentatives, Ennis Tidy Towns Committee, An Garda Siochana, waste service providers, residents associations, local authority officials and elected members, tourism sector representatives and members of the

business community attended the event.

Other measures being introduced by Ennis Town Council include the operation of a revised cleaning schedule, the provision of colourful

floral displays and hanging baskets throughout the town, the hosting of an awareness campaign in national and secondary schools, and the pro- duction of a promotional/educational video on the Ennis Environmental

Challenge. Meanwhile, the council will use mobile closed circuit televi- sion in designated areas, housing es- tates and public areas as an enforce- ment measure to combat littering and indiscriminate dumping.

Eddie Power, Ennis Town Clerk, explained that the litter initiatives would be closely monitored through- out the challenge.

“A log or record including photo- graphic evidence of the condition of streets will be complied twice daily to monitor progress. An independent audit will also be conducted in the designated areas to verify progress and determine ‘litter free status’. ‘Litter Free Zone’ signs will then be erected following the successful completion of the verification proc- ess,” he said.

“Ennis Town Council will be launching measures aimed at further improving the existing community- wide and shared approach to com- bating litter in the town. For exam- ple, the local authority will organise cleaning days across the town’s hous- ing estates. Financial support will be provided through the council’s Prim- ing Grants Scheme for Residents As- sociations while an additional Bonus Grant will be presented to the Best Kept Estate. We will also be taking action on derelict sites and asking the owners of certain buildings and sites to carry out maintenance work where necessary,’ he said.

SO FAR, 2007 has been annus hor- ribulus for Clare hurling.

Not all to do with the controversies engendered by the Davie Fitz, Sem- plegate, Tony Carmody, Ger Ward and Dave Mahedy affairs. Some- thing to do with results as well. A poor league followed by a poorer start to the championship.

A case of bad to worse. Casement Park on Saturday afternoon is when things have to start getting better. Win and the Clare hurlers throw themselves a lifeline and march on- wards and upwards to a mouth wa- tering clash with Galway in Cusack eevee LUA awe

Lose and Clare hurling isn’t so much as staring into the abyss — more

a case of plummeting head long into a black hole. They aren’t contemplat- ing the latter, only the former as the wagons are being circles by Tony Considine and his team this week.

It seems anything that could go wrong has gone wrong in the build up to the All-Ireland qualifier. The county board refused to bow to Con- sidine’s request for club champion- ship games to be put on hold until af- ter Clare’s All-Ireland race was run.

Power to clubs preached the top table, while Considine launched a verbal broadside when saying “all I’ve wanted since I came into the job was to have a fair crack of the whip. One some level you begin to wonder if some sections would prefer to see you fail”.

It’s this siege mentality that’s driv-

ing Clare this week — the overwhelm- ing feeling from those involved in the team is that they’re in this thing on their own. Without board back- ing, especially from the rump within the board that want Tony Considine to fall on his own sword.

That state of siege is added to when you factor in suspensions to Alan Markham, Colin Lynch, Barry Nugent and Andrew Quinn and a mounting injury crisis with the Clare squad.

The Clare quartet were suspended by the Competitions Controls Com- mittee for their part in the fracas with Cork, while their one-match bans were upheld on appeal last Thursday night.

Since then things have got worse, with fresh injuries clouding Clare

preparations for their journey north. On top of the absence of Whitegate’s Brendan Bugler, Newmarket-on-Fer- cus’ Bernard Gaffney has been ruled out, as has Clooney-Quin’s Fergal Lynch.

Meanwhile, both Jonathon Clancy and Kevin Dilleen are in a race to be fit for the clash against the UI- ster champions, which has prompted manager Tony Considine to delay naming his starting 15 until the day om elemestclceey

Only then will Clare’s small trav- elling support know the team. Only then will the wagons be fully cir- rer

AN ‘X’ or more accurately, a cross, marks the spot in the Burren with the official launch of a community art project designed to highlight local farming and conservation issues.

The Cross Land initiative takes the form of the coppiced shape – each arm stretching 60 metres long and 1.5m wide – cut through an area of dense hazel wood just off the side of the Tubber road.

The shape was designed and creat- ed laboriously by hand by Kilnaboy based artist, Deirdre O’Mahony and volunteers as part of the Ground Up programme by the county arts of- fice.

It was launched at Cassidy’s Pub in

Carron last Saturday after a gather- ing in the Burren Research Centre and marked with the presentation of several aerial shots of the cross to lo- cal people.

“The shots had to be taken using kite photography 300 feet up be- cause the shape is only barely visible from a height on the road itself,” said Ms O’Mahony, a painting lecturer in the Galway/Mayo Institute of Tech- nology.

“The idea for the cross shape itself came from a conversation with the farmer whose land we used when he called the marginal scrubland ‘cross land’. The reference is really a part of the local vernacular so I suppose making it part of the land can sym- bolise hope.”

The Cross Land was the result of a two-year local consultation process, based at Cassidy’s, with local people and it highlights several issues ac- cording to Ms O’Mahony.

‘The original issue was the spread- ing of the scrubland and it wasn’t be- ing cleared by wild goats because of a lot of culling in the past few years but there were other factors. Another was the impact of part time farm- ing and the fact that marginal land, which used to be grave, is not any- more.”

She said that a recurring topic was the challenge faced by farmers based in a Special Area of Conservation, regulated by “so many different agencies’.

“I spoke to people and I was in Cas-

sidy’s two evenings a week. With the help of Robert and Michelle, I posted information up in a snug so it could be read by the customers. One other thing I noticed was the lack of com- munity focus because you would be lucky 1f two or three people showed up a night.”

She thanked everyone in the area and also Burren Life for their help with The Cross Land before adding, “I hope that it makes a tiny piece of the rich local knowledge and co-op- eration visible.”

THE Bishop of Killaloe, Dr Willie Walsh, said last night that incidence of suicide within the Traveller com- munity were “not some dark afflic- tion” affecting Travellers but were “part and parcel of humanity”’.

At a special Mass at the Cathedral in Ennis last night in memory of three young travellers that recently took their own lives, Dr Walsh said: “God never visits tragedy on any particular community. We can never understand what leads someone to ending one’s own life.

“Each one of us is different, has

their own story of life. | don’t know your story, you don’t know my story and for that reason, we must never judge or condemn who has chosen to end their own life.”

He said: “Because of the recent tragedies that have occurred in our community, I think all of us are con- fused and even afraid.

“We are confused that we don’t know why these things have hap- pened and we are afraid, certainly some parents are afraid, perhaps ‘could it be my child next?’ …

“Many of you in recent weeks have asked why these terrible things have been happening in our Travelling

community and I suppose the short answer to that is that I don’t know, but in a way I would love if we could have a Mass like this, not just for the Travelling community but for the whole community for both traveller and settled…

“The tragedy of suicide has affect- ed everyone, has affected Traveller and settled, the young and the old, the rich and the poor, the healthy and Wo (O@

“It has affected people of deep faith and of no faith,” said the bishop.

“We just don’t understand what may have driven them to that, so let’s try this evening to ask for calm and

peace among all of us and try to put away the hurts that may cause fric- tion between us and let us not appor- tion blame to anyone.

“Let’s rather talk gently to each other and let those involved in the caring area let us support and co-op- erate with each other.

“We ask Christ to remove our fear and shed light on our confusion and give us the courage and generosity to Support and encourage each other at this time,” concluded Bishop Walsh.

“We ask Jesus to come among us and to help to remove our fear and our confusion and guide us through these sad times,’ he said.

that his submission to Ennis Town Council’s planning depart- ment was “not in anyway an objec- tion to the planning application. I just thought these questions should be asked.

“T want to emphasise that the plan- ning permission was solely about building and design and in no way decided on services.”

Mr Madden who now lives in Kil- rush and is a member of the En- nis General Hospital Development Committee said the council needed to consider the points made in his submission before it made any deci- sion.

In his submission, Mr Madden urged the town council to find out When the Health Service Executive (HSE) was going to make the Team- work consultants’ report public.

Teamwork is carrying out a report on hospital services in the mid west – a similar report in the northeast recommended that downgrading of A&E services at several hospitals.

Mr Madden told the council, ““Man- agement consultant who conducted a ‘value for money audit’ of the hospi- tal last year did not consider options to demolish and build new on the existing site or building a hospital on a ‘greenfield’ site because of the hospital’s protected status.

“It would seem, therefore, that the HSE did not tell the management consultants of the current applica- tion and that it required the removal of the hospital’s protected status. It also strengthens the suspicions that the current application was only agreed prior to the general election for largely political considerations.”

He added, “At the time of writ- ing, the teamwork reports has not been made public. However, reliable information obtained some weeks ago indicated the first draft of the teamwork report recommended the downgrading of the existing A&E Department to a nurse-led local in- jury unit. The hospital would eftfec-

tively become a day care facility.

“They should be asked whether the existing in-patient bed capacity is sufficient in taking account of the concerns expressed by management consultants last year.

“It should also be noted that the 186 bed capacity would only be reached on completion of Phase 3 of the hos- pital’s development. The HSE should be asked when they expect Phase 2 or 3 to proceed.”

Mr Madden asked that the HSE should be asked if the first phase of development will require the closure or any part of the hospital and if so for so long.”

He added, “They should also be asked to indicate a best-worst case scenario for the time required to complete the development and the anticipated cost increases because of the complexity of the development.”

A decision on the planning applica- tion is due on July 13, but the com- plexity of the planning application could see that date postponed as a substantial amount of further infor- mation will be required by the Town Council from the Health Service Ex- ecutive (HSE).

The development proposed consists of the demolition of existing single storey extensions and the original Chapel to the rear of the main hos- pital and the provision of a new two storey extension incorporating the much talked about new A and E, Radiology and Outpatient Facilities at ground floor level, new medical wards and a surgical ward at first floor level with a new day theatre at first floor level over the existing Acute Psychiatric Unit.

The plans also include the refur- bishment of the south west wing of the existing main hospital building at first floor level to provide new day care unit facilities with a four storey central block incorporating shell at second floor level, and plant room at third floor level in addition to the provision of a new Site exit onto the Highfield Road together with gen- erator/medical gas compounds and ancillary, associated and enabling works on the site which includes buildings listed as protected struc- tures within the site curtilage.

THE Ballyvaughan Farmers’ Market goes against the grain of mass pro- duction by selling high quality, local produce every Saturday in the town.

The market is held weekly from 10am to 2pm _ outside St John’s Hall and has gone from strength to strength since its revival three years ago by Michael Costello.

Committee member Finola Cos- tello said that the market has been set up again in the same spot as a previous one in the 1960s- making it a local institution and a strong draw for tourists.

“It runs from May to Christmas every year. Everyone supports eve-

ryone else and we all buy from each other too so it creates a great sense of community. Not all the custom- ers are from around here- you would get everyone from backpackers and visitors to farmers and people out for their morning walk. Last week, three buses full of people showed up so it just keeps getting busier. Sometimes I am selling from boxes because people arrive early.”

She added that each member’s €20 annual fee and €5 weekly fee goes into a community fund that is used for projects such as new tarmac for the hall carpark.

Each of the 22 regular stalls has something different to offer.

“We have a mix of baking, fresh

vegetables and fruit, herbs, plants, cheeses, crafts, jewellery, sauces, honey and preserves as well as re- freshments and hot food sometimes. The only condition is that you have to produce what you sell yourself and live within a 30 mile radius of the town.”

The market also has an internation- al flavour with some of its members sharing traditions from their home felts ewe

‘“There’s an American woman who makes very popular cookies and an Australian who bakes these amazing Lemington cakes, which are like a sponge cake dipped in chocolate and coconut. We had a girl from Thai- land last summer who made hot Thai

food. They give the market more va- riety too.”

Mrs Costello said that the commit- tee of eight are always open to new ideas and members.

“Everyone is welcome. We are hoping to add fresh and frozen meat to the list of goods in the next few years. There is no competition be- tween us and we all help to set up. It’s a great laugh and a lovely way to meet people too,” she said.