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RYANAIR Chief Executive Michael O’Leary has confirmed to the Mayor of Clare, Flan Garvey (FF), that his airline will investigate the reopening of daily services between Shannon and Belfast.

O’Leary made the commitment during an hour-long meeting with Clare’s first citizen at Dublin Airport on Wednesday last.

Councillor Garvey said he had a “full and frank meeting” with O’Leary during which issues affect- ing the future growth of the airport and surrounding region were dis- CAN ISSsrer6

“IT impressed upon Mr O’Leary the huge demand that existed north and south for the re-establishing of direct services between Shannon and Bel- fast. Up until Aer Lingus’s decision to drop the route in 2001, the serv- ice was being used by up to 22,000 passengers a year. Aligned with the strong links between County Clare and Northern Ireland, as well as the changing attitudes to air travel, there certainly is potential for the reopen- ing of this route’, the mayor said.

‘“O’Leary confirmed to me that he would immediately request a viabil- ity study into the possible reopening of the air link.”

Aer Lingus dropped the Belfast/ Shannon leg of its New York service

from Belfast International Airport just three weeks after the terrorist attacks on New York in September 2001. At the time the airline said the move was made as part of its re- sponse to the dramatic fall-off in de- mand being experienced in the wake of the 911 attacks.

Mayor Garvey said he gave O’Leary a commitment, on behalf of Clare County Council that any new service to and from Shannon International Airport would be promoted by the local authority.

“Mr O’Leary who spoke very

honestly about Ryanair’s position at Shannon expressed to me his fears that some existing Ryanair services will require greater support from the people of the entire west of Ireland if they are to remain viable.”

Meanwhile the Ryanair boss ac- cepted Mayor Garvey’s invitation to be a keynote speaker at the annual Clare Tourism Council Conference in Ennistymon, County Clare this November.

LEAVING cert students get the chance to blow of some steam next weekend when the Q-ness festival hits venues in Ennis and Shannon

Hosted by Clare Youth Services, Q-Ness is a post leaving cert festival of fun and relaxation that will take place from Friday, June 22, to Sun- day, June 24.

The idea behind it is that it offers exam students the opportunity to relax after the stressful period of Leaving Cert exams. Q-Ness is the brainchild of four students from En- nis who felt that every year there was a big anti-climax in the aftermath of the summer exams.

The programme begins in Shannon on Friday night with a concert in the Respond building in Rineanna.

Saturday will feature a full day of activities at the Clare Youth Service on Carmody Street. The now legen- dary “Outdoor Exam Bash” will start at 3pm and will feature over 12 local bands. There will be an eclectic mix of music, with all tastes (bar classi- cal) catered for which is guaranteed ORS NoMeDONE

This will be followed by a barbe- cue before the proceedings move in- doors for a more mellow and relax- ing Acoustic Gig within the walls of the Clare Youth Service. Places are limited so it’s advisable to grab your seat early.

To top off the festivities Glor will play host to the proceedings on Sun- day.

Running from 7.30pm to 9.30pm the event will feature DJs, a Video Jockey, Sumo Wrestling, Gladiators, Cult Movies, Music, Madness, May- hem & a touch of mystery. Jonelle Mannion, Leaving Cert Student at Colaiste Mhuire explained students were fed up with the lack of post leaving cert activities in the county and decided to take matters into their own hands.

She said, “Students spend two years preparing for a set of exams that are over in the space of two weeks. They then find themselves facing into the long hot summer waiting for results.

Allin all, the whole thing boils down to quite a lot of stress. We decided that the best way to mark the end of the exams was to take all the things that people like to do to unwind and bring them all together in one big event”.

Glen Guilfoyle, Clare Youth Serv- ice said: “The weekend will kick off with a gig in Shannon. This will take place in the Respond Building in R1- neanna from 6.30pm to 9.30pm and will also feature a barbecue at the newly developed Kick Back Café”’.

Tickets cost €20 and are available from glor box office. The event is strictly alcohol and drug free. More information available from: http://q-nessl.bebo.com

EIGHT Clare bed and breakfast busi- nesses feature in a prestigious new cuide to Irish golfing holidays.

Capitalising on the legacy of the Ryder Cup, Tourism Ireland and the Town and Country Homes Associa- tion have joined forces to produce the special all island B&B/Golfing Guide.

The new publication features over 100 B&B’s which were selected by the B&B Association from its large membership, because of the proprie- tors’ strong interest in golf and active involvement with a local golf club.

The guide highlights the wonderful courses which Clare has to offer in- cluding Lahinch Castle Course.

“The stunning west coast is blessed with a diverse range of links and parkland courses, all of which reflect the great traditions of the game’, a spokesman for the producers of the eabaTelemre BCG

“And as the guide suggests the west’s spectacular coastal landscape has provided a perfect canvas for some of the most imaginative golf course architects the game has pro- duced,” he added.

The B&B golf connection means that visitors can tap into a wealth of local knowledge where B&B owners can give them the “inside” knowl- edge of local golf courses, organise

tee-times or discounts or perhaps even join in a game themselves. The brochure is ideal for the less experienced golfing traveller as it includes not only the more difficult,

more prestigious courses, but also the many great value and less well known gems. The new B&B golfing brochure has been distributed to over 55,000 subscribers of Golf World

and Today’s Golfer.

According to Tourism Ireland, golf holidays offer huge untapped busi- ness potential. “Ireland has over 440 golf courses, more per head of popu-

lation than any other golfing destina- tion, added to which the country en- joys more than a third of the world’s true links seaside golf courses.

“There are 60 million golfers in the world, and the sport continues to grow in popularity with many couples, and active newly retired people taking up the game. While this brochure caters for all levels of golfers, it 1s ideal for these beginners and improvers, many of whom may never have played out- side of their own country,’ said John Greene, head of regional marketing, Tourism Ireland.

Speaking at the launch of the guide, Alan Hill, CEO, Town and Country Homes Association said, ““The B&B sector is about to undergo a most 1m- portant transformation. In partner- ship, we will begin to redefine what has made this very Irish accommoda- tion option unique around the world.

‘The impact of this process will be to present today’s busy and demand- ing global traveller with renewed Opportunities to stay in an approved Irish home. This golfing B&B bro- chure and supporting direct mar- keting initiative gives us a glimpse of the next generation of successful B&B operations – customer focused, committed to high standards and spreading high yielding business into principally rural parts of the island”.

THRESHOLD’S new housing ad- vice centre at the Citizens Informa- tion Centre in Ennis was officially launched by Threshold Midwest Co-ordinator Louise Kennedy in the Temple Gate Hotel, Ennis last week.

The outreach service which will be held on the second Tuesday of every month will provide free and confi- dential information, advice and sup- port for people with housing prob- anak

According to Citizens Informa- tion Centres Manager, Paul Woulfe, the service is seeing an increasing number of housing related queries and welcomes the intervention that this new service can provide.

Speaking at the launch, Louise Kennedy said Threshold was com-

mitted to helping the people of Clare to secure and maintain good quality housing suited to their needs.

“Our longer-term plans include a placement service that will help vul- nerable people who need our help to get private rented accommodation.”

Threshold can intervene before problems become unmanageable by negotiating with the landlord or by helping the tenant to locate alterna- tive accommodation.

“We can also support a tenant to take a dispute with their landlord to the Private Residential Tenancies Board.”

Threshold is a national not-for-prof- it organisation established in 1978. Threshold’s housing advice serv- ices are focused on people who are in greatest need of support, mainly people living at the low-priced end

of the rented market, people living in social housing, and people who are homeless.

“The number of immigrants seek- ing Threshold’s help is also growing eyetslelore-l eas

Threshold provides advice on hous- ing rights, mediates with landlords or local authorities on behalf of tenants with problems and supports tenants who bring disputes to the Private Residential Tenancies Board.

“Last year Threshold helped over 20,000 people through its advice centres in Cork, Dublin, Galway and Diitouee

People with a housing problem can make an appointment or drop in to the centre. They can also have their query answered by phone 061 405400, email limerick @threshold. ie, or by letter.

AMONG the groups taking part in the Clare People 10k walk/run are the Ennis based organisation, Living Links.

Over the past five years the Liv- ing Links organisation has offered a suicide outreach support service to families and individuals in Clare who have been bereaved by suicide. SU iloKomr-DeomCUUKC NU RAKoNMPAOUD DANN e-BDACeCe! volunteers staffing the service in Ee

In addition to healing programmes volunteers respond to approaches made by a bereaved family or in- dividual and can arrange to meet them inside or outside their homes or

wherever the bereaved person feels most comfortable.

All meeting are conducted in the strictest confidence.

Clare Living Links operates under the auspices of the Health Services Executive. Originally Clare Liv- ing Links formed part of a larger programme that provided Suicide Bereavement Support in Clare, Lim- erick and north Tipperary, but three years ago the service was divided into three separate units by the then Mid Western Health Board.

The service recently concluded an eight week healing programme for those who’s lives have been affected lo\VamcLe bea LO (on

The programme aimed to help

adults who have experienced a death by suicide to find healing and support in a Safe and caring environment and to provide an opportunity of meeting others who have experienced loss by suicide.

The meetings aimed to provide healing through talking and listen- ing in small groups.

A spokesperson for the service explained, “If they want, they can choose to meet one of the service’s volunteers at home or they can come to the centre, or wherever 1s suitable. It’s about giving them the opportu- nity to talk about it.

‘Depending on the need of the per- son there might be one session or they might be a number. There is no

set number”’.

The spokesperson continued, “The aim is to help people talk about their loss and the whole process of be- reavement. There is no set formula for bereaved persons feelings or re- actions. Different people will react in different ways and in a different Ocal ue

Clare Living Links also provide a booklet entitled “You Are Not Alone” which aims to provide in- formation that will be of help in the immediate aftermath of a death by suicide occurring, such as immedi- ate reactions; natural responses pro- cedures in unexpected deaths, sort- ing out your affairs and getting help for you and your children.

A 15-YEAR-OLD boy who has cre- ated fear in the community in Shan- non has been sentenced to two years of detention.

The boy pleaded guilty to several charges including damaging a car, entering various premises as a tres- passer and stealing property.

He admitted entering the Shannon Knights pub as a trespasser and steal- ing alcohol and crisps last October. On another occasion, he entered the Same premises and stole five bottles of vodka and three cans of red bull.

He also admitted stealing €40 in cash from a house 1n Shannon in No- vember and stealing a mobile phone from Texaco, Shannon, on Septem- ber 28 last.

The boy was released on bail in April after a court heard that a team of professionals concluded that he should be put back into the commu- nity under a strict regime.

On that occasion his solicitor Eileen Whelan pointed out that the boy had been “caught on time” and she ex- pressed hope that he would “turn out to be a decent citizen”.

She said he had spent two months

in custody and the experience fright- ened him. ‘“He’s got the sharp shock that he needed,” she told the court in April. She said he was using drugs and al- cohol at the time of the offences. The boy was granted bail with con- ditions attached. However, he was brought before the court again after he came to the notice of gardai. Shannon District Court was told on Thursday that the boy re-offended one week after he was allowed out into the community on bail. Defending solicitor, Eileen Whelan, said her client was pleading guilty to

a number of offences.

‘He has been in custody for the last five weeks. He wants this mat- ter to be dealt with today. He is well aware of what he has done. The time in custody has benefited him,’ said Ms Whelan.

‘He is well aware he has caused a fear in the community as a result of his behaviour. He wants to deal with his actions,’ she said.

Judge Joseph Mangan imposed a two year detention sentence on the boy and fixed a bond in the event of an appeal. He refused a request to backdate the sentence to May.

A TABLE rating the efficiency of shopping centres, which puts Shan- non third from the bottom in the country is seriously flawed, accord- ing to SkyCourt’s manager.

The Crest Shopping Centre pro- ductivity review, published in the na- tional media recently, rates Skycourt third worst of 50 centres rated coun- trywide, coming after the Jetland Shopping Centre in Limerick and the Nutgrove centre in Dublin.

But Pat Kelly, manager of Sky- Court Shannon said that the review ‘is flawed and is based on inaccurate information. Crest has told me that

their survey has estimated the aver- age SkyCourt rent at E60 per sq. ft. In fact, the average rent here is sub- stantially less than that figure and in some cases is almost 60 per cent lower.”

He said that the survey also claimed that footfall Ge numbers of shoppers visiting a centre) is falling through- out the country. The opposite is the case at SkyCourt where footfall has increased by an average of 10/15 per cent per annum over three years.

“It 1s regrettable that Crest didn’t check the basic figures with us before publishing their review. As a result, their assessment of SkyCourt is both inaccurate and unfair,” he said.

MARY Immaculate Secondary School in Lisdoonvarna is celebrat- ing huge success by several students in the Northern Ireland Young Scien- tist Competition held in Belfast last Neto)

Fifth year student Laura Sims won first prize in her age category for the project ‘Mobile phone signal strength and topography ’- the second time she has won a prize for her sci- entific skills.

Matthew Egan and Kevin Theasby were runners up in their age category with ‘Relationship between Japanese Knotweed and soil type’.

Diarmaid O’ Donoghue was award- ed the Queens University Award for Biological Sciences for his project ‘The efficiency of seed dispersal’

and a fourth group of Amie Barrett, Sinead McNamara and Megan Byrne also took part with “The dispersal patterns of Patella vulgate on north Clare shores’.

The supervisor of the projects, Ge- ography teacher John Sims, said that his daughter and the other students had done the school proud.

‘This was the sixth year that we have taken part in the competition and we have never come away with- out a prize of some sort. All of these projects were picked because they also did well in the Irish competition. It takes passion and hard work to get everything done. It really helps kids to think outside the box.”

He added that one of the judges had complimented 17 year-old Laura on a particularly good project.

‘She worked on it since last August

and it was very intense because she had to physically map out the grid on foot and the terrain is not great. She used a mapping program called Geo- graphical Information Systems being piloted at the school by NUI May- nooth and the coverage she got was second to none. The results could be very useful, as could those of all of the other projects.”

Mr Sims said that Kevin, Mat- thew and Diarmaid had to do a crash course in the more advanced school curriculum to learn techniques like soil sample collection.

“They were in the junior category and started work in September. The Irish competition is early in the year SO work was very heavy over Christ- mas. Aside from the actual projects, they had to type up reports of up to 50 pages.

He added that the fourth project, in a category with a higher number of participants, could still get a ‘Highly Commended’ honour.

“IT have worked at the school since 1989 and past students often refer to the Young Scientist as a very useful experience. A lot of kids knew how to do reports and project work at col- lege later, which 1s a great plus.”

The students used a mix of labora- tory and field work as well as a wide variety of research methods.

After the summer, a new batch of young scientists will begin work at the school.

just before his name was read into the 30th Dail as a Clare Fine Gael TD he reflected on how he was his own verb

“Sometimes people look at you as walking in your father’s footsteps. It is hard to come out of that shadow as well and develop your own niche. I’ve done that through my work in Clare County Council and I estab- lished my own vote throughout the Ennis area. I got the biggest vote in the Ennis area in the last general election and that was a testament to my hard work and dedication on be- half of the people in the Ennis area in particular,’ he said.

Once on the plinth of Leinster House he was joined by his fiancée Grace and the flash bulbs dazzled.

Fellow Clare TD, Pat Breen (FG), spoke briefly with his new colleague before moving on.

This was Carey’s day, there would be time enough again for the inevi- table political jostling for the lime- bhedaie

This was a day Carey dreamed

about but until the previous day feared he may not see. He had been dogged with a viral illness and had just been discharged from hospital. While other new TDs. arrived with an entourage of supporters and friends, the rest of his family made up his support group including his father Donal who had travelled with

him the night before.

ad AR LUM OOT- TMU ODKMMDOSToM ERIM (oo eI didn’t know whether I would be able to come or even a few days ago so thanks be to God I’m able to be here today and put my best foot forward and the business starts today.

“Given that I wasn’t in great health I didn’t go about organising a big

razzmatazz entrance to the Dail. Over the coming months I will be organising such a visit for my sup- porters, friends and family to come to Dail Eireann,” he explained.

“T am delighted to be here today. God gave me the strength to be here today and I am very grateful for that.

“T really am looking forward to it. It is a new challenge and I have the energy ability and drive to work at this for the people of County Clare,” he said.

In his early thirties he believes youth is on his side and will be a ereat advantage in working as a TD as will the support and knowledge of VELA slow

“It 1s something we spoke about all right and he will be of great help to me over the coming months and years,” he said.

“I always thought about Dail Eir- eann and representing people. It is a lifetime ambition that I have achieved and it really is a humbling experience,’ he added, explaining that the hours and years he saw his father dedicate to the life did not put him off.

Deputy Carey was visibly subdued, tired and slightly scarred by the ill- ness of the last ten days but was de- termined to be there for the historic opening of the 30th Dail.

Questions or comments that would normally spark the young TD into a familiar, belly laugh and a vigor- ous response were now receiving a knowing smile and a softly spoken, considered, short response.

He was tired but grateful to be there. The celebrations would wait.

RESIDENTS in Doolin have warned that additional holiday homes in the village will result in a “dead” settle- ment for much of the year.

Residents in the resort have lodged an objection with Clare County Council to plans by Bespoke Devel- opment to construct four new holiday homes and a 20 bedroom extension to the existing Tir Gan Ean Hotel.

Bespoke Developments have been to the forefront in the building of holiday homes across Doolin.

A submission made on behalf of the company to the council stated a second phase of the Tir Gan Ean hotel was envisaged, however, the developers were not confident that a hotel development of this size would be economically viable.

It goes on: “However, after operat- ing the 12 bed hotel for the past year, a strong demand for more accommo- dation has been identified and this application reflects the operators’ ereater understanding of the require- ments of the market.”

However, the objection lodged claims that “there is no need for more holiday homes or for more long term rental properties in Doolin at present. There are already 65 holli- day homes built or in the process of

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‘Further development is premature in the absence of a public sewage sys- tem… acting on the precautionary principle, the development is prema- ture. We have no objection in princi- ple to the hotel extension when the public sewage system is installed.

Giving a breakdown of develop- ment in Doolin, the objectors state that there are 38 private homes in Doolin, 30 holiday homes and 28 homes with B&B accommodation.

The residents also point out that there are 35 holiday homes located at the Coogyulla Cross area of Doolin with only nine private residences.

The residents state: “Providing more owner occupied houses would result in a “dead” settlement cluster/ village for much of the year and will do nothing but adversely impact on the existing economy because there are a substantial number of locals de- pendent on a short holiday period to sustain their business. This “organic” economy will be sacrificed if devel- opments of this nature are allowed to Ree e

“The sewage treatment plant is out- side the zoned area and the village settlement boundaries and should not be permitted for this reason.”

A decision is due on the application later this year.