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field identification of cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) at sea and from remains washed up on shore including skull characteristics. The course, on at the Shannon Dol-

phin and Wildlife Centre on Mer- chants Quay in Kilrush, will also look at ways of recording cetaceans and the validation procedure for ac- cepting records.

The centre has a large collection of skulls, bones and other interesting cetacean on display and the work- shop will also examine these.

Dr Simon Berrow of the Shannon Dolphin and Wildlife Foundation and IWDG co-ordinator will lead the workshop and he explained what people could expect to see.

‘The group has a large sighting and

stranding project so we do courses all over the country. I recently saw a minke whale and a basking shark off Loop Head. This time of year there could be dolphins, porpoises, hump- back or killer whales.”

He added that he hoped that ordi- nary people would “contribute to knowledge and conservation” by voluntarily reporting and recording information.

The workshop will start at 10am in the centre with introductory infor- mation and weather permitting, will include an afternoon trip to Loop

Head and Kilcredaun Head to prac- tice whalewatching in the field. The workshop ends at around 5pm.

Participants are asked to bring bin- oculars or a telescopes if they own them as well as any interesting bones or material they might have found washed up on the shore.

The cost of the course is €25 for members of the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group and €40 for non members

For more details contact Dr Simon Berrow on 086 8545450 or email si- mon.berrow@1wdg.ie.

“The Green Party are not using a demand for an end to troop stops at Shannon as a pre-condition for enter- ing coalition. There was never going to be pre-conditions.”

Green Party policy states the party is “committed to ending the use of Shannon Airport by US military forces involved in the war in Iraq and insists that any aircraft suspected of involvement in illegal movements of prisoners must be searched”.

Party chairman and spokesperson on foreign affairs, John Gormley TD, was in the vanguard of opposition to troop landings at the airport, even before war was declared by President Bush in March 2003.

In January of that year, Deputy Gormley visited Shannon in solidar- ity with those who had established a peace camp on the perimeter of the airport, while as late as this Febru- ary he stated that “Shannon Airport is now, for all intents and purposes, a US military airport”.

However, Deputy Gormley’s ad- mission that he “couldn’t stand five more years of opposition” is one of the factors in the abandonment of the Shannon Airport policy.

The first break with party policy came in Clare when election candi- date, Councillor Brian Meaney said, “I personally believe that allowing the use of Shannon would be in the best interests of getting the Ameri- cans out of the mess they have cre- ated in Iraq”.

Now, as negotiations on the forma- tion of the Government reach their critical stage, the Green leadership have taken Cllr Meaney’s lead.

THE number of traditional family units in Clare is higher than the na- tional average, according to figures published last week. Thirty-five per cent of homes (13,393 homes) 1n the county are occupied by a husband, wife and children, which is above the national average of 32.5 per cent. Central Statistics Office figures, compiled from last year’s census, show that the traditional family unit has declined in the country’s cities since 2002. Dublin has the lowest amount of traditional families at 19.4 per cent. Just 22.2 per cent of fami-

lies in Limerick are traditional fami- lies. Meath has the highest amount, at 39.5 per cent.

The figures show that 23 per cent of homes in Clare are occupied by one person, while seven per cent of homes are occupied by cohabiting couples.

Lone mothers with children ac- count for almost nine per cent of homes, while lone fathers with chil- dren make up less than two per cent of homes. The majority of lone par- ents live with their children, while a small number live with children and other persons.

Three per cent of homes in Clare

are occupied by people (non-cohabit- ing) who are not related to each other. There are 38,210 private households in the county with a_ population of 106,683. The average number of peo- ple in houses in Clare is 2.79.

More people live in rural Clare than in urban parts of the county. 64,804 people live in private house- holds in rural Clare, with 41,879 in towns. There are 22,765 house units in rural Clare, with 15,445 in urban parts of the county.

The figures show that almost three per cent of couples who cohabit do not share with anyone else, while four per cent of cohabiting couples

share with children or others.

8,812 houses in Clare are occupied by just one person, while 5,839 are shared by a husband and wife. Cohab- iting couples account for 1,399 homes, lone mothers with children account for 3,108 homes, while lone fathers with children live in 598 houses.

668 homes in Clare are occupied by a husband and wife with children and other persons.

SW aleom ercabeuoxmcs ee) \Aler:IMNelsKem-VRem~nOL. private houses in temporary housing units in Clare. 121 of those are oc- cupied by husband and wives with children, 91 by one person and 30 by husbands and wives.

KILRUSH town will soon be on the information superhighway as one of eight towns to benefit from 52kms of broadband fibre network to be laid around the mid west with work start- TbercaB ee MM Lease

“In today’s knowledge-based econ- omy and society, the availability of high speed, competitively priced broadband 1s critical. Once complete, this network will have major benefits for the people of Kilrush,” said Clare County Manager, Alec Fleming.

“The applications for Broadband

are many and varied and include; the business sector, the retail service sector, and public services, but also it is just as important for home users, local communities and education, and this is why Clare County Coun- cil is delighted to be playing its part in the development of this critical in- frastructure,’ he added.

He said that a big effort would be made to minimise disruption while the work by Clarke Quarries (for Shannon Broadband Ltd) was ongo- ing.

“Advance work in laying duct- ing has already been undertaken on

some roads by the local authorities during work on other construction projects, which should keep disrup- tion to the public to a minimum in those streets,” he said.

Announcing the appointment, Kevin Thompstone, chief executive of Shannon Development and chair- man of Shannon Broadband Ltd said: “We are delighted to be undertaking phase two of the Metropolitan Area Network project. The aim of Shan- non Broadband is to develop world- class broadband infrastructure and services network throughout the Shannon region.”

The work will ensure “fast, cost effective broadband services…key to attracting inward investment and creating more jobs in the future,” he added.

Other towns to benefit from the work will include Abbeyfeale, New- castle West, Nenagh, Roscrea, ‘Tem- plemore, Banagher and Birr. Work 1s expected to finish by the end of the year.

A phone line has been set up to answer any queries from the public on 061-402233. Further information on the project can be obtained from Www.shannonbroadband.com.

THE owner of a creche in Ennis has been charged with 50 offences relat- ing to the running of the business.

Before Ennis District Court on Friday was Martina Baker, of Hop- scotch Childcare and Montessor1, Quin Road, Ennis.

The case, relating to seven sum- monses, totalling 50 alleged offenc- es, 18 being brought by the Health Service Executive (HSE).

The alleged offences relate to a number of separate dates between March 2006 and January 2007.

The allegations against Ms Baker include that she failed to take all reasonable measures to ensure the

health, safety and welfare of all pre- school children; that she failed to en- sure every child had a suitable means of progression and development with books, games etc, regarding his/her age and stage of development and that she failed to ensure the furniture and fittings on the premises were kept in a proper state of repair and in a hygienic condition.

Ms Baker is accused of failing to ensure there was a sufficient number of competent adults to supervise pre- school children in the service at all mb ealeKy

She is also accused of failing to ensure adequate arrangements were in place to summons medical assist- ance promptly or at all in an emer-

gency. The charge relates to a young child who allegedly suffered an in- jury. She is charged with failing to keep a record, in writing, of details of the injury.

She is also accused of failing to ensure the premises was adequately heated and failing to ensure there was sufficient nutritional and varied food available for the children.

She is facing charges of failing to ensure there was adequate and suit- able facilities for the storage, prepa- ration, cooking and serving of food, and adequate eating and washing facilities provided where food was consumed on the premises.

She is also accused of failing to en- sure suitable facilities were available

for the pre-school children to rest and play indoors and outdoors dur- ing the day.

Ms Baker is also charged of fail- ing to ensure there were adequate suitable sanitary facilities provided. She is accused of failing to ensure all waste and refuse was disposed of frequently.

The HSE’s solicitor told the court on Friday that the case, involving 17 witnesses, is expected to last two days. He said the alleged offences are under the Childcare Act. A number of professional witnesses, including two doctors, will give evidence in tem er Kor

Judge Joseph Mangan adjourned the case until later this year.

PARENTS of the Under 14 football team at St Joseph’s GAA Club in Miltown Malbay face a formidable battle against time to raise funds for the team’s trip to the Peil na n-Og All Ireland finals in Sligo this June. Upcoming events- to add to a table quiz and church gate collections in Miltown Malbay and Moy- include a poker classic and a sponsored walk. The team is the only Clare football outfit to go west for the finals, taking place over June 29-30 and July 1, and around €7,000 must be raised to pay

for transport, accommodation and kit.

The poker classic will take place in the golf club in Spanish Point on the night of June 15. The walk will follow on June 17, leaving Miltown Malbay at lpm on a planned five mile route to Spanish Point. Participants of all levels and children can take part. Entrants will pay a registration fee of €20.

Pat Keane, a parent and volunteer at the club said that the team had done exceptionally well in qualifying for the finals.

“This 1s a big deal for the club.

We’ve been in three county finals in four years. It has been seven or eight years since a local club got to the final stages of the competition. The coach- es, John Sullivan and Gerry Curtin, have done trojan work and so have all the players. We will have to do well against the eight teams in our group to qualify for the semi-finals and overall final so it’s fingers crossed.”

He added that all the team mem- bers’ parents were very proactive in collecting and getting involved.

The finals take place at various ven- ues around Sligo, Leitrim and Ros- common and the team will also take

part in a parade on the opening night in Carrick-On-Shannon.

Another parent, Noreen Ryan, said that the club is up against the clock with six weeks to raise the money for the panel of 22 to travel. But she was confident that the call would be an- Woke eo

“The lads are all excited to be going and itis a great achievement. The fun- draising will be no problem because there is great goodwill in the area. We have to keep the colours flying so if anyone wants to make a donation that would be greatly appreciated.”

ASPIRING gardeners and environ- mentalists can help funds to grow for Special Olympics Ireland by work- ing in the gardens of the Irish Seed Saver Association in Scariff.

The pay for every hour spent volun- teering at the 20-acre site at Capparoe will be donated to the ‘Support An Athlete’ initiative, to pay for the team’s trip to the World Summer Games in China this October.

Marketing Co-ordinator, Hilary Gleeson, said that the seeds of this inaugural scheme were planted by a part-time worker in Scariff.

‘Joe McGrath was involved with ‘Support an Athlete’ and he asked us if we would be interested in help- ing out. Over 140 athletes will travel to Shanghai in a few months so it 1s nice to give something back. We are aiming to raise around €1,000 so if we only got 10 volunteers for a day or two each, we would easily reach that target.”

She added that the association was hoping to cultivate an interest in its work as well as help a worthy cause.

‘This would be a unique opportuni- ty and a nice experience for someone to see how the organisation works. Summer is a lovely time to be out in

the gardens or orchards. They would be digging, mulching, using organic sprays, fixing beds to plant or work- ing in the poly-tunnels. Volunteers would also be learning about seeds, apple trees, soft fruit, herbs and veg- etables. They could even try some of our produce at lunch.”

There are no minimum or maxi- mum age restrictions to participate and no prior experience is needed. Volunteering hours run from Mon- day to Friday, 9.30am to 5pm.

Ms Gleeson explained that Scariff was the hub of the Irish Seed Saver Association, which works to promote organic and biodynamic farming and

preservation of seed varieties.

“The organisation has gone from strength to strength since it was founded by Anita Hayes in 1991. We acquired another 10 acres to add to our previous 10 in the last three years. We have a seed bank of 600 rare seeds and seeds from abroad, as well as lots of ‘old’ varieties of fruit and vegetables. There are other organisations saving seeds but Clare is very important in the scheme of donb enoacn

People interested 1n raising money or volunteering can contact the as- sociation on 061 921866 or, for more information, visit irishseedsavers.ie.

IRISH farmers are one of the most likely groups to be deprived and liv- ing in poverty, according to results of a study launched last week by the Economic and Social Research Insti- tute (ESRI).

The study, which was based on the European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (SILC) sur- vey, looked at social inclusion from a number of different approaches.

It looked at five different areas of deprivation including consumption, housing, health and neighborhood or environment factors.

Farmers were found to be one of the groupings at risk, alongside the unemployed, lone parents and those

with less than a Leaving Certificate education.

‘There is an urgent need to imple- ment immediately the key farm sup- ports in the Rural Development Plan, which include an improved REPS Scheme, an increase in disadvan- taged area payments as well as other key rural development measures,” said the IFA’s Rural Development Chairman, Padraig Divilly.

‘Farmers also need social welfare supports through improved pension provision and farm assist assessment. Every farmer should devote some time to thoroughly reviewing his or her pension cover under both state pensions and supplementary private pensions.

“This review should also include

the pension provision for the spouse working on the family farm. The few hours spent by a farmer this week in planning for retirement income could be the most valuable time spent at work for the year.”

Less than one in four Irish farmers have any private pension provision at “Ne

“Low-income farmers, whose tax returns show that they have no net li- ability to pay income tax, and wrong- ly think that they do not have to pay PRSI, should do so,” he continues.

“The law requires that everybody with an income above €3,174 must pay PRSI. Farmers in this low-in- come category should pay the flat- rate PRSI contribution of €157 per year to secure their pensions.”

Overall, less than one per cent of people are deprived on all five of the criteria set out by the ESRI. Indeed, only eight per cent of the population were found to be lacking in three of WtoRGulKout.

‘For maximal deprivation, labour market inactivity and illness or dis- ability are powerful predictors,” said a spokesman for the ESRI.

‘Education is also a strong influ- ence and so is being an urban local authority tenant.

“The fact that multiple depriva- tion and multiple disadvantage are relatively rare acts as a counter to the sometimes despairing tone of com- mentary focusing on a so-called un- derclass entirely detached from the mainstream of society.”

LITRES of ice cream were eaten at the Old Forge in Tulla on Sunday, May 27 but it was all for a good cause as the community hosted a very successful HB Ice Cream Sun- day in aid of Down Syndrome Ire- land.

The event, among several around Clare and many nationally, was organised by local woman Maeve Mulcahy and her neighbour, Max Krauss.

“My husband’s nine-year-old niece has Down’s Syndrome and so we al- ways attended the event in Ennis so I decided it might be nice to have one locally. We applied online and printed off posters for around the village. We got a fantastic response and there was probably a couple of hundred people throughout the day from one to four o’clock.”

The Tulla Ice Cream Sunday raised nearly €900, the majority of which will go to the Clare Down Syndrome branch.

“We just put out a donations box rather than charging per ice cream and that actually raised a lot more Wer DOr. @ oe Cereb

“You never know how some- thing will go for the first time and weather-wise it was a bit dodgy but it didn’t stop people. Wveryone was very good,’ she added.

The event became a real commu- nity effort, with businesses and or- dinary people contributing.

“I have to thank a lot of people — a lot of them approached us with

help. Sla’s Powerhouse donated four crates of minerals, crisps and sweets. East Clare Bouncing Cas- tles and Circus Bouncing Castles gave us two castles free of charge. O’Hallorans Service Station gave us cones and JP O’Connor allowed us to use his land for the party. Ann Cahill helped us out too,” said Ms Mulcahy.

She said she hoped that Tulla might play host to another party next year as part of Down Syndrome Ireland’s continuing fundraising efforts.

IRISH beef farmers struggling to remove potentially dangerous and sub-par Brazilian beef from the EU market received a timely boost this week from an unlikely source.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirmed to the IFA last week that, based on sci- entific assessments, the USDA con- sider the risks too high and are not prepared to import fresh beef from Brazil.

Both Brazilian and Argentine beef has been underfire in recent times because of doubts over the safety of production methods as well as the documented foot and mouth problem in the region.

IFA National Livestock Chairman John Bryan last week contrasted this strong position of the USDA with that of the EU Commission which adopts the opposite policy on risk and imports 331,000 tonnes of beef from Brazil.

The IFA livestock leader had just returned from a visit to the USDA head office in Washington where he met with senior policy and veterinary experts to discuss the US approach

in not accepting fresh beef imports from Brazil.

“It is clear the USDA have a strong and robust policy when it comes to food safety and animal health risk assessment,’ he said.

‘They are not prepared to take un- necessary risks with their consumers and livestock sector. The US do not import fresh beef from Brazil be- cause they consider it too high a risk to take, both from a consumer and livestock point of view. We simply cannot afford to risk allowing fresh beef imports from Brazil into the ON ie

The IFA Livestock leader said the USDA are very proud of their robust policy on risk assessment and point to the fact that they have not had an outbreak of FMD since 1926. They put this down to not accepting fresh beef imports from Brazil and other abhcd eto Wh) ere Busts

He said the EU Commission must reassess its policy on imports from high-risk regions such as Brazil, where there are FMD outbreaks on a continuing basis related to the lack of standards and controls, particularly a lack of traceability and an absence of movement and border controls.