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THE students and staff of St Caimin’s Community School in Shannon raised almost €10,000 for Trocaire, during Lent.

The entire school got behind the Lenten project, which involved a number of initiatives. Central to the fundraising was a 24 hour fast, while they also received fantastic support during a flag day in Shannon Town Oilanes

The students also used their en- terprise skills as they sold Trdcaire brooches in the school and this also contributed to the overall collection Ome

School chaplain, Cora Guinnane

said everybody was keen to get in- volved in the initiative.

“A lot of the students were involved in the 24 hour fast on March 10. The first years did a 12 hour fast and the older students did the 24 hours. We put a big drive on in the school,’ said Ms Guinnane.

Everybody was encouraged to raise what he or she could. Some students just raised small sums, while others raised up to €300.

“The emphasis was on creating awareness. Some people are less well off than others. Every little bit makes a difference. Some students may have come in with €5, with oth- ers raising €300,” she said.

In its national campaign, Trocaire

highlighted the rights of females and St Caimin’s staff also encouraged the students to be aware of this.

“We highlighted this in all of our religion classes. The parents also played a role. It would not be pos- sible to do it without their support,” said Ms Guinnane.

“We were thrilled with the support of everybody. They did tremendous work,” she said.

The school has an impeccable record for involvement in charity work. Every year it is involved in the St Vincent de Paul Food Ap- peal, along with the Green Schools initiative. The county dog warden and members of the gardai visit the school every year, which gives stu-

dents an awareness of the importance of the environment around them.

This is Ms Guinnane’s first year at the school and she is delighted with the success of the Trdcaire project.

“It was brilliant, getting to know the students on a different level. They see that there is a lot more to life than academia and this was great fun too. We all spent two days col- lecting money in the town centre and we received a fantastic reception,’ said Ms Guinnane.

Now that the hard work has been done, the money has been counted. Trocaire’s Mary Sweeney, who is the schools co-ordinator, will visit St Caimin’s this week, where she will be presented with a cheque.

OUTGOING Minister for Defence, Willie O’Dea, has topped the poll in Limerick East with a whopping 19,082 first preference votes- making him more popular than the Taoiseach in voting terms.

The other four seats were filled in order by Michael Noonan (FG), Peter Power (FF), Jan O’Sullivan (LAB) and Kieran O’Donnell (FG). Pharmacist Tim O’Malley (PD) was the most high profile casualty.

If Fianna Fail form the next Gov- ernment, O’Dea’s victory puts him in contention for a high profile ministry such as justice- a post he recently ex- pressed an interest in and left free as outgoing minister for justice Michael McDowell has lost his seat.

Noonan, former Fine Gael leader and long serving TD, came in a not so close second on the second count with 8,484 votes.

O’Dea’s huge surplus of more than double the quota of 8,320, guaran- teed fellow Fianna Fail TD Peter Power the third seat as the marathon race for the remaining slots began.

Count after count followed at Lim- erick Racecourse in Patrickswell as Labour education spokeswoman Jan O’Sullivan, young councillor Kieran O’Donnell and PD Minister of State, Tim O’Malley, led the field.

Votes from Trish Forde-Brennan (GP), Maurice Quinlivan (SF) and Noreen Ryan (FF) were added to tallies along with various eliminat- ed Independent candidates such as

prominent solicitor John Devane (the highest polling Independent with 469 votes total).

It took eight counts before O’Sullivan reached the quota and

O’Donnell, son of well known TD and MEP Tom O’Donnell, edged ahead of O’ Malley to be elected. The pro-O’Donnell roar was deat- ening as the results were announced

and as Noonan said in his speech, it sounded the end of an era for the Pro- gressive Democrats in their former stronghold of Limerick East.

The cousin of party founder Des

O’ Malley and nephew of former edu- cation minister Donagh O’Malley, said that he was “bitterly disappoint- ed” to lose his seat, conceding that politics is not for the “faint hearted”’.

His parting shot, “This is not the end for the PDs,’ echoed the defiant stance of many party members na- tionally as the PDs suffered massive losses including leader McDowell and deputy leader, Liz O’ Donnell.

Noonan added that Fine Gael’s vote management system had secured his party the same number of seats as Fi- anna Fail despite being 23 per cent below them overall in the constitu- STAY

It was 3.30am before the candidates had finished thanking supporters and election staff- a full eight hours after the count for Limerick West finished at the same venue. The west result of two Fianna Fail candidates and one for Fine Gael mirrors the east and so it seems that the voting trend for Limerick is clear.

MANAGEMENT and unions at Shannon Airport are to meet under the auspices of the Labour Relations Commission (LRC) this Thursday to resolve any outstanding issues over the €36 million ‘survival plan’ at Shannon.

However, the LRC will not be deal- ing with the thorny issue of discount travel for those who will be taking voluntary redundancy. That is being dealt with by the Labour Court.

The delay, which is clarifying the various issues connected to the re- structuring plan, is holding up two new private companies coming in to assume control of the ground cater- ing and in-flight catering at Shan- Wey F

Also, it 1s understood that secu- rity staff at the airport won’t allow ex-catering staff take up their new positions in the security sector un- less they receive the first part of the €16,000 sum that will be provided for each of the 350 staff members that are staying on.

Shannon Airport Authority (SAA) staff have enjoyed free and discount- ed Aer Lingus flights while working for the company and after retire-

ment. In the 10-page document, no mention is made of the discounted flights. The ensuing row resulted in unions and management meeting un- der the auspices of the Labour Rela- tions Commission.

It is understood that over 185 staff members have signed up to take the voluntary redundancy programme.

Prior to the package been put on of- fer to the airport’s 550 workers, the Shannon Airport Authority (SAA) stated that 200 voluntary redundan- cles were needed in order for the Shannon deal to be viable.

While the SAA may not reach the 200 target, it is believed that the high number taking up the offer will be enough for the deal to go through.

As part of the deal with the air- port’s workers, the SAA is to exit completely from catering. It is be- lieved that the rates offered by the two catering firms that will provide eround catering and in-flight cater- ing have disappointed workers.

In the deal, those workers with 24 years experience or more who opt to leave the SAA will receive over €100,000, while the 350 who remain are to receive a payment of €16,000. The deal is expected to save the SAA €10 million per annum.

SUMMER 1s approaching and a va- riety of Summer camps are being or- ganised in the Shannon area.

First off the mark is Shannon youth office, which has put together a busy schedule of events for the holiday pe- riod. They are hoping to attract doz- ens of young people to attend.

Summer camps, for those aged be- tween nine and 13, will take place in July. The camp will take place from July 10 to 13 and again from July 16 to 19, at a cost of €60 for the eight days. The hugely successful sum- mer camps have been taking place in Shannon for more than 30 years.

“This year, we hope to have 50 young people aged between nine and 13 take part in summer camp and we are offering a whole range of activi- ties to meet there needs,” said Shan- non youth worker, Cathal Dillon.

“The camp is offered at a low cost, thanks to sponsorship from local businesses. We thank them for their continued support of Clare Youth Service 1n Shannon,” he added.

‘The camp is offered to young peo- ple in Shannon and the surrounding areas of Cratloe, Sixmilebridge and Newmarket-on-Fergus.

The camp also offers young volun- teers aged 17 and over from the area a chance to train and become a lead-

er for the duration of the camp.

It is a very rewarding experience and a chance to make new friends and work as part of a team,with a trained professional youth worker on hand to offer support,” he said.

“The volunteers all from the Shan- non area will be receiving training as leaders in the camp in early July and they are already eager to run an excellent camp,” said Thomas O’Hara, who is another youth worker in Shannon.

One of the summer camp leaders Aaron O’Donoghue said, “The high- light of last years camp was Dromore Woods Fun day and this summer we will again be heading to Dromore for

more good times.”

Among the summer camp activi- ties are arts and crafts, fun games, storytelling, face painting, quizzes, bowling, quasar and soccer. There will also be day trips to Lahinch Sea- world and Dromore Woods.

The summer camp will take place in the Respond Community Build- ing, Rineanna View, between lpm and 4.30pm every day.

Volunteer application forms and brochures are available from Shan- non Citizens Information centre, Shannon Health Centre, Shannon Youth Office, Rineanna View Com- munity Building, or by phoning Ca- thal Dillon on 061 364318.

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The field, which is being developed jointly by Providence Resources and Challenger Minerals, has a massive reserve of one and a quarter trillion cubic feet of gas, as-well as 206 mil- hon barrels of oil. In total, the reserve is currently valued at €19.6 billion.

“We have agreed to work on this project with Challenger Minerals which is one of the biggest companies of their kind in the world. It is subject to the approval of Noel Dempsey, or whoever becomes Minister for Com- munications, Marine and Natural Resources after him,” said a spokes- person from Providence Resources.

“It is up to the Government when and how we proceed. Providence Resources have been undertaking a number of surveys and compiling a huge amount of information on the field. It is a very tightly regulated business as you would expect and there are many conditions and regu- lations which need to be adhered to.”

The Spanish Point field is located

around 200km off the coast of west Clare, just to the north of a Burren field of roughly the same size. No firm time-frame is currently in place for the development of the Burren field, which is also owned by Provi- dence Resources.

The Spanish Point field was discov- ered in 1981 by Phillips Petroleum and a consortium which included At- lantic Resources PLC, Providence’s predecessor company.

Providence Resources holds an 80 per cent interest in the field which is located in an area known as the Porcupine Basin, off the west coast. It is located underneath 300 to 400 metres of water over sandstone and is believed to date back to the Upper Jurassic Period.

Providence Resources PLC applied for and became operator of the Span- ish Point licence in November 2004, and now holds the licence for a 15 year-term.

Last month, Providence’s Chief Executive, Tony O’Reilly JNR, an- nounced a 10 per cent faring out of the Spanish Point project to Chal- lenger Minerals.

A spokesperson from the Petro- leum Affairs Division of the depart- ment said last week that there is at least €450 billion worth of oil lying off the west coast of Ireland.

TWENTY years ago, the maternity unit at Ennis General Hospital was closed and since then, the only babies born in Clare are to the few women who hire independent midwives for home births, and those women who do not make it to hospital and give birth at the side of the road. A new group, Birth Choice Clare, has launched a cam- paign for the es- tablishment of a midwife led, com- munity based, stand-alone ma- ternity — facility in Ennis to serve the more than 105,000 ~~‘ popu- lation of Clare. Because 85 to 90 per cent of births are normal, mem- bers say such a midwife led unit would be as suc- CIAO MECISMECIDOOUUEADE units in the UK and elsewhere. Birth Choice Clare says women and their babies should not be subjected to the dangers of roadside births un-

necessarily and travelling from some parts of the county could involve journeys of up to two hours, depend- ing on traffic.

The campaign will be highlighted this Sunday, June 3, in a special re- port on RTE’s regional and commu- nity affairs programme,

NEXT bank holiday Monday why not relax in the name of a good cause.

A local branch of Aids Partnership with Africa (APA) will hold a pam- pering day and craft fair fundraiser at the West County Hotel on June 4. The aim of the event is to raise mon- ey for Aids orphan programmes in Ethiopia and Tanzania.

A wide range of relaxing pamper- ing treatments from Indian head massage to hand and foot reflexology will be available on the day. Entry fee 1s €30 and once inside patrons can sample as many of the therapies on offer as they wish.

Among the services available are a number of health and exercise thera-

pies such as African reflexology, iri- dology, angel card readings, bio-en- ergy, reiki, metamorphic technique, integrated energy, Bowen therapy and transference healing.

Life coaches and beauty consult- ants will also be on hand to provide one-to-one Sessions.

There will also be plenty of musical entertainment, helping to enhance an atmosphere of relaxation and heal- ing.

A craft fair showcasing the tal- ents of local craft workers will open at llam. All items are hand made and will be on sale. The pampering therapies begin at lpm and run until BET

There is a serious side to the day with all proceeds from the event

going towards the Irish registered charity APA, to help fund projects in Ethiopia and Tanzania. Fr Owen Lambert, a Holy Ghost priest, set up APA in 2002.

Having worked in east Africa for over 30 years he witnessed first hand the devastating effect the Aids pan- demic was having on whole commu- nities.

He was particularly touched by the plight of children orphaned by AIDS. In response to their growing plight he established the APA. Its policy is to work in partnership with governments, both at local and na- tional levels.

It funds leadership and training to facilitate communities to respond to the Aids crisis in a local and sustain-

able way, respecting religious beliefs, values and principles.

APA also funds HIV/Aids infor- mation and prevention programmes. However the main focus is on Aids orphaned children.

Where possible these children are re-united with a member of their extended family otherwise they are cared for by foster families.

The APA programme subsidizes these foster families to provide the children with food, shelter, education and a chance to live a dignified life. All the proceeds of the Ennis pam- pering day will go towards the Aids orphans programmes in Ethiopia and Tanzania.

For more information log onto WWw.apa.ie

BY 6pm, Clare’s largest polling sta- tion was humming. The flow of vot- ers had been steady all day at Ennis CBS, but now business was really picking up.

The narrow hallways rumbled with the purposeful steps of voters. Out- side cars and SUV’s were plonked on the footpath. Inside the walls, others jostled for parking spaces.

Normally you’d associate this kind of traffic with the daily school com- mute taken by parents and children to and from New Road.

But today there’s a different reason for the hustle and bustle. It’s Election Day.

Time to chose the men or women that will serve Clare in the 30th Dail. And the people are eager to have Dales DMITRY

“Oh it’s always this way,” says Cen- tre Supervisor Anne Monahan. Pre- siding officer Lawrence O’ Loughlin concurs, “You’ll always find it like that.”

Between them, Anne and Lawrence have over 50 years experience at the polling stations. Steady hands on hec- tic days. 3,800 voters drawn mainly

from the Tulla Road and Roslevan areas of the town passed through the CBS last Thursday.

Seven individual stations were di- vided between two buildings. The booths propped neatly in classrooms in the main building. Three more ar- ranged in a circle in a separate hall.

The school also housed the busi- est polling booth in the county – box number two where 860 of the coun- ty’s 79,883 potential votes were cast.

Anne checked the first polling fig- ures at 2pm and already turnout was high, at 18 per cent. By 6pm that fig- ure had risen to 30 per cent.

A staff of 15 people sat through the long hours of voting, making sure everything ran smoothly. A good thing too.

A power cut struck parts of Ennis on Thursday. Electronic voting may- be quick, easy and less cumbersome, but what happens when the lights go oD nia

‘That would be an absolute disas- ter. No one would be able to vote,” says Anne.

While we await the winner of the pencil versus keypad debate, there will still be plenty of work for pre- siding officers at election time.

For Lawrence, that means rising in the early light of 6.30am. The day isn’t done until 10.30pm when the last of the all-important ballot boxes are under lock and key in the West County Hotel.

It’s a day for people and their pri- orities. After a 15-hour day, there’s only one place the Boston, Tubber native is thinking of.

“It’s a long day alright. I remember we had a long one a few years ago. It will take about a half an hour to clean up. I’ll be aiming to hit Rory Kenny’s by twenty past eleven’, says Lawrence.

MICHAEL McDowell’s decision to retire from the political scene last Friday has been greeted with sadness by the party faithful in Clare.

The Progressive Democrat’s candi- date in Clare for last week’s general election, Murt Collins paid tribute to the former Tanaiste.

“TI think that the people have let us down. I think that they have made the worst mistake of all with the Minis- ter for Justice, Michael McDowell. He was one of the best ministers for justice that we have ever had. He took on the IRA, he reduced overtime in certain state bodies, and what did he get from it?” said Mr Collins.

“We took a hammering but it was a bad day for all small parties. It was bad for us but it was bad for the coun- try. The PDs were keeping Fianna Fail on the straight and narrow.

“They drove the economy and tax reform. We have all the tribunals out

of the PDs, we’d never know what was going on in the country if it hadn’t been for the PDs.”

The Kilrush general election candi- date also blamed Fianna Fail’s reac-

tion to Michael McDowell’s handling of leaks from the Mahon Tribunal as one of the main factors in the PD’s disastrous election campaign.

“This 1s my opinion, it was all about McDowell’s statement there a couple weeks ago about Bertie. What happened then is that Fianna Fail de- cided not to cross vote. It was very obvious there in Limerick when Wil- lie O’Dea got a huge vote and Tim O’Malley didn’t get the transfer. I think McDowell got Fianna Fail’s backs up a small bit,” he said.

“Whatever happened in the last week there was a whole swing to the big parties. Having the vote on the Thursday didn’t suit some of the smaller parties because they are depending on youth. In the last few days, the bigger parties pulled out all the stops and brought out all the voters.”

A POLISH woman came to the res- cue on Wednesday last after three horses bolted into heavy traffic on the Clare Road.

Stunned onlookers watched on as 21-year-old Magdalena Musial calmly took control of a dangerous situation that developed at the busy roundabout near the Westfield’s es- tate.

Three horses broke out from a nearby field into heavy morning traf- fic creating a dangerous situation for

motorists and passers by.

Gardai and members of the Clare fire service were called to the scene at around 11am on Wednesday morn- betes

Magdalena was in a car with her boyfriend Kieran O’Brien when the drama occurred. Magdalena who has been living in Ennis for the past year and works in Dunnes Stores took control of the situation by calmly guiding one of the horses in from the road.

The other horses followed suit and Magdalena then helped walk the an1-

mals into a horsebox when the owner arrived.

Kieran said, “Everyone there was amazed. One of the horses was bro- ken in but they other two weren’t, so it was quite a dangerous thing to do. Traffic was held up and people were walking by. Everyone kept well ley: 1e eae

Kieran explained how Magdalena moved the horses in from the road. He said “There was three of them that came out onto the road near Westfields. It was quite busy. She clapped her hands together and one

of them, the one that had been bro- ken in came over. She was able to get him in of the side of the road. Once the other two saw that, they followed him over.

“When the owner showed up with a horsebox, she walked them into it. It was pretty amazing. Everyone there just stood up watching. Even the guards and the guys from the fire brigade were impressed. She had everything under control”.