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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.

A MAN who failed to abide by a court order to sign on daily has been refused bail.

Patrick Ballard, of Rossbracken, Shannon, appeared in court last week, accused of assaulting a garda in Shan- Wteyee

Ballard previously appeared on charges relating to the stealing of cig- arettes, alcohol and clothes in Ennis and Shannon.

Inspector Michael Gallagher told Shannon District Court that he was objecting to bail.

He said that in February, the accused had been ordered to sign on daily, but had failed to do so in recent weeks.

Defending solicitor Tara Godfrey said her client was a “troubled young- ster”. Sergeant Dermot O’Connor said he accepted that.

Ms Godfrey said her client was “*vul-

nerable”. The sergeant replied, “His mother and members of An Garda Siochana dealing with him are vulner- able as well”.

Judge Aeneas McCarthy said the accused was “committing crimes all over the place. Society has to be pro- tected”.

Ms Godfrey said the duty of the State to the accused has not been car- ried out. She said the probation serv- ices were to carry out a report and this concluded that prison was not a suit- able place for her client.

The judge replied, “The State is not in locus parentis to Mr Ballard. He has responsibilities.”

Ms Godfrey said her client has been ‘led astray” by people who are unde- sirable.

The judge noted the accused had breached his bail and remanded him in custody for a week. “I want to see a psychiatric report,’ he said.

ENNIS Town Council are to write to the government requesting a change in the current rules on displaying election posters in urban centers.

Members opted to do so after de- ciding against adopting a policy that would have seen posters be given a designated area.

The proposal was put forward by Green Party councillor Donal O’Beara and follows a similar sys- tem to one used in France.

Proposing the motion, Cllr O’ Beara called for “the council to adopt a sys-

tem of providing a designated area of panels for posters would avoid the cost, litter potential, inequality due to differing means of raising finance and waste associated with traditional postering. It would continue the pro- motion of elections and democratic system and assist Ennis Tidy Town’s OKO) a ae

Prior to the general election cam- paign, Ennis Town Council wrote to all candidates requesting they refrain from erecting posters within the town. The request was made in light of the town’s success in the an- nual Tidy Towns competition.

Cllr O’Beara added, ““We’ve taken a step forward with the current sys- tem. I think we should take it to the next level and lead the way on this”.

Town manager Tom Coughlan sug- gested more information would be required before the policy could be fully adopted.

“We make informed policy deci- sions but we can’t advise here be- cause we don’t have the full informa- nln

“[’m not opposed to the proposal. I would have to know whether it is possible to do it and I don’t know if we can do it or not.”

Cllr Tatwoo Matthew (Ind) stated more information would be needed. Cllr Tommy Brennan (Ind) said ‘Everyone has respected the current system, if it is working so well why change it”.

Cllr Peter Considine (FF) proposed that the walls be multi-functional “There is a growing cult of graffiti walls in towns and cities that are used by artists. You could set aside two or three panels for it. If we are doing this we might as well go the whole hog”. Town Clerk Eddie Power said problems could develop in enforcing the policy.

A MAN who called gardai “paedo- philes” did so because of a previous incident, a court has heard.

Maurice Walsh (57), of Finian Park, Shannon, appeared in court last week, charged under the Public Order Act.

Shannon District Court was told the accused called gardai “paedophiles and c****s” and accused one garda of setting him up for drink driving, on March 3 last.

Defending solicitor Tara Godfrey said the accused’s wife is deceased. This date would have been her 50th birthday. He drank too much alcohol and became emotional, she said.

Judge Aeneas McCarthy asked, ‘“What’s his problem with gardai?”

Ms Godfrey replied, “I think it’s his problem with the world at large.”

At that stage the accused addressed the judge.

“What have I got against the gardai? Four years ago, I was inside in Ennis General Hospital, having two operations carried out and while I was having the operations carried out, gardai arrived at my house with a search warrant, on the pretence I was after stealing a Kawasaki motor- bike from Sixmilebridge,” he said.

The judge told him that was a mat- ter for the Garda Complaints Board. The accused said he had made a complaint, but the garda officer who investigated it found there had been no wrongdoing.

The case was adjourned for a Pro- ley 1h(O0 Ke) Lam

SHARON Shannon returns to north Clare early next month for a spe- cial once-off concert in support of Ennistymon’s Mol an Oige Steiner school.

The trad legend will play an inti- mate concert at the Falls Hotel and Spa Resort on Thursday, June 7, along with her sister Mary and Jim Murray on guitar.

Renowned in the past for taking on causes such as animal welfare, the Ruan musician has joined the likes of the Frank and Walters in putting on support concerts for the school.

“We are absolutely thrilled to have

Sharon coming up and putting on a concert. It’s areal boost for the school to have someone of her calibre who is willing to get behind it and help,” said Mary Fahy of Mol an Oige.

‘There is a great buzz around about it already, even the young kids are getting excited about it. Tickets are selling out so quickly and we would advise people to get theirs sooner jel elo) mm Oe- DOM Esl Kos ie

Also appearing on the night will be vocalist and guitarist Jack Maher, Eoin O’Neill, Quentin Cooper, Tara Connaghan and Jon O’Connell from The Walls.

All proceeds from the concert will go directly to the Mol An Oige

primary school, which does not, at present, receive any government funding. The school instead relies heavily on fundraising events and donations to cover the costs of run- ning the school.

‘Numbers are good at the moment. We have 40 children attending which is all that we can accommodate.

‘Numbers are high for next year and the year after already. The local community is really getting behind the school,” continued Mary.

‘Fundraisers like this are essential for wages, for classes and for equip- ment.

“We have had a lot of donations from local businesses, and local

craftspeople have been doing a lot of work at the school for free.

‘The fundraising is essential. We wouldn’t be able to survive without it.”

Tickets, as a cost of €25, can be bought in Ennistymon from the Falls Hotel itself, Daly’s Bar and Unglert’s Bakery as well as from the Celtic t- shirt shop in Lahinch.

Custy’s music shop in Ennis and Record Rack (065 6820769) will take credit card bookings.

The Falls Hotel has accommoda- tion on offer on the night and can be contacted on 065 7071004 for all overnight booking requirements.

POLITICAL graffiti artists have tar- geted some 50 General Election post- ers in the north Clare area in an act of political ‘jamming’.

The effected posters, which are di- vided indiscriminately across all po- litical parties and candidates, feature a pair of false cartoon eyes stuck on the candidates’ faces, as well as the words “Obey Me’ embossed on their Ke)Ko store OMOmonvne

Jamming is a form of graffiti in which the artist targets public adver- tisements or political posters in order to express a political or moral point.

The posters are located in the Lahi- nch, Ennistymon and Inagh areas but

a number can also be seen on the In- agh Road in Ennis.

The process of jamming has become more commonplace in Irish elections in recent years. The most high-pro- file recent example of jamming took place in Cork City during the 2002 local election.

On that occasion, brown paper en- velopes were attached to hundreds of Fianna Fail and Fine Gael election posters in the centre of Cork City on the night before the election.

A Cork-based anarchist organisation later claimed responsibility for this stunt which was part of its ‘anti-elec- tion’ campaign. To date, no-one has claimed responsibility for the north Clare jamming.

According to the Head of Psychol- ogy at the University of Limerick, Tony Cassidy, the graffiti is actually a positive sign.

“It does represent some disillusion- ment with the state of politics in the area, but it is actually a quite positive thing that people are willing to put that much time and effort into mak- ing a political statement,’ said Dr Cassidy. “It shows a level of disillu- sionment with the system, but it also shows that the people involved have a will to make their voices heard. It is quite a positive thing in that respect.”

Meanwhile, Fine Gael candidate Pat Breen has described as “politically motivated” the destruction of his bill- board in the outskirts of Kilrush just

hours after it was erected.

The €60, eight-by-four-foot bill- board, which was erected on Saturday evening, was discovered on Sunday in an adjacent field.

The board, which was promoting Fine Gael’s commitment to accident and emergency services in Ennis with a picture of Breen’s head, had been de- faced with the TD’s mouth cut away.

Deputy Breen told

MEP Sean O Neachtain was in En- nistymon on Friday to meet with the staff and students of Scoil Mhuire in Ennistymon. The Galway-based MEP was in town to examine the European Studies projects of some 40 students of the school.

O Neachtain is the latest in a series of MEPs to have visited the school in recent years, with Dana and Brian Crowley also paying a visit.

“At the start of the year, we re- ally didn’t know all that much about European studies or how the EU worked. At first we were introduced into the basics of how the parliament is divided and how there is so much

peace between the counties now,” said Hannah O’Brien, from Lahinch.

‘But we were also introduced to the cultural side of it and were allowed to decide what topic we wanted to take on for ourselves.”

The projects ranged from politi- cal issues such as immigration and economic matters to more cultural topics.

“My topic focused on the develop- ment of film in three countries — France, Italy and Spain,” continued Hannah.

“We were given loads of choice as long as it had some connection with the EU. Some people chose more politically-orientated subjects, like for example the inclusion of Turkey

in the EU. If you were good at mu- sic, you could branch off into that or horse riding, whatever, as long as you looked at the cultures of the different countries.

‘“T looked at the beginnings of film, and how things like religion and war effected them. I also looked at the progression to modern day and how European film is now standing up to big Hollywood films.”

Sean O Neachtain was elected as a MEP for the north and west region in 2004. He currently sits on commit- tees for fisheries, transport and tour- ism and is a substitute on the com- mittee on the budget.

“I guess I wouldn’t have known who Sean Neachtain was this time last

year,’ Hannah continued. “Now we know what he looks like at least. No, we also know a lot more about the work he does and how it all works. We all definitely have a better idea of it now than we had coming into the year. I see how Ireland has benefited so much in term of funding and how the EU has promoted so much over there.”