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THE tourism stock of east Clare of- ficially soared this week, as one of the finest waterside walking routes in the country was formally opened in picturesque O’Briensbridge.

Some 16 km of walkway, and a number of shorter routes, were for- mally unveiled to the public at a joint celebration by the O’Briensbridge Community Group and Shannon De- velopment.

The route has been painstakingly and lovingly carved out by the lo- cal voluntary group over four years with the assistance of State, semi- State, local authority and voluntary financial support at a total cost of €222,000.

Many walkers and athletes alike have already grown to love the set- ting that begins and ends in the vil-

lage and in between meanders along the banks of the Shannon before joining the Errinagh Canal.

Speaking at a celebration dinner at the Old Mill Bar, O’Briensbridge fol- lowing the launch, chairman of the O’Briensbridge Community Group Michael Murtagh said that the fin- ished walk now formally unveiled has been a labour of love and well worth the many long hours dedicated by the band of local volunteers.

And he predicted that the walk will be one of the real gems of east Clare tourism over the coming years, par- ticularly with walking holidays now emerging as one of the growth areas of the tourism sector.

“There were times when we were banging on doors looking for fund- ing for this that we thought we would never see this day but now that we have, it has been more than worth

every bead of sweat,” said Michael.

“When you see what has been achieved here you really get a sense of a job well done and it is a tribute to all in our community, not just those in this official voluntary group. This 1s a diamond of a walk and you couldn’t have a better place to start and finish it than in what we believe is one of the prettiest villages in the country, O’ Briensbridge.

He added that without the help of the many volunteers and the sup- port from State and semi-State spon- sors, “this would not have happened and to one and all we say a big thank Wo) ae

The walks — all are colour coded with arrow sign-posts – vary from the longest Green Loop, which travels all the way from O’Briensbridge to Par- Korey mr-H OO mDy-1ee

There are shorter treks within the

system, including the Blue Loop, which links early with the Erri- nagh Canal and brings walkers back around to O’Briensbridge at a total distance of just 5 km The red loop, meanwhile, carries on to the village of Clonlara, returning to O’Briensbridge along the Errinagh Canal in an overall trek of 10 km.

Work on the ambitious project be- gan back in 2003 and has been fund- ed by Waterways Ireland, €27,000; Shannon Development, €11,000; Clare County Council €87,000, Leader Group, €26,000; Conserva- tion Volunteers, €2,000; Heritage Council, €26,000; ESB, <€18,000; O’Briensbridge Community Group, orm OOF

THE HSE Mid West said that it could not comment “at this stage on the out- come of the review” of acute hospital Services in the mid west, “as the re- view is not yet completed”.

In a letter to the chairman of the En- nis General Hospital, the HSE said that as the scope of the review has

been extended to incorporate changes currently underway in primary, com- munity and continuing care services, the completion date has been extended and is not expected to be ready for some weeks yet.”

It was expected that the review would be published in April but the day is now more likely to be late May.

“This review will identify an overall

model of acute hospital care and also take account of developing needs in the area of pre-hospital emergency care and the transformation programme underway in primary, community and continuing care Services.”

An invitation to tender for the review was issued last December and the consultants appointed were Horwarth Consulting Ireland, in association with

SR ed aU Eder ontonlmelo mel Gore Meanwhile, the plans for the develop- ment of Ennis General Hospital were lodged with Ennis Town Council on Monday. The development consists of the demolition of existing single-sto- rey extensions and the original chapel to the rear of the main hospital and the provision of a new two-storey exten- sion incorporating the new A&E unit.

AFTER 20 years waiting for this day a little inclement weather was never going to dampen the joy of the teach- ers, pupils and parishioners of Clon- lara as Minister for Labour Affairs Tony Killeen opened a €1.1 million extension of Conlara National school on Wednesday afternoon last.

The extension, which services one of the biggest rural national schools in the county, sees Clonlara receive three new classrooms, three learning Support rooms, a staff room and an administrative office.

Clonlara National school has grown to house in 2007 a huge total of 334 pupils with 15 teachers and other support staff. Bishop Willie Walshe was on hand to bless the new build- ing in the presence of Father Brendan Cleary chairperson of the board of management along with board mem- bers.

School principal and Clare minor hurling team manager PJ Fitzpatrick said that it was the culmination of many years effort, lobbying and promises that finally led to this great day for the school.

The school has grown to be recog-

nised as one of the best centres of formative education in the region and was in dire need of this extension.

It will service the needs of an ever erowing hinterland population wise. Fitzpatrick thanked the architect Dermot Merry for “the excellent design and management of construc- none

He reserved special praise for the construction firm of Kerlim Building Ltd who went about their business in a “quiet considerate way considering the pupils and staff alike”. The effi- ciency of Kerlim must also be noted according to the school principal as

“the project was finished two months ahead of schedule”’.

PJ also thanked all the local contri- butions that helped to fund the con- struction after the 95 per cent fund- ing was granted from central funds.

After the formalities a reception was held in the new premises for guests and parishioners alike to cel- ebrate another success for Clonlara eynenee

AN 81-YEAR-OLD retired farmer from Sixmilebridge who drowned in February may have slipped and fallen into the river, an inquest heard last Ni sle @

Ennis Coroner’s Court heard that the body of Tom McInerney was found, some time after he went missing from his home, at Ballysheen, Sixmilebri- dge, on February 26 last.

McMclInerney was well known and well respected in the locality, where he looked after the local church.

The inquest heard that Tom was at home with his wheelchair-bound nephew Michael, that evening.

The two watched television and Michael went to bed at 7pm.

He woke several times during the night and noticed that his uncle hadn’t brought him tea, as was the norm.

He realised early in the morning that his uncle wasn’t there and the televi- sion was still on in the sitting room.

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He searched for ‘Tom, but could not find him. He went out to the yard and called his name, but did not get a re- sponse.

A neighbour, Eddie Russell, said

Michael phoned him at around 8am and said that his uncle had not brought in his tea, as he usually would.

They searched the house, farm- yard and sheds, before extending the search to the local area.

Mr Russell said he saw a body in the river, close to Mike Gleeson’s pub, a short time later. He identified the body to a garda.

Pathologist Dr Elizabeth Mulcahy carried out an autopsy on Mr MclIner- ney’s body the following day.

She noted there were two small cuts to the forehead and apart from that, there were no other obvious external injuries.

“In my opinion, the cause of death was drowning,” she said.

She said Mr McInerney had “‘signif- icant heart disease”, adding, “it was possible he could have had a cardiac event, that may have caused him to NIB DAKOmssopUh ome

County Coroner Isobel O’Dea said the appropriate verdict was an open one.

“It may well be that Mr MclIner- ney suffered a cardiac incident and slipped,” she said.

She said Mr McInerney was a “*well- known member of the community” whose loss was deeply felt.

THE Killaloe Coastguard is hop- ing that volunteers will rescue them from their staffing shortage by at- tending an Open Evening on Tues- day, May 22 in the Kincora Lodge Hotel.

The coastguard needs arounds 15 new volunteers to assist with search and rescue operations and general administration.

New recruits would receive full training in whatever aspect of the

service that they sign up to including land search and water rescue.

Coastguard Area Officer, Michael Quigley, outlined what will be ex- pected of volunteers.

“The evening will give an induc- tion into what the organisation is all about. Potential volunteers would need to be available at least twice a month. The training can be intense because it can involve boat han- dling, first aid and evaluation of dif- ferent scenarios. We have to follow a lot of guidelines and people have to

be committed. The training process can take up to six months,” he said.

He added that the role of the or- ganisation was very important and a contribution would be “very reward- rhe

There is no age limit on volunteers although people should be aware that the job can be physically demanding and as there are currently no female volunteers, applications from wom- en are particularly welcome.

“It’s very challenging. You can get the call any time- 24 hours a day, 365

days of the year. We try to divide up people to be on call but it’s still hard. Sixteen hours out on search can take its toll. Everyone knows their own limitations and a lot of it is a young person’s game but we still need oth- er people to help out at base,” said Mr Quigley.

Mentioning recent searches that Killaloe Coastguard has assisted in, Mr Quigley said that the need is higher now than ever.

The information evening begins at 8pm and everyone is welcome.

IN her first major speech, the newly inaugurated national president of Macra na Feirme, Catherine Buckley, has called on the political parties to commit to devising and implement- ing a national strategy to encourage employers to facilitate employees in working from home through ‘e- working’.

Speaking last week, Ms Buckley, who is the first woman Macra presi- dent said that employers should be incentivised into allowing workers the option of “e-working’.

‘“Work-life balance has been a buzz- phrase for a few years now, but the

concept should not be discounted,” she said.

“It’s widely accepted that working from home can bring huge benefits, helping workers to organise their time more efficiently, work more effectively and reduce the stress of commuting.

“Studies have also shown that by offering employees a flexible work- ing environment – such as the op- tion to work even part-time from the home — productivity and employee retention levels are increased while costs can be reduced.”

She pointed out that giving people the opportunity to work from home would also be an effective way of al-

lowing local people in rural areas the chance to work in the areas where they are living, providing them with more time to become involved in community life rather than wasting hours commuting.

“If more people were facilitated in this way, it would reduce the number of commuters on our roads, improve peoples’ family hfe and would also mean that less people are wasting hours and hours per week stuck in their cars increasing carbon emis- sions and having a detrimental im- pact on the environment,” she con- abOLeCoe

“While everybody pays lip service to balanced regional development,

it has only had limited success. Yet if companies were to adopt a more enlightened approach in facilitating working from home, I believe they would benefit significantly in terms of staff retention and increased pro- Clie UAL AYAae

According to Buckley, many em- ployers and employees may not be aware of the fact that equipment provided to an employee by his/her employer is not assessed for tax as a benefit-in-kind so long as it is used primarily for business use.

She pointed out that an employer can also provide expenses to cover costs such as heating and light, with- out the employee being taxed.

THE smaller parties continue to keep the faith that they will be in the final shake-up when it comes to announcing Clare’s four TDs for the 30th Dail.

With the Green Party’s Brian Meaney tipped by many to be one of the contenders for the coveted “fourth seat”, the Barefield na- tive says that if “all of the positive feedback we’ve been getting trans- lated into first-preference votes, I’d have two quotas”.

“T think Clare people will recog- nise that I’m a safe pair of hands,” he said. Meaney feels the Green agenda is an idea whose time has fey nner

“The economic realities have en- sured there is a move towards the Green agenda. You only have to look at the cost of fuel. People see this and are seeing that the Green agenda makes economic sense.”

Labour candidate Pascal Fitzger- ald is also staying positive.

“IT am going out to win a Seat. People won’t make up their mind

until the day of the election,” he Said.

The Clare councillor is aware of the disadvantage of living just out- side the Clare constituency, in the Limerick east constituency, but believes this campaign will help raise his profile.

“Everyone had Bhamjee written off and we saw what happened there,” he said.

Progressive Democrat candidate, Murt Collins said on the canvass in Kilrush that he is getting “very positive feedback” on the door-

steps. “The future of the hospital and the state of the roads are is- sues that come up a lot, as does the creation of jobs in west Clare.” Collins said that it is “important to get a good vote. I’m looking for- ward to strong support on election day. A lot of people have promised me their number one or two.”

Sinn Féin’s Anna Prior has been experiencing a “very positive reac- tion’ for a new candidate, accord- ing to her spokesman. “The issues people are bringing up are the fu- ture of the hospital and healthcare

generally as well as maintaining the rural environment, provid- ing transport and services such as broadband.”

The spokesman said that the “northern situation doesn’t come up very much and when it does, people are pleased with the devel- opments there.”

In terms of party politics, the Sinn Féin candidate believes that people “are interested in who they can trust to deliver on the impor- tant issues. There is a lot of disil- lusion out there.”

THE IFA has reignited the war of words between farmers and factories this week by launching a blistering attack on the beef factories for the price paid to winter finishers.

IFA President, Padraig Walshe, lashed factories, describing it as “an outright disgrace and a body blow” inflicted by factories on the coun- try’s best and most committed beef producers.

Beef finishers have taken a ham- mering this spring and there was now a serious question mark over beef factories’ commitment to a 52-

week supply from Irish farmers.

The IFA President said the big play- ers now had significant investment in Brazil and he was highly suspicious that price manipulation was taking place, not just in the Irish market, but across Europe including Italy, which has always been a high-priced outlet for beef and cattle.

‘Factories that had talked up cat- tle prices in November and Decem- ber were now gone to ground and messing farmers around getting cat- tle killed, and at bad prices,” said Walshe.

“Tam so angry at factories that to- day I have called on Minister Cough-

lan to put a stay on the €50 million government grants she announced for the industry some weeks ago, un- til law and order 1s restored.

“T am demanding that the Depart- ment of Agriculture publish the weekly kill for each factory. This in- formation is available in the Depart- ment and I’ve repeatedly asked for it to be published in the interests of transparency.

“The Minister for Agriculture must stop the foot—dragging. If factories have nothing to hide, then the figures will make it quite clear that the beef leaving the plant was slaughtered under the supervision of the Depart-

ment’s vets in that plant.”

The IFA President said that unless the meat factory owners put forward real and coherent marketing plans to lift the price of Irish beef, there is no reason the government should fund their Irish plants and allow them in- vest their own capital in Brazil.

“IT am also calling on the Minister to ban trade in imported beef by li- censed exporters to preserve the integrity and good name of Irish beef, both at home and in our export markets. A factory with an export h- cence should not be allowed import or handle South American beef on the same premises,’ he added.

yesterday that the rel- evant documents had been lodged in the case and that the claim against the council could amount to €20 million.

“Our legal advice states that we have a very good case,’ Mr O’ Regan said.

He added that he did not expect the case to come before the High Court this year.

Mr O’Regan’s company secured a deal to supply GAMA Construction with stone from a quarry in Ruan.

However, the council issued Mr O’Regan with a warning letter in Au- gust 2004 in relation to the expansion of the quarry at Ardcarney, Ruan.

In the warning letter, the council claimed that “there has been signifi- cant expansion of the quarrying area and an intensification of the use of

the quarry and considers that plan- ning permission 1s required for the Clee a ae

The council stated that a number of developments had taken place on the lands and that the council considered that developments to be unauthorised and required planning permission.

In a response, Mr O’Regan’s com- pany absolutely denied that there was any unauthorised development on the lands in question.

The response letter to the council stated, “There has been no expan- sion of the quarrying area in ques- tion, having regard to the historical planning unit, and whether signifi-

cant or otherwise and there has been no intensification of the use of such quarry on such lands.”

Mr O’Regan said that his company did not receive an enforcement no- tice.

He said that the council sent a letter to GAMA and their consultants al- leging an unauthorised development at Mr O’Regan’s quarry, but failed to forward on the company’s response.

As aresult, Louis O’Regan Ltd lost out on the deal to provide the by- pass project with stone and GAMA sourced rock for the project from an alternative quarry locaated in the Ennis area.

MONEY raised by the west Clare Mini-Marathon was recently distrib- uted to grateful charities including €25,000 to the Regina House Pallia- tive Care Unit at a recent ceremony.

Friends of Regina House, a newly formed group, was presented with the cheque in Keane’s in Carrigaholt at the end of April while other local cancer causes also benefitted from the €160,000 raised by the annual event.

Friends of Ennistymon Hospital received €25,000 while other funds will pay for cancer patients travel- ling for treatment, pilgrimage trips for patients, palliative aids for home

use, professional counselling for pa- tients and their families, the Night Nurse service and the national Life- line Ambulance Service.

This year over 700 participants braved the January cold to contest the race and parish priest Father Donagh O’Meara said that the event was invaluable to cancer sufferers and their loved ones.

“Cancer care 1s a fantastic cause because so many people are suffer- ing. This money means that patients from west Clare can stay in west GET eweleetomnder- bem om selon (onteademcomnsle hospital in Ennis or Limerick or to Milford Hospice. It 1s a great thing to have facilities locally so people can benefit and have visitors,’ he said.

Fr O’Meara added that the mini- marathon meant that funds will go towards getting an extra palliative care bed each for Regina House and Ennistymon Hospital, boosting the number of beds to three in both je eNerene

All of the money, over €1 million over nine years, stays in the area and is distributed between organisations and local individuals.

The idea for the event, held on the last Sunday in January, originally came from Willie and Mary Mc- Grath.

The McGraths are now on the trus- tees committee which distributes the mini-marathon proceeds with Fr O’Meara as vice-chairman and other

local people including Michael No- ete

“It all started with the McGraths because they wanted to do something for cancer patients in the area and it has just grown and grown since then. It is our major fundraiser of the year while different community groups do smaller things. It is always a won- derful day and to get that amount of money in one go is fantastic. Local people are brilliant,” Fr O’Meara said.

The next Kilkee parish fundraiser will be on May 26 with a Greyhound Night in Limerick to raise money for an astroturf pitch and playground.