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KILRUSH Farmers’ Market is hoping to prove that the egg came before the chicken in attracting local producers and customers to the weekly collec- tion of stalls every Thursday to 2pm.

Fresh eggs (organic of course) are just one of the products available at the market along with seasonal veg- etables, flowers, plants, seedlings, jams, dairy products, baked goods and local crafts.

Michael Gleeson, market organiser and rural development officer with community initiative EIRI Corca Baiscinn, said that “without a market

and a demand” farmers are less likely to produce goods for sale.

“We just decided that we could cre- ate a new outlet for farm produce and started making enquiries. Location 1s a key thing and we are blessed to have the market square in Kilrush. It gives farmers somewhere to sell and the cost to them is low. It started with six stalls and last summer we had more than 15 stalls at peak times. For the most part, people tend to be sold out at the end of a day which is quite good.”

He added that by reducing the scale and cutting out the middle man, farm- ers can really benefit from the mar- oe

“The main thing is that they’re sell- ing direct so the producer gets 100 per cent of the retail value. Most people who sold to restaurants or suppliers before still do that but now they can use the market to get good prices and profits on a local level.”

Mr Gleeson does not think that the arrival of large supermarkets in west Clare has affected local schemes like the farmers’ market.

“It doesn’t apply too much because the market supplies different prod- ucts. The goods here are about quality rather than quantity. There are super- markets, like Supervalu in Clonakilty in Cork, that network with local pro-

ducers to get something different but no-one is unduly worried because it’s a separate market.”

The market is no spring chicken- it has been running from April to De- cember every year since 2003.

An annual membership costs €20 and €8 is paid for a stall every week. The costs are deliberately low to en- courage new producers and stalls.

Mr Gleeson said that everyone in- volved is pleased with the success of the project.

“It has grown gradually. The prod- ucts are good value and quality and the people care about what they’re do- rhea

IT’S A long way from Bodyke to Bu- rundi but a development charity which has been set up to link the two 1s bridg- ing that distance.

The idea for the charity came from Leocadie Murray who is a native of the village of Karambi in Burundi and who is married in Bodyke, County OE

During four visits to Karambi be- tween July 2005 and Oct 2006 Leo- cadie tried to get a better understand- ing of the main problems affecting the village through a series of meetings and competitions.

As a result of this, meetings were held in Bodyke earlier this year with

the aim of forming a charity to help with the development of the village and A2B (Aid to Burundi) was formed.

The charity now has a committee and constitution and has applied for DU KeoMIE-IRUISD

A2B is planning fundraising activi- ties starting this month.

As well as fundraisers, A 2B is plan- ning to go into the schools to give talks and organise events which will “lead to a greater level of awareness among the community in relation to the char- ity and to third world development in general”, a spokesman for the charity eIOb

“In Burundi A2B are funding a de- velopment worker, Raziki Gaspard, to act as an extension worker with the

villagers and as a liason between A2B and the various village committees. The needs and ideas of the population which he will develop will form the basis of the micro-projects which will be set up in the village,” the spokes- pPOLDOMNT-0(6 B

Special attention will be given to projects’ sustainability and to the vil- lagers contribution to them. They will either be financed by A2B or co-fi- nanced with other aid organisations in Ireland.

The supervision of these projects will be carried out by Raziki Gaspard with regular interventions by Leocadie Zlob wee hyA

During the course of his work a more detailed study of the major problems

in the village was carried out by the project worker. The findings have identified eight priority areas where the needs of the village are greatest, the first being the need for clean drink- TPAToMA Weed

It is hoped that further research can be done on this project by June for an application for funding from the Development Council of Ireland. It’s hoped work on the project should be- gin later on in the year.

As part of the fundraising drive, a coffee evening will be held in Has- sett’s bar, Tuamgraney after 6.30pm mass on Saturday, May 19 and a coffee morning will be held in the lounge of the Cobblers Rest, Bodyke after Mass on Sunday, May 20.

BROWNIES from Kilmurry Ibrick- ane parish joined in the effort to keep Clare tidy recently when they picked up litter all over the town of Mullagh.

The group of 22 girls and four par- ents from the local group got the idea from ongoing clean-up efforts by An Taisce and the Green Flag initiative at local schools.

Group Leader Margaret Cunning- ham said that the Brownies hope to

continue their anti-litter efforts on an ongoing basis.

“The kids get a badge for environ- mental awareness and that covers composting and recycling too so we decided to have a rubbish clean-up in the local community. The kids loved it. They have fantastic enthu- siasm and I think that they definitely have more respect themselves after- wards.’

She added that the sight of children aged from six to eleven cleaning up should also encourage the county

council and Fas to keep streets and green areas in good condition.

Learning about the environment is just one of the activities undertaken by the Brownies when they meet eve- ry Monday evening in Mullagh Hall from September to May.

“We cover First Aid, sowing flow- ers and seeds and other general top- ics. We also raised €480 for the National Children’s Hospital with a pancake night recently. We have lots of fun and games.”

The Mullagh branch is enjoying a

revival after a big fall off in attend- ance nearly spelled the end of the Brownies.

“We have 26 girls at the moment so the Brownies has never been this big. It really helps that the kids from dif- ferent schools and areas get to know each other before they go to second- ary school. It would be brilliant if there was a local branch of the Girl Guides so that they could continue on up to 16. They’d love that,” said Ms Cunningham.

MAKING beautiful music in Scariff means that pigs will fly – and all ina very good cause.

The youngsters involved in the Scar- iff Music World showed what they could do at a benefit gig in the Cob- blers Rest on Saturday evening.

More than 17 young musicians aged between seven and 12 years played their hearts out in a sponsored seisun which raised money to send a breed- ing sow to a family in need through the Bothar scheme.

The talented young musicians played ten tunes apiece and got each sponsor to pay them €1 per tune learned and

played on the night.

They came together to play and raise funds after learning how to play their instruments at the Music World school, which is an after-schools project run out of the Scariff Community Col- lege.

The music classes were started by the Community College’s head of music, John O’Brien, several years ago.

The classes are for adults and chil- dren alike and lessons are for every level of capability.

Part of the fees for the classes go back to the school to buy musical in- struments for the pupils.

Over the years, students have come to learn everything from guitar to pi-

ano, flute and fiddle.

Numbers vary but the weekly classes are Open to anyone who wants to join although the pupils come mostly from the east Clare area for practical rea- sons.

Which instruments are taught in any year depends on what teachers are available.

Nicki Griffin, who teaches flute and whistle at the school and who helped organise the night said the fundraiser was a way of getting young musicians together to play outside of lessons and jo eee Neer

“This lets them see that there is an end involved, a reason to play beyond the practice and the lessons. It’s play-

ing together in way they have never ex- perienced before and for a cause which will have great benefit,” said Nicki.

Once the young musicians finished their session on Saturday, Nicki and a band of older session players took the floor and did their turn.

“We were sponsored to play 50 tunes at 20 cent a tune. That was only fair because we started knowing more tunes,’ she said.

The cost of sending a breeding sow is €250 and Nicki said that the group had hoped to raise that much rather than aiming too high.

“Now I think we night have raised even more than that and that would be fantastic.”

MARY Shannon was delighted that her attacker was ordered to serve his three-year jail term last week. She believes she did the right thing by going public last March.

The 33-year-old was in the Central Criminal Court to hear Mr Justice Paul Carney activate the suspended sentence, on Friday afternoon.

“When I went public, I really did

not know I was doing the right thing. But if I did not do it, nobody would have known and I would have been another rape statistic,” said the moth- er-of-three.

She believes that Adam Keane would be still free, if she had not gone public and she now hopes her ordeal will help change the way rape cases are handled.

“I hope the new government com- ing in will start to deal with the issue

properly and put in place clear guide- lines for judges,” she said.

“I do think when I went public I took control again. Him going to jail was not even as important as me do- ing that,” said Ms Shannon.

The court hearing was the latest step in a high-profiled saga involving Ms Shannon.

She waived her right to anonymity in the wake of Adam Keane being handed a three-year suspended term,

in March.

She spoke out publicly and her family, relatives and friends rallied around her, offering support. She be- lieves that speaking out has helped to put the rape behind her.

She was pleased that the DPP de- cided to appeal the leniency of the sentence.

The DPP’s appeal is due to be men- tioned at the Court of Criminal Ap- peal next week.

CONCERN for the welfare of the protected bird, the Hen Harrier, has prompted the Department of the Environment to put plans for a €10 million wind-farm in west Clare on hold.

Last month, a Cork-based com- pany, DP Energy Ltd overcame concerns by Clare County Council to secure planning permission for the eight wind-farm project in the Oe eae

However, questions were raised over the six-turbine development after the department appealed the decision to An Bord Pleanala.

In its appeal, the department stated that the company did not include a monitoring programme and mitiga- tion measures for the Hen Harrier.

“We consider that it is inappropri- ate to develop mitigation measures after a decision is made to grant per- mission. There is known Hen Har- rier activity in lands adjacent to the wind-farm extension. The depart- ment does not object in principle to the concept of further wind-farm development in this area and recog- nises the importance of wind-farm technologies in meeting our envi- ronmental energy commitments.”

The appeal also objected to the council’s decision to restrict opera-

tional life to six years. “The capital cost of wind-turbines is very high and an operational period of 20 years is normally required to ob- tain the necessary project finance to Lepr MUlelmre A bICCE: Dene

“Unfortunately, it is not feasible to fund the construction of a wind- farm where such a short life-time has been stipulated. A re-application for planning during the operational lifetime of the wind-farm is also not feasible for the same reason.”

The planning decision has also been appealed by a local man, Noel McGuane of Furoor, Kilmaley.

Mr McGuane points out that in a previous decision, the board ordered the reduction in number of wind- abba bate

‘The reason the board gave for the reduction was to reduce the visual impact on the area around Lough na Mine to reduce the risk of siltation and in the interest of the visual, rec- reational and residential amenities of the area. This is my concern as three of the proposed turbines are very close again to Loch na Mine, a fishing lake and also the only water supply to three parishes,” he said.

Currently, there are just two wind- farms in Clare and one of those is an existing 13-turbine windfarm oper- ated by DP Energy between Kilmi- hil and Connolly.

VANDALS have made repeated at- tacks on an east Clare facility, leav- ing householders without a sewerage treatment plant for their homes.

Council staff have been working overtime to try to put right damage which has been caused on a number of occasions recently to the treatment plant at Shannon Banks.

The vandals broke into the enclo- sure around the sewerage treatment plant to damage the plant.

As the enclosure is also used as a storage space for the county council’s maintenance equipment, the local authority is now having to consider

removing the equipment and storing it further away.

Local councillor, Cathal Crowe says he has gone to the Gardai to dis- cuss what can be done about the van- dalism and problems with anti-social behaviour in general.

“The Shannon Banks housing estate is being vandalised on an ongoing basis. I regularly receive complaints from people in the area regarding the congregation of gangs and anti-social behaviour in the vi- cinity of the scout hall and river side walk,” he said.

The councillor added that it has “now emerged that vandals have en- tered the sewage treatment facility

on several occasions and caused un- told damage. In recent weeks coun- cil workers have had to spend several evenings repairing this damage.” The councillor explained that Clare County Council regularly use the fenced-in compound yard that sur- rounds the treatment plant for stor- ing equipment and machinery. “If the vandalism continues the council may be forced to have to relocate this equipment. This would be a very un- fortunate outcome as it is vital for a store of machinery and equipment to be at hand for general maintenance work in the local community.” Gardai say they are investigating the incidents of vandalism and are

monitoring and investigating any re- ports of anti-social behaviour on an on-going basis.

“IT have met and spoken with the local community guard regarding my concerns. Shannon Banks has always been a quiet, residential es- tate. It is however, vital that urgent attention is given to the tackling of anti-social behaviour in the area,’ OO voy (ons bter

He added that he will be staying in touch with the Gardai, local residents and council officials to see what can be done to try to resolve the issues before any further damage is done to the vital facilities.

THE Rape Crisis Centre in the mid- west has said it is only fair that con- victed rapist Adam Keane will serve time in jail. Its co-ordinator, Miriam Duffy, asked, however, what role the media played in the judge’s decision to lift the suspension of his three- year sentence.

“We are delighted that the judge imposed a sentence. The question 1s, would he have done that without all the furore in the press?” she asked.

“We are delighted for Mary and her family. The fact that she had the cour- age to go public with it has helped

all the rape crisis centres. There is a need for consistency in sentencing,’ added Ms Duffy.

“She has so widely publicised the inconsistencies in the sentencing by going public. She has done an amount for the rape and sexual abuse agendas in Ireland,” she said.

She said the Rape Crisis Network would continue to fight for sentenc- ing guidelines in rape and sexual of- fence cases.

“Without a doubt, the fact that she has had the courage to stand up and highlight it will hopefully lead to more work being done on this. It will hopefully have moved it up the

Justice department’s agenda. We ap- plaud her courage,” she said.

She pointed out that Keane had not gone to jail for raping the victim, but for “contempt of court.”

Earlier this month, the Rape Crisis Centre warned that this particular case may lead to a reduction in the number of rape victims coming for- ward. Figures published by the CSO showed that the number of reported sexual offences dropped by 44.5 per cent during the first quarter, when compared with the same three-month period last year.

Ms Duffy said that last Friday’s court ruling might encourage vic-

tims to come forward.

“IT would hope it would encourage people to report more. The March sentence (suspended) would have had a hugely negative impact. Now that the people see it changed, they may have more hope,” she said.

Meanwhile, Fine Gael Council- lor and general election candidate Madeleine Taylor-Quinn (FG) has welcomed last Friday’s decision.

“Some attempt was made for justice to be seen to be done,” she said.

She said that the victim had gone through a huge amount of suffering, pain and trauma throughout her or- Ol F

A CONTRACTOR has been chosen and a deal is due to be signed in the coming days for a complete overhaul of the John Paul Estate in Kilrush.

Kilrush Town Council members were told that Martin Fitzgibbon Builders Ltd have been awarded the contract, which is worth €3.7 mil- lion.

The work will include the demoli- tion of 28 houses in one block and the infill development of seven hous- es. Back gardens will be lengthened

and made more secure with bounda- ry walls, while back lanes which had become the site of anti-social behav- iour are to be done away with.

Twenty local authority homes will be completely refurbished and cen- tral heating installed and a new com- munal amenity space will be created at the centre of Willow Green.

Members were told that to facilitate the project, some tenants would have to be temporarily relocated.

In a report on the move, town clerk Fiona Mooney said she wanted to “praise the families for their co-op-

eration in the temporary accommo- dation arrangements and for their support for the development.

“The level of positive engagement by these residents has been very hearten- ing and we are looking forward to continuing this positive momentum throughout the pilot phase.”

She described the upcoming sign- ing of contracts as “a red letter day” for the future of the local authority estate.

Cllr Tom Prendeville (FF) said that he wanted to compliment the clerk and the councillors “for champion-

ing this project. It is very satisfying that the people who live there have become empowered and they are fully behind this project.”

Council members were told that a project manager for the estate had also been appointed and was due to take up his office in the last week in May.

Earlier this year, Kilrush Town Council completed the installation of a street CCTV system in the estate.

The cameras are in situ at various points around the estate keeping a close watch on potential offenders

and bringing peace of mind to its many residents.

The cameras are distributed within the six areas that make up the estate and there is a link with the local Garda station, from where the cam- eras can be monitored.

Town clerk Fiona Mooney said that the CCTV installation was part of a multi-agency action plan of initia- tives that contributed to the overall regeneration programme for the John Paul Estate area.

She added that the vast majority of the community wanted the CCTV.

INCREASING fears for the safety of mothers and unborn children in Clare have prompted the establishment of a new group to campaign for the crea- tion of a standalone maternity facility in Clare.

Birth Choice Clare have already collected some 4,000 signatures sup- porting their plans to create a mid- wife-led, community-based, women- orientated new facility in Ennis.

The proposed facility is a reac- tion to the growing number of births

which take place at the side of the road because Clare mothers cannot reach hospitals in Limerick and Gal- NAB UID OS lon

“We cannot get proper statistics for side-of-the-road births, they are all documented as giving birth at their destination hospital, but we do know that they are happening in Clare,” said Lesley-Anne Hill of Birth Choice Clare. ““We have heard an- ecdotal stories of babies being born by the road in Bunratty. It is a major problem, especially for people in the west and north of the county.”

The proposed facility would not employ any doctors, with midwives overseeing all deliveries and compli- cated pregnancies being referred to an obstetrician. It would also contain staff to assist with home births and domino scheme pregnancies.

“Between 80 and 90 per cent of women have perfectly normal healthy pregnancies. The World Health Or- ganisation has said that midwives are the best and most qualified people to deal with normal pregnancies,” con- tinued Ms Hill.

“This is about the effective use of

resources. If a woman is likely to have a problem pregnancy, they can be referred to an obstetrician.

“Our next step is to produce a more detailed submission where we will outline issues such as cost, location and size. It may or may not be on the site of Ennis General Hospital.”

A survey conducted last year found that babies born in Munster had an increased chance of being born on the way to hospital with Clare and Cork singled out as the worst counties.

“You get a lot of babies born at the side of the road in Clare,” said Krysia

Lynch of the Homebirth Association of Ireland. “It can be a very dangerous situation for both mother and baby. They don’t have any scissors to cut cord and no rope to tie it up with.

“It can cause a situation when fa- thers end up speeding to get to the hospital. They’re breaking the speed limits and their wife is beside them, usually not able to wear a seat belt.

“I have heard of situations where women are literally crossing their legs, sitting on the baby trying to keep them from coming before they get to the hospital.”